Aug. 3, 2018

August 3, 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

Diocese of Charlotte Foundation awards $54K in grants 3

‘Phishing’ email scam continues to hit area pastors, parishes 5

Acts of Mercy

Religious sisters in Mocksville live out the charism of their Belmont-based order

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INDEX

Contact us.................................4 Español..................................... 9-11 Events calendar........................4 Our Faith....................................2 Our Parishes......................... 3-8 Scripture readings...................2 TV & Movies..............................17 U.S. news.............................18-19 Viewpoints........................ 22-23 World news........................ 20-21

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Summer fun learning about faith Children study the Bible in summer camps, St. Peter teens learn about serving Christ through serving their community,

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Los Caballeros de Colón conquistan la comunidad latina 9

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Idolatry of wealth, beauty demands a costly sacrifice

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dolatry is a human inclination that spares neither believers nor atheists and deprives people of life and love in exchange for slavery to unfulfilled dreams, Pope Francis said. Although wealth, fame, beauty and power differ from the idols of ancient times, they all require “a human sacrifice,” the pope said Aug. 1 during his weekly general audience.

“For a career, children are sacrificed (by) neglecting them or simply not having them,” he said. “Beauty demands human sacrifice. How many hours are spent in front of the mirror?”

“Idols demand blood,” he said.

After a month’s summer break and as temperatures in the Eternal City reached nearly 95 degrees, the pope resumed his audiences inside the airconditioned Paul VI audience hall.

Returning to his series of audience talks about the Ten Commandments, Pope Francis focused specifically on the command “You shall not have other gods beside me.”

Christians, like anyone else, can fall prey to the world’s “supermarket of idols,” relying on earthly goods rather than on the spiritual goods offered by God through prayer, the pope said.

Setting aside his prepared text, Pope Francis talked about walking near a park in his native Argentina and seeing perhaps 50 tables set up where people could have their fortunes told through tarot card readings.

“They went there to ‘pray’ to their idol,” the pope said. Instead of praying to God, people went to have their cards read and their futures foretold. “This is an idolatry!”

Over time, he continued, an idol evolves into a “fixation and obsession” that has the power to enslave. While idols seem to promise life, “in reality they take it away.

The true God doesn’t ask for life but rather gives it. The true God doesn’t offer a glimpse of our success but rather teaches us to love. The true God doesn’t ask for your children but rather gives His Son to us.”

Pope Francis said the first “step on the path of love” is to recognize one’s own idolatries because “to truly love, you must be free of idols.”

“Carry this in your heart: Idols rob us of love, idols make us blind to love,” the pope said. Ask yourselves, ‘What is my idol?’ Then take it and throw it out the window.”

10 things you need to know about Jesus’ Transfiguration The Transfiguration is commemorated on Aug. 3. Here are 10 things you need to know about this event in Jesus’ ministry: 1. What does the word “transfiguration” mean?

The word “transfiguration” comes from the Latin roots trans- (“across”) and figura (“form, shape”). It thus signifies a change of form or appearance. This is what happened to Jesus in the event known as the Transfiguration: His appearance changed and became glorious. Before looking at the Transfiguration itself, it’s important that we look at what happened immediately before it in Luke’s Gospel.

2. What happened right before the Transfiguration?

In Luke 9:27, at the end of a speech to the 12 apostles, Jesus adds, enigmatically: “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” This has often been taken as a prophecy that the end of the world would occur before the first generation of Christians died out. The phrase “kingdom of God” can also refer to other things, though, including the Church – the outward expression of God’s invisible kingdom. The kingdom is embodied in Christ Himself and thus might be “seen” if Christ were to manifest it in an unusual way, even in His own earthly life.

3. Did such a manifestation occur?

Yes, and it is the very next thing that Luke relates: the Transfiguration.

Pope Benedict XVI states that it has been “convincingly argued that the placing of this saying immediately before the Transfiguration clearly relates it to this event.

“Some – that is to say, the three disciples who accompany Jesus up the mountain – are promised that they will personally witness the coming of the Kingdom of God ‘in power.’

“On the mountain the three of them see the glory of God’s Kingdom shining out of Jesus.

On the mountain they are overshadowed by God’s holy cloud. On the mountain – in the conversation of the transfigured Jesus with the Law and the Prophets – they realize that the true Feast of Tabernacles has come. On the mountain they learn that Jesus Himself is the living Torah, the complete Word of God. On the mountain they see the ‘power’ (dynamis) of the Kingdom that is coming in Christ” (“Jesus of Nazareth,” vol. 1).

We thus may have the key to understanding Jesus’ mysterious statement just before the Transfiguration. He wasn’t

Apse mosaic in the Church of the Transfiguration, a Franciscan church built on Mount Tabor in lower Galilee. The present church was completed in 1924, but it was built on the ruins of an ancient (4th-6th-century) Byzantine church and a 12th-century Crusader church. Several mountains have been identified as the site of the Transfiguration; for example, the tallest mountain in Israel, Mount Hermon. Mount Tabor was closer to the center of Jesus’ activities, and therefore St. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem and Doctor of the Church, wrote in 348 that he preferred Mount Tabor to Mount Hermon. talking about the end of the world. He was talking about this.

In fact, Luke notes that the Transfiguration took place “about eight days after these sayings,” thus stressing its proximity to them and suggesting that it was the fulfillment of this saying, concerning the fact that some of them would see the kingdom of God. Mark gives a different number of days, saying it was “after six days” (Mk 9:2), but these both approximate a week.

4. Who witnessed the Transfiguration?

The three who are privileged to witness the event are Peter, James and John, the three core disciples. (Andrew was not there or not included.) The fact that Jesus allowed only three of His disciples to witness the event may have sparked the discussion which swiftly ensued about which of the disciples was the greatest (Luke 9:46).

5. Where did the Transfiguration take place?

Luke states that Jesus took the three “on the mountain to pray.” This mountain is

often thought to be Mount Tabor in Israel, but none of the gospels identify it precisely.

6. Why did the Transfiguration take place?

The Catechism explains it this way: “Christ’s Transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles’ faith in anticipation of His Passion: the ascent onto the ‘high mountain’ prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Christ, Head of the Church, manifests what His Body contains and radiates in the sacraments: ‘the hope of glory’” (CCC 568).

7. What does Luke – in particular – tell us about this event?

Luke mentions several details about the event that the other evangelists do not. He notes that this happened while Jesus was praying. He mentions that Peter and his companions “were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw His glory and TRANSFIGURATION, SEE PAGE 16

Your daily Scripture readings AUG. 5-11

Sunday: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15, Ephesians 4:17, 20-24, John 6:24-35; Monday (The Transfiguration of the Lord): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, 2 Peter 1:16-19, Mark 9:2-10; Tuesday (St. Sixtus II and Companions, St. Cajetan): Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22, Matthew 14:2236, 10-14; Wednesday (St. Dominic): Jeremiah 31:1-7, Jeremiah 31:10-13, Matthew 15:21-28; Thursday (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross): Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 16:13-23; Friday (St. Lawrence): 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, John 12:24-26; Saturday (St. Clare): Habakkuk 1:12-2:4, Matthew 17:14-20

AUG. 12-18

Sunday: 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:305:2, John 6:41-51; Monday (Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus): Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28, Matthew 17:2227; Tuesday (St. Maximilian Kolbe): Ezekiel 2:8-3:4, Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14; Wednesday (The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10, 1 Corinthians 15:2027, Luke 1:39-56; Thursday (St. Stephen of Hungary): Ezekiel 12:1-12, Matthew 18:21-19:1; Friday: Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63, Isaiah 12:2-6, Matthew 19:3-12; Saturday: Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13, 3032, Matthew 19:13-15

AUG. 19-25

Sunday: Proverbs 9:1-6, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58; Monday (St. Bernard): Ezekiel 24:15-23, Deuteronomy 32:18-21, Matthew 19:16-22; Tuesday (St. Pius X): Ezekiel 28:1-10, Deuteronomy 32:26-28, 30, 35-36, Matthew 19:23-30; Wednesday (The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Ezekiel 34:1-11, Matthew 20:1-16; Thursday (St. Rosa of Lima): Ezekiel 36:23-28, Matthew 22:1-14; Friday (St. Bartholomew): Revelation 21:9-14, John 1:45-51; Saturday (St. Louis, St. Joseph Calasanz): Ezekiel 43:1-7, Matthew 23:1-12

Our parishes

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Diocese of Charlotte Foundation awards $54,496 in grants CHARLOTTE — Evangelization, support for people in crisis, food for the hungry, and faith formation resources are just some of the ways recipients of this year’s Diocese of Charlotte Foundation grant award winners will help others across western North Carolina this year.

The annual awards are given out based on need and the impact the funds are expected to have on their local communities.

This year $54,496 is being awarded to 12 parishes and missions, three diocesan outreach ministries and one food pantry. The grants range from $1,000 to $5,000.

One of the recipients is Catholic Charities’ Murphy Office for the Far West Families First program. This program, which was awarded $4,000, is a participant-centered case management program administered by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s office in Murphy.

Through the Far West Families First Program, Catholic Charities’ faith community coordinator builds collaborations between faith communities, social services departments and families who want to improve their lives in spite of distressed economic conditions in the local area.

The money provided thanks to the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation will enable Catholic Charities to provide services that lead to meaningful change in these families’ lives and helps them obtain a greater degree of self-reliance.

“The funds provided to our office by the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation program is invaluable to our ability to serve families in this region,” said Deacon Mark Nash, director of Catholic Charities’ western office. “The economic reality of the area means that every dollar we receive must be used wisely and efficiently. These funds are such a blessing to all the families we serve.”

Since 2001, the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation has awarded 352 grants totaling $892,985. These grants are distributed from three of the foundation’s 259 endowments. For more information these grants, contact Judy Smith at 704370-3320 or jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

2018 Diocese of Charlotte Foundation grant recipients Catholic Charities Respect Life Office $4,000

Catholic Charities, Asheville $4,000 Catholic Charities, Murphy $4,000 Holy Infant Church, Reidsville $2,000 Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro $2,000 Our Lady of the Mountains Mission, Highlands $4,700 Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Lexington $3,000 Prince of Peace Mission, Robbinsville $5,000 St. Aloysius Church, Hickory $3,600 St. John Neumann Church, Charlotte $1,000

St. Jude Mission, Sapphire $4,796

St. Jude Mission, Sapphire $5,000 St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley $2,000 St. Matthew Church, Charlotte $2,500 St. Matthew Church, Charlotte $1,500 St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte $2,400

St. William Church, Murphy $3,000

Respect Life Education: Encounter for Life-Ending Human Trafficking (English/Spanish) Home First Program Far West Families First Program Replacement of chairs for the parish hall Thanksgiving Baskets Program Painting of the interior of the church Parish Resource Center Parish roof repairs and replacement Hickory Soup Kitchen Parish purchase of 50 copies of Spanish-language “Living Your Strengths” Purchase medical equipment for Community Care Clinic of Highlands/Cashiers Landscaping new grotto at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish audio/visual system upgrades “Ignite Conference” for youth Operation Exodus The Thomistic Institute, four lectures at UNC-Charlotte on religious topics St. Vincent de Paul Ministry to provide financial aid to people in crisis

PHOTOS BY TRAVIS BURTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Cameroon bishop visits Charlotte SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Parishioners mark 50th anniversary of ‘Humanae Vitae’ at Mass July 25 CHARLOTTE — “We celebrate ‘Humanae Vitae’ because it is a great document giving insight and depth to human sexuality and to human nature itself,” Father Joshua Voitus said in the opening words of his homily at the 50th anniversary Mass celebrated July 25 at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Parishioners ranging in age from infants to senior citizens attended the Mass and an ice cream social afterwards.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read full coverage of the 50th anniversary of “Humanae Vitae,” including video highlights from the July 25 Mass, links to education resources and the full text of the encyclical, guest commentaries on its significance and meaning, and much more

CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of Consolation Church recently welcomed Bishop Emmanuel Bushu of the Diocese of Buea, Cameroon, just weeks after welcoming their new pastor, Father Basile Sede, who also hails from Cameroon and most recently served as the pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem and Good Shepherd Mission in King. Bishop Bushu was in Charlotte in part to raise support for the Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB), founded in 2009. The Diocese of Charlotte has been among many American Catholic supporters of the Buea diocese’s work to develop the CUIB, whose mission is to educate tomorrow’s leaders in civil society for the central African country. The bishop also offered Mass July 29 for the repose of the soul of Father Alexander Sob, a parish priest and former education secretary for the Buea diocese, who was shot and killed July 20 – caught in the crossfire of an ongoing conflict between Cameroon’s French-speaking government forces and English-speaking separatists.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos and video highlights from the Mass with Bishop Emmanuel Bushu

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: AUG. 4 – 5 P.M. Pastor Installation of Father Lucas Rossi St. Michael Church, Gastonia

AUG. 8 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Lenoir

AUG. 13 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Church, Asheboro

AUG. 6 – 6 P.M. Pastor Installation of Father Jason Christian St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon

AUG. 10 – 6:30 P.M. Mass for Admission to Candidacy for Deacon Candidates & Deacon Affirmation of Promises to the Bishop St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

AUG. 15 – 12:10 P.M. Pastor Installation of Father Roger Arnsparger St. Lawrence Basilica, Asheville

AUG. 18 – 5:30 P.M. Pastor Installation of Father Peter Leonard, OSFS Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point AUG. 20-22 Provincial Assembly of Bishops and Priests Charleston, S.C.

Diocesan calendar of events August 3, 2018

CONFERENCES

Volume 27 • NUMBER 22

‘SHARING THE JOURNEY WITH CRS IN ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR’: 12 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, in Room I-89 at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte. The presenter will be Augusto Michael Trujillo, CRS Southeast Communications Relationship Manager.

He will speak about: how CRS is “sharing the journey” with those who are poor, highlights from CRS’s 75 years of global outreach, and ways to join in the work of CRS. To RSVP, e-mail ccdocsca@charlottediocese.org.

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

RESPECT LIFE CONFERENCE: 9-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

29, at Bishop McGuinness High School, 1725 NC-66, Kernersville. Keynote speaker is Teresa Stanton Collett, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law where she serves as director of the school’s prolife center. An advocate for the protection of human life and family, Collett specializes in the subjects of marriage, religion and bioethics in her research. Bishop Peter Jugis will celebrate the closing Mass at 4 p.m. at Bishop McGuinness High School Chapel. For details and to register, go to www.ccdoc.org/respectlife or contact Jessica Grabowski at jrgrabowski@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3229.

HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

ENTERTAINMENT

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

SUMMER RECITAL SERIES WITH MARA AND GIANFRANCO DELUCA: 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

Part of this year’s Summer Recital Series featuring 13 recital opportunities throughout Charlotte, with programming including an exciting variety of organ, and some choral and instrumental, music. A freewill offering will be collected to support the Stigall Scholarship Fund, which encourages organ study of students in grades 6-12. For details, visit the American Guild of Organists Charlotte Chapter on Facebook.

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.

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ESPAÑOL TALLERES DE ‘EDUCACIÓN PARA TODOS’: 6 p.m.

Viernes, 10 de agosto, en la Iglesia San Gabriel, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Talleres para padres que están considerando una escuela en el sistema MACS. Los talleres guiarán a los padres con la solicitud y el proceso de asistencia financiera. Para más detalles, comuníquese con Angélica Hurtado al 704-370-3221 o aahurtado@ charlottediocese.org.

RACHEL’S VINEYARD RETREATS: Viernes-Domingo, agosto 10-12, en el área central de Charlotte. Rachel’s Vineyard puede ayudar a los hombres y las mujeres que han experimentado el aborto a comenzar su viaje de curación. Para crear un ambiente de sanación de oración y perdón. El propósito del retiro es para volver a conectar a las personas consigo mismas, sus amigos y familiares después de tener un aborto. Para más detalles, envíe un correo electrónico a Jackie Childers a jackie.childers1@gmail.com o llame al 980-241-0251.

‘COMPARTIENDO EL VIAJE CON CRS EN SU 75 ANIVERSARIO’: 7-8 p.m. lunes, agosto 13, en el Ministry Center A y B en la iglesia St. Gabriel, 3016 Providence

Road, Presentado por Augusto Michael Trujillo, Gerente de Relaciones de Comunicación de Catholic Relief Services Oficina Regional del Sureste. El Sr. Trujillo hablará sobre cómo CRS está “compartiendo el viaje” con aquellos que son pobres, lo más destacado de los 75 años de alcance global de CRS y formas de unirse al trabajo de CRS. Por favor envíe un correo electrónico a hispmincharlotte@gmail.com si planea asistir.

Order. Members, though not in religious life, choose to live out their baptismal commitment according to the spirit of the Carmelite Order. If you are 18 or older, a Catholic in good standing and are interested in becoming a Third Order Carmelite, contact Donna Fodale at 704-574-9403 or dfodale@roadrunner.com.

RETREATS

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

Saturday, Aug. 18, St. Aloysius Church, 921 2nd Street, NE 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.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at 901 North Main St., and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

FEAST OF ST. LAWRENCE AT ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA: Come to St. Lawrence Basilica Friday, Aug. 10, to celebrate the parish’s patronal feast and gain a plenary indulgence. Mass will be offered at 7:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Confessions will be heard 8:15-9:15 a.m., 11:30-11:55 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be at 11:30 a.m. and Benediction will be at 11:50 a.m. Father Roger Arnsparger, pastor, and Father David McCanless, parochial vicar, will welcome pilgrims at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Docent-led tours will be held at 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Solemn Vespers will be prayed at 5:30-6:15 p.m. The basilica is located at 97 Haywood St., Asheville.

(For details, see page 8.)

POLISH MASS IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA, ST. JOHN PAUL II, ST. MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA AND BLESSED FATHER SOPOCKO: 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Polish Father Matt Nycz will be celebrant and Deacon James Witulski will assist. The seventh-annual Mass will be in Polish with the homily given in both English and Polish. This Mass will fulfill your Sunday obligation. Confessions in Polish and English will be heard beginning at 1 p.m. After Mass, the faithful will have the opportunity to venerate the first-class relics of the three apostles of Divine Mercy: St. John Paul II, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and her spiritual director, Blessed Father Sopocko. For details, call Mary at 704-290-6012.

LAY (THIRD ORDER) CARMELITES: August and September informational meetings at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. The Lay Carmelite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary (historically known as the Third Order) is an association mainly of laypersons. Its members, responding to a special call of God, freely and deliberately commit themselves “to live in the following of Jesus Christ” according to the charism, traditions and spirit of Carmel under the authority of the Prior General of the Carmelite

UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC MISSION OF CANTON, ‘FIFTH ANNUAL EAST MEETS WEST’ RETREAT: 1-5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at Immaculate Conception Mission, 42 Newfound St., Canton. The Beatitudes will be the subject of four conference talks, two on Friday and two on Saturday. Conference talks will be presented by Fr. Deacon Kevin Bezner, Fr. Deacon Joseph Kibbe, and Very. Rev. Fr. Mark Shuey. To conclude the retreat, Fr. Mark, pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic mission, will celebrate Byzantine Rite Divine Liturgy for Sunday on Saturday at 4 p.m. For details, contact Fr. Deacon Kevin Bezner at kevin.bezner@gmail.com.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING ‘Protecting God’s Children’ workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are: ASHEVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, St. Lawrence Basilica, 97 Haywood St. BELMONT: 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, Queen of the Apostles Church (MAK Family Life Center), 503 N. Main St. CHARLOTTE: 10:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, St. Gabriel Church (Ministry Center Room D), 3016 Providence Road GREENSBORO: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21, St. Paul the Apostle Church (library), 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road MAGGIE VALLEY: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr. Note: Deadline to register is Wednesday, Aug. 22.

SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS ‘EDUCATION FOR ALL’ WORKSHOPS: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Workshops for parents who are considering a school in the MACS system. The workshops will guide parents through the application and financial assistance process. For details, contact Angelica Hurtado at 704370-3221 or aahurtado@charlottediocese.org.

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.

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Catholic Charities receives gift from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte recently received $1,725 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation just in time to help feed local residents. Catholic Charities will use the gift to stock their Charlotte food pantry that serves our neighbors in need.

“It is through community partners like the Food Lion Charitable Foundation that we are able to provide much needed food assistance to so many individuals and families existing in poverty. We can only carry out this type of outreach through this generosity,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities’ mission statement is,:“We are a Christian ministry of charity, service and justice dedicated to providing help to those in need, hope to those in despair, and inspiration for others to follow.” The agency focuses its efforts to fulfill this mission on three key areas: strengthening families, building communities and reducing poverty. Services are available to all regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or economic/social background.

The Charlotte office operates a client choice model food pantry two days per week. Food pantry participants have reported difficulty in affording a healthy diet. Some with special dietary needs tell Catholic Charities that they often have to eat food that makes them sick if it is all they have. This creates a dangerous cycle that can pull people further into poverty and poor health. The agency wants to offer more nutritious choices, information and encouragement to help participants become healthier.

To combat hunger in the Charlotte area, this award will be used to purchase dairy products, fresh fruits, vegetables and foods with a high nutritional value. These funds will help the agency increase people’s access to fresh food and improve the quality of the food they eat.

The overall goals are that participants will be food secure, gain more nutritional knowledge and make changes toward a diet that is beneficial for their health.

Established in 2001, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants.

— Branden M. Lewis

Mooresville parish salutes departing priest with donation to the needy in Cameroon MOORESVILLE — Good friends never say “goodbye,” they simply say, “See you soon!”

This was the sentiment of hundreds of St. Therese parishioners who bid their appreciation and care for Father Henry Tutuwan, who has IN BRIEF, SEE PAGE 16

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‘Phishing’ scam continues to hit area pastors, parishes KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

In Brief

OUR PARISHESI

CHARLOTTE — Scammers continue to email parishioners posing as pastors, and people are being warned to be vigilant about electronic communications.

At least 10 pastors in the Diocese of Charlotte have been impersonated by cyber criminals since April.

Holy Cross Church’s pastor Father Paul Dechant in Kernersville is the latest priest to be impersonated in this “phishing” email scam. A parish Facebook post July 23 warned of a fraudulent email being sent to parishioners, using Father Dechant’s name and simply asking for a reply. Parishioners were cautioned to disregard the email.

Parishes in Charlotte, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro and Huntersville have also been hit by the email scam, with some fake Gmail or Yahoo emails asking for money or iTunes gift cards and others just asking for a quick reply. St. Peter Church in Charlotte also warned of fake Twitter messages falsely claiming to be from their pastor, Jesuit Father James Shea. Some parishioners of St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte also received a text from someone pretending to be their pastor, Father Tri Truong, asking for money while he was traveling in Vietnam.

The scam first came to light when criminals sent emails last spring impersonating Father Frank O’Rourke to parishioners of St. Gabriel Church, asking for iTunes gift cards to help a sick friend in the hospital.

Several parishioners did in fact trust that the email was actually from their pastor and sent the impostor gift cards worth about a thousand dollars. The gift cards were used immediately, and none of that money had been recovered, said Claudia Goppold, St. Gabriel Church business manager.

As more area church pastors, not just Catholic priests, are reportedly being impersonated – including the leader of Transformation Church in Indian Land, S.C. – diocesan officials are urging everyone to be sceptical about emails appearing to come from a Church official that ask for money, gift cards, or an urgent request to reply to the email.

“This is effectively a real old email ‘phishing’ scam technique,” said David Hains, diocesan director of communications.

Just because it’s one of the oldest email scams in the book doesn’t mean criminals won’t use it, Hains said. “It’s important to remember while we’re protecting ourselves from all the new ways scam artists try to trick people, it doesn’t mean criminals aren’t still going to use the old ways.”

In the case of St. Gabriel Church, neither Father O’Rourke’s email accounts nor the parish’s communication system was compromised, said Scott Long, director of information technology for the diocese. Somehow someone received a list of some of the parishioners’ email information. The impostor created a new account using Gmail and pretended to be Father O’Rourke.

“Someone actually just impersonated him. They created a

new email account and used his authority as pastor under the new account. People trusted that it was legitimate,” Long said.

“It’s a really good scam. Impersonating the identity of a trusted authority can be very effective.”

If you receive an email asking for information or money – whether from your bank, a vendor or even your pastor – it’s good to verify the information by calling using a contact number not in the email message, Long said.

That’s how St. Gabriel Church learned of the scam. Someone called the parish office and asked about the email. The next day, Father O’Rourke warned of the scam during daily Mass and asked parishioners to raise their hands if they had received a similar fraudulent email. Most raised their hands, Hains said.

All of the 3,400 families at St. Gabriel Church did receive an email – a legitimate one – from the parish following the incident to warn about what had happened. Since then, several other parishes in the diocese have sent emails to their parishioners warning them about phishing scams and not to follow instructions on suspicious emails.

“We always have to be on our toes,” Hains said. “If it seems suspicious, delete it. If someone really wants something from you, they’ll ask again.”

Requests for money or some sort of payment is often a red flag, Long said. Even if you know the sender, it’s good to call to verify the request.

The top tool hackers use to gain information is people, Long said. And email is a way to reach those people.

When opening an email, you should evaluate its legitimacy, Long said. Key things to look for are misspelled words, poor grammar, bad punctuation and an urgent call to action.

“If anything about a message raises your suspicion, you are better off without that message in your mailbox, so just delete it,” he said.

“Criminals are getting better at spelling, though,” he added.

“These emails are full of gimmicks intended to be time-sensitive, play on people’s emotions and inspire people to act quickly. It’s hard to tell what’s legitimate or not unless you’re looking for it.”

Look carefully at the email address and website link to see if they are familiar addresses. Hover over the sender name and any links in the email with your cursor – but don’t click on them – to see the actual sender’s email address and where the links go, he suggested.

That won’t be as easy to do on a mobile device or tablet, however. Use caution before following links on your device as well.

Long cautioned there are two things people should do online in general: assume you are being attacked – from SPAM emails to cyber attacks and scams – and assume any information you post or send is public because once it goes out there, it no longer belongs to you.

Another way to protect yourself is to change your passwords to a strong word, number character combination or longer pass phrase relevant to the website you’re logging into that you will remember easily but is hard for an outsider to crack, Long said.

St. Matthew organizes massive food drive CHARLOTTE — Parishioners at St. Matthew Church rallied in July for the annual Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive, which provides support to communities in need with food, essential supplies, sustainability projects, healthcare and education. This year volunteers shipped 11 containers of supplies – three more than last year – totaling 418,000 pounds. The parish meal packing event, along with the St. Matthew School and Y-Guides meal packing events, provided nearly 400,000 meals that are being shipped to Haiti and Jamaica.

Funds raised are being sent to St. Mark School in Haiti to support nearly 50 students with a year’s education, healthcare, books and food. The campaign is also funding sustainability items such as tilapia ponds, chickens and agriculture. In addition, the parish collected $6,000 and 6,000 pounds of food to contribute to local food pantries.

New this year, funds are also being sent to the Diocese de La Guairá, Venezuela, to support orphans.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ED CRAIG

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 OUR PARISHES

$25 million collected for care of elderly religious WASHINGTON, D.C. — In June, the National Religious Retirement Office distributed $25 million to 360 religious communities to aid in the care of senior members, including $317,539.44 contributed from parishioners in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The funds were made possible by the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection, which benefits elderly Catholic sisters, brothers and priests in religious orders.

The most recent appeal raised just over $28 million and was held in a majority of U.S. Catholic parishes in December 2017.

In 1988, Catholic bishops of the United States launched the Retirement Fund for Religious to address the significant lack of retirement funding among religious communities. The NRRO coordinates the annual appeal and distributes the proceeds to eligible religious communities.

“Traditionally, women and men religious served for little to no pay,” said Presentation Sister Stephanie Still, the NRRO’s executive director. “Today, hundreds of religious communities lack sufficient retirement savings.

Proceeds from the annual collection enable our office to distribute financial assistance that helps communities provide for aging members.”

The funding disbursed in June is known as Direct Care Assistance and represents the bulk of financial support distributed by the NRRO. Religious communities combine this assistance with their own income and savings to help meet a wide range of expenses, including prescription medications and nursing care.

Throughout the year, additional funding is allocated for religious communities with the greatest needs and for ongoing education in retirement planning and eldercare delivery.

Roughly 94 percent of donations directly aid senior religious and their communities. The remainder are used for administration and promotion of the annual appeal.

“Our mission is to provide financial support and educational assistance that enable religious communities to meet eldercare needs while developing long-range retirement strategies,” said Sister Still. “We are profoundly grateful to the donors across the nation whose generosity and prayers sustain these efforts.”

The NRRO is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

— Catholic News Herald

St. Peter teens learn about serving Christ through serving their community CATHY CHIAPPETTA SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Fifty teenagers took part July 16-20 in St. Peter Church’s “Teen Serve Week,” an annual initiative for young people in the parish to give back to their community and learn more about Catholic social justice teaching.

The fifth annual “Teen Serve Week” focused on helping the teens understand more about a faith that does justice.

They started the week with a Social Justice Day at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse organized by parishioners and attorneys Missy Owen and Alex Heroy. Teens met with Judge Lisa Bell, District Attorney and St. Peter parishioner Spencer Merriweather, Sheriffelect Garry McFadden, and Community Access and Outreach Coordinator Pamela Escobar, who all shared the role that their faith plays in their jobs.

The teens also served at Ascension Lutheran Church’s soup kitchen, Urban Ministry, Crisis Assistance, and the Boys and Girls Club. They cleaned up a creek, made treat bags for teachers at Druid Hills Academy and blessing bags for the homeless, and wrote letters in Spanish to undocumented immigrants being detained by ICE. They also heard from speakers such as Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt, who shared how her faith helps her as a public servant and with the issues of affordable housing in Charlotte, parishioners Dave Zablotny about the Kino Border Initiative, Pat Mumford about affordable housing, and others.

On the final day of their service week, they visited Belmont Abbey, where they met with Father Elias Correa-Torres and worked on the abbey grounds. They also toured Holy Angels, where they met with residents and then washed their wheelchairs and vans.

“I really enjoyed working with the Boys and Girls Club. It was a great feeling to see how happy the kids were when we played with them,” said William Kernodle. “I also really enjoyed listening to

the speakers talk about affordable housing in Charlotte. I didn’t realize how it really affects the community. I also learned how the government and the private sector have opportunities to work together to help solve this problem.”

Both the teenagers and the volunteers who assisted in the weeklong effort said they grew closer to God through the experience.

“I saw God in the faces looking for Him at Urban Ministry, and felt Him in my service towards those who need it most,” said Chloe Wilson. “Teen Service Week provides me with peace and a close look at God’s work in my own community.”

“I saw God’s face in each of the people who asked where we were from and thanked us for our service,” added volunteer Jeff Capwell.

“This included a man walking his dog near the greenway along Irwin Creek as we picked up trash, a woman who was seeking help at Crisis Assistance Ministry and saw us finishing with clothes sorting, and a student at Belmont Abbey College who saw the landscaping work we were doing.”

The teens also said they were inspired to continue finding ways to serve Christ in their community.

“To serve God is to serve our community, to know God is to reveal ourselves to others in caring and love,” said Rudy Hudson. “The St. Peter Week of Service gives me a chance to be a better person and to serve those who are in need.”

“Giving to others… our time and our talents, whatever they may be… represents Christ in our community,” echoed Luke Hudson. “I am a better person when I help others as God has helped me.”

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

Also online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See a video of highlights from St. Peter Church’s “Teen Serve Week”

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Summer fun learning about the Bible

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

HUNTERSVILLE — About 100 children and teens at St. Mark Church enjoyed Totus Tuus the week of June 18-22.

KARA THORPE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

NEWTON — St. Joseph Church held Totus Tuus in mid-July for kids and teens.

GIULIANA POLINARI RILEY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

TRYON — The summer Catholic youth program Totus Tuus was held at St. John the Baptist Church for the seventh year during the week of July 8-13. The program focused on the Eucharist, Marian devotion, catechetical instruction and vocation discernment. Catechists leading the camp were Frances Standlley, Connor Malloy, Gracie Tillman and Dennis Zu. On July 11, the parish had a potluck dinner to celebrate and get to know the Totus Tuus catechists.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CONNIE RIES

STATESVILLE — St. Philip the Apostle Church held its annual Vacation Bible School the week of June 18. The theme was the “Parables of Jesus,” featuring the Mustard Seed, the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, and the Sower. Besides each day’s lesson, there were crafts, music, snacks and a daily meal which included some international dishes. On the last day the children had great fun with a double water slide, water balloons and baby pools for the littlest ones.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DARBY MCCLATCHY

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARYANN LUEDTKE AND LINDSAY KOHL

GREENSBORO — Children at St. Pius X Church attended Vacation Bible School the week of June 25-29. The theme was “Christmas in June,” and they focused on studying Bible passages about the Annunciation, the Wise Men, the Incarnation and the Holy Family. The children also learned about St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas, and St. Francis (because of his work in teaching people about the Nativity). On the last day the kids enjoyed a water slide and a “Nativity” petting zoo!

CHARLOTTE — More than 150 children and 80 adult and teen volunteers celebrated a fun and faith-filled week of Vacation Bible School at St. Gabriel Church the week of June 18.

The week’s theme – “In a world where you can be anything, be kind” – was celebrated with music, crafts, Bible stories, games and snacks. Highlights included creating an “acts of kindness” paper chain that encircled the school cafeteria and a rocketship high pyramid of non-perishable food collected for Catholic Charities’ Charlotte food pantry. The week was truly “out of this world with kindness”!

GIULIANA POLINARI RILEY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

FOREST CITY — Totus Tuus was held at Immaculate Conception Church July 7-13. Thirty-five children attended the day program, and 40 teens attended the evening program. The curriculum for this year’s Totus Tuus included the Apostles’ Creed and the luminous mysteries of the rosary. Participants also attended Mass daily. Timothy Bishop led the Totus Tuus program, with three assistant catechists.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 OUR PARISHES

St. Lawrence Basilica beckons you in August LISA GERACI CORRESPONDENT

ASHEVILLE — The summer may be nearly over, but there’s still time for your family to take a day trip to St. Lawrence Basilica – and with the feast of St. Lawrence coming up Aug. 10, there’s no better time to visit this historic “mother church of western North Carolina.”

St. Lawrence Basilica is one of two minor basilicas in the Charlotte diocese; the other is Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Belmont.

There are two kinds of basilicas in the Catholic Church: major (or papal) and minor. The Church’s four major basilicas are all in Rome: St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major. Minor basilicas, on the other hand, are churches around the world designated by the pope that stand out because of their antiquity, dignity, historical importance, architectural and artistic worth, or significance to the Church. Pope John Paul II designated the Asheville church as a minor basilica in 1993 for its unique architecture: with its massive tiled dome, it is the only church designed and built by the renowned Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino.

Among its special privileges, St. Lawrence Basilica provides an opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence if they devoutly visit the basilica on six specific days during the year. A plenary, or full, indulgence is offered to those who devoutly visit the basilica (and either attend Mass or at least recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed), go to confession, receive Holy Communion and offer prayers for the Holy Father within 20 days beforehand or afterwards, and are free of any attachment to sin.

In addition to the feast of St. Lawrence on Aug. 10, the basilica’s other five special days are: the anniversary of the basilica’s dedication (Oct. 1), the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29), the anniversary of the date of granting the title of basilica (April 6), Election Day, and a day of the visiting person’s choice.

The basilica sits on a hill in downtown Asheville,

overlooking the Appalachian Mountains. The red brick building, built in the Spanish Renaissance style, is capped by a copper dome that is guarded by statues of St. Lawrence, St. Stephen and St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

The 82-foot-by-58-foot dome, which is constructed of terracotta tile and mortar like most of the 109-year-old church, is the largest free-standing elliptical dome in North America. It features the same vaulting technique and herringbone tile pattern that Guastavino used at Grand Central Terminal and Ellis Island’s Registry Room, as well as 200-plus other locations in New York City, and at Asheville’s Biltmore House.

Guastavino is actually buried inside the basilica he built, and visitors can visit his crypt to the left of the main altar.

The church also features two chapels: the Chapel of Our Lady and the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. Life-size statues of St. Patrick, St. Peter and St. Rose of Lima, a frieze of stained-glass windows, and paintings adorn the altars and walls. Artifacts of great historical and artistic value are carefully positioned to be admired and used as instruments of prayer and reverence throughout the basilica.

Free, 25-minute tours of the basilica are given after each Sunday Mass, but a 45-minute tour can be experienced if a week’s advance notice is given. If a tour is not available, self-guided tour brochures can be found at the side vestibule or on the basilica’s website, www.saintlawrencebasilica.org. You can also schedule a tour online or email Docent Coordinator Diane Wright at tours@saintlawrencebasilica.org. Tours are free, but donations to aid the basilica’s preservation are appreciated.

More online At www.saintlawrencebasilica.org: Learn more about the history and architecture of St. Lawrence Basilica, view the Mass and confession schedule, and plan your visit At www.savethebasilica.org: Support the Basilica Preservation Fund to repair and restore the historic basilica

JOHN COSMAS | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

You’re invited!

Join St. Lawrence Basilica for the celebration of its feast day Aug. 10. The entire day will be filled with prayer, worship of Our Lord and tours of the beautiful basilica: n Mass will be offered at 7:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. n Confessions will be heard 8:15-9:15 a.m., 11:30-11:55 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. n Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be at 11:30 a.m. and Benediction will be at 11:50 a.m. n Father Roger Arnsparger, pastor, and Father David McCanless, parochial vicar, will welcome pilgrims at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. n Docent-led tours will be held at 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. n Solemn Vespers will be prayed at 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Invites You

24th Annual Fundraising Banquet

“Chosen & Precious in God’s Sight” Thursday, October 18, 2018 Check-in/Reception: 5:30 p.m. ~ Dinner: 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte Convention Center ~ Crown Ballroom

Featured Speaker ~ Shawn Carney Shawn Carney is the co-founder and president of 40 Days for Life, a breakthrough initiative of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, round-the-clock peaceful vigil outside a local abortion center and grassroots door-to-door outreach that has dropped local abortion numbers by 28 percent. Shawn helped to lead the first 40 Days for Life in 2004 and helped to expand the campaign as a national and international movement by 2007. Today, 40 Days for Life has been done in 769 cities in all 50 states and 47 countries. His efforts have mobilized more than 750,000 pro-life volunteers and have confirmed reports of over 14,600 mothers choosing life and 177 abortion center workers who have had conversions and left their jobs, including former abortion center director, Abby Johnson. Shawn is the co-author of 40 Days for Life and lives in Texas with his wife and six children.

Reservations are free but REQUIRED. Deadline to register is October 8, 2018.

To make your reservation or host a table of 8-10 people, register online: https://miraviabanquet24.eventbrite.com OR meganwhiteside@miravia.org, 704-525-4673 ext. 13.

MiraVia, Inc. is a Catholic, 501 (c)(3) non-profit maternity and after-care program serving women and their children in the Charlotte, N.C. region since 1994. All material support and services are offered free of charge to clients. For more information, visit www.miravia.org.

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August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

Padre Fidel Melo

El 26 de junio, la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles celebró la creación del primer Concejo con participación latina de Los Caballeros de Colón en Carolina del Norte. El Concejo 17058 de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles fue establecido por Los Caballeros de Colón con Dan Lange, secretario de estado de los Caballeros de Colón de Carolina del Norte, quien estuvo presente en el histórico evento.

Ayudar a los demás en la fey no desanimarlos

“

¡Ay, de ustedes maestros de la ley y fariseos, hipócritas que cierran el reino de los cielos delante de los hombres porque ni entran ustedes, ni dejan entrar a los que están entrando!” (Mt. 23,13) es una frase muy expresiva de Jesucristo en referencia al actuar de los fariseos y escribas de su tiempo debido a que habían establecido una serie de rúbricas impuestas al pueblo que lo único que hacían era entorpecer y confundir a los fieles en su relación con Dios y, desde luego, en la vivencia de la fe debido al extremo rigor de sus normas.

Dichas normas parecían dar más importancia a lo externo que a lo interno, la apariencia tomaba precedencia sobre esencia. Este ritualismo, muy presente en la religión judía de los tiempos de Jesucristo, va a producir por reacción, el deseo de algo más ligero, menos solemne, pero de mayor sentido para el fiel creyente.

El ritualismo ocurre cuando repetimos el rito sin saber ya lo que este significa. Entonces el rito ya no es símbolo y pierde todo su poder enriquecedor.

No obstante, los ritos son necesarios y por eso debemos esforzarnos por llenar los ritos de significado. Al parecer este era uno de los problemas de la religión judía en el tiempo de Jesucristo.

Cristo mismo nos da un ejemplo de esto en la parábola del buen samaritano (Lc. 10, 25-37), donde un sacerdote y un levita pasan de largo sin asistir a un hombre que había quedado malherido al ser asaltado.

La supuesta razón para no ayudar al herido fue el no exponerse a quedar impuros o bien a llegar tarde a sus devociones, denotando claramente que para ellos era más importante el cumplimiento de una ley externa que seguir el mandamiento del amor al prójimo como máxima norma del fiel creyente.

En este caso sucede lo que la cita inicial expresa, “ni entran ni dejan entrar”. En los tiempos actuales, el Papa Francisco nos invita a permanecer abiertos diciendo que “la Iglesia no es una aduana, sino que tiene que permanecer abierta”, tiene que ir a lo esencial, el amor.

De modo que la invitación queda aquí para todos nosotros a no cerrar las puertas a quien se acerca a la Iglesia. Algo importante es entender que cada uno de nosotros somos la Iglesia y por lo tanto hemos de estar abiertos a los demás.

Que Dios nos conceda ser una iglesia en salida, es decir, abierta a los demás dejándonos guiar por el Espíritu Santo, buscando una mayor fraternidad como cristianos y una mayor comprensión y respeto entre nosotros.

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

FOTO CORTESÍA DE OZZIE VARGAS

Los Caballeros de Colón conquistan la comunidad latina CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Con toda seguridad que los ha visto en importantes celebraciones de la Iglesia Católica. Visten de impecable smoking, corbatín, guantes blancos, sombrero negro con un penacho de coloridas plumas, capa púrpura, roja, amarilla o blanca, banda cruzada al pecho y llevan una espada al cinto. Son los Caballeros de Colón, the Knights of Columbus, miembros de una sociedad de beneficencia católica que únicamente acepta varones entre sus miembros.

Recientemente, el 26 de junio de este año, decenas de nuevos miembros de origen hispano participaron en una ceremonia de integración de nuevos miembros en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, en Marion, Carolina del Norte, con la creación del Concejo 17058 bajo la dirección de Dan Lange, secretario del capítulo estatal de los Caballeros de Colón, quien estuvo presente en el histórico evento.

Desde hace ya algún tiempo, el Consejo 7343 de la parroquia San John Neumann, también de Charlotte, abrió sus puertas a la comunidad hispana y ha integrado, con gran éxito, a numerosos miembros, algunos de ellos que inclusive llegan de lugares un tanto distantes, como Gafney, Carolina del Sur. Para el mes de agosto, una presentación sobre Los Caballeros se ha programado en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, como sabemos, la de mayor participación y asistencia de latinos en la Ciudad Reina. ¿Qué es lo que está atrayendo a los hispanos a tomar atención en una institución que podría pensarse distante de sus costumbres y valores tradicionales?

La respuesta, como nos lo asegura Jaime Benavides*, miembro del consejo 7343, no es el atractivo del atuendo.

BENEFICIOS

Jaime se inició con Los Caballeros a mediados de 2017, después de recibir una charla de invitación en una de las reuniones del Movimiento Emaús en la Iglesia San Gabriel.

Más tarde, al aceptar, uno de los miembros apoyó su ingreso y, en una ceremonia especial y privada – de la que no puede revelar detalles – fue investido con el grado inicial de la cofradía.

“Caballeros se formó para dar apoyo económico a los

miembros y a sus familias. Ellos ofrecen apoyo y ayuda mutua cuando nosotros los miembros nos enfermamos, sufrimos una discapacidad o estamos en necesidad. Y también asisten a nuestras familias”, dijo Jaime, quien reside en Carolina del Sur, donde lamentablemente no se le permitió registrarse por un asunto de documentación.

Jaime dijo haber quedado sorprendido por el gran servicio que se ofrece, a la vez que se promueve la hermandad entre los miembros con obras públicas de asistencia a los más necesitados. “Nosotros podemos ayudar a cocinar, a entregar comida, a construir, en la yarda y más”, señaló, pues aunque se entiende que en general los hispanos no gozan de una gran prosperidad económica, “nuestras manos son fuertes y podemos apoyar con nuestro trabajo y habilidades”.

Originario de México, Jaime resalta que en ningún momento su estatus migratorio fue impedimento para ingresar a Los Caballeros. “Solo necesité de mi W-7 y ahora, en caso que llegara a morir, ellos se encargarán de pagar todos los gastos de sepelio y le entregarán una ayuda a mis hijos. Eso me deja muy tranquilo, saber que no se quedarán desamparados”, añadió.

Para Andrew Jones, Caballero de Colón y agente del servicio de seguros que se ofrece a través de esa organización, la respuesta se remonta a los orígenes de la creación de Los Caballeros, a finales del siglo XIX, cuando el Padre Michael J. Mc Givney, párroco de una comunidad de inmigrantes irlandeses en New Haven, Connecticut, tuvo la idea de proteger a las familias de sus feligreses.

El Padre Mc Givney fue testigo de lo que le sucedía a las familias inmigrantes cuando el padre de familia moría, por razones de trabajo o enfermedad, y dejaba en la orfandad a sus deudos, por lo que se propuso proveer de un seguro para cuidar a la viuda y a los huérfanos sobrevivientes.

“Hacerse miembro de los Caballeros de Colón transforma su vida”, asegura Jones, para quien “la caridad es el principio fundamental” de la organización. “Ofrecemos tiempo como voluntarios para servir a nuestras parroquias y comunidades mientras compartimos nuestra fe y rompemos esa ‘barrera invisible’ que separa la comunidad hispana de la anglosajona”, dijo.

Según Jones, la orden de Los Caballeros de Colón no exige COMUNIDAD, PASA A LA PÁGINA 16

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Niños y vehículos calientes, una combinación que puede ser mortal CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

FOTO CORTESÍA DE AUGUSTO FRATINI

Integrantes de la Pastoral de la Salud (izquierda a derecha) Angélica Hurtado, Rosa Curiel, Fravelin Cuesta, Lourdes Rodríguez, Ana Hernández, María Teresa Ortega y Maribel García recibieron la bendición del Rev. P. Fidel Melo (centro) durante una ceremonia de consagración.

Se consagraron servidoras de Pastoral de la Salud CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — En una Misa celebrada el pasado 1 de julio, las siete integrantes del nuevo programa de salud del Vicariato de Charlotte fueron consagradas por el Reverendo Padre Fidel Melo, director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Rosa Curiel, Lourdes Rodríguez, Angélica Hurtado, Maribel García, Ana Hernández, Fravelin Cuesta y María Teresa Ortega recibieron una bendición especial casi al término de la Misa de 6:30 de la tarde realizada en la Iglesia San Gabriel y luego fueron saludadas por la feligresía con un extenso aplauso.

En su bendición, el Padre Melo las consagró al servicio de los más humildes y pidió a Dios que guiara los pasos de las flamantes ‘promotoras de salud’ para que “ayuden a mucha gente necesitada de la comunidad”.

La formación de la Pastoral de la Salud, un proyecto acariciado desde mediados del año pasado, fue anunciado en febrero de 2018 por el coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Charlotte, Eduardo Bernal, quien destacó que, según cifras determinadas gracias al trabajo que se realiza en la Diócesis con motivo del V Encuentro, se ha podido precisar que “las personas que asisten a Misa los domingos son solo el 10 por ciento de los católicos que viven en el territorio de la parroquia”, por lo que el programa de salud saldrá fuera de los templos para ver las necesidades del otro “noventa por ciento que se encuentra sin atención”.

Las promotoras recibieron una capacitación proporcionada por Atrium Health en dos jornadas realizadas el 27 y 28 de abril pasados, recibiendo sus diplomas que las reconocen como tales.

En esas fechas el entrenamiento fue ofrecido en el Hospital CHS de Concord.

Rita Domínguez, coordinadora del Ministerio Latino de Salud, parte integrante del Ministerio de Salud de las Comunidades de Fe de Atrium Health,

antes Carolina HealthCare System, fue la especialista que dirigió la capacitación de las promotoras hispanas.

Esta iniciativa comunitaria ha logrado capacitar a 150 diferentes congregaciones de 10 condados de Carolina del Norte, promoviendo una vida saludable entre los miembros de la comunidad, llevando el indispensable servicio de salud a las personas que, por diversos motivos, regularmente no cuentan con este beneficio necesario para el mantenimiento de una vida digna.

Posteriormente se han realizado otras sesiones de capacitación tocando temas como atención en tiempos de duelo, la enfermedad de diabetes y prevención del cáncer.

Además de la capacitación recibida, las voluntarias se encuentran visitando diversos complejos de apartamentos y parques de casas móviles aplicando encuestas para determinar las necesidades más urgentes de salud, recoger las inquietudes de los pobladores y determinar un plan de acción en base a los datos recolectados.

Las promotoras de salud estarán habilitadas para transmitir los conocimientos aprendidos, compartir información de recursos de salud comunitarios al alcance de todos, programar charlas de diferentes temas como salud mental, nutrición, huertos comunitarios y otros con la ayuda de especialistas en diferentes materias, además de promover la realización de ferias de salud con servicios básicos.

Bernal resaltó que, gracias a la implementación de este programa, los tratamientos de salud podrán estar al alcance de personas con estatus migratorio irregular, quienes por lo general están excluídas de cualquier atención médica.

“Vamos a llegar a los vecindarios y no va a importar si la persona que necesita el servicio médico es católico o no, menos si es hispana o no. El mensaje del Evangelio es para todos y estaremos llevando la Buena Nueva a todas las personas, sin excepción”, señaló.

CHARLOTTE — El pasado viernes 8 de junio la tragedia golpeó un hogar en Raleigh. La familia Mussa regresaba a casa después de disfrutar unos momentos juntos. Papá, mamá, un niño de 13 años y su tía bajaron del coche, pero olvidaron al bebe de solo 7 meses de edad que se encontraba dormido.

Era un día especialmente cálido, el termómetro marcaba 90 grados.

Cuatro horas después notaron la ausencia del bebé y se lanzaron en su búsqueda. Lo hallaron sin respiración dentro del coche y los paramédicos del servicio de emergencia de 911 nada pudieron hacer para salvar la vida del infante.

Desde 1998 hasta la fecha, 772 niños han muerto por efectos del calor al haber sido dejados dentro de vehículos. De ellos, 29 han fallecido en 2018, según reporta la organización No Heat Stroke, que tiene como misión alertar sobre el problema y prevenir más muertes infantiles.

El año pasado, un total de 43 niños murieron en los Estados Unidos en tragedias de autos calientes que pudieron haberse prevenido. Vidas que se perdieron por negligencia, por un terrible e inexplicable olvido.

Lamentablemente, nuestro estado, Carolina del Norte, ocupa la sexta posición entre los estados de la Unión Americana con más fallecimientos en promedio anual por esta causa.

¿CÓMO PUDE OLVIDARME?

David Diamond, profesor de Psicología y Farmacología Molecular de la Universidad del Sur de la Florida, estudia los procesos diarios de memoria y en especial lo que llama el “síndrome del niño olvidado”. El especialista afirma que el olvido sucede cuando se presenta una interrupción de la rutina, es decir de los procesos que se realizan en “piloto automático”.

Por ejemplo, señala que condiciones como llevar un pasajero adicional, añadir una parada más en la ruta, no escuchar los ruidos de un bebé normalmente bullicioso, contestar una llamada de teléfono cuando está cerca a la parada para dejar al niño u otras distracciones pueden causar que un padre o madre responsable cometa un error fatal.

El especialista añade que los padres están seguros que “esto no les podría pasar nunca”, lo que les puede impedir realizar verificaciones que, de otro modo, al saberse vulnerables, las efectuarían como medida adicional de seguridad.

Daniel Hernández, detective del Departamento de Policía de Charlotte Mecklenburg, oficial de enlace comunitario con la población hispana del condado, dijo que en su Departamento policial se han visto algunos casos de personas que han dejado a sus niños y mascotas en sus coches mientras “bajaban por solo unos minutos a realizar algunas compras”.

Lo que muchas personas no saben, señaló, es que “en solo diez minutos la temperatura del coche alcanzará 20 grados más que la temperatura ambiente”. Es decir, si estamos bajo una temperatura de 90 grados, en esos diez minutos el carro se calentará, al menos, a 110 grados.

“Una condición que puede ser mortal para un bebé o una mascota”, apuntó el detective.

“No entiendo como una persona puede olvidarse que tiene a su niño en el asiento de atrás”, opina el oficial, “especialmente cuando sí recuerda de llevar la cartera, el teléfono y una bolsa”. Sin embargo, reconoce que las preocupaciones, el

apuro y estrés pueden generar el olvido y provocar una tragedia.

Para ello, sugiere, al igual que lo hacen las organizaciones de prevención de estos accidentes, que se deje algún tipo de recordatorio en el asiento delantero, como un juguete infantil, que le recuerde de la preciosa vida que podría estar olvidando.

A las personas que son testigos de un suceso como este, el detective sugirió que actúen de inmediato para salvar una vida.

“Uno no puede saber cuánto tiempo el niño ha permanecido en el coche caliente. Lo indicado es actuar y liberar al niño de la manera más segura pero inmediata”.

Por si alguna persona teme de posibles consecuencias legales por el hecho de prestar auxilio, Hernández aseguró que la Ley del Buen Samaritano está vigente en Carolina del Norte.

Esta Ley establece que cualquier persona que brinde primeros auxilios o asistencia de emergencia en el lugar de un accidente a cualquier persona lesionada como resultado del accidente, no puede ser responsable en acción civil por sus actos u omisiones a menos que haya habido una conducta indebida o mal intencionada.

Recomendaciones de seguridad n Nunca deje un niño en un vehículo desatendido, aún con las ventanas abiertas. n Asegúrese que todos los pasajeros bajen del vehículo al llegar a destino. No pase por alto a bebés que estén durmiendo. n Cierre con llave siempre su vehículo. Si un niño falta, examine bien el vehículo primero, incluyendo el portaequipaje. Enseñe a sus niños que los vehículos nunca deben ser utilizados como área de juego. n Mantenga un animal de peluche en el asiento de niño y cuando ponga al niño en el asiento infantil, coloque el muñeco en el asiento frontal del acompañante. Será un buen recordatorio. n Coloque su maletín o cartera en el asiento trasero para no olvidar que usted tiene su niño en el vehículo. n Haga que ‘Mirar antes de dejar’ sea una rutina siempre que usted salga del vehículo. n Tenga un plan en el que centro de cuidado de niños le llame si su niño no llega a la escuela o daycare en el horario debido.

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Con misa y pan dulce se celebró devoción del Divino Niño CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

FOTO CORTESÍA PRESIDENCIA EL SALVADOR

La identidad del salvadoreño esta integrada con su fe en Jesucristo y se pone de manifiesto a través de su fiesta nacional, la del Divino Salvador del Mundo, que se celebra cuando la Iglesia conmemora el Misterio de la Transfiguración del Señor.

Fiesta agostinas recuerdan al Divino Salvador del Mundo El Salvador se engalana para festejar a su patrón CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Miles de salvadoreños festejarán este 5 de agosto en todo el mundo la Bajada del Divino Salvador del Mundo, que recuerda la transfiguración de Cristo en el monte Tabor. Esta es la fecha central de las fiestas agostinas de ese país centroamericano consagrado a Jesucristo.

La celebración, instituida por el Papa Calixto III en 1457 y, según algunos historiadores, llegada a El Salvador en 1525, consiste en cambiar de vestimentas a la imagen de Cristo, de rojo intenso a blanco.

En la fundación de la Provincia de San Salvador, el Emperador Carlos V obsequió la imagen patronal del Divino Salvador del

Mundo, la misma que hasta nuestros días se conserva en la Catedral Metropolitana.

Esa imagen no se prestaba para representar el acto bíblico de la transfiguración, ya que al tratarse de una talla de una sola pieza, se hacía difícil el colocarle la vestimenta, por lo que en 1777 el artista y devoto Silvestre Antonio García, terciario de la orden de San Francisco, esculpió la imagen actual del Divino Salvador, a la que popularmente se conoce con el nombre de ‘Colocho’.

García se encargaría de organizar una fiesta anual al santo patrón con novenario y jubileo. Tras su fallecimiento en 1807, se nombra a la primera Capitana, doña Dominga Mayorga. En 1811 se construyó un carro de madera sobre el que colocaron al santo patrón para llevarlo en procesión hasta la Plaza de Armas.

Cada 5 de agosto la imagen sale en procesión por la tarde desde la Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, pasa por el Plaza Gerardo Barrios y finaliza su recorrido frente a la Catedral Metropolitana, en el corazón del Centro Histórico de San Salvador. Aquí es donde FIESTA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 16

St. Jude Novena

CHARLOTTE — Con el rezo del Rosario y la celebración de la Santa Misa, la Iglesia San Marcos en Huntersville festejó al Divino Niño, una advocación muy extendida en el mundo entero y de gran arraigo en Colombia.

La cita, que tuvo lugar el pasado viernes 20 de julio a las 6 de la tarde, concluyó con un compartir en el que niños y grandes disfrutaron de deliciosas viandas, refrescos y pizza, además del chocolate y pan dulce que se sirve tradicionalmente por estas fechas.

Durante la homilía, el celebrante, Padre Noah Carter, recordó los orígenes de la advocación, cuando Jesús le hizo una promesa a una monja carmelita del convento de Beaune en Francia, conocida como la Venerable Margarita del Santísimo Sacramento.

En el año 1636 Jesucristo, después de presentarse ante la monja carmelita, le dijo: “Todo lo que quieras pedir, pídemelo por los méritos de mi infancia, y tu oración será escuchada”.

“Una promesa grande ¿no?”, se preguntó el Padre Carter, y de inmediato fue claro al señalar que no debemos ser supersticiosos.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD “No nos limitemos a (Arriba) El Diácono Ronald Sherwood, Padre Noah Carter y encender velas y colocar seminarista Jacob Mlakar en compañía de las imágenes del Divino flores todos los días en una Niño y la Virgen de Guadalupe, ubicadas a la izquierda y derecha estatua para que nos pueda del altar. (Abajo) De izquierda a derecha: Wilder, Lina María y salvar. Venimos buscando Alexandra Hernández; Fredy y María Meneses, parte del comité hacer una comunidad, a organizador. convertir nuestras vidas en flores que podamos colocar a su padre celestial”, por lo que luego espiritualmente ante los pies de nuestro recomendó a los niños presentes que Señor. Hagamos esta devoción primero permanezcan obedientes a sus padres sobre la ofrenda de nuestras vidas, solo teniendo como ejemplo al Niño Jesús. entonces podremos colocar nuestras peticiones delante de Él”, subrayó.

También destacó la divinidad de Jesús, CELEBRÓ, PASA A LA PÁGINA 16

Vive tu fe ¿Cómo te llama Dios? ¿A qué te llama Dios? ¿Cómo puedes servirlo mejor ?

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be

Crece en tu fe.

adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us, St. Jude, help of the hopeless, pray for us.

Say this prayer 9 times a day. By the ninth day your prayers will be answered. It has never been known

La oficina diocesana de ministerios laicos ofrece un programa en Español de dos años diseñado para ayudarte a entender mejor tu fe, poder participar más profundamente en la misión de la Iglesia y vivir tu fe más plenamente.

Estamos aceptando aplicaciones para el programa 2018-2020 que tomará lugar en Charlotte y Hendersonville.

to fail.

Para más información:

Publication must be promised.

– D.C.

de quien dijo estaba sujeto no solo a su naturaleza humana, “sino que también estaba sujeto a sus padres, María y José”, “Él sabía, incluso de niño, lo que debía de padecer por nuestra salvación. Sin embargo viviría una infancia perfecta en obediencia a María y José, en reverencia

F O R M AT I O N P R O G R A M

Dr. Frank Villaronga Director, Evangelization and Adult Education Office

704-370-3274

frankv@charlottediocese.org

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iiiAugust 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Acts of Mercy

Religious sisters in Mocksville live out the charism of their Belmont-based order

W

ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

herever two or more Sisters of Mercy are gathered in His name, impressive and wondrous things tend to happen.

Hospitals and schools open. Think Mercy Hospital and its former nursing school in Charlotte, Sacred Heart College in Belmont and parochial schools such as St. Patrick in Charlotte, Sacred Heart in Salisbury, and St. Mary in Wilmington. Innovative programs for children and adults with disabilities are established at Holy Angels in Belmont. The hungry are fed, the sick are healed, and souls are guided in communities across North Carolina – and the United States.

Founded in Ireland, the order arrived stateside in 1843. North Carolinians have been graced with Sisters of Mercy since their arrival from Charleston, S.C., in 1862 to provide aid during the Yellow Fever epidemic in Wilmington. Among all their sacrifices, merciful acts and accomplishments, perhaps the biggest impact the sisters have made during the past 150plus years has been in the hearts and minds of the people to whom they’ve ministered.

One North Carolina community that’s particularly blessed with the sisters’ presence is Davie County. For more than 20 years, Sister Susie Dandison and Sister Martha Hoyle have been a godsend not only to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville but also to the wider population because of their hard work, compassion and entire gift of themselves.

SHOWING MERCY IN MOCKSVILLE

Supported by the order, which is based in Belmont, the sisters volunteer at A Storehouse for Jesus, a Christian ministry in Mocksville offering goods and services to the poor ranging from food, clothes and haircuts to free medical clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as a monthly women’s health clinic. The entire operation is funded by grants and donations and run by more than 400 volunteers, which include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, optometrists, chiropractors and psychiatrists.

Sister Susie is a Spanish-English translator beloved and trusted by the county’s large Hispanic population. She has volunteered at the storehouse, tutored students at area schools and is a translator at the health department.

“Sister Susie knows the Hispanic community very well and cares for them very deeply,” says Father Eric Kowalski, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Sister Martha adds with a smile, “She’s the more popular sister,” then continues, “She’s a true ‘madre,’ in a strong, affirming sense.

The Hispanic people – they trust her. She’s the one.”

Those who meet Sister Susie for the first time are often awestruck by her abilities, wondering how “this little old white lady” speaks Spanish so fluently. The answer is simple. “I was born in Argentina,” Sister Susie says.

Besides filling basic needs for daily living, A Storehouse for Jesus helps fill the gap for people who don’t qualify for care at the health department.

Sister Martha, a registered nurse who also has a degree in education, helps run the medical clinic.

One of her patients, Kathleen Holbrook, has been a client at the

storehouse for the past four years. “Sister Martha is great. She ought to be president. She would get the job done as far as our health system.

You couldn’t come to a better place when you’re in need,” Holbrook says, waiting patiently as Sister Martha stays on the phone helping ensure Holbrook doesn’t lose her Medicaid benefits.

“With someone who has been as sick as Kathleen has been, you get all this information thrown at you or you get denied. It’s overwhelming, and it’s easy to pull back,” Sister Martha explains.

That’s when you want this Sister of Mercy on your side.

“She is very vigilant with her patients here. She leaves no stone unturned,” Holbrook says.

As an ombudsman, Sister Martha also advocates for the elderly, helping keep area nursing homes in check.

SISTERS OF MERCY AT ST. FRANCIS

Sister Susie and Sister Martha aren’t the first Sisters of Mercy at the Mocksville parish. Sister Bernadette McNamara, Sister Anita Sherrin and Sister Carmelita Hagan served the parish in various capacities in the 1980s and ’90s. Today, Sister Susie helps with baptism and marriage preparation and Sister Martha with the music ministry. Both sisters are there for anyone in the parish who may need help.

“Sister Susie is a good soul and someone to lean on. She supported me when my son died. She can really empathize. She’s stern and can put you in your place, but in a gentle way that’s for your own good. She’s put me

in my place, and she’s had to. That’s w what you get,” says Joan Church, a St. has volunteered at A Storehouse for Je went to fight for me with Social Servic really a treat to have the nuns here. Yo They’re not just nuns; they’re sisters t When Father Kowalski, who has bee pastor in Mocksville last year, he wasn been at a parish with religious sisters, into. Both have made me feel very wel dynamic and quite a fireball, while Sis the two. They both have a wonderful s teasing me. They’ve helped me learn w always anticipate ways they can help a The two have their own apartments and have an older-younger sister dyna a genuine care for each other that’s re Father Kowalski.

“Having come from a very busy exis you get used to having a full schedule. slow down,” he says. “The sisters have sick, and helped me to see that I can sp They’ve helped me relearn that, and I’ been a tremendous blessing to me, the

HE COVER

what I like about her. What you see is . Francis parishioner since 1993 who esus as well. “When Sister Martha ces, that was above and beyond. It’s ou feel like they’re there with you. to me.” en a priest for 25 years, became n’t sure what to expect. “I hadn’t , and I wondered what I was getting lcome,” he says. “Sister Susie is ster Martha is the more quiet of sense of humor and are not above who different people are, and they at the parish.” in the same building in Mocksville amic to their relationship. “There’s eally very beautiful to see,” notes

stence prior to coming to Mocksville, . They’ve taught me it’s OK to e come with me to anointing of the pend more time with the families. ’m very thankful to them. They’ve e parish and Mocksville.”

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

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Mercy Sister Susie Dandison and Mercy Sister Martha Hoyle volunteer at A Storehouse for Jesus, a Christian ministry in Mocksville that aids the poor with food, clothing and free medical care.

They also provide invaluable assistance at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Mocksville.

PHOTOS BY BILL WASHINGTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

In 2000, Sister Susie was instrumental in starting a Spanish Mass at St. Francis, which began as a mission in 1958 and became a parish in 1980.

Insisting that the Mass be celebrated weekly to better serve the Hispanic community, Sister Susie proceeded to teach then-pastor Father Andrew Draper, a Franciscan, to say the Mass in Spanish.

Spanish Mass attendance began with 10 people, then grew and grew until now people fill the pews nearly every Sunday. Father John Starczewski then became pastor, and as a fluent Spanish speaker, the Hispanic ministry continued to flourish under his leadership and does so to this day with Father Kowalski, who also speaks the language. Both sisters say that St. Francis is becoming more of a united parish family as Spanish- and Englishspeaking parishioners come together for worship and social occasions.

SISTER SUSIE’S DOUBLE VOCATION

Before she was called to religious life, Sister Susie – born Susie Canade in 1932 – married John Malcolm Dandison in her native Argentina. The couple had their daughter Cris in Buenos Aires, moved to England, had another child, and then ended up in the United States and had two more children.

“We had too much baggage to keep traveling, so we stayed,” she says. The family moved to Salisbury in 1955. The Dandison children attended Sacred Heart School, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy as Salisbury Catholic School in 1910 after they purchased land to build it, improving MERCY, SEE PAGE 14

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 FROM THE COVER

‘If you’re thinking about (a religious vocation), don’t just give up. Pray about it, first of all; then talk to someone who can give you insights. If you don’t, 20 years later you may look back and wish you had done it. I never would have known what I missed.’

Mercy Sister Susie Dandison

MERCY FROM PAGE 13

upon the rectory-based school that opened at the parish in 1882.

In 1971, her husband died suddenly of a heart attack. Now a widow with four children, Sister Susie went on a retreat for Catholics experiencing similar circumstances. She was invited to come back for peer-to-peer counseling. On a walk one day with Sister Pauline Clifford during a Cursillo retreat in 1974, she thought about a religious vocation for the first time.

“I told her, ‘I think I have a religious vocation.’ She said don’t give up and keep praying but also that they don’t take children. I still had two kids at home. I talked to everyone under the sun. I’d go to confession and (the priest would) say, ‘Ask God to let you know.’”

“Mercy Sister Jean Margaret visited Salisbury for an anniversary in the early 1980s when I was 51,” Sister Susie recalls. The two spoke over hors d’oeuvres. Sister Susie told the Mercy sister that she felt called by God to religious life. Sister Jean Margaret invited her to come visit her and talk further.

“I was always very comfortable with the Sisters of Mercy since they ran the school my children attended in Salisbury,” Sister Susie recalls. “When it would snow, the sisters would invite the kids in for hot chocolate.”

She and her family lived across the street from Sacred Heart School when the children were in elementary school. They all have fond memories of the Sisters of Mercy – especially their hospitality and the joy they exuded.

“Our playground was the school playground,” recalls Sister Susie’s daughter, Cris Dandison Brincefield. “I remember during the snow, the sisters coming out to have snowball fights with us.

I took piano lessons in the convent and was very comfortable being in the home of the sisters.”

The Sisters of Mercy have been a thread throughout Brincefield’s life. She later attended the order’s Sacred Heart College in Belmont where many of the sisters she knew in her younger years were on campus. Brincefield said she wasn’t surprised when her mother joined the Sisters of Mercy, noting Sister Susie’s compassion and ability to comfort others in her roles as hospital chaplain of Mercy Hospital South in Pineville

and with the Hispanic community in Mocksville.

So at the age of 52, Sister Susie entered the convent, on Mercy Day, Sept. 24, 1984. Her daughter, son-in-law and their children came with her for the Mass.

She recalls, “In those days, the bishop and all the priests came to Mass at the convent in the big chapel that we have. I thought, ‘Is all this for me?’ No, of course not – it was for the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, but I didn’t know that! I’d never been there for it.”

The change in lifestyle was a major thing to consider, and Sister Susie continued working at Ingersoll Rand for a couple years to keep her pension in case her religious discernment didn’t go as she expected.

Sister Martha is grateful that nothing deterred Sister Susie. “It would have been a great loss had she not joined us.”

“I knew it. I saw it written,” Sister Susie says of her vocation.

“That’s what I wanted, so my answer to the Lord was, ‘Is there anything else I can do?’ And I’ve never had any regrets.”

Sister Susie’s advice to anyone considering a religious vocation: “If you’re thinking about it, don’t just give up. Pray about it, first of all; then talk to someone who can give you insights. If you don’t, 20 years later you may look back and wish you had done it. I never would have known what I missed.”

SISTER MARTHA’S CALL WITHIN A CALL

Growing up in nearby Cooleemee, Sister Martha and her family were members of the Methodist Church. Her sister Ruth, who is still very involved as a Methodist, volunteers with Sister Martha at the storehouse in Mocksville.

But Sister Martha felt called to convert to the Catholic faith in the late 1960s. “I was a student at Mercy at the time,” Sister Martha remembers. “It was a call, with no coercion at all, to become Catholic.

“I experienced two distinct calls,” she says her conversion to the faith and then becoming a religious sister. “As a senior in high school, I’d sneak in and out of Mass at Sacred Heart in Salisbury.”

Her call to become a religious sister happened on a retreat with two sisters to Goldsboro. “A light went off and I said, ‘Hey, maybe I want to be a sister.’ I started the process right after that and was accepted.”

Yet she had doubts just before she was about to enter religious life. Her spiritual director, Father William Stall, surprised Sister MERCY, SEE PAGE 15

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

MERCY FROM PAGE 14

Martha when he told her, “Thank God you didn’t enter.”

“He said I wasn’t ready, and that if I entered with doubt, I wouldn’t stay,” Sister Martha recalls. “I worked for two years, but God was nagging. I needed to stop thinking and do it.”

Sister Martha earned a nursing degree from Mercy School of Nursing and entered the convent in 1972. She later worked at Mercy House with people who had AIDS. She was also instrumental in starting the first nursing ministry at Mercy House.

“One sister was in a nursing home, and the care was so awful. I agreed to set up the nursing facility at the convent, so they wouldn’t have to leave their environment,” she explains. “What’s there now is unbelievable. It’s a whole new facility, and it’s second to none.”

Recalling her preparation at the convent, Sister Martha says, “It’s not an automatic sisterhood dealing with a large group of women. There are people you wonder about and people you’re in total awe of, and that humbles you. There was this humble awe, and you start to realize the wideness of God’s plan. It’s not just the ‘me’ part of it. I sometimes had doubts of what’s going on, but not the vocation. I had Father Stall’s encouragement at every step. I was so much stronger the second time. I didn’t understand why at the time. There’s always a grace point, and looking back is the only way to learn from everything.”

Sister Martha says she felt sure she was being called specifically to the Belmont order. “I had looked at other communities. It wasn’t the location; it was the spirit and charism of the Sisters of Mercy,” she explains. “We’re more of an active order. We’re apostolic. We walk to reach the people.”

Who are the Sisters of Mercy?

At www.sistersofmercy.org: Learn more about the Sisters of Mercy, their foundress St. Catherine McAuley, and their particular ministries across the U.S. and the world. This year marks the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters in the United States (in Pittsburgh, Pa.), and this website has lots of information about the order’s impact over the years. There are also prayer resources as well as information about vocation discernment and joining in solidarity with the Sisters and the people whom they serve – particularly the poor, the sick and the uneducated.

Associate Director for Youth and Young Adult Program Development The Diocese of Richmond is seeking an Associate Director for Youth and Young Adult Program Development, under the leadership of the Director of the Office for Evangelization, to develop and implement relevant youth and young adult programs, events, and resources to support nearly 150 parishes/missions and 29 Catholic Schools in furthering their evangelization efforts to middle and high school youth (grades 6 to 12) and non-college young adults (aged 18 to 29) to form intentional and missionary disciples.

Associate Director for Youth and Young Adult Parish Support The Diocese of Richmond is seeking an Associate Director for Youth and Young Adult Parish Support, under the leadership of the Director of the Office for Evangelization, to support the clergy and paid/volunteer lay leadership of nearly 150 parishes/missions and 29 Catholic Schools in furthering their evangelization efforts to middle and high school youth (grades 6 to 12) and non-college young adults (aged 18 to 29). This support is achieved through a clear understanding of the Church’s evangelistic mission and promoting it in the interactions with and development of parish youth and young adult ministries and its leadership.

Qualifications: Must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with thorough knowledge of Church teachings and theology with the ability to relate that knowledge to various audiences. Master’s degree or willingness to work toward a Master’s degree in Theology, Pastoral Ministry, or related field is required. Must possess the ability to articulate a clear ministry vision and set appropriate milestones to accomplishing the vision, along with fluency in relevant church documents pertaining to youth and young adult ministry and evangelization.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and completed Diocesan Application to Sara Board, HR Coordinator, at jobs@richmonddiocese.org.

Associate Director for Social Ministry Catholic Diocese of Richmond Following the example of Pope Francis, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond is resolved to undergo a renewal in its outreach to those on the peripheries, particularly the poor and vulnerable through solidarity, advocacy, education, and action. Through the Office of Social Ministries, this renewal will be brought about by reinvigorating our parish leadership and the faithful of the diocese to live the radical call of the Gospel by reinvesting in parish social ministries, creating opportunities for formation, training, and collaboration providing relevant resources, and inspiring those in this ministry. By following the charge of the New Evangelization, the ministry of the Office calls the faithful to welcome diversity, inclusion, and the stranger as we seek to serve all of God’s people through charity and service.

The diocese is seeking two Associate Directors for Social Ministry, under the leadership of the Director of Social Ministry, to realize this vision in their respective geographic region. The Associate Directors will work with parish leaders to further Catholic Social Teaching specifically in the areas of prison ministry, solidarity efforts and twinning relationships, advocacy work in justice areas, and partnering with local and national organizations.

Qualifications: This position requires the successful candidate to be a practicing Catholic in good standing. Master’s degree or willingness to work toward a Master’s degree in Theology, Pastoral Ministry, or related field is required. Minimum of three years of prior professional experience in ministry is required, preferably in the area of Catholic Social Teaching. Must possess the ability to articulate a clear ministry vision and set appropriate milestones to accomplishing the vision, along with a through knowledge of Church teachings and theology with the ability to relate that knowledge to various audiences.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and completed Diocesan Application to Sara Board, HR Coordinator, at jobs@richmonddiocese.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

COMUNIDAD VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 9

grandes sacrificios para sus integrantes, pues el servicio a la comunidad es voluntario y de acuerdo a la disponibilidad de quien desee integrarse.

Los Caballeros señalan que 24 horas “pueden cambiar su vida” ya que “ningún hombre está demasiado ocupado como para no ser un Caballero de Colón activo” y utilizando solo 24 horas de su tiempo en un año “podrá servir a su parroquia, ayudar a los necesitados en su comunidad local y crecer en la fe”, además de beneficiarse del programa de seguros de protección a la familia.

En un año sugieren utilizar ocho horas trabajando en proyectos de caridad, una hora de Misa con su Concejo, cuatro horas de socialización en familia con otros miembros, media hora al mes leyendo su revista institucional o visitando la página web y finalmente una hora en reunión con su agente de seguros para determinar las necesidades de su familia.

En el acercamiento a nuestra comunidad hispana, Jones afirma que se debe de romper muchos malos entendidos o ideas preconcebidas sobre Los Caballeros. “Mucha gente piensa que son una élite, un grupo privilegiado, con miembros que tienen mucho dinero y poder, y que

realmente no están interesados en acercarse a los latinos”.

“Nada más lejano de la realidad”, contesta, “la verdad es que deseamos que, sin distinciones de ningún tipo, todos se integren y encuentren un espacio con nosotros”.

Durante la misa dominical en español del 29 de julio en la parroquia San John Neumann de Charlotte, el celebrante, Padre John F. Starczewski, pastor de la iglesia, dijo en su homilía, al referirse a su vocación sacerdotal, que muy joven, como anticipo a lo que sería su decisión de optar por la vida religiosa, ingresó a Los Caballeros de Colón.

Dentro de esa organización pudo conocer más de cerca el significado de la palabra “servicio” a través de las obras que se generaban a favor de la comunidad más necesitada, una experiencia que inclinó en él la balanza para tomar el camino del sacerdocio.

Como reza la leyenda de un vitral ubicado cerca al altar de esa parroquia, realizado en memoria del Padre McGivney, y que representa la parábola del buen samaritano, “Go Therefore and do the same”, que en español significa “Por lo tanto ve y haz lo mismo”, más allá de cualquier beneficio que puedan ofrecer Los Caballeros de Colón, está presente la invitación de seguir el mandato de Dios de amar al prójimo a través de las obras de caridad que realizan.

Responder a ese llamado es una opción como parte de nuestro compromiso católico.

TRANSFIGURATION FROM PAGE 2

the two men who stood with Him.” He mentions that Peter made his suggestion to put up booths as Moses and Elijah were departing.

8. Why do Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain?

Moses and Elijah represent the two principal components of the Old Testament: the Law and the Prophets.

Moses was the giver of the Law, and Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets.

The fact that these two figures “spoke of His departure, which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem” illustrates that the Law and the Prophets point forward to the Messiah and His sufferings.

This foreshadows Jesus’ own explanation, on the road to Emmaus, of the Scriptures pointing to Himself (see Lk 24:27, 32).

9. Why was Peter’s suggestion misguided?

The fact that Peter’s suggestion occurs when Moses and Elijah are preparing to depart reveals a desire to prolong the experience of glory. This means Peter is focusing on the wrong thing.

The experience of the Transfiguration is meant to point forward to the sufferings Jesus is about to experience. It is meant to strengthen the disciples’ faith, revealing to them in a powerful way the divine hand that is at work in the events Jesus will undergo. This is why Moses and Elijah have been speaking “about His

FIESTA

CELEBRÓ

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 11

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 11

se realiza la transfiguración, es decir, la imagen, ataviada con ropaje color rojo, ingresa a una estructura en forma de globo terráqueo y sale completamente vestida un blanco resplandeciente.

El 6 de agosto, se lleva a cabo una Misa concelebrada que es presidida por el Arzobispo Metropolitano y a la que son invitados los presidentes de los poderes estatales, autoridades municipales y otras personalidades políticas

Al término de la Misa, la celebración continuó en el salón comunitario de la parroquia. Lina María Hernández, coordinadora de la celebración, dijo que, gracias a la inquietud de una feligresa, un grupo de parroquianos devotos del Divino Niño viajó a Hanceville, Alabama, a visitar el Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, donde además de una reproducción de la imagen del Divino Niño en el interior del Santuario, una versión especial de la imagen ideada por la Madre Angélica, fundadora de la cadena de comunicaciones católica EWTN, se encuentra en el centro de la plaza exterior.

“Muchas personas no saben que la Madre Angélica era una gran devota del Divino Niño”, nos reveló Hernández.

Según publicó la agencia noticiosa católica Aciprensa, la Madre Angélica conoció la iglesia del Divino Niño Jesús, en el barrio 20 de Julio de Bogotá, en junio de 1996.

Mientras rezaba al pie de la imagen, a la Madre Angélica le pareció que la imagen se movía. ”De repente, Él se voltea hacia mí”, recordó Angélica en la biografía escrita por el periodista Raymond Arroyo, y le pide a la religiosa que le construya un templo y “ayudaré a aquellos que te ayuden”.

El encuentro con el niño Jesús cristalizó la visión de la Madre para el monasterio de Hanceville, alterando los planes originales. Ante lo que ella consideró un mandamiento divino, la sencilla capilla se convertiría en un imponente Monasterio.

La celebración del Divino Niño coincide exactamente con la fiesta del grito de la Independencia nacional de Colombia, por lo que sus nacionales tienen, a lo largo y ancho del mundo, un doble motivo para festejar en esta especial fecha.

CHARLOTTE NO CELEBRA

Moisés Cisneros, salvadoreño residente en Charlotte y fundador de la organización cívica ‘Enlace Hispano 24 de marzo’, recordó con añoranza la celebración de las fiestas agostinas en San Salvador.

“Es la fecha más importante de mi país, y lo hermoso es que está dedicada celebrar a nuestro patrón, a su transfiguración”, resaltó.

Con tristeza señaló que este año no se realizarán las celebraciones que se solían programar en la iglesia San John Neumann, pero prometió que el próximo año volverán a celebrar las fiestas agostinas en Charlotte”.

En las fiestas patronales de El Salvador no pueden faltar las pupusas, el plato típico de bandera del ‘pulgarcito de América’, como cariñosamente se llama a ese país centroamericano. También se sirven tostadas de yuca, panes con pollo, algodón dulce y se bebe atole y aguas refrescantes.

“No debemos perder nuestras tradiciones, es un regalo a nuestros hijos y una buena manera de no perder nuestras raíces”, anotó Cisneros, quien espera que Dios derrame sus bendiciones sobre la tierra que lo vio nacer.

departure, which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

Peter misses the point and wants to stay on the mountain, contrary to the message the two heavenly visitors have been expounding.

As a seeming rebuke of this, a theophany occurs: “A cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!’” 10. What can we learn from this event?

The Transfiguration was a special event in which God allowed certain apostles to have a privileged spiritual experience that was meant to strengthen their faith for the challenges they would later endure.

But it was only a temporary event. It was not meant to be permanent.

In the same way, at certain times in this life, God may give certain members of the faithful (not all of the faithful, all the time), special experiences of His grace that strengthen their faith.

We should welcome these experiences for the graces they are, but we should not expect them to continue indefinitely, nor should we be afraid or resentful when they cease.

They may have been meant only as momentary glimpses of the joy of heaven to sustain us as we face the challenges of this life, to help strengthen us on the road that will – ultimately – bring us into the infinite and endless joy of heaven. ­— Jimmy Akin. Reprinted with permission from the National Catholic Register, online at www. ncregister.com.

IN BRIEF

the St. Francis of Assisi Council 16839 in Jefferson.

Shown with the new Knights are the officers who conducted the degree.

— Patrick Hession, correspondent

FROM PAGE 5

been assigned by Bishop Peter Jugis as pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem.

Father Tutuwan had a short tenure at St. Therese Church, but he touched the heart of the parish with his energy, enthusiasm and great love of God. Before he left the parish earlier this month, parishioners offered support to his home diocese through donations of more than $15,000 to the Cameroon Education Fund. This fund provides education, food, housing and medical care for thousands of displaced people from the Englishspeaking region of Cameroon because of recent conflicts.

The CUIB Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information about the needs in Cameroon or to donate online, go online to www.cuibfoundation.org. Donations may also be mailed to: CUIB Foundation, P.O. Box 269, Gastonia, NC 28053.

— Lisa Cash

First Degree knights named in Sparta SPARTA — A Knights of Columbus admission degree was held and a roundtable formed July 22 at St. Frances of Rome Mission in Sparta. Ten Knights received the First Degree of the order. This began the formation of a roundtable connected to

Greensboro area Knights unite to help tornado victims GREENSBORO — On April 15, the Hampton Community in East Greensboro was severely damaged by a 135-mph tornado. Homes, businesses and area schools were damaged.

In response, Greensboro Knights of Columbus councils (Piedmont Council 939, St. Mary’s Council 8684, St. Pius X Council 11101 and St. Paul the Apostle Council 13236) collected $8,000 from Brother Knights around the state and presented the donation July 20 to the Hampton Community Relief Fund to help provide basic necessities to the affected families. Accepting the check for the Hampton Community Relief Fund was Dr. LaToy Kennedy, principal of Hampton Elementary University Magnet School and director of the Hampton Community Relief Fund. Also pictured are the grand knights of each council: Jim Duffy of St. Pius X; Dan Camia of Piedmont; Rick Ohlendorf of St. Mary’s and Denis Murray of St. Paul the Apostle.

— John Russell

Mix

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

gore and gruesome images, a single rough and several crude terms.

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

On TV

‘Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again’

n Friday, Aug. 3, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Saint Bridget of Sweden: Towards Rome.” A two-part EWTN original docudrama on the life and works of St. Bridget of Sweden. Part 2. n Saturday, Aug. 4, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Dominic: Light of the Church.” A dramatic portrayal of St. Dominic, a renowned preacher who was a tireless defender of the faith and famous for his profound learning, heroic sanctity and apostolic zeal. n Monday, Aug. 6, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “The Site of the Transfiguration of Jesus: Mount Tabor” Standing over the Jezreel Valley in the Lower Galilee region of Israel is Mount Tabor, a Christian site that pilgrims from all over the world visit because it is the place of the Transfiguration of Jesus mentioned in Mark 9:2-4. n Saturday, Aug. 11, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Clare and Francis.” The story of two of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints, who become linked in their quest for searching for something higher than riches and social status. n Sunday, Aug. 12, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Bravery Under Fire.” This original EWTN docudrama presents the life and ministry of Father Willie Doyle, an Irish Jesuit priest who was killed in action during World War I. n Tuesday, Aug. 14, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “They Might be Saints: Bishop Frederic Baraga.” An EWTN original documentary on “The Snow Shoe Priest,” Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga, his heroic mission across Michigan, and his cause for sainthood.

The exuberant kitsch that was the trademark of the Swedish band Abba lives on in this musical romance built around their songs that serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the 2008 adaptation of the Broadway hit “Mamma Mia.” The film shuttles between the 1979 adventures of a youthful version (Lily James) of the much-mourned matriarch played by Meryl Streep in the original and, briefly, here and the present-day efforts of her daughter (Amanda Seyfried) to open a hotel honoring her memory on the Greek isle she loved. As it does so, we discover why mom could never say for certain which of three men was her daughter’s dad. Beyond the bedroom, the ensemble of characters, rounded out by, among others, ma’s best friends and band-mates behaves very nicely, for the most part. Writer-director, includes both a prayer-like opening number and a sequence leading up to an Orthodox baptism. Benignly viewed promiscuity.

CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: PG-13

‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ ‘Mission: Impossible Fallout’ Engrossing espionage sequel in which Tom Cruise’s by-now iconic American agent Ethan Hunt and his team (Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg) battle not only the maniacal anarchist they tangled with in the last outing but a glamorous criminal mastermind in possession of enough plutonium to wipe out vast populations. Their quest is made all the more difficult when Hunt is forced by the head of the CIA to collaborate with one of her operatives and when he discovers that an old ally is at cross purposes with him this time. Intricate plot twists and impressive stunts are the hallmarks of director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie’s long but vigorous film, the sixth in a franchise ultimately based on the TV series of the 1960s. Despite extensive, though mostly restrained, action and the eventual showcasing of Hunt’s fraught marital situation, this thrill ride may be acceptable for older teens. Much violence with some

This sequel to the 2015 original relies on the cherished formula of a group of well-meaning, yet feckless, young people making earnestly bad decisions, especially those twin time-honored choices, not to involve law enforcement and not to get out of the house when a murderer is running rampant. A young tech whiz (Colin Woodell) and five of his pals, including his deaf girlfriend (Stephanie Nogueras), get caught up in the mayhem of the dark Web after he steals a computer and its hard drive turns out to be loaded with creepy content. Much gun and physical violence with some gore, frequent rough language.

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

Other movies: n ‘Teen Titans Go! To the Movies’: CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG

Moments of Grace Momentos de gracia

That special day. We want to remember it forever, and share the happy news with our family and friends.

Now, share the joy with your fellow Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte, too!

The Catholic News Herald is launching a special section of the print edition that we’re calling “Moments of Grace.”

Announce your child’s baptism, first Holy Communion or confirmation, or share the news of your wedding or wedding anniversary. Pricing starts at just $25.

Go to www.catholicnewsherald.com or call Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 for details.

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No dejes que el tiempo borre tus recuerdos.

Comparte tus momentos más felices con familiares, amigos y queridos feligreses de la Diócesis de Charlotte. En la nueva sección ‘Moments of Grace’

de tu periódico Catholic News Herald. Desde $25 podrás anunciar el bautismo de tus hijos, su primera Comunión, confirmación, también tu matrimonio o aniversario. ¿Más detalles? Visita www. catholicnewsherald. com o llama a Erika Robinson al (704) 370-3333.

Hablamos español.

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope accepts Cardinal McCarrick’s resignation as cardinal CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation from the College of Cardinals of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, and has ordered him to maintain “a life of prayer and penance” until a canonical trial examines accusations that he sexually abused minors.

The announcement came first from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a few minutes later from the Vatican press office.

The press office said July 28 that the previous evening Pope Francis had received Archbishop McCarrick’s letter of “resignation as a member of the College of Cardinals.”

McCarrick “Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the cardinalate and has ordered his suspension from the exercise of any public ministry, together with the obligation to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial,” the Vatican statement said.

In late June, Archbishop McCarrick, the 88-year-old retired archbishop of Washington, said he would no longer exercise any public ministry “in obedience” to the Vatican after an allegation he abused a teenager 47 years ago in the Archdiocese of New York was found credible. The cardinal has said he is innocent.

In the weeks that followed the announcement, another man came forward claiming he was abused as a child by Archbishop McCarrick and several former seminarians have spoken out about being sexually harassed by the cardinal at a beach house he had.

Although unusual, withdrawal from the College of Cardinals in such circumstances is not unheard of. Just 10 days before then-Pope Benedict XVI retired in 2013, Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien announced he would not participate in the conclave to elect Pope Benedict’s successor because he did not want media attention focused on him instead of the election of a new pope. Pope Benedict had accepted the cardinal’s resignation as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after reports that three priests and a former priest had accused the cardinal of “inappropriate conduct” with them going back to the 1980s.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, thanked the pope for accepting Archbishop McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals.

In a July 28 statement he said: “I thank the Holy Father for his leadership in taking this important step. It reflects the priority the Holy Father places on the need for protection and care for all our people and the way failures in this area affect the life of the church in the United States.”

In New Jersey, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, an archdiocese then-Archbishop McCarrick headed 1986-2000, stated July 28: “The somber announcement from the Vatican this morning will impact the Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Newark with particular force.”

“This latest news is a necessary step for the Church to hold itself accountable for sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated by its ministers, no matter their rank,” Cardinal Tobin said. “I ask my brothers and sisters to pray for all who may have been harmed by the former cardinal, and to pray for him as well.”

Before being named to Newark, then-Bishop McCarrick was founding bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., serving there 1981 to 1986.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read reactions from Church leaders, get the latest updates on this case and more

Deacons’ life of action, charity, service models Jesus’ life, cardinal preaches CHRISTINE BORDELON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

NEW ORLEANS — While the ministry of the deacon has changed in the Catholic Church’s history, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., said deacons today are a sign of what Christians are called to be in their service of God and neighbor.

Speaking at the 2018 National Diaconate Congress in New Orleans July 22-26, Cardinal Tobin said the diaconate is absolutely crucial to the Church’s life.

Deacons have a threefold ministry of “word, sacrament and charity ... permeated by a commitment to charity and justice.”

“The deacon brings the Church’s ordained ministry to every dimension of human life – from workplace, marketplace to home, to school, to hospital, nursing home and prison.”

Cardinal Tobin traced the permanent diaconate’s restoration to its mention at the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century. Five centuries later, the Second Vatican Council finally implemented it.

“In 1967, Pope Paul VI officially reinstated the permanent diaconate,” Cardinal Tobin said.

Pope Paul, who oversaw the completion of Vatican II after the death of Pope John XXIII, who had convened it, gave three reasons for reinstating the diaconate, the first rank of holy orders: to enhance the Church, embellish it and increase its beauty; to strengthen for the sake of others, those men already engaged in diaconate functions; to provide assistance in areas of the world suffering from clerical shortages.

Within a year, the U.S. bishops received permission

from the Vatican to institute the permanent diaconate on American soil. Cardinal Tobin said the growth was rapid – 1,000 deacons nationwide within a few years. Today, there are 18,500 deacons in the U.S., representing half of all deacons in the world.

“Vatican II echoed the Church’s ancient practice by describing the deacon as a special minister of Christ and the Church in the service of the liturgy, word and charity,” Cardinal Tobin said. A deacon’s work “signifies Christ – Christ the servant, Christ the deacon – in his vocation.”

Are deacons necessary today? “The answer must be a resounding yes,” Cardinal Tobin said. “And, not simply as a steppingstone to the priesthood or as a remedy to the shortage of priests.

“The Second Vatican Council and all the popes that have followed agree that ‘diakonia’ or service is a (fundamental) element of the Church. ... Without forms of the diakonia, the Church is no longer the Church, it becomes something else.”

He thanked deacons for putting flesh on the diaconate of today’s Church and their wives for unwavering support.

The foundational diaconate elements take scriptural root in the sixth chapter of the Acts of Apostles when the disciples selected seven men of good reputation and strong faith – such as Stephen – to continue their ministry. These heard the word of God and spread it through charitable acts in their own culture.

“Their reception to the good news doesn’t require them to forfeit who they are. ... They find the principle of unity that does not abolish culture, that does not pretend to make a one-size-fits-all Body of Christ,” he said.

Local deacons attend National Diaconate Congress CHARLOTTE — Three deacons from the Diocese of Charlotte attended the 2018 National Diaconate Congress in New Orleans, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Church’s renewal of the order of deacons in the United States.

Deacon Daren Bitter, Deacon Dave Powers and his wife Sue, and Deacon Scott Gilfillan and his wife Kimberly were among the nearly 3,000 people at the July 22-26 gathering, which included 1,300 permanent deacons, their wives and children. It was organized by a number of diaconal organizations including the two largest: the National Association of Diaconate Directors and the National Diaconate Institute on Continuing Education. The opening Mass of the congress was celebrated

by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

“There were two speakers that stood out for me because they put the 50-year history of the diaconate into perspective,” reported Deacon Scott Gilfillan. “The first was the bishop emeritus of Tuscon, His Excellency Gerald Kicanas. Bishop Kicanas was one of the early chairmen of the Bishop’s Committee on the Diaconate. The other was Bishop Shawn McKnight, who has written on the diaconate and who most recently served in a similar capacity as the executive director of

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEACON SCOTT GILFILLAN

(From left) Deacon Dave Powers, his wife Sue Powers, Deacon Daren Bitter, Kimberly Gilfillan and Deacon Scott Gilfillan attended the 2018 National Diaconate Congress in New Orleans.

the USCCB Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.”

“It was fascinating to hear the perspective from two who have been ‘ground central’ on formulating the guiding principles and norms of the diaconate in the U.S. for most of those 50 years,” he said. “I was glad to hear both continue to emphasize the service ministry of the deacon, and that a deacon has a unique ability to evangelize people who

live on the margins as well as be a witness to the growing population of people who are outside the Church.

Both ended their talks with points for future consideration, of which I will take very seriously and as director of diaconal formation will be sharing with the deacon candidates for months, maybe years, to come.”

— Catholic News Herald

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Gingrich: ‘Securing’ religious liberty top priority for U.S., Vatican WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See told a Washington audience July 24 that “promoting and securing religious freedom as a human right is a shared priority” of the Vatican and the United States.

Ambassador Callista Gingrich joined Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, and other speakers at an event to discuss the Vatican’s perspective on and fight for religious freedom around the world. The Religious Freedom Institute and The Catholic University of America’s Center for Religious Liberty put on the event. It was one of a number of side events taking place in Washington during an invitation-only Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom organized by the U.S. State Department. Miguel Diaz, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See and holder of the John Courtney Murray University Chair in Public Service at Loyola University Chicago, also spoke. “We meet today at a critical time,” said Thomas Farr, the president of the Religious Freedom Institute. He then went on to discuss a Pew report saying that 83 percent of people worldwide live in countries with high or very high levels of restrictions on religious freedom.

St. Katharine Drexel’s tomb will be moved to Phila. cathedral PHILADELPHIA — The remains of St. Katharine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, will be transferred from the crypt under the chapel of St. Elizabeth Convent, the congregation’s Bensalem motherhouse, in the coming weeks to the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. The transfer is precipitated by the decision of the sisters to sell the property because of declining numbers of the order. “The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament

have once again given the faithful of the archdiocese a tremendous gift,” said Father G. Dennis Gill, the rector of the cathedral, where he hosted a news conference July 24. “With the new opportunity to honor St. Katharine at the cathedral, even more people will be exposed to her extraordinary life and example.” Mother Katharine was born Catherine Mary Drexel Nov. 26, 1858, the second child of wealthy investment banker Francis Anthony Drexel and Elizabeth Langstroth Drexel. Her mother died almost immediately after her birth, and she and her older sister, Elizabeth (Smith), were raised by their loving stepmother, Emma Bouvier Drexel, along with a younger sister of that marriage, Louise (Morrell). Deeply religious, Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891 with the specific ministry of service to Native American and African-American people.

Mother Katharine died in 1955 at age 97. She was canonized in 2000 with March 3 as her feast day.

Cardinal calls all to pray high court will move to protect life WASHINGTON, D.C. — New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called July 19 for a national prayer campaign effort that “the change in the U.S. Supreme Court will move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.” “As soon as Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, pro-abortion groups began lobbying the U.S. Senate to reject any nominee who does not promise to endorse Roe v. Wade,” the cardinal said in a statement. “While the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not support or oppose the confirmation of any presidential nominee,” he said, “we can and should raise grave concerns about a confirmation process which is being grossly distorted by efforts to subject judicial nominees to a litmus test of support for Roe v. Wade. And we must pray.” He invited all people of goodwill to pray each Friday from Aug. 3 to Sept. 28 in a “Novena for the Legal Protection of Human Life.” The USCCB said “Call to Prayer” materials will be accessible at https://bit.ly/2JBU1MH. Materials include prayers and educational resources and an invitation to fast on Fridays for this intention.

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

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THE ORATORY Center for Spirituality 434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586 Rock Hill, SC 29731-1586

(803) 327-2097

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oratorycenter@gmail.com

— Catholic News Service

Director of Planned Giving

The Mandala: Colorful Creations for Self-Expression, Relaxation & Discovery Come join the fun and insights as your spirit roams!

Giving. The candidate must have an undergraduate degree and a minimum of 7 years’

Friday, September 7, 2018 7:00am – 9:00pm Saturday, September 8, 2018 9:00am – 4:00pm

experience in fundraising; experience in carrying out gift planning programs preferred;

Claudia Fulshaw

The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time Director of Planned

extensive fundraising experience may be substituted for a completed undergraduate degree.

Responsibilities include organizing and directing efforts throughout the diocese to assist parishioners to develop and implement long range financial plans for their benefit, the benefit of their family, their parish and/or the diocese.

Please submit resume by August 24, 2018 to: Jim Kelley, Office of Development, jkkelley@charlottediocese.org or mail to: 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203-4003 Phone: (704) 370-3301 Fax: (704) 370-3398

Learn about the origins and uses of mandalas in different cultures throughout history. Become aware of mandalas appearing in nature, architecture and art.

Working with different materials – stones and stencils, patterns and paints – this retreat will be an immersion in all things mandala, complete with designing your own personal mandala and the story that goes with it. Simple writing prompts and warm-up art exercises will help you along the way – never a lecture, always hands-on.

Claudia Fulshaw lives in Durham, NC and is a full-time graphic designer, artist and retreat facilitator, with a desire to share her unique “art spirit” and her need to create with others.

Cost: $125 Friday and Saturday (Room and Meals) $100 Friday and Saturday (Commuter with lunch) $55 Saturday only (Lunch included)

19

Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief The path to holiness isn’t for the lazy, pope tells altar servers

CNS | AHMAD SUBAIDI, ANTARA FOTO VIA REUTERS

Catholics collect aid for victims of deadly Indonesian earthquake JAKARTA, Indonesia — Catholic groups have collected and are distributing aid for thousands of people affected by a deadly earthquake that struck Lombok, Indonesia’s popular tourist island. The magnitude 6.4 quake struck the island July 29, killing at least 16 people, injuring 355 others and forcing more than 5,100 people from their homes, according to the country’s national disaster agency. Through July 30, 276 aftershocks had hit the island and other areas in West Nusa Tenggara province, ucanews.com reported. At least 1,400 homes, seven schools, five health facilities, and 22 places of worship were badly damaged. West Nusa Tenggara Gov. Muhammad Zainul Majdi declared a five-day state of emergency, ending Aug. 2. Pictured, a young earthquake survivor sits with his family inside a makeshift tent July 30 on the island of Lombok in Indonesia.

VATICAN CITY — Christ’s commandment to love God and neighbor is a path trodden by those who have the desire to become saints, Pope Francis told thousands of altar servers from around the world. “Yes, it does take effort to keep doing good and to become saints,” the pope told the young people July 31. “You know that the path to holiness isn’t for the lazy, it requires effort.” The pope presided over an evening meeting and prayer service with some 60,000 altar servers making an international pilgrimage to Rome. The majority of young men and women came from Germany, but there also were pilgrims from Italy, France, Austria, the United States and other countries. After circling St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile, Pope Francis smiled brightly as Bishop Ladislav Nemet of Zrenjanin, Serbia, waved his arms and urged the young men and women to welcome the pope with cheers and applause. Bishop Nemet is president of Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium, the association of altar servers that hosted the meeting along with the German bishops’ conference.

Latin Patriarchate objects to Israel’s new nation-state law

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JERUSALEM — The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly criticized Israel’s recently adopted law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people for failing to provide constitutional guarantees for the rights of indigenous people and other minorities in the country. In a July 30 statement, the patriarchate said the law is a “cause of great concern” because the rights of Palestinian citizens, who make up 20 percent of Israel’s population, are not protected by the law.

The patriarchate also raised concern for the rights of Israel’s Christian citizen under the

law. “It is beyond conception that a law with constitutional effect ignores an entire segment of the population, as if its members never existed,” the unsigned statement said. “The law might not have practical effects, yet it sends an unequivocal signal to the Palestinian citizens of Israel to the effect that in this country they are not at home.” The law was passed by a narrow margin early July 19, receiving 62 votes in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s legislative assembly.

Citing United Nations Resolution 181 adopted in 1947 that partitioned what was then Palestine into Arab and Jewish regions and established the state of Israel, the patriarchate called the law discriminatory because it fails to protect the rights of non-Jewish residents. “Where there is discrimination, there is no dignity,” the statement said.

Indian Catholic leaders protest call to ban reconciliation NEW DELHI — India’s Catholic Church has led protests over a demand to ban the sacrament of reconciliation from the chairwoman of the National Commission for Women. “This demand is absurd and it displays ignorance about the sacrament of confession,” Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, president of Catholic Bishops Conference of India, said July 27.

“The tenor of the demand shows they do not understand the meaning nor do they have respect for religious freedom.” Rekha Sharma, commission chairwoman issued the call July 26.

She said “priests pressure women into telling their secrets,” noting that the commission had heard testimony about one such case. “There must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg,” she said. Sharma’s call came after five Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church priests in Kerala state were suspended from ministry including at least two who had sex with a married woman who had confessed to having a sexual relationship with a priest before she was married. It was alleged that a priest had sex with the woman after threatening to break the seal of confession to reveal her secrets to her husband. He allegedly video recorded having sex with the woman and passed the information and video to another priest, who also used it have sex with the woman.

IN BRIEF, SEE PAGE 21

Live Your Faith Be affirmed in your present ministry.

Upgrade your certification as a catechist and religion teacher.

Fulfill the prerequisite for the Permanent Diaconate.

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

Grow in your faith.

The Diocesan Office of Lay Ministry offers a two-year program designed to help you understand more fully your baptismal call to minister to your family, to others in the Church, and to those in your daily life.

Sites include Arden, Smoky Mountain Region, Charlotte, Greensboro and Lenoir.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2018-2020 program.

For more information:

F O R M AT I O N P R O G R A M

Dr. Frank Villaronga Director, Evangelization and Adult Education Office

704-370-3274

frankv@charlottediocese.org

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 20

Archbishop convicted of failure to report abuse resigns VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis accepted July 30 the resignation of Archbishop Philip Wilson, who had been found guilty by an Australian court of failing to inform police about child sexual abuse allegations. Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest by the Newcastle Lower Court July 3 with another hearing set for Aug. 14 to assess the location of his detention. The archbishop was convicted in May for failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s. He stepped aside from his duties in the Adelaide Archdiocese May 25 but at the time maintained his title as archbishop. The court found that, in 1976, then-Father Wilson had been told by a 15-year-old boy that he had been indecently assaulted by a priest, but that Father Wilson chose not to tell authorities despite believing the allegations were true. The abusive priest, Father James Fletcher, was convicted in 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in 2016 while in prison. Archbishop Wilson is the highest-ranking Church official to be convicted of covering up abuse charges. He recently was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and throughout the magistrate’s hearing he testified that he had no memory of the conversation with the boy.

country’s million-strong Catholic Church had not been involved in past commemorations of the czar and his family, nor in their canonization by the Orthodox Church. However, he added that Nicholas II’s murdered entourage had included at least one Catholic, the Latvian-born footman Alexei Yegorovich Trupp, and said he believed members of Yekaterinburg’s Catholic parish had taken part in the July 12-17 events. “We should remember Nicholas II had voluntarily given up his throne the previous year, so it’s more historically accurate to mourn the killing of a family than the death of a czar,� Monsignor Kovalevsky said.

Friday, August 10, 2018 The Basilica of St. Lawrence Parish 97 Haywood Street, Asheville, North Carolina 28801

OXFORD, England — The secretary-general of the Russian bishops’ conference urged Catholics to remember the 1918 murder of Czar Nicholas II and his family with “penance and reflection,� while suggesting Catholics could participate in future commemorations. “The killing of this family was one of the first steps on a path of mass murder, forced labor, religious persecution and genocide which led on through the Stalinist period,� said Monsignor Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general. “Although not officially engaged in these centenary events, the Catholic Church must do something – so the best is to reflect deeply, in a spirit of penance, on all those tragic times.� The priest spoke after 100,000 people – led by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill – attended a pilgrimage and religious observances in Yekaterinburg. In a July 19 Catholic News Service interview, Monsignor Kovalevsky said the

K OF C HOLY SPIRIT COUNCIL # 10389

BHOPAL, India — A federal ministry in India has ordered inspections of all child care homes run by the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation founded by Mother Teresa, after a lay employee reportedly confessed to selling babies for adoption, reported ucanews.com. The Ministry of Women and Child Development said

in a statement July 16 that its move followed the recent case of alleged illegal adoptions carried out by Nirmal Hriday (Tender Hearts) home for unmarried mothers run by Missionaries of Charity in Ranchi, in Jharkhand state. Minister Maneka Gandhi asked all states to get homes run by the congregation inspected immediately, ucanews.com reported. Sister Mary Prema Pierick, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, said in a July 17 statement from Kolkata that the Missionaries of Charity are cooperating with the investigation. — Catholic News Service

All are invited to celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Russian church official: Reflect on centenary of czar’s murder

India orders checks of all child care homes run

by Missionaries of Charity

7:30

AM

Holy Mass

8:15 – 9:15

AM

Confessions

10:30

AM

Pilgrims welcomed to the Basilica

by Fr. Arnsparger and Fr. McCanless

10:45

AM

Tour of the Basilica by a Basilica Docent

11:30

AM

11:50

AM

11:30 - 11:55 AM

Confessions

12:10

PM

Holy Mass

1:00

PM

Pilgrims welcomed to the Basilica

by Fr. Arnsparger and Fr. McCanless

1:15

PM

Tour of the Basilica by a Basilica Docent

4:00 – 5:00

PM

Confessions

5:30 – 6:15

PM

Solemn Vespers

A Plenary Indulgence is granted to those Catholics who visit the Basilica of St. Lawrence Parish on August 10 and fulďŹ ll the following requirements: 1.

The faithful must be in union with the Church

2.

The faithful must do the “prescribed indulgenced act.� For the Feast of St. Lawrence the “act� is to visit the Basilica and “Our Father� and the “Profession of Faith.�

3.

The faithful must fulďŹ ll the “

� for every plenary indulgence:

a.

complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

b.

have sacramentally confessed their sins; (preferably on the same day as doing the prescribed “work�, but this “work.�

c.

receive the Holy Eucharist (preferably on the same day as doing the prescribed “work�, but this may be done “work.�)

d.

the same day as doing the prescribed “work�,

21

“Our Fatherâ€? and “Hail Maryâ€? would suďŹƒce. preferably on “work.â€?)

One Plenary Indulgence can be gained in one day, except in danger of death.

29 January 2000)

ViewPoints 22

catholicnewsherald.com | August 3, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Robert Barron

F

or the past several days, I’ve been with my Word on Fire team, filming for the Flannery O’Connor and Fulton Sheen episodes of our “Pivotal Players” series. Our journey has taken us from Chicago to New York to Washington, D.C., and finally to Savannah and Milledgeville, Ga. At every step of the way, we have met numerous people who have been affected by Word on Fire materials: sermons, podcasts, YouTube videos, and the Catholicism series. Many have told me that their exposure to Word on Fire started a process that led them back to the Church. Now I’m telling you this not as an advertisement for my media ministry, but rather as an occasion to muse about what I consider to be a needful change in the way the Church thinks about its essential work.

Throughout all the years of my involvement with the Church, the parish has been taken as the crucial ecclesial institution. Talk to almost anyone involved in Catholic ministry over the past 50 years and you will hear ample criticism of lots of aspects of Church life, but you will, almost without exception, hear praise of the parish. I think here of Father Andrew Greeley’s lyrical evocations of the parish as a uniquely successful social and religious institution. Certainly within the context of diocesan priesthood, parish work is the unquestioned default position.

Ministry outside of the parochial setting – hospital work, seminary work, teaching, administration, etc. – is acceptable, but it is generally seen as not quite what a diocesan

Getting out of the sacristy: A look at our pastoral priorities ‘Two or three generations ago, we could trust that many people would come to our institutions – schools, seminaries and parishes – to be evangelized, but we absolutely cannot assume that today.’ priest ought to be doing. I think it’s fair to say that the overwhelming amount of our money, time, energy and personnel go into the maintenance of parish structures.

Now please don’t misunderstand me: I love the parish and believe in its importance passionately. Worship, instruction in discipleship, the building up of the community, formation for mission – all of this happens typically within the parish. I did full-time parish work for several years, and I’ve been involved in numerous parishes for the full 32 years of my priesthood. Now as a regional bishop in the largest archdiocese in the country, I supervise and regularly visit roughly 40 parishes. However, I do wonder whether, given the unique demands of our time, it might be wise to ask a few questions about our hyper-stress on the parish.

Survey after survey has shown that the number of the “nones,” or the religiously unaffiliated, is increasing dramatically in our country. Whereas in the early 1970s, those claiming no religion was around 3 percent, today it is close to 25 percent. And among the young, the figures are even more alarming: 40 percent of those under

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40 have no religious affiliation, and fully 50 percent of Catholics under 40 claim to be “nones.” For every one person who joins the Catholic Church today, roughly six are leaving. And even those who identify as Catholic are spending very little time in and around parishes. Most studies indicate that perhaps 20 to 25 percent of baptized Catholics attend Mass on a regular basis, and the numbers of those receiving the sacraments – especially baptism, confirmation, marriage – are in noticeable decline. Furthermore, objective analysis reveals – and I can testify from a good deal of personal experience – that a tiny percentage of the already small percentage who attend Mass typically participate in parish programs of education, social service and spiritual renewal. The point – and again, this is to say absolutely nothing against those who do wonderful work within the parish – is that perhaps we should reconsider our priorities and focus, above all, on active evangelization, the great mission ad extra.

Pope Francis memorably told us to “get out of the sacristies and into the streets,” and to go “to the existential margins.”

Especially in our Western context, the streets and the existential margins are where we find the “nones.” Two or three generations ago, we could trust that many people (Catholics certainly) would come to our institutions – schools, seminaries and parishes – to be evangelized, but we absolutely cannot assume that today.

But yet we still seem to devote most of our money, time, and attention to the maintenance of these institutions and their programs. Might it not be wiser to redirect our energies, money and personnel outward, so that we might move into the space where the un-evangelized, the fallenaway, the unaffiliated dwell? My humble suggestion is that a serious investment in social media and the formation of an army of young priests specifically educated and equipped to evangelize the culture through these means would be a desideratum. But that’s a subject for another column.

The last time Cardinal Francis George addressed the priests of Chicago, at a convocation just about nine months before his death, he made a prophetic remark. He told the Chicago presbyterate that, at the beginning of the Church, there were no dioceses, no schools, no seminaries and no parishes. But there were evangelists. He said that, in light of our present challenges, this is worth thinking about. He was right.

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

August 3, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

23

Letters to the editor

‘Pro-life,’ ‘Respect Life’ – which term, if any, is best?

Father Deacon Kevin Bezner

Surprised by grace in a Roman confessional

A

lthough I am of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, I usually make my confession at a Roman Catholic parish near my home.

I go to this parish because my pastor lives in another city hours away, and I cannot always get to him.

I also go because the pastor of the Roman Catholic parish is a model confessor.

I always look forward to confessing my sins to the young pastor of the parish. Confession with him is an act of deep prayer.

He listens and prays with you.

He offers spiritual guidance and an appropriate penance. He is fully present, as a servant of Christ, for the penitent.

When I make my confession to him, it always seems a contemplative act.

I fell away from the Church for nearly three decades. After returning, I eventually came to understand the necessity of frequent confession, also called penance or reconciliation these days.

At first, my teachers were Roman Catholics such as St. John Vianney, St. Padre Pio, and Dom Benedict Baur. Abbot Baur’s book “Frequent Confession” is the best I have found on the subject and one I have often recommended as a spiritual director. Later I absorbed the Eastern Christian tradition of repentance and confession preached by various Church Fathers.

In the East, Church Fathers such as St. John Chrysostom define the sacrament of holy confession as medicine for the soul administered

by Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician, the medicine we need to defeat the passions that lead to sin so that we can enter into union with Christ.

In the “Prayer of Saint John of Damascus” prayed after confession and absolution, essentially the Eastern Christian “Act of Contrition,” the penitent prays: “O Physician and Healer of my soul, O Merciful Savior, blot out all my transgressions, for in the depth of my heart I am sorry for having offended You.” St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, understood confession in a similar way. In his little catechism, he states: “It is a beautiful thought, my children, that we have a sacrament which heals the wounds of the soul!”

Toward the end of last year, I arrived at the parish as I usually do about 15 minutes before the young pastor arrives to hear confessions.

I was surprised to find no line of penitents and wondered whether confession had been canceled.

Usually anywhere from 10 to 20 are standing in line when I arrive.

A few minutes later an older priest emerged from the confessional and said he was ready. I was disappointed

that the pastor was away, and more disappointed once inside the confessional because the priest was somewhat idiosyncratic in his approach to the sacrament.

Even so, he was a good confessor.

I confessed my sins, received absolution and left with a less heavy heart and a soul washed clean.

When I went to the parish for confession about a month later, I had the same older priest. I made another commitment that day: I would go to confession on the days I planned to go and would give no thought to which priest might hear my confession.

The elderly priest did not have to make time to hear confessions. But he did. Without his presence, there would be no sacrament on the days he heard confessions at the parish.

If he could make time to hear confessions, I could honor his priesthood and confess my sins to him honestly and without a worldly care.

I made my confession again at the parish recently. Once again, the elderly priest was in the confessional.

The past month had not been a good one for me. The past week had been especially difficult. Passions and sins I struggle with had been particularly pernicious and nearly had overwhelmed me. Even on the drive over to the parish, my interior peace had been disturbed.

That evening, the priest heard my confession, and he offered advice that was so particular to my situation that as I kneeled on the other side of the screen in the confessional I felt Our Lord’s healing presence.

Through this elderly priest, I received guidance I did not expect and grace that comforted and strengthened me and healed the wounds of my heart and soul.

Whenever I think of this priest now, or any priest, I will think of what the Curé of Ars says of priests in his little catechism: “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus Christ. When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Regardless of which priest is in the confessional now, I always look forward to making my confession and I am never disappointed.

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

For more info At www.charlottediocese.org: Find a parish near you and check Mass and confession times

Each week, I read the Catholic News Herald and each week I notice in the diocesan calendar of events section that there are listings for various “pro-life” and “Respect Life” events taking place around the diocese. In other parts of the newspaper I see myriad articles about other “pro-life” and “Respect Life” topics and current events. I have, for many years, been dismayed by the frivolous use of these terms.

It seems that the majority of these articles are actually about anti-abortion events or news.

How refreshing it was, then, to see an article in the July 6 edition entitled “IHM Respect Life contest essay winners named.” The article reported that the three winners of this contest had as their subjects: Human Trafficking (First Place), Gun Control (Second Place) and Dyslexia and Disabilities (Third Place). It seems that the hard work of these three students focused a much-needed light on what the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin called the “seamless garment approach” to Catholic teaching about the dignity of human life.

In my many years of being a committed Roman Catholic, I have too often found those who refer to themselves as pro-life are actually only anti-abortion and often reluctant to associate themselves with other life issues such as those the students at IHM wrote about.

We, as Catholic Christians, do not have the luxury of picking and choosing which parts of Church teaching on life to support. The death penalty, euthanasia, racism, abortion, gun control, human trafficking, disability, immigration and nuclear disarmament are only a partial list of those issues which belong under the umbrella of “life issues.”

In the same issue of the Catholic News Herald there appeared a letter by George Burazer who,

with great eloquence, called on all Catholics, especially our bishop and pastors, to speak more often and passionately of the plight of undocumented immigrants fleeing the death and violence in their own countries only to be treated shamelessly by Americans.

It is imperative that each of us who would call ourselves “Catholic Christians” examine our consciences and ask whether we can view these issues as a whole or choose to rend the seamless garment into pieces. As Mr. Burazer quoted in the June 22 issue, “we must do better.”

PAUL KILEY lives in High Point.

The bigger picture is more important Bishop Peter Jugis is asking all of us in the diocese to “reach out to U.S. Senators about the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a Catholic, to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.”

The point of this outreach is for us to apply pressure to North Carolina Senators Burr and Tillis to approve this nomination because Kavanaugh (almost certainly) does not support Roe v. Wade.

If we step back a minute and look at the bigger picture, however, no Supreme Court Justice nomination should be considered until the Special Counsel’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and related matters is finished. This is especially true regarding Judge Kavanaugh, as it has been reported that he believes a sitting president should not be held accountable for any unethical activities or crimes he commits.

To approve Judge Kavanaugh, one must agree that the president is above the law. I hope that we all disagree with that view.

LARRY HEYL lives in Asheville.

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

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

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From online story: “Help those in need, never waste food, pope says” Through press time on Aug. 1, 11,534 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 23,826 pages. The top 10 headlines in July were: n Priest assignments for 2018...........................................................................................................................................4,332 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald.....................................................................................680 n Young women share faith journey on Duc In Altum retreat June 25-29..............................................................330 n Lay Ministry graduates respond to the Lord’s call.......................................................................................................332 n ‘Humanae Vitae’ said rooted in respect church has for human dignity.................................................................270 n Deacon Hamrlik has served growing St. Matthew Parish from the start..............................................................229 n Brother James Raber makes solemn profession............................................................................................................191 n ‘Phishing’ scam targets Charlotte-area pastors, parishioners..................................................................................190 n ‘Faithful Servant lights a fire in your heart’.....................................................................................................................145 n Diocesan trailblazer, Father Wilbur Thomas, retires......................................................................................................113

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“I Am The Living Bread”

John 6:51

14th Eucharistic Congress

September 7 & 8, 2018 Charlotte Convention Center Bishop Peter Jugis - Celebrant and Homilist - Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Trent Horn - The Beginner’s Guide to Defending the Faith Fr. Cassian Folsom - Transformed: Patristic Teaching On The Effects Of The Eucharist Sr. Johanna Paruch - The Catechism: A Gift to Prayer and Catholic Life Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers - Truth, Freedom, and the Human Person: Understanding Our Life in Christ FRIDAY EVENING: Byzantine : Vespers • Trent Horn - The Beginner’s Guide to Defending the Faith • College nighT • EUCHARISTIC ADORATION • Eucharistic Procession SATURDAY: Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Charlotte • Holy Hour • Confession • English and Spanish Tracks for Adults • K-12 Education Tracks for Students - Register online • Sacred Music Concerts • Religious displays • Vendors of Sacred Art • Vocation and Education info • Holy Mass – Concelebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis and the priests of the Diocese of Charlotte

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