Sept. 25, 2020

September 25, 2020

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Catholic schools now open across the diocese 14 V Encuentro de Pastoral Hispana reinicia actividades nacionales 10 Hispanic Ministry continues V Encuentro work 5 INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español......................................... 8-11 Online Masses...............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes............................. 3-7 Schools....................................14-15 Scripture readings.......................2 TV & Movies................................. 16 U.S. news.................................18-19 Viewpoints.............................22-23 World news............................ 20-21

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Celebrating a milestone St. Joseph College Seminary formally opened, blessed 12-13 El Seminario Universitario San José fue formalmente inaugurado y bendecido

Building trust Greensboro parishioners donate $75,000 to construct home for deserving family, uniting OLG parish, wider community

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‘Holiness is everyone’s vocation’ 3

Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Pope Francis

True change requires input of everyone, not just the powerful

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he world will not overcome the current crisis if only big businesses, financial institutions and the powerful have a voice, Pope Francis said. “Everyone must be listened to.

Everyone – those on the top, those on the bottom,” he said Sept. 23 during his weekly general audience.

“Getting out of this crisis does not mean brushing a coat of paint over the current situation,” he said. “Overcoming a crisis means changing. And true change comes about with everyone, all the people,” who make up a community.

“Either together or it will not work,” he said at the audience, held in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace.

He continued his series of talks on “healing the world” by reflecting on the “principle of subsidiarity,” which emerged in Church teaching in Pope Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical “Quadragesimo Anno” on the reconstruction of the social order.

Subsidiarity has been explained as balancing the many necessary levels of society – government, business, family, associations, etc. – and seeking the allocation of resources by higher levels of society to support engagement and decision-making by the lower levels.

Pope Francis said the principle works both ways: from top to bottom and from the bottom to the top, with all levels working in a cooperative, not competitive way, leading to greater unity and working for the common good.

Yet, he said, not everyone has the possibility, the right, the resources or the courage to take on their responsibility in helping heal the world.

“Unfortunately, this injustice happens often in those places where huge economic and geopolitical interests are concentrated, such as, for example, certain extractive activities in some areas of the planet” and where the voices of indigenous peoples, their culture and worldviews are not taken into consideration.

“Today, this lack of respect for the principle of subsidiarity has spread like a virus.”

“The largest financial companies are listened to rather than the people or the ones who really move the economy,” he said. “Multinational businesses are listened to more than social movements.”

“The powerful are listened to more than the weak. And this is not the way.

It is not the human way; it is not the way Jesus taught.”

“Let’s encourage ourselves to dream big ... seeking the ideals of justice and social love that are born of hope” rather than trying to reconstruct a past that was “unjust and already ill.”

‘Go to Joseph!’

Year of St. Joseph diocesan missions to be held in November More online

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — To commemorate the Year of St. Joseph, the Diocese of Charlotte has invited the Fathers of Mercy to preach three back-to-back missions in November at parishes in Huntersville, Kernersville and Arden.

Three, four-night diocesan missions will be led by Fathers of Mercy priests from Kentucky. Their primary apostolate is to preach parish missions and retreats, which are now given throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.

The first Year of St. Joseph Mission will be held Monday, Nov. 2, through Thursday, Nov. 5, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Mercy Father Joseph Aytona will lead this mission. He will preach at all weekend Masses Oct. 31-Nov. 1 before the mission begins.

The theme of Father Aytona’s mission is: “In Charge of His Household: St. Joseph, father of the Incarnate God.” Topics he will cover each evening are: n Monday, Nov. 2: St. Joseph: Guardian, Provider and Universal Patron n Tuesday, Nov. 3: Master of the Interior Life (How to Pray Always) n Wednesday, Nov. 4: Terror of Demons and Patron of the Dying n Thursday, Nov. 5: Model of a Perfect Eucharistic Adorer St. Mark Church is located at 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville.

The second Year of St. Joseph Mission will be held Monday, Nov. 9, through Thursday, Nov. 12, at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville. Mercy Father Ricardo Pineda will lead this mission. He will preach at all weekend Masses Nov. 7-8 before the mission begins.

The theme of his mission is: “Go to Joseph!” Topics he will cover each evening are: n Monday, Nov. 9: Husband of Mary and Virginal

At www.yearofstjoseph.org: Find educational resources, prayers and devotions, and “Year of St. Joseph” event details from across the diocese, as dates for special events are finalized.

Father of Jesus n Tuesday, Nov. 10: Master of the Interior Life: The Seven Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph n Wednesday, Nov. 11: St. Joseph the Worker: Model of Masculine Virtue n Thursday, Nov. 12: True Devotion to St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church Holy Cross Church is located at 616 South Cherry St. in Kernersville.

The third Year of St. Joseph Mission will be held Monday, Nov. 16, through Thursday, Nov. 19, at St. Barnabas Church in Arden. Father Pineda will also lead this mission, with the same theme as his mission in Kernersville. He will preach at all weekend Masses Nov. 14-15 before the mission begins Nov. 16, with nightly talks following the same schedule as above.

St. Barnabas Church is located at 109 Crescent Hill Road in Arden.

Missions will begin each evening at 6 p.m. with Eucharistic Adoration and confession until 7 p.m. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed each evening at approximately 6:45 p.m. The mission conferences will be held in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament from 7 to 8 p.m. and end with Benediction.

All three Year of St. Joseph Missions are free and open to the public following each parish’s appropriate health and safety measures.

A special collection will be taken on the final day of each mission, to help pay for the priests’ travel and related expenses associated with the mission and compensate their community for providing a missionary to preach in the diocese.

Aytona

Pineda

Daily Scripture readings SEPT. 27- OCT. 3

Sunday: Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 21:28-32; Monday (St. Wenceslaus, St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions): Job 1:6-22, Luke 9:46-50; Tuesday (Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, John 1:4751; Wednesday (St. Jerome): Job 9:1-12, 14-16, Luke 9:57-62; Thursday (St.Thérèse of the Child Jesus): Job 19:21-27, Luke 10:1-12; Friday (The Holy Guardian Angels): Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:3-5, Matthew 18:1-5, 10; Saturday: Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17, Luke 10:17-24

OCT. 4-10

Sunday: Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43; Monday (BI. Francis Xavier Seelos): Galatians 1:6-12, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (St. Bruno, BI. Marie Rose Durocher): Galatians 1:13-24, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday (Our Lady of the Rosary): Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday: Galatians 3:1-5, Luke 1:69-75, Luke 11:5-13; Friday (St. Denis and Companions, St. John Leonardi): Galatians 3:7-14, Luke 11:15-26; Saturday: Galatians 3:22-29, Luke 11:27-28

OCT. 11-17

Sunday: Isaiah 25:6-10a, Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Matthew 22:1-14; Monday: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 315:1, Luke 11:29-32; Tuesday: Galatians 5:1-6, Luke 11:37-41; Wednesday (St. Callistus I): Galatians 5:18-25, Luke 11:4246; Thursday (St. Teresa of Jesus): Ephesians 1:1-10, Luke 11:47-54; Friday (St. Hedwig, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque): Ephesians 1:11-14, Luke 12:1-7; Saturday (St. Ignatius of Antioch): Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 12:8-12

“St. Jerome as Scholar” by El Greco (c. 1610)

Our parishes

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Parishioners at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro take part in a Eucharistic procession during their Eucharisticthemed weekend.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BARBARA MARKUN

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES SARKIS

Bishop Peter Jugis holds aloft the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament during St. Patrick Cathedral’s parish Eucharistic Congress Sept. 11.

‘Holiness is everyone’s vocation’ Bishop preaches during parish-based Eucharistic Congress KIMBERLY BENDER AND PATRICIA GUILFOYLE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — The world may be gripped by a pandemic, but “Jesus is the remedy for the most serious problem that is facing our world” – and that is sin. Jesus offers forgiveness for sin, and new life in His grace and love.

That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis during a special Mass streamed live Sept. 12 from St. Patrick Cathedral. Bishop Jugis offered the livestreamed Mass as a way for the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte to gather together on the Eucharistic-themed weekend, held in lieu of the large-scale Eucharistic Congress that usually takes place at the Charlotte Convention Center.

“The coronavirus may be challenging us a little bit this year, but the work of the Church continues. And nothing can put a stop to the work of the Church,” Bishop Jugis said at the start of his homily. Likewise, he said, “the Eucharistic Congress continues this year, although in a slightly altered format.”

Parishes celebrated over the weekend in their own ways, not letting the pandemic prevent them from finding ways to worship Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament – hosting talks and educational programs, offering additional Masses and Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, Eucharistic processions and more. The bishop’s Mass at the cathedral, a votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist, was one way for people to come together united by the Eucharist, Bishop Jugis said.

“We are here to honor and worship Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and celebrate His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist,” he said.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis described hearing a radio commentator say the COVID-19 pandemic “has really changed the world.”

“I thought to myself: Has the world really

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights and more photos from this year’s parish-based Eucharistic Congress events changed? Is the world really that different? Come on. The biggest problem facing our world is still with us. There is still sin, and in great abundance,” the bishop said.

What has really changed the world and really made things different is Jesus, he continued.

“Jesus is the remedy for the most serious problem that is facing our world, and that puts everything into greater perspective,” he said.

“If the world would come to Jesus to receive forgiveness for sin, a new life in grace and love would begin for them – a life of holiness.”

“Be holy,” Bishop Jugis continued, quoting from the theme for this year’s Eucharistic Congress.

That was the command God first gave to the Israelites when He made them His chosen people, the bishop explained, and in his letter St. Peter also reminds people of God’s command to be holy.

Holiness is everyone’s vocation, Bishop Jugis emphasized. “He called you to be holy.”

“What is holiness? Holiness is a life oriented toward God, grounded in the gift of faith in God. Holiness is a life separated from sin, and holiness is demonstrated in our charity toward others.”

We are made holy when we are baptized, and we are called to continue living holy lives, he added.

The Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Christ, helps us to grow in holiness.

We are also inspired to holiness by the example of other holy, Christ-centered people, the bishop said – people like St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Maximilian Kolbe. And “the two holiest people CONGRESS, SEE PAGE 17

Father Basile Sede, pastor, speaks during a virtual workshop at Our Lady of Consolation Church’s parishbased Eucharistic Congress Sept. 11-13. Parishioners took part in Eucharistic Adoration and a celebration Sept. 12 via video conferencing that included talks, music and a panel discussion on the theme “Be Holy” from the perspective of black Catholics.

The event’s recordings are posted on the parish’s website, www.ourladyofconsolation.org.

TRAVIS BURTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Missionaries of St. Paul Father Paul Asoh, pastor, elevates the Precious Blood during Mass at St. Mary, Mother of God Church’s parish-based Eucharistic Congress weekend of events Sept. 11-12 in Sylva.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SCOTT FREEMAN AND ST. MARY PARISH

Parishioners at St. Mark Church in Huntersville participate in an outdoor Eucharistic procession during their Eucharisticthemed weekend.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY AMY BURGER

Your DSA contributions at work The Diocese of Charlotte’s annual Eucharistic Congress is funded in part by contributions to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how you can contribute at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.

Online Masses 4

catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

September 25, 2020 Volume 29 • NUMBER 26

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

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

The following parishes are providing live or recorded Masses each week. An updated schedule is online at www.catholicnewsherald.com, or contact your parish for details.

LIVESTREAMED MASSES

RECORDED MASSES

The following parishes offer Masses live at the following times on their Facebook page or YouTube or Vimeo channel. If no time is listed here, check their parish website for more information:

The following parishes offer Masses recorded on their website, Facebook page, YouTube or Vimeo channel. Search those platforms for the parish’s name to find the latest Mass information:

BELMONT ABBEY MONASTERY: 11 a.m. daily

GOOD SHEPHERD MISSION, KING HOLY CROSS CHURCH, KERNERSVILLE HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH, DENVER IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, FOREST CITY IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, HIGH POINT OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION, CHARLOTTE (ST. HELEN MISSION, SPENCER MOUNTAIN) OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH, GREENSBORO OUR LADY OF MERCY CHURCH, WINSTON-SALEM SACRED HEART CHURCH, SALISBURY ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH, LENOIR ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, CHARLOTTE ST. JOAN OF ARC CHURCH, CANDLER ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, ASHEBORO ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA, ASHEVILLE ST. LEO THE GREAT CHURCH, WINSTON-SALEM ST. MARGARET MARY CHURCH, SWANNANOA ST. MARK CHURCH, HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARY MOTHER OF GOD CHURCH, SYLVA ST. MICHAEL CHURCH, GASTONIA ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, CHARLOTTE ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH, GREENSBORO ST. STEPHEN MISSION, ELKIN ST. STEPHEN MARONITE CHURCH, CHARLOTTE ST. THERESE CHURCH, MOORESVILLE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, CHARLOTTE

DIVINE REDEEMER CHURCH, BOONVILLE: 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH, KING: 11 a.m. English; 1:30 p.m.

Spanish Sunday HOLY INFANT CHURCH, REIDSVILLE: 9 a.m. Sunday

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

OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 10 a.m.

Sunday OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH, MONROE: 9 a.m. daily

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

QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, BELMONT: 9:15 and 11 a.m.

Sunday

SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

SACRED HEART CHURCH, BREVARD: 12 p.m. daily Mass, 10 a.m.

Sunday

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.

SACRED HEART CHURCH, SALISBURY: 9 a.m. daily (except Tuesday), Tuesday Mass, 6 p.m.

ST. ANN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (Latin Mass) Sunday ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, ARDEN: 11 a.m. Bilingual Sunday Mass ST. BASIL THE GREAT EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 11 a.m. Sunday ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CHURCH, WINSTON-SALEM: 9 a.m.

English; 2 p.m. Spanish ST. EUGENE CHURCH, ASHEVILLE: 5:30 p.m. Saturday Vigil; 9 a.m.

Sunday Mass ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH, MOCKSVILLE: 9 a.m. English; 10:30 a.m. Spanish ST. JAMES CHURCH, CONCORD: English and Spanish ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 8, 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Sunday in English and 12 p.m. Sunday in Spanish ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST CHURCH, WAYNESVILLE, AND IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MISSION, CANTON ST. LUKE CHURCH, MINT HILL: 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday in English; 1 p.m. Sunday bilingual; 4:30 p.m. Sunday ST. MARK CHURCH, HUNTERSVILLE: 7 and 9 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 7 a.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday in English, and 1 p.m. in Spanish ST. MARY’S CHURCH, GREENSBORO: 8 a.m. Sunday ST. MARY, MOTHER OF GOD CHURCH, SYLVA: Noon Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; 9 a.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m. Sunday in English and 7 p.m. Saturday in Spanish ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 12 p.m. daily; 9 a.m. Sunday ST. MICHAEL CHURCH, GASTONIA: 9 a.m. Sunday ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, CHARLOTTE: 12:30 p.m. Sunday ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH, GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday-Friday; 4:30 p.m. Saturday; 10:30 a.m. Sunday ST. PETER CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 11:30 a.m. Sunday ST. STEPHEN MISSION, ELKIN: 9 a.m. Sunday

EN ESPAÑOL Las siguientes parroquias ofrecen misas en vivo o grabadas cada semana.

Un horario actualizado está en línea en www.catholicnewsherald.com, o comuníquese con su parroquia para más detalles: OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH, GREENSBORO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 8 a.m. domingo; 7:30 p.m. martes; 12 p.m. miércoles, jueves y viernes.

OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH, CHARLOTTE OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH, MONROE SACRED HEART CHURCH, SALISBURY: 11 a.m. Domingo ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, HICKORY: 1 p.m. Domingo ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CHURCH, WINSTON-SALEM: 1:30 p.m.

Domingo ST. EUGENE CHURCH, ASHEVILLE: 7:30 a.m. Domingo ST. JAMES THE GREATER CHURCH, CONCORD ST. JOAN OF ARC CHURCH, CANDLER ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 12 p.m. Domingo ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, ASHEBORO ST. LUKE CHURCH, MINT HILL: 1 p.m. Domingo ST. MARK CHURCH, HUNTERSVILLE: 1 p.m. Domingo ST. MARY’S CHURCH, GREENSBORO: 11 a.m. Domingo ST. MARY, MOTHER OF GOD CHURCH, SYLVA: 7 p.m. Sabado ST. THERESE CHURCH: 12 p.m. Domingo

ST. THERESE CHURCH, MOORESVILLE: 9 a.m. weekdays, 5 p.m.

Saturday 8 and 10 a.m. Sunday

VIETNAMESE

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 9 a.m. daily; 9:30 a.m. Sunday

ST. JOSEPH VIETNAMESE CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday ST. MARY’S CHURCH, GREENSBORO: 9:30 Sunday

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 10 a.m. daily, 10 a.m.

Sunday in English and 2 p.m. Sunday in Spanish

LATIN ST. ANN CHURCH, CHARLOTTE: 12:30 p.m. Sunday OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH, GREENSBORO: 1 p.m. Sunday

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: SEPT. 25 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Angels Mission, Marion SEPT. 30 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Consolation Church, Charlotte OCT. 2 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission, Hayesville

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Hispanic Ministry continues V Encuentro work

The Abdalla family – Salaheldin and Sanna Abdalla and their three children, Ramee, Raaft and Reem – pose outside their new home in Greensboro with some of the people who helped make the project possible: Don Brady, local businessman and member of Our Lady of Grace Church; David Kolosieke, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro; and DeJuan Harris, Habitat board member and pastor at Calvary Christian Center. Offering prayers at the opening of their new home were Father Michael Carlson and Sheikh Yaser Ahmed.

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTER

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Building trust Greensboro parishioners donate $75,000 to construct home for deserving family, uniting OLG parish, wider community ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — When Don and Mary Gay Brady decided to fund construction of a new home for a local family in need, they envisioned unifying fellow parishioners through teamwork for a worthwhile cause. What they didn’t expect, however, was to bridge the cultural gap between different faith traditions. As it turns out, God had higher plans.

Members of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, the Bradys inspired between 50 and 75 parishioners to turn out for the initial interest meeting for the Habitat for Humanity build more than a year ago – the largest group the Greensboro organization had ever had come together for a project.

Overcoming various complications and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four-bedroom home was recently completed. The owners are a Muslim family of five from Khartoum, Sudan: Salaheldin and Sanna Abdalla and their three children: Reem, 15; Ramee, 13; and Raaft, 9.

The family came to the United States via the federal government’s visa lottery in 2017 in search of better opportunities in healthcare, education and employment. Both parents work at Procter & Gamble.

They said they are grateful that thanks to Habitat for Humanity, their children will have their own rooms, plenty of space to play, and a place they will call home and grow up in.

Don Brady was overjoyed for the Abdalla family upon the completion of the project.

“It’s wonderful. I’m happy for the mother and father and three young children. It’s a testament to the community and our acceptance of immigrants,” he said.

Added David Kolosieke, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro and a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, “The Abdalla family was blessed by the generosity of Don and Mary Gay Brady, who sponsored this house in honor of the Our Lady of Grace community. It was an excellent communitybuilding experience for the congregation, and made possible

homeownership for the 501st family served by Habitat Greensboro.”

Because volunteers were not allowed on the job site after pandemic restrictions took effect, Habitat employees finished the home, and the Aug. 7 dedication was streamed live on Facebook. Present at the dedication were the Brady and Abdalla families; Kolosieke from Habitat; Sheikh Yaser Ahmed, the leader of the Islamic Center of Greensboro; Pastor DeJuan Harris of Calvary Christian Center; and Father Michael Carlson, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Parish.

In his opening prayer, Sheikh Ahmed said, “O God, bless this house and bless the family that will live in it. Shower them with mercy, peace and tranquility, and unite their hearts and let them live in peace in this beautiful neighborhood.”

Then, Father Carlson welcomed the Don Brady and Sheikh Ahmed meet during the Abdalla family dedication of the Abdalla family’s new home. and gave them an Irish blessing.

He also reflected on the experience: “Last fall, I was out here when we first started the building project and were putting up the walls. Everyone was working together doing their part, and I thought to myself, ‘What a beautiful thing to see. What if our communities could be like that? What if our city of Greensboro could be like that?’ All of us working together to help each other out, to give each other that helping hand up that we all need at one time or another.”

Another blessing came when Brady learned that he and Sheikh Ahmed are closer than he realized. As providence would have it, his business – Brady Services on 16th Street – and Sheikh Ahmed’s mosque are neighbors. The two met for the first time at the dedication.

“When we made the decision to donate this home, we had no idea that we’d be bringing Catholics and Muslims together,” Brady said with considerable emotion during the dedication.

“What a beautiful, beautiful thing to do.”

CHARLOTTE — V Encuentro, a process of evangelization and leadership development to better serve the fast-growing Hispanic Catholic population in the United States, has slowed but not stopped its work despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, national leaders are organizing a follow-up event Oct. 9-10 to be held virtually, so ministry leaders including those from the Diocese of Charlotte can reconnect and discuss the next steps in this multi-year effort.

Launched by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2013, V Encuentro grew at the grassroots level and gradually encompassed parish, ministry and diocesan level efforts to compile ideas and information that could be used to help U.S. Church leaders better minister to the growing number of Hispanic Catholics and strengthen the ways in which Hispanic Catholics respond to the call to the New Evangelization as missionary disciples. Discussions culminated with a national conference in 2018 in Texas, and now V Encuentro’s recommendations are ready for dioceses including Charlotte to start implementing.

Sister Joan Pearson, Hispanic Ministry coordinator for the Salisbury vicariate and one of the diocese’s organizers for V Encuentro, said local efforts to keep the process moving have not abated.

The diocese’s V Encuentro team also includes Vicar for Hispanic Ministry Father Julio Dominguez, Father Jose Juya and Hispanic Ministry’s Charlotte vicariate coordinator Eduardo Bernal. They are focusing on seven areas of work that are key for the local Church in western North Carolina: Youth Ministry, Formation and Spiritual Accompaniment, Promotion of Vocations and Bilingual Ministers, Formation and Training of Leaders, Family Ministry, Support of the Diocese, and Evangelization and Mission.

Team members have met via video conferencing to discuss the national report’s conclusions and develop these seven priorities moving forward – creating and fine-tuning the pastoral response for here at the local level.

“Soon we will conduct a survey among the faithful of the diocese including questions that will allow us to know how their needs have changed due to the pandemic,” Sister Joan said.

Sister Joan noted that the Charlotte diocese is uniquely positioned to implement the ambitious goals of V Encuentro, as the diocese already has an extensive leadership team involved with and experienced in Hispanic ministry. She said Charlotte is the only diocese in the United States with Hispanic ministry coordinators appointed through the chancery to serve every vicariate, or region, and the number of parishes with Hispanic ministry and bilingual clergy is also comparably high.

That leadership depth and breadth of ministry already in place are crucial in responding to the needs of the diocese’s Hispanic Catholic population, which has swelled to represent nearly half of all Catholics in the diocese. Among children and young people, that percentage is even higher.

Diocesan V Encuentro team members know that it will be vital for the local Church to meet the needs of these families moving forward and helps champion their ongoing formation and leadership development, to prepare people to become missionary disciples ready to serve the entire Church.

More online At www.vencuentro.org: Learn more about V Encuentro

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 OUR PARISHES

New garden, pavilion offer hands-on learning for St. Gabriel students SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ST. GABRIEL SCHOOL

Father Richard Sutter, pastor of St. Gabriel Church, blesses the new St. Gabriel School garden and pavilion Sept. 21. Pictured are (from left) Father Sutter; Amy Bokor, PTO president; Katherine Costello, 2019-’20 PTO president; Melissa and Dan Siever, project managers; Brian Balzer, landscaper with The Grounds Guys; Ryan Windt, architect with Urban Building Group; Danny Kelly, builder with Kelly McArdle Construction of Charlotte; and Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools.

CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel School students can now enjoy playing and exploring in a dedicated garden where they can learn about the care of creation, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

On Sept. 21 Father Richard Sutter, pastor of St. Gabriel Church, blessed the new 1,575-square-foot garden and adjacent pavilion located behind the school.

The fenced garden includes nine raised garden beds constructed of cedar and installed with built-in irrigation.

Six of the garden beds are dedicated for students in each grade level (kindergarten through fifth grade) to use. Two of the garden beds are dedicated to the school’s STEAM curriculum, and the remaining garden bed features a picturesque sundial surrounded by flowers.

Teachers in each grade level decide what they would like to plant in their garden bed based on what they are teaching in their classrooms. Students in kindergarten learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, for example, so kindergarten teachers plan to use their garden bed to plant milkweed, a vital food source for monarch butterflies.

“The benefit of the garden will be a teaching opportunity for all teachers with their science curriculum,” explained Principal Michele Snoke.

Snoke noted that teachers are enjoying the opportunity to enrich their science curriculum with the unique handson experiences the garden provides.

The school pavilion has 480 square feet of covered learning space for use by St. Gabriel students and teachers. The pavilion includes built-in benches for seating, a rain barrel used to illustrate the importance of resource conservation through the harvesting of rain water, and a closet to store all the garden tools and teaching materials that the school will use on site.

The pavilion can also be used even for non-gardening purposes – for religion lessons or just to teach outside, Snoke said.

The project cost more than $75,000 and was fully funded by an anonymous donor.

“It has been awesome to see students planting a variety of plants, from marigolds to lettuce, in the garden beds,” Snoke said. “Students are excited to watch their plants grow from beans to sprouts. Our second-graders have already begun gardening in their assigned area. We look forward to seeing how their lettuce harvest turns out.”

Snoke feels grateful and blessed to have what she described as an amazingly supportive parent community at St. Gabriel School and Parish.

“The generous support and time given to us by our families allows us to provide our students with several resources and an enriching environment.”

Food, blood and God’s blessing KERNERSVILLE — Members of the Ecumenism Committee and Parish Care of Holy Cross Church sponsored a combination “Blood and Food Drive” Aug. 29. Because many American Red Cross donation sites have been closed during the pandemic, the need is urgent. Parishioners also knew that the food insecurity has worsened for local families during this challenging economy. However, with love, compassion and God’s blessing, the community responded heroically.

Blood donors were welcomed and screened using multiple safety protocols. Second Harvest Food Bank was also blessed greatly by the community’s generosity of the community, with cars streaming in during the day to donate more than 2,000 pounds of food items which will provide over 6,700 meals for local families in need. Despite all the changes brought about by COVID-19, one thing has not changed, and that is the generosity of those who take to heart the commandment to “love thy neighbor.” The parish is already planning a second similar event in December.

Pictured bringing in food donations are Elizabeth Thomas, NJ Clausen and Karole Avery. Pictured donating blood is Diane Frankenfield.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NORMA JEAN CLAUSEN AND ALICIA STRIVE

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com

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In Brief Belmont Abbey College’s accreditation affirmed BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College’s accreditation has been reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The college was notified Sept. 3 of SACSCOC’s approval of its ongoing commitment to the Principles of Accreditation, a foundation for quality enhancement. The reaffirmation through 2030 came with no recommendations – reflecting full compliance with all the standards and policies SACSCOC has set for institutional effectiveness.

“The 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation, with no findings, by SACSCOC, is a tribute to the excellence and virtue of our faculty, staff, administration and monastic community who have dedicated their lives to living out the mission of the college so that in all things God may be glorified,” said Belmont Abbey College’s president, Dr. Bill Thierfelder, in a statement.

“Despite the challenges of a worldwide pandemic, their good work has led to all-time record new student enrollment, record student retention, improved rankings, a partnership with CaroMont Health, the near completion of a new five-story living/learning community residence hall, new state-of-the-art science labs, improved athletic facilities, and so much more.”

The Benedictine monks who oversee Belmont Abbey College recently signed a lease agreement with CaroMont Health to build a

hospital adjacent to the college campus and expand the college’s healthcare education offerings. Also, construction on another campus residence hall is expected to be finished in October.

The college’s new provost, Dr. Travis Feezell, who oversees accreditation requirements, said in a statement, “The reaffirmation from SACSCOC is I believe a reaffirmation of our next 10 years and the bold path we have plotted.

We are in the process of adding new programs and learning experiences, particularly around healthcare and regional workforce needs. None of that envisioned future happens without the teaching excellence of our faculty.”

As part of its reaccreditation, SACSCOC approved “Money the Abbey Way,” a financial literacy initiative Belmont Abbey College developed for students to gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes to wisely earn, spend, save, plan, borrow and contribute as they strive to live the college’s values of stewardship and community.

— Catholic News Herald

All welcome to attend Mass, vigil to pray for life CHARLOTTE — The 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept.

26, traditional Latin Mass, a low Mass, will be offered to pray for an end to abortion. Following Mass, prayers will be offered outside the Planned Parenthood abortion facility located nearby at 700 S. Torrence Road in Charlotte.

The Planned Parenthood location, which opened last summer, is the fourth abortion facility in Charlotte, where more abortions are performed than in any other city in North Carolina. All are welcome to attend the Mass and the prayer vigil. For those who are unable to go to Planned Parenthood, Deacon Tom Sanctis will lead a Holy Hour of Reparation at St. Ann Church.

Bring a food donation and your pet for a special blessing GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Parish will host a drive-through food drive and pet blessing from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 3, to benefit Greensboro Urban Ministry’s food pantry.

Volunteers will accept donations of food from cars, while maintaining safe distancing measures. The traffic pattern will go through the church parking lot and cloister, at the corner of Elm Street and Cornwallis Drive.

Bring your pet friend with you in the car and receive a special blessing from Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor. Most needed food donations include: peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, canned fruits and vegetables and canned meats.

Knights of Malta meet CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Region of the Knights of Malta held its monthly meeting Sept.

4 at St. Gabriel Church. This was the group’s second meeting since the pandemic began, and the occasion provided fellowship and the chance for discussion about future opportunities to serve the needy.

OUR PARISHESI

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The Sovereign Military Order of Malta – commonly known as the Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a lay religious order with more than 13,000 members worldwide and over 100 members in North Carolina. The charisms of the order are defense of the Catholic faith and care for the sick and the poor.

— Richard McKeon

Three Knights councils, one worthy project in Newton NEWTON — Knights of Columbus Council members from St. Aloysius Council 6451 in Hickory, St. Joseph’s Council 9746 in Newton, and Holy Trinity Council 17510 in Taylorsville recently joined forces in a multi-session project assisting Eagle Rock Camp prepare a new office in Newton for opening.

Lynn Marilla of Eagle Rock Camp oversaw the Knights’ remodeling efforts, and progress went amazingly fast. Everything from painting the walls, drywall work, pulling up old carpet, scraping off glued-down padding, and laying new flooring was accomplished in just a few days.

Eagle Rock Camp is a unique healing experience for veterans and their families, to repair and prepare them to function as a vibrant group after the veteran’s deployment.

They help vets and their families avoid divorce, suicide and other problems unfortunately faced by many families when a veteran returns from deployment. To put it in much clearer terms, Marilla shared Eagle Rock Camp’s mission statement: “Saving Families. Saving Lives.”

Eagle Rock Camp, through faith in action, brings military families together to heal, reconnect in their communities, restore their hope and emerge as an empowered, purposedriven unit. For more information, go online to www.eaglerockcamp.org.

— Andrew “Bryan” Clark

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020

“La Santidad es vocación de todos” PATRICIA GUILFOYLE Y KIMBERLY BENDER CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Padre Julio Domínguez

Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica

E

n este mes, hemos visto como en muchas de nuestras parroquias hemos comenzado nuestro catecismo o formación catequética de nuestros niños y jóvenes.

La verdad es que todos reconocemos la necesidad de que ellos sean formados en la fe y en el conocimiento de lo que es la sólida y sana doctrina de nuestra Iglesia.

Pero muchas veces me he preguntado, los profesores de catecismo están preparados para ser los protagonistas de tan importante tarea? Y los padres de familia que tienen el deber de la educación de sus hijos, conocerán la doctrina? En nuestras casas, las iglesias domésticas de nuestra diócesis, se estarán viviendo con devoción y entusiasmo las valores y máximas del Evangelio?

Es por eso que en estos días he pedido a mi equipo de coordinadores diocesanos de comenzar en todas las parroquias un estudio sistemático y profundo del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica e invitar a todos los encargados de ministerios, grupos apostólicos y a todos aquellos que quieran participar en conocer y profundizar la riqueza tan hermosa y muchas veces tan desconocida del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica.

En el Catecismo encontramos primeramente lo que es la profesión de fe de nuestra Iglesia que prácticamente viene siendo un estudio del credo que profesamos. De allí pasamos a la segunda parte que es la celebración del misterio Cristiano m, que consiste en una profundización maravillosa de los sacramentos de la Iglesia. En la tercera parte encontramos la vida en Cristo y la Iglesia nos presenta la parte moral de la Iglesia presentando bellamente los Mandamientos de Dios y el tema de las Bienaventuranzas y ya por último el catecismo nos lleva a la oración Cristiana en la Iglesia y con gran lógica y elocuencia nos explica el Padre Nuestro y los modos de oración.

Si cada catequista y todos los ministerios entendiéramos y profundizáramos mejor el catecismo, estoy seguro que viviríamos nuestra fe más profundamente y sobre todo daríamos sentido a lo que estamos realizando en nuestros ministerios.

Yo animo a todos a acercarse a los coordinadores diocesanos y preguntar sobre estas clases y tomar el tiempo en formarnos y ayudar a los demás a formarse.

EL PADRE JULIO DOMINGUEZ es el director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Siga sus videos en la página YouTube de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

El obispo Peter Jugis sostiene en alto el Santísimo Sacramento durante el Congreso Eucarístico de la parroquia de la Catedral San Patricio el 11 de septiembre.

Congreso Eucarístico Virtual alcanzó a más de 28 mil personas Un ejemplo de las redes sociales puestas al servicio de la evangelización CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Las transmisiones y videos del Congreso Eucarístico Virtual 2020, programadas para el viernes 11 y sábado 12 de septiembre, que incluyeron las actividades del viernes, conferencias del sábado y misa votiva del mismo día, alcanzaron a un total de casi 25 mil personas en la página de facebook de Catholic News Herald en español, sin contar a quienes siguieron los eventos por YouTube, desde donde casi tres mil personas pudieron observarlos.

El Padre Julio Domínguez, director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte y organizador del evento, calificó el hecho como un rotundo éxito.

“Pude ver desde el viernes como la gente se conectó. La gente estaba realmente esperando esto y me han comentado que no sólo estaban conectadas al mensaje sino también en gratitud de que se haya hecho algo” en reemplazo de la cancelación de las multitudinarias actividades regulares que se llevaban a cabo habitualmente cada año en el Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte, dijo el P. Domínguez.

“Para ellos, y para nosotros, ha sido sentir que estábamos juntos todos conectados a nivel diocesano. Una familia de las montañas, que incluso tuvo problemas de recepción por el servicio de internet, me comentó que

‘Para ellos, y para nosotros, ha sido sentir que estábamos juntos todos conectados a nivel diocesano.’

— P. Julio Domínguez para ellos fue hermoso ver que (respecto a la conferencia del viernes sobre la Eucaristía) ustedes hablaban del tema entre sacerdotes, pero también se dirigían a nosotros”, comentó el P. Domínguez.

Para el sacerdote, el eje central del mensaje recibido es que “la diócesis se ocupa de nosotros”, por lo que consideró valioso “haber tomado el tiempo, la preparación y esfuerzo” de producir este Congreso Eucarístico Virtual.

RESPUESTA COMUNITARIA

Ana Rosa Olivas, feligresa de la diócesis, dijo que “aunque no pude verlo completo, si me gustó el contenido, especialmente los conferencistas”. Pidió una bendición a todos, “por tan grande esfuerzo” de poner al alcance de “nuestro hogar el Congreso Eucarístico 2020”.

CONGRESO, PASA A LA PÁGINA 11

CHARLOTTE — El mundo puede estar afligido por una pandemia, pero “Jesús es el remedio para el problema más grave que enfrenta nuestro mundo”, y ese es el pecado.

Jesús ofrece el perdón por los pecados y una vida nueva en su gracia y amor.

Ese fue el mensaje del Obispo Peter Jugis durante una Misa especial transmitida en vivo el 12 de septiembre desde la catedral San Patricio. El Obispo Jugis ofreció la Misa transmitida en vivo como una manera para que los fieles de la Diócesis de Charlotte se reúnan este fin de semana de tema eucarístico, en reemplazo del Congreso Eucarístico a gran escala que regularmente se realiza en el Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte.

“El coronavirus puede estar desafiándonos un poco este año, pero el trabajo de la Iglesia continúa. Y nada puede detener su tarea”, dijo el Obispo Jugis al inicio de su homilía.

Añadió que, “el Congreso Eucarístico continúa este año, aunque en un formato ligeramente cambiado”.

Las parroquias celebraron el fin de semana a su manera, sin dejar que la pandemia les impidiera encontrar formas de adorar a Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento, organizando charlas, programas educativos, ofreciendo Misas adicionales, Horas Santas de Adoración Eucarística y más. La Misa del obispo en la catedral, una misa votiva de la Santísima Eucaristía, fue una forma de que las personas se unieran por la Eucaristía, dijo el Obispo Jugis.

“Estamos aquí para honrar y adorar a Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento del Altar y celebrar Su Presencia Real en la Sagrada Eucaristía”, dijo.

JESÚS HA CAMBIADO EL MUNDO

En su homilía, el Obispo Jugis dijo haber escuchado a un comentarista radial decir que la pandemia de COVID-19 “realmente ha cambiado el mundo”.

“Pensé para mí mismo: ¿Ha cambiado realmente el mundo? ¿Es el mundo realmente tan diferente? ¡Vamos! El mayor problema que enfrenta nuestro mundo aún está con nosotros. Todavía hay pecado, y en gran abundancia”, dijo el obispo.

Quien realmente cambió el mundo e hizo que las cosas fueran diferentes es Jesús, continuó.

“Jesús es el remedio para el problema más grave que enfrenta nuestro mundo y eso pone todo en una perspectiva más amplia”, dijo. “Si el mundo viniera a Jesús para recibir el perdón por sus pecados, comenzaría para ellos una nueva vida en gracia y amor, una vida de santidad”.

“Sean santos”, continuó el Obispo Jugis, citando el tema del Congreso Eucarístico de este año.

Ese fue el mandato que Dios dio por primera vez a los israelitas cuando los convirtió en su pueblo elegido, explicó el obispo; y en su carta, San Pedro también recuerda al pueblo el mandato de Dios de ser santo. La santidad SANTIDAD, PASA A LA PÁGINA 11

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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(Derecha) El obispo Peter Jugis preside la ceremonia de corte de cinta y bendición el 15 de septiembre en el Seminario Universitario St. Joseph en Mount Holly. (Arriba) El padre Matthew Kauth, rector del St. Joseph College Seminary, y el obispo Jugis son todos sonrientes después del corte de cinta. (Abajo) El obispo Jugis, con la ayuda del padre Noah Carter, bendice la nueva capilla del seminario universitario.

FOTOS POR SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebrando un hito El Seminario Universitario San José fue formalmente inaugurado y bendecido PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE Y SUEANN HOWELL CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

MOUNT HOLLY — El martes fue un día para agradecer a Dios por enviar más trabajadores a recolectar Su cosecha, dijeron los líderes diocesanos al bendecir e inaugurar formalmente el Seminario Universitario San José.

El recientemente terminado seminario universitario fue bendecido por el Obispo Peter Jugis el 15 de septiembre, fiesta de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, después de una ceremonia oficial de corte de cinta.

Con su llamativa arquitectura gótica y 30,000 pies cuadrados de espacio para vivienda y aprendizaje, el seminario universitario sirve como hogar para hombres jóvenes que están explorando una vocación al sacerdocio católico mientras cursan estudios universitarios en Belmont Abbey College, a menos de dos millas de distancia. Fundado en 2016, San José es el único seminario universitario entre Washington, D.C. y Miami y ha sido un imán para los hombres jóvenes que desean discernir el sacerdocio.

RÁPIDO CRECIMIENTO

El crecimiento de la matrícula ha sido más rápido de lo que se había anticipado, de ocho estudiantes en su primer año a 27 en 2020. Ha demostrado ser tan popular que la construcción debió acelerarse y los donantes ya han contribuido con más de $ 15,5 millones para el proyecto que tiene una inversión total de $ 20 millones.

Tras la apertura de su hogar permanente, el seminario universitario ya se encuentra a dos tercios de su capacidad, con 27 jóvenes inscritos para los 40 espacios disponibles.

En la ceremonia del martes, el obispo y otras personalidades dieron gracias a Dios

por su guía y por responder a las oraciones de la gente para proporcionar más vocaciones al sacerdocio, más obreros para su mies, como se indica en el Evangelio de Mateo (capítulo 9) que se leyó durante el ceremonia de apertura.

“Nos atrevemos a pedirle al Maestro de la Cosecha que llene el Seminario Universitario San José”, dijo el obispo, y luego agregó con una sonrisa: “Escuchamos que todavía hay algunas habitaciones vacías disponibles”.

El obispo también agradeció las oraciones intercesoras a la Santísima Virgen María y San José, patrón del seminario universitario.

“Con todo lo que se ha hecho aquí con la guía de Nuestro Bendito Señor y la ayuda del Espíritu Santo, esperamos que vengan muchas más bendiciones”, dijo el obispo.

“Sigamos orando, y especialmente fomentando, las vocaciones al santo sacerdocio en toda la Iglesia, especialmente aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte”, añadió.

El éxito del seminario universitario no podría llegar en un mejor momento.

La población católica en la diócesis ha aumentado a más de 400.000, un 900 por ciento desde que se fundó la diócesis en 1972. “El crecimiento ha sido extraordinario”, señaló Monseñor Patrick Winslow, vicario general y canciller.

Monseñor Winslow, al señalar los esfuerzos invertidos en la construcción del seminario universitario, agregó: “Estaremos aquí ahora y en el futuro” y “continuaremos reflejando el Evangelio a la comunidad en general”.

UNA BENDICIÓN

La ceremonia de apertura tuvo lugar exactamente dos años después que se iniciara la construcción del seminario universitario. El 15 de septiembre de 2018,

el obispo, los seminaristas y el rector del seminario universitario, el Padre Matthew Kauth, desafiaron el viento y la lluvia de la tormenta tropical Florence para dar la palada inicial. Dos años después, el Padre Kauth recordó a los reunidos el propósito del seminario: formar hombres para servir como sacerdotes santos para la creciente Iglesia en el oeste de Carolina del Norte. El trabajo de la Iglesia continúa, dijo, a pesar de tormentas, crisis o pandemias.

Dios ha bendecido este proyecto, dijo el padre Kauth. “Ha puesto su dedo aquí y nos ha bendecido”.

“Lo que estamos haciendo aquí en el Seminario Universitario San José es construir hombres, edificar hombres de nobleza, integridad y autenticidad”, enfatizó. “El edificio, la estructura, hermosa como es, está intentando con su fuerza y nobleza ser una imagen de eso: un recordatorio de lo que se supone debemos convertirnos como hombres de virtud”.

El objetivo del seminario universitario es nutrir las vocaciones locales entre las parroquias y familias de la diócesis, cerca de casa, antes que los hombres se gradúen y vayan al seminario mayor fuera de la diócesis para completar su formación sacerdotal, regresen para su ordenación y servir en las parroquias en crecimiento de la diócesis.

HERMOSA OBRA

Con arquitectura gótica y ladrillos inspirados en Belmont Abbey, donde en 1876 los monjes benedictinos plantaron las raíces del catolicismo en el oeste de Carolina del Norte, el seminario universitario de dos pisos incluye 40 dormitorios, una capilla, aulas, biblioteca, oficinas de la facultad, un comedor y un pintoresco paseo por el claustro donde los estudiantes pueden meditar y rezar.

El edificio refleja un diseño de estilo

monástico destinado a fomentar la oración, la tranquilidad y la reflexión, incluso cuando sus espacios comunes brindan oportunidades para que los jóvenes se unan como amigos y hermanos en Cristo.

Los detalles arquitectónicos incluyen tiradores personalizados de las puertas con cola de león, vidrieras y los ladrillos y arcos que fueron creados por artesanos locales, señaló el padre Kauth. Muchos de los muebles y obras de arte fueron donados al seminario universitario. La compañía Edifice LLC de Charlotte se desempeñó como contratista general.

Los jóvenes inscritos provienen de comunidades de toda la diócesis, incluidas Arden, Boone, Charlotte, Forest City, Gastonia, Huntersville, Lenoir y Salisbury.

“Estoy muy feliz de estar aquí. Encontré la paz aquí en el seminario”, dijo Kolbe Murrey, un estudiante de cuarto año que es miembro de la Iglesia San Juan Bautista en Tryon. El seminario universitario le permite tomarse el tiempo para “escuchar realmente lo que Dios quiere que haga con mi vida”.

Eso significa “tener una vida de oración y estudio, y estar con un gran grupo de jóvenes de mi edad que quieren discernir un llamado al sacerdocio”, dijo, y la experiencia le ha dado una perspectiva más amplia. “La Iglesia y la obra de Dios en la Iglesia es más grande que solo mi vocación”, señaló.

Como fin de fiesta, los seminaristas formaron una fila frente al edificio para cantar la canción en latín de lucha del seminario, el himno “Salve Pater”, que saluda a San José como patrón del seminario universitario.

Más online En www.youtube.com/DioceseofCharlotte: Vea los videos sobre la inauguración y bendición del Seminario Universitario San José

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

19 escuelas católicas ahora abiertas en toda la diócesis SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA MAYOR

CHARLOTTE — Casi un mes después del inicio del año escolar, los estudiantes y maestros se están adaptando a nuevas rutinas y protocolos de salud a medida que asisten a clases en persona, y no se han reportado “grupos” de COVID-19 en ninguna de las 19 escuelas de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Diecisiete de las 19 escuelas abrieron el 31 de agosto, y las dos restantes abrieron el 8 de septiembre; eso es más tarde de la hora habitual de inicio de agosto, pero el tiempo adicional permitió al personal escolar practicar amplias medidas de protección para reducir el riesgo de propagación de COVID-19 en el campus.

Los maestros y administradores pasaron semanas antes de la apertura de las escuelas capacitándose en los nuevos protocolos de seguridad, limpieza y saneamiento en toda la diócesis antes de dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes.

Todas las escuelas católicas de la diócesis siguen la guía de los Centros para el Control de Enfermedades de EE. UU., La Academia Estadounidense de Pediatría y el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte para garantizar el entorno de aprendizaje más seguro posible, incluidos exámenes de salud, limpieza frecuente y lavado de manos, cubrición facial, distanciamiento social, barreras protectoras y otras medidas para mantener a los estudiantes y al personal sanos y seguros.

Un grupo diocesano trabajó con funcionarios de salud pública durante el verano para compilar pautas extensas que luego se adaptaron a las circunstancias y necesidades específicas de cada escuela.

Crystal Koury, superintendente asistente de escuelas de la diócesis que presidió el grupo de trabajo, enfatizó, “La salud y seguridad de nuestro personal y estudiantes es de máxima prioridad”.

Además de las medidas de salud, cada escuela ahora mantiene registros de los horarios de clases y los gráficos de asientos para permitir el rastreo de contactos cuando alguien posiblemente esté expuesto al coronavirus, dijo Koury. “Las comunicaciones para notificar a los miembros de la comunidad sobre un caso positivo y los procedimientos de cuarentena para personas potencialmente expuestas, asegurando una transición sin problemas al aprendizaje remoto están disponibles”, dijo. “Las pocas veces que hemos tenido que emplear estos procedimientos, las escuelas han respondido y las transiciones han sido efectivas”.

Estos procedimientos se activaron más recientemente a principios de este mes, cuando Charlotte Catholic High School cambió al aprendizaje en el hogar del 16 al 18 de septiembre después de que cuatro casos no relacionados de COVID-19 se rastrearon hasta la exposición fuera del campus.

Varios estudiantes y el personal tuvieron que aislarse por sí mismos, por lo que en consulta con el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Mecklenburg, la escuela llevó a todos los estudiantes al aprendizaje virtual mientras la escuela recibía una limpieza profunda y se revisaban sus protocolos de seguridad.

La escuela reabrió con un horario dividido del 21 al 25 de septiembre, y se espera que reanude la instrucción en persona el 28 de septiembre después de que los funcionarios del departamento de salud elogiaron las amplias medidas de respuesta de la escuela.

El nuevo superintendente de escuelas de la diócesis, el Dr. Greg Monroe, Koury y la superintendente asistente Debbie Mixer han pasado tiempo este mes visitando cada escuela durante las primeras semanas del semestre de otoño, viendo de primera mano cómo cada escuela está equilibrando la instrucción en persona con las medidas sanitarias implantadas.

“Estoy agradecido por el liderazgo y el arduo trabajo de nuestros equipos de tareas de regreso al campus y nuestro liderazgo escolar, profesores y personal que trabajaron durante meses para preparar a nuestras escuelas para que fueran entornos seguros para la instrucción presencial”, dijo Monroe. “Reconocemos que nuestros padres y figuras parentales son los primeros y principales educadores de sus hijos, por lo que también apreciamos su colaboración para garantizar que nuestras escuelas pudieran abrirse con éxito en todo el estado”.

“Al caminar por los pasillos de nuestras escuelas y ver la emoción y la alegría en los rostros de los estudiantes y maestros, reafirmo la convicción de que los estudiantes reciben un mejor servicio con la instrucción en persona. Es evidente que Jesús está presente en nuestras escuelas”, dijo Mixer.

Cosinda Gillison, instructora de prejardín de infantes en la escuela Our Lady of the Assumption en Charlotte, es testigo de la energía y la alegría de sus alumnos todos los días.

“Los estudiantes se abren camino por los pasillos listos para aprender más cada día. Están llenos de energía y, por supuesto, listos para comenzar el día”, dijo Gillison.

El tamaño de su clase es menor este año, pero Gillison se las arregla para mantener ocupados a sus estudiantes aprendiendo y jugando. Sus estudiantes, dicen, que se han adaptado bastante bien a las medidas de salud. “Esta generación definitivamente es capaz de adaptarse y hacer frente a los cambios de la sociedad”, dijo.

La directora Allana-Rae Ramkissoon señaló: “En OLA sentimos que hemos comenzado el año desde una posición sólida, en gran parte debido a los protocolos y planes implementados en respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19. Nuestro éxito también se ve reforzado por el hecho de que los estudiantes estaban muy ansiosos por regresar a clase, con un compromiso renovado con el aprendizaje en persona “. “¿Se siente diferente? Por supuesto que sí”, dijo Ramkissoon. “Extrañamos algunas de las normas y convenciones eliminadas por el distanciamiento social. ¿Es un desafío enseñar tanto cara a cara como también atender a nuestros estudiantes remotos en el mismo día? Absolutamente. Sin embargo, no hay otro lugar en el que preferiríamos estar. Es genial estar de regreso en casa, en tierra santa”.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Un numeroso grupo de líderes de los vicariatos de la Diócesis de Charlotte acudió a la reunión nacional del V Encuentro de la Pastoral Hispana. Fue una cita histórica realizada en septiembre de 2018 en Grapevine, Texas.

Quinto Encuentro de Pastoral Hispana reinicia actividades nacionales CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — El V Encuentro, proceso de evangelización y misión inspirado por el llamado del Papa Francisco a ser una Iglesia en salida, no detiene su trabajo pese a la presencia de la pandemia de COVID-19 y ha convocado a un evento virtual nacional para que todas las diócesis se conecten y dialoguen sobre las conclusiones y memorias alcanzadas tras el V Encuentro de la pastoral hispana realizado en Texas en septiembre de 2018.

El evento se realizará los días viernes 9 y sábado 10 de octubre de 6 a 9 de la noche y 12:30 de la tarde a 8 de la noche, respectivamente.

Para las diócesis de todo el país ha sido difícil, y en muchos casos imposible, llevar a cabo sus talleres diocesanos debido a las restricciones de reunión decretadas por la emergencia sanitaria.

Este evento es una oportunidad para que los representantes diocesanos puedan familiarizarse y recordar las importantes conclusiones a las que se llegó durante el V Encuentro, continuar su proceso de planificación y aplicación en sus vicarías, reevaluar las prioridades de trabajo de acuerdo a las circunstancias actuales y conectarse con otros líderes del país gracias a una nueva aplicación móvil que se dará a conocer en esa cita.

CITA HISTÓRICA

En junio de 2013, el Subcomité de Obispos para Asuntos Hispanos convocó al liderazgo de la pastoral hispana a entrar una vez más en el proceso de Encuentro, tras haberse realizado en 2000 la última convocatoria.

Los obispos Arturo Cepeda, Gerald Barnes, Nelson Pérez y el arzobispo Gustavo GarcíaSiller fueron elegidos por el Subcomité para acompañar más directamente el proceso de Encuentro.

En febrero de 2014, en Baltimore, MD, el Obispo Pérez organizó el equipo de acompañamiento incluyendo la representación de 17 organizaciones católicas regionales y nacionales, confirmándose la estructura de 14 regiones episcopales y decidiéndose que el discipulado misionero sería el eje central del encuentro.

Tras encuentros de trabajo parroquiales, de vicariato, diocesanos y regionales se llegó al encuentro realizado del 20-23 de septiembre de 2018 en el Hotel y Centro de Convenciones Gaylord Texan Resort, en Grapevine, Texas.

TRABAJO LOCAL

La hermana Joan Pearson, coordinadora del ministerio hispano del vicariato de Salisbury y activa organizadora diocesana por el V Encuentro, dijo que en la Diócesis de Charlotte el proceso de implementación de las conclusiones del V Encuentro no se han detenido.

“Tuvimos una reunión en noviembre de 2019 y programamos otra para agosto de este año, la que hemos realizado por zoom”, dijo la hermana Juana. “No hemos detenido el esfuerzo y, aunque algunas áreas del trabajo no han podido desarrollarse como queríamos, entendemos que hay problemas relacionados con la pandemia que nos han afectado”.

Al momento, explica, han recibido los procedimiento y conclusiones y han preparado equipos de líderes para desarrollar cada una de las prioridades que se establecieron tras el V Encuentro, en conjunto con las prioridades del Obispo Peter Jugis.

Las prioridades establecidas, y en las que esperan continuar trabajando en los próximos días, son pastoral juvenil, formación y acompañamiento espiritual, promocion de vocaciones y ministros biligües, formación y capacitación de líderes, pastoral familiar, apoyo de la diócesis y evangelización y misión.

“Muy pronto vamos a realizar una encuesta entre los fieles de la diócesis incluyendo preguntas que nos permitan conocer cómo han cambiado sus necesidades por la pandemia”, dijo la hermana Juana, a la vez que pidió que el pueblo de Dios tenga confianza en el trabajo que realizan los líderes. “Tenemos que confiar en las personas que elegimos”, subrayó.

Más online En www.vencuentro.org: Entérese del proceso del V Encuentro y lea los documentos y conclusiones del mismo

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Obispos de Estados Unidos reflexionan sobre contribuciones y liderazgo latino en Mes de la Herencia Hispana WASHINGTON, D.C. — Con motivo de celebrarse el Mes de la Herencia Hispana del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, el Obispo Arturo Cepeda, obispo auxiliar de Detroit y presidente del Subcomité de Asuntos Hispanos de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB), ha expresado que tanto la Iglesia Católica como la sociedad estadounidense deben reconocer las contribuciones históricas y actuales del liderazgo hispano y latino en todas las esferas de la Iglesia y la sociedad.

Este año, el Mes de la Herencia Hispana es especialmente significativo debido a que la Iglesia Católica en Estados Unidos está cosechando los frutos de un proceso de cuatro años llamado V Encuentro Nacional de Pastoral Hispana.

Durante la preparación y ejecución del proceso del V Encuentro se complementó una importante investigación demográfica sobre la presencia de los latinos en la Iglesia y sociedad estadounidense. Algunos hallazgos incluyen el hecho que entre

CONGRESO VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 8

Letty Jaime Álvarez, feligresa de Andrews, Carolina del Norte, dijo haber disfrutado de las conferencias de Lupita Venegas y el Padre Donald Calloway, quien habló -en inglés- sobre la consagración a San José. Álvarez espera “que el próximo año (el Congreso Eucarístico) se pueda hacer como normalmente se hacía”.

Mientras Enrique Hernández destacó la organización del evento virtual, Cecilia Jiménez dijo que le hizo falta “el calor humano”. Sugirió que para una próxima oportunidad las parroquias promuevan el Congreso con mayor anticipación y se aborden temas actuales, “como la pandemia en este tiempo y se de consuelo al pueblo que sufre”, una excelente recomendación que, con toda seguridad, los organizadores tomarán en cuenta.

SANTIDAD VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 8

es vocación de todos, enfatizó el Obispo Jugis. “Él les llamó a ser santos”.

¿QUÉ ES LA SANTIDAD?

“La santidad es una vida orientada hacia Dios, basada en el don de la fe en Dios. La santidad es una vida separada del pecado, y se demuestra en nuestra caridad hacia los demás”.

Somos santificados cuando nos bautizamos y estamos llamados a seguir viviendo vidas santas, agregó. La Eucaristía, el mismo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo, nos ayuda a crecer en santidad.

También nos inspira a la santidad el ejemplo de otras personas santas y centradas en Cristo, dijo el obispo, personas como Santa Teresa de Calcuta y San Maximiliano Kolbe. Y “las dos personas más santas que jamás hayan existido”, la Santísima Virgen María y San José, nos inspiran a la santidad con su ejemplo de la dedicación de sus vidas

los años 1990 y 2016 la población católica latina de Estados Unidos aumentó en aproximadamente 13,7 millones, mientras que la población católica global de este país solo aumentó en aproximadamente 3,6 millones. Esto demuestra que los hispanos han sido un factor determinante en el crecimiento de la Iglesia Católica en Estados Unidos durante las últimas tres décadas. Un hallazgo adicional fue que el porcentaje de hispanos en Estados Unidos que eran católicos en 2016 era del 52%, y poco más de la mitad de los católicos menores de 50 años eran hispanos.

“Mientras que el proceso formal del V Encuentro avanza en su fase de implementación, está claro que las numerosas iniciativas que emanan de él muestran el entusiasmo y la vitalidad de la Iglesia”, dijo el Obispo Cepeda.

“El proceso del V Encuentro ha demostrado la profunda fe y el compromiso de los hispanos y latinos con la Iglesia. Al mismo tiempo, ha demostrado su espíritu emprendedor, una profunda conciencia y

preocupación por las carencias sociales de nuestra sociedad, así como su fuerte compromiso con la justicia social, incluyendo una amplia gama de temas en defensa de la vida y la dignidad de la persona humana”, acotó el Obispo Cepeda. “Los hispanos, y en particular los hispanos católicos, están decididos a ser parte de la solución a la realidad actual: la pandemia de COVID-19, el llamado a la justicia racial y el impacto continuo del cambio climático global”.

A nivel nacional, estas prioridades incluyen el desarrollo del liderazgo, particularmente de los jóvenes adultos hispanos, un enfoque en el fortalecimiento del matrimonio y la vida familiar, la evangelización y catequesis con fuerte componente bíblico, el discernimiento vocacional, el logro educativo y la generación de respuestas a los desafíos pastorales generados por la pandemia de COVID-19, la que ha afectado de manera desproporcionada a personas de color, en particular a afroamericanos y latinos.

— Catholic News Service

POSIBILIDADES A FUTURO

el objetivo “no debe estar centrado únicamente a nuestra diócesis sino a nivel mundial, porque hay lugares pobres que no tienen la capacidad para realizar un Congreso Eucarístico u otras actividades. Y eso es evangelización, evangelización a distancia, por lo que podríamos planear algo para servir a todos”.

Para el Congreso Eucarístico 2021, que espera se realice de manera convencional, el Padre Domínguez adelantó que espera contar “en persona” con los conferencistas que fueron invitados en 2020.

“Yo creo que las ansias que teníamos de participar presencialmente este año se van a ver incrementadas para el próximo, por lo que espero una asistencia masiva”.

“Siento que va a ser así, creo que Dios nos va a dar la respuesta y estamos pidiendo por eso”, puntualizó.

El Padre Domínguez considera que, “pese a que la pandemia se puede ver como algo malo, nos ha sacudido como Iglesia para ver que se puede hacer mucho más”. Al igual, indicó que las ‘Cápsulas de Fe’, microprograma en video que se transmite todos los martes a las 6:30 de la tarde por las páginas de Catholic News Herald en YouTube y Facebook en Español, han tenido una buena respuesta de la comunidad, por lo que se está considerando realizar un mayor número de programas para beneficio de la comunidad.

Por otro lado, destacó que ha recibido comentarios de personas que han podido ver el congreso desde otros países, quienes le han agradecido que comparta el contenido para los que no pertenecen a la Diócesis de Charlotte. “Acá no tenemos ese tipo de cosas, pero el hecho de haber estado conectado a los conferencistas, a la Hora Santa, a ustedes, me abrió los ojos”, le escribió una persona originaria de México en un extenso mensaje.

Esta respuesta hizo pensar al Padre Julio que

a seguir la voluntad de Dios. Y, en última instancia, es Jesús mismo, “la perfección de la santidad”, quien es nuestro modelo.

El Obispo Jugis continuó: “El locutor de noticias de la radio tenía razón en parte: nuestro mundo ha cambiado. Y conocemos a Aquel que realmente ha cambiado nuestro mundo. Él es quien realmente ha hecho las cosas diferentes, ahora a través de Su Espíritu Santo. Resolvamos ser santos en cada una de las facetas de nuestra conducta”.

“Aunque no podemos unirnos como siempre este año para nuestro gran Congreso Eucarístico en Charlotte, Jesús todavía nos une como una familia diocesana, fortaleciendo nuestra unión con Él y nuestros lazos de caridad entre nosotros. ¿Cómo? A través de Su Presencia Real en la Sagrada Eucaristía celebrada en todas las iglesias y misiones de nuestra diócesis. “Él nos une. Cristo vive entre nosotros”.

Más online En www.youtube.com/DioceseofCharlotte: Vea el video completo de la Misa Votiva, un resumen de la misma y la homilía del Obispo Peter Jugis

Más online En www.youtube.com/DioceseofCharlotte y www.facebook.com/CNHEspañol: Puede ver los videos del Congreso Eucarístico Virtual 2020

Lecturas Diarias SEPTIEMBRE 27-OCTUBRE 3

Domingo: Ez 18: 25-28, Fil 2: 1-11, Mt 21: 28-32; Lunes: Job 1: 6-22, Lc 9: 46-50; Martes (Fiesta de los Santos Arcángeles Miguel, Gabriel y Rafael): Dn 7: 9-10. 13-14, Jn 1: 47-51; Miércoles (San Jerónimo, presbítero y doctor de la Iglesia): Job 9: 1-12. 14-16, Lc 9: 57-62; Jueves (Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús, virgen y doctora de la Iglesia): Job 19: 21-27, Lc 10: 1-12; Viernes (Santos Ángeles Custodios): Job 38: 1. 12-21; 40: 3-5, Mt 18: 1-5. 10; Sábado: Job 42: 1-3. 5-6. 12-16, Lc 10: 17-24

‘Aparición de Cristo crucificado a Santa Teresa de Jesús’, Óleo de Alfonso Cano, Granada, España, (1601-1667). Cortesía Museo del Prado, Madrid.

OCTUBRE 4-10

Domingo: Is 5: 1-7, Fil 4: 6-9, Mt 21: 3343; Lunes (Santa Faustina Kowalska): Gal 1: 6-12, Lc 10: 25-37; Martes: Gal 1: 13-24, Lc 10: 38-42; Miércoles: (Bienaventurada Virgen María del Rosario) Gal 2: 1-2. 7-14, Lc 11: 1-4; Jueves: Gal 3: 1-5, Lc 11: 5-13; Viernes: Gal 3: 7-14, Lc 11: 15-26; Sábado: Gal 3: 21-29, Lc 11: 27-28

OCTUBRE 11-17

Domingo: Is 25: 6-10, Fil 4: 12-14. 1920, Mt 22: 1-14; Lunes: Gal 4: 22-24. 2627. 31–5, Lc 11: 29-32; Martes: Gal 5: 1-6, Lc 11: 37-41; Miércoles (San Calixto): Gal 5: 18-25, Lc 11: 42-46; Jueves (Santa Teresa de Ávila): Ef 1: 1-10, Lc 11: 47-54; Viernes: Ef 1: 11-14, Lc 12: 1-7; Sábado (San Ignacio de Antioquía): Ef 1: 15-23, Lc 12: 8-12

St. Jude Novena

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Most Beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request.)

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

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles,

hopeless, pray for us.

There are none that can withstand your power.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times.)

Published in gratitude for

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times.)

prayers answered.

3 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 3 Glory Be

Thank you, L.K.

Published in gratitude for prayers answered.

pray for us, St. Jude, help of the

Thank you, P.O.

11

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iiiSeptember 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Celebrating a milestone

Bishop Peter Jugis presides over the ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony Sept. 15 at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Let us continue to pray for, and especially to encourage, vocations to the holy priesthood throughout the Church, especially here in the Diocese of Charlotte.’

– Bishop Peter Jugis

March 19, 2016

August 2016

Sept. 8, 20

Bishop Peter J. Jugis establishes St. Joseph College Seminary

The first class of 8 students enroll at St. Joseph College Seminary, temporarily housed on the campus of St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

The diocese buys 8 and Mt. Holly to be St. Joseph College

HE COVER

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

13

e St. Joseph College Seminary formally opened, blessed PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE AND SUEANN HOWELL CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

MOUNT HOLLY — It was a day to thank God for sending more laborers to gather His harvest, Diocese of Charlotte leaders said as they blessed and formally opened St. Joseph College Seminary.

The newly completed college seminary was blessed

by Bishop Peter Jugis Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, after an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With its striking Gothic architecture and 30,000 square feet of living-and-learning space, the college seminary serves as home to young men who are exploring a vocation to the priesthood while also pursuing undergraduate degrees at nearby Belmont Abbey College. St. Joseph is the only college seminary program between Washington, D.C., and Miami and has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood.

The program has proven so popular that construction on a permanent home for the seminary had to be accelerated.

Enrollment has more than tripled since the program began in 2016, and upon opening the college seminary building is already at two-thirds of capacity with 27 out of 40 seminary slots filled. Private donors have already contributed more than $15.5 million toward the $20 million project.

Bishop Jugis and others at the ceremony gave thanks to God for answering prayers to provide more vocations to the priesthood – more laborers for His harvest, as noted in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 9) that was read during the opening ceremony.

“We dare to ask the Master of the harvest to fill up St. Joseph College Seminary,” the bishop said, then added with a grin, “We hear there are still a few vacant rooms available.”

Bishop Jugis also acknowledged the intercessory prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Joseph, patron of the college seminary.

“With all that has been done here with the guidance of Our Blessed Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, let there be for us and into the future, many more blessings to come,” the bishop said.

“Let us continue to pray for, and especially to encourage, vocations to the holy priesthood throughout the Church, especially here in the Diocese of Charlotte,” he added.

The success of the college seminary couldn’t come at a better time. The Catholic population in western North Carolina has swelled to more than 400,000 – up 900 percent since the diocese was founded in 1972.

“The growth here has been extraordinary,” noted Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor.

Noting the quality building materials and artisanal skills devoted to constructing the college seminary, Monsignor Winslow added, “We’re going to be here now and into the future” and “continue to reflect the Gospel to the larger community.”

The opening ceremony was held exactly two years after ground was broken on the site for the college seminary.

On Sept. 15, 2018, the bishop, seminarians and the college seminary’s rector Father Matthew Kauth braved wind and rain from Tropical Storm Florence for the groundbreaking.

Two years onward, Father Kauth reminded those gathered of the purpose for the seminary: to form men to serve as holy priests for the growing Church in western North Carolina.

The work of the Church goes on, he said, despite storms, crises or pandemics.

God has blessed this project, Father Kauth said. “He has put His finger down here and He has blessed us.”

“What we are about here at St. Joseph College Seminary is building men – building men of nobility, of integrity and authenticity,” he said. “The building, the structure – beautiful as it is – is attempting in its nobility and strength to be an image of that: a reminder of what we are supposed to become as men of virtue.”

The aim of the college seminary is to nurture local vocations among the parishes and families in the Charlotte diocese, close to home, before the men graduate and go on to major seminary out of state to complete their priestly formation and return for ordination to serve in the diocese’s growing parishes.

With Gothic architecture and brickwork inspired by nearby Belmont Abbey, where in 1876 Benedictine monks planted the roots of Catholicism in western North Carolina, the two-story college seminary includes 40 dorm rooms, a chapel, classroom and library, faculty offices, a refectory and kitchen, and a picturesque cloister walk where students can meditate and pray.

The building reflects a monastic-style design meant to foster prayer, quiet and reflection even as its communal spaces provide opportunities for the young men to bond as friends and brothers in Christ. Architectural details including custom lion-tail door pulls, stained glass windows, brickwork and archways were all fashioned by local artisans, Father Kauth noted. Many of the furnishings and artwork were donated to the college seminary. Edifice LLC of Charlotte served as general contractor.

The young men enrolled at St. Joseph College Seminary come from communities across the diocese including Arden, Boone, Charlotte, Forest City, Gastonia, Huntersville, Lenoir and Salisbury.

“I’m very happy to be here. I found peace here at the seminary,” said Kolbe Murrey, a fourth-year student who’s a member of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon. The college seminary enables him to take the time to “really listen to what God wants me to do with my life.”

It means “having a life of prayer and study and being with just a great bunch of other young men my age who want to discern a call to the priesthood,” he said, and the experience has given him a broader perspective. “The Church and God’s work in the Church is bigger than just my vocation,” he said.

As a joyful end to the opening ceremony, the college seminarians formed a line in front of the building to sing the seminary’s Latin fight song, the hymn “Salve Pater,” which salutes St. Joseph as the college’s patron.

Seminary fundraising campaign nears $20M goal CHARLOTTE — Fundraising for the construction of St. Joseph College Seminary is moving into a wider phase, with an introductory letter from Bishop Peter Jugis going out to every registered household at the end of this month.

Private donors have already contributed $15.5 million towards the $20 million project. Diocese of Charlotte officials hope to raise the remaining $4.5 million before Dec. 31 to complete the campaign and avoid paying higher interest costs on the college seminary’s construction loan.

Bishop Jugis is asking each household to prayerfully consider pledging to the campaign to support the development of future priest vocations in the diocese.

The bishop’s letter will be followed by an invitation to support the seminary campaign in mid-November.

“The need for well-formed, faithful priests to serve our growing Catholic population is great,” he writes in the letter, noting that the number of priests serving the diocese has grown 76 percent since 1972 while the Catholic population has grown 900 percent.

“The preparation of priests is our collective responsibility and one that benefits each and every soul in our diocesan family,” he writes.

“The Diocese of Charlotte is a family of faith where everyone counts and all are needed. Together we can complete this momentous phase in the life of St. Joseph College Seminary.

“With your support, these men will emerge formed, sanctified and prepared to be the servant leaders we need.”

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Learn more At www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org: Get more information about St. Joseph College Seminary and learn how you can contribute to the capital campaign. You can also contact Jim Kelley, diocesan development director, at 704-608-0359 or jkkelley@charlottediocese.org.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights and more photos from the opening and blessing of St. Joseph College Seminary

017

Sept. 15, 2018

August 2020

Sept. 15, 2020

86 acres between Belmont e the permanent home for e Seminary.

Bishop Jugis and diocesan leaders break ground, during a short break in the rain and wind as Tropical Storm Florence blows through the area.

St. Joseph College Seminary opens the 2020’21 academic year with 27 students – more than tripling its enrollment in four years.

Bishop Jugis formally opens and blesses the permanent home for St. Joseph College Seminary.

Our schools 14

catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

FFHL tuition assistance funds awarded to eight diocesan schools SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Funds from the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign specifically earmarked for tuition assistance are being distributed again this fall. Eight diocesan schools received a total of $152,213 this school year – the highest amount given out since the aid program began.

The $65 million FFHL campaign, which is funding capital needs and endowments for parishes and ministries across the diocese, among other initiatives, brought in more than $4 million to fund a tuition assistance endowment for the diocese’s 19 schools.

The FFHL campaign surpassed its goal in pledges and has received $53.4 million in payments through August.

That amount is expected to rise as pledge payments continue coming in.

The $152,213 awarded to eight diocesan schools for the 2020-’21 school year will help participating Catholic families with the greatest financial need.

All schools that applied received funding: Asheville Catholic School, Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, Immaculata School in Hendersonville, Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point, Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro, Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, St. Leo School in Winston-Salem and St. Michael School in Gastonia.

“This FFHL tuition assistance initiative is a wonderful example of our shared mission and responsibility across the diocese to bring Christ to others,” said Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools. “The good work our schools do in preparing students to become intentional missionary disciples of Christ would not be possible without the contributions of more than 15,000 selfless donors.”

The tuition assistance endowment is administered by a committee consisting of the diocese’s schools superintendent, chief financial officer and members of the diocesan school board. Available income from the endowment is distributed to qualifying diocesan schools each year for student financial aid.

An endowment is a permanent fund, the principal of which is never touched, but the income from which can be used according to the wishes of the donor organization or individual. Endowments provide a way to generate income and help sustain the long-term strength and viability of the recipient parish, school or ministry.

To date, a total of $426,830 has been awarded to diocesan schools. In its first year in 2017, FFHL tuition assistance totaling $49,372 was given out for the first time to four diocesan schools. In 2018, $76,265 was awarded to six schools. In 2019, $149,980 was awarded to seven schools.

To qualify for the tuition assistance money, the school must receive local parish support of at least $500 per participating Catholic student and must have awarded all of its tuition assistance funds already available for that school year. Schools that do not receive $500 per student in parish support may be considered if there are extenuating financial circumstances that preclude this level of support. Qualifying schools may request funds from the FFHL endowment for participating Catholic students with a financial need determined to be 75 percent or greater of the family’s full tuition and fees responsibility to the school as determined by a third-party tuition assistance company.

The tuition assistance endowment is one of seven endowments funded through the FFHL campaign.

“FFHL funds continue to go to the parishes, capital projects and endowments across the diocese,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “FFHL has had a significant impact on the work being done in parishes and in ministries across the diocese that provide services to parishioners.”

‘It is evident that Jesus is present in our schools’ 19 Catholic schools now open across the diocese SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

figures are the first and primary educators of their children, so we also appreciate their collaboration in ensuring that our schools were able to open successfully across the state.”

Said Mixer, “As I walk through the halls of our schools and see the excitement and joy on the faces of the students and teachers, it reaffirms the conviction that students are best served with in-person instruction. It is evident that Jesus is present in our schools.”

Cosinda Gillison, a pre-kindergarten instructor at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, witnesses the boundless energy and joy in her students every day.

“Students are bouncing their way down the halls into the classroom ready to learn more each day. They are full of energy and of course ready to begin the day,” Gillison said.

Her class size is smaller this year but Gillison manages to keep her students busy learning and playing. Her students, she said, have adapted to the health measures pretty smoothly. “This generation is definitely able to adjust and cope with the changes of society,” she said.

Principal Allana-Rae Ramkissoon noted, “At OLA we feel

CHARLOTTE — Nearly one month into the school year, students and teachers are settling into new routines and health protocols as they attend in-person classes, and no COVID-19 “clusters” have been reported at any of the Diocese of Charlotte’s 19 schools.

Seventeen of the 19 schools opened Aug. 31, and the remaining two opened Sept. 8 – that’s later than the usual mid-August start date, but the extra time enabled school staffs to practice extensive protective measures to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 on campus.

Teachers and administrators spent weeks leading up to the opening of schools training in new diocesan-wide safety, cleaning and sanitation protocols before welcoming students back to campus.

All Catholic schools in the diocese are following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the safest possible learning environment – including health screenings, frequent cleaning and handwashing, face coverings, social distancing, protective barriers and other measures to keep students and staff healthy and safe.

A diocesan taskforce worked with public health officials through the summer to compile extensive guidelines that were then tailored to each school’s specific circumstances and needs.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE Crystal Koury, the diocese’s assistant Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools, speaks to students Sept. 15 at Immaculata superintendent of schools who chaired School in Hendersonville. All 19 Catholic schools in the diocese are now open for in-person the taskforce, emphasized, “The health instruction with extensive health protocols in place. and safety of our staff and students is of top priority.”

In addition to the health measures, each school is now like we’ve started out the year from a position of strength, keeping records of class schedules and seating charts largely due to the protocols and plans put in place in to enable contact tracing whenever someone is possibly response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our success is also exposed to the coronavirus, Koury said. bolstered by the fact that the students were very eager to “Communications to notify community members return to the classroom, with a renewed commitment to regarding a positive case and quarantine procedures for in-person learning.” potentially exposed ensuring a smooth transition to remote “Does it feel different? Of course it does,” Ramkissoon learning are readily available,” she said. “For the few times said. “We miss some of the norms and conventions stripped we have had to employ these procedures, the schools have away by social distancing. Is it challenging to teach both been responsive and the transitions have been effective.” face-to-face as well as serve our remote learners in the same These procedures were most recently triggered earlier day? Absolutely. However, there’s nowhere else we would this month, when Charlotte Catholic High School shifted to rather be. It is great to be back home – on holy ground.” at-home learning Sept. 16-18 after four unrelated cases of Dr. Carl Semmler, principal of Christ the King High COVID-19 were traced to off-campus exposure.

School in Huntersville, appreciates the hard work that has A number of students and staff had to self-isolate, so gone into welcoming students back to campus. in consultation with the Mecklenburg County Health “The opening of Christ the King under an in-person Department the school moved all students to virtual educational model was a truly grace-filled moment,” learning while the school received an additional deep Semmler said. “Everything has gone smoothly. It is clear cleaning and its safety protocols were reviewed. to me that this could not have happened without the The school reopened using a split schedule Sept. 21-25, unbelievably hard work on the part of the faculty and staff. and is expected to resume in-person instruction Sept.

We are indebted to them for their courage and dedication 28 after health department officials praised the school’s to our young people.” extensive response measures.

Over the past three weeks, he noted, students’ initial The diocese’s new superintendent of schools, Dr. Greg anxiety has melted away and transformed into a sense of Monroe, Koury and fellow Assistant Superintendent joy and camaraderie.

Debbie Mixer have spent time this month visiting every “What a fantastic thing it is to see young people become school during the opening weeks of the fall semester, fully alive again, by being with their friends and teachers. seeing first-hand how each school is balancing in-person This fall represents what the Catholic Church looks like at instruction with the health measures in place. its best. When we draw upon our faith to confront fear with “I am grateful for the leadership and hard work of our hope and become a light in the darkness, you can be sure return to campus task team and our school leadership, that we are fulfilling our baptismal promises.” faculty and staff who worked for months to prepare our “I have always been proud to be a Catholic educator, but schools to be safe environments for face-to-face instruction,” this year I am walking with an extra boost in my step,” he Monroe said. “We recognize that our parents and parental said.

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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134 McCully Rd. Gastonia, NC. 28052 704-864-1203

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

Giving thanks for a new school year HUNTERSVILLE — Families attended a special outdoor Mass on the St. Mark School field Aug. 30 to start the new school year. Father Alfonso Gámez welcomed more than 400 people – physically distanced and wearing masks – to the Mass.

In his homily, he talked about all the adjustments the schools have made to provide safe, in-person learning during the pandemic. “What resolution, what grace and what love for our students these teachers imbued in their efforts to make these teaching accommodations in the midst of all of the health concerns that we are currently undergoing.

Why would we put ourselves through so much difficulty? I think that at the end of the day, parents do everything for the happiness of their child.

But the reality is that while we’re here in this world, we experience that contrary and bad things happen. As a Christian, we should be able to say, in some sense, ‘Lord, thank you. Thank you for this ability to be free from my comforts because I know you have something better.’ The hope is that at a Catholic school, you learn to become a disciple, a follower of Christ. It’s not a life of being able to just ride along through life. It is one of carrying the cross. But although the cross is heavy and painful at times, it is also healing. It frees us from the attachments to this world to find our true happiness. I know the Lord has many surprises for us for the rest of the year. We trust in His goodness. We trust in His providence and we trust that the Lord has, in His mercy, the ability to bring good out of difficulty. And so, though the next few months are certainly veiled to us, we as Christians embrace it because we know there’s a loving God and there is something better. Like C.S. Lewis said, ‘The best is yet ahead of us.’ And so with great confidence, we run to that future knowing that the Lord is continually guiding us, guiding us to be free and to be happy in eternity.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

small underground community of Christians led by women, all the while struggling with her loss of faith, years before, as the result of a car accident. Though it claims to be based on true events, writer-director Cyrus Nowrasteh’s political thriller might as well have a soundtrack of axes being ground. Graphic violence, including scenes of torture, brief gore, themes requiring mature discernment, fleeting crude language.

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

‘Mulan’

‘Infidel’ Invited to appear on Egyptian television, a Christian blogger (Jim Caviezel) asserts the divinity of Jesus on air, for which presumed insult to Islam he’s abducted and tortured first by the Hezbollah in Lebanon and later by Iranian terrorists. The efforts of his wife (Claudia Karvan), a State Department employee, to obtain his release are stymied by an obtuse legal system. Violently attacked by men she trusted to help her, she finds safety with a

To spare her father (Tzi Ma), a partially disabled veteran, from having to serve again, the teen girl of the title (Yifei Liu) disguises herself as a young man and answers the Emperor of China’s (Jet Li) summons to take up arms against an invasion force (led by Jason Scott Lee) aided in their attacks by a shape-shifting witch (Gong Li). As she proves her valor, she also secretly falls for one of her newfound comrades (Yoson An). Based in part on an early medieval ballad, director Niki Caro’s live action adaptation of the eponymous 1998 animated feature is sprawling and picturesque. But, although it salutes courage, solidarity and devotion to family while showcasing the conversion of one of its villains, the story is freighted with extrabiblical concepts and activities that might confuse impressionable youngsters. Frequent stylized combat violence, nonscriptural beliefs and practices, a vengeance theme, brief partial nudity.

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

Other: n ‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: PG-13

Catholic Book Pick

On TV

‘The Catholic Faith: An Introduction to the Creeds’ by Stephen K. Ray and R. Dennis Walters

n Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Polycarp.” When the Roman proconsul demands all citizens to worship Caesar, Polycarp and other Christians must find the courage to stand up for their faith against the growing threat of persecution.

Like most things we take for granted, the Catholic Creeds have an amazing story — actually a lot of stories. What seems a simple prayer or statement of faith has a fascinating origin. And there is a reason it’s precisely worded the way it is and each word was fought over with great passion. It had to be worded just right. This little book is an introduction to the struggles, the heresies, the truth, and the men who fought to hand it down to us.

Knowing the story behind the creeds brings to life our fascinating history and beliefs. This book introduces the creeds as both a prayer and a personal commitment. Here you have the summary of Catholic doctrine in a nutshell, easy to read, memorize and practice.

n Tuesday, Sept. 29, 5 p.m. (EWTN) “The Choices We Face.” With original “A Crisis of Truth” footage from 1982, Ralph Martin and Perter Herbeck look at the Second Coming of Christ and our own judgment at the moment of death.

At www.tanbooks.com: Order your copy of “The Catholic Faith: An Introduction to the Creeds.”

Catholic News Herald readers enjoy 20 percent off their order – use the exclusive coupon code “CNH20.”

n Wednesday, Sept. 30, 11:30 a.m.

(EWTN) “St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Deil.” St. Josemaria continued the work of Opus Dei despite the antiCatholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War. Damon Owens and John Coverdale explore this time period. n Friday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “My Heart is Not Afraid.” The martyrdom of Alojzija Grozde, a young Slovenian student and member of Catholic Action who was killed after Yugoslav Partisans discovered him carrying religious books during World War II. n Saturday, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. (EWTN) “Marian Procession From the Holy Land.” A monthly rosary procession from the site of the Annunciation and Incarnation in Nazareth.

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September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Jugis blesses a family after Mass Sept. 12 during the Eucharistic Congress at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

CONGRESS FROM PAGE 3

who ever lived” – the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph – inspire us to holiness by their example of dedicating their lives to following God’s will. And ultimately it is Jesus Himself, “the perfection of holiness,” who is our model.

Bishop Jugis continued, “The radio news broadcaster was partially correct: our world has changed. And we know the One who really has changed our world.

He is the One who really has made things different, through His Holy Spirit. Let us resolve to be holy – in every aspect of our conduct.”

“Though we cannot come together as usual this year for our big Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, Jesus is still bringing us together as one diocesan family, strengthening our union with Him and our bonds of charity with each other. How? Through His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, celebrated in all the churches and missions of our diocese.

“He brings us together. Christ is living among us.”

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Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Two Catholic women judges top short list as possible Supreme Court nominees WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Catholic women judges are on the short list of possible candidates to fill the vacant Supreme Court justice seat after the Sept.

18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate court judge in Chicago, and Barbara Lagoa, a federal appeals court judge in Atlanta.

President Donald Trump told reporters the afternoon of Sept. 19, and rallygoers later that evening, that he intended to pick a Supreme Court nominee in the coming days, and it would likely be a woman.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pledged hours after Ginsburg’s death that he would hold a vote on Trump’s nominee to fill the court vacancy despite blocking President Barack Obama’s nominee in 2016, after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death that February, because it was an election year.

McConnell and other Republicans have said the situation is different this time because the same party, Republicans, control both the Senate and the White House.

To move Trump’s nominee through the Senate would require a simple majority vote.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said that if he wins the election, he should nominate Ginsburg’s successor.

One of the first names to emerge as possible contender for Ginsburg’s seat was Barrett, a 48-year-old who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit Court, based in Chicago. The judge, a former law professor at the University of Notre Dame and a mother of seven, is not an unknown.

She was viewed as a potential candidate for the nation’s high court in 2018 after Justice Anthony Kennedy retired, a slot that was filled by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Barrett, a former clerk for Scalia, was the focus of Senate grilling during her 2017 confirmation hearing to serve on the 7th Circuit, when she was asked about the impact her faith would have on her

interpretation of the law.

At the time, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told her: “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s a concern.”

Barrett responded: “It’s never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge’s personal convictions, whether they arise from faith or anywhere else, on the law.”

Afterwards, Catholic leaders spoke out against the line of questioning used on her that focused on her faith.

Feinstein had referred to Barrett’s speeches and a 1998 article she wrote about the role of Catholic judges in death penalty cases. The senator questioned Barrett about upholding Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal.

When Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked Barrett if she considered herself an “orthodox” Catholic, Barrett said: “If you’re asking whether I take my faith seriously and am a faithful Catholic, I am. Although I would stress that my present church affiliation or my religious beliefs would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge.”

The other name that emerged was Lagoa, the 52-year-old Miami-born daughter of Cuban exiles and a judge of the Atlantabased 11th Circuit.

Last year, Lagoa spoke at a Florida reception of the St. Thomas More Society after its annual Red Mass, which prays for lawyers and judges. She said her Catholic education instilled in her “an abiding faith in God that has grounded me and sustained me through the highs and lows of life.”

Lagoa asked the audience if “one could be a strong advocate for one’s client and still be a Catholic?” She answered the question by saying faith was “more than going to Mass every Sunday, and to me at least, it means having a personal relationship with God that in turn informs how we treat others.”

Giving the example of St. Thomas Mor, she said he shows how legal professionals should not compartmentalize professional lives from spiritual lives to justify a lapse in faith or moral conviction.

St. Jude Novena

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Most Beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request.)

CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CNS | ADREES LATIF, REUTERS

‘You are not alone,’ Portland, Ore., archbishop tells victims of wildfires MEDFORD, Ore. — Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland visited southern Oregon Sept. 19-20 to meet some of the hundreds of people who lost homes earlier in the month to powerful wind-driven fires. In Sacred Heart Parish in Medford alone, almost 150 families are at a loss with homes in ruins and ashes. Many are lower-income Hispanics.

Some could not get homeowners insurance or distrusted banks and so lost their life savings. Entire neighborhoods in Talent and Phoenix disappeared. “It is beyond me to try to explain why such suffering is allowed to happen in our world,” the archbishop said during a Sept. 20 homily at Sacred Heart Church. “I’ve had some pretty interesting conversations with the Lord these days.” The archbishop expressed compassion for people who have faced the pandemic, political strife and social divisions, only to be devastated by fire. “You have experienced a tremendous tragedy and loss,” he said. “My brothers and sisters, know that you are not forgotten. You are not alone.” Pictured, firefighters and a police officer monitor the Brattain Fire in the Fremont National Forest in Paisley, Ore., Sept. 18.

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now and forever.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles,

hopeless, pray for us.

There are none that can withstand your power.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times.)

Published in gratitude for

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times.)

prayers answered.

3 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 3 Glory Be

Thank you, J.K.

Published in gratitude for prayers answered.

pray for us, St. Jude, help of the

Thank you, K.P.

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Bishop: Church, society should recognize leadership of Hispanics, Latinos WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic Church and American society should recognize the historic and current contributions of Hispanic and Latino leaders, said a U.S. bishop at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

This year, Hispanic Heritage Month is especially meaningful as the Church in the United States is concluding the four-year process of the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry, said Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda of Detroit, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs. The main goal of V Encuentro, he said, has been to discern ways in which the Church in the U.S. can better respond to the Hispanic/Latino presence and to strengthen the ways in which Hispanics and Latinos respond to the call to the new evangelization as missionary disciples serving the Church and society.

Cordileone: ‘Unrealistic’ limits on public worship ‘willful discrimination’ SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s archbishop told hundreds of Catholics gathered near City Hall Sept. 20 that “it is because of our Catholic faith that we are being put at the end of the line” by city officials in enacting what could be the country’s harshest pandemic restrictions on religious worship. “The city continues to place unrealistic and suffocating restrictions on our natural and constitutional right to worship. This willful discrimination is affecting us all,” said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. “Yes, discrimination, because there is no other word for it.” He made the comments in a homily at a Mass that followed Eucharistic processions to a plaza near San

Francisco’s City Hall. More than 1,000 Catholics participated in the archdiocesan “Free the Mass” demonstration.

Global biotech company ends use of aborted fetal cell lines for vaccines WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholic pro-life leaders say they are seeing some progress in the development of vaccines with the use of ethical animal cell lines instead of cell lines derived from abortions. A case in point is the decision

by Sanofi Pasteur to no longer use an aborted fetal cell line in producing its polio vaccines, a move recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sanofi Pasteur, the largest biotech company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines, requested the agency’s approval for switching from using an aborted fetal cell line called MRC-5 to using an ethical animal cell line to produce its polio combination vaccines Pentacel and Quadracel. The vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi is one of the companies currently developing a COVID-19 vaccine by utilizing “cell lines not connected to unethical procedures and methods.” Inovio and the John Paul II Medical Research Institute are other such companies. Sanofi Pasteur also recently ended production of its stand-alone polio vaccine, Poliovax, which also had been manufactured using MRC-5, according to the president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, based in Philadelphia. The corporation will retain another stand-alone polio vaccine, IPOL, that is ethically produced.

Black sisters urge U.S. Catholics, Church leaders to do more to end racism WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Black Sisters’ Conference issued a “clarion warning” to U.S. Catholics saying Church members and leaders have not done enough to speak out against the sin of racism. “In this moment of dual life-threatening pandemics; COVID-19 and racism, the voice of the Church in America is, for the most part, eerily silent when it comes to the racial unrest in this country,” said the Sept.

16 statement by the national organization of

Please pray for the following deacons who died during the month of September: Albert Renuart Charles Knight

9/24/2002 9/13/2017

more than 150 Black Catholic women religious and associates in the United States. The group said they felt compelled to “hold up the light,” referring to an old spiritual with the same title, where light is held aloft to “expose the darkness of evil and sin, thereby destroying its power.

We are holding up the light,” the sisters said, “against the sin of racism that is still alive and well in the Catholic Church today.” They said this has been happening “since the first Catholics set foot on this continent, armed with papal bulls sanctioning and blessing the enslavement of Africans and the removal of native peoples from their lands, all in the name of Christianity.”

Four Puerto Rican dioceses to receive $82M in FEMA funding CHICAGO — With the help of Catholic Extension and two other organizations, four Catholic dioceses in Puerto Rico were selected to receive to $82 million in “hazard mitigation funding” from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience selected the San Juan Archdiocese and the Arecibo, Caguas and Fajardo-Humacao dioceses to use this FEMA funding for post-Hurricane Maria construction of more resilient structures with a greater capacity to withstand future natural disasters and support the needs of more people. Chicago-based Catholic Extension recently announced the award, saying that it came about through its ongoing efforts, in partnership with Catholic Management Services

19

and Hagerty Consulting, “to gain access to these funds to begin community recovery and healing following the wrath of Hurricane Maria that devastated the island in 2017. The federal government investing $82 million in the Catholic Church to build more resilient structures is a recognition of the pivotal role the Church has and will play following natural disasters,” Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, said in a statement.

— Catholic News Service

Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | September 25, 2020 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Vatican reaffirms, clarifies Church teachings on end-of-life care VATICAN CITY — With the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in many countries, and questions concerning what is morally permissible regarding end-oflife care, the Vatican’s doctrinal office released a 25-page letter offering “a moral and practical clarification” on the care of vulnerable patients.

“The Church is convinced of the necessity to reaffirm as definitive teaching that euthanasia is a crime against human life because, in this act, one chooses directly to cause the death of another innocent human being,” the document said.

Titled, “’Samaritanus bonus,’ on the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life,” the letter by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was approved by Pope Francis in June, and released to the public Sept. 22.

A new, “systematic pronouncement by the Holy See” was deemed necessary given a growing, global trend in legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, and changing attitudes and rules that harm the dignity of vulnerable patients, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, congregation prefect, said at a Vatican news conference Sept. 22.

It was also necessary to reaffirm Church teaching regarding the administration of the sacraments to and pastoral care of patients who expressly request a medical end to their life, he said.

“In order to receive absolution in the sacrament of penance, as well as with the anointing of the sick and the viaticum,” he said, the patients must demonstrate their intention to reverse their decision to end their life and to cancel their registration with any group appointed to grant their desire for euthanasia or assisted suicide.

In the letter’s section on “Pastoral discernment toward those who request euthanasia or assisted suicide,” it said a “priest could administer the sacraments to an unconscious person ‘sub condicione’ if, on the basis of some signal given by the patient beforehand, he can presume his or

her repentance.”

The Church’s ministers can still accompany patients who have made these end-of-life directives, it added, by showing “a willingness to listen and to help, together with a deeper explanation of the nature of the sacrament, in order to provide the opportunity to desire and choose the sacrament up to the last moment.”

It is important to carefully look for “adequate signs of conversion, so that the faithful can reasonably ask for the reception of the sacraments. To delay absolution is a medicinal act of the Church, intended not to condemn, but to lead the sinner to conversion,” it said.

However, it added, “those who spiritually assist these persons should avoid any gesture, such as remaining until the euthanasia is performed, that could be interpreted as approval of this action.”

Chaplains, too, must show care “in the health care systems where euthanasia is practiced, for they must not give scandal by behaving in a manner that makes them complicit in the termination of human life.”

Another warning regarded medical endof-life protocols, such as “do not resuscitate orders” or “physician orders for lifesustaining treatment” and their variations.

These protocols “were initially thought of as instruments to avoid aggressive medical treatment in the terminal phases of life. Today, these protocols cause serious problems regarding the duty to protect the life of patients in the most critical stages of sickness,” it said.

On the one hand, it said, “medical staff feel increasingly bound by the self-determination expressed in patient declarations that deprive physicians of their freedom and duty to safeguard life even where they could do so.”

“On the other hand, in some health care settings, concerns have recently arisen about the widely reported abuse of such protocols viewed in a euthanistic perspective with the result that neither patients nor families are consulted in final decisions about care.”

“This happens above all in the countries where, with the legalization of euthanasia,

St. Jude Novena

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Most Beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request.)

CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles,

CNS | GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

A patient is pictured in a file photo chatting with a nun at Rosary Hill Home, a Dominican-run facility in Hawthorne, N.Y., that provides palliative care to people with incurable cancer and have financial need. wide margins of ambiguity are left open in end-of-life law regarding the meaning of obligations to provide care.”

The Church, however, “is obliged to intervene in order to exclude once again all ambiguity in the teaching of the magisterium concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide, even where these practices have been legalized,” it said.

Euthanasia involves “an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all pain may in this way be eliminated.”

Its definition depends on “the intention of the will and in the methods used,” it added.

The letter reaffirmed that “any formal or immediate material cooperation in such an act is a grave sin against human life,” making euthanasia “an act of homicide that no end can justify and that does not tolerate any form of complicity or active or passive collaboration.” For that reason, “those who approve laws of euthanasia and assisted suicide, therefore, become accomplices of a grave sin that others will execute. They are also guilty of scandal because by such

laws they contribute to the distortion of conscience, even among the faithful.”

The letter also underlined a patient’s right to decline aggressive medical treatment and “die with the greatest possible serenity and with one’s proper human and Christian dignity intact” when approaching the natural end of life. However, it also underlined the rights of physicians as never being “a mere executor of the will of patients or their legal representatives, but retains the right and obligation to withdraw at will from any course of action contrary to the moral good discerned by conscience.”

Other topics the letter detailed included: the obligation to provide basic care of nutrition and hydration; the need for holistic palliative care; support for families and hospice care; the required accompaniment and care for unborn and newly-born children diagnosed with a terminal disease; the use of “deep palliative sedation”; obligation of care for patients in a “vegetative state” or with minimal consciousness; and conscientious objection by health care workers.

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September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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In Brief Pope: Coronavirus vaccine must be for all, not just the wealthy VATICAN CITY — As countries around the world scramble to find a vaccine for COVID-19, Pope Francis again called for an ethical distribution of the vaccine to everyone, especially those who are struggling financially. Addressing members of the Italian Pharmaceutical Bank, a charitable organization that provides medicine to the poor, the pope said the economic crisis generated by the pandemic has shed a light on poverty in the world, including “pharmaceutical poverty. I repeat that it would be sad if, in providing the vaccine, priority was given to the wealthiest, or if this vaccine became the property of this or that country, and was no longer for everyone. It must be universal, for all,” he said Sept. 19. According to its website, the Pharmaceutical Bank was founded in 2000 by a group of young pharmacists who were convinced the lack of medicine for poor people was an “underestimated” problem. Adopting a similar approach to food banks, the Pharmaceutical Bank has locations in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Argentina.

Cardinal Sarah to bishops: Facilitate Mass in person as soon as conditions permit VATICAN CITY — Church services and Mass online cannot compare to or replace the in-

person participation of the faithful, the head of the Vatican’s office for divine worship told the world’s bishops. “As soon as circumstances permit, however, it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the church building as its home and the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist,” wrote Cardinal Robert Sarah. “Once the concrete measures that can be taken to reduce the spread of the virus to a minimum have been identified and adopted, it is necessary that all resume their place in the assembly of brothers and sisters,” he wrote. The letter by the cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, was sent to the presidents of national bishops’ conferences worldwide. Pope Francis approved the publication of the letter during an audience with the cardinal Sept. 3, according to Vatican News, which then provided excerpts from the message Sept. 12.

Cardinal Parolin: U.N. must recommit to the common good VATICAN CITY — Marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Cardinal Pietro Parolin called on the United Nations to renew its commitment to the ideals upon which it was founded. In a prerecorded message released Sept. 21, Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said that while the United Nations has worked for decades to alleviate poverty, promote peace and champion human rights, “there have been challenges and setbacks, even contradictions and failures” throughout its long history. “The United Nations is not perfect, and it has not always lived up to its name and ideals, and it has harmed itself whenever particular interests have triumphed over the common good,” he said. “The United Nations will always be in need of revitalizing the original spirit in order to make the charter’s principles and purposes its own within the context of a changing world,” he said.

Pope: Compassion for earth is vaccine against epidemic of indifference VATICAN CITY — Contemplation and compassion are the necessary components of an integral ecology that ensures both the care of the environment and the common good, Pope Francis said. “Compassion is the opposite of indifference,” Pope Francis said Sept. 12, during an audience with members of the “Laudato Si’” Communities. “Our compassion is the best vaccine against the epidemic of indifference.”

The “Laudato Si’” Communities in Italy were founded by Bishop Domenico Pompili of Rieti, Italy, and Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement, a grassroots organization that promotes the preservation of local food culture and traditional cooking to counteract the rise of fast food chains and food waste. According to their website, the communities were inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and seek to spread its message “of integral ecology, social justice and solidarity through events, conferences, workshops, courses, publications, exchanges and initiatives.” In his address, the pope emphasized the need for an integral ecology because “we are all creatures, and everything in creation is related.”

Knights of Holy Sepulchre give $3.5M in aid to Holy Land VATICAN CITY — As members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem around the world were experiencing their own COVID-19 lockdowns, they contributed some $3.5 million to a special fund to support the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, especially its schools and charitable outreach. “Despite the difficult conditions on a global level, generosity was not lacking,” said a statement Sept. 17 from

the order’s Vatican headquarters. About 30,000 Catholic men and women around the world are knights or dames of the Holy Sepulchre, pledging to support the Church of Jerusalem with their prayers, regular pilgrimages and financial offerings. Cardinal Fernando Filoni, grand master of the order, announced in May a special COVID-19 Humanitarian Support Fund because “the Holy Land, where the very economic lifeblood of thousands of families lies in religious pilgrimages and tourism, has been seriously affected.”

— Catholic News Service

World Day of Migrants and Refugees coming up The 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees will take place Sept. 27. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee.” The basis for this reflection theme is the experience of Jesus Christ and the Holy Family as displaced persons and refugees, who fled from Bethlehem in Judea to escape King Herod’s murderous wrath to find safety in the land of Egypt (Mt 2:13 -16).

For more information about this day, including the full text of Pope Francis’ message, go online to www.ccdoc.org/education.

In the ongoing work of the U.S. Bishops on behalf of migrants and refugees, the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services is to “serve and advocate for refugees, asylees, migrants, unaccompanied children, and victims of human trafficking.” Its policies and direction are set by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, a committee led by eight bishops and chaired

by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville.

Learn more about this work at www.usccb. org/about/migration-and-refugee-services.

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For more information on how to leave a legacy for your parish, please contact Gina Rhodes, Director of Planned Giving at 704/370-3364 or gmrhodes@charlottediocese.org.

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Bishop Robert Barron

Jesuit Father John Michalowski

‘Everything is connected’: We are all in this together

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n 1967, St. Paul VI wrote about integral humanism.

What does this term mean, and how does it apply to today’s world?

Too often people in the modern world are considered under only one aspect. The person is a consumer, or a moral being, or a sex object, or a member of a certain class, or a member of a political party, or a spouse, or a worker, or a member of a particular religion or ethnicity or race. The list could go on and on. Each category indicates a person’s function, role or use. To this the Holy Father, says, “no.” The Church teaches that each person is a child of God who is worthy – not of being used, but of having his or her dignity respected and fostered.

A person is an integral whole – that is, a moral, social, religious, economic, psychological, individual human being with a transcendent destiny. Each person has both rights and duties, and these rights and duties must be respected by all within the community, the nation and the world.

Over the past 50 years, the Church has come to see that we are related not just to each other, but to all of creation.

Thus there is a need for an “integral ecology” – a care for our common home and each person and being within it, both now and in the future. The goal of an integral ecology is three-fold: to protect nature, to restore dignity to the excluded, and to combat all forms of poverty – economic, social, political and spiritual.

In “Charity in Truth,” Pope Benedict XVI writes that “projects for integral human development cannot ignore coming generations, but need to be marked by solidarity and inter-generational justice, while taking into account a variety of contexts: ecological, juridical, economic, political, and cultural” (48). Too often, both our neighbor and creation are misused or ignored. “The deterioration of nature is in fact closely connected to the culture that shapes human coexistence: when ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits” (51). Unfortunately, selfishness on the part of individuals, corporations and nations too often neither respect nor foster the well-being of the poor, those on the margins, and the areas in which they live.

In a special report for the anniversary of “Laudato Si” for May 24, 2020-May 24, 2021, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development writes, “The multiple ‘cracks in the planet that we inhabit’ (LS, 163) from the melting ice caps in the Arctic to the raging wildfires in the Amazon, from extreme weather patterns around the world to unprecedented levels of loss of biodiversity that sustain the very fabric of life, are too evident and detrimental to be ignored any more. Pope Francis’ prophetic words continue to ring in our ears: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (LS, 160). The poor communities around the world are already the early and disproportionate victims of the current ecological degradation and we cannot remain indifferent any longer to the increasingly desperate ‘cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (LS. 49).”

Pope Francis has spoken recently of the connection between the present pandemic, care for the poor and care for the earth during his weekly general audiences. On Aug. 19, he said, “The pandemic has exposed the plight of the poor and the great inequality that reigns in the world.” He said there is a need for a dual response – to find a cure for the virus and to “cure a larger virus, that of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalization, and the lack of protection for the weakest.” A cure for this second virus can only come about through a conversion to the way of Jesus, who as St. Paul points out in Philippians 2, emptied Himself

of divinity and privilege to become a servant. He became poor and ministered to the poor, showing them – and all of us – God’s merciful love. Jesus made this preferential option for the poor the criterion of Christian authenticity, for by it we become doers of the Word, not only hearers.

Will the crisis of the pandemic convert us to solidarity with Christ, all peoples and creation? Will we convert a world economy to one that nurtures “an economy of the integral development of the poor,” as Pope Francis said, and counters “social injustice and environmental damage”?

The Holy Father goes on to challenge us to work with Jesus to heal the world by creating an economic system based on solidarity and the universal destination of goods. “The pandemic has exposed and aggravated social problems, above all that of inequality,” he said Aug. 26.

“The economy is sick. …It is the fruit of unequal economic growth – this is the illness: the fruit of unequal economic growth – that disregards fundamental human values. In today’s world, a few wealthy people possess more than all the rest of humanity.” These sins of selfishness, power and pride are at the root of social inequality and environmental degradation. “The earth ‘was here before us and it has been given to us,’ it has been given by God ‘for the whole human race’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2402). And therefore it is our duty to make sure that its fruit reaches everyone, not just a few people,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how interdependent we are. Climate change reminds us how interdependent we are with others and with the earth.

We are all in this together. The question is: Will we as individuals, as a local community, as a nation, and as a world made up of many nations, open ourselves up to God’s grace so that an ecological conversion might take place?

“Social problems must be addressed by community networks and not simply by the sum of individual good deeds. …The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion” (LS, 219). This means conversion to solidarity. More than individual acts of charity, it means conversion to an attitude of “gratitude and gratuitousness, a recognition that the world is God’s loving gift, and that we are called quietly to imitate His generosity in selfsacrifice and good works. … It also entails a loving awareness that we are not disconnected from the rest of creatures, but joined in splendid universal communion” (LS, 220).

Pope Francis calls us to open ourselves to that conversion which “inspires the faith of the community united in diversity and solidarity. Diversity and solidarity united in harmony, that is the way,” he said Sept. 2. “Diversity in solidarity also possesses antibodies that heal social structures and processes that have degenerated into systems of injustice, systems of oppression. …Either we go ahead along the road of solidarity, or things will worsen.”

The choice is ours. Will we respond to grace in the midst of the dual crises of climate change and the pandemic? Or will we revert back to a world of selfishness – forgetting the poor, our children and the earth itself ?

JESUIT FATHER JOHN MICHALOWSKI is parochial vicar of St. Peter Church in Charlotte. This is the second of a two-part commentary about Catholic teaching on care for creation. Go online to www.vativan.va to find Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Sept. 1, 2020; Laudato Si’; the texts of his Wednesday general audiences; and his video message for September 2020: “Respect for the Planet’s Resources.” During this Season of Creation (Sept. 1-Oct. 4), also check out the information provided on St. Peter Church’s website at www.stpeterscatholic.org (click on Get Involved, then Justice and Outreach, then Care for Creation).

You’re meant to be an eagle, not a chicken

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hen I was doing full-time parish ministry, one of my favorite activities was performing baptisms.

Now that I’m a bishop, I have fewer occasion to baptize, and I do miss it. But an exception took place recently when I was delighted to welcome into the Church Hazel Rose Cummins, the daughter of Doug Cummins and his wife Erica. Doug is our associate producer for Word on Fire in Santa Barbara.

I would like to share with all of you what I preached to the group gathered outside (it’s COVID time) San Roque Church in Santa Barbara. I asked them if they had heard the story of Father Matthew Hood, a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, who discovered, after watching a video of his own baptism, that he had been invalidly baptized. The deacon who had performed the ceremony did not use the proper words, and as a result, Father Hood had not in fact been received into the Church. As a consequence, he had not validly received First Communion, confirmation or priestly ordination, since all of those sacraments depend upon the legitimacy of baptism. Once this was discovered, the Archbishop of Detroit administered all of the sacraments to Father Hood and the young man was able to minister as a priest.

You may think, “Well, that’s a strange story with a happy ending,” but it tells us, in fact, something extremely important regarding the Church’s understanding of baptism. We believe that through the words and gestures of the sacrament, something happens. Baptism is not simply a celebration of a new life, or even an act of praying for and offering a child to God. It is the visible sign of the invisible grace of incorporation into the Mystical Body of Jesus. It changes an objective state of affairs, whether we acknowledge it or not.

I then used the parable of the eagle’s egg that tumbled out of the nest only to fall amid a flock of chickens. When the eaglet was hatched, the only world he came to know was that of chickens, and he spent his first years pecking on the ground and never spreading his great wings. One day, a majestic eagle flew overhead and spotted his young confrere on the ground, acting like a chicken. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked. “Don’t you know who you are?” He then taught the eaglet how to deploy his wings and soar.

So it goes in the spiritual order. Every baptized person is, objectively speaking, a child of God and destined to be a great saint. The problem is, most of those who have received this new identity promptly forget it and take on the beliefs and practices of the world. Following the prompts of popular culture and secularist ideologues, we give ourselves over to the acquisition of wealth or power or material success or fame. These things aren’t bad in themselves, but considering them our highest value and running after them with all of our powers amounts to pecking on the ground like chickens. What we need, I told the congregation gathered for Hazel’s baptism, is a strong community of people to remind this little girl who she is. They didn’t make her a child of God; Christ did that through the mediation of baptism. But they can teach her not to settle for being some pathetic substitute of who she is meant to be. Everything they teach her, everything they encourage her to do, should be directed to the great end of becoming a saint.

I have sometimes wondered what this country would be like if everyone who is baptized lived up to his or her identity as a child of God. What if everyone who is meant to soar would, finally, stop poking around on the ground? It would be a true American revolution.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, online at www.wordonfire.org.

September 25, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Kathryn Evans

Escape into what is worthy

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e live in a culture today that is over-saturated with all forms of media. Technology has provided an abundance of physical devices, such as smart phones, tablets and computers, not to mention the variety of video game systems and televisions. These devices give us near-constant access to social media, news outlets, games, movies and online videos. Reading devices and apps can give you an endless supply of books to read, from the latest bestsellers to the classics of great literature. On my current e-reader, I can carry a library of hundreds of books with me wherever I go, and I can download a new book at any given moment without waiting.

This past year has been difficult for so many, and the proliferation of media has added its own dimension to our experience.

I’ve talked with many friends and family members who have had to take breaks from their social media accounts because they were feeling overwhelmed from the sheer volume of news and people’s personal opinions about the crisis in the world. As a result, a common theme of discussion lately has been the books or television shows that people are binging on to distract themselves from current events – and there certainly is enough variety from which to choose. I’ve heard it frequently opined about the number of new shows and movies out there to watch on various streaming services, yet there simply isn’t enough time for them all. It has never before been so easy to escape from reality and get lost in other worlds and thoughts.

With access to so much information, news and entertainment, how do we regulate what we take in? And is there anything wrong with escaping into these various forms of media?

In his classic essay “On Fairy Stories,” J.R.R. Tolkien comes to the defense of the idea of “escapism.” He says, “Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home?

Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?” In Tolkien’s argument, there is nothing wrong with dwelling on things beyond your immediate circumstances.

There is even something admirable about forgetting your current hardship and thinking about more pleasant and interesting things. This concept takes on even more significance when coupled with a quotation from St. Therese of Lisieux: “The world is thy ship and not thy home.”

As a prisoner should not be scorned for thinking of his own home and the outside world, none of us should be scorned if we think of our heavenly home that awaits us.

Stories, whether found in books or movies, can focus our minds on heavenly things: love, hope, valor and all the other virtues.

One need only look at books such as Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” or C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” to see how “escapist” literature can actually bring us closer to God. This does not mean we should simply ignore true pain and suffering in the world, though. Divine Scripture itself is filled with the sorrows of this world, and for good reason we are particularly called

to meditate on the Passion of Our Lord, even as we are also called to meditate on the joy of the Nativity and the glory of the Resurrection. We must all strive to strike a balance between focusing on the hope and beauty of heaven while also acknowledging and seeking reparation for the sins committed here on earth.

One of the scripture passages I try to let guide me more than any other is Philippians 4:8, in which St. Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” This message took on a new meaning for me recently when I realized that even in the darkest times in history, there are still things worthy of praise.

‘The world is thy ship and not thy home.’

— St. Therese of Lisieux Reading about Communism and Socialist Russia might seem like a rather depressing way to “escape” thinking about the present crisis, but that’s exactly what I have been doing this past summer. However, I haven’t found such things to be especially disheartening, because I have also found many things that are commendable and praiseworthy in these accounts. One need only read about the actions of St. Maximillian Kolbe, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, or countless others to see that even in the hardest of times and situations, the virtues and truth of heaven can still be found. In our current era there are also stories of hope, heroism and compassion. Even as new scandals or moral failures might come to light, such news should be a sign that there are still people out there who are fighting against such things. Our repulsion should be a sign that our own moral grounding remains firm.

Well-told stories can be a way of fixing our minds on higher things, our heavenly home and the ideals that will bring us there, and reliable modern news sources can keep us grounded in our current reality and the work to be done here. We need both, but we must not let ourselves become overwhelmed or consumed by either.

As we navigate the different media available to us, whether the news, movies or books, we should let the words of St. Paul guide us. Is what we are consuming helping us to think on what is honorable, just, pure, lovely or commendable? Is it excellent or worthy of praise? If we must escape, let it be an escape into virtue. But let us also not forget that there is still work to be done all around us.

KATHRYN EVANS is an author living on the outskirts of Charlotte, where she keeps chickens, experiments with cooking, and reads too many books. Find her work at www.evanswriting.com, including her book, “An Adult-ish Toolkit: 30 Things I Have Learned in 30 Years.”

Letters to the editor

Wearing a face covering is sign of love I am sharing in response to the increasingly frequent communications I have received from various Catholic sources pronouncing that wearing a face covering during the COVID-19 pandemic is promoting a “spirit of fear.” For me, this is untrue.

While at Mass and elsewhere in public, I wear my face covering in a spirit of love.

I love my dad, who is a daily communicant and is also immuno-suppressed. If it is possible that a small sacrifice on my part allows him to continue receiving the sacraments, I love him enough to do so.

Pray for us and pray for our Catholic community: that we learn to be united in love rather than divided in the details.

THERESA HUTCHINSON lives in Davidson.

Examine ‘prominent’ Catholics closely In the Catholic News Service article “Prayers at Democratic convention seek compassion for people, planet in peril” published in the Aug. 28 edition of the Catholic News Herald, Sister Simone Campbell and Father James Martin were referred to as “prominent” Catholics. They are very well known, but many of their comments are far from Catholic teaching. Speaking about abortion, Sister Simone has said, “I would have to study it more intensely than I have. It is above my pay grade.” Both Sister Simone and Father Martin support Joe Biden for president. Biden, a Catholic, has supported abortion as “essential health care.” It is very important for all Catholics to examine closely the issues at hand.

MARIE LECLAIR is a member of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.

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