May 10, 2019 by Catholic News Herald

May 10, 2019

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

Praying for the victims of the UNC-Charlotte shooting Oraron por víctimas de fatal tiroteo en UNCC

3, 13

Planned Parenthood plans to expand, begin doing abortions in Charlotte 5 INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español....................................... 12-16 Events calendar............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes........................... 3-10 Schools........................................ 18 Scripture readings.......................2 TV & Movies............................20-21 U.S. news................................22-23 Viewpoints.............................26-27 World news............................ 24-25

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Monroe parish celebrates Faith Formation Week 6

CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY AT WORK

Toda una vida dedicada a sus hijos

Davidson couple grows together in faith and love

María Oliva Salazar, madre del Padre Gabriel Carvajal

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Jesus replaced law of revenge with law of love

he scales of justice cannot solve everything, especially when it comes to stopping a cycle of evil vengeance, Pope Francis said. “Evil knows revenge and if it is not halted, it risks spreading, suffocating the whole world,” he said April 24 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis continued his audience talks about the Lord’s Prayer by looking at how people ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The use of the word “trespasses” in the original Greek of the Gospel means “being in debt,” so this part of the prayer recognizes how much people are in debt to God, especially for the gift of life and His infinite love and mercy, he said. The so-called “’self-made man’ doesn’t exist in the Church,” he said, because Christians recognize the divine gifts and graces bestowed on them and the “beneficial conditions in life” they received from others. Those who seek to live a Christian life also realize “there always will be something” for which they will need to ask God’s forgiveness, for example, for being too lazy or letting rancor take over one’s heart, he said. It would have been wonderful, the pope said, if the prayer only asked God to forgive one’s debts to Him, however, God asks for more. “Whoever has received a lot must learn to give a lot and not keep it all for oneself,” Pope Francis said. God always offers His infinite love, mercy and forgiveness “vertically,” from heaven to earth, and He expects it to be redistributed and given anew, “horizontally,” among His children. People are called to reflect that divine love and forgiveness onto others, he said, and create “a new relationship with our brothers and sisters.” The pope explained how this could be seen in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt 18:21-35), in which a king forgave his servant’s enormous debt, but the same servant refused to forgive a much smaller debt he was owed by another. The king punished the servant for not showing the same pity and compassion he had received. The parable shows, the pope said, “If you do not push yourself to forgive, you will not be forgiven; if you do not push yourself to love, you will not be loved” at the final judgment. Jesus shows the power of forgiveness, he said. Jesus replaces the law of revenge with the law of love: “What God has done for me, I return to you.” In the days after Easter, the pope asked people reflect on whether they are able to forgive, and if they feel they can’t, “ask the Lord for this grace because it is a grace” to be able to forgive.

St. Damien of Molokai’s life of sacrifice remembered May 10 BENJAMIN MANN CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

Prayer to St. Damien

The Church will remember St. Damien of Molokai May 10. The Belgian priest sacrificed his life and health to become a spiritual father to the victims of leprosy quarantined on a Hawaiian island. Joseph de Veuser, who later took the name Damien in religious life, was born into a farming family in the Belgian town of Tremlo in 1840. During his youth he felt a calling to become a Catholic missionary, an urge that prompted him to join the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Damien’s final vows to the congregation involved a dramatic ceremony in which his superiors draped him in the cloth that would be used to cover his coffin after death. The custom was meant to symbolize the young man’s solemn commitment, and his identification with Christ’s own death. For Damien, the event would become more significant, as he would go on to lay down his life for the lepers of Molokai. His superiors intended to send Damien’s brother, a member of the same congregation, to Hawaii. But he became sick, so Damien arranged to take his place. Damien arrived in Honolulu in 1864, less than a century after Europeans had begun to establish a presence in Hawaii. He was ordained a priest the same year. When he had been a priest for nine years, Father Damien responded to his bishop’s call for priests to serve on the leper colony of Molokai. Their lack of previous exposure to leprosy, which had no treatment at the time, made the Hawaiian natives especially susceptible to the infection. Molokai became a quarantine center for the victims, who became disfigured and debilitated as the disease progressed. The island had become a wasteland in human terms, despite its natural beauty. The leprosy victims faced hopeless conditions and extreme deprivation, sometimes lacking not only basic palliative care but even the means of survival. Inwardly, Damien was terrified by the prospect of contracting leprosy himself. However, he knew that he would have to set aside this fear if he were to convey God’s love to the lepers. Other missionaries had kept the lepers at arms’ length, but Damien chose to immerse himself in their lives and leave the outcome to God. The leprosy victims saw the difference in the new priest’s approach and embraced his efforts to improve their living conditions. A strong man, accustomed to physical labor, Damien performed the Church’s traditional works of mercy – feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and giving proper burial to the dead – in the face of suffering that others could hardly even bear to see. His work helped to raise up the lepers from their physical sufferings, while also making them aware of their worth as beloved children of God. Although he could not take away the constant presence of death in the leper colony, Damien could change its meaning and inspire hope. The priest’s devotion to his people, and his activism on their behalf,

Father Damien of Molokai, photograph by William Brigham

St. Damien, brother on the journey, Happy and generous missionary, who loved the Gospel more than your life, who for love of Jesus left your family, your homeland, your security, your dreams, Teach us to give our lives with a joy like yours, to be in solidarity with the outcasts of the world, to celebrate and contemplate the Eucharist as the source of our commitment. Help us to love to the very end and, in the strength of the Spirit, to persevere in compassion for the poor and forgotten so that we might be good disciples of Jesus and Mary. Amen. — Diocese of Honolulu

sometimes alienated him from officials of the Hawaiian kingdom and from his religious superiors in Europe. His mission was not only fateful, but also lonely. He drew strength from Eucharistic adoration and the celebration of the Mass, but longed for another priest to arrive so that he could receive the sacrament of confession regularly. In December of 1884, Damien discovered that he had lost all feeling in his feet. It was an early but unmistakable sign that he had contracted leprosy. The priest knew that his time was short, so he began to finish whatever work he could on behalf of the leprosy colony before the diseased robbed him of his eyesight, speech and mobility. Damien suffered humiliations and personal trials during his final years. An American Protestant minister accused him of scandalous behavior, based on a mistaken belief of the time that leprosy was a sexually transmitted disease. In the last five years of his life he was assisted by now St. Marianne Cope, a Sister of St. Francis, and other sisters in her community from Syracuse, N.Y. In the end, priests of his congregation arrived to administer the last sacraments to the dying priest. In the spring of 1889, Damien told his friends that he believed it was God’s will for him to spend the upcoming Easter not on Molokai, but in heaven. He died of leprosy during Holy Week, on April 15, 1889. He was beatified in 1995 and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in 2009.

Daily Scripture readings MAY 12-18

Sunday: Acts 13:14, 43-52, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30; Monday (Our Lady of Fatima): Acts 11:118, John 10:1-10; Tuesday (St. Matthias): Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, John 15:9-17; Wednesday (St. Isidore): Acts 12:24-13:5, John 12:4450; Thursday: Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday: Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday (St. John I): Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

MAY 19-25

“Ecstasy of St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi” by Alessandro Rossi (c. 1670)

Sunday: Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5, John 13:3135; Monday (St. Bernardine of Siena): Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday (St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions): Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday (St. Rita of Cascia): Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday: Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday: Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (St. Bede the Venerable, St. Gregory VII, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi): Acts 16:110, John 15:18-21

MAY 26-JUNE 1

Sunday: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29, Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23, John 14:23-29; Monday (St. Augustine of Canterbury): Acts 16:11-15, John 15:26-16:4; Tuesday: Acts 16:22-34, John 16:5-11; Wednesday: Acts 17:15, 22-18:1, John 16:12-15; Thursday (The Ascension of the Lord): Acts 1:1-11, Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:1923, Ephesians 1:17-23, Luke 24:46-53; Friday (The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Zephaniah 3:14-18, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 1:39-56; Saturday (St. Justin): Acts 18:2328, John 16:23-28

Our parishes

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

InternationalNational Combined Collection to be taken up May 18-19 CHARLOTTE — Parishes around the Diocese of Charlotte will take up a second collection at all Masses May 18-19 as part of the International/National Combined Collection. Coordinated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, donations received from this annual collection benefit five organizations: Catholic Relief Services, Collection for the Holy Land, Collection for the Works of the Holy Father (Peter’s Pence), The Catholic University of America, and the Catholic Communications Campaign. Donations are used as follows: The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports Catholic Church organizations that carry out international relief and solidarity efforts. Programs include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence; and advocacy on behalf of the powerless. The Holy Land Collection supports the work of the Franciscans working in the Holy Land. The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have the unique responsibility of caring for the Holy Places as well as caring for the Christians living in the Holy Land. The Peter’s Pence Collection provides the Holy Father with the financial means to respond to those who are suffering as a result of war, oppression, natural disaster, and disease. The USCCB National Collections Committee oversees the promotion of this collection. The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in over 50 disciplines. Through websites, social networks, television, radio, and print, the Catholic Communication Campaign helps the Church spread the Gospel message through the media locally and nationally. Half of all donations to the CCC collected in the diocese stay in the diocese to support local communications needs, such as radio and television programming and diocesan publications. Parishioners in the Diocese of Charlotte donated $232,831 to the International-National Combined Collection in 2018. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter; www. usccb.org contributed.

Praying for the victims of the deadly shooting at UNC-Charlotte St. Thomas Aquinas Church hosts prayer service after two killed, four wounded KIMBERLY BENDER AND SUEANN HOWELL CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — People gathered to pray at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte the day after an on-campus shooting at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte killed two people and wounded four others at the north Charlotte university. “In the wake of yesterday’s shootings across the street, our hearts are broken and our security shaken,” Father Patrick Winslow, pastor, said in his homily at the 12:15 p.m. Mass May 1. The Catholic parish of 2,300 families is across N.C. 49 from the UNCC campus and serves the university’s student population through the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Campus Ministry. “In moments such as these, we feel helpless,” Father Winslow said. “I encourage you to cling to your faith and to one another. In faith, we know that our Blessed Lord, who was Himself unjustly slain and whose security was often threatened, is close to us and that in the end God will make right these wrongs.” UNCC student Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, was arrested April 30 after six people were shot on the campus and charged with two counts of murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and charges related to shooting a gun on a school campus. Howell, 21, of Waynesville, and Parlier, 19, of Midland, were both killed. Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saudi Arabia; Sean Dehart, 20, of Apex; Emily Haupt, 23, of Charlotte; and Drew Pescaro, 19, of Apex, were injured in the shooting. Three of them remained hospitalized in critical condition the day following the shooting. “This is the saddest day in UNC-Charlotte’s history. Earlier this evening, the unthinkable happened on our campus. At approximately 5:40 p.m., an individual opened fire in a UNC-Charlotte classroom, cutting short the lives of two members of our community and seriously injuring four others,” UNCC Chancellor Philip Dubois said in a statement following the shooting. “The entire UNCCharlotte community shares the shock and grief of this senseless, devastating act. This was an attack on all of Niner Nation.” April 30 was supposed to be the students’ last day of classes and the campus was on lockdown for 12 hours. St. Thomas Aquinas Church’s pastor also addressed the shooting at a special prayer service late afternoon Wednesday. Father Winslow recalled how after Christ’s resurrection, His first words to the huddled and frightened Apostles were: “Peace be with you.” Christ’s peace is abiding and everlasting, he noted, and can always be counted upon, just as the Apostles learned. “This afternoon we too are huddled together with some fear and confusion, and like the Apostles, we listen to hear the same words spoken to us, echoing throughout history with the force of the Spirit: ‘Peace be with you.’” At this time, Father Winslow said, people are praying for peace for the souls of the two students who were killed, peace and healing for the four students who were wounded, and peace for their families and friends. “We also pray that those in our community in the University City area and national leaders find some

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Father Patrick Winslow, pastor, delivers his homily at Mass May 1 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church across the street from the UNCCharlotte campus. way to prevent these occurrences into the future,” he said. “We want to live peaceful lives.” He concluded, “In the face of such difficulties we realize quickly we have nothing to console us apart from our faith and one another. Cling to both, for the Lord God is the One who can provide us peace. And each one of us can help one another feel (peace) and find consolation in this moment.” Father Innocent Amasiorah, UNCC’s Campus Minister, was on campus during the afternoon but had already left for the day. He started seeing messages from the students telling him, “I’m OK.” That’s when he learned of the shooting and that several students involved in Campus Ministry were on lockdown inside buildings on campus. He said he offered them messages of comfort before joining some of them in the area where they were evacuated. “This is something that people can’t imagine,” he said. “These tragedies unfortunately do occur around us. We can comfort one another, share in each other’s pain at this time. We are strongly united in comforting each other.” Father Innocent gathered with students on campus Wednesday to pray the rosary prior to the prayer service at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. “As yesterday was the last day of classes, today should be the first day of joy. Instead, it’s a day of anxiety and fear,” he said. He said he hoped gathering in prayer and allowing the students to share their feelings would help ease the tension and allow for healing. “The Catholic Campus Ministry is in solidarity with the UNCC community as we extend our prayers for God’s consolation to all persons affected by yesterday’s shooting tragedy,” added Mary Wright, diocesan director of Campus Ministry. “In SHOOTING, SEE PAGE 17

‘HEART OF A PRIEST’

St. Jean Vianney’s relic coming to St. Patrick Cathedral May 25-26 CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte will host the “Heart of a Priest: Relic Pilgrimage of St. Jean Vianney’s Incorrupt Heart” at St. Patrick Cathedral May 25-26. The veneration of the relic in western North Carolina is part of a national tour of the saint’s incorrupt heart which began in November 2018 and runs through early June. According to the Knights of Columbus, the Shrine of Ars, France, has entrusted this major relic to them for the U.S. tour. “The Knights of Columbus welcomes this special opportunity to offer for veneration a major relic of the patron of parish priests, whose holiness and integrity is a model for clergy and laity alike,” the Knights organization said via its website. The major relic of the saint’s incorrupt heart will arrive at St. Patrick Cathedral Saturday evening, May 25, and will be available for veneration on and off at the parish over the course of 25 hours. The preliminary schedule allows for public veneration on Saturday, May 25, from 5 to 9 p.m. Public veneration will also be available on Sunday, May 26, between each of the Masses (7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.) and from 2 to 6 p.m. only. The relic will remain in the sanctuary during all of the Masses, but no veneration will occur then. Private veneration (with Holy Hour and Vespers) for priests and religious only will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. For more information about the relic pilgrimage at St. Patrick Cathedral, visit www.stpatricks.org. For information about the national relic tour, visit www.kofc.org/vianney. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter; www.kofc.org contributed.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: MAY 10 – 10 A.M. Diocesan Finance Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

MAY 18 – 4:30 P.M.

MAY 16 – 11 A.M.

MAY 13 – 9 A.M. Mass with Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group

Diocesan Building Commission Meeting

Sacrament of Confirmation

Pastoral Center, Charlotte

Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte MAY 11 – 11 A.M.

MAY 21 – 6 P.M.

MAY 16 – 6 P.M.

Sacrament of Confirmation Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville

MAY 14 – 11 A.M. Presbyteral Council Meeting

Sacrament of Confirmation

St. Mark Church, Huntersville

St. Matthew Church, Charlotte

Pastoral Center, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events May 10, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 28 • NUMBER 16

CLMC’S 1ST ANNUAL SCOTTISH CEILIDH (TRADITIONAL DANCE): 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11 in the Allen Center, at St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. To honor the Feast of the Translation of Saint Andrew the Apostle (his relics to Scotland), the Charlotte Latin Mass Community will be hosting a traditional Scottish Ceilidh dance/social. Please come dressed in traditional Scottish attire for the event: for gentlemen, this includes a collared shirt and slacks (or kilt) and comfortable shoes; for ladies, this includes a modest blouse with sleeves, a skirt to mid-calf, and comfortable shoes. Also consider bringing a snack (nut-free) to share. A table will be set up in the cafeteria for snacks. Drinks will be provided. For details, visit www.charlottelatinmass.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

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING NFP INTRODUCTION AND FULL COURSE: 1:30-5 p.m. Saturday, May 18, St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte. Topics include: effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-370-3230.

HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

ST. DYMPHNA’S FEAST DAY: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, St. Barnabas, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden. Mass for the intentions of the mentally ill and their families, followed by Benediction and dinner to celebrate the feast day. St. Dymphna is the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness, which is a chronic, difficult and misunderstood condition. If you or a family member suffer from mental illness, you are welcome to attend. For details, contact Barbara Edwards at 828-654-0228

THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year. NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others. POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

SPIRITUAL DAY OF REFLECTION, “EVERYDAY MIRACLES, HAVING A TALK WITH GOD AND THE POWER OF PRAYER”: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in the Parish Life Center at Our Lady of Consolation, 2301 Statesville Ave, Charlotte. Father Basil Sede will be presenting. Refreshments will be available. For details, contact the parish office at 704-375-4339. HEART OF A PRIEST ‘RELIC PILGRIMAGE OF ST. JEAN VANNEY’S INCORRUPT HEART’: 5-9 p.m. Veneration, 5:30 p.m. Mass, Saturday, May 25 and 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Mass, Sunday May 26 at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. For details, contact the parish office at 704-334-2283 PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 10 a.m. Saturday, June 1, 901 North Main St. & Sunset Dr., High Point. Please come and help us pray for the end of abortion, and feel free to invite anyone who would be morally supportive of this very important cause. For details, contact Jim Hoyng at Ajhoyng@hotmail.com or Paul Klosterman at Pauljklosterman@aol.com. 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF PERPETUAL ADORATION: 10:30 a.m. Mass, Sunday, June 2, Maryfield Chapel at Pennybyrn, 109 Penny Road, High Point. Bishop Peter Jugis will be the main celebrant. Following Mass there

will be an outdoor picnic on the lawn to help all continue this wonderful celebration. For details, contact Sister Lucy Hennessy at 336-821-6500. HEALING MISSION: Saturday, June 1- Wednesday, June 5, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr., Maggie Valley. Father Albert MacPherson, of the Augustinian Healing Ministry, will be leading the parish mission. Everyone can be anointed and prayed over both evenings. Bring the whole family as everyone is welcome to attend. For details, contact the parish office at 828926-0106. TOUR OF ST. PIO RELICS: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Public Veneration, Tuesday, June 11, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Mass in honor of Saint Pio will be celebrated at 8 a.m. by Father Christopher Roux. A Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be offered at 5:30 p.m. by Father Jason Barone. For details, contact the parish office at 704-334-2283 or email to stpiovisit@ stpatricks.org. Sponsored by the St. Pio Foundation. DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR: 7 p.m. each first Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. The Divine Mercy Holy Hours are celebrated (except for Lent) and consist of Eucharistic Adoration, readings from the diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the sung chaplet of Divine Mercy and benediction. Is Divine Mercy needed today? St. John Paul II had this to say: “There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights, to the holiness of God.” The Lord told St. Faustina: “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.” For details, call Paul Deer at 704-577-3496. 24-HOUR ADORATION: First Friday of every month at Good Shepherd Mission, 105 Shepard, King. For details, call the parish office at 336-983-2680. 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:

Cochrane, from St. Peter Church. For details and registration, visit www.regonline.com/respondtoracism. Sponsored by Catholic Charities and the Diocesan African American Affairs Ministry. A SPECIAL PRESENTATION, ‘CAN A CHEMICAL ABORTION BE REVERSED?’: 7 p.m. Tuesday May 21, in the Kerin Center at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. Presented by Dr. Matthew Harrison. Dr. Harrison is Hospitalist Director of Novant Health Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, and specializes in family medicine with a concentration in obstetrics. He serves as a medical advisor for Priests for Life, and as medical director for Belmont Abbey College’s health clinic and HELP Crisis Pregnancy Prenatal Clinic. For details, contact Mike FitzGerald at respect.life@ stmarknc.org. Event sponsored by C-PLAN and St. Mark parish Respect Life Ministry. 1ST FAMILY ENCOUNTER: Friday-Saturday, June 21-22, in Winston-Salem. Mission to offer the family a chance to rekindle and affirm each family member’s love and relationship with one another. Spiritual Director, Monsignor Paul Schetelick, will host the encounter. For details and registration, call Aimee Pena at 908-510-0053 or Lith Golamco at 732-453-4279. ‘I FIRMLY RESOLVE’ SERIES OF TALKS BY FATHER MATTHEW KAUTH: Seven day online devotional series designed to help you get your life on the right spiritual track. Free viewing at www.catholiccompany.com/goodcatholic/about-family-resolve.tr. SUPPORT GROUPS RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for men and women in the western, central and eastern regions of the Diocese of Charlotte. For details about upcoming retreats, contact Jackie Childers at 980-241-0251 or Jackie.childers1@gmail.com, or Jessica Grabowski at 910-585-2460 or jrgrabowski@ charlottediocese.org. YOUNG ADULTS

CHARLOTTE: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.

ASHEVILLE THEOLOGY ON TAP: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Asheville region. For details, check them out on Facebook, Twitter or MeetUp.

GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 18, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road

ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA: www.saintlawrencebasilica. org/young-adult-ministry.

SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS ‘RESPONDING TO THE SIN OF RACISM’: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in Ministry Center A & B at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. First presentation, implementing ‘Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,’ a pastoral letter against racism by the USCCB. Second presentation, ‘Promoting Racial Justice and Ending Health Disparities in the USA.’ Presentations by Donna Toliver Grimes, Assistant Director, Office of African American Affairs, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Deacon Clarke

GREENSBORO WAY OF CHRIST: The young adult ministry at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro: at www.stpiusxnc. com/woc, on Facebook at “wayofchrist” and Twitter @wocgreensboro or email Dan McCool at wocgreensboro@gmail.com.

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

OUR PARISHESI

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte’s Planned Parenthood center is expanding its abortion services and moving to a new location about a mile away from St. Patrick Cathedral. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is moving its Charlotte Health Center from Albemarle Road to 700 South Torrence St., located in the historic Cherry neighborhood just east of the cathedral. The abortion services provider did not return inquiries from the Catholic News Herald for comment, but the Charlotte Observer reported May 2 that Planned Parenthood plans to open in July and expects to begin offering abortions in Charlotte. The location will be Charlotte’s fourth abortion facility. Planned Parenthood’s current rented location offers only abortion referrals, but the new facility will offer “the full range of legal services,” Pam Pearson, chair of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s board of directors, told the Charlotte Observer. The new location, just blocks away from Carolinas Medical Center, is strategically placed in what is North Carolina’s abortion capital. PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Charlotte’s centralized location, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is renovating this medical office building in the Cherry neighborhood easy access and proximity to the in uptown Charlotte to become its Charlotte Health Center, one of 14 such facilities operated by the South Carolina border make it the regional abortion provider. busiest city in the state for abortions. According to the latest data available from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, T OR more than 36 percent of the total 27,183 abortions performed LW NI KE . in North Carolina in 2017 were done in Charlotte. ST RY CHERRY PARK ER Mecklenburg County reported 9,912 abortions in 2017 – CH more than any other county in North Carolina. Fewer than PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S half of those, 3,890 abortions, were performed on county NEW CHARLOTTE HEALTH CENTER residents. Charlotte already has three abortion facilities: Family Reproductive Health on Hebron Street, Carolina Women’s Clinic on Wendover Road, and A Preferred Women’s Health . ST Center on Latrobe Drive. O AC W A Preferred Women’s Health Center is the busiest of BA XT ER ST. Charlotte’s three abortion facilities, performing 4,000 to 6,000 chemical and surgical abortions each year. It has garnered headlines as the location where the controversial abortionist Ron Virmani works, and it was briefly shut down in 2013 by state regulators over health code violations. neighborhood for decades said the former property owner told people about the sale to Planned Parenthood in 2017 at Planned Parenthood said its new location will double a neighborhood meeting, and warned of the likelihood of the space it has for its reproductive health services and increased traffic and protest crowds. education programs. “It is what it is,” the unidentified man shrugged. “We’re very excited about finally having a health center Then he pointed down the street to the now-closed in Charlotte that can meet the needs of the population and Community Charter School, a prominent building that has also meet the standard of care that Planned Parenthood has been a focal point for the neighborhood since the 1920s, and become known for,” Jill Dinwiddie, chair of the $10 million commented that the building used to house a school for fundraising campaign for the Charlotte Health Center, told pregnant teens in the 1980s. the Charlotte Observer. A young woman who moved last November into a home At Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s nine North right across the street from the location expressed support Carolina locations, six including Charlotte do abortion for Planned Parenthood and said she hoped the new center referrals and three – Asheville, Wilmington and Winstonis successful. Salem – perform abortions. Planned Parenthood South But the resident who lives next door to the Planned Atlantic bills itself as “one of the region’s largest Planned Parenthood site said he was “appalled” to hear the news. Parenthood affiliates,” with 14 locations spanning North A pediatric anesthesiologist who is also a Catholic, he said and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. he is sickened by abortion and the throwaway mindset it Overall, Planned Parenthood performed 332,757 abortions in 2017 – more than half of all abortions in the U.S. that year represents. “I’ve helped premature babies at 26 weeks, then at 24 – according to its annual report. weeks, now at 22 weeks,” he said. His respect for life, he said, Planned Parenthood’s new Charlotte Health Center sits at stems from the fact that he sees exactly what an unborn child the edge of the Cherry neighborhood, a historically Africanlooks like – including seeing an unborn baby squirm and American neighborhood that is undergoing rapid change. cry out in pain when he has to prick them with a needle to Some neighbors said they knew that a medical office was anesthetize them during a surgical procedure. going into the renovated building, but not everyone knew that it will be operated by Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood has not communicated with ABORTIONS, SEE PAGE 17 ER

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At www.prolifecharlotte.org: Learn more about pro-life activities. To learn how to have your voice heard on this issue, contact Linda Mooney, 704-589-3930 or vpmooney@aol.com.

neighbors or the Cherry neighborhood association, neighbors said. Planned Parenthood masked its purchase of the property by setting up a shell corporation, Secure Source LLC, run solely by its chief financial officer, Nancy Martin Long. Secure Source was incorporated in May 2017, and in July 2017 it bought the 10,626-square-foot building and 0.61-acre site for $2.35 million, according to state records. One elderly man who has lived in the Cherry

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CHARLOTTE — Challenges to assemble and pray near Charlotte-area abortion clinics keep mounting as the city is set to review stronger noise rules outside medical facilities. Charlotte City Council will soon hear and decide on changes to its noise ordinance, which would limit amplified noise within 200 feet from the property line of schools, houses of worship and medical facilities when they are open. The Neighborhood Development Committee is recommending these changes, and council members acknowledged in an April 17 committee meeting that these proposed changes are targeted toward those assembling near abortion facilities. A Preferred Women’s Health on Latrobe Drive, Charlotte’s busiest abortion mill, performs several thousand abortions each year, and city officials have noted the amount of resources spent policing those gathered and praying outside the facility. The proposed changes to the noise ordinance, which should be open for community discussion at the June 3 City Council Strategy Session, would require the designated places to put up signs explaining they are quiet zones. These changes would not restrict the distribution of literature or other quiet activities. Pro-life advocates are concerned that these changes would limit free speech, as many pro-life groups pray, witness, counsel and sing outside the abortion clinics. St. Michael Church in Gastonia parishioner and LifeChain of Gaston County member Linda Mooney attended the April 17 city meeting along with others involved in the pro-life cause. “These changes tread on our First Amendment right to free speech,” Mooney said. “Our country was founded on differences of opinion and being able to express those freely.” Mooney spends many Saturdays outside the Latrobe Drive abortion facility praying for life. “I’ve been involved in pro-life activities for a long time out of love for life, the women and the babies,” she said. “I do believe that women deserve better than this.” Recently, “on street” parking was limited near another of Charlotte’s three abortion facilities, Family Reproductive Health. This South End facility, located off South Boulevard, performs 1,500 to 2,000 abortions a year. This move is also said to target prolife advocates assembling to pray near the facility. The noise ordinance changes are not clearly outlined, Mooney said. Instead of using a decibel level to determine sound levels, the ordinance would limit amplified and “unreasonably loud” noise. “It’s not measured or well-defined,” Mooney said. “It’s not that the volume would need to reach a certain decibel. Someone would just need to say it’s bothering them.” The buffer rules would extend to parades, bars and restaurants within 200 feet of schools, houses of worship or medical facilities. St. Peter Church in Charlotte on Tryon Street overlooks a popular parade route in the city of Charlotte. There are also proposed changes that deal with construction noise. Fines would be $100 for the first offense, $500 for the second offense, and $1,000 for additional violations. Depending on the outcome of the June 3 discussion, the council vote on this issue could happen June 24.

Charlotte is already state’s abortion capital

AV E.

KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

Planned Parenthood plans to expand, begin doing abortions in Charlotte

Proposed noise ordinance changes would restrict pro-life efforts outside Charlotte’s abortion mills

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 OUR PARISHES

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In Brief Deacon appointed to St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte CHARLOTTE — Deacon Crescenzo “Chris” Thomas Vigliotta has been assigned as a permanent deacon to St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte, effective April 22. Deacon Vigliotta and his wife Elizabeth relocated to Charlotte from Enfield, Conn., to be closer to family. He was born March 4, 1943, in Bethpage, N.Y. He grew up in New York and attended Catholic schools in Long Island. Upon graduation he went to work in the family duck farm Vigliotta business and after a year he enlisted in the U.S. Marines, where he served as a Catholic lay leader. In 1966, just before his discharge, he and his wife Elizabeth were married. In February they celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. After his military service, he returned to the family business in Long Island, where he and his wife became active in his hometown parish of St. John the Evangelist. From those formative years of parish life, he was ordained a permanent deacon Feb. 19, 1983, and assigned to his home parish, where he served for 25 years. In the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Deacon Chris was employed as a Catholic chaplain at the Suffolk County correctional facility. His ministry as a chaplain entailed oneon-one counseling, cell visits, group workshops and sacramental preparation. His work in prison ministry became so involved that the bishop assigned him full-time to it. His wife Elizabeth also served as moderator for the Jail Parenting Program. During his assignment to prison ministry, Deacon Chris established “Beginning a New Life,” a program to help inmates return to mainstream life upon their release. After 32 years of diaconal service in the Rockville Centre diocese, he served for three years in the Archdiocese of Hartford at St. Bernard Parish in Enfield prior to moving to the Charlotte diocese. — Deacon John Martino

kept me coming! Today is Sunday is my 60th birthday. This is the best gift I will ever receive – I will be back again so long as there are retreats like this here. Oh by the way, this was my first silent retreat, I don’t know why I waited so long.” Another noted, “I tend to want to run away from the cross and this weekend, although the cross is an uncomfortable experience, I came to embrace and love the Cross of Christ that Jesus invites each of us to be a part of.”

BLD hosts retreat BLD Charlotte (Open in Spirit to God) Catholic Charismatic Community conducted the Washing of the Feet/Agony in the Garden Retreat April 13 at Holy Family Church in Clemmons, with Father Marcel Amadi as the retreat master. The retreat was an opportunity for the 44 participants to reflect on a disciple’s call to intercession and servanthood, as exemplified in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. — Bert and Lith Golamco

St. Barnabas parishioners share hope through donations ARDEN — Can you imagine having no diapers or blankets to wrap your newborn in? We take it for granted that our babies will come home from a hospital, wrapped in a clean soft blanket. Not so for the mothers of Haiti. There is a saying in Haiti: “Hope makes life.” Parishioners of St Barnabas Church in Arden gave that hope, through donations for 275 newborn kits – way over their goal of 100. The women from the knitting group helped make hats, and the youth group packed the kits and helped deliver them to Dr. Ellen Lawson, director of International Medical Missions. The kits included cloth diapers, diaper pins, onesies, plastic pants, receiving blanket, socks, lightweight sleepers and wipes, all packed in gallon-sized Ziploc bags. Pictured are St. Barnabas youth presenting the kits to Lawson. “Team Mercy” is made up of volunteers who provide medical care to the people of Haiti. For more information about the needs in Haiti, contact Lawson at ellenl@mercyurgentcare.org. — Suzanne Daley

Men’s retreat held at Living Waters Reflection Center MAGGIE VALLEY — An inaugural Lent Spiritual Exercises for Men was held at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley, led by Father Richard Sutter, parochial administrator of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville. The retreat included silent prayer, catechetical talks, meditations on Scripture, daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and Stations of Cross. One retreat participant said, “I was meant to be here this weekend. I found many reasons and obstacles getting in my way trying to convince me to keep me away. Yet something or someone

CCM grads honored BOONE — St. Elizabeth Parish recognized members of Catholic Campus Ministry who are graduating from Appalachian State University this month with a blessing and a reception. Pictured are Emily Fedders, Taylor McCulloch, Jonathan Seith, Joci Kyles and Kelsey Hawkins. — Amber Mellon, correspondent

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH

Judy Bednar, a first-year First Communion teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, is honored by Deacon Dave Powers with a plaque of appreciation during the inaugural Faith Formation Week at the parish April 29-May 5. Resources for parishes interested in hosting their own celebration of Faith Formation Week are available by contacting him at deacondave@ollmonroe.org.

Monroe parish celebrates Faith Formation Week SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

MONROE — Teachers and assistants volunteering in the religious education program at Our Lady of Lourdes Church felt the love from their parish community last week. Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor, working with parish director of religious education Deacon Dave Powers and staff, showed their appreciation for the more than 50 catechists sharing their love of the faith with 700 students enrolled in faith formation at the parish this year. “We felt it was important to honor the volunteers and all of those who assist us in the faith formation program,” Deacon Powers said. During this first annual Faith Formation Week, April 29-May 5, Father Roberts shared taped reflections to offer prayer, encouragement and thanksgiving for all of those serving in faith formation at the parish. “You are servants of the Lord and you speak His Word,” Father Roberts said in the first day’s reflection. “The children and young people of our parish hear the Word of the Lord from your voice. As you teach them the doctrines and practices of our faith, you help them to recognize and to hear the voice of Jesus.” Students offered a Prayer for Catechists in each of their classes during Faith Formation Week to express their appreciation. Prayer cards featuring St.

Charles Borromeo, patron of catechists and catechumens, were also given out to teachers and students. Catechists also received a plaque of appreciation. Deacon Powers said at the religious education Open House April 29, 15 new families signed their children up for future religious education classes. Ten new families also registered with the parish. Father Roberts said he plans to make this Faith Formation Week an annual event, held purposely during the week between Diving Mercy Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. “We wanted something to recognize faith formation teachers because something like more than 90 percent of students in the Diocese of Charlotte are faith formation students,” Father Roberts said, noting that he believes it is a pastor’s responsibility to acknowledge faith formation teachers. He said he hopes more parishes will follow suit and is making the materials available to any parish who would like to use them. Deacon Powers said he has started getting feedback from their faith formation teachers. “They’re saying things like, ‘Thank you so much! Tell Father thank you.’” He reiterated that “the idea (of Faith Formation Week) is to honor the people who are bringing Jesus into the lives of our children and making Him come alive to them.”

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

Youth events, programs being offered in Waynesville

(Far left) Boy Scout Kevin Wenzel is pictured recently at the construction site of his Eagle Scout project, a Marian grotto that will feature a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes (left). Also pictured (above) are Dr. Chris Wenzel and some of the teens helping him with his project. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST CHURCH

Eagle Scout project in Waynesville to feature Our Lady of Lourdes WAYNESVILLE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kevin Wenzel, a Boy Scout and high school junior in Waynesville, is leading his Eagle Scout project to build a Marian grotto at his parish, St. John the Evangelist Church. The grotto will be dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in thanksgiving for prayers answered. On Feb. 11, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, St. John the Evangelist Parish made an offer to purchase a lot adjacent to the church. The .42-acre site will serve as a muchneeded recreation field for the parishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth and families, according to Father Richard Sutter, parochial administrator. Plans are to eventually build a gymnasium on the site as

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keep talking.

well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This recreation space will be the first in our Smoky Mountain Vicariate and it will open the door to a greater outreach in youth ministry both within our parish and throughout Haywood County,â&#x20AC;? Father Sutter said. The parish is convinced that the new youth and family recreational field became available due to the intercessory prayers of Our Lady of Lourdes on her feast day. With this in mind, they wish to honor her as an expression of gratitude and devotion, Father Sutter noted. And thanks to a generous benefactor, the grotto will soon contain a new four-foot Carrara marble statue of Our Lady of Lourdes

that was hand carved in Italy. The grotto is located near the entrance to the new recreation field and it will have the following inscriptions: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am the Immaculate Conception,â&#x20AC;? Our Lady of Lourdesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words to St. Bernadette of Soubirous; and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do whatever He tells you,â&#x20AC;? the Blessed Virgin Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final words in Scripture, in John 2:5. Father Sutter said he is grateful to Kevin, his parents Dr. Chris and Georgiana Wenzel, the teens who are helping him with the Eagle Scout project, and everyone at the parish who has been involved in this effort. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Catholic News Herald

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St. John the Evangelist Parish has recently launched several programs for local youths and their families: n Family and Youth Ministry Wednesday Night Encounters with Christ: On Wednesday nights, the parish offers Mass at 5:30 p.m. followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 8 p.m. While adults gather for prayer and Adoration, the youth group â&#x20AC;&#x201C; called L.I.T., for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life Involves Teens; Love Involves Transformationâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; meets for prayer, fellowship, games and food. At 8 p.m., families all meet back inside the church to conclude the evening with Benediction. n Leadership Day Camps: Middle school youth will have an opportunity to attend a summer Leadership Day Camp this June. Father Richard Sutter (Ironman triathlete, former Atlanta Braves chaplain, former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer, and member of the Belmont Abbey College Sport Virtue Initiative) will serve as day camp director for the inaugural Middle School Youth Summer Leadership Training Program. The five-day camps will be held June 10-14 for boys and June 17-21 for girls. The camps will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day and will focus on the four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice. Interested? Email stjohnwaynesville@gmail.com. Registration details are online at www.stjohnrcc.org. n Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage: St. John the Evangelistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s L.I.T. Youth Group is preparing for a Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage to New Orleans and the Atlanta Steubenville Conference July 7-14. Haywood County high school teens interested in attending the pilgrimage should go online to www.stjohnrcc.org for details.

K OF C HOLY SPIRIT COUNCIL # 10389

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 OUR PARISHES

CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY AT WORK

Alaina Swick was supported through a serious illness by her Campus Ministry family, and she deepened her faith in God throughout her suffering as well as her sudden and unexpected healing.

Danny O’Malley and Alex Carpenter met and grew in their faith together through Catholic Campus Ministry at Davidson College. PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED

Catholic Campus Ministry couple grows together in faith and love ANN KILKELLY SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

HUNTERSVILLE — Some interceptions occur off the field. Danny O’Malley and Alex Carpenter learned that reality four years ago at Davidson College, where both were on athletic scholarships. O’Malley had a hip-related injury playing football, which eventually caused him to drop out of the sport. Not much later, Carpenter suffered a concussion. They met in French class, but, O’Malley says, it was the golf cart that drew them together. He was recovering from his hip injury, so he had the use of a golf cart around the Davidson campus. After French class, both went to the campus training facility for their respective sports, so O’Malley gave her a lift. “Eventually we began doing homework assignments together and hanging out with each other outside of class,” he explains. “The rest is history.” Then Carpenter suffered the concussion. Like O’Malley, she was out of the game. She looks back at that event as the impetus for her journey to the Catholic Church. “Sports is like your job. (Without it) I don’t know who I am.” So began a deeper search for meaning. “I began to take a real interest in more spiritual matters.” She began her quest, and soon O’Malley was part of it. O’Malley, a Catholic, and Carpenter, a Baptist, had different religious beliefs and practices. Carpenter had never questioned her beliefs. Now a torrent of questions about religious viewpoints became the staple of their conversation. He

answered many of her questions and came to build a small library in search of answers he didn’t have. They attended each other’s churches, while she continued her search for the truth about Jesus and the Resurrection. When at O’Malley’s home in Cleveland, they met to discuss their faith with his parish priest. At Davidson, they worked with Father Noah Carter at St. Mark Church in Huntersville to prepare her to enter the Catholic Church. On campus, they sought advice and guidance from Catholic campus minister Scott Salvato and they attended campus Mass. Carpenter’s journey, with O’Malley at her side, led to full communion with the Catholic Church in February. She was confirmed by Father Carter, with O’Malley as her sponsor and surrounded by his family and their Catholic Campus Ministry friends. She recounts, “The Lord had never left my side and guided me toward the truth I had been desiring for so long. Once I was confirmed and able to receive Holy Communion, I felt so comforted. I was finally home and closer to Christ than I had ever been before. Each time I go to Mass, I experience just how much Our Lord loves us...” Sharing life’s disappointments and celebrating the joy of their shared Catholic faith, the two look to the future together. They will graduate this month, marry in July, and then begin postgraduate work at the University of Missouri-Kansas City this fall. He is pursuing a career in law and she in dentistry. Together, they are forging a future on a new playing field – bound by a deep commitment to God and to each other. The goal is in sight, the end zone within reach!

Learn more At www.catholiconcampus.com: Get more information about the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Campus Ministry program that is offered at 21 institutions of higher education in western North Carolina, including how to get involved as a student and how to financially support the ministry

Through illness, CCM student finds peace, joy, God ANN KILKELLY SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

BOONE — “Heal my heart, Lord; the rest will follow,” Alaina Swick prayed before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville a few years back. It became her mantra as she searched for a true and deeper faith. She joined the Catholic Campus Ministry community and entered the RCIA program for people entering the Catholic Church while she was a student at Appalachian State University in Boone. In her sophomore year, she became ill and was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease. Even though her condition worsened, she felt a magnetic force drawing her to God. Despite the pain, she came to rest in God’s love for her. She was forced to drop out of school but insisted on finishing her preparation to become Catholic. She describes her special 2017 Easter Vigil: “The glimmering candlelight, the swelling in my heart as I was anointed..., the complete ecstasy I felt when I finally received Jesus in the Eucharist – this was the culmination of everything my life had been working towards.” Looking at the life of Jesus, the apostles and many saints, however, Swick realized that closeness to God brings both joy and suffering. Her health continued its downward spiral. Many days she couldn’t get out of bed. “Most days that summer were shrouded in darkness. I remember how desolate, yet peaceful, I felt,” she recalls. Then one Sunday in July 2017, Swick and her boyfriend Nathan went to Mass as usual, though this time would not be usual. She hobbled in on her cane with her boyfriend’s help. Mass began. “I suddenly felt a presence rush through me and hit me square in the gut, with a profound message blaring: ‘I am going to heal you now.’” Her immediate response was praise and her mantra: “Heal my heart, Lord; the rest will follow.” Swick continued to recount her story: “My

heart responded in gratitude. I thanked God for the pain and for all the wisdom that arose from it. “I felt heat where I was once numb, sweet relief where pain had gripped me. When it came time to receive Communion, I left my cane in the aisle and approached the altar, unaided for the first time ever. “From that day onward, the healing that God began in me came to fruition. A renewed mind, body, and, most importantly, spirit serve as a testimony to God’s power, His love for us and His perfect timing.” Returning to school that fall, Swick ran to see her friends at Catholic Campus Ministry. Together they cried and praised God for this miracle. “It was within this community that I was nurtured into the faith, celebrated every step along this journey, and where I have found a home,” she shares. Her Catholic Campus Ministry community and Erin Kotlowski, campus minister, had been there for her while other friends had drifted away. They prepared special foods for her, prayed with and for her, and helped however they could. When Swick had to drop out of school, they looked after her boyfriend Nathan, surrounding him with the support he needed. They held fundraisers to help defray medical expenses. “I am so grateful for CCM and the role it has played in my life. I never could’ve imagined all those years ago where I would be now: a Catholic, a leader at CCM, and a witness to God’s redemptive healing power.” Swick gives all the credit to God. “It’s not that God gets to be part of my story, but I get to be part of God’s story.” Back at school, her advice to anyone willing to listen is: “Approach God as someone who really loves you and believe that any action from God is out of love for you.” Swick admits that she is really shy and sometimes finds it difficult to share, but she knows this is not her private story. As Nathan had said to her back on that wonderful Sunday in July, “This is not just for us!”

Help college students build that strong faith Away from home for the first time, college students find themselves alone, navigating a new world where anything goes, and no one is around to make them do the right thing. A strong faith can guide them along this complex journey. But that faith will be challenged. It is the mix of experiences, values, faith and grace that will make all the difference. Your support through Catholic Campus Ministry will go a long way to provide the support and opportunities for students to grow in their

relationship with God and become responsible, ethical leaders in work and society. Donate securely online: www.catholiconcampus.com Donate by mail: Make checks payable to “Catholic Campus Ministry” and mail to Catholic Campus Ministry, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203-4003

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

(From left) Irish dancers aged 13-16 from the Connick School of Irish Dance compete during the Irish Dance World Championships held in Greensboro April 14-21. Maggie Olsen, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School, leaps through the air during the soft shoe competition. Jane and Katherine Pueschel, parishioners of St. Leo Church in Winston-Salem, volunteered all week during the world championships where Katherina also competed. PHOTOS BY JEANNIE DESENA PHOTOGRAPHY

‘A thrilling experience’ Local Irish dancers compete in world championships SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

GREENSBORO — Thousands of Irish dancers descended on Greensboro to compete the annual World Irish Dance Championships April 14-21, including several from right here in the Diocese of Charlotte. Sandra Connick, owner of the Connick School of Irish Dance in Charlotte, was on the committee who helped bring the world championships to North Carolina. She serves as the treasurer of the CLRG, the Irish Dancing Commission headquartered in Ireland. “It was a lot of work but it was worth it,” Connick said. “Children in our region may never get a chance to see a world championship because it won’t come back to America for seven years. It was very exciting for those children to see it and be a part of it.” Dozens of competitors who participated in the world championships belong to parishes around the diocese or are students in our Catholic schools who dance for one of the many Irish dance studios located in the state. Dancers from the Connick School brought home some hardware. “Our students are fabulous,” Connick said. “We were thrilled. We came home with six medals which was incredible for our region.”

During the week-long event, St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem sponsored a family ceili night in which dancers and families from all over the world were invited to gather and participate in traditional Irish ceili dancing. The parish was also among several churches, Catholic schools and Ancient Order of Hibernian chapters who helped recruit volunteers to serve during the competition. Jane Pueschel and her daughter Katherine, parishioners of St. Leo Church, volunteered all week. “It was a wonderful experience,” Jane Pueschel said. “For Greensboro to be chosen above Birmingham, England, Anaheim, California and Orlando, Fla., as only the third North American host in 50 years was an honor. It was a fabulous opportunity to volunteer at the event and meet families from all over the world who share the same love for Irish dance.” Katherine Pueschel competed on an 8-hand ceili team and said, “Competing at the Irish dance world championships was such an amazing experience! I was really nervous but felt proud and excited to represent the Connick School of Irish Dance. “It was a thrilling experience to for my team to compete on the world stage against the best of the best. To do it at home in the company of my family and friends made it extra special.” She added, “It was an honor and great experience to volunteer at this event. I met so many wonderful people throughout the week.” Theresa Olsen was there to support her daughter Maggie, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte. “Maggie has worked so hard to get to this level of dancing and I just want her to show her talent on stage,”

Theresa Olsen explained. “I pray for her to not slip on stage and get injured, and for her to not let her nerves get the best of her.” She noted that this level of competition “is so high and the dancers are all highly trained athletes at this stage. One might think of ‘Riverdance’ performers when you think of this competition, but the competitors are doing all sorts of new and innovative dance moves and tricks that require them to move quickly around the stage with other international competitors dancing at the same time vying for the judges’ attention. It really is exciting to watch!” Maggie Olsen shared that the comraderie of these events is important to her. “I really love attending Worlds because I’ve made friends internationally so I get to see them there,” she said. Father Felix Nkafu of St. Leo Church celebrated two Masses for competitors and their families at the competition venue, a Palm Sunday Vigil Mass and an Easter Sunday Mass. In his Palm Sunday Vigil Mass homily, Father Felix told those gathered for Mass, “Beginning this great event of World Irish Dancing Championships with the celebration of Holy Mass is an acknowledgment that the talents of dancing are from God, to unite His children more in the love that He created.” “Only the love of God could bring us together to celebrate and encourage the talents God has endowed up on these dancers,” he said.

Competition results At www.clrg.ie: Check out the full list of winners from the 2019 World Irish Dance Championships in Greensboro

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of May:

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Rev. Ramon Berg Rev. Henri Blanc Rev. Edmund Kirsch Rev. Francis J. McCourt Rev. William McShea Rev. James J. Noonan Rev. Msgr. Michael O’Keefe Rev. Edward C. Smith Rev. James A. Stubler

2003 1972 2001 1982 1973 1992 1994 1983 1985

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Local organizations team up to aid Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica On March 7-13, three independent organizations demonstrated a unique and successful model of ecumenical partnership to support and serve the poor and sick. The Order of MaltaCharlotte Region, Wingate University Campus Ministries, and members of Our Lady of Grace Church in Indian Land, S.C., independently support Missionaries of the Poor both in the Monroe monastery and in Kingston, Jamaica. In North Carolina, the brothers work with the local poor and disadvantaged. They also collect food, clothing, diapers and other necessities that are sent to MOP centers in Jamaica, Haiti, Africa, and Indonesia. During Wingate University’s spring break the second week of March, members of the Order of Malta and Our Lady of Grace Church traveled to Kingston with 10 students from Wingate University to work with the MOP brothers in their ministry to the poor and sick. The Order of MaltaCharlotte Region sponsored room and board for the students as part of its faith initiatives and service to the sick and the poor. All three organizations collaborated to collect clothing, vitamins, diapers and other supplies for delivery to the MOP brothers, who operate five centers in the ghetto of Kingston and one just outside of Kingston in the mountains. In these centers, they feed, clothe, shelter and give medical aid to approximately 600 physically and mentally challenged men, women and children. Each center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cameron and Natalie Jackson, members of the Order of Malta, and Deacon Robert “Doc” Donofrio, M.D., from Our Lady of Grace Parish, served alongside Wingate’s campus minister, Dane Jordan, and 10 university students in each of the five centers, supporting the brothers in a variety of tasks, such as feeding, brushing teeth, cleaning and providing residents of the centers with love and compassion. Students also participated in daily Liturgy of the Hours, rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Mass with members of the Order and MOP brothers. “Serving with Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica was, overall, truly the most challenging yet rewarding experience of my life so far,” student Ariel Ray said. “I had no idea what to expect. Initially, our intentions were to serve the poor and in need, but what I found in Jamaica was something that I myself was in need of: an abundance of joy. For people who have such little to offer, that don’t even own the clothes on their backs, they offered more love, light, and life than any that I have ever known. It is now my personal belief that everyone, from all social classes and backgrounds, should take the opportunity

to serve in this way at some point in their lives. There is so much to learn about God and about life from the faces of these precious people. This was an experience I will never forget.” “Our mission trip to Jamaica for me was like a retreat,” another student, Rosio Carbajal, said. “With our time spent with the brothers and residents, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and grow my relationship with God. I feel like I came back stronger in my faith, and with new lessons learned from all the experiences we lived.” The Missionaries of the Poor was founded by Father Richard Ho Lung, a Jamaican of Chinese parentage. A convert to Catholicism, Father Ho Lung began his priesthood as a Jesuit in academia. He taught at Boston College and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. But during these years he could not forget his roots in the ghettos of Jamaica, and he began devoting his life to serving the poorest of the poor in his native country. — Goodwill Publishers

Learn more At www.missionariesofthepoor.org: Find out more about the Missionaries of the Poor and their work around the world

Elementary School Teachers Wanted

Michael Warsaw receives Benedict Leadership Award BELMONT — Michael P. Warsaw, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EWTN, has been named the third recipient of the Benedict Leadership Award. The award, given by the Benedict Leadership Institute at Belmont Abbey College, was presented in a public ceremony at Belmont Abbey College March 29. The Institute selected Warsaw above all for his leadership as Chairman and CEO of EWTN, the largest religious media network in the world, and for his commitment to bringing the truth of the faith across the mainstream media Warsaw and into millions of homes throughout the world. “While your life displays numerous reasons for being worthy of the Benedict Leadership Award, the committee wishes to honor and highlight your leadership as chairman and CEO of EWTN, as publisher of the National Catholic Register, and your personal witness as a man of faith,” wrote Executive Director Conor Gallagher in his selection letter to Warsaw. The committee also wishes to highlight Warsaw’s vision for EWTN global outreach and its impact on Catholics in the heart of Africa. The Benedict Leadership Institute was founded in 2016 to develop and inspire Catholic leaders to transform society in light of their faith. The Benedict Leadership Award is a key activity of the Institute. The Institute confers the award annually, recognizing outstanding men and women whose achievements reflect the heroic leadership of St. Benedict. Last year’s recipient was Leonard Leo, preceded by Carl Anderson. Recipients deliver a public address in their area of leadership and are presented with a $10,000 cash award. Warsaw graciously turned down the cash award, but asked that the money be donated to the work of EWTN. Belmont Abbey College, home of the Benedict Leadership Institute, is a Catholic college located near Charlotte. Founded in 1876 by Benedictine monks, it is recognized by the Cardinal Newman Society as one of America’s top Catholic colleges. — Saint Benedict Press

Middle School Math/Science Teacher

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School is seeking a certified

third grade and fourth grade teacher. Highly qualified

Middle School Math/Science teacher. Highly qualified

preferred. Candidate must be able to support the Catholic

Church’s doctrine. St. Paul the Apostle is a small, but

growing school located in Spartanburg, SC.

Please email your confidential resume to Ms. Patti

Lanthier, Principal, sptbgpaul@stpaulschoolsc.com or

telephone (864)585-6645 for more information.

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Where are you going? QUO VADIS DAYS 2019

June 10-14, 2019 * Belmont Abbey College Retreat is open to young men 15 thru 19 years old A camp for Catholic men to learn more about the priesthood, deepen their faith, and help discern Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call in their lives.

www.charlottevocations.org

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 12

César Hurtado

Cuando el silencio no es válido

María Oliva y su hija Rosa en su casa en Monroe, portan un retrato familiar fechado en la Ciudad de México en 1962. El pequeño de mayor estatura, a los pies de su padre Herón, es nuestro Padre Gabriel Carvajal, vicario de la parroquia San Gabriel en Charlotte.

espués de mucho tiempo decidí volver a escribir una columna para nuestro periódico diocesano. No lo había hecho desde antes que ingresara a trabajar como especialista en comunicaciones hispanas en la Diócesis de Charlotte. Encontraba una especie de contradicción entre escribir una columna, un espacio en el que se expone un punto de vista personal, y mi tarea de periodista, donde debo de presentar la información de manera objetiva. Pero las cosas cambiaron el pasado martes 30 de abril y nuevamente rompí un silencio que había prometido mantener. Digo nuevamente porque la primera vez sucedió antes de la última elección presidencial en Estados Unidos cuando, junto con colegas de HOLA News, el medio informativo en el que trabajaba por aquel entonces, decidimos no hablar de un candidato que denigraba los inmigrantes, se expresaba mal de las mujeres y hacía mofa de las personas con defectos físicos, entre otras perlas. El tiempo nos demostró cuan equivocados estábamos. El costo de nuestra acción es un castigo que aún llevamos con dolor en nuestras conciencias. El martes 30 de abril, un nuevo golpe fue necesario para sacudirme de un odioso letargo. Esta vez el tiroteo fue en casa, en la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte. Dos vidas fueron segadas por la violencia insana que ha dejado de ser un hecho raro y aislado en nuestra sociedad. Dos vidas, dos familias, cientos de personas, la sociedad entera, será afectada en toda su existencia por la desaparición de dos de sus seres queridos, dos estudiantes, dos compañeros que solo un instante antes de recibir los disparos mortales pensaban en lo que les esperaba en el futuro. Esa noche, mientras revisaba las redes sociales, pude leer los testimonios de decenas de amigos que tienen hijos, amigos, familiares o conocidos que estudian en la universidad donde sucedió el tiroteo. Puedo imaginar las horas de angustia, las comunicaciones por texto que compartieron con los jóvenes que se encontraban dentro de la universidad, la falta de respuesta a los desesperados mensajes, el silencio que nos hace pensar lo peor. Por esa razón he decidido volver a escribir. Para pedir, para gritar, para exigir una solución a este problema que no termina, sino que al contrario, crece sin parar. ¿Qué más se puede hacer que no se haya hecho antes para encontrar una solución? Sinceramente no tengo la respuesta. Pero esta no es quedarnos callados y esperar a que en otro punto del país, urbano o rural, pobre o rico, sureño o norteño, una persona tome un arma y decida terminar con la vida y sueños de inocentes. El Papa Francisco constantemente nos exige ser una iglesia “de salida” que atienda al pobre, que alimente al hambriento, vista al desnudo, visite al prisionero, calme la sed del sediento. Nuestra sociedad tiene sed de paz, de justicia, de amor, de misericordia. No quiere más violencia. Entonces, ¿saldremos juntos a ser parte de una solución o esperaremos a que alguien arregle la vida por nosotros? CÉSAR HURTADO es especialista en comunicaciones hispanas de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Toda una vida dedicada a sus hijos María Oliva Salazar, madre del Padre Gabriel Carvajal CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

MONROE — Sentada en un sillón de la casa donde vive en Monroe, Carolina del Norte, doña María Oliva Salazar Jaimes espera pacientemente que alguno de sus hijos, vecinos o amistades la llame por teléfono para acompañarlos a salir de compras, a lavar la ropa, ver tiendas o estar en sus casas. Son tan solo las siete de la mañana de un día que comenzó antes que los primeros rayos del Sol anunciaran el alba. A eso de las cuatro de la madrugada, doña María Oliva se había levantado para rezar el Rosario y luego dar “una cabezadita”, antes de levantarse, vestirse y quedar lista para salir. Contrario a lo que pueda pensarse, la vida de doña María no siempre fue así de cómoda. Nacida el 20 de junio de 1942, vivió una infancia de pobreza con sus padres y diez hermanos en el rancho ‘El Rincón’, estado de México. Sin contar con una propiedad, su padre se vio obligado a cultivar los terrenos que le prestaban y, sin casa, a vivir en cuevas cercanas. Pese a todo, siempre había algo que comer pues toda la familia se afanaba en la siembra de maíz, frijol, plátano, jitomate y yuca. Las hojas del maíz sirvieron también para alimentar su fantasía de niña. “Jugaba a las muñecas con hojas de maíz que cortábamos y amarraba con un trapo” recuerda. Al cumplir los 15 años su padre consiguió que le prestaran una casa en el pueblo La Palma. Ahí se enamoró de Herón Carbajal, un joven un poco mayor

PATRICIA GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El Padre Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar en compañía de su madre, María Oliva, en las orillas del Mar de Galilea, durante una peregrinación a Tierra Santa. Madre e hijo han viajado también a muchos otros destinos dentro de Estados Unidos. que ella, con quien se casó a los 17 años. “¿A donde más salíamos?, y con mi papá bien estricto, ¿qué más podía hacer?”, nos dice. Quince hijos resultaron de la unión, de ellos sacerdote, nuestro conocido Padre Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, Vicario de la parroquia San Gabriel en Charlotte. La vida de casada la llevó a trasladarse a un rancho en Veracruz, donde “todo era puro lodo”, pura terracería. La lucha por una mejor vida para sus hijos la obligó a seguir trabajando en faenas agotadoras. Se levantaba a las cuatro de la mañana a moler el maíz y preparar las tortillas que los peones del rancho recibían a las seis de la mañana, cargaba leña, acarreaba agua desde el pozo a casi una milla de distancia y recogía DEDICADA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 17

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Oraron por víctimas de fatal tiroteo en UNCC KIMBERLY BENDER Y SUEANN HOWELL CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Un grupo de personas se congregó para orar en la Iglesia Sto. Tomás de Aquino, un día después que ocurriera un tiroteo en el campus de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte, que mató a dos personas e hirió a cuatro estudiantes. “A raíz del tiroteo de ayer, nuestros corazones están destrozados y nuestra seguridad estremecida”, dijo el sacerdote Patrick Winslow, pastor, en su homilía durante la Misa celebrada a las 12:15 del mediodía del 1 de mayo. La parroquia católica de 2,300 familias se encuentra cruzando la carretera 49, frente al campus de la UNCC y sirve a la población estudiantil de la universidad a través del Ministerio del Campus Católico de la Diócesis de Charlotte. “En momentos como estos, nos sentimos impotentes”, dijo el padre Winslow. “Los animo a que se aferren a su fe y se apoyen uno en el otro. En la fe, sabemos que nuestro Señor Bendito, quien fue injustamente asesinado y cuya seguridad a menudo fue amenazada, está cerca de nosotros y que al final Dios corregirá estos errores”. Un estudiante de la UNCC, Trystan Andrew Terrell, de 22 años, fue arrestado y acusado con dos cargos de asesinato, cuatro de asalto con un arma mortal y otros cargos relacionados por disparar un arma en un campus escolar. Riley Howell, de 21 años, de Waynesville, y Ellis Parlier, de 19, de Midland, fueron asesinados. Rami Alramadhan, de 20 años, de Arabia Saudita; Sean Dehart, 20, de Apex; Emily Haupt, 23, de Charlotte; y Drew Pescaro, de 19 años, de Apex, resultaron heridos en el tiroteo. Tres de ellos permanecieron hospitalizados en estado crítico al día siguiente del tiroteo. “Este es el día más triste de la historia de UNC-Charlotte. Esta noche, ocurrió lo impensable en nuestro campus. Aproximadamente a las 5:40, un individuo abrió fuego en un salón de clases de UNC-Charlotte, cortando las vidas de dos miembros de nuestra comunidad e hiriendo gravemente a otros cuatro”, dijo el canciller de UNCC, Philip Dubois, en un comunicado luego del tiroteo. “Toda la comunidad de UNC-Charlotte comparte la conmoción y el dolor de este acto sin sentido y devastador”. Estaba previsto que el 30 de abril sería el último día de clases y el campus estuvo cerrado durante 12 horas. El pastor de la Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino también habló sobre el tiroteo en un servicio especial de oración el miércoles por la tarde. El padre Winslow recordó cómo después de la resurrección de Cristo, sus primeras

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El Padre Patrick Winslow, pastor de la parroquia Santo Tomás de Aquino, se dirigió a los fieles durante la Misa de 12:15 pm y un servicio de oración vespertino el miércoles 1 de mayo. “Los animo a que se aferren a su fe y se apoyen uno en el otro”, dijo. palabras a sus escondidos y asustados apóstoles fueron: “La paz esté con ustedes”. Señaló que la paz de Cristo es duradera y eterna, y siempre se puede contar con ella, tal como lo aprendieron los apóstoles. “Esta tarde nosotros también estamos con un poco de miedo y confusión, y como los Apóstoles, escuchamos las mismas palabras que se nos dicen, haciéndose eco a lo largo de la historia con la fuerza del Espíritu: ‘La paz esté con ustedes’”. En este momento, dijo el padre Winslow, la gente está orando por la paz, por las almas de los dos estudiantes que fueron asesinados, la paz y la sanación de los cuatro estudiantes que fueron heridos, y la paz por sus familiares y amigos. “También oramos para que aquellos en nuestra comunidad, en el área de University City y los líderes nacionales encuentren alguna manera de prevenir estos acontecimientos en el futuro. Queremos vivir vidas pacíficas”. Finalmente, como conclusión subrayó que “ante tales dificultades, nos damos cuenta rápidamente que no tenemos nada que nos pueda consolar, aparte de nuestra fe y de los demás. Aferrarse a ambos, porque el Señor Dios es el que puede proporcionarnos paz. Y cada uno de nosotros puede ayudarse mutuamente a sentir (paz) y encontrar consuelo en este momento”. El Padre Inocente Amasiorah, Ministro del Campus de UNCC, estuvo en el campus durante la tarde pero ya se había retirado cuando sucedieron los hechos. Comenzó a

ver mensajes de los estudiantes diciéndole: “Estoy bien”. Fue entonces cuando se enteró de los disparos y que varios estudiantes participantes del Ministerio estaban encerrados en edificios dentro del campus. Les ofreció mensajes de consuelo antes de unirse a algunos de ellos en el área donde fueron evacuados. “Esto es algo que la gente no puede imaginar”, dijo. “Lamentablemente, estas tragedias ocurren a nuestro alrededor. Nos podemos consolar mutuamente, compartir el dolor de cada uno en este momento. Estamos muy unidos para consolarnos mutuamente”. El Padre Inocente planeó reunirse con los estudiantes en el campus el miércoles para rezar el rosario antes del servicio de oración en la Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino. “Como ayer fue el último día de clases, hoy debería ser el primer día de alegría. En cambio, es un día de ansiedad y miedo”. Dijo que reunirse en oración y permitir que los estudiantes compartan sus sentimientos ayudará a aliviar la tensión y permitirá la sanación. “El Ministerio del Campus Católico está en solidaridad con la comunidad de la UNCC. Extendemos nuestras oraciones para el consuelo de Dios a todas las personas afectadas por la tragedia de los disparos de ayer”, agregó Mary Wright, directora diocesana del Ministerio del Campus. “En particular, nuestros corazones y pensamientos están con las familias de quienes perdieron la vida, los heridos y toda la comunidad de UNCC. “Estamos agradecidos a los valerosos socorristas que se pusieron en acción para ayudar y a nuestros miembros que se convirtieron instantáneamente en guardianes de los demás. A medida que todos nos sanamos gradualmente, incluso mientras esta tragedia permanece en nuestra mente por el tiempo que viene, oramos para que nos hagamos más fuertes unidos en el amor los unos por los otros y por todos”. También se llevó a cabo una vigilia con velas en el campus el miércoles por la noche. El Padre Winslow declaró que la Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino donó más de 1,700 velas para la vigilia del campus, que se iluminará en memoria de Parlier y Howell y en honor a los otros cuatro estudiantes que resultaron heridos. La Iglesia San Gabriel, ubicada en 3016 Providence Road en Charlotte, también honró a las víctimas durante la misa del primer viernes de esta semana, tres de mayo, a las 7 de la noche.

Más online En el canal de YouTube de la Diócesis de Charlotte: Vea el video sobre el servicio de oración y las palabras del Padre Patrick Winslow

‘EL CORAZÓN DE UN SACERDOTE’

Reliquia de San Juan María Vianney llegará a la Catedral San Patricio el 25 de mayo CHARLOTTE — La Diócesis de Charlotte acogerá el “Corazón de un Sacerdote: Peregrinaje de la Reliquia del corazón incorrupto de San Juan María Vianney” en la Catedral San Patricio el próximo 25-26 de mayo. La veneración de la reliquia en el occidente de Carolina del Norte es parte del tour nacional del corazón incorrupto del santo que comenzó en noviembre de 2018 y se extenderá hasta principios de junio. De acuerdo con la organización los Caballeros de Columbus, el santuario de Ars, Francia, les ha confiado su más grande reliquia para este tour. Los Caballeros de Columbus agradecen esta especial oportunidad de ofrecer para veneración una reliquia importante del patrón de los párrocos, cuya santidad e integridad es un modelo para clérigos y laicos por igual”, dijo la organización de los Caballeros a través de su portal de internet. La reliquia principal del corazón incorrupto del santo llegará a la catedral San Patricio la noche del sábado 25 de mayo, y estará disponible para veneración dentro y fuera de la parroquia durante el transcurso de 25 horas. El horario tentativo permitirá la veneración del público el sábado 25 de mayo de 5 a 9 p.m. y el domingo 26 de mayo entre cada una de las Misas (7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. y 12:30 p.m.) y de 2 a 6 p.m. solamente. La reliquia permanecerá en el santuario durante todas las Misas, pero durante las celebraciones no habrá veneración. Se ha previsto veneración privada (con hora santa y vísperas) para sacerdotes y religiosos el domingo 26 de mayo de 6 a 7 p.m. Para mayor información sobre el peregrinaje de la reliquia en la Catedral San Patricio, visite www. stpatricks.org. Para información sobre el tour nacional de la reliquia, visite www.kofc.org/vianney. — SueAnn Howell, reportera senior con la contribución de www.kofc.org.

Lecturas Diarias MAYO 12-18

MAYO 19-25

Domingo: Hechos 13:14, 43-52, Apocalipsis 7:9, 14-17, Juan 10:27-30; Lunes (Nuestra Señora de Fátima): Hechos 11:1-18, Juan 10:1-10; Martes (San Matías): Hechos 1:15-17, 20-26, Juan 15:9-17; Miércoles (St. Isidro): Hechos 12:24-13:5, Juan 12:44-50; Jueves: Hechos 13:13-25, Juan 13:16-20; Viernes: Hechos 13:26-33, Juan 14:1-6; Sábado (San Juan I): Hechos 13:44-52, Juan 14:7-14 “Éxtasis de Sta. María Magdalena de’ Pazzi” de Alessandro Rossi (c. 1670)

Domingo: Hechos 14:21-27, Apocalipsis 21:1-5, Juan 13:31-35; Lunes (San Bernardino de Siena): Hechos 14:5-18, Juan 14:21-26; Martes (San Cristóbal Magallanes y compañeros): Hechos 14:19-28, Juan 14:27-31; Miércoles (Sta. Rita de Casia): Hechos 15:1-6, Juan 15:1-8; Jueves: Hechos 15:7-21, Juan 15:9-11; Viernes: Hechos 15:22-31, Juan 15:12-17; Sábado (San Beda el Venerable, San Gregorio VII, Sta. María Magdalena de’ Pazzi): Hechos 16:1-10, Juan 15:18-21

MAYO 26-JUNIO 1

Domingo: Hechos 15:1-2, 22-29, Apocalipsis 21:10-14, 22-23, Juan 14:23-29; Lunes (San Augustín de Canterbury): Hechos 16:11-15, Juan 15:26-16:4; Martes: Hechos 16:22-34, Juan 16:511; Miércoles: Hechos 17:15, 22-18:1, Juan 16:12-15; Jueves (La Ascensión del Señor): Hechos 1:1-11, Hebreos 9:24-28, 10:1923, Efesios 1:17-23, Lucas 24:46-53; Viernes (La Visitación de la Virgen María): Sofonías 3:14-18, Isaías 12:2-6, Lucas 1:3956; Sábado (San Justino): Hechos 18:23-28, Juan 16:23-28

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Hermanas de la Misericordia conocieron de cerca el tema migratorio Delegación de Charlotte vio y escuchó las historias reales de quienes cruzan la frontera KIMBERLY BENDER REPORTERA ONLINE

BELMONT - Lideresas locales de las Hermanas de la Misericordia presenciaron de primera mano lo que experimentan las personas que cruzan la frontera de México a Estados Unidos, durante un programa de “Inmersión en la frontera”, realizado en McAllen, Texas, a principios del mes pasado. El objetivo de estos viajes es crear “Testigos de la frontera” que puedan compartir información sobre la difícil situación de los inmigrantes en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México y aclarar los titulares de la prensa sobre inmigración, que no siempre cuentan toda la historia, dijo Beth Thompson, escritora/editora del departamento de comunicaciones de las Hermanas de la Misericordia, quien asistió al viaje del 31 de marzo al 4 de abril. “Nuestro objetivo es cambiar la historia de culpar a la víctima al abordar las causas fundamentales de la migración”, dijo Thompson.

“TENÍA TEMOR DE VIAJAR”

La hermana Phuong Dong, quien sirve en Holy Angels en Belmont, dijo que dudaba en viajar a la frontera, después de haber escuchado historias sobre criminales y actividades criminales que ocurren allí. “Es un temor que mucha gente tiene”, dijo la hermana Phuong. “Sentí la necesidad de verlo por mi misma. Fue una experiencia emocionante estar con la gente y ver y escuchar por lo que tienen que pasar. Mi corazón se ha conmovido”. La hermana Phuong dijo que “Testigos de la Frontera” la sacó de su zona de confort, pero que se sintió segura entre las personas que buscaban una vida mejor y apreció escuchar sus historias. La delegación incluyó a cinco residentes del área de Charlotte: la hermana Phuong, Thompson, Ty Barnes, director de Asociación de la comunidad; Jack Bartley, COO/CFO de la comunidad; y Tanya Pitts, a cargo de los archivos y asociación. Ellos pasaron un tiempo en ARISE, un ministerio integral que atiende a las mujeres y sus familias en cuatro “colonias” de comunidades inmigrantes en el sur de Texas. ARISE es un ministerio copatrocinado por las Hermanas de la Misericordia y las Hermanas de la Caridad del Verbo Encarnado. La delegación también se reunió con agentes de la patrulla fronteriza y un abogado en derechos civiles, conoció un proyecto de vivienda asequible basado en “equidad con trabajo”, recorrió una instalación para adolescentes que cruzaron la frontera sin tutores adultos, visitó un centro de descanso y sus integrantes cruzaron la frontera por sí mismos. Esa fue la parte del viaje que causó el mayor impacto en Barnes, el visitar esas “colonias” y escuchar las historias de quienes esperan recibir asilo en Estados Unidos.

DURO TRABAJO

“Escuchamos sobre un hombre de 80 años que tiene una visa de trabajo. Le pagan $ 3 por cada 100 racimos de cilantro que recoge”, dijo Barnes. “Fue muy conmovedor para mí saber que aún estamos pagando a las personas tan poco dinero en este país por un trabajo tan intenso en mano de obra”. Podría trabajar de sol a sol y, a veces, solo ganar $ 40 por día. “Al llegar a casa y ver el cilantro en la tienda, me impactó comprender lo que costó que el cilantro pudiera llegar a la estantería de la tienda de comestibles”. Barnes dijo que viajó con la esperanza de convertirse

FOTO PROPORCIONADA POR BETH THOMPSON

Delegados del programa ‘Border Witness’ de la comunidad Sur Centro de las Hermanas de la Misericordia en el muro fronterizo en Hidalgo, Texas: (de izquierda a derecha) Buff Easterly, maestra de teología en Mount St. Mary Academy en Little Rock, Ark.; Ty Barnes, directora de asociación para la comunidad; Beth Thompson, escritora/editora del Departamento de Comunicaciones de la comunidad; Jack Bartley, COO/CFO de la comunidad; Hermana Phuong Dong, quien ministra en Holy Angels en Belmont; y Tanya Pitts, pre-asociada y miembro del equipo en archivos y asociación.

en una voz que comparta los hechos auténticos de los migrantes que cruzan a los Estados Unidos. “Creo que los medios de comunicación han hecho el trabajo de retratar a las personas que cruzan la frontera como criminales”, dijo Barnes. “La mayoría solo está buscando una mejor forma de vida, y es su derecho legal hacerlo. Hay muchos conceptos equivocados sobre quienes buscan asilo en nuestro país. Como estadounidenses, creo que debemos respetar lo que acordamos en lugar de criminalizarlo.

EXPERIENCIA PROFUNDA

La delegación también se reunió con la Patrulla Fronteriza de Río Grande y vieron las estadísticas. “Entre los que cruzan con buenos intereses y los criminales existe una gran disparidad. Pero lo que se informa es lo negativo. Cuando te encuentras y hablas con estas personas, son buenas personas. No tienen antecedentes penales. Están tratando de llegar aquí para tener una mejor forma de vida”, explicó Barnes. El tráfico de drogas en la frontera está en declive. Thompson dijo que lo pudieron apreciar porque el tráfico ilegal y las ventas de órganos humanos se han vuelto actividades más lucrativas. El grupo también visitó el centro de descanso administrado por Caridades Católicas en McAllen, Texas,

donde los solicitantes de asilo pueden ducharse, recibir ropa limpia, comida y descanso antes de viajar a sus nuevos hogares. Para ser una instalación que atiende a cientos de personas cada día, dijo Thompson, el centro de descanso estaba tranquilo y en calma. “Fue toda una experiencia profunda”, señaló. “Para mí, visitar de cerca el Centro de descanso tuvo el mayor impacto. Con solo mirarles sus rostros, ellos son los afortunados. Han llegado tan lejos y tienen un lugar al cual ir en Estados Unidos”. “Es desgarrador y frustrante lo largo y difícil que puede ser para ellos llegar al punto en el que están aquí. Y está claro que nuestro sistema de inmigración está roto y necesita ser arreglado. Estas personas necesitan nuestra compasión y no nuestro desprecio. Debemos, en cambio, abordar las causas de raíz de la migración”. El grupo de Charlotte fue una de las dos delegaciones de las Hermanas de la Misericordia que participaron en la experiencia de la frontera el mes pasado. Las Hermanas de la Misericordia han patrocinado una serie de visitas a la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México en los últimos años para llamar la atención sobre las causas fundamentales que impulsan la migración desde Centroamérica y las difíciles condiciones que soportan los migrantes dentro de Estados Unidos.

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Niños, jóvenes y adultos demostraron, a través de danzas folklóricas, su amor por la Virgen de la Encarnación, patrona del distrito de Aguacatán, Huahuatenango, Guatemala, durante una velada cultural realizada en Morganton. CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Con devoción, decenas de fieles, ataviados con trajes típicos de su lugar de procedencia, elevaron una oración invocando la protección de la Virgen María, antes de dar inicio a los festejos.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Rosalinda Cristal Arellano fue una de las elegidas como ‘Hija de la Virgen’ para el año 2019-2010. La joven mexicana, nacida en el estado de Guerrero, destacó la cultura de su país interpretando una danza de su región. “Estoy muy agradecida de haber sido seleccionada”, dijo.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Festejan a la Virgen de la Encarnación CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

MORGANTON — Una alegre fiesta con bailes folklóricos, música de marimba, comida y refrescos típicos fue el marco de inicio de las fiestas de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, que tuvo lugar el pasado sábado 26 de abril en Morganton, Carolina del Norte. Organizada por la comunidad cristiana católica La Encarnación de la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo, la fiesta de La Encarnación es el evento más representativo de la comunidad guatemalteca residente en la zona, procedente en gran número de Aguacatán, Huahuatenango, y otras localidades vecinas. Cuarenta días después de la finalización de la Semana Santa, la fiesta patronal en Guatemala da inicio con la velada de elección de la princesa maya. Un desfile recorre al día siguiente las principales calles del municipio, mientras se realizan veladas cómico culturales, conciertos, desfile de carrozas, encuentros deportivos, pelea de gallos, bailes sociales, desfile hípico, instalación de juegos mecánicos y venta de platillos típicos. En Morganton, explica el diácono Miguel Sebastián, se ha dejado de lado la parte mundana de la celebración para dar más valor a la transmisión de valores culturales de sus ancestros mayas y la espiritualidad de la fiesta. “Cada grupo, cada comunidad se identifica con su cultura, su forma de vestir, su forma de hablar. Y lo que estamos haciendo aquí es una forma de no olvidar de dónde venimos. Especialmente a nuestros hijos, a nuestras futuras generaciones, tratamos de ayudarlos de esta forma a que sepan de dónde han venido sus padres”, dijo. Luego añadió que este año “los hermanos mexicanos de Guerrero también participan de la fiesta” y han mostrado su cultura a través de sus danzas, trajes, lecturas y representaciones.

Durante la velada presentaron su saludo de despedida dos bellas jóvenes guatemaltecas que fueron elegidas el año pasado como ‘Hijas de la Virgen’. De igual manera, otras dos hermosas jóvenes tomaron la posta y saludaron a la audiencia expresando su alegría por haber sido seleccionadas como representantes de la veneración a la Virgen de la Encarnación. Tras desfilar por el pasillo central, una a una las jóvenes se acercaron al estrado, presentaron su saludo a la imagen de la Virgen de la Encarnación, dirigieron unas palabras al respetable y tomaron asiento. Posteriormente, al son de una banda tradicional donde resaltaban las marimbas, danzaron con algunos jóvenes asistentes, a quienes sorprendieron al invitarlos a bailar. Rosalinda Cristal Arellano, joven mexicana nacida en el estado de Guerrero, una de las elegidas ‘Hija de la Virgen’, dijo estar muy agradecida por haber sido seleccionada y espera que ello “la acerque más a Dios”. Muy emocionada, dedicó el tiempo que se desempeñará en el cargo a su madre, Sandra Hernández Antúnez, pues “ella, pese a estar sola, nos sacó adelante a mí y a mis hermanos”. Hernández Antúnez, lectora de la parroquia, dijo que la elección de su niña tiene un significado especial pues “siempre he deseado que todos mis hijos estén ayudando a la iglesia. Para mi es un orgullo que la hayan tomado en cuenta”. El escenario acogió también a varios grupos de danzas folklóricas mayas. Agustín Rodríguez, coordinador de la comunidad católica, dijo que la noche cultural es importante “porque aquí mostramos quienes somos nosotros”. “Quizá estamos lejos de nuestra tierra, de nuestro pueblo, de nuestra gente, pero creo que aquí nosotros podemos recrear un pedazo de nuestra tierra. Hoy, en esta noche, nosotros nos sentimos como en nuestro pueblo”, subrayó. Y la verdad es que es así. La comida típica, los refrescos,

las danzas, la música de marimba, “todo lo que se trata en nuestro pueblo está aquí, ahora”, dijo Rodríguez emocionado. El coordinador explicó que hace casi 20 años llegó la imagen de la Virgen de la Encarnación a la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo y desde entonces se celebra esta festividad. El próximo sábado 11 de mayo será la fiesta central que se iniciará con Las Mañanitas a la Virgen. A las 10 de la mañana se ha programado una Misa, la que será seguida por un almuerzo para la comunidad y festival folklórico, para luego continuar con un concierto de la cantante católica puertorriqueña Millie Lee y cerrar con la Hora Santa. Entre las personalidades invitadas destaca la presencia del Padre Dionisio Mateo Simón, originario del municipio de Santa Eulalia Huehuetenango, pertenece a la cultura Maya Q’anjob’al, párroco de la iglesia San Pedro Apóstol, Soloma, Huehuetenango. Rodríguez dirigió una invitación a “todos los católicos de Morganton y de toda el área” para que se acerquen el día 11 de mayo y puedan conocer “un poquito de la cultura de nuestros pueblos”. Doña Marta Rodríguez López, coordinadora de la preparación de los platillos típicos, sumó a la invitación a todos los fieles de la Diócesis de Charlotte “para que lleguen a nuestra celebración” donde, al igual que en la fiesta del 26 de abril, “estaremos ofreciendo chuchitos, tacos mexicanos, tostadas, arroz con leche. Con todas mis compañeras los preparamos. Vengan”, dijo.

Más online En www.facebook.com/CNHEspanol: Vea un video sobre la festividad de la Virgen de la Encarnación de la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo en Morganton

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Mayo, mes de María CONDENSADO DE ACIPRENSA

CHARLOTTE — Mayo es el mes que la Iglesia Universal dedica a la Madre de Dios, la Bienaventurada Virgen María. Este tiempo es una oportunidad para renovar el amor de todos los bautizados hacia la Mujer que Dios desde la eternidad escogió para darlo a luz y cuidarlo. La Santísima Virgen María es por siempre la Reina del Cielo y de la Tierra, no hay santidad sin María porque toda Ella lleva a Cristo. María la más humilde entre las mujeres es precisamente el modelo de toda mujer, como señaló el Papa Francisco en abril de 2014 en un mensaje a más de 20 mil jóvenes reunidos en Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Hay un solo modelo para ustedes, María: La mujer de la fidelidad, la que no entendía lo que le pasaba pero obedeció. La que en cuanto supo lo que su prima necesitaba, se fue corriendo, la Virgen de la Prontitud. La que se escapó como refugiada en un país extranjero para salvar la vida de su hijo”, afirmó el Papa.

EL SÍ DE MARÍA

Durante la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud Panamá 2019, el Papa Francisco ofreció una reflexión sobre la Virgen como la mujer fuerte que sostiene, abraza y da esperanza. Ante cientos de miles de peregrinos presentes y luego de haber meditado cada una de las estaciones del Vía Crucis, el Santo Padre hizo una reflexión en la que resaltó el papel de la Madre de Dios. “Contemplamos a María, mujer fuerte. De ella queremos aprender a estar de pie al lado de la cruz. Con su misma decisión y valentía, sin evasiones ni espejismos. Ella supo acompañar el dolor de su Hijo, tu Hijo Padre; sostenerlo en la mirada, cobijarlo con el corazón. Dolor que sufrió, pero no la resignó. Fue la mujer fuerte del ‘sí’, que sostiene y acompaña, cobija y abraza. Ella es la gran custodia de la esperanza”, dijo el Santo Padre. “Nosotros también Padre, queremos ser una Iglesia que sostiene y acompaña, que sabe decir: ¡Aquí estoy! en la vida y en las cruces de tantos cristos que caminan a nuestro lado”. De María, continuó el Papa, “aprendemos a decir ‘sí’ al aguante recio y constante de tantas madres, padres, abuelos que no dejan de sostener y acompañar a sus hijos y nietos cuando ‘están en la mala’”. “De ella aprendemos a decir ‘sí’ en la testaruda paciencia y creatividad de aquellos que no se achican y vuelven a comenzar en situaciones que parecen que todo está perdido, buscando crear espacios, hogares, centros de atención que sean mano tendida en la dificultad”. “En María –prosiguió el Papa– aprendemos la fortaleza para decir ‘sí’ a quienes no se han callado y no se callan ante una cultura del maltrato y del abuso, del desprestigio y la agresión y trabajan para brindar oportunidades y condiciones de seguridad y protección”.

PARA VIVIR EL MES DE MARÍA

“Gran cosa es lo que agrada a Nuestro Señor cualquier servicio que se haga a su Madre”, decía Santa Teresa de Jesús. Por ello en mayo,

mes de María, aquí algunos consejos que podrán ayudarte a vivir más intensamente estos días marianos. 1. Ambientar un lugar Hay hogares o centros de trabajo católicos que suelen armar un altar

El Padre Hugo Medellín, al centro de camisa azul, con sus hermanos Saúl (izquierda) y Susana (derecha), acompañados del director del Museo Regional Cristero, Luis Eusebio Reinos, durante su peregrinación a San Julián, Jalisco, México. FOTO PROPORCIONADA POR EL PADRE HUGO MEDELLÍN

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Imagen de Nuestra Señora de La Vang, que se apareció en la selva de La Vang, provincia de Quang Tri, Vietnam, durante la persecución de los católicos por el emperador Canh Thinh. en un lugar especial con una estatua o cuadro de la Virgen, adornado de flores y telas. 2. Lectura sobre la Virgen Es recomendable leer algunos pasajes bíblicos como la Anunciación, el Nacimiento de Jesús, la presentación del Niño en el templo, y María al pie de la cruz. Un hecho que también contiene muchos mensajes para el mundo es la aparición de la Virgen de Fátima, a los tres pastorcitos, cuya fiesta es el próximo 13 de mayo. 3. Rezo del Rosario Dentro de las promesas de la Reina del Rosario, tomadas de los escritos del Beato Alano de la Rupe, están: prometo mi especialísima protección y grandes beneficios a los que devotamente recen mi Rosario; el alma que se me encomiende por el Rosario no perecerá. 4. Participar en procesiones Una costumbre que aún se vive en algunos pueblos es el rezo de la aurora, en el que un grupo de fieles sale en procesión por las calles a tempranas horas con una imagen de la Virgen e invocan el auxilio de María con el Rosario, oraciones marianas y cantos. 5. Recibir los sacramentos Asimismo, no puede haber verdadera devoción a la Virgen si no se participa de los sacramentos, especialmente de la Reconciliación y la Eucaristía, donde Jesús espera a sus hermanos con los brazos abiertos. 6. Hacer obras de Misericordia Convencidos del amor de María por la humanidad y fortalecidos con las gracias sacramentales de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, es tiempo de salir a la acción brindando nuestra ayuda voluntaria. 7. Apostolado Hace mucho bien a los niños, adolescentes y jóvenes el decirles cuánto la Virgen los ama como mamá, y enseñarles a rezar a la Madre de Dios. 8. Regalar objetos bendecidos También se recomienda regalar alguna Medalla Milagrosa o el Escapulario de la Virgen del Carmen, bendecidos por algún sacerdote, para que siempre que los vean recuerden la cercanía de la Madre de Dios.

Una peregrinación muy personal CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Cumpliendo un deseo personal, el de acudir a la novena en memoria de su madre fallecida hace poco más de un año, el Padre Hugo Medellín, sacerdote de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, viajó a Ciudad Fernández, su pueblo natal, ubicado en el estado San Luis Potosí, México, a poco más de 80 millas de la ciudad capital del estado, nombrada bajo la advocación de su santo patrón, San Luis, Rey de Francia. “Quería celebrar las costumbres de mi país. Mi madre falleció el 16 de marzo del año pasado y solo pude estar allá el día siguiente”, recuerda con tristeza el P. Medellín. Como es tradición en numerosos países latinoamericanos, los familiares recuerdan al pariente fallecido con una novena para honrar su memoria, la que inicia nueve días antes de la fecha de aniversario del fallecimiento. Tras la novena, después de descansar una semana, partió a visitar las localidades de Santa Ana de Guadalupe y San Julián, estado de Jalisco. El viaje, que realizó acompañado por familiares, respondió a la sugerencia de una parroquiana en Charlotte que, en una ocasión después de escucharlo predicar sobre los santos mártires mexicanos, le dijo “usted tiene que ir a Santa Ana y San Julián”.

VISITA A SAN JULIÁN

Relata la historia que, en agosto de 1926, los obispos de México decretaron la suspensión del culto público por los terribles atropellos que cometía el gobierno contra la Iglesia, hechos que dieron inicio a las persecuciones contra los católicos y que desencadenaría en una lucha conocida como “la Guerra de los Cristeros”. San Julio Álvarez, como muchos otros sacerdotes, decidió permanecer en su parroquia y atender desde la clandestinidad a sus feligreses. Entregado a su ministerio de cura rural, camino de un rancho, fue reconocido como sacerdote y apresado por miembros del ejército. Allí inició su camino hacia el martirio. Fue llevado en medio de incomodidades a Villa Hidalgo, Aguascalientes, León y por último a

FOTO PROPORCIONADA POR EL PADRE HUGO MEDELLÍN

Santuario de Santo Toribio Romo González, ubicado en Sta. Ana de Guadalupe, Municipio de Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, donde descansan sus restos y los de otros mártires de la guerra cristera. San Julián. El 30 de marzo de 1927 fue colocado sobre un montón de basura para ser fusilado y dijo suavemente: “Voy a morir inocente. No he hecho ningún mal. Mi delito es ser ministro de Dios. Yo les perdono a ustedes. Sólo les ruego que no maten a los muchachos porque son inocentes, nada deben”. Cruzó los brazos y esperó la descarga. El cadáver fue abandonado en la basura. Los habitantes de San Julián recuperaron el cuerpo, lo vistieron con una sotana, lo velaron y luego lo enterraron, sin celebración de Misa pues no habían ya sacerdotes en las cercanías. En los lugares donde lo aprehendieron y martirizaron se colocaron placas recordatorias. Sus restos, años más tarde, fueron trasladados a Mechoacanejo. “Su dignidad de sacerdote fue devuelta por la gente, después de haber sido despojado de ella por los soldados”, explicó el Padre Hugo, a quien lo esperaba una otra misión no poco importante. Antes de salir de Charlotte, varios parroquianos, al enterarse de su viaje, le pidieron que, por favor, comiera por allá unos tacos a su nombre, ya que ellos no pueden viajar a México por su condición migratoria. “Yo, como un humilde siervo, hice caso y me PEREGRINACIÓN, PASA A LA PÁGINA 17

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

DEDICADA VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 12

el maíz, tareas en las que toda la familia trabajaba. “Era un trabajo de todos los días, vivíamos al día, yo pensé que nunca iba salir de allí, que ahí me iba a quedar toda la vida, que así iba a morir”, relató. Con un hijo enfermo, busca ayuda para él y se traslada con todos los niños a Ciudad de México, dejando a su esposo en el rancho. En la ciudad se acaban las labores del campo pero, para mantener a la familia, lavó y planchó ropa ajena, aseó casas e hizo mandados. “Casi no veía a mis hijos. Llegaba a la noche a cocinar, a dejar todo listo, y al día siguiente igual, lo mismo. A veces me tenía que quedar en el hospital acompañando a mi hijo enfermo. Gracias a Dios salimos de eso ya”. Para doña María, la crianza de sus hijos tuvo sus bemoles, pero nunca le resultó difícil y a todos los quiso y quiere por igual. Si bien no imaginó tener quince hijos, “se fueron dando y la vida en el rancho era más fácil. No habían malas compañías, estábamos solos en la casa”. Cuando tenía casi cincuenta años y varios de sus hijos se habían instalado en Estados Unidos, llegó la invitación de ellos para que se trasladara, junto con su esposo, a Estados Unidos. Ella quería venir, su esposo no. “Si tu no te vas yo sí me voy”, le dijo muy seria. “Si tu te vas me toca irme”, dijo él. “Pues si

quieres”, respondió ella. Gabriel, el mayor, ya había marchado hace mucho tiempo. “Se fue primero con el Padre Amatulli y ya no regresó a la casa”, recuerda. Es hoy el Padre Gabriel a quien acompaña en muchos de sus viajes y tareas de pastor. Con él ha viajado a Florida, Chicago, Nueva York y hasta a Tierra Santa. Los jueves junto con él visita enfermos en los hospitales y los fines de semana lo sigue a donde tenga que ir. “Acomodo las sillas, le traigo el agua y lo que necesite. Lo ayudo en lo que más sencillito puedo”. Le gusta ver que la gente lo quiera y cómo él se hace querer. Con “como 40 nietos” y 16 bisnietos, doña María Oliva espera celebrar el día de la Madre y recibir el mejor regalo que le pueden dar: un abrazo y un ramo de flores. Con las manos y el rostro hermosamente marcados la vida que le tocó llevar, y con una sonrisa a flor de labios, nos confiesa que se siente realmente feliz al ver que todos sus hijos “están bien, buenos, trabajando, con sus familias”. ¿Extraña México?, “Ya me gusta más aquí que allá”, responde, y añade que “allá me gusta porque uno es libre. Usted sale, sale a la tienda, agarra el carro y se va”. Acá, tristemente, a veces se siente como en una jaula de oro. “Ya ni veo, solo las cuatro paredes, todo blanco veo”. Un solo deseo le queda pendiente por cumplir, “me gustaría poder comprarme una casita chiquita”. ¿Para usted y su esposo?, le preguntamos. “No importa, no importa si es para mi sola”, bromea.

SHOOTING

ABORTIONS

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particular, our hearts and thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives, those injured, and the entire UNCC community. “We are grateful to the courageous first responders who sprang into action to help others, and to our members who instantly became one another’s keepers. As we all heal gradually, even as this tragedy remains in our mind for time to come, we pray that we become stronger, united in love for one another and for all.” A candlelight vigil was also held on campus Wednesday evening. St. Thomas Aquinas Church donated more than 1,700 candles for the campus vigil in memory of Parlier and Howell and in honor of the four other students who were wounded, Father Winslow said. St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte also honored the victims during its First Friday Mass May 3.

“I’m opposed to abortion. I’m disgusted by it,” he said. Planned Parenthood officials told the Charlotte Observer that the Cherry neighborhood location was chosen because of its accessibility and security, and they are planning for protests. Joyce Bellamy, acting director of the Charlotte Health Center, said, “That’s something that’s always been happening. We’re not concerned. We’re prepared to make sure our patients feel safe.” As part of its extensive renovation of the property over the past several months, a fence and security system have been installed. In response to the news, Bishop Peter Jugis emphasized Catholic teaching that all human life should be protected starting at conception. “It is a fact that new human life begins at conception,” he said in a May 3 statement. “We must continue to work untiringly for the right to life of every unborn child in the womb to be protected in law and in practice.”

More online On the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel: Watch video highlights and Father Patrick Winslow’s homily from St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte in tribute to the victims of the UNCC shooting

PEREGRINACIÓN VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 16

comí todos los que pude para cumplir esos deseos”, dijo sonriente.

SANTA ANA DE GUADALUPE

En Santa Ana de Guadalupe, municipio de Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, lugar de nacimiento de Santo Toribio Romo González, fue edificado y consagrado el Santuario de Santo Toribio, en el cual se encuentran sus restos y los de otros mártires cristeros. “Se ha reconstruido una pequeña casa de adobe con solo dos cuartos donde vivió con la familia de sus padres. Donde estaba su casa hoy es un pequeño santuario”, relató el Padre Hugo. El 24 de junio de 1926, escribió el santo, “diez veces he tenido que huir escondiéndome de los perseguidores, unas salidas han durado quince días otras ocho... unas me han tenido sepultado hasta cuatro largos días en estrecha y hedionda cueva; otras me han hecho pasar ocho días en la cumbre de los montes a toda la voluntad de

la intemperie; a sol, agua y sereno. La tormenta que nos ha mojado, ha tenido el gusto de ver otra que viene a no dejarnos secar, y así hasta pasar mojados los diez días...”. El 25 de febrero de 1927 soldados federales irrumpieron en el lugar donde se hallaba escondido y dispararon contra él. Una segunda descarga logró derribarlo y su hermana María lo tomó en sus brazos gritándole al oído: “Valor, padre Toribio... ¡Jesús misericordioso, recíbelo! y ¡Viva Cristo Rey!” El padre Toribio le dirigió una mirada con sus ojos claros y murió. Sus verdugos, no contentos con matarlo, maltrataron el cadáver. Su familia consiguió permiso de velarlo en su casa y al día siguiente, domingo 26 de febrero, con mucha gente que rezaba y lloraba, lo sepultaron en el panteón municipal. Para el Padre Hugo Medellín, asistir a la novena de su madre y peregrinar hacia estos lugares ha sido un regalo muy grande, además de un deseo hecho realidad. Para más adelante, de la misma manera, “más personal”, a su tiempo, sin apuros, espera cumplir su anhelo de visitar el santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Ciudad de México.

CCDOC.ORG

33rd Annual Spring Fling - May 21 Activities, Entertainment and Music throughout the day! St. Matthew Catholic Church

8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy Charlotte, NC 28277

9:15 a.m. - Check-In (Coffee & Snack) 10:00 a.m. - 2:50 p.m. - Program 3:00 p.m. - Closing Mass | Celebrated by Father Patrick Hoare Music – Our Lady of Consolation Perpetual Gospel Choir $15 per person includes lunch Visit www.ccdoc.org for a schedule of events and a registration form. Pre-register by contacting your parish office or sending your name, address and payment to: Sandra Breakfield Program Director Elder Ministry Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte 1123 S. Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203

Deadline for Registration is Monday, May 13, 2019! For more information contact: Sandra Breakfield at 704.370.3220 or sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org

ccdoc.org

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Honoring Mary in May

In Brief

(Left) Our Lady of the Assumption School students gathered around the image of Our Blessed Mother, Mary, during the schools annual May Crowning earlier this week. The ceremony was presided over by Deacon Peter Duca of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, with active participation by student musicians, the Spanish club and all OLA students who brought flowers and offered supplications of song and prayer. Each year a member of the graduating eighth-grade class is afforded the honor of adorning the head of the most prominent statue of Mary on campus with a crown of flowers. It is the perfect beginning to a month of Marian devotions.

BMHS students named National Merit finalists KERNERSVILLE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Bishop McGuinness High School students Daniel Gabriel and Margaret Pinder Pinder have been named finalists in the 2019 competition for National Merit scholarships, the school announced May 6. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes and honors academically talented students across the United States. Students recognized as finalists Gabriel complete an application, have a very high academic achievement record, write an essay, are recommended by their school, and earn an SAT score that confirms their PSAT/NMSQT performance. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kimberly Knox

PHOTO PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEACON DAVID REISER AND ALLANA-RAE RAMKISSOON

St. Mark Preschool students Matthew Kelly-Bleiler and Ava McDonald crowned a statue of Mary May 3.

We have GOOD NEWS to Share!

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May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

“I am not afraid; I was born to do this”

DUC IN ALTUM June 24 - 28, 2019 * Belmont Abbey College

Retreat open to young women 15 thru 19 years old Register by June 18, 2019 www.charlottevocations.org

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Mix 20

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

‘I realized there were going to be a lot of challenges involved’ Former mechanic carves San Damiano corpus SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Primarily set five years after a cosmic villain (Josh Brolin) used a set of energyendowed gems to wipe out half of all the living creatures in the universe, this sweeping Marvel Comics-based epic charts the efforts of the titular ensemble to harness time travel via Ant Man’s (Paul Rudd) quantum realm to undo the catastrophe. To achieve this, they need to win over tech whiz Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the only person who can safely engineer such a cuttingedge feat. But he’s reluctant to endanger his happy home life (shared with Gwyneth Paltrow) for the sake of such a risky mission. Vast, intricate and impressive, directors (and brothers) Anthony and Joe Russo’s grand finale deftly weaves together whole franchises spanning 21 previous films and determines the fate, among many others, of Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) while also showcasing teamwork, self-sacrifice and reconciliation. Possibly acceptable for mature teens. Much stylized violence with some gore, possible cohabitation, a few uses of profanity and of milder oaths, brief references to homosexuality, a half-dozen crude and several crass terms. CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

‘The Intruder’ A routine thriller for most of its running time, director Deon Taylor’s film becomes increasingly trashy before ending with the justification of a profoundly immoral act in which viewers are meant to revel. A prosperous San Francisco couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) plan to move to the Napa Valley and start a family. But the creepy owner (Dennis Quaid) of the charming, ivy-covered home they buy has not reconciled himself to relinquishing it and keeps turning up uninvited. In a performance that ranges from intense to over-the-top, Quaid grimaces and smolders as screenwriter David Loughery’s script has his character teeter between plausibly pathetic widower and outright psychopath. But the proceedings are otherwise remarkable only for the transgression with which they conclude. Benignly viewed vigilantism, at least one use of profanity and a few milder oaths, a single rough and several crude terms. CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: PG-13

Other movies: n ‘Teen Spirit’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG 13 n ‘Ugly Dolls’: CNS: A-I (general patronage); MPAA: PG

GREENSBORO — Looking at Paul Nixon’s life now, one would never know that he spent 30 years as an auto mechanic before he discovered he had a God-given talent to create beautiful works of art. Nixon, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church, grew up in Ireland and came to the U.S. in 1985. He worked for three decades getting his hands dirty working with automobiles. While he found that work satisfying, especially since it helped him meet his wife, Francesca, he has adapted joyfully to what the Lord is calling him to do now. Nixon stumbled upon his artistic talents 18 years ago when Francesca asked him to carve a walking stick out of walnut for his wife’s dear aunt, Mary. Using an old lathe Mary’s husband Raley had given him, along with a knife to carve the wood, Nixon unknowingly began the first step in what has been a fulfilling journey of creating works of art in wood, bronze, stained glass and on canvas – among the many media with which he works. Two of Nixon’s sculptures are now on display in a museum in Ireland. He has created bronze sculptures which honor firefighters and war veterans, on display in public spaces across the U.S. He has also been commissioned to carve croziers over the years for both Catholic and Protestant bishops in dioceses around the country. Nixon was recently commissioned by an Anglican church in Monroe, La., to carve a San Damiano corpus for their sanctuary. This was the first time he had ever been asked to create a large carved corpus. “I started by purchasing a block of bass wood (linden wood as it’s termed in Europe),” Nixon explained. “This is a wood that was used by woodcarvers sculpting statues for the great cathedrals and churches during Renaissance Europe.” Over the course of a year, Nixon painstakingly carved the threefoot corpus out of bass wood with a halo of olive wood that had been shipped from Bethlehem. “They were very specific about what they wanted,” he said. “I had never done a wood carving this tall of a human figure before. I realized there were going to be a lot of challenges involved. They gave me a year to work on this.” He used a projector to project the image he drew onto the wood, moving the projector back and forth to draw the image on the wood before he began the actual carving. “I started to think of my father (a cabinet maker who partnered with his brother to run a construction business). On all my school

(Left) Local artist Paul Nixon carved a San Damiano corpus for a church in Monroe, La. (Above) The finished corpus features a halo carved from olive wood from Bethlehem. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PAUL NIXON

holidays he took me to work with him (at a job site). He had me go help the plumbers and other tradesmen that worked there. I did that for several years. I never realized I was taking in all of this knowledge,” Nixon said. That knowledge really sank in, he said, once he began creating works of art – and it definitely helped during the creation of this corpus. “I was really thrilled when I finally got the corpus shipped off,” Nixon said. “They wanted it for the beginning of Lent. The next day after the church received it, I got an email from the priest. “He said, ‘Paul, when I opened the box and I saw what you did, my heart trembled. I took it over to the sponsors and they said it was perfect for what they wanted.’ “I felt I really had to do it. I wanted to do it to say that I have done it. I think I would have done it for nothing just to do it, to have something very spiritual in public viewing,” he said. It was “a lovely conclusion to an awful lot of work.”

More online At www.paulnixonart.com: Learn more about Greensboro resident Paul Nixon’s journey from mechanic to artist and view more of his work

Catholic Book Pick Editor’s note: Introducing “Catholic Book Pick,” a regular feature of recommended Catholic reading from Katie DeMoss, publicity director for Charlotte-based TAN Books and former reporter for the Catholic News Herald.

“Manual for Women” by Danielle Bean Whether it’s the Adoration chapel or the carpool pick-up line, this book is small enough to travel with you everywhere and one that you’ll find yourself returning to again and again. It begins with an essay from noted Catholic author Danielle Bean. Bean’s writing style is warm, funny and encouraging and before you know it you’ll feel like you’re catching up with an old friend. In her essay, she encourages women today to embrace and cultivate their distinctive gifts. She closes with practical tips for increasing your prayer life, balancing work with family life, practicing hospitality, and much more.

The second half of the book contains a treasure trove of Church documents, writings of the saints, Scripture and prayers – each highlighting the richness and beauty of the Church’s teaching on women. At www.tanbooks.com: With a premium ultrasoft cover, silver edges and ribbon marker, “Manual for Women” would make a lovely gift for Mom. Catholic News Herald readers enjoy 20 percent off their order – use the exclusive coupon code “CNH20.”

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Identity theft and impersonation Editor’s note: This is the first of a regular feature the Catholic News Herald is launching to help readers remain aware of online threats. Information and helpful tips about cybersecurity, privacy and safety will be shared from Scott Long, information technology director for the Diocese of Charlotte. Cybercriminals steal. Cybercriminals are smart. They do not care who they hurt. You might think that they target mostly large companies or organizations, but in fact, 71 percent of cyberattacks happen at organizations with fewer than 100 employees, the U.S. Congressional Small Business Committee found in a 2015 study. Those numbers remain relatively unchanged today. Why do cybercriminals attack small and medium-sized businesses? The goal of almost all cyber-attacks is to obtain personal data. Larger enterprises typically have more data to steal, but small businesses have less secure networks that make them easier for hackers to breach. Hackers can employ automated attacks to target thousands of small businesses, making size less of an issue than network security. What are they looking for? Criminals want your name, street address, email address, phone number, and other personal data that they can then use to steal your identity. The crime of opening accounts in someone else’s name using legitimate information is called identity theft. Your Social Security number is the holy grail for these criminals, because with that data they can open credit cards and bank accounts, etc., in your name. You may never know that your identity has been stolen until you legitimately apply for credit or when your payments start to bounce. Criminals can also buy data collected through legitimate internet services, or they buy it from illegitimate sources, or they steal it. It’s nearly impossible in this day and age to avoid giving out some personal information online. Think about all of the subscriptions you’ve registered for, ones that required the exact data just mentioned above. Did you read the fine print in the privacy policy or information disclosure statement before clicking “yes” and then downloading, registering or subscribing? How secure is that vendor? It is also important to routinely check your bank statements

and credit history, and if you have access to a fraud or identity theft prevention service, use it as much as possible. Besides identity theft, another common cyber-attack involves impersonation. Criminals steal a community leader’s reputation, authority and influence in the community by setting up fake email accounts or stealing the contents of the victim’s address book or email addresses associated with the leader’s profession. Then they send out email impersonation campaigns, soliciting for money or gifts. This has been a problem in several dioceses, including the Diocese of Charlotte. Leaders who have been impersonated in the diocese include dozens of pastors, school principals, even Bishop Peter Jugis! Everyone who uses email is a potential victim of this cybercrime. How can you protect yourself ? Before responding to an email request for money or your personal information, especially if it says it is an urgent request, first stop and think. Is it legitimate? You’ll likely conclude that something is not quite right about it. Follow your instincts, and check with the parish, school or the chancery to verify the communication. Ensure the request is legitimate before you send money, gift cards, or even any response at all. Please know that pastors and others in our diocese do not solicit for cash or gift cards through email. Another way to avoid impersonation attacks is to avoid posting your email address on a website or social media page. Cybercriminals use “bots” – short for “web robots,” a software application that can automate tasks over the internet in high volumes – to scour the web looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. Harvesting email addresses from web pages is an easy tactic for them. Use an email form tool on your website, and spell out your email address (using the words “at” and “dot”) when posting it online or sharing it with anyone. Educate yourself about cybercrime, then share what you know with your family, friends, fellow parishioners and school communities so that we can all help make the online world safer and more secure. More to come in future editions of the Catholic News Herald. God bless. SCOTT LONG is the information technology director for the Diocese of Charlotte.

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Religious Freedom Week 2019: Strength in Hope June 22 - 29 Sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops This week promotes the importance of preserving the essential right of religious freedom, for now and the future, for Catholics and for those of all faiths. Daily prayer and reflection resources for each day of Religious Freedom Week are available at: www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek.

On TV n Saturday, May 11, 8 a.m. (EWTN) “Discovering Damien: Saint of Molokai.” Father Nathan Cromly, CSJ, and several Catholic pilgrims travel to Hawaii and learn about St. Damien’s heroic ministry to those suffering with leprosy. n Sunday, May 12, 7 a.m. (EWTN) “Festival of Marian Hymns.” In honor of Mother’s Day. n Sunday, May 12, 8 a.m. (EWTN) “Apparitions at Fatima.” The apparitions of Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, are brought to life in this film about Our Lady’s message of repentance, mercy and devotion to her Son. n Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Mother Mary Alphonsa: Servant of God.” How famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s daughter, Rose, escaped an abusive marriage, converted to Catholicism and went on to found an order of Dominican Sisters as Mother Mary Alphonsa. n Thursday, May 16, 5 a.m. (EWTN) “The Three Little Shepherds.” Several experts on the Fatima phenomenon collaborate to create an in-depth look at the spiritual lives and psychological profiles of the three children who witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary. n Saturday, May 18, 8 a.m. (EWTN) “Fatima: A Message of Hope.” A documentary examining the prophetic revelations and great miracle that occurred in Fatima, with insights from leading experts and family members of the three children. n Wednesday, May 22, 10:40 p.m. (EWTN) “Pier Giorgio Frassati: Get to Know Him.” A brief introduction to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: a young, joyful man whose devotion and charity towards the poor prompted Pope Francis to encourage young people to look up to him as an example of holiness.

Our nation 22

catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Archbishop Gregory shares memories, asks for prayers NICHOLE GOLDEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ATLANTA — As he prepares to leave the Archdiocese of Atlanta for his new assignment in Washington, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory shared the memories he has made and asked for prayers during a recent interview with the Georgia Bulletin, the archdiocese’s newspaper. “It seems to me that we here in Atlanta are in a privileged position. We are experiencing growth and expansion while many other dioceses are experiencing contraction and realignment of existing structures,” said the archbishop, who has led the Church in Atlanta since 2005. “And we’re building churches and expanding facilities, so we are enjoying right now certainly a great blessing from the Lord,” he added. The archbishop said he doesn’t think in terms of a legacy, but takes the greatest satisfaction from having come to “know this diocese well and I think that’s an important accomplishment for any pastor to be able to say that after a certain number of years, ‘I know, and I love my people.’” His time in Atlanta brings fond memories, including the annual June gathering of the Eucharistic Congress, started by the late Archbishop John F. Donoghue of Atlanta. “I have grown to love the Eucharistic Congress,” he said. “It is a great moment and celebration of the vibrancy and the diversity of this local Church.” His favorite moment of the congress is after the initial procession when he takes the Blessed Sacrament to the chapel and then listens as the rest of the procession makes its way to the assembly hall. “And I always thought that I was listening to the voice of God in many different languages and cultures of the folks who were processing into the assembly hall where the Blessed Sacrament would eventually be brought in. It often sent chills up my spine to hear, not to see, but to hear the voice of this Church in prayer,” he said. “That’s the Church in all of its ethnic and cultural attire and its music and its instruments. I always knew when the Vietnamese community came because they have the largest drum in Christendom.” Of the 1.2 million Catholics in Atlanta, approximately half are Hispanics. The archbishop said the archdiocese has done a good job in welcoming immigrant communities whether Latino, Vietnamese, or African, but it certainly can do more. The communities bring with them a “heritage of faith, a deep religious identity and that energizes this local Church. Now, sometimes it creates, you know, a challenge because you’ve got to make sure that everybody’s in the family, and everybody feels comfortable and loved and respected. But when they bring their gifts, the Church blossoms.” When asked his hopes for Atlanta’s Catholic community, Archbishop Gregory said: “My hopes would be that you get a good, loving archbishop who from day one realizes that

Atlanta Catholics say goodbye to Archbishop Gregory in farewell Mass ANDREW NELSON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CNS | JACLYN LIPPELMANN, CATHOLIC STANDARD

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory greets a Little Sister of the Poor at the Jeanne Jugan Residence that the order operates for the elderly poor in Washington. He visited the home April 5, the day after Pope Francis named him as the new archbishop of Washington.

he’s among the most fortunate of all people.” The archbishop leaves behind the 2015 Pastoral Plan as a living document. “We wrote it to kind of guide us for the next six to seven years,” he said. “So, it’s a platform that the new archbishop can use, but that he can change. He can do another survey or another means of gathering the input of people and saying ‘now, you’ve followed this for six or seven years, where should we go now?’” He also said that everyone – the laity and clergy – has roles in helping the Church address the abuse crisis. He said lately he has been using a quote attributed to Cardinal John Newman, who is set to be canonized soon. When asked about the role of laypeople in the Church, Cardinal Newman said in response: “It would look foolish without them.” “The clergy are obviously an important component of the Church, but we’re a small component of the Church. We’re important in the sacramental and ritual life of the Church, but we’re only one part of the Church, and the laypeople are the overwhelming majority of the Church,” he said. When asked how his years in Atlanta have prepared him to serve Catholics in the nation’s capital, he said it prepared him “in the sense that I’ve discovered if you open yourself up to new ventures, to new experiences, to new people, God uses that as a blessing. It helps to develop you.” “You don’t go into a place saying: ‘I have the answers.’ You go into a place saying, ‘I’m standing on holy ground.’”

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ATLANTA — At a farewell Mass for Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory April 28, he told the congregation: “You have invited me to believe more deeply and to love more generously than I might ever have imagined 14 years ago.” He also asked for their prayers “as a personal treasure” and assured them of his prayers for them “as a sacred pledge always.” May 3 was Archbishop Gregory’s final day as the leader of the Atlanta archdiocese. He is scheduled to be installed as the new archbishop in the Archdiocese of Washington May 21. During his time in Atlanta, he ordained 64 priests and 152 permanent deacons and created 15 new parishes and missions. He gathered with Atlanta priests to say farewell at the Chrism Mass during Holy Week. The archdiocesan Mass of farewell took place on Divine Mercy Sunday in the Centennial Center at Marist School in Atlanta. When it was over, people crowded around the archbishop to wish him well. Women and men from the Ghanaian Catholic community blessed him and sang a song of praise. Maxwell Nelson, a member of St. Patrick Church in Norcross, said the Ghanian community has high regards for the archbishop. “We absolutely honor him. He’s been very helpful to our community,” he said. CC Nguyen and Danh Nguyen, from Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Norcross, shook the archbishop’s hand to say thank you. A new church is scheduled to be dedicated in November on the feast day of the Vietnamese Martyrs. The archbishop broke ground with a ceremonial shovel at the parish to kick off construction two years ago. “We have tremendous respect for him,” said CC Nguyen. The two men came to the Mass to show their appreciation and to let Archbishop Gregory know the Vietnamese community would keep him in their prayers, he said. Two longtime ushers from Atlanta’s Cathedral of Christ the King who have seen the archbishop many times and admire his welcoming style also came to the Mass. Usher Dale LaPedus said he always sees how engaged the archbishop is with people who want to say hello, with a talent to remember people’s names after just a few introductions. Casey Kossuth, the other usher, said he admired the archbishop’s preaching. “I love his homilies. He really connects with everyone,” he said.

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May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Ga. governor signs heartbeat bill restricting state abortions ATLANTA — Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation May 7 to ban abortions in the state once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks. The bill’s signing comes after weeks of protests and amid outcry for legal action against it. “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life,” the governor said about expected legal challenges to the new law. If it is not blocked in court, the law would take effect at the beginning of next year. Current state law allows abortions up to the 20th week of pregnancy. The legislation makes exceptions to save the life of the mother and in the case of rape and incest if a police report is filed. It also makes exceptions to allow abortions when a fetus has serious medical issues. Similar heartbeat bans have been signed into law in Mississippi, Kentucky and Ohio. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the law in Kentucky.

California, Georgia open review of Church files on abuse LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has opened an investigation into how the state’s 12 Catholic dioceses have addressed allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests, lay Church employees and

volunteers. In a May 2 letter to each diocese, Becerra asked Church officials to preserve all documents related to abuse allegations. The Los Angeles Archdiocese was among those receiving the letter, Angelus, the news outlet of the archdiocese, reported. “The California Department of Justice is conducting a review of your archdiocese’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations involving children, including whether your archdiocese has adequately reported allegations of sexual misconduct, as required under California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act,” the letter said. Archdiocesan spokeswoman Carolina Guevara said “the archdiocese has not officially received the letter from the attorney general, however, we will be responding cooperatively as we have with the past three grand jury investigations of the archdiocese.” The records being requested by Becerra’s office include allegations of sexual misconduct received by the dioceses since 1996 – including those handled in compliance with the law – as well as those of people accused of misconduct toward minors who may still be active in ministry. The California investigation is similar to other reviews of the Catholic Church being conducted across the country, including in Illinois and Georgia. On April 30, Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr announced the start of an investigation into past sexual abuse claims within the Church in Georgia. The state’s two bishops, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory and Savannah Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, issued similar statements April 30 saying they offered “full support and cooperation” for the third-party file review and were doing so “in the spirit of continued transparency and concern over the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States.” The bishops agreed to a memorandum of understanding concerning the process and both

expressed “genuine concern for all who have been hurt directly or indirectly by abuse of any kind by anyone.”

120 names on N.Y. archdiocesan list of accused clergy NEW YORK — The Archdiocese of New York released the names of 120 clergy April 26 who have been either credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor or been determined that claims against them are eligible for compensation. “I write to ask forgiveness again for the failings of those clergy and bishops who should have provided for the safety of our young people but instead betrayed the trust placed in them by God and by the faithful,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York in a pastoral letter that accompanied the release of the names. The archdiocese has an Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program that helps determine eligibility for abuse claims. Of the list of 120, 53 have had a credible accusation lodged against them, and another eight are awaiting final archdiocesan or canonical judgments in their cases. The other 59, nearly half the total, “had already died or left ministry when the claims about them were made” to the archdiocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, according to a posting on an archdiocesan webpage listing the clerics. “As such, these clergy did not have an opportunity to respond to the allegations made about them or provide a defense.”

Baltimore releases list of priests accused of abuse after they died BALTIMORE — The Archdiocese of Baltimore has published an additional 23 names of priests who had been accused of child sexual abuse after they were deceased. All of the allegations

have been previously reported to law enforcement, in most cases more than a decade ago. Released April 24, the 23 additional names join 103 other clergy and religious brothers whose names had already been published by the archdiocese. In 2002, the archdiocese was one of the first in the country to publish names of those credibly accused of child sexual abuse. At that time, 57 men were named. Other names have been added in the intervening years as allegations became known. More were added in 2018 after a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailed allegations that included some priests who had served in Maryland or cases where the alleged abuse occurred within the boundaries of the archdiocese. “Here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, there is absolutely zero tolerance for any bishop, priest, lay employee or volunteer credibly accused of the sexual abuse of a minor or the sexual harassment of an adult,” said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori in a news release accompanying the publication of the names. The archdiocese’s full list of 123 clergy and men religious who have been accused of child sexual abuse can be found at www. archbalt.org/accountability.

Pope names Bishop Hying of Gary to head Diocese of Madison WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Francis has named Bishop Donald J. Hying of Gary, Ind., as the new bishop of Madison, Wis. The appointment was announced April 25 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States. Bishop Hying, 55, is a native of Wisconsin. He was installed as the bishop of Gary Jan. 6, 2015. Before that he had been an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee since 2011. In Madison, he succeeds the late Bishop Robert C. Morlino, the diocese’s fourth bishop, who died unexpectedly Nov. 24, 2018. — Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Christians’ first mission is to witness that God is love, pope says CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

SOFIA, Bulgaria — God is love, but too many Christians live their faith in a way that undermines any attempt to communicate that essential fact to others, Pope Francis preached on a three-day trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia May 5-7. The two predominantly Orthodox countries in the Balkans have a small but active Catholic minority. Celebrating a late afternoon Mass May 5 in Sofia’s Battenberg Square, the pope wore over his chasuble a gold-embroidered, Byzantine-style stole given to him that morning by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. The pope’s homily focused on the day’s Gospel reading about the disciples’ miraculous catch of fish after the risen Jesus told them to try again even though they had caught nothing all night. After the Resurrection, the pope noted, “Peter goes back to his former life” as a fisherman and the other disciples go with him. “The weight of suffering, disappointment and of betrayal had become like a stone blocking the hearts of the disciples,” he said. “They were still burdened with pain and guilt, and the good news of the Resurrection had not taken root in their hearts.”

When things don’t go the way people plan and hope, the pope said, it is natural for them to wish things could go back to the way they were and to just give up on hoping for something new and powerful. “This is the ‘tomb psychology’ that tinges everything with dejection and leads us to indulge in a soothing sense of self-pity,” Pope Francis said. But the resurrection of Jesus makes clear that a “tomb psychology” is not compatible with a Christian outlook. However, the pope said, even when Peter seems about to give up, Jesus comes to him, calls him again and reconfirms his mission. “The Lord does not wait for perfect situations or frames of mind; He creates them,” Pope Francis told the estimated 7,000 people gathered for the Mass. Jesus “does not expect to encounter people without problems, disappointments, sins or limitations,” but He encourages and loves and calls people to start over again. “God calls and God surprises because God loves,” he said. “Love is His language.” Christians draw strength from knowing God loves them and that love must motivate them to love others as they try to share the Christian message, the pope said. With papal trips always described as visits to confirm Catholics in the faith, Pope Francis used his homily to encourage Bulgaria’s 68,000 Catholics – just 1 percent of the population – to acknowledge the

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CNS | PAUL HARING

Pope Francis prays in front of a statue of Mother Teresa at the Mother Teresa Memorial during a meeting with religious leaders and the poor in Skopje, North Macedonia, May 7, 2019. wonders God has done for them and to set out again on mission, “knowing that,

whether we succeed or fail, He will always be there to keep telling us to cast our nets.”

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May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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In Brief Catholic minorities can still change the world, pope says VATICAN CITY — Visiting the small Catholic communities in Bulgaria and North Macedonia offered an opportunity to encourage the faithful to remember God’s miracle of being able to feed a multitude with just a few loaves and fishes, Pope Francis said. He said the trip also gave him a chance to strengthen Christian unity with the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria and witness the extraordinary tenderness displayed by the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by St. Teresa of Kolkata. As is customary, Pope Francis reviewed his apostolic journey to the two southeast European nations May 5-7 during his first general audience after the trip. Speaking to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square May 8, the pope said he could feel “the strong spiritual presence of St. Mother Teresa” accompany him in North Macedonia. “We see in this small yet strong woman,” he said, “the image of the Church in that land and in other peripheries of the world, a small community that, with the grace of Christ, becomes a welcoming home where many can find rest,” he said. The pope said he was struck by the way the sisters of the Missionary of Charity saw themselves as sisters and mothers of every person they ministered to with enormous tenderness. “Many times, we Christians lose this dimension of tenderness,” becoming too serious and “sour,” he said. An act of charity that lacks love and tenderness would be like tossing someone “a glass of vinegar. No. Charity is joyful, not sour,” he said, and the missionaries are a beautiful example of how to welcome and serve others with tender love, he said.

Pope draws lessons from Mother Teresa in city of her birth SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Pope Francis went

to the tiny Balkan nation of North Macedonia May 7 to pay tribute to St. Teresa of Kolkata. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Ganxhe Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in Skopje Aug. 26, 1910, so after paying the obligatory formal visit to North Macedonia’s president, Pope Francis went May 7 to the memorial and museum built on the site of the church where she was baptized. The church was later destroyed in an earthquake. “Moved by the love of God,” the pope told the president, Mother Teresa “made love of neighbor the supreme law of her life.” At the memorial, Pope Francis did not speak about the saintly founder of the Missionaries of Charity, but after praying silently before her relics, he praised God for the gift of her life and prayed for her intercession for North Macedonia. He also prayed that God would give Christians the grace “to become signs of love and hope in our own day when so many are poor, abandoned, marginalized and migrants.”

Pope to Bulgarians: Treasure identity as crossroads of cultures SOFIA, Bulgaria — In a country that has seen many of its citizens emigrate in search of work and a better life, Pope Francis asked Bulgarians to be welcoming of and sympathetic to the migrants and refugees who arrive in

their country hoping to get to Western Europe. Strengthening Bulgaria’s traditional role as “a bridge between East and West” and a place where different religions and cultures meet in peace also could be the key to “economic and civil development” for the nation, the pope told Bulgarian leaders May 5. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, during a brief meeting with Pope Francis at the airport, gave him a container of Bulgarian yogurt. The pope told Borissov that the first time he ever heard the word “Bulgarian” was when he was a child and his grandmother gave him Bulgarian yogurt. — Catholic News Service

Honoring St. John XXIII, pope and Bulgarians witness for peace SOFIA, Bulgaria — Prayers for peace are important, but they must lead those praying to roll up their sleeves, reach out their hands and open their hearts, Pope Francis said at an interreligious meeting in Sofia. The gathering – featuring children representing the Catholics, Bulgarian Orthodox, members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Jewish community and the Muslim community – was held at Nezavisimost, or Independence, Square. Participants were not praying together, organizers insisted, but were praying for peace each in their own way. The event May 6, the pope’s last public appointment in Bulgaria on his three-day trip, was a tribute to St. John XXIII, who was apostolic delegate to the country from 1925 to 1935 and, as pope, wrote the encyclical, “Pacem in Terris” (“Peace on Earth”).

Pope gives first Holy Communion to 245 children in Bulgaria RAKOVSKI, Bulgaria — In the Catholic heart of Bulgaria, Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass for 245 children receiving their first Communion and thanked them for helping him, their parents and grandparents remember their own first Communion. “Today you have made it possible for us to relive that joy and to celebrate Jesus,

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present in the Bread of Life,” the pope told the children May 6 in Rakovski’s Church of the Sacred Heart. While only about 1 percent of Bulgaria’s population is Catholic, in Rakovski the vast majority of the city’s 27,000 people are Catholic. “

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Monday, June 10 – Thursday, June 13  9:00am – 11:30am

Presented by: Sr. Gay Rowzie, HM and Sr. Susan Schorsten, HM Is there such a thing as a “Spirituality of Aging”? How do we move from who we have been to who we are becoming in our elder years? These sessions will help us explore where we are in the ‘aging’ process and how we can recognize the invitations God is extending to us at this time of our lives. God has promised that God has come that we might have a “fullness of life”. How might we experience this “fullness” in our senior years?

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 10, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Robert Barron

here were more Christian martyrs in the 20th century than in all of the previous 19 centuries combined. Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and many of their lesser-known totalitarian colleagues put millions of Christians to death for their faith in that terrible hundred-year period. One of the saddest features of the still-young 21st century is that this awful trend is undoubtedly continuing. By far the most persecuted religious group in the world today are Christians, and they are dying by the thousands especially in the Middle East and in Africa. Though Hindus and Buddhists have indeed been targeting Christians, their most egregious aggressors, by leaps and bounds, have been radicalized Muslims, the recent mass killings in Sri Lanka being but the most recent example of this kind of violence. I have stated this fact simply and bluntly, because I am convinced that no solution can be found unless and until, at the very least, we speak truthfully. As many commentators have pointed out, the cultural and media elites in the West have been comically dissembling and obfuscating in this regard. The statements of former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the Sri Lanka bombings, which referred to the victims not as Christians or Catholics but as “Easter worshippers,” are a particularly pathetic case in point. But little better are the hundreds of editorials, opinion pieces, articles and books that characterize these attacks as, primarily,

Violence against Christians and the waning of reason

economically and politically motivated, or the fruit of cultural resentment. I have no doubt whatsoever that all of these factors have played a role, but we are blind not to see that the chief driver of this violence has been, first and foremost, religion. Now

But until we see religious disagreement as indeed what is really going on in the present violence, we aren’t going to solve the problem. Hans Kung is a theologian I rarely agree with, but he was dead right when he commented that there will be

‘Until we see religious disagreement as indeed what is really going on in the present violence, we aren’t going to solve the problem.’ I certainly understand it is to no one’s advantage to stir up religious tensions, especially in pluralist societies, but the denial of religion as the chief cause of these outrages is disingenuous at best, dangerously stupid at worst. A good deal of this is due to a theory, still stubbornly persistent among the elite commentariat in the West, that religion is (or at least ought to be) fading away. The “secularization hypothesis,” proposed from the time of Comte, Nietzsche and Marx, is, despite significant evidence to the contrary, widely subscribed to among Western opinion-makers. On this reading, the religious is never what is “really” going on; rather, it is a super-structural cover for economics or politics or race relations or the struggle for cultural hegemony.

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.”

no peace among the nations until there is peace among the religions. And there will be no such peace until the religions find some common ground on which to stand, some context in which a real dialogue and conversation can take place. But what could possibly constitute such ground? Aren’t Christianity and Islam – to stay with the two faiths that are clashing most dramatically today – simply incommensurable and mutually exclusive systems of belief ? Aren’t they based on revelations repugnant to one another? Might I suggest an answer to these questions by hearkening back to an earlier time? In the 13th century,St. Thomas Aquinas constructed an intellectual system, cathedral-like in its beauty and complexity, on the basis of both faith and reason. As he articulated the meaning of Christian revelation, he used the tools provided by the science and philosophy that were available to him. In constructing this rational edifice, he relied on pagan, Jewish and Christian philosophers, but among the most important of his influences were philosophers and theologians of the Islamic tradition. Aquinas’ metaphysics is, quite simply, unthinkable apart from the

work of Averroes, Avicenna and Avicebron – Muslim theorists all. During the high Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims did indeed dialogue on the basis of a shared intellectual heritage, but it is precisely the waning of the influence of these great philosophic masters within Islam and the rise of a will-based, positivistic approach that has contributed mightily to the conflicts we witness today. And if we might set aside the passions roused by his admittedly awkward use of an example of a dysfunctional Christian/ Muslim conversation, it would be helpful to return to the famous Regensburg Address of Pope Benedict XVI. What the pope was calling for in that speech was an enthusiastic retrieval of a tradition embedded deep within Christianity – namely, the use of reason, grounded in the conviction that Jesus is the precise incarnation of the Logos (reason) of God. As long as religion is marked primarily by will (and he was indeed critiquing contemporary radical Islam on this score), it will tend to resort to violence. And in bringing forward the Logos tradition, he was summoning Islam to return to a perhaps forgotten or underutilized dimension of its own heritage. Are certain Muslims attacking Christians today on religious grounds and for religious reasons? Yes. Is at least a significant part of the problem a strain of voluntarism and irrationality within Islam? Yes. What’s the way forward? If I might cite a prophet sacred to both Christianity and Islam: “Come, let us reason together.” BISHOP ROBERT BARRON is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries (online at www.wordonfire.org) and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also the host of “Catholicism,” an award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith.

May 10, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Letters to the editor

Congratulations

Brian Pusateri

Built from a remnant

he news has been filled with stories of destroyed churches. Several black churches in Louisiana were burned down by an arsonist. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was nearly destroyed by what is thought to be an electrical fire. Terrorist bombings are to blame for the horrific destruction to several churches in Sri Lanka on Easter. Rightfully so, we are heartsick over the destruction of these buildings. We should be even more concerned about deterioration of Christianity itself. The Church is in crisis. This doesn’t make the headlines. It should! Please read more. Like millions of other people around the world, I fought back tears as I helplessly watched the live news broadcast as Notre Dame Cathedral burned. News outlets everywhere were fixated on the destruction of this historic architectural wonder. The cathedral’s construction, which began in 1160, took more than a hundred years to be completed. Its magnificence was the result of countless skilled laborers, many of whom spent their entire life working on the structure, never to see it fully completed. No doubt these churches will be rebuilt from their remnants. God alone will be the one to truly comfort and heal the families of the over 200 dead and 450 injured in Sri Lanka. Let’s shift our attention now from church buildings to the people who make up Christianity. Are we equally as concerned about the burning down of the structure of Christianity? The Christian Church is experiencing upheaval like never before. It is hemorrhaging and fracturing on all fronts. There is fighting between Christian denominations and within denominations. In some cases, Biblical truths are ignored and sins are dismissed as normal behavior. From Genesis to Revelation, we read many stories where God preserves small remnants of the faithful and from these remnants He continues to build His church. A remnant can be defined as that continuous portion of God’s people who remain faithful to Him. God has preserved and redeemed these remnants through various divine judgments and throughout various dispensations. Here are just a few of the Old Testament examples of God preserving a remnant of His people: Gn 7:23, Gn 12:1-3, Gn 28:13-15, Ez 37:19 and Zec 8:4-5. The theology of remnant rebirth is also found in the New Testament. Look to Rom 11:5, Acts 15:14 and Rv 7:4 to see examples. Remnant rebirth is an essential and often overlooked aspect of God’s salvation plan. In a 1969 German radio broadcast, Father Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, made a bold prediction about the future of the Church. The

‘The Christian Church is experiencing upheaval like never before.’

fullness of his remarks can be found in the book “Faith and the Future” by Ignatius Press. He predicted that the Church would likely be reduced to a much smaller remnant of itself before it could grow and again reassert relevance in the world. Some of his predictions included these quotes: “The future of the Church, once again as always, will be reshaped by saints, by men, that is, whose minds probe deeper than the slogans of the day, who see more than others see, because their lives embrace a wider reality.” “From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge – a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning.” “What will remain is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church that believes in the God who has become man and promises us life beyond death.” According to Father Ratzinger, the future Church will rise up from those whose roots are deep and who live from the pure fullness of their faith. It will not rise up from those who merely criticize others and assume that they themselves are infallible measuring rods; nor will it rise up from those who take the easier road, who sidestep the passion of faith. It will be rebuilt by millions of Christians, living lives of small daily acts of self-denial. Christians of the future will see the many ways they are enslaved by their own egos. Our Christian eyes will be slowly opened only to the extent we have lived and suffered. Far too many Christians are seeking the pleasures of this world and fleeing from the need for self-introspection. Jesus alone is the one who can fill the hole in every person’s heart. Father Ratzinger also said the future Church will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the Left as with the Right. The rebuilding will be hard going and the process will be long and wearisome. Notre Dame Cathedral was patiently built over a hundred years by countless skilled tradesmen. Likewise, the future Church will be rebuilt from the remnant that exists today. A Holy Spirit-infused remnant of faith-filled men and woman, with a deep love for Jesus Christ and His teachings, will rebuild the Church through small daily acts of kindness. This process starts at home with our families, and in our neighborhoods and workplaces. We must each become true disciples of Jesus. During Lent, we sang the words, “We rise again from ashes.” Today’s Church is on fire. It, too, can rise from the ashes, but we must each do our part. Now in the spirit of Easter, let’s join together in this rebuilding project. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, I want to be counted among those who stay true to Your word and who become part of the remnant from which You will continue to rebuild Your Church. Grant me the grace to follow Your commands and follow in Your Son’s footsteps. Amen. BRIAN PUSATERI is the founder of Broken Door Ministries (www.brokendoorministries.com) and a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.

My husband and I want to congratulate Father Patrick Winslow on his new appointment as vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte. We were parishioners of his when he was pastor at St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, and think the world of him. ( I still carry a copy of the beautifully written letter that he wrote to the Tryon newspaper as a rebuttal to a misconception printed in that paper of Catholics and their relationship with the Bible.) He was always able to break down complex ideas and bring them to a level that even I could grasp. The fact that Bishop Peter Jugis chose Father Winslow proves that he is as wise as we always knew him to be. ARCHIE W. “BILL” SEIF and MARGARET “MARGI” MACKOWSKI-SEIF are residents of Tryon.

Abortion is result of disconnecting sex from procreation On Holy Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, claiming the legislation is needless because the problem of infanticide “simply does not exist.”

Cooper is ignoring the evidence pouring in from across the country of babies born alive after surviving abortion; perhaps he wishes to avoid the backlash that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam received after coldly answering that mother and doctor would “have a conversation” about whether or not to provide care for a baby who survives abortion in Virginia. And considering that North Carolina’s ban on abortions after 20 weeks has been struck down and that the state may have to allow abortion until the moment of birth, this is a question of ethics and justice that a statesman – and citizens – cannot ignore. Abortion is the end result of the idea that the creation of new life may be prevented and removed from sex. To oppose abortion also involves defending sex as sacred to marriage and accepting that the act is unitive and procreative by God’s design. He reveals this in Scripture, Tradition, the teaching of His Church, and the natural law. The acceptance of birth control and contraception leads, by the same rationale, to accepting abortion. Catholics must understand that the situation we are in now is a result of liberalized view to marriage and sex. Sts. Paul VI and Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us. MATTHEW BOSNICK is a member of St. Luke Parish in Mint Hill.

Most-read stories on the web

‘Are you not at peace? Go. Go on and visit someone who is the symbol of Jesus’ wounds because they are a source of His peace and mercy.’ Pope Francis

From online story “People can find peace by visiting those who suffer, pope says” Through press time on May 8, 5,469 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 8,449 pages. The top 10 headlines in May so far have been: n Praying for the victims of the deadly shooting at UNC-Charlotte........................................... 1,016 n Planned Parenthood will begin doing abortions in Charlotte..................................................... 850 n Bishop Jugis names new vicar general/chancellor for Charlotte diocese................................661 n Catholic funeral rites explained........................................................................................................... 290 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald.........................................................269 n New ‘wrap-around’ program focuses on helping to lift people out of poverty........................266 n At U.S.-Mexican border, Sisters of Mercy delegation sees immigration issue up close........241 n Mary’s Sons kneelers to visit parishes around diocese..................................................................231 n Monroe parish celebrates Faith Formation Week............................................................................227 n MACS Fine Arts Center fundraising kickoff held March 29...........................................................169

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