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January 15, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

Our parishes CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI 3

Bishop Jugis: Violence in society shows that not enough people know Jesus

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — Murder, violence and destruction in today’s world are signs that “many people are far away from God,” so Christians must live and act following the example of Jesus if we are to effectively spread the Gospel.

That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis during Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral Jan. 10, the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

The feast day, which formally concludes the Christmas season, commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. The day’s Gospel from Mark recounts: “On coming up out of the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him. And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mk 1:7-11)

Not many people knew then that Jesus was the Savior come to redeem the world by His death and resurrection, and not enough people know Him as Savior today, Bishop Jugis said in his homily.

“A lot of people are ignorant of the fact of who Christ is and what He offers to us,” he noted. That means Christians “have a lot of important work to do.”

“All we have to do is consider the riots and the vandalism and the looting, and the destruction of property (and) the murders last summer, fall and this winter (that) show that many people are far away from God – many people do not know God and have not accepted Christ into their hearts,” he said.

“So, every one of us has the duty to make this culture more Christian, imbued with Christian values and virtues,” he said.

By our own baptism we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, Bishop Jugis said, noting that “we live in this world but we’re citizens of another Kingdom.”

“Let us be faithful always in practicing our faith, this precious gift that God has given to us, meant to be not only for ourselves, but lived and shared with others. So that we give (a) good example and good witness of the presence of Christ in our lives.” A technician from Brady Services in Greensboro wires one of the REME HALO air systems recently installed inside Our Lady of Grace Church. These air purification systems help clear the air and surfaces of the COVID-19 coronavirus by neutralizing the air through ionic technology.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Fresh-air worship indoors

Greensboro pastors install high-tech, low-cost air purifiers to combat COVID-19

ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — Father Joseph Mack and Father Casey Coleman have discovered an innovative way to keep SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, at bay in their Greensboro parishes: air purifiers that neutralize the virus in the air and on surfaces using ionic technology.

“The negative and positive ions produced also settle on surfaces as well as circulate through the air,” explained Father Mack, the pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church. “In both cases, the ions break down the cell walls of pathogens.”

Father Mack first learned of this technology from one of the parish’s maintenance contractors that installed the parish’s LED lighting. The contractor has a partnership with Global Plasma Solutions, which makes an air purifier that neutralizes airborne pathogens using its patented needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI) technology. This technology showed a 99.8 percent rate of reduction of SARS-CoV-2 in lab tests.

On Dec. 4, the parish had four NPBI purifiers installed for a total of $4,300: three on the HVAC units that heat and cool the church and another on the HVAC unit in the narthex.

SPREADING THE WORD

Father Mack recommended the ionic technology to Father Coleman, the pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish across town. A former mechanical engineer for Corning Cable Systems LLC, Father Coleman designed fiberoptic connectors and cable assemblies for Corning’s Hardware and Equipment Development Group before he was ordained a priest in 2015.

The science behind the ionic airpurifying system intrigued Father Coleman enough to contact the parish’s HVAC vendor, Brady Services, to inquire about installing something like it at his church. It turns out the company, owned by OLG parishioner and benefactor Don Brady, partners with RGF Environmental Group, which has developed a similar technology in its REME HALO units.

Last year as the pandemic spread, Brady installed 1,168 of these units in a variety of commercial spaces, including schools and retirement homes, and provided them to contractors for installation in people’s homes.

Both technologies – NPBI and REME HALO’s proprietary PHI- Cell – were tested against the coronavirus at Innovative Bioanalysis Laboratories in Cypress, Calif., and the tests showed they were more than 99 percent effective at neutralizing it.

Father Coleman began working with the team at Brady last fall to get seven units installed in the church and gym in time for Christmas. He and Father Michael Carlson, parochial vicar, wanted to boost the number of Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – what they called “The 12 Masses of Christmas” – to enable more parishioners and their families to worship while keeping everyone safely distanced inside the church.

Brady installed REME HALO units in the church and gym on Dec. 21 and 22. The overall cost was about $12,000 for two units in the church, one for the sacristy and choir room, and four in the gym.

Approximately 1,400 people attended the 12 Masses without any reports of COVID-19 cases as of press time. Similar units will soon be installed in Our Lady of Grace School and the Parish Life Center.

“The technology looked almost too good to be true,” Father Coleman said. However, when he was able to review the data released shortly after he first learned of the REME HALO units, he was on board.

“Once they had that, it was like a home

2020 DSA campaign surpasses goal despite turbulent year

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Even during the midst of a pandemic, parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte continued to pledge support to the ministries and mission of the Church in western North Carolina.

The 2020 Diocesan Support Appeal “Our Faith In Action” saw support from 15,104 donors who pledged $6.43 million, surpassing the $6.2 million goal by 4 percent.

Overall, 23 percent of registered parishioners across the diocese shared an average gift of $408, up from an average gift of $382 in the 2019 campaign. Fifty-two percent of parishes and missions across the diocese reached or exceeded their goal.

Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions in the Charlotte diocese fund the DSA, which supports more than 50 ministries and programs that serve thousands of people across the diocese. Most notably, the DSA is a significant funding source for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte for its counseling, food pantries, pregnancy support, refugee resettlement, elder ministry, Respect Life and other programs, as well as the programs and ministries of the Education Vicariate.

Parishes that exceed their goal keep the extra funds they collect, while parishes that fall short of their goal in donations from parishioners make up the shortfall from their operating budgets.

Some of the 47 parishes receiving rebate funds included St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, which will receive back $4,195, and Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, which will get back $15,385.

“I would like to thank our generous parishioners for stepping up, in the midst of this pandemic, to assist the people in need within our diocese,” said Father Larry LoMonaco, pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory. “Now, more than ever, it is essential for us to be beacons of light amidst the darkness of our world and wonderful witnesses to our faith. Dedicating our God-given gifts to assist God’s people will build up treasures in heaven, where we hope to reside for eternity.”

Father LoMonaco noted that the parish’s DSA refund will be used to support faith formation and youth ministry programs “because they are the future generation of our Catholic Church.”

The pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, Father Ambrose Akinwande, affirmed that over the past five years he has been at the parish, “the people in the parish have been tremendously generous and supportive of the Church. Their commitment to the people of the diocese can never be quantified.”

As for the DSA refund, he said, “We have not really decided what the money will be used for, but I am confident that some part of the money will go for a new entrance door for the church and maybe some repairs in the parish center.”

Barb De Mase, the diocese’s associate director of development, expressed deep gratitude to everyone who supported the DSA during a challenging year.

“This past year has been unprecedented and very hard for many. It is wonderful to see how many people have come together and support others through the programs and services of the DSA. Thank you!” she said.

The 2020 campaign continues the trend of the people of the diocese achieving the annual DSA goal every year since 2015.