July 5, 2019

July 5, 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

Clergy assignments announced 3

Hendersonville parish says goodbye to Capuchin friars 3

INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español.......................................10-12 Events calendar............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes............................. 3-7 Scripture readings.......................2 TV & Movies................................. 13 U.S. news..................................... 14 Viewpoints..............................18-19 World news................................. 16

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‘Youthful vitality of our local Church’ Three men ordained priests for the growing Diocese of Charlotte

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THANK YOU!

‘Vitalidad juvenil de nuestra Iglesia local’ Una conversación con el Padre Alfonso Gámez

Father Ho Lung celebrates at St. Matthew’s World Hunger Drive 5

Christ the King High School family’s $500K matching gift challenge meets success 5

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Jail ministry shares hope, message of God’s mercy 6

Comunidad se informó sobre avances en la atención de sus necesidades 11

Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Pope Francis

Christian community a place of welcome, solidarity

T

o be part of a Christian community is to belong to a group of believers who shun selfishness and give witness to God’s love by loving and caring for one another, Pope Francis said.

While modern society places more importance on “one’s own interests regardless of or even to the detriment of others,” true Christians “ban individualism in order to encourage sharing and solidarity,” the pope said June 26 during his weekly general audience.

“There is no place for selfishness in the soul of a Christian,” he said. “If your heart is selfish, you are not a Christian; you are a worldly person who looks only for your own benefit, your own profit.”

Prior to taking part in the final audience before his summer break, to avoid the scorching Rome heat the pope met indoors with pilgrims who are sick or have a disability.

Outside, continuing his series of talks on the Acts of the Apostles, the pope reflected on the first Christian community in Jerusalem, which was comprised of people who “felt their hearts pierced by the joyful announcement” of Christ’s salvation for all men and women.

St. Luke’s account of this community, he said, provides a glimpse of the “communion of love” that existed and was fortified by listening to the apostolic teaching, sharing their goods with one another, taking part in the Eucharist and prayer.

“These are the attitudes of a Christian; the four signs of a good Christian,” he said.

The grace that comes from baptism, he added, makes “rivalries between young and old, men and women, rich and poor” disappear. “Baptismal grace reveals the intimate bond between brothers and sisters in Christ who are called to share, to identify with others and to give according to each one’s needs,” the pope said. “This is a way of listening to the cry of the poor – which is very pleasing to God – and of giving Him back what belongs to Him.” Pope Francis concluded his talk by asking the faithful to pray so that Christians may emulate the first community and establish a “genuine covenant with God” so that they would become an attractive force that fascinates and “conquers the hearts of many.”

The pope prayed that the Holy Spirit would “make our communities places in which to welcome and practice new life, works of solidarity and communion; places where liturgies are an encounter with God, which becomes communion with our brothers and sisters; places that are open doors to the heavenly Jerusalem.”

St. Augustine Zhao Rong and companions: Chinese martyrs for Christ Feast day: July 9 Christianity arrived in China by persecutors as dangerous because they way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on were considered allies of enemy Catholic China’s relations with the outside world, countries. The martyrs born outside China Christianity over the centuries was either often tried to distance themselves from free to grow or was forced to operate secretly.

The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Most of them (87) were born in China and were children, parents, catechists or laborers, ranging in age from 9 to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Jesuits, Salesians and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse (of the Paris Foreign Mission Society) to his martyrdom in Beijing. Augustine was baptized and not long after was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815 along with his 119 companions.

Among their number was an 18-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: “Every piece of “Maria Magdalena” by Mathias Grünewald (1512-1516) my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian.”

Beatified in groups at various times, the European political struggles relating to 120 martyrs were canonized in Rome on China, but their persecutors saw them as Oct. 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. Westerners and therefore, by definition, The Chinese-born martyrs honored anti-Chinese. by this feast were regarded by their A year after these martyrs were

canonized, Pope John Paul II addressed a group of Chinese and Western scholars, gathered in Rome for a symposium honoring the 400th anniversary of the arrival in Beijing of Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit scholar and Chinese intellectual.

After noting the positive contributions that Christianity had made to China, especially in health care and education, the pope said, “History, however, reminds us of the unfortunate fact that the work of members of the Church in China was not always without error, the bitter fruit of their personal limitations and of the limits of their action.

Moreover, their action was often conditioned by difficult situations connected with complex historical events and conflicting political interests.

Nor were theological disputes lacking, which caused bad feelings and created serious difficulties in preaching the Gospel....

“I feel deep sadness for these errors and limits of the past, and I regret that in many people these failings may have given the impression of a lack of respect and esteem for the Chinese people on the part of the Catholic Church, making them feel that the Church was motivated by feelings of hostility toward China. For all of this I ask the forgiveness and understanding of those who may have felt hurt in some way by such actions on the part of Christians.”

— Source: Americancatholic.org. Excerpted from “Saint of the Day,” by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Daily Scripture readings JULY 7-13

Sunday: Isaiah 66:10-14, Galatians 6:1418, Luke 10:1-12, 17-20; Monday: Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 9:18-26; Tuesday (St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions): Genesis 32:23-33, Matthew 9:32-38; Wednesday: Genesis 41:55-57, 42:5-7, 17-24, Matthew 10:1-7; Thursday (St. Benedict): Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29, 45:1-5, Matthew 10:715; Friday: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30, Matthew 10:16-23; Saturday (St. Henry): Genesis 49:29-32, 50:15-26, Matthew 10:24-33

JULY 14-20

Sunday: Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:2537; Monday(St. Bonaventure): Exodus 1:8-14, 22, Matthew 10:3411:1; Tuesday (Our Lady of Mount Carmel): Exodus 2:1-15, Matthew 11:20-24; Wednesday: Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12, Matthew 11:25-27; Thursday (St. Camillus de Lellis): Exodus 3:13-20, Matthew 11:28-30; Friday: Exodus 11:10-12:14, Matthew 121:1-8; Saturday (St. Apollinaris): Exodus 12:37-42, Matthew 12:14-21

JULY 21-27

Sunday: Genesis 18:1-10, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42; Monday (St. Mary Magdalene): Song of Songs 3:1-4, John 20:1-2, 1118; Tuesday (St. Bridget): Exodus 14:21-15:1, Exodus 15:8-10, 12, 17, Matthew 12:46-50; Wednesday (St. Sharbel Makhluf): Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15, Matthew 13:1-9; Thursday (St. James): 2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Matthew 20:20-28; Friday (Sts. Joachim and Anne): Exodus 20:117, Matthew 13:18-23; Saturday: Exodus 24:3-8, Matthew 13:24-30

Our parishes

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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ASSIGNMENT CHANGES

Hendersonville parish says goodbye to Capuchin friars

Diocese’s fifth vicar general takes oath CHARLOTTE — In the presence of Bishop Peter Jugis, Father Patrick Winslow took the oath of fidelity to the Church and made a profession of faith to inaugurate his ministry as the diocese’s fifth vicar general and chancellor during Mass June 30 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, where he has served as pastor since 2012.

As vicar general, Father Winslow will report directly to the bishop on matters related to clergy and vocations as well as acting in place of the bishop in his absence. As chancellor, he will oversee the diocese’s day-to-day administrative and business operations. Bishop Jugis noted that the role “is a tremendous responsibility, of course as you can imagine, that he is agreeing to undertake,” but added that Father Winslow will be supported by a “very competent and capable” team at the Pastoral Center besides the support of the faithful of the diocese. “All of us together, each in our own way, is called to serve the Kingdom of God, to build up the Kingdom of God in grace and holiness,” he said. In one of his last homilies as their pastor, Father Winslow thanked parishioners and praised their devotion to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith.

KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

HENDERSONVILLE — After nearly 30 years, the Capuchin Franciscan order is leaving Immaculate Conception Church.

Father Martin Schratz, pastor, Father Roberto Perez and Father Praveen Kumar Turaka are leaving the parish July 9. The order is withdrawing from this and other parishes in its province due to declining vocations and the advancing ages of its friars.

Father Christian Cook will serve as pastor and newly ordained Father Britt Taylor will be parochial vicar.

“It’s been an excellent journey, it really has. I came to the diocese in 1997,” said Father Schratz, who has been pastor of Immaculate Conception for the past seven years.

“Bishop Curlin invited us in. There was a need for priests.

Hopefully, we did a good job in fulfilling the needs of the diocese.”

Father Schratz, a Philadelphia native, served as pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Church and St. Thomas Aquinas Church, both in Charlotte, prior to the time the order withdrew from those parishes. Immaculate Conception was the only remaining parish served by the Capuchin Franciscans in the diocese. The order also formerly staffed St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, St. Helen Mission in Spencer Mountain, and the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory.

Father Schratz said he has enjoyed reaching out to the men and women coming into the Church through the diocese’s RCIA Commission, which he has chaired.

“As a Capuchin, it’s important that people have an understanding of our Franciscan roots and how important it is to have that spirit. Hopefully, we teach that in our works. We are pilgrims and strangers. We want to fill people with a commitment to Jesus, not just to the friars – so that when we go, you’re still alive with passion for Jesus. We’re the messengers, we’re not the message.

Our job is to get people in love with Jesus.”

Parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church are thankful to the friars for their leadership, vision, love and service to the parish.

The parish’s latest newsletter detailed some of the friars’ contributions to the century-old parish. The current church building came about because of Father Robert Salamone and Father John Aurilia. Brother Michael Malloy worked with schoolchildren, and Father John Salvas ministered to the growing Hispanic population in the parish.

Father Nick Mormando envisioned the future and oversaw the building of St. Gerard’s House for families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Father Schratz recognized the need for more space to house the parish’s expanding programs and ministries. He also launched a capital campaign to buy what is now the St. Joseph’s Center.

Margaret Cavagnaro, a parishioner for 40 years, said they are really going to miss the friars.

“They’re just so loving,” Cavagnaro said. “They have done so much service for our parish, and it has grown so much the last 28 years. I can’t say enough good things.”

She said Father Martin had faith in her abilities to be able to work on the electronic newsletter he started at the parish, even when she wasn’t sure she could.

“I love each and every one of our priests. Father Martin is just very special to me, and he believed in me.

“Father Roberto is just amazing. He is kind and generous and he’s so amazing with the Hispanic community. Father Praveen has helped in the ‘attic,’ where we give items to those in need. They all work with people in the community. They’ve been amazing.”

Father Schratz embraced the Hispanic ministries at Immaculate Conception Church, noted parishioner Javier Diaz. Over the past 10 years Diaz has been at the parish, he said, he has seen the Hispanic ministries he’s involved FRIARS, SEE PAGE 17

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Clergy assignments announced CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis announces the following pastoral appointments: n Effective June 1, 2019: Newly ordained Vincentian Father Leo Tiburcio as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte n Effective June 3, 2019: Vincentian Father Vincent H. Finnerty, from pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte to an assignment by his order outside the Diocese of Charlotte Vincentian Father Gregory Gay, from parochial vicar to pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte n Effective June 30, 2019: Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Paul Dechant, from pastor of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville to an assignment by his order outside the Diocese of Charlotte n Effective July 1, 2019: Father Noah C. Carter, from parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Huntersville to pastor of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville n Effective July 9, 2019: Capuchin

Franciscan Father Martin Schratz, from pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville to an assignment by his order outside the Diocese of Charlotte Capuchin Franciscan Father Roberto Perez, from parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville to an assignment by his order outside the Diocese of Charlotte Capuchin Franciscan Father Praveen Kumar Turaka, from parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville to an assignment by his order outside the Diocese of Charlotte Father W. Christian Cook, from parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro to pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville Newly ordained Father Britt A. Taylor, as parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville Newly ordained Father Michael J. Carlson, as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro

Newly ordained Father Alfonso Gamez Jr. as parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Huntersville Very Reverend Patrick J. Winslow, V.G., pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte to full-time Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte Father Matthew P. Codd, from pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Boone and Epiphany Mission in Blowing Rock to pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte Father Brendan J. Buckler, from pastor of Mother of Mercy Church in Washington, N.C. (Diocese of Raleigh) to pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Boone and Epiphany Mission in Blowing Rock Father Jason K. Barone, from chaplain of Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte to parochial administrator of Our Lady of the Mountains Mission in Highlands and St. Jude Mission in Sapphire while continuing as Promoter of Vocations for the Diocese of Charlotte — Catholic News Herald

Duc In Altum discernment retreat draws nearly 80 participants BELMONT — Nearly 80 young women attended the Duc In Altum discernment retreat June 24-28 at Belmont Abbey College. The week included a Solemn High Mass at St. Michael Church in Gastonia and ended with a Mass offered by Father Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Almost 300 young women in four years have attended the week-long retreat.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MEGAN WHITESIDE

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: SUNDAY, JULY 7 – NOON Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Infant Church, Reidsville FRIDAY, JULY 12 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Christ the King Church, High Point

TUESDAY, JULY 16 – 4 P.M. Holy Mass for Charities Board of Directors Diocesan Pastoral Center, Charlotte

TUESDAY, JULY 23 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation for St. John the Evangelist and St. Margaret churches St. Margaret Church, Maggie Valley

FRIDAY, JULY 19 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

THURSDAY, JULY 25 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Jude Mission, Sapphire

SATURDAY, JULY 27 – 10 A.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Mary Church, Sylva

Diocesan calendar of events July 5, 2019

ESPAÑOL

Volume 28 • NUMBER 20

VIÑEDO DE RAQUEL: ¿Es usted o un ser querido que busca la curación de los efectos de un aborto anterior?

Los retiros de fin de semana son ofrecidos por Caridades Católicas para hombres y mujeres en todas las regiones de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Para obtener información sobre los próximos retiros, incluidos retiros en las diócesis vecinas, comuníquese con Karina Hernández: 336-267-1937 / karinahernandez@live.com.

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

704-370-3333

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

VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN: 6 p.m. los jueves, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Nos reunimos para una Vigilia de Adoración por la Paz y la Justicia en Nicaragua, que en estos últimos meses están pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos.

Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario, la hora santa de reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel.

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

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

STAFF

SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, July 20, 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.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 10 a.m. Saturday, July 6, 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion, and feel free to invite anyone who would be morally supportive of this very important cause. For details, email Jim Hoyng at Ajhoyng@hotmail. com or Paul Klosterman at Pauljklosterman@aol.com.

MORNING REFLECTION, ‘TOOLS OF PRAYER’: 8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, July 20, in the Parish Life Center at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2203 West Market St., Greensboro.

Presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski. Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m. Registration requested by Wednesday, July 17. To register, call the parish office at 336-274-6520, or Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org.

MORNING REFLECTION, ‘THE EXAMEN PRAYER’: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 23, in the Bishop Begley Parish Center at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem. Presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski. Registration requested by Thursday, July 18.

To register, call Mary Beth Young at 336-724-0561, ext.

227, or Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org.

MORNING REFLECTION, ‘TOOLS OF PRAYER’: 8:45-11 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, in the Parish Center at St. Michael the Archangel Church, 708 St. Michael Lane, Gastonia. Father Joseph Koterski, S.J. will be presenting.

Mass will be celebrated at 8:15 a.m. Registration required

by Monday, July 22. For details and registration, contact Lissette Westover at 704-867-6212 or Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220.

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

Thursday, July 25, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. St. Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer and grave diseases. The healing prayer service is offered for all those suffering with cancer or other diseases. For details, call the church office at 704-543-7677.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: First Fridays and First Saturdays, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Join us each First Friday through First Saturday of the month in an overnight vigil to honor the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to pray for our families, to offer penance for our sins, and to pray for the conversion of our nation. Sign up for Eucharistic Adoration at www.

ProlifeCharlotte.org/two-hearts.com. Sponsored by C-PLAN of Charlotte.

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 year-round (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 Good Shepherd Dr., 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: CHARLOTTE: 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road LINCOLNTON: 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, St. Dorothy Church, 148 Saint Dorothy’s Lane LENOIR: Saturday, July 13, St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328-B Woodsway Lane (This session will be conducted in Spanish)

SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EDUCATIONAL EVENT, ‘READING THE BIBLE INTELLIGENTLY AND FAITHFULLY’: 1-2 p.m. Sunday, July 21, in the Parish Hall, at Sacred Heart Church, 150 Brian Berg Lane, Brevard and 7-8 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall, at St. Francis Assisi Church, 328 Woodsway Lane, NW, Lenoir.

Event will be presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski.

Registration requested. For details, email ccdocsca@ charlottediocese.org or visit www.ccdoc.org/education.

Sponsored by Catholic Charities.

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP, ‘SENIOR FRAUD & SCAMS PREVENTION’: 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 7, in the Fellowship at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road., Greensboro. Presented by A. Mercedes Restucha-Klem, Outreach & Policy Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Justice-Public Protection Section. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. For details and registration, contact Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or sabreakfield@ charlottediocese.org.

FREE MEDICARE CHOICES MADE EASY CLASS: 2-4 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 28, Sacred Heart Church, 150 Brian Berg Lane, Brevard. This workshop is designed to explain Medicare: when to sign up, how to save money, what they need to do to enroll, what options are available and answer questions they may have regarding the program.

To Register call Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org by Monday, Aug. 26.

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

HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH IN DENVER: call Nicole Lehman, 704-607-5207. St. Michael Church in Gastonia: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Gastonia area. Meets once a month. Online at www.stmichaelsgastonia.org/ young-adult GREENSBORO WAY OF CHRIST: The young adult ministry at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro: at www.stpiusxnc. com/woc, on Facebook at “wayofchrist”

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.

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Christ the King High School family’s $500K matching gift challenge meets success SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

HUNTERSVILLE — One Christ the King High School family hopes to incentivize others to join them in donating to the school’s $5.5 million “Grounded in Faith – Building our Future” capital campaign.

The anonymous family made a $500,000 matching challenge gift, agreeing to match every pledge received in June, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000. In just a matter of weeks, donors contributed half a million dollars, meeting the $500,000 matching gift challenge.

The combined gifts put the Athletic and Activity Complex campaign over $3 million in just over two months, with the school raising $3,135,830 so far and putting it within close reach of the campaign’s first-level goal of $3.5 million.

“The outpouring of support for our Athletic and Activity Complex has been both astonishing and humbling,” said Dr. Carl Semmler, principal. “This is the most supportive and visionary community of Catholic secondary education that I have ever been a part of.”

Christ the King High School has grown from 28 students to 307 in eight years, with enrollment expected to reach 330 this fall.

Like the carefully managed growth of the school itself, the capital campaign will fund the extensive building project in stages.

As each fundraising level is reached, designated phases of the project will be undertaken.

When the first goal of $3.5 million is reached, the gymnasium will be expanded to include a full-size court and two cross courts, plus expanded seating from 120 to 690 spectators. Also included are men’s and women’s locker rooms for home and visiting teams, coaches and trainer offices, space for a fitness center and a new main entrance from the school lobby into the gymnasium, which will also serve as an awards gallery.

When the capital campaign reaches its second goal of $4.5 million, a full-size stage, including lighting and sound system, will be built to accommodate student performances, school-wide liturgies and awards ceremonies.

At the final stage of the $5.5 million project, a pavilion will be built to serve as the new main entrance to the Athletic and Activity Complex and will include concessions, a Crusader ticket and spirit store and public restrooms. Also included is the completion of the fitness center, which is currently located in the school building.

“It’s gratifying to see the significant commitment people are making to Christ the King High School. To receive a transformative gift of $500,000 provides strong momentum as the campaign continues, and to have other parents match that amount in less than a month is extraordinary,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.

Learn more Information about the “Grounded in Faith – Building our Future” capital campaign and how you can help is online at www.ctkchs.org. Questions?

Contact Dr. Carl Semmler at 704-799-4400 or email CTKCampaign@ ctkchs.net.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CAROLINE GORMAN

Father Ho Lung celebrates at St. Matthew’s World Hunger Drive CHARLOTTE — On June 29, St. Matthew Church held its meal packing event as part of the 17th annual Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive, with more than 1,400 volunteers packaging over 323,500 meals.

Ninety percent of the meals will be shipped to the Missionaries of the Poor, a Catholic order of brothers, priests and sisters, at their mission in Cap Haitian, Haiti, and the remainder will be distributed in Mecklenburg and Union counties through Second Harvest Food Bank, Catholic Charities and other assistance providers.

Father Richard Ho Lung, founder of the Missionaries of the Poor, stopped by during the event to personally thank Father Patrick Hoare, pastor, and all the volunteers for the continuous support St. Matthew Parish has provided. He was surprised with a cake and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his 80th birthday as well as his 60th jubilee anniversary of religious life.

The meal packing event is just one part of St. Matthew’s month-long World Hunger Drive, in which parishioners donate food, supplies and money.

Some of the funds are used to buy additional food

that is shipped in six full-sized containers to the MOP communities in Haiti and Jamaica that serve the elderly, disabled, and children with HIV. The remainder of the funds is used for sustainability projects such as stocking tilapia ponds, purchasing live chickens, and educating more than 270 students at St. Marc School in Haiti.

Including this year’s donations, the World Hunger Drive has provided more than three million pounds of food, supplies and packed meals to people in need at home and abroad.

To date, 2.1 million meals have been packaged

by Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive volunteers at annual meal packing events, conducted with close partner, Servants With a Heart.

The theme for the 2019 drive, which continues until July 14, is “One human family, moved by the Spirit.”

A gift of $100 will feed one child in Haiti or Jamaica for an entire year.

For more information or to donate, go online to www.stmatthewcatholic.org/world-hunger-drive.

— Submitted by St. Matthew Parish’s World Hunger Drive Committee

$36K in local CCHD grants awarded partner with diocesan parishes or other diocesan entities.

Each grant applicant must submit a letter of endorsement from a Diocese of Charlotte entity which knows of the applicant’s work. The 2020 Local CCHD Grant deadline will be Feb. 17, 2020. Grant guidelines and applications will be available Dec. 2 at www.ccdoc.org/cchdcrs.

JOSEPH PURELLO SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

HICKORY — On May 23, 13 Local CCHD grants totaling $36,250 were distributed at the 2019 Catholic Charities Local CCHD grant awards luncheon held at St. Aloysius Church.

CCHD is the acronym for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This year’s grantees come from the following 11 cities: Black Mountain, Brevard, Charlotte, Forest City, Greensboro, Hendersonville, Hickory, High Point, Jefferson, Lenoir and Winston-Salem.

The grant awards luncheon began and closed with prayers offered respectively by St. Aloysius’s pastor, Father Lawrence LoMonaco, and Father Steve Hoyt, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir. A presentation on the work of CCHD, including data on poverty in the USA, was given by Ralph McCloud, CCHD National Director at the USCCB. Each of the grantees had the

JOSEPH PURELLO is director of Catholic Charities’ Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy and diocesan director for CCHD.

Learn more about poverty in the U.S. opportunity to share some highlights about their funded projects.

From the 25 percent of funds raised in the November CCHD collection across the Diocese of Charlotte, Catholic Charities annually offers local grants to fund non-profit projects in the diocese that are fighting poverty at the grassroots level. Many CCHD grant-funded organizations

CCHD has a complementary mission of educating about domestic poverty and its causes at both the national and local level. PovertyUSA.org, an educational resource of CCHD available in English and Spanish, seeks to educate and promote understanding about poverty in the USA and its root causes. Go to PovertyUSA.org for resources such as: prayers, a poverty quiz, K-12 educational activities, stories of hope, and an interactive map of the USA that illustrates the extent of poverty at state and county levels.

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catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 OUR PARISHES

Catholic News Herald wins 10 national media awards CHARLOTTE — The Catholic News Herald has earned 10 awards for its work in 2018 – including best overall newspaper – from the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada. The awards were presented during the Catholic Press Association’s annual conference June 19-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The best overall newspaper award, recognizing general excellence, was among all nonweekly diocesan newspapers that have a circulation of 25,000 or higher.

Other awards were: n First place, Best coverage on the Sexual Abuse Crisis: “Abuse scandal hits the Church” Aug. 31, 2018, edition n First place, Best Layout of Article or Column: “Buying with a purpose” by Patricia L. Guilfoyle and Tim Faragher n First place, Best Media Kit: Kevin Eagan and Tim Faragher n First place, Best Reporting on Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate: “Acts of Mercy” by Annie Ferguson n Second place, Best Editorial Page or Section: “Viewpoints” by Patricia L. Guilfoyle n Third place, Best Website: www.catholicnewsherald.com

by Kimberly Bender n Third place, Best Web and Print Package: “A Church Transfigured” by SueAnn Howell, Cesar Hurtado and Kimberly Bender n Honorable mention: Best Web and Print Package: 2018 Eucharistic Congress, by Patricia L. Guilfoyle, SueAnn Howell, Cesar Hurtado and Kimberly Bender n Honorable mention: Best Feature Writing: “OLC’s Rosary Society celebrates 40th anniversary of annual chicken dinner fundraiser” by Lisa Geraci — Catholic News Herald

George Burazer presents an update on the status of the death penalty across the United States during a recent meeting of social justice advocates.

Besides the information he presented, the group heard from Deacon James Witulski, diocesan liaison to Catholic jail ministry in Mecklenburg County.

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Jail ministry shares hope, message of God’s mercy PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

BELMONT — Opponents of North Carolina’s death penalty and advocates for social justice gathered June 6 to learn more about jail ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The event, hosted by the Sisters of Mercy, included a dinner and fundraiser for family members who have relatives on death row.

Two women whose sons are on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh – one for the past 21 years and another for 23 years – said they would like people to know that their families share the heavy burden of the death sentence, and they ask people to pray for healing and peace.

“We feel forgotten,” one mother said.

Deacon James Witulski, the diocesan liaison for Catholic Jail Ministry of Mecklenburg County, encouraged people to pray for those who are imprisoned, as well as their families.

And he had a message for the families present.

“Your family members are not forgotten.

People care. They’re praying for you,” he said.

Deacon Witulski shared that when he and other members of the Mecklenburg County jail ministry visit prisoners, the most common request they receive is from prisoners asking them to pray for their mothers, their wives and their children “on the outside.”

He tells prisoners that they have a better opportunity to live holy lives than people “on the outside,” he said. “We’re all going to die.

For an inmate, for a time, they lose everything and they get to focus on what counts.”

The jail ministry encompasses a team of priests, deacons and laity who visit the jails to talk and pray with prisoners, and otherwise provide spiritual support to them.

The group is all volunteers, and not everyone participates by visiting the jails – some pray at home, write letters or send cards. But their aim is not to proselytize, he noted.

“We’re there to teach hope and to tell them that no sin is greater than the mercy of God if one repents,” he said.

The Holy Spirit is truly present in the work these volunteers do, Deacon Witulski said, and he recounted several emotional stories of prisoners experiencing God’s mercy and finding peace, even if they knew they would never see the outside of their prison.

“Misericordia,” he said, which in Latin means mercy, “that’s what jail and prison ministry is all about.”

“We are called to see the face of Christ in every man and woman we see. That’s the beauty and the challenge of sitting down and talking with those who are incarcerated.”

In Brief New Queen of the Apostles Church building going up BELMONT — Parishioners at Queen of the Apostles Church had the opportunity after Mass June 16 to sign the steel beams framing their new church, now under construction behind the current church. Ground was broken in February on the 13,430-square-foot building, which will offer seating for 750 people – more than double the capacity of the current church.

The building project, totaling $4.15 million, is expected to be completed by early 2020.

Igbo Mass celebrated GREENSBORO — Members of the Igbo Catholic Community in the Diocese of Charlotte attended a June 16 Mass offered in their native language by Father Marcel Amadi and assisted

by Deacon Emmanuel Ukattah at St. Mary’s Church.

“Igbo language Mass is important for spiritual growth as Igbo Catholics,” said Professor Godfrey Uzochukwu, coordinator of the Mass, especially for recent immigrants and older Nigerian Catholics who do not speak English.

“This Igbo Mass is a way of thanking God in our native language and devoting a portion of our time to serve Him,” noted Father Amadi.

The Mass is offered four times each year at St. Mary’s Church, with the next liturgy scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 15. All are welcome.

Did you know?

MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE have been put to death in North Carolina since the state assumed responsibility for executing criminals in 1910.

142 PEOPLE are currently on death row in North Carolina, including three women. The longest-imprisoned person has been on death row since 1985.

Since 1984, North Carolina has executed 43 PEOPLE. The last executions were in 2006.

Get involved Interested in learning more about the diocese’s prison and jail ministry? Contact Deacon James Witulski at 704-960-3704 or james.witulski@gmail. com.

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Hibernians commemorate Ireland’s Great Hunger MOORESVILLE — Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, and their families and friends recently gathered at St. Therese Church to commemorate “Ireland’s Great Hunger” (An Gorta Mor) with a special Mass. The tragedy, which occurred between 1845 and 1850 and was mainly due to the potato blight, split the population of Ireland in half. Over 1 million Irish died of starvation, while another million emigrated to the United States and other countries. The Mass was offered by Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Therese and also a member of the AOH, for the intention of those who had suffered during those years of hardship. Among those attending the Mass were Patrick Tracey, N.C. AOH state president, Mary Driscoll, LAOH state president and members of the AOH’s Sons of Erin and St. Brendan the Navigator divisions, and the LAOH’s Ladies of the Lough Division.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a CatholicIrish fraternal organization that promotes friendship, unity and Christian charity, as well as fostering and perpetuating Irish history, culture and traditions.

— Dan Callaghan and Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

Sacraments celebrated across the diocese

OUR PARISHESI

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Our Lady of Mercy Parish celebrated 123 students who received the sacrament of confirmation June 7 during a Mass offered

by Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

BY ALEX MOREIRA AND RAYMOND TABER

First Communion was celebrated at Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville May 19. Pictured are (from left): Diego Garcia, Edwin Nava, Youth Faith Formation leader AJ Borowski, Alex Estrada, Father Alex Ayala, Lucy Godinez, Camila Nava, Ian Herrada, Sister Margarita Castaneda, CND, Amy Cervantes and Camila Briones.

VICTORIA EWING WARE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHAEL LIGA

Twenty-nine young people received the sacrament of confirmation at Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion May 8, during Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis and Father Carl Kaltreider, pastor.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Ninety-one young people at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville received the sacrament of confirmation May 11 during Mass with Bishop Peter Jugis.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAMIR GOMEZ

Thirty-three young people at St. Michael Church in Gastonia received the sacrament of confirmation recently during a Mass offered by Father José Antonio Juya and Father Lucas Rossi, pastor.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Bishop Peter Jugis recently confirmed 41 young people at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro.

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iiiJuly 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

PHOTOS BY AMY BURGER AND PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter Jugis ordained Britt Taylor, Michael Carlson and Alfonso Gamez to the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte June 22.

‘Youthful vitality of our local Church’ Three men ordained priests for the growing Diocese of Charlotte PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE AND KATHERINE MCCARTHY CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte welcomed three new priests June 22, as Bishop Peter Jugis ordained three seminarians to the priesthood during the Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood.

Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gamez Jr. and Britt Taylor received the sacrament of holy orders during the two-hour Mass at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Bishop Jugis told the men they will play a vital role in “the constant renewal of grace and holiness in the lives of God’s people and in the daily renewal of the Church.”

“I’m sure you have noticed by now that the Diocese of Charlotte is a young diocese. We are not yet even 50 years old as a diocese, and there is still very much a sense of newness and freshness and youthfulness in our diocese,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily before ordaining the three men.

He noted that St. Mark Church – filled with clergy, religious and laity for the ordination Mass – was dedicated only 10 years ago.

“Our three new priests who are ordained today are part of that youthful vitality of our local Church,” he said.

“The Church is forever young and forever renewing herself. That is true because Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, is forever present, animating His Body, the Church, through His Holy Spirit, making all things new.”

“Britt, Alfonso and Michael, your ministry as priests will renew the world each day,” he told the young men, “through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by which God

continues the work of redemption in our own time; ... through the sacrament of penance, which refreshes and restores souls to friendship with God; ... through all the sacraments; and through the preaching and teaching of the faith and the Gospel.”

The new priests are configured to Christ through ordination to become “co-workers with their bishop to serve Christ, the Teacher, Priest and Shepherd by preaching the Gospel and teaching the faith, by shepherding God’s people and, above all, by celebrating the sacred liturgy.”

They join “a strong fraternity that is going to embrace you and welcome you into the ranks of a sacramental brotherhood,” the bishop said, an important component of the youthful and growing Church in western North Carolina.

As the Catholic population has swelled from about 35,000 when the diocese was established in 1972 to today’s estimated 450,000, the number of people serving the local Church has also increased. In the diocese’s 92 parishes and missions, 81 diocesan priests and 135 deacons are at work serving the people of God in western North Carolina – up from 72 priests and 96 deacons just a decade ago. Nine religious orders also serve in the diocese.

Newly ordained Father Carlson, Father Gamez and Father Taylor will be a blessing as they minister to the diocese’s rapidly growing flock, Bishop Jugis said.

The day after their ordination, each new priest celebrated their first Mass at their home parishes – Father Carlson at St. Ann Church in Charlotte, Father Gamez at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, and

Father Taylor at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte – before taking up their assignments in the diocese.

Father Carlson will serve as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, Father Gamez will serve as parochial vicar at St. Mark Church, and Father Taylor will serve as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Church.

All three new priests were called to a religious vocation when they were young, their families and friends noted.

And all three were supported with much prayer and encouragement throughout their journey to the priesthood that culminated on ordination day.

Nate Young, Father Taylor’s cousin, flew in from Tennessee for the ordination Mass. “I always could tell this was his calling,” he said.

When asked if he was excited for the ordination, Young said, “This is a good thing for our whole family to experience – something you only get to experience once or maybe never experience.”

Jessica Ferrante, a friend of the Carlson family, said she and her whole family have been praying for Father Carlson for years.

“We are absolutely excited and thrilled to see him walk in as a deacon and come out as a new priest, a new man, a new creature of God with that indelible mark on his soul,” Ferrante said.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos and video highlights from the ordination Mass

HE COVER

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

(Far left to left) Bishop Jugis lays hands on Alfonso Gamez during the ordination rite, praying silently over him for the gift of the Holy Spirit to descend upon him. The bishop followed suit with the other two ordinands. Father Tri Truong, pastor of St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte, lays hands on Michael Carlson. Newly ordained Father Britt Taylor gives a blessing following the ordination Mass.

As the ordinands lie prostrate before the altar, Bishop Jugis leads the faithful in praying the Litany of Supplication, also known as the Litany of the Saints.

Luke Lewis, 8, and his brother Logan, 10, members of Father Carlson’s extended family, served at the altar during the Mass, holding the sacred chrism the bishop used to anoint the hands of the new priests.

(Above) The newly ordained priests receive the fraternal sign of peace from their brother priests. (Right) Bishop Jugis exchanges the sign of peace with Father Taylor.

(Above) People of the diocese, including members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (pictured above), have been strong supporters of priests and seminarians – a vital reason for the growth in vocations here.

(Right) The newly ordained priests gather at the altar with Bishop Jugis for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. (Far right) Father Gamez gives a blessing after his ordination.

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‘Pray for your priests’ Bishop Jugis leads Holy Hour for ordinands June 20 CHARLOTTE — “Pray for your priests.”

That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis as the Diocese of Charlotte prepared to welcome three new priests, during an Evening Prayer service and Holy Hour June 20 at St. Patrick Cathedral for the three men – Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gamez Jr. and Britt Taylor.

The men attended the Holy Hour with their parents and were seated near the front of the cathedral. Close to them were their vestments, draped over the communion rail where after the Holy Hour Bishop Jugis blessed them, along with the chalices that they will use at their first Mass.

Bishop Jugis directed his Holy Hour homily first to the congregation gathered for the prayer service – entreating them to pray for the priests who commit their lives to the salvation of souls.

He recalled that at the annual Chrism Mass, after the priests renew their promises of ordination, the bishop then turns to the congregants and says, “Dearest sons and daughters, pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out His gifts abundantly upon them and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ the High Priest, so that they may lead you to Him who is the source of salvation.”

“This is what the Church asks of all of us,” Bishop Jugis continued.

“Pray for your priests.”

“Why? Because their work is our salvation, and we want them to be successful in saving us, to be effective instruments of Jesus’ sanctifying grace and blessing for us on our pilgrimage to heaven.

“Their priestly ministry is directed to us, and so it is reasonable to ask those who are recipients of their ministry to pray for them, their success and their fidelity to their mission,” he said.

They give up their lives and conform themselves to Christ “for the salvation of their brothers and sisters,” he said.

The Holy Hour reading, from 1 Peter 3:8-9, describes how to do this, the bishop noted.

“We hear the shepherd of the Church, in a time of persecution, speaking to the flock: ‘Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult.’

Certainly, there must have been a lot of that in the first century at the birth of Christianity. But, ‘return a blessing instead.’”

God gives us all many blessings, Bishop Jugis said, and in turn we should be a blessing to everyone we encounter.

Then, the bishop turned to the three men sitting in the pews, set to be ordained to the priesthood just two days later.

“We are praying, Deacons Britt, Alfonso and Michael, that your priestly ministry will be a great blessing to the faithful whom you serve,” he told them.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 10

Una conversación con el Padre Alfonso Gámez “Tengo la intención total de ver por las necesidades de mis feligreses”

(Izquierda) El Obispo Peter Jugis ordenó a Britt Taylor, Michael Carlson y Alfonso Gámez al sacerdocio para la Diócesis de Charlotte el 22 de junio.

(Arriba, de izquierda a derecha) El Padre Gabriel Carvajal da la paz al recién ordenado Padre Gámez. El Padre Tri Truong impone sus manos sobre Carlson durante el rito de ordenación. El Padre Britt Taylor da la Sagrada Comunión en la Misa celebrada en la Iglesia San Marcos en Huntersville.

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

Una semana antes del esperado sábado 22 de junio, día en el que finalmente cristalizaría el sueño de convertirse en sacerdote, conversamos con el hoy Padre Alfonso Gámez, una vocación nacida en la Diócesis de Charlotte.

CNH: Alfonso, cuéntanos cuándo y dónde naciste, los nombres de papá, mamá y cuántos hermanos tienes.

Alfonso: Nací en la ciudad de Clyde, en el condado Haywood, en 1990. Mis padres se llaman José Alfonso Gámez y Ana María Gámez. Tengo solamente una hermana mayor que está casada y tiene dos hijos. En 1992, nos mudamos a Hendersonville y ahí crecí. En 2010 me mudé a Charlotte para empezar mis estudios universitarios.

Mis papás son de Indaparapeo, estado de Michoacán, México. Mi papá, desde muy joven, acostumbraba a trabajar por temporadas en Estados Unidos y luego se regresaba a México. Cuando mis papás se casaron en 1988 pensaron venir a Estados Unidos para trabajar y juntar un poco de dinero. Siempre tuvieron la idea, como mucha gente, de solo quedarse unos tres años y regresar a vivir a su pueblo. ¡Los planes de Dios fueron otros!

CNH: ¿Qué recuerdos bonitos tienes de tu niñez?

Alfonso: Tienen que ser de las veces cuando viajábamos a México. Mi familia acostumbraba a viajar para las vacaciones navideñas a nuestro pueblo. Me gustaba mucho escuchar a mis papás hablar de sus vidas, las tradiciones, las costumbres. Esos viajes me dieron mucha perspectiva de los mundos de ambos lados de la frontera y cambiaron mi vida.

CNH: ¿Cuándo sentiste el llamado al sacerdocio?

Alfonso: Cuando me di cuenta que tenía más deseo de estudiar temas religiosos y morales que los de mi concentración académica.

Cuando empecé mis estudios en la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte (UNCC), estaba estudiando Ingeniería Civil. Pero me la pasaba más tiempo en la iglesia y en grupos catequéticos que en el laboratorio de ingeniería. Ahí me di cuenta que mis anhelos más profundos eran para una vida extraordinaria a través de esta vocación y no una vida profesional, aunque tuviera éxito.

CNH: ¿Ya te habías interesado antes en la Iglesia?

Nunca fui monaguillo, ni tampoco estuve involucrado en grupos juveniles. Pero cuando estaba en la prepa mi interés en la Iglesia fue algo intelectual. Quería saber cuáles eran mis convicciones y por qué creía lo que profesaba.

Inconscientemente tenía hambre de la verdad. De ahí me nació el deseo de compartir la verdad que había encontrado y me dediqué a dar clases de catecismo. Serví como catequista en las parroquias Inmaculada Concepción en Hendersonville y en San John Neumann en Charlotte. Cuando estaba en UNCC también me involucré mucho en el grupo católico de la universidad.

Serví como presidente de esta organización en 2011.

CNH: ¿Novias? Imagino que sí. ¿Qué te dijeron cuando les comentaste que serías sacerdote? ¿Qué dijeron tus padres?

Alfonso: ¡Nunca tuve novia! No se presentó la oportunidad.

Pero siempre tenía pensado casarme. De hecho, cuando me uní al grupo católico de la universidad, tengo que confesar que ese era uno de mis motivos para integrarme, para conocer a mi futura esposa. Y pues en un sentido sí lo logré, porque fueron en esos años en que encontré mi vocación y mi amor por la Iglesia.

Mis padres siempre me han apoyado. Mi mamá, por su parte, había considerado una vocación a la vida religiosa, entonces para ella estas preguntas no eran extrañas. Al inicio, mi papá GÁMEZ, PASA A LA PÁGINA 17

FOTOS POR AMY BURGER Y PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE

“Vitalidad juvenil de nuestra Iglesia local” PATRICIA GUILFOYLE EDITORA

CHARLOTTE — La Diócesis de Charlotte dio la bienvenida a tres nuevos sacerdotes el 22 de junio, cuando el Obispo Peter Jugis ordenó tres seminaristas al sacerdocio durante la Liturgia de Ordenación al Santo Sacerdocio.

Los diáconos transicionales Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gámez y Britt Taylor recibieron el sacramento del orden sagrado durante una Misa de dos horas de duración realizada en la iglesia San Marcos en Huntersville.

El Obispo Jugis dijo a los hombres que jugarán un papel vital en “la renovación constante de la gracia y la santidad en la vida del pueblo de Dios y en la renovación diaria de la Iglesia”.

“Estoy seguro que se habrán dado cuenta que la Diócesis de Charlotte es una diócesis joven. Aún no tenemos 50 años como diócesis y todavía hay mucha sensación de novedad, frescura y juventud en ella”, dijo el obispo Jugis en su homilía antes de ordenar a los tres hombres.

Señaló que la Iglesia San Marcos, llena de clérigos, religiosos y laicos para la Misa de la ordenación, fue dedicada hace tan solo 10 años.

“Nuestros tres nuevos sacerdotes que están ordenados hoy son parte de la vitalidad juvenil de nuestra Iglesia local”, añadió.

“La Iglesia es siempre joven y se renueva para siempre. Eso es cierto porque Jesucristo, el Señor resucitado, está siempre presente, animando su cuerpo, la Iglesia, a través de su Espíritu Santo, haciendo que todas las cosas sean nuevas”.

“Britt, Alfonso y Michael, vuestro ministerio como sacerdotes renovará el mundo cada día”, dijo a los jóvenes, “a través del Santo Sacrificio de la Misa, mediante el cual Dios continúa la obra de redención en nuestro tiempo... a través del sacramento de la

penitencia, que refresca y restaura las almas a la amistad con Dios... a través de todos los sacramentos, y a través de la predicación y la enseñanza de la fe y el Evangelio”.

Los nuevos sacerdotes están configurados para Cristo a través de la ordenación para convertirse en “colaboradores con su obispo para servir a Cristo, el Maestro, el Sacerdote y el Pastor predicando el Evangelio y enseñando la fe, pastoreando al pueblo de Dios y, sobre todo, celebrando la sagrada liturgia”.

Se unen a “una fraternidad fuerte que los abrazará y les dará la bienvenida a las filas de una hermandad sacramental”, dijo el obispo, un componente importante de la Iglesia joven y creciente del oeste de Carolina del Norte.

El padre Michael Carlson, feligrés de la Iglesia Sta. Ana en Charlotte, estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Norteamericano en Roma. Es hijo de Rock y Julianne Carlson.

El padre Alfonso Gámez, feligrés de la Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción en Hendersonville, estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum. Es hijo de José y Ana María Gámez.

El padre Britt Taylor, feligrés de la Iglesia San Mateo en Charlotte, también estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum. Es hijo de Rick y Terri Taylor.

Cerca al término de la Misa, el Obispo Jugis anunció las primeras tareas para los nuevos sacerdotes: El Padre Carlson servirá como vicario parroquial en la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Gracia en Greensboro.

El padre Gámez servirá como vicario parroquial en la Iglesia San Marcos en Huntersville. El padre Taylor servirá como vicario parroquial de la Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción en Hendersonville.

Más online En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea más fotos y videos destacados de la misa de ordenación

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Quinto vicario general y canciller de la diócesis tomó juramento de fidelidad CHARLOTTE — Ante la presencia del Obispo Peter Jugis, el Padre Patrick Winslow juró fidelidad a la Iglesia e hizo profesión de fe al inaugurar su ministerio como vicario general y canciller durante la Misa celebrada el 30 de junio en la Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino, donde ha servido como pastor desde 2012.

Como vicario general, el Padre Winslow reportará directamente al obispo los asuntos relacionados al clero y las vocaciones, reemplazándolo en su ausencia. Como canciller, supervisará las operaciones administrativas y financieras diarias de la diócesis.

El Obispo Jugis resaltó que el rol “es una tremenda responsabilidad que, como pueden imaginar, ha accedido a asumirla”.

En una de sus últimas homilías como pastor, el Padre Winslow dijo que “Santo Tomás tiene un lugar especial en mi corazón y mente” y “seguirá siendo mi parroquia de origen”.

César Hurtado

¿Cuál es el límite?

N

o entiendo qué nos pasa.

Especialmente a nosotros católicos, formados supuestamente en el amor, como imágenes vivas del maestro, de Jesucristo, de Dios hijo que se hizo hombre para mostrarnos el camino que Dios Padre nos indica.

El gobierno aseguró hace pocos días que iniciará redadas masivas para capturar, detener y deportar a cerca de diez millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que trabajan para mantener a sus familias, pagan impuestos y contribuyen al bienestar del país. ¿Cuál fue nuestra respuesta?

La organización Raíces, que ha tomado la bandera de defensa de los derechos humanos de los migrantes, sorprendió a los neoyorquinos al colocar, en varias esquinas del centro de la gran manzana, decenas de jaulas metálicas que simulaban tener dentro a un niño arropado con una de esas mantas de aluminio que se les entregan en los centros de detención. Las jaulas emitían sonidos de grabaciones reales de los niños detenidos llorando por la ausencia de sus padres. El impacto fue tremendo, pero alcanzó solamente a unos pocos.

Mientras, la crisis humanitaria en la frontera continúa sin tener visos de solución. Más y más niños son separados de sus padres y enjaulados en las llamadas perreras, sin acceso a servicios de salud, educación, a tiempo para el juego ni a artículos de aseo personal. ¿Cuál es nuestra respuesta?

El gobierno mexicano ha iniciado su participación en la cacería humana, deteniendo migrantes en tránsito hacia el sueño americano. Madres cargando a sus hijos en brazos ruegan a los soldados que no los detengan, que sus vidas corren peligro si los devuelven a Centroamérica.

Algunos aseguran que el esfuerzo es justo, que se está deteniendo a delincuentes, terroristas, traficantes de drogas y humanos. La realidad es que la gran mayoría son padres con hijos que escapan de la miseria y violencia en sus países de origen, no en búsqueda de riqueza sino tras la posibilidad de encontrar un rincón donde vivir sin miedo.

Una vez más pregunto: ¿Cuál es nuestra respuesta?

Hace una semana, una imagen publicada por CNN impactó a millones de personas. La gráfica, imposible de ver sin derramar lágrimas, ilustra el drama de los migrantes que cruzan a nado la frontera. Un padre y su hija, una bebé en brazos, hallaron la muerte cuando buscaban la vida. ¿Cuál fue nuestra respuesta?

La Conferencia de Obispos de Estados Unidos una vez más exigió al gobierno federal un trato humanitario para “todas las personas, sin importar su país de origen o estatus legal”, que “están hechas a la imagen de Dios y deben ser tratadas con dignidad y respeto”.

Pero, como parte de mi comunidad, siento con dolor que hemos perdido nuestra capacidad de indignación y protesta. ¿Hasta cuándo, por el amor de Dios, seguiremos ‘viviendo’ nuestras vidas sin importar el drama de nuestros hermanos? ¿Cuándo gritaremos ¡basta ya!, ¡no más!?

La frase del pastor luterano Martin Niemöller, pintada en una pared del Museo del Holocausto en Washington DC, refleja lo que podría ocurrir si no respondemos con propiedad a esta pérdida de valores que permite que lo impensable ocurra.

“Primero vinieron por los socialistas, y yo no dije nada, porque yo no era socialista.

Luego vinieron por los sindicalistas, y yo no dije nada, porque yo no era sindicalista. Luego vinieron por los judíos, y yo no dije nada, porque yo no era judío. Luego vinieron por mí, y no quedó nadie para hablar por mí.”

CÉSAR HURTADO es especialista en comunicaciones hispanas de Catholic News Herald.

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Comunidad se informó sobre avances en la atención de sus necesidades CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

FOTOS POR BILL WASHINGTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebraron al Sagrado Corazón SALISBURY — La Iglesia Católica Sagrado Corazón celebró el viernes 28 de junio la fiesta del Sagrado Corazón. La fiesta dió inicio con una Misa al mediodía seguida del rezo del Rosario y la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia. A las 5 de la tarde se llevó a cabo la Procesión Eucarística desde el jardín del cementerio hasta la iglesia para la bendición celebrada por el Padre Eckert y el Diácono Jim Mazur. Estuvieron presentes los seminaristas Darren Balkey, Joseph Wasswa y Christopher Brock. Le siguió una kermés donde se ofrecieron platillos internacionales, música y juegos para niños. El entretenimiento incluyó un stand en el que, con buena puntería, podía lograrse que el Padre Eckert se diera un buen chapuzón. Gracias a una rifa los feligreses tuvieron la oportunidad de ganar una bicicleta, una parrilla de carbón y un cooler repleto de utensilios para barbacoa. A las 8 de la noche, una exhibición de fuegos artificiales terminó el hermoso día para los feligreses del Sagrado Corazón.

FOTO ENVIADA POR BENITO CONTRERAS

Vicariato de Asheville organizó retiro juvenil CANDLER — Concluyó el retiro para jóvenes organizado por la Pastoral Juvenil del Vicariato de Asheville. Chicos y chicas entre 14 y 17 años se reunieron en la Iglesia Santa Juana de Arco en Candler, del 28 al 30 de junio, para reflexionar sobre su realidad en el siglo XXI. Saludos y felicitaciones a los jóvenes que caminan en la búsqueda de un mayor acercamiento con Jesús.

CHARLOTTE — Preocupada por la situación de la comunidad migrante en la región de Charlotte, la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe acogió la realización de una sesión informativa en sus instalaciones localizadas en la zona oeste.

La asamblea, organizada por el gobierno local de la Ciudad, tuvo lugar el jueves 27 de junio a las seis de la tarde.

Federico Ríos, gerente de Integración Internacional de la Ciudad de Charlotte, señaló que el propósito de la reunión era informar a la comunidad sobre los avances obtenidos desde el 14 de febrero pasado cuando, bajo la indicación de la alcaldesa Vi Lyles, se organizó un comité multidisciplinario para fomentar la participación de las comunidades inmigrantes que residen en la Ciudad.

Durante el proceso, que en 21 días organizó ocho eventos para recoger la opinión comunitaria, se reunieron más de 500 personas “que quieren que se escuche su voz” y tienen el interés “de hablar y compartir sus necesidades con los oficiales del gobierno local”, señaló Rios.

Para el gerente, el propósito del comité de escuchar a la comunidad inmigrante e “identificar estrategias y acciones para mejorar el conocimiento y la conexión con los servicios y actividades del gobierno de la Ciudad” se ha cumplido a cabalidad.

Muestra de ello, añadió, es la declaración de apoyo a los inmigrantes aprobada en el Concejo de la Ciudad el pasado 24 de junio.

La jornada informativa se complementó con la presencia de representantes de organizaciones como el Departamento de Policía de Charlotte Mecklenburg (CMPD), la Oficina del Sheriff del condado Mecklenburg, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy y Action NC, quienes ofrecieron otras sesiones de trabajo donde explicaron sus funciones y la ayuda que prestan para atender las diversas necesidades de la población.

El Padre Hugo Medellín, sacerdote de la parroquia, señaló que con estas actividades “no descuidan su ministerio” y atienden a todos los fieles en todas sus necesidades, “pero también es importante esta participación social”, la misma que “no es activismo”, ya que “no se aboga por ningún oficial en campaña”, sino que “se trabaja con oficiales electos” que “brindan información importante a la gente”.

Más online En www.facebook.com/CNHEspanol: Vea un video sobre la sesión informativa

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catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

San Camilo

Escuelas ofrecen alimentos gratuitos este verano CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — A través de un comunicado de prensa, el sistema escolar de Charlotte Mecklenburg (CMS), aseguró que este verano más de 50 escuelas locales proporcionarán desayuno y almuerzo para alimentar a niños de nuestra comunidad. Además, el programa CMS Lunch Express servirá en áreas donde es difícil que los niños lleguen a un punto de alimentación escolar.

Mientras que la mayoría de los niños ansían que la escuela termine en junio, algunos padres se ven en apuros para asegurar el desayuno y almuerzo de sus hijos, ya sea por falta de recursos o por la imposibilidad de estar presentes en el hogar por motivos de trabajo.

Por esta razón, el Programa de Servicio de Alimentos de Verano proporciona comidas nutritivas sin costo para ayudar a los niños que residen en áreas de bajos ingresos a obtener la nutrición que necesitan para aprender, jugar y crecer durante los meses de verano cuando están fuera de la escuela.

El Programa de Servicio de Alimentos de Verano (SFSP, por sus siglas en inglés) de CMS se financia gracias a aportes del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos y se administra a través del Departamento de Instrucción Pública de Carolina del Norte, quien reembolsa a CMS el costo de las comidas servidas a los niños elegibles.

Los niños de 1 a 18 años reciben comidas sin costo a través del programa y todas las comidas cumplen con los estándares de nutrición según las pautas federales.

No hay más requisito que estar dentro del rango de la edad establecida para beneficiarse del servicio (1 a 18 años). No es necesaria inscripción previa y los niños solo deben presentarse a solicitar sus alimentos dentro del horario designado. La entrega se realiza por orden de llegada hasta cubrir las existencias.

Si bien los programas de alimentación de verano ya dieron inicio el pasado miércoles 12 de junio, cualquier niño que necesite alimentación puede presentarse a las escuelas participantes o los puntos de ‘Lunch Express’.

Si necesita ayuda para encontrar un punto de distribución de alimentos del programa, por favor comuníquese con los servicios de nutrición escolar al teléfono (980) 343-6041.

Puede encontrar la relación completa de escuelas participantes del programa de alimentos de verano en https://bit.ly/2Jje3xe

Puntos de Lunch Express en Charlotte n Fieldridge Acres, 7800 Wilkinson Blvd., L-V 11 a.m. n Robert L. Smith Parks & Rec, 1604 Little Rock Road, L-V 11:30 a.m. n Forestbrook Apartments, 2903 Forestbrook Dr., L-V, 11:55 a.m. n Stonewall Jackson Homes, 5751 Airport Dr., L-V 12:30 p.m. n West Bloomfield Acres, 3714 Walker Cove Trail, L-V, 1:10 p.m. n Bellhaven Estate Homes, 7115 Bellhaven Blvd., L-V, 1:45 p.m. n Kingswood Mobile Home Park, 315 Malcolm Lane, L-V, 11:00 a.m. n Champion House of Care, 5108 Reagan Dr., L-V, 12 p.m. n Nevins Splash Pad Parks & Rec, 6000 Statesville Road, 1:35 p.m. n Tanglewood Apartments, 3200 Dalecrest Dr., L-V, 12:20 p.m. n Pressley Apartments, 1210 Pressley Rd., L-V, 11:40 a.m.

n Woodstone Apartments, 4826 Woodstone Dr., L-V, 12:55 p.m. n Little Rock Apartments, 5712 Leake St., L-V, 11 a.m. n Kings Park Apartments, 2425 Kingspark Dr., L-V, 12:25 p.m. n Double Oaks Pool, 2014 Woodward Ave., L-V, 1:15 p.m. n Extended Stay, 4421 Stuart Andrew Blvd., L-V, 12:20 p.m. n DSS-Billingsley, 301 Billingsley Rd., L-V, 12 p.m. n DSS-Freedom, 3205 Freedom Dr., L-V, 11 a.m. n Hampton Creste Apts., 920 N Davidson St., L-V, 12:40 p.m. n Cordilla Pools, 2100 N. Davidson St., L-V, 1:20 p.m. n West Charlotte Library, 2157 West Blvd., solo jueves, 1:15 p.m.

Patrono de los profesionales de la salud CONDENSADO DE ACIPRENSA

El 14 de julio se recuerda a San Camilo de Lelis, fundador de los Siervos de los enfermos y patrono de los profesionales de la salud y hospitales.

San Camilo nació en 1350 en Italia, donde formó parte del ejército veneciano. Tenía el vicio del juego de azar y cierto día perdió todo lo que poseía. En la miseria, se puso a trabajar en la construcción de un convento capuchino.

Al escuchar las prédicas, poco a poco su corazón fue cambiando hasta que se reconoció como gran pecador y se encomendó a la misericordia de Dios. Ingresó a los capuchinos, pero no pudo profesar por una enfermedad en su pierna. Retornó al hospital de San Giacomo y se dedicó al cuidado de los enfermos.

San Camilo decidió independizarse del Hospital San Giacomo y con dos compañeros inició la congregación de los Siervos de los enfermos. Cada día asistían a los pacientes del Hospital del Espíritu Santo, cuidándolos como si se tratara del mismo Cristo y los acercaban a los sacramentos.

Con el tiempo, el servicio de la congregación se fue ampliando y se asumió la misión de atender a los prisioneros enfermos y a los convalecientes que vivieran en casas particulares. Desde aquel entonces San Camilo envió religiosos con las tropas para que atendieran a los que cayeran heridos.

Muchos religiosos murieron en este sacrificado servicio, incluso por la peste, pero San Camilo y sus hermanos continuaron heroicamente. Tiempo después, San Gregorio XIV confirmó a la Congregación de San Camilo como orden religiosa.

León XIII lo proclamó patrono de los enfermos junto con San Juan de Dios y Pío XI lo declaró patrono de los enfermos y sus asociaciones.

¿Sabías que?

1. Su nacimiento fue considerado un milagro. Camilo nació cuando su madre se acercaba a los 60 años de edad y este hecho fue considerado como un milagro.

2. Su padre era un mercenario militar al servicio de España y de Venecia.

En ese entorno el joven se sintió atraído por las riquezas y los placeres.

3. Inició sus estudios a los 32 años. Fue ordenado sacerdote el 26 de mayo de 1584 en la Basílica de San Juan de Letrán.

4. Se dice que con el acompañamiento de San Felipe Neri, Camilo trató de suavizar su carácter rudo.

5. Rezaba todos los días el Rosario y animaba a que otros lo hicieran.

Celebraba Misa todos los días y tenía una gran devoción por la Eucaristía.

6. 250 años antes del nacimiento de la Cruz Roja Internacional, la “cruz roja” de los hábitos de los hijos de San Camilo brilló en los campos de batalla como signo de fraternidad.

7. Camilo profetizó que moriría en Roma en la fiesta de San Buenaventura, el 14 de julio según el antiguo calendario litúrgico, y así sucedió en 1614. Su cuerpo fue embalsamado y su corazón fue colocado en un relicario.

Director of Music St. Thomas Aquinas in Alpharetta, Georgia, is seeking a transformational leader to recreate and reinvigorate its Liturgical Music Program.

The Director of Music is a full-time position responsible for the musical life of this vibrant, multilingual parish. The role will effectively integrate music within the liturgy and lead the assembly in sung prayer.

For a full job description, go to our website: sta.org

Lecturas Diarias JULIO 7-13

Domingo: Isaías 66:1014, Gálatas 6:14-18, Lucas 10:1-12, 17-20; Lunes: Génesis 28:10-22, Mateo 9:18-26; Martes (San Augustín Zhao Rong y compañeros): Génesis 32:23-33, Mateo 9:32-38; Miércoles: Génesis 41:5557, 42:5-7, 17-24, Mateo 10:1-7; Jueves (San Benedicto): Génesis 44:18-21, 23-29, 45:1-5, Mateo 10:7-15; Viernes: Génesis 46:1-7, 28-30, Mateo 10:16-23; Sábado (San Enrique): Génesis 49:29-32, 50:15-26, Mateo 10:24-33

JULIO 14-20

Domingo: Deuteronomio 30:1014, Colosenses 1:15-20, Lucas 10:25-37; Lunes (San Buenaventura): Éxodo 1:8-14, 22, Mateo 10:34-11:1; Martes (Nuestra Señora de Monte Carmelo): Éxodo 2:1-15, Mateo 11:20-24; Miércoles: Éxodo 3:1-6, 9-12, Mateo 11:25-27; Jueves (San Camilo de Lellis): Éxodo 3:13-20, Mateo 11:28-30; Viernes: Éxodo 11:10-12:14, Mateo 121:1-8; Sábado (San Apolinario): Éxodo 12:3742, Mateo 12:14-21

JULIO 21-27

Domingo: Génesis 18:1-10, Colosenses 1:24-28, Lucas 10:38-42; Lunes (Santa María Magdalena): Cantar de los cantares 3:1-4, Juan 20:1-2, 11-18; Martes (Sta. Brígida): Éxodo 14:21-15:1, Éxodo 15:8-10, 12, 17, Mateo 12:46-50; Miércoles (San Sharbel Makhluf): Éxodo 16:1-5, 9-15, Mateo 13:1-9; Jueves (San Santiago): 2 Corintios 4:7-15, Mateo 20:20-28; Viernes (Santos Joaquín y Ana): Éxodo 20:1-17, Mateo 13:18-23; Sábado: Éxodo 24:3-8, Mateo 13:24-30

Mix

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ True to its title, this snappy follow-up to 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” finds the eponymous superhero (Tom Holland) traveling across Europe on a summer trip organized for the students of his alter ego Peter Parker’s high school. He wants to spend the journey courting the classmate with whom he’s smitten (Zendaya). But a hard-driving crime fighter (Samuel L. Jackson) forcefully recruits him to join the battle against the sole survivor of a quartet of monsters known as Elementals. So he teams with an alien (Jake Gyllenhaal) whose world was destroyed by the creatures and is so impressed with his new comrade that he gives him the vastly powerful technological system he inherited from his late mentor (Robert Downey Jr., seen only in images).

He soon discovers however, that his trust may have been misplaced. Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers continue to explore the franchise’s recurring theme about the responsibilities that come with power, in this case as Peter worries about his ability to step into the shoes of Downey’s character. Acceptable for older teens. Frequent stylized combat, mature references, at least one mild oath, a couple of crude and a few crass terms.

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

‘Toy Story 4’ Delightful addition to the animated franchise in which the cowboy leader (voice of Tom Hanks) of the familiar gang of toys who come to life when humans aren’t looking becomes the mentor of a homemade doll (voice of Tony Hale) his kid owner (voice of Madeleine McGraw) fashioned primarily out of a plastic spork. As he and the group including the astronaut (voice of Tim Allen) with whom he once carried on a rivalry are brought along on a family vacation, the cattleman also finds traces of a long-lost buddy, a shepherdess figurine (voice of Annie Potts) from whom he has been separated for nearly a decade. They also introduce a memorable new character, a 1970s Canadian stuntman toy (voice of Keanu Reeves). Characters in peril, some potentially frightening scenes.

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

Other movies: n ‘Anna’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R n ‘Yesterday’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

Radio network launches mobile app CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Catholic Radio Network is even easier to hear anywhere you are with its new app.

This app is not just a streaming radio app, it’s an app for all things Catholic, says founder and spokesperson for the Carolina Catholic Radio Network, David Papandrea.

“It has everything on it,” Papandrea notes.

“When looking to launch an app, we looked at how people are using their devices, from a Catholic perspective, to see what we should include.”

The CCRN app is sponsored by Catholic Radio Charlotte, WCGC AM1270. The station started broadcasting Jan. 31, and it reaches an estimated 500,000 people over the airway from Hickory to Rock Hill, S.C., including Huntersville and Charlotte.

The app, which has been live since early May, is meant to be an “in-your-pocket” resource for all things Catholic. It includes prayer and Mass resources, the Bible, links to grow in your faith, local

Catholic links and music, EWTN archives and even a prayer intention wall.

“Everything you could possibly want is there, and if someone has a request, we’re committed to review and potentially ask for it,” Papandrea says.

The CCRN has already added a “Mass times near you” function since it launched. Papandrea said they also want to develop a section focused on young adults and their spiritual journey.

With a month of analytics for the new app, Papandrea says users are spending the most time with the “pray” section.

CCRN has looked to expand its over-the-air stations in the network to cover the entire Charlotte diocese.

“The app is a way to overcome the biggest objection we’ve heard as we’ve looked to expand: ‘we can’t hear you!’” Papandrea says.

“The number of people with smart phones is as close as you’re going to get to reaching most people, and it does it for a fraction of the cost. As long as the technology is there, we certainly have to embrace it.

Every conceivable group can be touched with this app.”

The app is available for download for free in the Apple and Android marketplaces.

— Kimberly Bender, online reporter

Learn more At www.carolinacatholicradio.org: Download the app, stream the station, donate or learn about bringing a station to your area

Passwords: Protecting your digital ‘kingdom’ Passwords are the keys to your “kingdom.” They provide the ability to log in to a computer, network, hosted accounts and potentially sensitive data. They are the first step in securing your online identity and business or personal information. They are a critical security step and should not be taken for granted.

Make your digital life easier and safer by following these tips and rules: n MOST IMPORTANT: Never, ever, share your passwords with anyone – including family members and your IT support staff. Most providers, but not all, allow groups or multiple usernames on an account so different people can access an account. n Do not save passwords in your computer’s web browser, on sticky notes, or other places visible to others. n Never reuse passwords. n Never use the same password to

access multiple systems. n Never use personal information like a family or child’s name, or the name of your pet, etc. n Never use a password that contains the season and year, such as “Summer2019.” These are too easy for hackers to guess. n Never use social media login credentials such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., when registering for other, new internet services. If your Facebook credentials are stolen, the criminal can gain access to multiple accounts of yours.

What makes a good password?

The “old” conventional thinking was to use a minimum of eight characters with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters to create a supposedly “strong” password. Today, that thinking is changing because cyber criminals are now employing automated bots

to crack eight-character passwords in just seconds.

The new thinking is to use a password containing a minimum of 20 characters or to use a passphrase. Make the passphrase something memorable and meaningful to you. Remember, the longer the password is, the harder it will be for a criminal to crack it.

What is an example of a passphrase? Let’s say you have an account for Hulu (online TV streaming) and let’s say you don’t really like watching TV. Your passphrase might be something like: “IStillDontLikeTVandProbablyNeverWill!” It’s easy to remember because you don’t like watching TV and probably never will!

God bless, and safe computing!

SCOTT LONG is the information technology director for the Diocese of Charlotte.

“Fr. Ben Gets Ready for Mass” by Katie Warner, illustrated by Meg Whalen Get ready for a creative and fun journey with a holy priest as he prepares to celebrate Mass. Your child will enjoy the interactive prompts to dip their finger in the holy water font and help the altar servers blow out the candles. “Fr. Ben Gets Ready for Mass” is the perfect way to introduce your Catholic child to the joy of the liturgy and the gift of the priesthood. If you enjoy “Fr. Ben Gets Ready for Mass,”

be sure to check out “I Went to Mass: What Did I See?” by the same author and illustrator duo. This beautifully illustrated book will help young children learn, label and love what they see in their own church.

At www.tanbooks.com: Order your copy of “Fr. Ben Gets Ready for Mass.” Catholic News Herald readers enjoy 20 percent off their order – use the exclusive coupon code “CNH20.”

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On TV n Saturday, July 6, 3 p.m. (EWTN) “Marian Procession from the Holy Land.” A monthly Rosary Procession from the site of the Annunciation and Incarnation in Nazareth. n Wednesday, July 10, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “My Secret Friend: A Guardian Angel Story.” When little Angie runs into difficulties she learns an unforgettable lesson about heaven’s special gift to each of us: our very own guardian angel.

Animated. n Friday, July 12, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Remain With Us Lord.”An inspirational collection of personal stories and theological reflections on the importance of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.

n Saturday, July 13, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Kateri.”

After witnessing the atrocities of war, a young, orphaned Mohawk girl embarks on a fervent journey of faith as a Catholic missionary for her people. An EWTN original movie.

Our nation 14

catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Migrants are persons like us’: Border bishops offer prayers after deaths

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Report details attacks on, abuses against religious freedom worldwide WASHINGTON, D.C. — The State Department’s newly released annual report on international religious freedom shows continued attacks and abuse by governments and societies against religious minorities in their respective countries. The report, issued June 21, collected data on each nation for the year 2018.

U.S. embassies “prepare the initial drafts of country chapters based on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academics, media, and others,” said the report’s introduction. The State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom collects and analyzes additional information from separate sources as well. The report includes disclaimers.

“Specific inclusions or omissions should not be interpreted as a signal that a particular case is of greater or lesser importance to the U.S. government,” the report noted. “The goal is to shed light on the nature, scope, and severity of actions impacting religious freedom through illustrative examples.” A sampling of situations found in the report provide example after example of troubling situations. The full report can found be online at https://bit. ly/2FnW6MS.

Supreme Court to take up DACA case, not abortion law, next term WASHINGTON, D.C. — In its next term, the Supreme Court will examine if the Trump administration illegally tried to end a program that protects young adults brought to the U.S. as minors without documentation. The court announced in a June 28 order that it will consolidate three cases on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, in its term that begins in October. President Donald Trump has been wanting the high court to overturn appellate court rulings that have kept in place the DACA program initiated by President Barack Obama in 2012, which has protected nearly 700,000 people brought to this country as children, commonly known as “Dreamers.”

Without action from the high court, the lower court rulings have been kept it in place, blocking the president’s effort to end DACA, which he ordered in 2017 when then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions called DACA “an unconstitutional exercise of authority.”

Although qualifying DACA recipients do not get legal status, they receive a work permit and get a reprieve from deportation and other temporary relief. Federal judges who have blocked ending the program have said the Trump administration needs to provide a clear explanation of why the program should end.

— Catholic News Service

RHINA GUIDOS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Flores serves, held a vigil late Sunday to remember the deaths of the Salvadoran father and daughter, whose bodies were repatriated to El Salvador for burial the weekend of June 27-28.

“United to the families that suffer these sorrows, with

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholic bishops from both sides of the border near McAllen, Texas, issued a joint statement expressing condolences to the families of migrant children and parents who recently drowned trying to cross the river into the United States.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and Bishop Eugenio Lira Rugarcia, of the neighboring Diocese of Matamoros, Mexico, issued the statement in English and Spanish June 28, saying their respective border dioceses “express with much pain the sorrow of the whole community upon hearing of the parents and children that have recently lost their lives upon crossing the Rio Grande River, seeking a better life.”

They mentioned, in particular, the deaths of 25-year-old Oscar CNS| LOREN ELLIOTT, REUTERS Alberto Martinez A photo of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his 23-month-old daughter, Valeria, is seen Ramirez and 23-monthat a vigil for them in Brownsville, Texas, June 30. They drowned June 24 in the Rio Grande while trying to reach old daughter Angie the United States.

Valeria, a Salvadoran father and daughter whose bodies were photographed after they drowned in whom we have been able personally to speak and pray, we the river that flows across Texas and Mexico and forms ask God the Father for the eternal rest of their deceased part of the U.S-Mexico border. loved ones, and we ask that He fill loved ones who remain “We offer our condolences to the families and loved with strength and hope in these difficult moments,” the ones of those who have died, and we recall that over the bishops said in their statement. course of years countless persons have lost their lives in “Also, as we recognize the good that many persons do a similar manner, many whose names are known to God for our migrant brothers and sisters, we invite everyone, alone,” the statement said. governments and society, to be ever aware that migrants The statements also mentioned the recent deaths of a are persons like us; with dignity and rights, with needs, mother in her 20s and her three children, whose bodies were sorrows and hopes,” they said. “We must extend a hand found by authorities on federal land near the U.S. side of the to help them have a better future, following the teaching river close to McAllen June 28. They have not been identified. that Jesus has given us: ‘Do unto others whatever you The border community of Brownsville, where Bishop would have them do to you.’”

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Thank you.

The Catholic News Herald received 10 awards for its work in 2018 from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada.

This recognition would not have been possible without the generous support of our readers, advertisers and news contributors, as well as the clergy and religious of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Thank you for supporting us in our mission to serve Christ and connect Catholics in western North Carolina.

First Place Best Diocesan Newspaper (non-weekly, 25,000+) Best coverage on the Sexual Abuse Crisis ‘Abuse scandal hits the Church,’ Aug. 31 edition

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For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Ecumenical goal is unity, not leveling differences, pope says

In Brief Pope applauds Trump, Kim meeting in North Korea ROME — After U.S. President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea, Pope Francis called his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a positive step toward world peace. After praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square June 30, the pope called the historic meeting a “good example of a culture of encounter.” He also sent greetings to Trump and Kim and prayed “that this significant gesture constitutes a further step in the path of peace, not only in that peninsula but for the whole world.” After Trump tweeted June 29 that he would like to meet with Kim at the border between North and South Korea, the North Korean leader agreed to meet him the next day in the demilitarized zone that has separated the North and South since the Korean War ended in 1953. After meeting for nearly an hour, both leaders agreed to set up teams to resume talks that broke down in February over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Pope to canonize Blessed John Henry Newman in Rome Oct. 13 VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will declare Blessed John Henry Newman, the 19th-century British cardinal, a saint Oct. 13. The British theologian will be canonized during a Mass at the Vatican along with a Swiss laywoman, an Indian nun, an Italian nun and a nun known as the “Mother Teresa of Brazil.” The date for the canonization Mass was announced July 1 during an “ordinary public consistory,” a meeting of the pope, cardinals and promoters of sainthood causes that formally ends the sainthood process. Born in London in 1801, John Henry Newman was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825. He later founded the Oxford Movement, which emphasized the Catholic roots of Anglicanism. After a series of clashes

CNS | PAUL HARING

Archbishop Gregory among those receiving pallium Archbishops Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., Peter A. Comensoli of Melbourne and Michael Byrnes of Agana, Guam, pray the Lord’s Prayer during Pope Francis’ celebration of Mass marking the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican June 29. The three archbishops were among 30 prelates who received the pallium from the pope after the Mass. Blessing bands of wool that archbishops will wear around their shoulders, Pope Francis said, “It is a sign that the shepherds do not live for themselves but for the sheep. It is a sign that, in order to possess life, we have to lose it, give it away.” The palliums are a woolen band that the heads of archdioceses wear around their shoulders over their Mass vestments. with Anglican bishops made him a virtual outcast from the Church of England, he joined the Catholic Church at the age of 44 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1846. Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879 while respecting his wishes not to be ordained a bishop. A theologian and poet, he died in 1890 and his sainthood cause was opened in 1958. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in Birmingham, England, in 2010.

Amid tensions in China, Vatican tells clergy to follow conscience VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has told bishops and priests in China that they must follow their own consciences in deciding whether to register with the government, and it urged Catholics in the country not to judge them for the choices they make. The problem, the

Vatican said, is that registration almost always requires the bishop or priest to accept “the principle of independence, autonomy and selfadministration of the Church in China,” which could be read as a denial of one’s bonds with the pope and the universal church. Releasing the “pastoral guidelines of the Holy See concerning the civil registration of clergy in China” June 28, the Vatican acknowledged that acceptance of the independence of the Church in China comes despite “the commitment assumed by the Chinese authorities,” in an agreement with the Vatican in September, to respect Catholic doctrine. Deciding whether to register with the government, which is the only way to be able to minister openly, is a choice that is “far from simple,” the guidelines said. “All those involved -- the Holy See, bishops, priests, religious men and women and the lay faithful -- are called to discern the will of God with patience and humility on this part of the journey of the Church in China, marked, as it is, by much hope but also by enduring difficulties.”

VATICAN CITY — At the end of Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis and Orthodox Archbishop Job of Telmessos walked down the stairs under the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica and prayed together at the apostle’s tomb. The archbishop was representing Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at the pope’s celebration of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome and are the patron saints of the Roman Church. Greeting the archbishop in his homily June 29, Pope Francis told him, “Your presence reminds us that we can spare no effort in the journey toward full unity among believers, in communion at every level. For together, reconciled to God and having forgiven one another, we are called to bear witness to Jesus by our lives.” Meeting members of the Orthodox delegation June 28, the pope said Sts. Peter and Paul are exemplars of “the apostolic courage of proclamation, which also entails a commitment to respond to the new challenges of the present time.”

Patriarch Bartholomew and his longstanding theological and pastoral concern about climate change is one example of that, the pope said, and “has been a source of inspiration for me.”

Pope: German Church needs spiritual, not just structural, renewal VATICAN CITY — No quick “fixes” or organizational change will renew the Catholic Church in Germany, Pope Francis said; what is needed is a spiritual renewal and Gospel transparency. In a letter to “the pilgrim people of God in Germany,” published by the Vatican June 29, the pope said efforts to eliminate tension solely by “being in order and in harmony” would ultimately “numb and domesticate the heart of our people and diminish and even silence the vital and evangelical strength the Spirit wants to give us.” “You would have a good ecclesial body that is well organized and even ‘modernized’ but without soul and evangelical newness; we would live a ‘gaseous’ Christianity without evangelical bite,” he wrote. In late September, the bishops’ conference released a study that revealed an estimated 3,700 cases of sexual abuse reported in the German Church from 1946 to 2014. The BRIEFS, SEE PAGE 17

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July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

FRIARS FROM PAGE 3

in – extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, lectors and the men’s prayer group – grow under the clergy’s leadership.

In turn, people’s faith has been strengthened.

“I’ve gained great confidence in wanting to be in the Church and wanting to be serving the Lord from his great example,” Diaz said of Father Schratz.

The friars have worked to merge the communities to worship as one, Father Schratz noted.

“We do a lot more things bilingually, and more events have been attended by both communities, equally,” he said. “The sheep are entrusted to us as shepherds. We minister them all at the same time. It has been great to see that grow.”

Immaculate Conception Parish also has a new mission: “We are a joyful Catholic

BRIEFS FROM PAGE 16

statistics prompted outrage in the general public, and the German bishops held several meetings to discuss reforms; some of the suggestions included reviewing the Church’s discipline on priestly celibacy, reviewing Church law, promoting more women in church administration and reviewing Catholic teaching on sexual morality.

East African bishops condemn Eritrea seizure of health centers NAIROBI, Kenya — Members of bishops’ conferences in East Africa condemned the Eritrea government’s seizure of health facilities belonging to the Catholic Church. They also assured Eritrean bishops and Catholics of their solidarity after the seizure. The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa told the bishops it hoped God would “nurture you with the hope and give you the necessary courage and stamina to stand strong in defense of the rights of the Church and God’s people.” In mid-June, the Eritrean government confiscated all Church-run clinics and health centers. Government security officers are said to have removed the staff from the health centers and closed them. Patients were ordered to go home and soldiers were deployed to guard the centers, the bishops said in a June 13 letter to the ministry of health. The Church runs more than 20 clinics in Eritrea, and many are on the property of monasteries.

Pope gives relics of St. Peter to Orthodox patriarch VATICAN CITY — In what Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople described as a “brave and bold” gesture, Pope Francis gave the patriarch

Community of disciples of Jesus Christ, moved by love, to seek the lost and the broken and bring them home.”

“Not a mission statement, that’s just a statement,” explained Father Schratz. “We came up with a mission, a way of life. The faithful are living their faith, and being Christ for others. It’s easier to teach by example. People see that.”

Father Schratz is going to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Hackensack, N.J. He said he will miss the mountains of North Carolina as he transitions to city life, but he is excited to live closer to his mother and be near the order’s province headquarters in order to spend more time with his fellow Capuchin Franciscans.

Father Schratz asked for prayers as the parish transitions its leadership, and he encouraged people to continue to pray for more religious vocations.

Said Cavagnaro, “I’m looking forward to the new priests. It will be a new chapter. We are looking forward to seeing new things and what will happen next.”

a famous reliquary containing bone fragments believed to belong to St. Peter. The only time the bronze reliquary has been displayed publicly was in November 2013, when Pope Francis had it present for public veneration as he celebrated the closing Mass for the Year of Faith, opened

by Pope Benedict XVI. The bronze case contains nine of the bone fragments discovered during excavations of the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica that began in the 1940s. In the 1960s, archaeologist Margherita Guarducci published a paper asserting that she had found St. Peter’s bones near the site identified as his tomb. While no pope has ever declared the bones to be authentic, St. Paul VI announced in 1968 that the “relics” of St. Peter had been “identified in a way which we can hold to be convincing.”

Pope Paul took nine of the bone fragments, commissioned the bronze reliquary, and kept the relics in his private chapel.

GÁMEZ VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

no entendía el proceso ni mi situación con mi carrera, pero siempre me decía que confiaba en mis decisiones.

CNH: ¿Cuándo ingresaste al seminario? ¿Cómo fueron los estudios?

Alfonso: Fui aceptado como seminarista de la diócesis en mayo de 2013. Ese mismo año, en agosto, el Obispo Jugis me mandó a estudiar al Seminario Pontificio Josephinum en Columbus, Ohio. Ahí complete seis años de estudios, dos de filosofía y cuatro de teología.

Como comenté anteriormente, mi jornada vocacional comenzó por el hambre intelectual que tenía de la fe. Entonces, cuando empecé con mis estudios, me sentía como una esponja absorbiendo todo lo que se me presentaba.

Me gustaban mucho mis estudios y va ser una vida que voy a extrañar.

CNH: ¿Alguna duda en el camino? ¿Qué fortaleció tu decisión?

Alfonso: Siempre. Tuve muchas dudas en varias etapas de mi formación.

Pero el Señor me dio dos dones muy grandes: una memoria buena y amigos seminaristas increíbles. Tuve que hacer hábito de memoria y recordar las razones por las que había entrado al seminario, mi amor y deseo al inicio y pensar que si me salía del seminario solo viviría una vida incompleta. Los amigos que el Señor me dio siempre me han recordado quien soy y motivado en momentos difíciles. Me inspiran las familias que he conocido en la diócesis. Como sacerdote voy a tener la capacidad de llevarles a Dios mismo. Eso

me motiva.

CNH: ¿Crees que serás un sacerdote ‘de salida’ o más bien un poco conservador y ‘de parroquia’?

Alfonso: La verdad no lo sé, nunca he sido sacerdote y no sé cómo voy a ser.

Quizá se puede hacer una comparación como cuando le preguntan a un hombre antes que nazca su primer hijo si va a ser ‘estricto’ o ‘relajado’. Es difícil de decir. De cualquier manera, tengo la intención total de ver por las necesidades de mis feligreses, sean estas fuera o dentro de la parroquia.

CNH: Respecto a la vida sacerdotal, ¿qué crees que será lo más bonito y aquello que se te podría hacer más difícil de llevar?

Alfonso: Creo que lo más bonito será ser testigo de las maravillas que el Señor va a hacer en las vidas de la gente que serviré. Eso me emociona mucho, ver las transformaciones y conversiones. Creo que lo más difícil va a ser cuando uno hace todo lo que puede, pero, aún así, algunas personas deciden alejarse de Dios y de la Iglesia.

CNH: ¿Qué planes tienes para el futuro inmediato? y ¿cómo te ves de aquí a 30 años?

Alfonso: El sábado 22 de junio, después de mi ordenación, voy a ir al primer Congreso Eucarístico de la Diócesis de Birmingham, Alabama para escuchar confesiones y concelebrar la Misa de clausura. El domingo 7 de julio, a las 11:30 a.m. celebraré una Misa de Acción de Gracias en la parroquia Santo Tomás de Aquino en Charlotte.

De aquí a 30 años no me puedo imaginar qué es lo que tiene planeado el Señor para mí. Hace 10 años nunca me hubiera imaginado que para estos días estaría en las vísperas de mi ordenación.

Nunca fue parte de mis planes tomar este camino, pero no podría estar más contento.

Syriac bishops optimistic amid dispersion of their faithful BEIRUT — Faced with the migration of Christians from Syria and Iraq, Syriac Catholic bishops meeting in Lebanon for their annual synod called upon Church members “scattered everywhere in the East and West” to cling to their faith with hope so they “can be witnesses to the joy of the Gospel wherever they are.”

In a statement at the conclusion of the June 17-22 gathering led by Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, the bishops acknowledged the suffering of the faithful in the face of “endless wars, persecutions, acts of violence, terrorism, displacement, murder and destruction, and the uprooting of a large number of nationals from the land of fathers and grandparents – Syria and Iraq – and their dispersion throughout the world.” Yet the bishops stressed that they also are optimistic, “thanking God for the return of many displaced people to their villages” in Iraq and Syria. The prelates noted that Christians “are an authentic component and founder in these two countries.”

— Catholic News Service

17

TO THE DIOCESE’S NEWEST PRIESTS! Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Fr. Michael Carlson & Fr. Britt Taylor

AND A VERY WARM WELCOME TO

our new Parochial Vicar!

ViewPoints 18

catholicnewsherald.com | July 5, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Deacon Clark Cochran

Catholics and guns: It’s time to renounce

T

welve people were shot and killed in Virginia Beach May 31. What should be part of our Catholic response to this violence?

My father was an FBI special agent, so his gun was sometimes in our home during my childhood. When we visited Grandma’s farm, our cousins occasionally had BB guns or 22s, and we’d shoot cans. But guns had little allure. As a teen, my focus was reading, jazz and girls (not necessarily in that order). Later, in 1968, after the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., I knocked on doors in Durham with a gun control petition. Signatures were hard to come by.

Around the same time, I began a deeper faith journey that led to my ordination in 1981. On this journey, I began noticing the contradiction between the example of Jesus and prevalent Christian attitudes toward guns and violence in North Carolina and West Texas (where I lived from 1970 to 2017). Many believers owned weapons and advocated their use. Yet, it seems unlikely that Jesus would pack heat. What then about His disciples? Should we Catholics possess or use weapons of violence?

I believe the answer is a clear “no” for two reasons: Jesus’ call for us to be women and men of peace, and Catholic social teaching’s recognition of the urgent crisis of gun violence.

I profer at least five reasons we Catholics should give up private ownership of guns. (The case of a Catholic required by his/her civic role to carry a weapon is a separate matter.) n Jesus resisted Roman violence against Himself and His people with non-violent suffering. Can His disciples do less? n At baptism we promised to renounce Satan’s “empty promises.” Chief among the devil’s lies is that violence solves problems. However, Catholics know that abortion is not the cure for unwanted pregnancy, nor does capital punishment balance murder. Domestic violence is not solved by counterviolence; road rage does not cure stupid driving. n Catholics are a Eucharistic people. “The Eucharist is the sacrament of non-violence! Thanks to the Eucharist, God’s absolute ‘no’ to violence, spoken on the cross, echoes alive down the centuries.”

(Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Papal Household, 2005) n Christians have a responsibility to renounce even lawful things like guns for the sake of the Kingdom.

(Paul’s example is food: 1 Cor 8:13; 9:19-23.) n Catholics should be ready to die for many things.

But Jesus has no list of things that we should be ready to kill for.

As a matter of faithful discipleship, American Catholics should give up firearms. Any weapons currently owned should be destroyed. (I acknowledge exceptions for which space does not allow discussion: for example, law enforcement officers; ranchers whose land has dangerous animals.)

Our nation requires radical change.

Catholic social teaching recognizes law enforcement’s necessity. A fallen, violent world requires governments to use appropriate force – including firearms when needed – to protect residents from violent crime (See Catechism of the Catholic Church 1909). However, it does not require, nor need it permit, individuals in their private capacity to own guns, especially in our society where gunfire hourly causes death and injury and wreaks havoc on schools and workplaces.

The United States has a disproportionate rate of deaths and injuries from guns. Our homicide rate is approximately 5 times that of other democratic, developed nations. We are among six nations with 10 percent of global population and half of all firearm deaths in 2016. (Our peers were Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Guatemala.) We average one mass shooting (four or more persons shot in the same incident) per day! The explanation is not mental illness or higher crime rates. The cause is the ready availability of guns.

The chief responsibility of any government is to advance and protect society’s common good. When the availability and firepower of privately-held guns threatens the peace and the common good, government has a responsibility to regulate ownership. (“The production and sale of arms affect the common good of nations…. Hence public authorities have the right and duty to regulate them.” (CCC 2316)). The bishops of the United States have long advocated more restrictive gun control laws: see “A Mercy and Peacebuilding Approach to Gun Violence,” March 2018.

Given our lopsided rate of mass killing, murder, suicide and accidental death, the United States must control guns. Here are some of the radical, but practical, policy measures that make sense and that Catholics should advocate; some of these are already the law but not adequately enforced. n Anyone owning a weapon must have a license. n Possession of firearms by most violent felons, persons with extreme risk or domestic violence restraining orders, and those on terrorism watch lists should be prohibited. n Every firearm must be registered by a certain date.

After that date, any unregistered firearm discovered in the ordinary course of policing (not special searches for unregistered weapons) will be confiscated and rendered inoperable. n Background checks, plus a two-week waiting period, should be required before any sale or transfer of firearm ownership. n Restrict the number of guns a person may purchase within a month (for example, a maximum of one gun per month per person). n Limits should be placed on the capacity of magazines (for example, no more than seven shots before a weapon must be reloaded). n Weapons designed for or capable of easy modification for rapid fire should be prohibited. n All guns manufactured after a certain date must be equipped with safety locks and other childproof mechanisms, and include features that enable only the registered owner to activate firing.

These measures are more than controversial, and I understand that thoughtful Catholics may disagree. I would be happy to have a faith-based conversation in any suitable forum.

The killing of 12 public workers in Virginia Beach and two students at the University of North CarolinaCharlotte recently moved me to write. During the time of writing, a dozen or more men and women were killed by guns in our diocese, and a 28-year-old woman accidentally shot and killed herself in a Kannapolis restaurant. What will move you to action?

DEACON CLARKE E. COCHRAN, PhD, serves at St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

Brother Dominic Koester, OP

Ignorance is bliss?

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e live in an age that is painstakingly well-informed, very aware of all types of news. Our awareness transcends the limits of distance: we can just as easily talk on the phone with a friend down the street as we can watch events unfold in real time on the other side of the globe. Thanks to social media, we know copious up-to-the-minute details about the lives of all our friends. The vast body of knowledge available online means that we can Google just about any question, getting all the info we could ever want in seconds.

We are constantly receiving updates, notifications, alerts – you name it! By all measures, it’s hard to image how we could be more connected, informed, or aware of what is going on in the world.

For every good or joyful thing we know, it is likely we know many more bad or troubling news items. The world is full of evil, and we know all about it. Knowing about a problem is the first step to fixing it. If we know the world’s problems then we are at least closer to seeing them resolved. As one more person gets in “the know,” we are another step closer to enacting change. This is just one reason why we, as a culture, abhor naïveté and celebrate being a people with our eyes wide open.

On this point, the prophet Isaiah’s words ring with dissonance as he proclaims that the righteous man is he “who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil” (Is 33:15).

Is Isaiah counseling that righteous people should turn a blind eye to evils in the world? Is he saying we shouldn’t be concerned for the plights of others? Is he condemning the work of whistleblowers and activists for justice? Obviously not – for his own prophecy itself is marked by his drawing attention to evils and calling for them to be resolved.

Instead, he calls us to refocus awareness. There are two facets to this refocusing: the information we gather, and what we do in response.

First, we often spend much time gathering information of very little value. It is important to know what is going on in the world, but does the information we gather really help to achieve this goal? Often, most of what we gather is idle speculation or unnecessary fluff. Dominican Father A.G. Sertillanges put it well in his book “The Intellectual Life” when speaking of newspapers: “You must know what the papers contain, but they contain so little.” This type of information generally only serves to dissipate our energy and to distract from doing things which are actually helpful.

What’s more, there is much high-quality information that we also should pass by, simply because it is not in our power to do anything about it. This is not laziness, but a recognition of our limitations, so that we spend our energies on goals that we can actually achieve instead of wasting it on much talk about things that are outside of our competency.

Second, we must consider how we respond to what we come to know. If we act as if solving the world’s problems depends solely upon us, we will be disappointed. Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, and we are not Him. How, then, are we to best cooperate with Him in working for the good of the world? Here, closing our eyes from looking upon evil is also important. Namely, we sometimes need to close our eyes from seeing external evil so we can see the evil in our own hearts and root it out. Often, our activism to solve outside evils can be an excuse or a distraction from rooting out our own vices.

In response, we need to look to ourselves and work on growing in holiness first.

Here is the key: The best thing we can do to promote the good of the world is to become saints ourselves. If preoccupation with the world’s evils hinders this pursuit, we would do both the world and ourselves a favor by being a little more ignorant of each new breaking headline.

DOMINICAN BROTHER DOMINIC KOESTER is professed with the Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph. This commentary originally appeared on the Word on Fire blog, online at www.wordonfire.org.

July 5, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

19

Letters to the editor

Failure to pass ‘Born Alive’ legislation disgraceful

Fred Gallagher

Harbor of rediscovered peace: Catholicism and depression

I

have written a novel and just under the title is the epitaph of Cardinal John Henry Newman, which reads: “Ex umbris et imaginibus en veritatem” (“Out of shadows and images into truth”).

Aside from tending to the storylines and themes in the novel, the phrase can also be descriptive of the journey of someone suffering from depression – a journey I have traveled for many years. Without being fully conscious of it, I have been waiting for decades to find good material on depression and Catholicism.

It is not enough to chuckle and fall back on my heritage, as in W.B. Yeats’s famous quote: “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” It is not enough to know that chemical imbalances (the endogenous) can be causal, as well as occurrences (the exogenous) within the person’s life. It is important, but not enough, to know the various secular and scientific forms of treatment. And it is not enough to know that experiencing clinical depression is not a spiritual failure, although it comes dressed in spiritual realities, or a lack of fortitude, as some Catholics may still believe.

No, what really has piqued my interest is the intersection of a Catholic worldview, one that is overall humanistic and that stands at every corner for the sanctity of human life, and depression itself – that descent into darkness where hope wanes and despair lurks insidiously. It is also important for me to shape my expectancies accordingly; as one writer put it, to know that “the confessional can’t cure neuroses and the couch can’t forgive sins.”

So you can imagine my delight in finding a book that addresses these issues fully and instructively: “The Catholic Guide to Depression,” by the psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty, MD, with Father John Cihak, STD. Aside from covering recent progress in continually emerging areas of treatment, such as in pharmacology, nutrition and physical exercise, Kheriaty also speaks to the potential value in electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation as alternative, unconventional treatments which are sometimes considered. He explores the psychotherapy piece of treatment – especially the cognitive and behavorial modes – and he is quick to understand that many Catholics seeking help have encountered therapists who could not relate to their religious beliefs or moral convictions, or worse, who condescended in the face of them. It is hoped that one may find a therapist professional enough to respect one’s faith tradition, but as St. Teresa of Avila once said, if you had to choose between a holy spiritual director and a knowledgeable one, choose the knowledgeable one.

Kheriaty and Father Cihak also mention the emergence of Positive Psychology, a dimension of therapy formulated

by Martin Seligman that emphasizes character strengths and virtues instead of the patient’s psychological weaknesses

or vulnerabilities. This therapeutic model recognizes the spiritual being, and spiritual progress as a motivating factor.

‘If you are experiencing the slings and arrows of depression, you are not alone.’

And this is where the authors fuse the various secular and scientific treatments with their discussion of “Spiritual Help for Depression.” They recognize the importance of taking from other modalities what can be of benefit and leaving what is not. But they also laud the power of prayer in general and Catholicism’s rich tradition of meditative prayer. They speak eloquently of confession, spiritual reading and spiritual direction, of finding those saints whose lives may speak specifically to us, of the Mass as the “center and root of our interior life,” of a rededication to the sacramental life and the works of mercy, of sanctifying our work and of the sanctifying grace we may receive in our suffering.

Indeed, it is this very grace that inspires my own faith journey and informs my work and my writing – be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry or commentaries such as this.

The book includes an appendix that is an address from St. John Paul II on the theme of depression. In it, he speaks of the “spiritual trial” depression can be and of the need to rediscover selfesteem, confidence in one’s abilities, an interest in the future and the desire to live. He recommends spiritual reading and meditating on the Psalms, the value in the recitation of the rosary, and employing the aid of Mary in our trials, as well as participation in the Eucharist. And then he says: “In His infinite love, God is always close to those who are suffering.

Depressive illness can be a way to discover other aspects of oneself and new forms of encounter with God. Christ listens to the cry of those whose boat is rocked by the storm (cf. Mk 4:35-41). He is present beside them to help them in the crossing and guide them to the harbor of rediscovered peace.”

If you are experiencing the slings and arrows of depression, you are not alone.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that help is available. The shadows of deep sadness and the images of despair need not engulf you. The truth of God’s mercy and love is all around us. He is in the boat with us and – however rough the seas – there is, beyond any shadow of doubt, a harbor of rediscovered peace awaiting us.

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

It has been wonderful how the Catholic News Herald has covered the Planned Parenthood’s expansion in Charlotte. I wish our church had such a nice building as the Planned Parenthood facility in Asheville.

On a related pro-life note, I think it is a disgrace that the state Legislature did not have enough votes to override the governor’s veto of the “Born Alive Bill” (known as Senate Bill 359 and House Bill H602 if you would like to research them).

There have been testimonies of people who have survived an abortion. These people are happy to be alive, even if they have some physical handicaps due to a botched abortion.

The “Born Alive Bill” would have allowed babies born alive after an attempted abortion to receive immediate care. By making this law and not just recommended practice, doctors would be held accountable for their actions. This is not a pro-life issue, but rather a “born” alive issue.

We can thank our governor for this horrible decision. Perhaps in the future we will join other states in making this “Born Alive” a rule in our state.

LINDA BEHR is a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Franklin.

How our parish has addressed the clergy abuse scandal In the summer of 2018 the Catholic Church and, indeed, the country was sent reeling in shock, horror, anger and disgust. A grand jury in Pennsylvania released a document detailing the abuse of minor children by Roman Catholic clergy over several decades, and the subsequent cover-up by Church leaders.

Then came the revelation that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Newark and Washington, D.C., was accused of both the abuse of a minor child and of seminarians in his charge.

Many dioceses and parishes throughout the U.S. almost immediately began to seek ways to respond. Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point was one of those parishes. Through the leadership of the parish Liturgical Commission, a plan was devised as a response to the crisis.

A member of this commission called people and dioceses around the country, talking with those who were responding with prayer, education and other efforts.

Other commission members gathered material from the religious and secular press. Findings were shared with the

entire group.

We began our response in September by incorporating into each Sunday’s General Intercessions a petition related to the crisis. We prayed for victims, perpetrators, families and for the Church as a whole. Later in the fall, we introduced a prayer (written by a member of the commission) that the entire congregation prayed together as the concluding prayer to the General Intercessions.

During the Fourth Week of Lent, we held a “Listening Session” to provide the whole parish a forum in which we could come together to share our feelings about the crisis and explore ways to address it.

We enlisted the assistance of a facilitator as well as trained small group leaders who would facilitate the discussions. The emphasis was on listening – listening attentively, prayerfully and charitably to each other’s experiences and feelings.

The Listening Session went quite well, with many participants offering positive feedback afterwards. After the Listening Session, the petition during the Intercessions and the concluding prayer were ended.

In May, a Mass of Reparation and Healing was celebrated. Commission members served as lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and a parishioner who selfidentified during the Listening Session as a victim of clergy abuse also participated.

Many who were present commented on how beautiful and moving the liturgy was. It truly was a valuable healing experience.

The commission now has the task of exploring what, if any, responses would be appropriate in the future. One suggestion has been to offer an adult education program focusing on the issue. Another might be future worship opportunities for healing and reparation.

In any case, the group felt that we have not necessarily exhausted our response.

I have not read many stories in the Catholic News Herald about what has been done here in the Diocese of Charlotte to respond to this crisis in the Church. Hopefully, the lack of reporting is not an indication of inaction. I would encourage parish lay leadership to explore ways by which you might respond which would be appropriate for your individual parish needs. We here at IHM have learned so much from what others around the country have done. Please feel free to learn from us. And above all, please continue to listen to the voices of the victims and continue to pray for their healing and, indeed, that of the whole Church.

PAUL KILEY is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’s Liturgical Commission.

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Most-read stories on the web Through press time on July 3, 23,639 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 49,781 pages. The top five headlines in June were: n Priest assignments for 2019..............................................................................................................6,255 n Three men ordained priests June 22..............................................................................................2,335 n 93-year-old enters Church at Easter Vigil.........................................................................................927 n First Eastern Catholic priest ordination held in western N.C...................................................... 809 n Protests continue against new Charlotte Planned Parenthood facility....................................798

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