Nov. 19, 2021

November 19, 2021

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

INSIDE

2020-’21 Diocese of Charlotte Annual Report

Make time to pray this Thanksgiving

Synod opens with special message from Bishop Jugis Mensaje especial del Obispo Jugis abre el sínodo diocesano

INSIDE: Thanksgiving prayers and blessings 2 San Agustín o Plymouth Rock: la verdad tras el pavo

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INDEX

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Contact us.......................... 4 Español............................10-13 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes.................. 3-9 Scripture readings....... 2, 11 TV & Movies.......................17 U.S. news...................... 18-19 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 20-21

10 Antorcha Guadalupana renovó misión de ser mensajeros de la Buena Nueva 12-13

Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Make time to pray this Thanksgiving G

iving thanks to God for His many blessings is an American tradition. From the earliest celebration at the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving to President George Washington’s proclamation of “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to the 21st century, Americans have taken time to celebrate and give thanks.

Thanksgiving Day was first established by President Washington on Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789. Beginning in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln further encouraged Americans to recognize the last Thursday of November as “a day of Thanksgiving.” In 1870 Congress declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, and in 1941 it fixed the celebration on the fourth Thursday in November.

Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. Thank you for all the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage, our food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. Amen.

— www.catholic.org O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.

May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

— Abigail van Buren This Thanksgiving, let those of us who have much and those who have little gather at the welcoming table of the Lord. At this blessed feast, may rich and poor alike remember that we are called to serve one another and to walk together in God’s gracious world. With thankful hearts, we praise our God who like a loving parent denies us no good thing.

— “Songs of Our Hearts, Meditations of Our Souls: Prayers for Black Catholics,” edited by Cecilia A. Moore, C. Vanessa White, and Paul M. Marshall O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer, And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency, Bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help, By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted.

— Author Unknown. Courtesy of JesuitResource.org at Xavier University

As Catholics, we know that prayer is a way of lifting our hearts, minds and souls to God. Prayer is “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2590, quoting St. John Damascene). Prayer connects us with our Creator, deepening our “vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (CCC 2558). We pray whenever we have something to be thankful to God for – not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day.

This Thanksgiving Day, make time to pray as you gather around the table with family and friends. Use the following selection of prayers, or pray a prayer of your own!

— Catholic News Herald

For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee.

For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee.

For the song of bird and hum of bee, for all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee.

For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee.

For fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee.

For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee.

For health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson Lord, as we bow our heads to pray, we give thanks to You, for this Thanksgiving Day. Father, we thank you for our families, friends, and for all the blessings, both big and small, that you dish out on us each day.

God, we give thanks to you for this food and for the hands that have cooked it. Lord, we ask for your blessings upon this meal: that it will nourish our bodies and refresh our souls.

Also we give thanks to you for this wonderful time together, and for each one present here on this day.

Father we ask you, dear Lord, let each one of us feel your love, comfort, and presence in our lives today and every day.

Let us not forget those who can’t be here with us today. For we give thanks to you for them, too. We miss our loved ones, Lord, but we are thankful for all the good times that we shared with them.

Lord, we know that this life is not all there is; that the best part is yet to come if we live for you. So, help us each day to live our lives in ways that honor and please you. Also, we’ll not forget to give you all the praise and glory.

In the name of Jesus we pray.

Amen.

— Ethel Faye Grzanich

Lord of all the blessings you have bestowed, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that keeps us alive, the food of this earth that sustains life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.

Father, we thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, the melody that the ear may hear, also for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the reaches of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who foster our becoming, the friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily responsibilities, also for the strangers who

welcome us into their hearts, for people from other lands who call us to expand in understanding, the children who brighten our moments with delight, and for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.

Lord, we thank you for this day: for life and an extra day to love, the opportunities and one more day to work for justice and peace, for the neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, also for your grace and one more opportunity to experience your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

— catholicreadings.org

Daily Scripture readings NOV. 21-27

Sunday (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe): Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:5-8, John 18:33b-37; Monday (St. Cecilia): Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20, Daniel 3:52-56, Luke 21:1-4; Tuesday (St. Clement I, St. Columban, BI. Miguel Augustin Pro): Daniel 2:31-45, Daniel 3:57-61, Luke 21:5-11; Wednesday (St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions): Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28, Daniel 3:62-67, Luke 21:12-18; Thursday (St. Catherine of Alexandria, Thanksgiving Day): Sirach 50:2224, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Luke 17:11-19; Friday: Daniel 7:2-14, Daniel 3:75-81, Luke 21:29-33; Saturday: Daniel 7:15-27, Daniel 3:82-87, Luke 21:34-36

NOV. 28-DEC. 4

Sunday (First Sunday of Advent): Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36; Monday: Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 8:5-11; Tuesday (St. Andrew): Romans 10:9-18, Matthew 4:18-22; Wednesday: Isaiah 25:6-10a, Matthew 15:2937; Thursday: Isaiah 26:1-6, Matthew 7:21, 24-27; Friday (St. Francis Xavier): Isaiah 29:17-24, Matthew 9:27-31; Saturday (St. John Damascene): Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Matthew 9:3510:1, 5a, 6-8

DEC. 5-11

Sunday (Second Sunday of Advent): Baruch 5:1-9, Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11, Luke 3:1-6; Monday (St. Nicholas): Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 5:17-26; Tuesday (St. Ambrose): Isaiah 40:1-11, Matthew 18:12-14; Wednesday (The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Genesis 3:9-15, 20, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Luke 1:26-38; Thursday (St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin): Isaiah 41:13-20, Matthew 11:11-15; Friday: Isaiah 48:17-19, Matthew 11:16-19; Saturday (St. Damasus I): Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Matthew 17-9a, 10-13

Our parishes

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Join the ‘White Rose Witness’ for life on Dec. 1 SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Catholics and all people of good will across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to offer a public pro-life “White Rose Witness” on Wednesday, Dec. 1, by wearing an image of a white rose (such as a lapel pin, patch or sticker) that day.

The act of public witness is set to coincide with the date the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v.

Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case which considers the constitutionality of a Mississippi state law limiting abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation. The Mississippi law presents a direct challenge to the legal rule established in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) that says states cannot ban abortion before a fetus is viable – that is, when the unborn child can survive outside the womb.

Dec. 1 is an important date, as this is the first time since 1992 that the court will consider the fundamental limits of abortion law in the United States.

“If the court cracks open the door for the states to regulate abortion before fetal viability, a whole new world of legal protections for the unborn may become possible. However, if the court reaffirms Roe and Casey, the abortion license will remain untouchable for another generation,” said Jessica Grabowski, the diocese’s Respect Life program director and one of the campaign organizers.

Fellow organizer Father Peter Ascik, pro-life advocate and pastor of St. Mary Church in Shelby, added, “This is a very important time to speak up for the right to life, which St. John Paul II called ‘the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights’ (“Christifidelis Laici,” 38). We wish to show that our nation would welcome a ruling affirming the right of the states to protect human life before birth.”

He explained that the campaign features a rose, an enduring symbol of the pro-life movement, that is white to call attention to this particular case and to represent the innocence of the unborn child.

People participating in the White Rose Witness are invited to fast Dec. 1 for the protection of the unborn, and if possible, mark the day by participating in parishsponsored communal prayer for the conversion of hearts to the pro-life message.

Bishop Peter Jugis has also given permission for priests to celebrate a “Mass For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life” on Dec. 1.

For inquiries, email Jessica Grabowski at jrgrabowski@rcdoc.org.

Students For Life Bus Tour rolls through Charlotte CHARLOTTE — The National “See Me Now” Bus Tour sponsored by Students For Life made a stop Nov. 13 at First Baptist Church near uptown and also near UNC-Charlotte. The tour began Nov. 6 in Jackson, Miss. It will make stops in 15 cities and culminate Dec. 1 in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. That day is when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case stemming from Mississippi passing a law to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The “See Me Now” tour is a call to action for college campuses and communities to realize each child in the womb is deserving of the full protection of the law. At every stop, Students For Life and their partners are educating people about the reality of abortion and the humanity of the child in the womb.

Debbie Capen, MiraVia’s executive director, and Emily Smith, former resident at MiraVia and current residential supervisor at the college maternity center, spoke at the Charlotte event.

MiraVia is non-profit charity which helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Students For Life contributed.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Guadalupana Torch passes through Charlotte diocese The “Guadalupana Torch,” on a pilgrimage that began from Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City last September, was received by several parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte between Nov. 8 and 15. Masses. Traditional dances and tributes were offered to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary on the pilgrim image’s way to New York, where it will arrive on Dec. 12 – the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called “La Morenita del Tepeyac” (“the dark-skinned Madonna of Tepeyac”). The torch and the pilgrim images of the Virgin of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego bear the light of a diverse Catholic community in the Americas separated by a common border.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: NOV. 15-18 USCCB Fall General Assembly Baltimore, Md.

NOV. 30 – 11:15 A.M. Groundbreaking Ceremony Christ the King Catholic High School, Huntersville

DEC. 2 – 1 P.M. Priests’ Advent Dinner Bishop’s Residence, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events November 19, 2021

CONFERENCES & TALKS

Volume 31 • NUMBER 4

‘GROWTH AND EMPOWERING’ PROGRAM: 7-8:30 p.m. the last Monday of the month until March 28, St. Mark Church’s Kerin Center, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. This seven-week program for women is presented by the Healed and Restored Ministry. Through prayer, guided exercises, testimony and professional programming, women will experience the true feminine genius as God intended for each of His beloved daughters. For details, visit www.healedandrestored. org and click on “Growth and Empowering Walk” to fill out an interest form, or contact Elza Spaedy at info@ healedandrestored.org.

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

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

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org 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.

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‘FAMILY, A SEEDBED OF VOCATIONS’ – MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT CONFERENCE: Saturday, Nov. 20, at St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. The Diocese of Charlotte’s third annual “Together in Holiness” marriage enrichment conference will feature Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, confession and talks. Child care available.

Presented in partnership with the St. John Paul II Foundation. For details and to register, go online to www. togetherinholiness.org or email Sara Dietz, conference coordinator, at TH@forlifeandfamily.org.

TALK ON ‘GENDER DYSPHORIA AND SAME SEX ATTRACTION, SPEAKING WITH TRUTH AND CHARITY’: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, Monsignor Allen Center, St. Ann Parish, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. Father Colin Blatchford, associate director of Courage International, will provide a greater understanding of same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria in light of our Catholic faith. After his talk, there will be time for audience questions. Courage is a faithful Catholic apostolate for men and women who experience same-sex attractions and their family. Talk sponsored by the Carolina Pro-Life Action Network (C-PLAN), a coalition of Charlotte-area Catholic pro-life leaders. For questions, contact Virginia at virblatch@gmail.com.

‘BLACK CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE’: A webinar featuring Dr. C. Vanessa White being offered 7-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3. White will discuss how the men and women on the road to sainthood can help us strengthen our spiritual journey. Sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte African American Affairs Ministry. For information and the webinar link, email Rosheene Adams at rladams@rcdoc.org.

ADVENT REFLECTION FOR WOMEN: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at Belmont Abbey Alumni House. All women of the diocese are invited to prepare themselves for Advent with a morning of fellowship and reflection. Father Martin Connor, LC, retreat master, will discuss how to strengthen and gain insight to love Our Lord more deeply this Advent. The morning program will include Mass with the monks of Belmont Abbey and the opportunity to go to confession.

ADVENT REFLECTION FOR MEN: 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at Belmont Abbey Alumni House. All men of the diocese are invited to prepare themselves for Advent with an evening of fellowship and reflection. Dinner included. Father Martin Connor, LC, retreat master, will discuss how to strengthen and gain insight to love Our Lord more deeply this Advent.

CATHOLIC MEDICAL ETHICS ON SEXUALITY AND FERTILITY: Learn about sexuality and fertility in medicine from a Catholic viewpoint, in the upcoming “Converging Roads” set for Saturday, April 2, 2022, at St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte. Presenters include: Father Matthew Kauth, “Understanding the Church’s Teaching on Sexuality and Fertility: The ‘Why’ Behind the ‘No’”; Dr. Marguerite Duane, MHA, FAAP, ‘The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign”; Father Philip G. Bochanski, “Gender Identity Discordance: Supporting Patients and Families”; Dr. Teresa Farnan, “The Gift of the Human Person: A Christian Anthropology for Understanding Gender and Sexuality”; and more.

Continuing education credits offered for health care professionals. Presented by the St. John Paul II Foundation, the Diocese of Charlotte and Belmont Abbey College. For details, go online to www.forlifeandfamily.org/convergingroads.

Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Join the Legion of Mary to pray the Way of the Cross for loved ones who have left the faith. Using Father Jeffrey Kirby’s book, “Way of the Cross for Loved Ones Who Have Left the Faith,” those present will pray the 14 Stations, with emphasis on intercession for loved ones to return and guidance for those still faithful. For details, contact Marci Lynch at malynch50@outlook.com.

MARY’S SONS KNEELERS: Parishioners around the Diocese of Charlotte have the opportunity to pray for our two transitional deacons, Deacon Darren Balkey and Deacon Aaron Huber, on the special Mary’s Sons kneelers that they will receive when ordained on June 18, 2022.

For more information about the Mary’s Sons kneelers, go online to www.MarysSons.org. Here is the schedule for the kneelers as they are moved to parishes around the diocese this fall: NOV. 15-22: Sacred Heart Church, Brevard

ENTERTAINMENT

NOV. 22-29: St. Margaret Mary Church, Swannanoa

SACRED MUSIC CONCERT FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Performing at the concert will be the Cathedral Choir, Children’s Choir and High School Choir. The concert will include “Magnificat in G Minor” by Heinrich Biber and works by Victoria, Handel, Michael Haydn and Fauré. Everyone is invited to attend. For details, contact Dr. Gianfranco DeLuca at gdeluca@stpatricks.org.

NOV. 29-DEC. 6: Immaculate Conception Church, Forest City

ESPAÑOL VIGILIA DE LOS DOS CORAZONES: Primer viernes y sábado del mes, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Únase cada primer viernes del mes a una vigilia nocturna para honrar los Corazones de Jesús y María, orar por nuestras familias, ofrecer penitencia por nuestros pecados y pedir por la conversión de nuestra nación. Para inscribirse a una hora de Adoración, visite www.ProLifeCharlotte.org/ dos-corazones.

DEC. 6-13: St. Michael Church, Gastonia 33-DAY CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH: Consider making a consecration to St. Joseph using “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” by Father Donald Calloway, MIC. Starting the 33-day series of prayers on Wednesday, Nov. 24, would conclude on Sunday, Dec. 26, the feast of the Holy Family. Learn more at www.yearofstjoseph.org.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: First Fridays and first Saturdays, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. An overnight vigil is offered twice each month to honor the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and to offer penance and pray for the conversion of our nation.

To sign up for Eucharistic Adoration times, go to www. prolifecharlotte.org/two-hearts.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

FUNDRAISER HELP CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY: Support Catholic Campus Ministry for a chance to win $1,000. Want to win? Buy a raffle ticket in the annual Campus Ministry Raffle. All proceeds go to support the Church’s ministry and outreach to college students across western North Carolina. Individual tickets are $5, or a book of 5 tickets for $20. The drawing for two $1,000 prizes is Thursday, Dec. 16. Tickets must be received by the Diocesan Campus Ministry office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, to be eligible. For details, go online to www. catholiconcampus.com/support/raffle. Questions?

Contact Darien Clark, assistant director of Campus Ministry, at dnclark@rcdoc.org.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS WAY OF THE CROSS FOR LOVED ONES WHO HAVE LEFT THE FAITH: 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, St. Thomas

PROTECTING CHILDREN: “Protecting God’s Children” (“Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios”) workshops educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register for online training, go to www.virtus.org. Upcoming workshops: CHARLOTTE: 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road (English) LEXINGTON: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 619 South Main St. (Español)

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

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Rising from the ashes: Our Lady of Lourdes begins restoration of chapel, offices SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

MONROE — When flames engulfed the parish offices adjacent to the 76-year-old chapel in the early morning hours of July 27, 2020, it was a great shock to the staff and parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

The pastor, Father Benjamin Roberts, rushed to the scene and found his office, and everything in it, completely incinerated. The chalice from his ordination and all of the cherished religious objects that once adorned his office were gone.

“Seeing the work begin is a real healing event for me, the staff and the parish,” Father Roberts said. “Losing our parish office and so much of our history in the fire was a true trauma for us.”

He is grateful that after more than 15 months, they are finally able to begin renovation and construction.

“The chapel, built in 1945, will be restored to its former beauty, and the old rectory, built in 1947, will be renovated to Roberts become the parish office,” he explained.

As part of the restoration, the historic 2,300-square-foot chapel will receive a new Agnus Dei window above the sanctuary. The original window was destroyed by the fire.

The rectory renovation will convert over 2,800 square feet into a secure lobby, five offices, two conference rooms, a workroom, kitchenette and restrooms. A new ramp will allow for wheelchair accessibility.

In addition, all windows will be replaced with insulated windows for improved energy efficiency. Electrical systems will be updated, and the old plaster will be removed from the walls and replaced with drywall.

Construction crews have demolished the former offices of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, which were incinerated in a fire last July. The new parish offices are beginning to take shape in the old rectory building (at right). The chapel (at left) will be refurbished to its former glory, expected by next May. PHOTO PROVIDED BY DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE PROPERTIES OFFICE

“The diocesan Properties Office has been incredibly helpful in this process. On the day of the fire, Anthony Morlando (the director) stood next to me and prayed with me and for me as we stood in the burned-out chapel,” Father Roberts recalled.

He said Ron Lordo and Emmett Sapp in the diocesan Properties Office have been incredibly supportive and diligent in their work to help the parish begin the project.

The $1.75 million renovation project, paid for primarily with insurance claim funds, began Nov. 1 and is anticipated to be completed this spring.

Southside Constructors is general contractor, and the architect is Insight Architects.

“We hope that all or most of the work will be completed by the time we celebrate our 80th anniversary in May,” Father Roberts said.

St. John Baptist de La Salle Parish receives its first endowment SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

NORTH WILKESBORO — An educator who spent her career teaching children around the world has left a lasting gift and the first endowment ever bequeathed to St. John Baptist de La Salle Parish.

Yvonne Virginia Gehring established the St. John Baptist de La Salle Parishioner Endowment Fund Gehring through the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation before her death in 2019.

Gehring left her home and other funds to benefit her parish of nearly 30 years.

Gehring was a dedicated, active member of the North Wilkesboro parish – serving as a lector, parish council member, music director and publisher of the parish’s newsletter.

After the sale of Gehring’s home, her total gift to the parish was nearly $280,000.

Half of those funds have gone directly to the parish to assist with pressing needs.

The other half has gone to the parish endowment, which will provide financial assistance for years to come.

“Yvonne was really concerned about others,” recalls Father John Hanic, pastor. “She tried in her own life and in her own way to be of benefit to others. By leaving that money to the parish, it has benefited us all.”

When Gehring passed away at the age of 90, Father Hanic officiated at her funeral Mass. She was the first person to

be buried in the parish’s cemetery.

“Yvonne was a good person. I knew her for many years,” he said.

The funds she gave to the parish have been of great help during the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Hanic noted.

“We were able to do things we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do,” he said.

“It’s enabled us to keep our finances in good order, and do things more quickly.

We used funds to make improvements to the church grounds, making it more user friendly. We built a large picnic pavilion and a large barbecue pit.”

He said the church is now hosting a lot of activities in that outdoor space, which benefits the entire parish community.

“Those things were in our plans but were slow in coming. It would have taken us longer without that kind of support.”

“Yvonne first told us in 1997 that she was considering remembering the Church in her estate plan. We are so grateful to her,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “More individuals and couples are deciding to leave their home to the Church as one way to give with their estate plans.”

Create an endowment Interested in setting up an endowment at your parish or Catholic school? Establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity. For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or gmrhodes@rcdoc.org.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GINA RHODES

Catholic Heritage Society members enjoy fellowship at Mass, dinner CHARLOTTE — After having to cancel the 2020 Catholic Heritage Society event because of the pandemic, Bishop Peter Jugis was happy to welcome members of the Catholic Heritage Society to a special Mass and dinner at St. Patrick Cathedral Oct. 31. He is pictured giving a blessing as members sit down for dinner in the cathedral’s Family Life Center.

The society is the diocese’s way of honoring the Christian generosity of Catholic friends who are providing for the future of the Church with gifts through their estate plan or have established a named endowment. For more information about the Catholic Heritage Society, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or gmrhodes@rcdoc.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 OUR PARISHES

On Giving Tuesday, consider supporting Catholic causes CHARLOTTE — As Advent quickly approaches, so does a day of great generosity. Save some money after shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday to give back to Catholic-related charitable efforts on Tuesday, Nov. 30.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become known as “Giving Tuesday.”

Catholics can focus their charitable giving on this day in numerous ways.

Campaigns such as #iGiveCatholic, originally launched in 2015 as a 24-hour fundraiser to benefit the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, have grown into a broader social media movement that resonates with people who want combat the commercialization and consumerism that has attempted to overtake the true meaning of Christmas.

There are several local Catholic-related charitable efforts you can consider giving to this season, including Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. Thanks to your support, Catholic Charities helped almost 18,000 participants of all ages across the 46 counties in the diocese last year through more than a dozen services and programs to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty - including food pantries, mental health counseling and veteran services. Find ways to help and donate to Catholic Charities at www.ccdoc.org/donate.

Another option to consider is St. Joseph College Seminary, which hopes to focus its Giving Tuesday efforts on funding a special piece of artwork for its future permanent chapel. Father Matthew Kauth, rector of the college seminary, has been working with Chiara Perinetti Casoni, an Italian artist from Siena, Italy, on creating a large multi-paneled screen, called a reredos, to adorn the Blessed Sacrament.

The artwork will feature original images depicting the life of St. Joseph, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the

infant Jesus, and depictions of other saints. On Giving Tuesday, the college seminary hopes to raise $30,000 through its #iGiveCatholic campaign for this project.

To donate, visit www.stjcs.org/donation and select “Special Projects.”

Another option is the Airport Chaplaincy at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. While the chaplaincy is non-denominational in its mission to serve airport travelers and employees, deacons of the diocese are closely involved in its work. The ministry has organized nearly 300 Masses and prayer services, ministered to 1,375 visitors and prayed hundreds of prayer requests from employees and travelers this year. Chaplains volunteered more than 2,600 hours ministering to people who travel and work at the airport, one of the nation’s busiest, and their work has been especially critical in response to the economic impacts caused by the pandemic.

Consider donating to this ministry by going online to www.cltairportchapel.org.

Other options to “give Catholic” on Giving Tuesday include: n Catholic Campus Ministry n Catholic Schools n Catholic Conference Center improvements n Charlotte Catholic High School’s capital campaign n Christ the King High School’s capital campaign n Diocesan Support Appeal (DSA) n Eucharistic Congress n Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection n Seminarian Education n Donate a one-time gift or set up a recurring gift to your parish Find links to donate at www. charlottediocese.org/development/waysto-give.

— Kimberly Bender, online reporter

Southern Homes of the Carolinas David Fuller REALTOR / Broker

“Working For You is What I Do” davidfuller.broker@gmail.com 704-530-2632

Lead Teacher for Pre-K

Little Way Preschool of St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville, NC is seeking a Lead Teacher for Pre-K. This part-time paid position works 27 hours per week and reports to Little Way Preschool Director. Hours are 8:30am to 1:30pm plus two hours per week planning. Includes paid Holy Days, holidays, vacation and sick time.

Qualifications:

• Have a degree in early childhood education or similar field • Have experience working with children in a school setting • Be energetic, fun, enthusiastic and love children • Be flexible and team oriented

For more information, please contact: Dayna Auten at dauten@sainttherese.net

Seminarian Spotlight: Anthony del Cid Lucero CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with 45 men currently enrolled in study and formation for the priesthood: 24 men at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, 20 enrolled in major seminary, and one taking a pastoral year.

Anthony del Cid Lucero, a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Newton, is among those studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati. He entered the diocese’s seminarian program in 2017, first attending St. Joseph College Seminary.

To help the faithful of the diocese come to know him and how his call to discern the Lucero priesthood has unfolded, the Catholic News Herald recently asked him about his discernment process: CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?

Del Cid Lucero: I first heard my call as a child. When I was about 6 years old, I longed to be an altar server. It was after my first Communion that I started serving.

I knew that God was calling me to think about the priesthood. However, it was not something I wanted to admit to, because everyone kept questioning me about being a priest. It was about my senior year in high school when I started asking myself what I would do with my life. Growing up and going to public school, I was always encouraged to think about what I wanted to do when I grew up. However, I was never really taught in public school to pray and ask the Lord what He wanted me to do. My senior year in high school is when I started asking questions and bringing them to prayer, and it is when I realized that I was asking the wrong question: what do I want to do versus what does God want me to do. As I kept praying and longing for the sacraments, it became evident that God was calling me to discern a vocation.

CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation?

Del Cid Lucero: The first person I talked to about discernment was my pastor, Father James Collins. Father Collins has been my pastor for over 20 years. He has an inspiring vocation story that encouraged me to pray for clarity in my discernment.

Growing up at St. Joseph Church in Newton allowed me to see the love and zeal he had for his flock; furthermore, how much he loves the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Mother. One of the things he told me was to be patient and not to be afraid.

CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore your possible vocation?

Del Cid Lucero: Quo Vadis Days, the diocesan vocational retreat/camp, provided me with many tools to discern. Having the exposure to seminarians and priests was beneficial because it allowed me to see the authentic joy and fulfillment that they had in Christ through their vocations. I think the Eucharistic Congress was essential in my discernment because it allowed me to see priests and seminarians. This is also how I learned about the St. Joseph College Seminary program.

CNH: How and when did you reach out to the Vocations Office at the diocese?

Del Cid Lucero: In Quo Vadis Days, I talked to many priests, including Father Christopher Gober, the diocese’s vocations director. He guided me through the process.

CNH: Tell us about your discernment process in the seminary.

Del Cid Lucero: One of the things that I have fostered in my spiritual life is praying the rosary daily, asking Our Mother for her continuous prayers with a significant focus on increasing faith, hope and charity for myself, friends, family and the world. I have found that the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross have been beneficial and instructional in my spiritual life. The next most significant thing that I have learned to develop is keeping an internal silence by attending Eucharistic Adoration every day and allowing God to speak.

CNH: What advice do you have for a man who might be thinking about the priesthood?

Del Cid Lucero: My advice to young men who are discerning a vocation is to be patient with oneself and God. God provides on His time. I would also encourage them to grow in love and friendship with God, Our Blessed Mother and the angels and saints. Lastly, I would recommend being consistent with one’s devotions and prayers, even during darkness and dryness.

The times that seem to be the hardest to pray due to distractions, lack of motivation, etc., can be the most fruitful and filled with spiritual graces.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Your DSA contributions at work Seminarian education is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.

Please pray for the following deacon who died during the month of November: John Zimmerle 11-27-2020

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Katie Fennie is pictured with her parents, Ellen and Gary Fennie, and dogs Carson and Gracie. Katie and her St. Pius X Parish team recently raised over $8,000 for Greensboro’s annual CROP Hunger Walk.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY ELLEN FENNIE

PHOTO PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

Mary Grace Walsh is overcome with joy after receiving a job offer from Bitty & Beau’s Coffee Shop. Staff from the company surprised her after a recent Mass at St. Mark Church.

Smiles, tears as coffee shop offers an answer to prayer St. Mark parishioner lands job at Bitty & Beau’s SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

HUNTERSVILLE — Mary Grace Welsh received the surprise of a lifetime when representatives from Bitty & Beau’s Coffee showed up with balloons after a recent Mass at St. Mark Church to offer her a job in their new Charlotte coffee shop.

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee creates a path for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become more valued, accepted and included in every community.

Founders Amy and Ben Wright, who named the company after their children, like to describe Bitty & Beau’s Coffee Shop as a “human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.”

They opened their first location in 2016 in Wilmington and now operate 23 locations in 12 states. Besides their new Charlotte shop, the company also plans to open a location in Winston-Salem.

The job opportunity is an exciting step on the path to success for Mary Grace, a St. Mark parishioner and graduate of Hough High School in Huntersville. She has been participating in Ryan’s Bridge, a program offered at United Methodist Church in Davidson that gives people with intellectual and developmental disabilities a caring environment for personal growth, vocational experience and socialization.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mary Grace served as a greeter at a local Great Clips store.

“But the pandemic put an end to that,” says her mom Dorothy.

When Dorothy and her husband Richard learned of a Bitty & Beau’s job fair, they jumped at the chance to register their daughter for an interview.

“They had such an overwhelming response! I think they ended up hiring more people than they planned,” Dorothy Welsh says, laughing.

Dozens of friends and community members recently joined members of the Welsh family at Mass for Mary’s surprise, bringing posters to show their support.

There were hugs, happy tears, congratulations and a blessing from the parochial vicar, Father Matthew Bean.

“It’s been an answer to a prayer,” Dorothy Welsh says. “Since high school we have been struggling to find a job for her.

We have wanted to find somewhere she can go and contribute.”

The Charlotte location opened Oct. 9 at 1930 Camden Road in South End, near the light-rail tracks.

The drive into Charlotte for Mary’s threehour shifts are worth it, Dorothy Welsh notes, as it’s given her the opportunity to attend Friday morning Mass at St. Ann Church on Park Road and spend some time in prayer while she waits for Mary Grace to finish working.

What does Mary Grace think about her coffee shop gig?

“I love making the drinks!” she says.

“Everyone is super nice.” She also enjoys it when younger children like herself come into the coffee shop with their parents.

“It gives hope to people,” Dorothy Welsh says. “That’s just one of the things I love about Bitty & Beau’s.”

Learn more At www.bittyandbeauscoffee.com: Find out more about Bitty & Beau’s mission, and check out their Charlotte coffee shop at 1930 Camden Road, Suite 236.

St. Pius CROP Walker motivates parish’s anti-hunger efforts GEORGIANNA PENN CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — “Push my CROP Walk button,” says Katie Fennie.

Envisioning an imaginary button in the middle of her back, Katie grasps the idea of helping others when she is walking 3.1 miles for CROP Hunger Walk each year, says her mom Ellen.

The CROP Hunger Walk is a nationwide movement sponsored by Church World Service to raise funds to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world.

Ellen and Gary Fennie began teaching their three daughters about homelessness and food insecurities long ago. “We used to line our garage with tables to sort and bag food for Backpack Beginnings,” says Fennie, who also coordinates the Thanksgiving food drive each year at St. Pius X Parish. “We’ve always been involved in feeding those who have less… And CROP Walk has been a huge endeavor for our family.”

“Katie is globally developmentally delayed,” explains Fennie. “She has cerebral palsy and is on the autism spectrum.” But this does not stop Team Katie.

She thrives on being involved in the community, she loves her church and she loves animals – so much so that Katie’s dogs even join her for the CROP Walk each year. “It’s really important that Katie’s dogs go with us. Without her dogs, this may not happen. Carson and Gracie even have their own CROP Walk T-shirts,” Fennie says.

“I think people look and say, ‘Gosh, if someone like Katie, who struggles to walk because of her cerebral palsy, can get up and walk for hunger, even while wearing braces on her feet and legs, we are going to support her 100 percent.’”

Because of the pandemic, this year’s CROP Walk was not a large group event, so Team Katie created their own route through the neighborhood around St. Pius X Church. Despite COVID-19, “support for Katie from our parish just bloomed,” Fennie says. With an initial goal of $3,000, Katie raised over $8,400 out of the parish team’s total of $8,900.

“Greensboro Urban Ministry is our longest standing community partner at St. Pius X,” says former pastoral associate Carolyn Painley. “Working with GUM is truly living out our mission to know, love and serve the Lord. Katie Fennie certainly lives out this mission every year as the face and feet of CROP Walk for St. Pius X.” Greensboro Urban Ministry serves the community through Weaver House, a year-round homeless shelter; Pathways Center for temporary housing; Partnership Village for families “resettling” after homelessness; Potter’s House Community Kitchen; and a food pantry that provides emergency groceries, explains Christine Ringuette, marketing director for GUM. Before the pandemic hit, the food pantry distributed 1.4 million pounds of food in 2019 to 22,454 households and 42,725 people. Besides canned and boxed food items, each household receives fresh produce, meat, bread, dessert and pre-made meals.

While 75 percent of CROP funds go to Church World Service, 25 percent supports GUM food programs like Potter’s House Community Kitchen, which serves 210,000 hot meals annually, 365 days a year, says Ringuette. Since 1981, Greensboro’s CROP Walk has raised almost $6 million.

“St. Pius has a long history of supporting this community effort to stomp out hunger and has received recognition as one of CROP Walk’s largest contributors in the nation,” says Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X. “How pleased I am to see our parish come out of the gate of this pandemic and all of its precautions with Katie in the lead. I spoke to Ellen, Katie’s mom, as they were making the turn into the homestretch of fundraising, about putting Katie’s effort on our parish social media platform. As soon as we did, even more donations poured in.

“The race to raise funds was neck and neck with stiff competition for our special CROP Walker, and while Katie placed well, the real winner is always the poor and hungry.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 OUR PARISHES

LAWA and Belmont Abbey College partner to help Latinos achieve

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DISCOVER THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE

BELMONT — Latino families who face financial barriers to higher education and career opportunities are about to receive help from a new partnership between LAWA (Latin Americans Working for Achievement) and Belmont Abbey College.

The college will match scholarship grants for LAWA students from low- to moderate-income families attending the college, doubling their award. The new program recognizes that finances often keep Latino families in the Charlotte region from gaining access to high-quality post-secondary career opportunities.

In partnership with LAWA, Belmont Abbey will also host a workshop dedicated to helping students with FAFSA (student aid applications) and making college more accessible.

The workshop will take place on Belmont Abbey’s campus on Thursday, Dec. 9.

“We feel incredibly grateful to Belmont Abbey College for partnering with us,” said LAWA Executive Director Ana S. Rey. “Our partnership will allow our organization to reach more Latino homes in Gaston County.”

LAWA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the education and quality of life for the Latino community in the Charlotte region through scholarships and career-readiness programs.

Through collaboration with community organizations, LAWA offers youth scholarship programs and workshops to Latino high school students who might not see college as a possibility.

The initiatives with Belmont Abbey College aim to close Latino academic achievement gaps, improve Latino high school graduation rates and increase the number of Latino students who pursue and complete post-secondary study in Gaston County. These efforts are crucial, as the majority of LAWA scholarship recipients are first-generation college students.

“At Belmont Abbey, we’re excited about the opportunity to positively impact our local Latino community by providing them with a liberal arts education that prepares them – mind, body and spirit – to pursue the good for themselves and their communities,” said Martin Aucoin, vice provost and dean of admissions at Belmont Abbey College. “We welcome the talents of everyone, from any background and tradition, who is committed to fostering the development of the whole person and contributing to the mission of the college.”

The initiative with LAWA aligns with Belmont Abbey’s aim to offer an environment where students can work toward their full potential.

LAWA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization serving Mecklenburg and adjacent counties. The organization’s mission is to advance the education and quality of life of Latinos in the Charlotte region through scholarships and academic and cultural programs. Find more information online at www.lawanc.org.

— Belmont Abbey College

Your Life’s Journey… how will you be remembered?

Establish a legacy that responds to the many gifts God has given you.

Rely on the Knights of Columbus to protect your family’s future.

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516-551-7838 robert.gordon@kofc.org

Knights of Columbus One Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510

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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.

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Jason Christian, Nancy Llewellyn, Joe Warwick, John Eades and Father Matthew Buettner. Not pictured is Deacon Tom Sanctis.

— Fredrik Akerblom

Diocese hires new HR director

In Brief Youth ministry training held

5 Charlotte seminarians instituted as acolytes CINCINNATI, Ohio — The ministry of acolyte was conferred on five Diocese of Charlotte seminarians Nov. 10, at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Seminarians (pictured, from left) Kevin Tran, Jose Palma Torres, Matthew Dimock Jr., Elliott Suttle and Kevin Martinez received the ministry during Mass offered by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky. As acolytes, they are entrusted with the duties of attending to the altar, assisting the deacon and priest at Mass, and distributing Holy Communion as an extraordinary minister. Now expanded to include the laity as a lay ministry, the role of acolyte used to be a minor order in the Church and it continues to be an important step in preparing for ordination as a priest or deacon.

— Catholic News Herald

KERNERSVILLE — The Diocese of Charlotte Office for Youth Ministry, in collaboration with the staff of Holy Cross Church including pastor Father Noah Carter, on Nov. 6 conducted youth leadership training, an initiative aimed at fostering discipleship and youth leaders locally.

Pictured, Father Carter leads a session entitled “Virtue in Leadership.”

— Paul Kotlowski and Steven Sheppard

Advisory board formed for college seminary MOUNT HOLLY — Bishop Peter Jugis has appointed an advisory board for St. Joseph College Seminary. The board’s mission is to provide support and counsel for the diocese’s growing college seminary program. Pictured from left are: Conor Gallagher, Louis Argenta, Frank Trotta, James Hetzel, Sharon Kucia, Father Matthew Kauth, John Spinetto, Father

Artificial contraception denigrates marriage, priest warns GLENN LANHAM SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

GREENSBORO — Father Daniel McCaffrey of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has a message for married couples about Natural Family Planning and the importance of having a chaste marriage in accord with Catholic teaching. He presented that message in homilies at Masses at Our Lady of Grace Church on Oct. 16-17.

A spry and quick-witted 90-year-old, Father McCaffrey has a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Soon after his ordination in 1958, he volunteered as a missionary to Pakistan.

As a pastor in there in 1960, he realized quickly that the artificial birth control pill would be a problem for the Church.

Many theologians were already saying the Church would soon approve it for use, but Father McCaffrey knew Catholicism could never do so as it is an offense against the sixth and ninth commandments.

A commission recommended that Pope Paul VI “adapt to the modern world” and approve birth control. But after much study and consulting earlier Church teaching, he surprised many in 1968 by continuing the Church’s prohibition on artificial contraceptives in his encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“on Human Life”).

In his homily, Father McCaffrey said marriage was not created by Congress or the president, but by God Himself, who said, “Let the man and woman become one flesh,” and told them to be fruitful and multiply.

Marriage is a holy life, Father McCaffrey said, and it requires grace and patience

to raise a family. He referred to St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, which states that marriage is the closest image on Earth to the Blessed Trinity: as the Father generates the Son, the intense love between them is called the Holy Spirit. In analogy, the physical union between man and wife is so intense and full of love that it generates a child.

So many people today, however, are denigrating marriage, particularly through artificial contraception, he continued. A contraceptive breaks the natural union of the marital embrace and shows a lack of trust in God. When the pill was legalized in 1960, women were promised all kinds of liberties and freedom, but they are more in bondage than ever, he argued. Half of all marriages now end in divorce, creating greater financial and emotional stress for women with children. Women who are using contraceptives sense they are being used for their bodies. Married women wonder why the romance is gone from their marriage, but this simply follows from the lack of total self-giving in contraception.

Father McCaffrey reassured parishioners he did not come to give these talks because he was judging anyone, but only because he loved them and wanted genuine freedom for them. To continue with these sins is to jeopardize one’s salvation, he said.

Also, he noted that Natural Family Planning is not about having the maximum number of children possible, but rather about spouses trusting in God and cooperating with each other to help space children based on the body’s natural cycle.

GLENN LANHAM lives in High Point.

CHARLOTTE — Molly Beckert has joined the Diocese of Charlotte as its new director of human resources effective Nov. 15, Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, recently announced.

A longtime Charlotte resident, Beckert has 20 years of experience in corporate and consulting HR environments. Most recently, she worked as Manager of Learning and Development at Charlotte’s Parker Poe law firm.

“I am thrilled to be able to combine my love for the Church and the Lord with my love for the work of human resources, which I believe can dramatically enhance the effectiveness of any organization,” Beckert said in a statement.

“A strong HR program provides polices and services that promote the human dignity and value of its people – as well as opportunities for them to develop in their careers. It also is important for an organization to provide essentials for employees so they can take care of themselves and their families, including fair compensation, good benefits and a safe workplace.”

Beckert also will serve as the diocese’s Safe Environment Coordinator, overseeing ongoing efforts to ensure safe churches, schools and facilities in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

She began her career in Charlotte’s banks, working in a variety of capacities at First Union, Wachovia and Wells Fargo. She ran her own consulting firm for eight years, assisting organizations in needs assessment, talent selection, training and leadership development,

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employee engagement, conflict management, executive coaching and succession planning.

An Illinois native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Illinois State University, and expects to Beckert complete in 2022 a Master in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University.

She, her husband Jason Beckert and their five children attend St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

— Catholic News Herald

Catholic Charities honored for veterans work CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte was honored Nov. 11 at the Carolinas Veterans Day Festival by Veterans Bridge Home as the 2021 Janene Stewart McGee Provider of the Year.

Before her death in 2020, McGee served as the Mecklenburg County Director for Veteran Services. A U.S. Air Force veteran herself, she was known as an avid proponent for healthcare access, housing access and other needs of veterans.

Catholic Charities was selected for this honor because of its work through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program that helps veterans experiencing homelessness find safe and stable housing, among other services.

Veterans Bridge Home shared that housing requests from veterans were 29 percent of its total requests last year, and Catholic Charities worked to find housing for more than 200 of those veterans.

— Catholic News Herald

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 10

Abrieron las matrículas en las escuelas católicas para el año académico 2022-23

Hermann Rodríguez Osorio

“Todo lo que hicieron por uno de estos hermanos míos más humildes”

H

ace algunos años conocí al P. Joss Van der Rest, un jesuita belga que entregó su vida al servicio de los más pobres en Chile a través de la obra “El Hogar de Cristo”, fundada por San Alberto Hurtado, SJ, canonizado en el año 2005 por Benedicto XVI y patrono de una de las parroquias de Bogotá, Colombia. El Padre Joss falleció hace pocos meses.

Al hablar de su vocación siempre recordaba que siendo joven prestó servicio militar en su país al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Cuando los aliados vencieron a Hitler, él tuvo que entrar, montado en un enorme tanque de guerra, en una población alemana que había sido prácticamente arrasada por los bombardeos aliados. Desde el visor del poderoso tanque fue descubriendo los destrozos causados por la guerra. Todo le impresionaba a medida que entraba por el pueblo... pero lo que lo marcó para toda su vida fue encontrarse, en un momento de su recorrido, con una estatua del Sagrado Corazón que había perdido sus brazos por las bombas. Alguien había colgado del cuello de la imagen medio destruida, un letrero que decía: “No tengo brazos... tengo sólo tus brazos para hacer justicia en este mundo”. Al regresar a su país, dejó el ejército y decidió entrar a la Compañía de Jesús para hacer lo que esa imagen del Sagrado Corazón no podía hacer por los más abandonados de la sociedad.

Jesús presenta una parábola que nos deja siempre delante del juicio definitivo de Dios sobre nosotros: tuve hambre, tuve sed, anduve como forastero, me faltó ropa, estuve enfermo, estuve en la cárcel...

Algunos atendieron sus necesidades básicas con generosidad, mientras que otros no hicieron caso y siguieron su camino sin atenderlo. Unos y otros le preguntan al Hijo del hombre: “Señor, ¿cuándo te vimos con hambre o con sed, o como forastero, o falto de ropa, o enfermo, o en la cárcel?” Y la respuesta fue la misma para los dos grupos: Les aseguro que todo lo que hicieron, o lo que no hicieron, por uno de estos hermanos míos más humildes, por mí mismo lo hicieron, o no lo hicieron.

Todo lo que hacemos por los que más sufren a nuestro alrededor, lo hacemos al Señor mismo; y todo lo que dejamos de hacer por los más humildes, lo dejamos de hacer al Señor. Leyendo este texto recordé parte de una oración que leí hace muchos años: Cristo, no tienes manos, tienes sólo nuestras manos para construir un mundo nuevo donde habite la justicia.

Cristo, no tienes pies, tienes sólo nuestros pies para poner en marcha a los oprimidos por el camino de la libertad.

Cristo, no tienes labios, tienes sólo nuestros labios para proclamar a los pobres la Buena Nueva de la libertad.

HERMANN RODRÍGUEZ OSORIO es un sacerdote jesuita, Delegado para la Misión, Conferencia de Provinciales Jesuitas de América Latina.

RAPHAEL COSME | ESPECIAL PARA CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Imágenes de la representación de la primera cena de acción de gracias que se escenifica en San Agustín, Florida.

Después de una Misa de Acción de Gracias ofrecida en un altar rústico por el sacerdote Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales el 8 de septiembre de 1565, Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, adelantado de La Florida y comandante, se reunió con sus soldados, colonos y aborígenes Timucuanos para compartir una cena.

San Agustín o Plymouth Rock: la verdad tras el pavo RAPHAEL COSME ESPECIAL PARA CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SAN AGUSTÍN, Fla. — Por más de 400 años los norteamericanos han celebrado el Día de Acción de Gracias, mejor conocido como “Thanksgiving” en inglés.

Este evento histórico fue amparado por las historias y leyendas escritas por los colonos que narran cómo los 102 peregrinos que huían de Inglaterra por persecución religiosa sobrevivieron el primer invierno y los ataques de indígenas en la colonia de Plymouth Rock.

Sin embargo, los residentes de la primera ciudad de Norteamérica, San Agustín de Florida, dicen no estar ajustados a la tradición del Thanksgiving de Plymouth Rock de 1621, ya que ésta no fue la primera cena.

La primera cena fue la que celebró el explorador español Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés en el lugar donde hoy se encuentran los terrenos de la Fuente de la Juventud, y esto ocurrió 56 años antes de la llegada de los ingleses al nuevo mundo.

El menú principal de esta primera cena de acción de gracias fue puerco y gallina, combinado con calabaza, frijoles secos y maíz.

Según la maestra Robyn Gioia, de Ponte Vedra, el Día de Acción de Gracias fue celebrado por los exploradores españoles el 8 de septiembre de 1565, en lo que se conoce hoy como San Agustín.

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Cuidado con los incendios en Thanksgiving GILBERTO MEZA-CORRAL ESPECIAL PARA CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CONCORD — En Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, una de las fiestas más importantes es la Celebración del Día de Acción de Gracias o ‘Thanksgiving’. El lugar preferido para mucha gente es la cocina, ya que se considera el corazón del hogar, donde se preparan los manjares que se comparten en la mesa familiar durante la cena. A mayor aglomeración de gente en la cocina, mayor es el riesgo de accidentes no deseados.

Teniendo en cuenta que entre 2017 y 2019, hubo más del doble de incendios

caseros durante el Día de Acción de Gracias que en un día normal en el resto del año, le recomendamos seguir varios consejos simples para incrementar su seguridad y la de sus familiares y amigos: n Si freír su propio pavo es una necesidad absoluta, use la freidora en una superficie plana, al aire libre, a una distancia segura de los edificios y materiales inflamables, nunca en un garaje o en una cubierta de madera. No la llene de aceite completamente para evitar derrames y nunca la deje desatendida ni permita que los niños o las mascotas THANKSGIVING, PASA A LA PÁGINA 24

CHARLOTTE — Las matrículas para el año académico 2022-23 están en curso en muchas escuelas católicas de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

La escuela secundaria Bishop McGuinness en Kernersville y la escuela St. Leo en WinstonSalem abrieron las matrículas el 1 de octubre. Las nueve escuelas católicas del área de Mecklenburg, ubicadas en el área metropolitana de Charlotte, comenzaron a aceptar solicitudes el 2 de noviembre. Las otras nueve escuelas de la diócesis comenzarán a aceptar solicitudes de matrículas en los próximos meses.

Todas las escuelas católicas de la diócesis están acreditadas a través de Cognia, una organización no gubernamental sin fines de lucro que acredita escuelas primarias y secundarias en los EE. UU. e internacionalmente.

ESCUELAS MACS

n Escuela St. Ann (PK, TK-5): 600 Hillside Ave., Charlotte; 704-5254938; www.stanncatholic.org n Escuela St. Gabriel (K-5): 3028 Providence Road, Charlotte; 704-3662409; www.stgabrielcatholicschool.org n Escuela St. Matthew (TK-5): 11525 Elm Lane, Charlotte; 704-544-2070; www.stmattwildcats.com n Escuela St. Patrick (TK-5): 1125 Buchanan St., Charlotte; 704-3333174; www.saintpatrickschool.org n Escuela Our Lady of the Assumption (PK-8): 4225 Shamrock Dr., Charlotte; 704-531-0067; www. olacatholic.org n Escuela St. Mark (PK-8): 14750 Stumptown Road, Huntersville; 704766-5000; stmarkcatholicschool.net n Escuela media Holy Trinity (6-8): 3100 Park Road, Charlotte; 704-5277822; www.htcms.org n Escuela secundaria Charlotte Catholic: 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road, Charlotte; 704-543-1127; www. charlottecatholic.org n Escuela secundaria Christ the King: 2011 Crusader Way, Huntersville; 704199-4400; www.ctkchs.org Visite el sitio web de cada escuela para programar una visita. Para más información, visite www. discovermacs.org.

PROGRAMAS DE NECESIDADES ESPECIALES DE MACS MACS también ofrece programas para necesidades especiales en varios lugares, que incluyen: PACE ACADÉMICO, PASA A LA PÁGINA 24

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Ministerio Hispano lanza novedoso programa de ‘acompañantes matrimoniales’ CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Con el objetivo de iniciar un programa de ‘acompañantes matrimoniales’ que trabaje en conjunto con los coordinadores diocesanos para asistir a los matrimonios en momentos de crisis y ofrezcan talleres de enriquecimiento matrimonial en las vicarías de la diócesis, el Padre Julio César Domínguez, director episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte ha lanzado una novedosa iniciativa que formará parejas para ofrecer este servicio a lo largo y ancho del territorio de la diócesis.

“Generalmente tenemos muchos matrimonios que andan buscando una orientación o una palabra de aliento cuando atraviesan crisis o situaciones fuertes”, dijo el Padre Domínguez.

“Y teniendo en cuenta que muchos de nuestros hermanos no hablan inglés, lo que queremos es que matrimonios bastante sólidos, fuertes, no tan solo doctrinalmente sino también espiritualmente, viviendo bajo la ley de la Iglesia, puedan ser los primeros en recibir a estas personas para platicar con ellos, animarlos en su relación y asistirlos en la solución de sus problemas”, añadió.

Explicó que los acompañantes “evaluarán si es necesario que los matrimonios sean derivados a un sacerdote para una atención espiritual, o caso contrario a un consejero certificado que los pueda asistir en la solución de sus conflictos”.

“No van a ser consejeros”, aclaró el Padre Domínguez, “por eso los llamamos solamente acompañantes”, que en base “a

su experiencia matrimonial y formación religiosa sepan y puedan escuchar”.

En el programa de nivel diocesano participarán parejas de todas las parroquias, las que serán seleccionadas por los coordinadores de vicariato, en coordinación con los párrocos de cada una de las iglesias.

Si alguna pareja se siente capaz de ofrecer sus servicios como ‘acompañantes matrimoniales’, puede acercarse a los coordinadores de vicariato para hacerle saber de su inquietud.

Aquellas parejas seleccionadas, antes de iniciar el programa de acompañantes matrimoniales, participarán en dos talleres de formación que se planean realizar en febrero del próximo año.

La preparación concluirá con un retiro de fin de semana que desarrollará la importante temática del perdón.

Al culminar esta etapa, habrá un seguimiento que se podrá llevar a cabo presencial o virtualmente, según la conveniencia y preferencia de las parejas.

La Sra. Megan Reilly, LCSW, consejera profesional licenciada, quien desarrolló un programa de enriquecimiento matrimonial para la Diócesis de Charlotte en 2009, será la encargada de llevar adelante la formación de los acompañantes matrimoniales con un intenso programa en el que se desarrollarán temas relacionados al círculo familiar, convenios, comunicación, responsabilidad, resolución de conflictos, control de emociones, intimidad, enseñanza de la Iglesia, perdón y muchos más.

Para mayores informes comuníquese con el coordinador del ministerio hispano de su vicariato.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Se invita a ser “Testigo de la Rosa Blanca” el 1 de diciembre CHARLOTTE — Los católicos y todas las personas de buena voluntad de la Diócesis de Charlotte han sido invitados para ofrecerse públicamente como “Testigos de la Rosa Blanca” pro-vida el miércoles 1 de diciembre, usando durante el día una imagen de una rosa blanca, como un broche de solapa, parche, sticker, etc.

Este acto de testimonio público coincidirá con la fecha en que la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos escuchará los argumentos orales en Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, un caso que considera la constitucionalidad de una ley estatal de Mississippi que limita el aborto después de las 15 semanas de gestación.

La ley de Mississippi presenta un desafío directo a la norma legal establecida en Roe vs. Wade (1973) y Planned Parenthood vs.

Casey (1992) que decreta que los estados no pueden prohibir el aborto antes de que el feto sea viable, es decir, cuando el feto pueda sobrevivir fuera del útero.

El 1 de diciembre es una fecha importante, ya que es la primera vez, desde el propio litigio Casey, que la Corte Suprema reconsiderará los límites fundamentales de la ley de aborto en Estados Unidos.

“Si la corte abre la puerta para que los estados regulen el aborto antes de la viabilidad fetal, un mundo completamente nuevo de protecciones legales para los no nacidos puede ser posible. Sin embargo, si la corte reafirma a Roe y Casey, la licencia

de aborto permanecerá intocable por otra generación”, dijo Jessica Grabowski, directora del programa de Respeto a la Vida de la diócesis.

“Este es un momento muy importante para defender el derecho a la vida, que San Juan Pablo II llamó ‘el derecho más básico y fundamental y la condición para todos los demás derechos personales’ (“Christifidelis Laici”, 38). Queremos mostrar que nuestra nación acogería con agrado un fallo que afirme el derecho de los estados a proteger la vida humana antes del nacimiento”, agregó el Padre Peter Ascik, pastor de la Iglesia Santa María Auxiliadora en Shelby y defensor pro-vida que trabaja con Sidewalk Advocates for Life.

El Obispo Peter Jugis también ha dado permiso para que los sacerdotes celebren una “Misa de agradecimiento a Dios por el regalo de la vida humana” el 1 de diciembre.

Las personas que participan en ‘Testigos de la Rosa Blanca’ también están invitadas a realizar una jornada de ayuno por la protección de los no nacidos el 1 de diciembre y, si es posible, resaltar el día participando en la oración comunitaria patrocinada por sus parroquias por la conversión de los corazones al mensaje pro-vida.

Para mayor información, contacte a Jessica Grabowski en el correo electrónico jrgrabowski@rcdoc.org.

— SueAnn Howell, reportera senior

Tamales para una buena obra CONCORD — Teniendo como protagonista al tamal, ese delicioso platillo de maíz relleno de carne, queso, vegetales y deliciosas salsas, la comunidad latina de la Iglesia Santiago el Mayor en Concord celebró el pasado 14 de noviembre una edición más de su ya famoso Festival Internacional del Tamal. Desde las ocho de la mañana hasta las cuatro de la tarde se vendieron más de tres mil tamales, según informó Raúl Masías, uno de los organizadores del evento que contó con la presencia de grupos musicales y la presentación de bailables. “Iniciamos la actividad hace como ocho años atrás con la finalidad de recaudar fondos para la obra de asistencia que realiza nuestra iglesia”, dijo Masías, refiriendo que decidieron elegir el tamal porque el platillo, de origen precolombino, se prepara en muchos países latinoamericanos, manteniendo una base común pero con diferentes estilos propios. Así, todos los asistentes pudieron disfrutar de tamales salvadoreños, guatemaltecos, dominicanos, peruanos y los bien conocidos tamales mexicanos acompañados de un calientito atole tradicional, de avena o piña. “La preparación del festival nos lleva de tres a cuatro meses”, dijo Cecilia Chacón, también miembro del comité organizador, explicando que ese tiempo se aprovecha para solicitar ayuda, donaciones y se planifica el control y participación de los voluntarios. “Estamos muy agradecidos por la colaboración de toda la comunidad”, añadió. Aprovechando la gran asistencia de público, en una carpa de Atrium Health atendida por un ejército de voluntarios comandado por Rosa González, BSN, RN, se medía la presión arterial a los asistentes que solicitaban este servicio. La señora González es enfermera registrada y asignada para el servicio de salud en las parroquias Santiago el Mayor y San José en Kannapolis.

Lecturas Diarias 21-27 NOVIEMBRE

Domingo (Cristo Rey): Deuteronomio 7:13-14, Apocalipsis 1:5-8, Juan 18:33-37; Lunes (Santa Cecilia): Deuteronomio 1:1-6, 8-20, Lucas 21:1-4, Mateo 5:1-12; Martes: Deuteronomio 2:31-45, Lucas 21:5-11; Miércoles (Santos Andrés Dung Lac y compañeros mártires): Deuteronomio 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28, Lucas 21:12-19, Jueves: Deuteronomio 6:12-28, Lucas 21:20-28; Viernes: Deuteronomio 7:2-14, Lucas 21:2933; Sábado: Deuteronomio 7:15-27, Lucas 21:34-36

28 NOVIEMBRE-4 DICIEMBRE

Domingo: Jeremías 33:14-16, 1 Tesalonicenses 3:12, 4:2, Lucas 21:25-28, 3436; Lunes: Isaías 2:1-5, Mateo 8:5-11; Martes

(San Andrés Apóstol): Romanos 10:9-18, Mateo 4:18-22; Miércoles: Isaías 25:6-10, Mateo 15:29-37; Jueves: Isaías 26:1-6, Mateo 7:21, 24-27; Viernes (San Francisco Javier): Isaías 29:17-24, Mateo 9:27-31; Sábado: Isaías 30:19-26, Mateo 9:35,10:1, 6-8

5-11 DICIEMBRE

Domingo: Baruc 5:1-9, Filipenses 1:4-6, 8-11, Lucas 3:1-6; Lunes: Isaías 35:1-10, Lucas 5:17-26; Martes (San Ambrosio): Isaías 40:111, Mateo 18:12-14; Miércoles (Inmaculada Concepción): Génesis 3:9-15, 20, Efesios 1:36, 11-12, Lucas 1:26-38; Jueves: Isaías 41:1320, Mateo11:11-15; Viernes: Isaías 48:17-19, Mateo 11:16-19; Sábado: Eclesiástico 48:1-4, 9-11, Mateo 17:10-13

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iiiNovember 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

CATHOLIC N

¿Qué es la Antorcha Guadalupana?

CHARLOTTE — La Antorcha Guadalupana es una carrera de relevos que lleva anualmente la luz de la Virgen de Guadalupe desde la Ciudad de México hasta Nueva York, como un símbolo de esperanza para la comunidad migrante dividida por una frontera común.

Es organizada por la Asociación Tepeyac, una organización sin fines de lucro fundada en septiembre de 1997 que reúne a más de cuarenta asociaciones comunitarias con la misión de promover el desarrollo social y los derechos humanos de los migrantes latinos en Estados Unidos.

La primera carrera fue realizada en 2002, durante un período de 45 días. En ese año, los corredores partieron de la Basílica de Guadalupe en la Ciudad de México con destino final a la Catedral de San Patricio, en Nueva York.

Joel Magallan, fundador de la Asociación Tepeyac, asegura que la Antorcha tiene como objetivo impulsar una reforma migratoria integral y, en su recorrido, busca generar conciencia y apoyo al movimiento por la legalización de migrantes indocumentados.

Este 2021, la carrera partió de la Basílica el 5 de septiembre pasado y recorrió 10 estados mexicanos. El 20 de octubre, en el Puente Puerta de Las Américas, frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, el fuego llegó a territorio de la Unión Americana, donde recorre Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Carolina del Sur y del Norte, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey y Nueva York.

Tradicionalmente, la Antorcha Guadalupana era recibida con una Misa en la Catedral San Patricio celebrada por el arzobispo de Nueva York.

Desde 2014 la Antorcha se recibe en Central Park, desde donde se dirige a la sede de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para impartir la bendición a los corredores.

La Asociación Tepeyac, a través de un comunicado en su página de facebook, señaló que espera “que sea la Morenita la que ilumine a los legisladores de los Estados Unidos, para que este año se comience con la legalización de los Dreamers” y de los trabajadores agrícolas.

— César Hurtado, reportero

De izquierda a derecha, en sentido horario: Una corredora de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe lleva la Antorcha Guadalupana por las calles de la ciudad de Charlotte. La celebración en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Caminos en Thomasville hizo una pausa para que danzantes, invitados y miembros del clero se tomaran una foto en la gigantesca cruz colocada en los terrenos de la parroquia. La Antorcha Guadalupana ilumina las imágenes de San Juan Diego y Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe durante la llegada a la Iglesia Santa María en Greensboro. Danzantes del grupo de baile azteca Nahui

Antorcha Guadalupana renovó misión CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Alrededor de las 6 de la tarde del lunes 8 de noviembre, la Antorcha Guadalupana ingresó a los terrenos de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, después de haber dejado la parroquia Santa María Magdalena, en Simpsonville, Carolina del Sur, cumpliendo su recorrido anual hacia la ciudad de Nueva York, a la que arribará el 12 de diciembre, fecha de la fiesta central de la Morenita del Tepeyac.

Desde el exterior, un grupo de danzas folklóricas aztecas acompañó el paso de la Antorcha y la comitiva que portaba dos grandes imágenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y San Juan Diego.

En las puertas del templo fue recibida por el Padre Leo Tiburcio, párroco, quien agradeció la visita de la Antorcha y bendijo las imágenes.

Luego, tomando el fuego de la Antorcha, procedió a encender el Cirio Pascual que portaba una de las feligresas.

Tras ello, en procesión, las imágenes ingresaron al templo y se colocaron a un lado del altar, cerca a la imagen de la Guadalupana.

De inmediato, el grupo de danzantes, por los pasillos laterales, rindió nuevamente homenaje a la Virgen Morena.

EMISARIOS

“Quien se iba a imaginar que hace un poco más de quinientos años, la Madre del Cielo iba a venir a esta tierra e invitar a un indígena, recién convertido a la fe, para ser su emisario, para ser profeta”, dijo el diácono Eduardo Bernal, quien tuvo a su cargo la homilía.

“Quien iba a imaginar que a nosotros ahora se nos va a pedir también derramar la sangre por Cristo, sufrir por Él, ser profeta de su Buena Nueva”, añadió el diácono Bernal, al referirse a la participación de los corredores de Carolina del Sur, y a quienes entregarían la posta de la Antorcha al día siguiente en la parroquia San José en Kannapolis, los que dijo “se convierten en protagonistas de la misión de llevar la Palabra del Evangelio a todos rincones de la Tierra”.

Tras recordar que en 1987 los Obispos de Estados Unidos declararon que la comunidad católica hispana era “una presencia profética en este país”, agradeció la presencia de la comunidad que “es una bendición”, y les pidió que “sigan siendo ejemplo”.

“Llevar esta antorcha y atravesar todo el país”, dijo, es una “toma de conciencia de nuestro llamado profético a dar testimonio de nuestra fe”, y de que “no nos rajamos, que nada nos espanta, que estamos aquí y aquí nos quedamos”.

NEWS HERALD

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

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Oración a la Virgen de Guadalupe

IMÁGENES PROPORCIONADAS POR VARIAS PARROQUIAS

Ollin ofrecen su saludo a la Virgen Morena. En la iglesia Divino Redentor en Booonville, parte del elenco de danzantes espera la llegada de la Antorcha. La Antorcha y las sagradas imágenes de la Virgen de Guadalupe y San Juan Diego que la acompañan son portadas por la comitiva de la Iglesia Santa María Magdalena en Simpsonville, Carolina del Sur, haciendo su entrada a la primera iglesia de la Diócesis de Charlotte que tradicionalmente recibe la posta en Carolina del Norte, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Tuckassegee Road.

de ser mensajeros de la Buena Nueva Finalmente invitó a los fieles a reflexionar, bajo la luz de que porta la Antorcha Guadalupana, sobre su participación cívica a todo nivel, sea local o nacional. “Nuestra indiferencia nos sale muy cara”, y vale la pena “luchar por llevar el mensaje de la Buena Nueva”, subrayó.

VIRGEN DE LOS MIGRANTES

Durante la bendición final, el Padre Tiburcio agradeció a todas las personas que colaboraron con la celebración y pidió que la Virgen “interceda ante Dios por todos nosotros los migrantes y proteja a todos los que vienen en camino”, para que al llegar, “sigan siendo sus mensajeros como San Juan Diego”.

Mónica Cajero, quien tiene a su cargo la dirección del grupo de baile azteca ‘Nahui Ollin’, que tiene su sede en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, dijo que, para esta ocasión, participaron más de 25 integrantes entre los 4 y 50 años.

Para preservar la autenticidad, el grupo de danza, fundado en 2019, prefirió traer su vestuario, instrumentos musicales y otros implementos directamente desde México, antes que elaborarlos localmente.

La directora expresó que inició el grupo para motivar a los jóvenes a reconocer sus orígenes, participar en actividades que los alejen de otras

ocupaciones menos productivas y los acerquen a la Iglesia. “Estas danzas son una forma de orar a la Virgen”, añadió.

Mientras algunos fieles se acercaron a disfrutar de atole, champurrado, tortas, tacos y quesadillas, otros permanecieron en el templo para observar más danzas folklóricas y participar en el Santo Rosario.

AMPLIO RECORRIDO

Leandro Bernabé, coordinador y voluntario para la Asociación Tepeyac, ente organizador de la Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana desde 2002, dijo que este año, aparte de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, la Antorcha Guadalupana visita las parroquias San José en Kannapolis, San José en Newton, San Francisco de Asís en Mocksville, Divino Redentor en Boonville, Nuestra Señora de los Caminos en Thomasville y Santa María en Greensboro, desde donde partió hacia las parroquias de la Diócesis de Raleigh el lunes 15 de noviembre.

Más online En www.facebook.com/CNHEspañol: Vea un video y más imágenes sobre la visita de la Antorcha Guadalupana a las parroquias de nuestra diócesis.

¡Oh Virgen Inmaculada Madre del verdadero Dios y Madre de la Iglesia!

Tú, que desde este lugar manifiestas tu clemencia y tu compasión a todos los que solicitan tu amparo; escucha la oración que con filial confianza te dirigimos, y preséntala ante tu Hijo Jesús, único Redentor nuestro.

Madre de misericordia, Maestra del sacrificio escondido y silencioso, a Ti, que sales al encuentro de nosotros, los pecadores, te consagramos en este día todo nuestro ser y todo nuestro amor.

Te consagramos también nuestra vida, nuestros trabajos, nuestras alegrías, nuestras enfermedades y nuestros dolores.

Da la paz, la justicia y la prosperidad a nuestros pueblos; ya que todo lo que tenemos y somos lo ponernos bajo tu cuidado, Señora y Madre nuestra.

Queremos ser totalmente tuyos y recorrer contigo el camino de una plena fidelidad a Jesucristo en su Iglesia: no nos sueltes de tu mano amorosa.

Virgen de Guadalupe, Madre de las Américas, te pedimos por todos los obispos, para que conduzcan a los fieles por senderos de intensa vida cristiana, de amor y de humilde servicio a Dios y a las almas.

Contempla esta inmensa mies, e intercede para que el Señor infunda hambre de santidad en todo el Pueblo de Dios, y otorgue abundantes vocaciones de sacerdotes y religiosos, fuertes en la fe y celosos dispensadores de los misterios de Dios.

Concede a nuestros hogares la gracia de amar y de respetar la vida que comienza. con el mismo amor con el que concebiste en tu seno la vida del Hijo de Dios.

Virgen Santa María, Madre del Amor Hermoso, protege a nuestras familias, para que estén siempre muy unidas, y bendice la educación de nuestros hijos.

Esperanza nuestra, míranos con compasión, enséñanos a ir continuamente a Jesús y, si caemos, ayúdanos a levantarnos, a volver a él, mediante la confesión de nuestras culpas y pecados en el sacramento de la penitencia, que trae sosiego al alma.

Te suplicamos que nos concedas un amor muy grande a todos los santos sacramentos que son como las huellas que tu Hijo nos dejó en la tierra.

Así, Madre Santísima, con la paz de Dios en la conciencia, con nuestros corazones libres de mal y de odios, podremos llevar a todos la verdadera alegría y la verdadera paz, que vienen de tu Hijo, nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que con Dios Padre y con el Espíritu Santo, vive y reina por los siglos de los siglos.

Amén.

— San Juan Pablo II

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 FROM THE COVER

DIOCESAN SYNOD: ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission’

Diocesan synod opens with special message from bishop PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — In a special message read aloud in every church last Sunday, Bishop Peter Jugis announced how the Diocese of Charlotte will join in the Church’s effort to hear from all of its members and help guide its mission of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation in the third millennium.

The Church’s initiative calls on all Catholics to prayerfully listen to the Holy Spirit and to one another through a mix of local, national and global conversations on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The process will conclude with a worldwide synod of bishops that Pope Francis has convened for October 2023.

At Masses Nov. 13-14, clergy read a special Rovati “Letter to the Faithful” from Bishop Jugis that announced and described the synod process for the Charlotte diocese. (The complete version of the letter in English and Spanish appears on pages 15-16.)

Bishop Jugis reflected in his letter on the synod’s theme of “communion, participation, and mission.”

“The Holy Father wants all of us to reflect prayerfully on these three words to discover their importance in our lives and the life of the Church, to testify to each other the way the Lord is calling us to embody them at the present moment, and to consider the challenges and struggles that we face in living out the Gospel missionary mandate – both individually and as a Church,” the bishop wrote.

In his letter, Bishop Jugis also underscored the importance of participation.

“The goal is to engage the whole People of God in the synodal process to ‘journey together, in order to experience a Church that receives and lives this gift of unity, and is open to the voice of the Spirit,’” he wrote, quoting from Pope Francis’ address for the opening of the synod on Oct. 9. “I invite you to join me in participating intentionally in the synodal path the Holy Father has called us to, for I am certain it will bear much fruit in the life of our diocese.”

The goal is to involve any Catholic who wants to participate, as well as reaching out to people who no longer practice their faith and to others in the community, the bishop noted.

“I strongly encourage you to take part in these local gatherings that will happen across the diocese,” he wrote. “The goal of the synod, in fact, is not to take surveys and produce documents” but, as the synod’s Preparatory Document emphasizes, “to foster ‘a lived experience of discernment, participation, and co-responsibility, where a diversity of gifts is brought together for the Church’s mission in the world.’”

Between now and next April 30, Bishop Jugis is inviting all groups in the diocese to hold conversations about the ways they currently experience the Church as a missionary community in which everyone is called to a life of discipleship, and to suggest ways to live such a call more fully.

These groups will include parishes, schools and colleges, auxiliary groups, lay movements, third orders, charitable ministries, religious communities, minority communities, immigrant populations, campus and youth ministries, and more.

Representatives from these different groups will share the fruits of their conversations at a common gathering scheduled for June 11, 2022, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

A summary or “synthesis” of the diocesan-level synod will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by June 30, 2022. The USCCB will then send a synthesis of all the U.S. dioceses’ work to the Vatican.

Steering the local effort is Dr. Alessandro Rovati, appointed by Bishop Jugis to serve as the official contact person for the diocesan phase of the synod.

Rovati is department chair and assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College. He is a graduate of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and a published author with leadership roles in national theological associations. His areas of expertise include moral theology and Catholic social teaching. He has already served the Charlotte diocese by teaching classes for St. Joseph College Seminary and by delivering lectures and workshops to youth, laity, clergy, catechists and teachers.

“I am humbled by the bishop’s request to assist him in the organization of the Synod’s diocesan phase,” Rovati said. “I became a theologian to serve the Church and its people, so this opportunity is a dream come true.”

In coming months, Rovati will be contacting and responding to diocesan groups and others to help them organize local gatherings. He also will facilitate the diocese’s common gathering next June.

Rovati noted that while there will be a way to send individual reflections and contributions, people are encouraged to participate in the local gatherings around the diocese to have a chance to be with one another in dialogue and prayer.

“Encountering one another in prayerful conversation will give us a chance to discover what the Lord is doing in our lives and the further steps to which He is calling us, both individually and as a Church,” he said. “The synod is an extraordinary opportunity to grow together in our faith. I cannot wait to travel around the diocese to talk and pray with people.”

In concluding his letter, Bishop Jugis encouraged people to pray for the success of the synod – particularly in deepening people’s “devotion to the Lord’s Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist” and in listening to the presence of the Holy Spirit “in our midst and the many ways in which the Holy Spirit is calling us to conversion.”

Mensaje especial del Obispo Jugis abre el sínodo diocesano PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITORA

CHARLOTTE — En un mensaje especial leído en voz alta en todas las iglesias el domingo pasado, el Obispo Peter Jugis anunció el proceso por el cual la Diócesis de Charlotte se unirá al esfuerzo de la Iglesia para escuchar a todos sus miembros y ayudar a guiar su misión de proclamar el Evangelio de la salvación en el tercer milenio.

La iniciativa de la Iglesia hace un llamado a todos los católicos a escuchar en oración al Espíritu Santo y a los demás a través de una serie de conversaciones locales, nacionales y globales sobre el tema “Por una Iglesia sinodal: Comunión, Participación y Misión”. El proceso concluirá con un sínodo mundial de obispos que el Papa Francisco ha convocado para octubre de 2023.

En las misas del 13 y 14 de noviembre, los clérigos leyeron una especial “Carta a los fieles” del Obispo Jugis que anunció y describió el proceso del sínodo para la Diócesis de Charlotte. (La versión completa de la carta en inglés y español aparece en las páginas 15 y 16).

El Obispo Jugis reflexionó en su carta sobre el tema del sínodo: “Comunión, participación y misión”.

“El Santo Padre quiere que todos reflexionemos en oración sobre estas tres palabras para descubrir su importancia en nuestras vidas y la vida de la Iglesia, para dar testimonio unos a otros de la forma en que el Señor nos llama a encarnarlas en el momento presente, y a considerar los desafíos y las luchas que enfrentamos al vivir el mandato misionero del Evangelio, tanto individualmente como como Iglesia”, escribió el obispo.

En su carta, el Obispo Jugis también subrayó la importancia de la participación.

“El objetivo es involucrar a todo el Pueblo de Dios en el proceso sinodal para ‘caminar juntos, para experimentar una Iglesia que recibe y vive este don de unidad, y está abierta a la voz del Espíritu’”, escribió, citando el discurso del Papa Francisco del 9 de octubre durante la apertura del sínodo.

“Los invito a unirse conmigo para participar intencionalmente en el camino sinodal al que el Santo Padre nos ha llamado, porque estoy seguro que dará muchos frutos en el vida de nuestra diócesis”.

La meta es involucrar a todos los católicos que deseen participar, así como llegar a las personas que ya no practican su fe y a otros en la comunidad, señaló el obispo.

“Los animo encarecidamente a participar en estas reuniones locales que se llevarán a cabo en toda la diócesis”, escribió. “El objetivo del sínodo, de hecho no es realizar encuestas y producir documentos”, sino, como enfatiza el Documento Preparatorio del sínodo, “fomentar ‘una vívida experiencia de discernimiento, participación y corresponsabilidad, donde una diversidad de dones se reúne para realizar la misión de la Iglesia en el mundo’”.

Hasta el próximo 30 de abril, el Obispo

Jugis está invitando a todos los grupos de la diócesis a mantener conversaciones sobre las formas en que actualmente experimentan a la Iglesia como una comunidad misionera en la que todos están llamados a una vida de discipulado, y a sugerir formas de vivir ese llamado más plenamente.

Estos grupos incluirán parroquias, escuelas y universidades, grupos auxiliares, movimientos laicos, terceras órdenes, ministerios de caridad, comunidades religiosas, comunidades minoritarias, poblaciones de inmigrantes, ministerios universitarios, juveniles, y más.

Representantes de estos diferentes grupos compartirán los frutos de sus conversaciones en una reunión común programada para el 11 de junio de 2022 en la Catedral San Patricio en Charlotte.

Un resumen o “síntesis” del sínodo a nivel diocesano será enviado a la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB) antes del 30 de junio de 2022. La USCCB enviará una síntesis de todo el trabajo de las diócesis de Estados Unidos al Vaticano.

Dirigiendo el esfuerzo local se encuentra el Dr. Alessandro Rovati, quien ha sido designado por el Obispo Jugis para servir como la persona de contacto oficial para la fase diocesana del sínodo.

Rovati es director de departamento y profesor asistente de teología en Belmont Abbey College. Es egresado de la Universidad Católica del Sagrado Corazón de Milán y autor con funciones de liderazgo en asociaciones teológicas nacionales. Sus áreas de especialización incluyen la teología moral y la enseñanza social católica. Ya ha servido en la diócesis de Charlotte impartiendo clases para el Seminario Universitario San José y dando conferencias y talleres a jóvenes, laicos, clérigos, catequistas y maestros.

“Me siento honrado por la solicitud del obispo de ayudarlo en la organización de la fase diocesana del Sínodo”, dijo Rovati. “Me convertí en teólogo para servir a la Iglesia y su gente, así que esta oportunidad es un sueño hecho realidad”.

En los próximos meses, Rovati se pondrá en contacto y responderá a grupos diocesanos y otros para ayudarlos a organizar sus reuniones locales. También facilitará la reunión común de la diócesis del próximo mes de junio.

Rovati señaló que, si bien habrá una manera de enviar reflexiones y contribuciones individuales, se anima a las personas a participar en las reuniones locales de la diócesis para tener la oportunidad de estar juntos en el diálogo y la oración.

“El encontrarnos en una conversación de oración nos dará la oportunidad de descubrir lo que el Señor está haciendo en nuestras vidas y los pasos adicionales a los que nos está llamando, tanto individualmente como como Iglesia”, dijo. “El sínodo es una oportunidad extraordinaria para crecer juntos en nuestra fe. Estoy deseoso de viajar por la diócesis para hablar y orar con la gente”.

For more information

Mayor información

n At www.charlottediocese.org/synod2023: Find resources from the Vatican and the USCCB, including Pope Francis’ messages, downloadable prayer cards and communication resources for your parish or ministry, as well as keep up with the latest synod news. n For inquiries about the diocesan synod process, email synod@rcdoc.org.

n En www.charlottediocese.org/synod2023: Encuentre recursos del Vaticano y la USCCB, incluidos los mensajes del Papa Francisco, tarjetas de oración para descargar y recursos de comunicación para su parroquia o ministerio; también podrá mantenerse al día con las últimas noticias sobre el sínodo. n Para consultas sobre el proceso del sínodo diocesano, envíe un correo electrónico a synod@ rcdoc.org.

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

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DIOCESAN SYNOD: ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission’

D

ear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Father Pope Francis recently convened the XVI Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome in October 2023 to reflect on “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The Holy Father has asked all of the dioceses across the world to contribute to this worldwide Synod by engaging in broad consultations with all of their members. The goal is to engage the whole People of God in the synodal process to “journey together, in order to experience a Church that receives and lives this gift of unity, and is open to the voice of the Spirit.”1 In particular, the Pope is asking us to reflect together on the theme of the Synod, summed up in three words: communion, mission, and participation.

COMMUNION.

What does communion mean? We are called to communion with God and with each other, just as the Lord prayed: “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21-22). We accomplish this through the Church, where Jesus Christ encounters and transforms us today, just as He encountered and transformed the disciples 2,000 years ago.2 The Church is not a social group or a club, but a community of people of faith who have been touched and called by the Lord.3 And as the Trinity is the mystery of the union between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by attracting us unto Himself, the Lord makes an otherwise impossible unity emerge among those who follow Him.4

MISSION.

What is our mission, the mission of the Church? The Apostle Paul teaches us that “the love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14). God calls us through our Baptism “to bring the light of Christ to all men.”5 The Lord forms us into a community of missionary disciples called to announce the Gospel of salvation to all people. As the Holy Father reminds us, everyone has an important role to play in this mission: “the new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization.”6

PARTICIPATION.

How are each of us called to participate in this mission? To build up the Body of Christ, which is the Church, the Holy Spirit distributes various gifts, charisms, and ministries among the People of God so that all of us might contribute to the Church’s missionary call.7 According to our particular vocations, we all participate in Jesus’ great commission to go and “make disciples of all nations.”8 For these reasons, the Church is always called to forge a concrete style “of communion and participation directed to mission,”9 so that each member of the People of God might contribute to serving God’s kingdom.10 The Holy Father wants all of us to reflect prayerfully on these three words to discover their importance in our lives and the life of the Church, to testify to each other the way the Lord is calling us to embody them at the present moment, and to consider the challenges and struggles that we face in living out the Gospel missionary mandate – both individually and as a Church. Accordingly, I ask all the members of our diocese to use the coming months to consider the following questions: What is your experience of ecclesial communion, mission, and participation in your life? How does the Church help you in living them out? What challenges or struggles are you facing as you try to embody them? What steps is the Holy Spirit suggesting to call us to live our vocation as a pilgrim people that journeys together toward salvation more fully?

I invite you to join me in participating intentionally in the synodal path the Holy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Pope Francis, “Address for the Opening of the Synod,” October 9, 2021.

Cf. Deus Caritas Est, no. 17.

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, no. 32.

Cf. Galatians 3:25-28.

Lumen Gentium, no. 1.

Evangelii Gaudium, no. 120.

Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 7.

Matthew 28:19, cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 32.

Pope Francis, “Address for the Opening of the Synod,” October 9, 2021.

Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 36.

Pope Francis, “Address to the Faithful of the Diocese of Rome,” September 18, 2021.

Preparatory Document for the Synod, p. 22.

Vademecum for the Synod, p. 11.

Father has called us to, for I am certain it will bear much fruit in the life of our diocese.

In particular, the Synod offers us three opportunities.

First, the Synod is an opportunity to encounter the Lord and what He is calling us to – both as individuals and as a Church. This means keeping our eyes focused on the Lord and resisting the divisiveness that characterizes much of our public discourse in society and would tempt us to turn the Synod into a power struggle to affirm our ideas or positions. Instead, the Holy Father is encouraging us to foster an authentic dialogue characterized by prayer, humility, and openness to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our midst.

Second, the Synod is an opportunity to learn that the Lord uses all circumstances in our lives to summon us to closer unity with Him. Even the struggles we face and the questions we discover in ourselves are ways God uses to invite us into ever-growing unity with Him. This means we need to resist the temptations of complacency or defensiveness and look instead with honesty at both the joys and the obstacles we experience in trying to live as His disciples.

Third, the Synod is an opportunity to discover that “the other” is a gift for our journey of faith. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, the pilgrim People of God who walks together, sustaining each other with our prayers and witness. This means resisting the culture of enmity that reduces “the other” to the sum total of the things we disagree about or lets political ideologies and disagreements completely determine how we look at each other and the world. Instead, our common Baptism must inform the way we think of and speak with each other, with mutual respect as members of Christ’s Body.

To help with the Synod’s organization and ensure that it might be for all of us an occasion of “mutual listening” that allows us to “hear God’s voice, to sense His presence, to witness His passage and His breath of life,”11 I have appointed Dr. Alessandro Rovati from Belmont Abbey College as the diocesan Contact Person for the Synod. In the coming months, he will contact on my behalf all the diocesan groups (parishes, schools, auxiliary groups, lay movements, third orders, charitable ministries, religious communities, migrant communities, and more) to help them organize gatherings to share and reflect on the Synod’s questions. The goal is for the fruits of these local conversations to be shared at a common gathering with representatives from the different diocesan groups on June 11, 2022. The diocese has also set up a page dedicated to the Synod on its website with resources and more information. While it will be possible to send in individual reflections and contributions, I strongly encourage you to take part in these local gatherings that will happen across the diocese. The goal of the Synod, in fact, is not to take surveys and produce documents12 but to foster “a lived experience of discernment, participation, and co-responsibility, where a diversity of gifts is brought together for the Church’s mission in the world.”13 It is my heartfelt desire for the Synod to allow us to grow in unity with one another and with the Lord. To this end, I ask you to keep our diocesan journey in your prayers. Please entrust our efforts to Our Lady by praying the Holy Rosary often, individually or with your family or parish community. I also encourage you to find time for more frequent Eucharistic Adoration. May our devotion to the Lord’s Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist make us more attentive to His Presence in our midst and the many ways in which the Holy Spirit is calling us to conversion.

May the Lord bless you as we journey together as a diocesan family to greater communion, mission, and participation – deepening our relationship with Him and with each other, and sharing His transformative love.

Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus,

Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 FROM THE COVER

DIOCESAN SYNOD: ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission’

Q

ueridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo:

Que la gracia y paz de Dios nuestro Padre y del Señor Jesucristo esté con nosotros.

El Santo Padre, el Papa Francisco, convocó recientemente la XVI Asamblea Ordinaria del Sínodo de los Obispos que se celebrará en Roma en octubre de 2023 para reflexionar acerca de, “Por una Iglesia Sinodal: Comunión, Participación y Misión”. El Santo Padre ha pedido a todas las diócesis del mundo que contribuyan a este Sínodo mundial participando en amplias consultas con todos sus miembros. El objetivo es involucrar a todo el Pueblo de Dios en el proceso sinodal para “caminar juntos, para experimentar una Iglesia que recibe y vive este don de unidad, y está abierta a la voz del Espíritu”.1 En particular, el Papa nos pide que reflexionemos juntos sobre el tema del Sínodo, resumido en tres palabras: comunión, misión y participación.

COMUNIÓN.

¿Qué significa comunión? Estamos llamados a la comunión con Dios y entre nosotros, tal como el Señor lo dijo: “para que todos sean uno. Como tú, Padre, en mí y yo en ti, que ellos también sean uno en nosotros, para que el mundo crea que tú me has enviado” (Juan 17: 21-22). Logramos esto a través de la Iglesia, donde Jesucristo nos encuentra y nos transforma hoy, tal como encontró y transformó a los discípulos hace dos mil años. 2 La Iglesia no es un grupo social o un club, sino una comunidad de personas de fe que han sido tocadas y llamadas por el Señor.3 Y como la Trinidad es el misterio de la unión entre el Padre, el Hijo y el Espíritu Santo, al atraernos hacia Él, el Señor hace emerger una unidad que de otro modo sería imposible entre los que lo siguen a Él.4

MISIÓN.

¿Cuál es nuestra misión, la misión de la Iglesia? El apóstol Pablo nos enseña que “el amor de Cristo nos impulsa” (2 Co 5, 14). Dios nos llama a través de nuestro bautismo “para llevar la luz de Cristo a todos los hombres”.5 El Señor nos forma en una comunidad de discípulos misioneros llamados a anunciar el Evangelio de la salvación a todas las personas. Como nos recuerda el Santo Padre, cada uno tiene un papel importante que desempeñar en esta misión: “la nueva evangelización exige un compromiso personal por parte de cada uno de los bautizados. Todo cristiano tiene el desafío, aquí y ahora, de participar activamente en la evangelización”.6

PARTICIPACIÓN.

¿Cómo estamos llamados a participar en esta misión? Para edificar el Cuerpo de Cristo, que es la Iglesia, el Espíritu Santo distribuye varios dones, carismas y ministerios entre el Pueblo de Dios para que todos contribuyamos al llamado misionero de la Iglesia.7 De acuerdo con nuestras vocaciones particulares, todos participamos en la gran comisión de Jesús de ir y “hacer discípulos de todas las naciones”.8 Por estas razones, la Iglesia está siempre llamada a forjar un estilo concreto “de comunión y participación orientada a la misión”,9 para que cada miembro del Pueblo de Dios contribuya a la edificación del Reino de Dios.10 El Santo Padre quiere que todos reflexionemos en oración sobre estas tres palabras para descubrir su importancia en nuestra vida y en la vida de la Iglesia, para dar testimonio unos a otros de la forma en que el Señor nos llama a encarnarnos en el momento presente, y considerar los desafíos y luchas que enfrentamos al vivir el mandato misionero del Evangelio, tanto a nivel individual como también de Iglesia. En consecuencia, pido a todos los miembros de nuestra diócesis que utilicen los próximos meses para considerar las siguientes preguntas: ¿Cuál es su experiencia de comunión eclesial, misión y participación en su vida? ¿Qué desafíos o luchas está enfrentando mientras intenta encarnarlos? ¿Qué pasos sugiere el Espíritu Santo para llamarnos a vivir nuestra vocación como pueblo peregrino que camina junto más plenamente hacia la salvación?

Los invito a unirse a mí para participar en el camino sinodal al que nos ha llamado el Santo Padre, porque estoy seguro de que dará muchos frutos en la vida

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Pope Francis, “Address for the Opening of the Synod,” October 9, 2021.

Cf. Deus Caritas Est, no. 17.

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, no. 32.

Cf. Galatians 3:25-28.

Lumen Gentium, no. 1.

Evangelii Gaudium, no. 120.

Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 7.

Matthew 28:19, cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 32.

Pope Francis, “Address for the Opening of the Synod,” October 9, 2021.

Cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 36.

Pope Francis, “Address to the Faithful of the Diocese of Rome,” September 18, 2021.

Preparatory Document for the Synod, p. 22.

Vademecum for the Synod, p. 11.

de nuestra diócesis. En particular, el Sínodo nos ofrece tres oportunidades.

En primer lugar, el Sínodo es una oportunidad para encontrarnos con el Señor y lo que Él nos llama a hacer, tanto a nivel individual como de Iglesia. Esto significa mantener nuestros ojos enfocados en el Señor y resistir la división que caracteriza gran parte de nuestro discurso público en la sociedad y que nos tentaría a convertir el Sínodo en una lucha de poder para afirmar nuestras ideas o posiciones. En cambio, el Santo Padre nos anima a fomentar un diálogo auténtico caracterizado por la oración, humildad y apertura a lo que el Espíritu Santo está haciendo entre nosotros.

En segundo lugar, el Sínodo es una oportunidad para aprender que el Señor usa todas las circunstancias de nuestras vidas para convocarnos a una unidad más cercana con Él. Hasta las luchas que enfrentamos y las preguntas que descubrimos en nosotros mismos son formas que Dios utiliza para invitarnos a una unidad cada vez mayor con Él. Esto significa que debemos resistir las tentaciones de la complacencia o la actitud defensiva y, en su lugar, mirar con honestidad tanto las alegrías como los obstáculos que experimentamos al tratar de vivir como Sus discípulos.

En tercer lugar, el Sínodo es una oportunidad para descubrir que “el otro” es un regalo para nuestro camino de fe. Todos somos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, Pueblo peregrino de Dios que camina unido, sosteniéndonos mutuamente con la oración y el testimonio. Esto significa resistir la cultura de la enemistad que reduce “al otro” a la suma total de las cosas en las que no estamos de acuerdo o permite que las ideologías políticas y los desacuerdos determinen completamente cómo nos miramos los unos a los otros y al mundo. En cambio, nuestro Bautismo común debe informar la forma en que pensamos y hablamos unos con otros, con respeto mutuo como miembros del Cuerpo de Cristo.

Para ayudar con la organización del Sínodo y asegurarnos de que sea para todos una ocasión de “escucha mutua” que nos permita “escuchar la voz de Dios, sentir Su presencia, presenciar Su paso y Su aliento de vida”,11 he designado al Dr. Alessandro Rovati de Belmont Abbey College como la persona de contacto diocesana para el Sínodo. En los próximos meses, él se pondrá en contacto en mi nombre con todos los grupos diocesanos (parroquias, escuelas, grupos auxiliares, movimientos laicos, terceras órdenes, ministerios caritativos, comunidades religiosas, comunidades de migrantes, etc.) para ayudarles a organizar encuentros para compartir y reflexionar sobre las preguntas del Sínodo. El objetivo es que los frutos de estas conversaciones locales se compartan en una reunión común con representantes de los diferentes grupos diocesanos el 11 de junio de 2022. La diócesis también ha establecido una página dedicada al Sínodo en su sitio web con recursos y más información. Mientras es posible que envíen sus reflexiones y contribuciones, los animo a participar en estas reuniones locales que se llevarán a cabo en toda la diócesis. El objetivo del Sínodo, de hecho, no es realizar encuestas y producir documentos,12 sino fomentar “una experiencia vívida de discernimiento, participación y corresponsabilidad, donde se conjugan una diversidad de dones para la misión de la Iglesia en el mundo”.13 Es mi deseo más sincero que el Sínodo nos permita crecer en unidad unos con otros y con el Señor. Con este fin, les pido que mantengan nuestro camino diocesano en sus oraciones. Por favor, confíe nuestros esfuerzos a Nuestra Señora rezando el Santo Rosario a menudo, individualmente o con su familia o comunidad parroquial.

También los animo a encontrar tiempo para la Adoración Eucarística más frecuentemente. Que nuestra devoción a la Presencia del Señor en el Sacramento de la Eucaristía nos haga más atentos a Su Presencia entre nosotros y a las muchas formas en que el Espíritu Santo nos llama a la conversión.

Que el Señor los bendiga mientras caminamos juntos como familia diocesana hacia una mayor comunión, misión y participación, profundizando nuestra relación con Él y entre nosotros, y compartiendo Su amor transformador.

Sinceramente suyo en Cristo Jesús,

Reverendísimo Peter J. Jugis Obispo de Charlotte

Mix

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

Oratorio honors patron saint of music, St. Cecilia CHRISTINA L. REITZ, PH.D. SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ Slapstick humor is the order of the day in this silly but mostly harmless adaptation of a series of children’s books by Norman Bridwell, the first of which was published in 1963. Director Walt Becker mixes computer animation and live action to tell the story of a lonely New York City preteen (Darby Camp) who adopts a little red puppy from an eccentric animal rescuer (John Cleese) only to have her love for the dog magically transform it, overnight, into a giant. With her mom (Sienna Guillory) away on a business trip, the pooch’s metamorphosis presents an outsized problem for her babysitting slacker uncle (Jack Whitehall). Yet, even as they contend with the pet-averse superintendent (David Alan Grier) of the lass’ apartment building and a scheming CEO (Tony Hale) who wants to claim his biotech firm brought about the massive growth spurt, the duo can count on the help of a diminutive schoolmate (Izaac Wang) who has a secret crush on the protagonist. Underlying themes include the need to accept those who are different, the dangers of bullying and the value of self-confidence. A few scatological jokes, a couple of instances each of mild swearing and crass talk.

CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG

‘Last Night in Soho’ What begins as a paean to the London of the swinging 60s rapidly turns into something more menacing as a psychic fashion student (Thomasin McKenzie) in the present-day British capital who is obsessed with the earlier era journeys back to it in a series of dreams during which she witnesses scenes in the life of an aspiring actress and singer (Anya TaylorJoy) of the time. Though the would-be star’s career gets off to an apparently promising start, her suave manager (Matt Smith) is not at all what he seems, and her existence rapidly degenerates into the stuff of squalid nightmares. Haunted by what she is seeing, but powerless to intervene, the protagonist becomes a neurotic mess. Her erratic daytime behavior draws the disdain of one classmate (Synnove Karlsen), the sympathy of another (Michael Ajao), who would like to make her his girlfriend, and the ire of her elderly landlady.

Much harsh bloody violence, including glimpses of aberrant behavior, as well as a vengeance themes, few instances of profanity, at least one milder oath, considerable rough and crude language.

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

harpsichord) accompanies. Once the soprano enters with the text, the voice is given the place of primacy, which allows the listener to clearly understand the text. However, after each vocal statement of “sacred organ’s praise,” there is a small response echoed by the organ. A quiet, but profound, organ solo closes the work.

As the “Ode” progresses, a soprano sings a very brief number explaining how when St. Cecilia’s organ played, an angel heard the beautiful sound and confused earth with

Because St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, countless young girls, the author included, have chosen her for their patron saint. Other saints are connected to music, of course, such as St. Gregory the Great, for whom Gregorian chant is named, and St. Hildegard von Bingen, a phenomenal medieval composer. But St. Cecilia maintains a special place in the heart of Catholic musicians. November is a fitting month to feature St. Cecilia, whose feast day is Nov. 22.

Music has been written in her honor by both Catholic and non-Catholic composers of renown, such as Henry Purcell, F.J. Haydn and Benjamin Britten.

G.F. Handel’s “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day,” an extended work for chorus, soloists, orchestra and organ, is of particular interest.

The Baroque composer was born in Halle, Germany, where he studied organ with Friedrich Zachow.

Handel was considerably more mobile than his contemporaries, absorbing musical influences from his native Germany as well as Italy, where he lived for a short time, and finally England, where he made his eventual home. When the English public lost interest in Italian opera, he turned to oratorios, the genre for which he is most remembered today. “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day” dates to the late 1730s between two of his most important oratorios: “Israel in Egypt” and “Messiah.”

The text for Handel’s work derives from the 1687 “Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” by John Dryden, where each stanza is dedicated to a specific “St. Cecilia” (1649) by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as instrument – in order of Guercino, on display at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. appearance: the trumpet, flute, violin and organ. heaven. This is then followed by a grand The organ is the instrument that remained chorus as only Handel could write. significant throughout the composer’s The premiere of this work occurred on the life, and it is the instrument with which Feast Day of St. Cecilia, Nov. 22, 1739. The St. Cecilia is most associated. Thus, the immense popularity of Handel’s other choral stanza mentioning the organ places it in the works has certainly eclipsed the “Ode for foreground rather than its usual place in the St. Cecilia’s Day,” but it is still a profound oratorio, filling in background harmonies work worthy of attention, particularly as we beneath the orchestra and chorus. celebrate her feast day.

The stanza about the organ, as printed in the 1865 Deutsche Händelgesellschaft edition, CHRISTINA L. REITZ, Ph.D., is a professor of music at reads: “But oh! What art can teach, What Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. human voice can reach The sacred Organ’s praise? Notes inspiring holy love, Notes that Watch online wing their heav’nly ways to join the choirs At www.catholicnewsherald.com: The Dunedin above.”

Consort, a Baroque ensemble based in Edinburgh, The movement begins with the organ Scotland, performs the aria “But O! What Art Can playing sustained chords while the rest of Teach” from Handel’s “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day.” the small orchestra (strings, bassoon and

17

On TV

n Saturday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Saint Rose of Lima.” An EWTN original movie on the life of St. Rose of Lima, whose great love of God and neighbor drove her to become a champion of the poor and afflicted in her native Peru, and the first saint of the Americas. n Sunday, Nov. 21, 6 a.m.

(EWTN) “Angelus with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis leads the world in the recitation of the Angelus, live from Rome. n Tuesday, Nov. 23, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Kateri: All for Christ.” Inspired by the courageous faith of Kateri, Father de Lamberville details her incredible life and cause for sainthood when he is reunited with Father Frémin. n Thursday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Deo Gratias: The Life of Father Solanus Casey.” The story of Father Solanus Casey, a Capuchin friar, who embraced his imperfect self to become who God created him to be, a spiritual counselor whose extraordinary work merited his beatification. n Friday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m.

(EWTN) “Saint Catherine Labroure: A Silent Herald of Love.” n Sunday, Nov. 28, 1:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Kibeho: Listen, My Children.” In this original docudrama, you’ll learn the story behind the miraculous visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kibeho, Rwanda, in the 1980s. Her dire warnings and prophetic visions foreshadowed the genocide to come. n Monday, Nov. 29, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Secret Treasures of the Vatican.”

For the first time in history, the Holy See has graciously permitted a large selection of historic artifacts from the Papal Treasury to travel outside the frontiers of the Vatican City State.

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

“We all need God to help us to make sense of our lives, so when we try to live without God, we can become confused.”

Archbishop José Gomez

President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop of Los Angeles

Church’s evangelizing mission can heal division, archbishop tells assembly lives that is rooted in “a biblical world view and the values of our JudeoChristian heritage.”

BALTIMORE — The U.S. Church That story, he added, told of how today is called more than ever each person was created in God’s image to carry out its centuries-long and “invested with an earthly vocation evangelizing mission at a time of to build a society where people live in spiritual awakening rising from freedom, with equality and dignity.” “under the clouds of the pandemic” “What we see all around us now and the country’s uncertain future, are signs that this narrative may be the president of the U.S. Conference breaking down. This is one of the of Catholic Bishops told his fellow consequences of living in a secular prelates. society. We all need God to help us “People are starting to examine what to make sense of our lives, so when they truly believe and what they value we try to live without God, we can most deeply in their lives,” said Los become confused,” Archbishop Gomez Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez, explained. who spoke Nov. 16 during the opening Again recalling Archbishop Ireland, public session of the USCCB’s Nov. 15the USCCB president said that “the 18 general assembly in Baltimore. duty of the moment” is “this beautiful The questions people have allow the responsibility that we have to tell the Church to continue its mission, even in Christian story once again to the people an increasingly secularized society, the of our times.” archbishop said.

Archbishop Gomez said he believed The challenge, he said, is “to people are searching for God “and they understand how the Church should are willing to let themselves be found carry out her mission.”

by God.” CNS | BOB ROLLER Archbishop Gomez acknowledged “I believe they are ready to listen Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. that differences among members of the once again to the Word of truth and Conference of Catholic Bishops, gives his presidential address Church exist because of the differing the Word of life. I think there are also Nov. 16 during a session of the bishops’ fall general assembly views people hold on how to move people in our society, those who grew in Baltimore. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the first forward. Still, he said, “there are also up without religion, who are ready to in-person bishops’ meeting since 2019. many signs of hope” that present new hear the Word for the very first time,” opportunities to bring the Gospel to he said. others.

He turned to Pope Francis and The archbishop turned to a 19ththe call in “The Joy of the Gospel” century prelate to find inspiration in which the pontiff envisioned a PAGE 22: A commentary by Archbishop Gomez, “As secular for the path ahead. Archbishop John missionary Church that can transform ideologies rise, proclaim the Gospel’s true path to liberation” Ireland, who as a young priest served the world. as a chaplain in the Union Army, “Again and again, the Holy Father More online was a “powerful advocate for African reminds us: the Church exists to Americans and for the rights of evangelize. ... To be a Christian is to be At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read coverage of the immigrants,” he explained. a missionary disciple. There is no other U.S. bishops’ Nov. 15-18 general assembly in Baltimore “Archbishop Ireland believed deeply definition,” the archbishop said. in what Rev. Martin Luther King and He also described the three-year others have called the ‘American creed,’ Church’s mission. “We are all baptized to Eucharistic revival that the U.S. Catholic the belief expressed in our founding Church will undergo as a “missionary be missionaries,” Archbishop Gomez said. documents that all men and women are “Second, he understood that the Church’s project” that aims to draw people deeper created equal and endowed with sacred into the heart of the mystery of the purpose does not depend on forces outside dignity, a transcendent dignity, and rights Catholic faith. the Church. It does not change with the that must never be denied,” Archbishop culture, or politics, or the spirit of the age,” He invited the bishops to accompany the Gomez said. faithful during the revival by sharing their he added.

He quoted Archbishop Ireland’s 1889 personal stories of discovering “friendship “The Church’s mission is the same in address, “The Mission of Catholics in every time and place. It is to proclaim Jesus with Jesus and the love of God” in the America.” He described how Archbishop sacrament of the Eucharist.

Christ and to help every person to find Him Ireland spoke of a “dependency upon our and to walk with Him,” Archbishop Gomez Calling the Eucharist “the gateway key cooperation with the divine action in the to the civilization of love that we long to said. world.” create,” the archbishop said that reviving From there, he said, it remains for all The address continued, “The duty of the “this sacramental awareness” can help end members of the Church to act, and by moment is to understand our responsibility acting, the challenges posed by injustice, “Human indifference and social injustice.” and to do the full work that heaven has poverty and other social ills can be “Brothers,” he said, “our beautiful task allotted to us. ... With us it will be done, is to continue to tell the Catholic story, overcome. without us it will not be done.” to reveal Jesus to our people – to place Secularization and division seem to be Archbishop Gomez said that Archbishop their hands in His hand so that they can leading American society “to be losing its Ireland’s talk illustrates how every be His light and follow Him on the path to ‘story,’” the archbishop continued. It’s a Catholics shares responsibility for the story that gave people meaning in their eternity, to the love that never ends.”

DENNIS SADOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

Luke 2:14

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November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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In Brief Court considers chaplains’ role in the execution chamber WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court’s consideration of spiritual advisers praying aloud with death-row inmates or placing hands on them in prayer during executions faced an uphill battle Nov. 9 as some of the justices questioned if this would open up other requests or could impose a safety risk. “This suggests we can look forward to an unending stream of variations,” said Justice Samuel Alito, noting that last-minute pleas for stays of execution already come to the court frequently and that if the court granted this request, it could open the floodgates for others. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, along that same line, noted that if one state allows a certain action in the execution chamber, wouldn’t inmates in other states request the same treatment? Kavanaugh also indicated during the nearly two hours of arguments that the state had a compelling interest in providing the least possible risk in the execution chamber, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether there could ever be a situation completely without any risk in a prison. The case before the court involved John Ramirez, 37, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a convenience store clerk in 2004. He had asked that his Southern Baptist pastor be able to lay hands on him and pray aloud with him during his execution. When the Texas prison system rejected this, Ramirez challenged it in court, saying the state was violating his religious beliefs.

Archbishop blesses first copies of new prayer book for military WASHINGTON, D.C. — Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services Nov. 9 blessed the first of 100,000 copies of the new sixth edition of the “Armed with the Faith” Catholic prayer book for members of the military. Knights of Columbus volunteers, including some currently serving in the military, delivered the copies to the archdiocese’s Edwin Cardinal O’Brien Pastoral Center in Washington. The prayer books will be sent to active-duty U.S. military serving around the world. Developed by the Knights in partnership with the military archdiocese, the books are designed to hold up in arduous conditions, with features including waterproof and tear-resistant stock, and plastic binders that enable the turning of pages without a sound.

event for listeners will take place Feb 18-20.

It will have a limited capacity for participants but is “designed to help Catholics cultivate a lifelong relationship with the word of God – one that extends far beyond the podcast.” The planned billboard will be unveiled Dec. 19 in Times Square and will stay up through Jan. 9.

“Through distraction and distress, our culture

has lost a hopeful, historical biblical worldview – but by the grace of God this podcast has helped thousands rediscover it,” said Father Mike Schmitz, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, Minn., and popular Catholic speaker and author, who hosts the podcast.

— Catholic News Service

Times Square billboard will promote, celebrate ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast WASHINGTON, D.C. — A billboard will go up in New York’s Times Square during Christmas and New Year’s to promote and celebrate the evermore popular podcast “The Bible in a Year,” but more is in store for the program that topped the charts shortly after its debut in January.

The creators of the daily podcast that leads listeners through the Bible’s narrative have announced several new initiatives designed to highlight the show’s success and attract even more listeners. An all-new Spanishlanguage version of the podcast – La Biblia en un año – with original commentary and a new, native-Spanish speaking host, will launch Jan. 1. “The Bible in a Year Retreat” virtual

19

Tribunal Notary-Secretary The Charlotte Diocesan Tribunal is responsible for processing marriage nullity cases.

Responsibilities: • Full time position • Screens calls, answer routine questions • Enters new cases into data base • Assist with case preparation • Makes copies of cases as needed • Archive management • Attends to financial matters for the Tribunal • Assists Judicial Vicar with special projects Requirements: • High School or Business College graduate or equivalent • Three years of clerical experience with the ability to type 55 WPM accurately • The ability to read, write, and speak English well • Strong verbal, computer, and interpersonal skills • The ability to maintain strict confidentiality • Must be a practicing Catholic • Bi-lingual in Spanish a plus Location: Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28203 Time frame and how to submit application: Please submit your resume or CV with a cover letter to Lisa D. Sarvis at ldsarvis@rcdoc.org no later than November 24, 2021

DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE

Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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In Brief Pope urges Ratzinger Prize winners to hold fast to truth VATICAN CITY — Honoring an Australian theologian, a French philosopher and two German theologians, Pope Francis prayed that they may continually be inspired by retired Pope Benedict XVI’s episcopal motto, “Cooperatores veritatis” – co-workers in the truth. On Nov. 13, Pope Francis awarded the Ratzinger Prize to Tracey Rowland, an Australian theologian; French philosopher Jean-Luc Marion; and German theologians Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz and Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger. After the ceremony, the four awardees visited Pope Benedict at his home in the Mater Ecclesia monastery in the Vatican Gardens. Rowland and Marion won the prize in 2020, but the ceremony was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ratzinger Prize recognizes theologians, specialists in sacred Scripture or artists, scientists or philosophers who have enriched theological studies by their work. The pope chooses the winners from a short list of candidates recommended by a five-person committee of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Foundation, established in 2010 to support theological research and to promote studies on the theology and teaching of the retired pope.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, president of the foundation, said the award is not a recognition of a particular book or project, but considers “the long and in-depth work” of the winners.

Pope encourages UNESCO to promote culture that draws people together VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis encouraged UNESCO – the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – to continue to promote and support education and the integral development of all people, including their spiritual life. “Building bridges between people through education and culture can be done only by taking into account the human person in his or her totality,” he said in a written message, read by the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Nov. 12, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the organization’s establishment. UNESCO was founded after the Second World War as a response to an era marked by racist, ethnic and anti-Semitic violence, prejudice and intolerance, and with an aim to promote a culture of peace through education, science and culture. In his message, the pope praised the organization’s mission and reiterated St. John Paul II’s endorsement that it would be natural for the Church to be part of such a “great project” with the Vatican represented at UNESCO by a permanent observer. Such a presence is in harmony with the nature and mission of the Church because of “the organic and constitutive link, which exists between religion in general and Christianity in particular, on the one IN BRIEF, SEE PAGE 21

Assisi pilgrimage with the poor: Pope calls for open hearts ASSISI, Italy — With a pilgrim’s staff and mantle, Pope Francis entered Assisi’s Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels with 500 economically or socially disadvantaged people and the volunteers who walk alongside them. The pope’s pilgrimage to Assisi Nov. 12 was dedicated to the poor in advance of the World Day of the Poor Nov. 14. Guests shared their stories with Pope Francis – stories of crime and prison or of drugs and alcohol, stories of being forced to flee their homeland or living on the street, but especially stories of steadfast or newfound faith, of finding a helping hand and of learning to see the face of Christ in the poor. The pope embraced those who shared their stories and thanked them for “this experience of encounter and of faith.” For too many people, the presence of the poor in their cities is “an annoyance,” he said, speaking in front of the famous Portiuncula. “Sometimes we hear it said that those responsible for poverty are the poor – an added insult! It is time for the poor to be given back their voice.”

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November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 20

hand, and culture, on the other hand,” he said, quoting the late pope.

Pope: Migrants need welcoming, integration in society and Church VATICAN CITY — Migrants are a blessing and a gift for society and the Church, but they must be helped to integrate into these communities, Pope Francis said. “Welcoming, accompanying, promoting and integrating, (these are) the four steps” that must be taken in response to newcomers, he said in a talk Nov. 11. “If we don’t get to integration, there can be problems and serious ones,” he said, recalling the terrorist bombings in Brussels in 2016 that left more than 300 people injured and 35 people dead, including the three perpetrators, who were Belgian nationals. Those carrying out the attacks “were Belgian, but were children of migrants who were not integrated, they were ghettoized.

(Therefore), welcoming, accompanying, promoting and integrating” are needed, he said.

The pope’s remarks came in a speech to people taking part in a European congress Nov. 9-12 on Italian Catholic missions, sponsored by the Italian bishops’ Migrantes foundation, which offers pastoral care to Italian migrants.

Pope thanks Retrouvaille for support of couples in crisis VATICAN CITY — A period of crisis in a marriage is frightening and painful, but it also can be an opportunity for growth, especially if the couple receives the support of others who have survived similar crises, Pope Francis said. Meeting Nov. 6 with couples involved in

Retrouvaille, a couple-to-couple ministry for people experiencing difficulty in their marriages, Pope Francis said the program is a gift to those involved, but also to the Church. “To be credible, one must have experienced” a time of crisis, he said. “It cannot be a theoretical discourse, a ‘pious exhortation’; it would not be credible.”

Members of Retrouvaille have been in crisis and have been wounded, he said, but “thanks to God and with the help of your brothers and sisters you have been healed; and you have decided to share this experience of yours, to put it at the service of others.”

Accompany, pray for people experiencing depression, burnout, Pope Francis urges VATICAN CITY — People experiencing depression often need someone to talk to, and they can benefit from psychological counseling and reading what Jesus has to say, Pope Francis said. “Let us pray that people who suffer from depression or burnout will find support and a light that opens them up to life,” the pope said. In a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network Nov. 3, the pope offered his prayer intention for the month of November, which he dedicated to people experiencing depression. November and the start of shorter and colder days for the Northern Hemisphere sometimes trigger “seasonal affective disorder” and depressive symptoms, according to many medical experts.

In his video message, the pope said, “Overwork and work-related stress cause many people to experience extreme exhaustion – mental, emotional, affective and physical exhaustion.

Sadness, apathy and spiritual tiredness end up dominating the lives of people, who are overloaded due to the rhythm of life today.”

— Catholic News Service

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ViewPoints 22

catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Archbishop José Gomez

M

y friends, I am sorry that I cannot be with you in person. But I am honored by your invitation to address this distinguished Congress.

You have asked me to address a serious, sensitive and complicated topic – the rise of new secular ideologies and movements for social change in the United States and the implications for the Church. And of course, I think we all understand that what the Church is facing in the United States is also happening in your country and in the countries throughout Europe, in different degrees and in different ways.

With that understanding, I want to offer my reflections today in three parts.

First, I want to talk about the wider context of the global movement of secularization and de-Christianization and the impact of the pandemic.

Second, I want to offer a “spiritual interpretation” of the new social justice and political identity movements in America.

Finally, I want to suggest some evangelical priorities for the Church as we confront the realities of the present moment.

So let’s begin.

SECULARIZATION AND DE-CHRISTIANIZATION

I think we all know that while there are unique conditions in the United States, similar broad patterns of aggressive secularization have long been at work in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

An elite leadership class has risen in our countries that has little interest in religion and no real attachments to the nations they live in or to local traditions or cultures. This group, which is in charge in corporations, governments, universities, the media, and in the cultural and professional establishments, wants to establish what we might call a global civilization, built on a consumer economy and guided by science, technology, humanitarian values and technocratic ideas about organizing society.

In this elite worldview, there is no need for old-fashioned belief systems and religions. In fact, as they see it, religion, especially Christianity, only gets in the way of the society they hope to build.

That is important to remember. In practice, as our popes have pointed out, secularization means “deChristianization.” For years now, there has been a deliberate effort in Europe and America to erase the Christian roots of society and to suppress any remaining Christian influences.

In your program for this Congress, you allude to “cancel culture” and “political correctness.” And we recognize that often what is being canceled and corrected are perspectives rooted in Christian beliefs – about human life and the human person, about marriage, the family, and more.

In your society and mine, the “space” that the Church and believing Christians are permitted to occupy is shrinking.

Church institutions and Christian-owned businesses are increasingly challenged and harassed. The same is true for Christians

As secular ideologies rise, proclaim the Gospel’s true path to liberation

working in education, health care, government and other sectors. Holding certain Christian beliefs is said to be a threat to the freedoms, and even to the safety, of other groups in our societies.

One more point of context. We all noticed the dramatic social changes in our societies with the coming of the coronavirus and the way our government authorities responded to the pandemic.

I think history will look back and see that this pandemic did not change our societies

on social justice or personal identity have come to fill the space that Christian belief and practice once occupied.

Whatever we call these movements – “social justice,” “wokeness,” “identity politics,” “intersectionality,” “successor ideology” – they claim to offer what religion provides.

They provide people with an explanation for events and conditions in the world.

They offer a sense of meaning, a purpose for living, and the feeling of belonging to a

‘Now more than ever, the Church and every Catholic needs to know the Christian story of salvation and proclaim it in all its beauty and truth. We need to do that, because there is another story out there today – a rival “salvation” narrative...’ as much as it accelerated trends and directions that were already at work. Social changes that might have taken decades to play out are now moving more rapidly in the wake of this disease and our societies’ responses.

That is certainly true in the United States.

The new social movements and ideologies that we are talking about today were being seeded and prepared for many years in our universities and cultural institutions. But with the tension and fear caused by the pandemic and social isolation, and with the killing of an unarmed black man by a white policeman and the protests that followed in our cities, these movements were fully unleashed in our society.

This context is important in understanding our situation in the United States. The name George Floyd is now known worldwide. But that is because for many people in my country, myself included, his tragedy became a stark reminder that racial and economic inequality are still deeply embedded in our society.

We need to keep this reality of inequality in mind. Because these movements that we are talking about are part of a wider discussion – a discussion that is absolutely essential – about how to build an American society that expands opportunities for everyone, no matter what color their skin is or where they came from, or their economic status.

AMERICA’S NEW POLITICAL RELIGIONS

I believe the best way for the Church to understand the new social justice movements is to understand them as pseudo-religions, even as replacements and rivals to traditional Christian beliefs.

With the breakdown of the JudeoChristian worldview and the rise of secularism, political belief systems based

community.

Even more than that, like Christianity, these new movements tell their own “story of salvation.”

To explain what I mean, let me try to briefly compare the Christian story with what we might call the “woke” story or the “social justice” story.

The Christian story, in its simplest form, goes something like this: We are created in the image of God and called to a blessed life in union with Him and with our neighbors. Human life has a God-given “telos,” an intention and direction. Through our sin, we are alienated from God and from one another, and we live in the shadow of our own death.

By the mercy of God and His love for each of us, we are saved through the dying and rising of Jesus Christ. Jesus reconciles us to God and our neighbors, gives us the grace to be transformed in His image, and calls us to follow Him in faith, loving God and our neighbor, working to build His Kingdom on earth, all in confident hope that we will have eternal life with Him in the world to come.

That’s the Christian story. And now more than ever, the Church and every Catholic needs to know this story and proclaim it in all its beauty and truth.

We need to do that, because there is another story out there today – a rival “salvation” narrative that we hear being told in the media and in our institutions by the new social justice movements. What we might call the “woke” story goes something like this: We cannot know where we came from, but we are aware that we have interests in common with those who share our skin color or our position in society. We are also painfully aware that our group is suffering and alienated, through no fault of our own. The cause of our unhappiness is

that we are victims of oppression by other groups in society. We are liberated and find redemption through our constant struggle against our oppressors, by waging a battle for political and cultural power in the name of creating a society of equity.

Clearly, this is a powerful and attractive narrative for millions of people in American society and in societies across the West. In fact, many of America’s leading corporations, universities and even public schools are actively promoting and teaching this vision.

This story draws its strength from the simplicity of its explanations – the world is divided into innocents and victims, allies and adversaries.

But this narrative is also attractive because it responds to real human needs and suffering. People are hurting; they do feel discriminated against and excluded from opportunities in society.

We should never forget this. Many of those who subscribe to these new movements and belief systems are motivated by noble intentions. They want to change conditions in society that deny men and women their rights and opportunities for a good life.

Of course, we all want to build a society that provides equality, freedom and dignity for every person. But we can only build a just society on the foundation of the truth about God and human nature.

This has been the constant teaching of our Church and her popes for nearly two centuries.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI warned that the eclipse of God leads to the eclipse of the human person. Again and again he told us: When we forget God, we no longer see the image of God in our neighbor.

Pope Francis makes the same point powerfully in “Fratelli Tutti”: Unless we believe that God is our Father, there is no reason for us to treat others as our brothers and sisters.

That is precisely the problem here.

Today’s critical theories and ideologies are profoundly atheistic. They deny the soul, the spiritual, transcendent dimension of human nature, or they think that it is irrelevant to human happiness. They reduce what it means to be human to essentially physical qualities – the color of our skin, our sex, our notions of gender, our ethnic background or our position in society.

No doubt we can recognize in these movements certain elements of liberation theology. They seem to be coming from the same Marxist cultural vision. Also, these movements resemble some of the heresies that we find in Church history.

Like the early Manicheans, these movements see the world as a struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Like the Gnostics, they reject creation and the body. They seem to believe that human beings can become whatever we decide to make of ourselves.

These movements are also Pelagian, believing that redemption can be GOMEZ, SEE PAGE 24

November 19, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

23

Deacon Matthew Newsome

Captured by beauty bigger than this world

“

Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” I first read these final words of John Keats’ poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” in middle school. At the time I was keeping a journal of inspiring quotations, and I promptly added these lines to its pages. It’s the only quote from that journal I still remember today.

Looking back, I believe those words stayed with me because I discovered in them a religious truth, even though I was not religious at the time. The equation of truth and beauty struck me as profoundly true and therefore also profoundly beautiful. It meant there must be something beautiful about anything true, even a “harsh” truth. Likewise, there must be some truth expressed by anything beautiful. What attracts us to a sunset, a sonata, a sonnet or a lover’s sigh is more than a matter of mere aesthetics. Beauty means something.

Keats’ bold assertion is that the equation of beauty and truth is the sum and summit of knowledge; all we can know and all we need to know.

Lest we think it impossible to express such sufficient wisdom in three simple words, consider that we hope to spend eternity contemplating the truth and beauty of the three words “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

I’ve been thinking about beauty a lot lately, especially while driving along the winding mountain roads of western North Carolina. There is a lot of beauty in an Appalachian autumn, and therefore a lot of truth. As we pray for the souls of the departed during the month of November, the fall colors remind us that God can make even death into something beautiful.

Though I’ve lived in the mountains my entire adult life, I’m still struck every day by their beauty. That’s been especially true this past year as I’ve unexpectedly taken up painting.

When my wife and I escaped to the Outer Banks last January for a few child-free days, she brought along a small set of watercolors to provide us with a relaxing afternoon distraction.

I had not dabbled in visual arts since I was a teenager, but I found myself having such a delightful time as we painted our beach scenes that I’ve tried to paint at least a little each day since then. It helps me to relax, but even more than that, it has helped me to rediscover just how much beauty there is in the world.

A painting is a representation, not a replication. The goal is not to capture every small detail of your subject, but to express certain aspects in order to reflect its beauty. When you paint, you make choices to draw out a certain line, bring out certain colors or focus on a particular shape. If you

want your final work to be attractive, you naturally make these choices with an eye toward the beautiful. This trains your eye to notice the beauty in whatever you are looking at, be it a person’s face, a cloud formation, a river bank or a vase of dying flowers.

When you look at the world in this way, you discover there is beauty in everything.

Beauty is a poignant reminder of the truth and goodness of God. Truth, goodness and beauty are the three transcendental aspects of the divine (and the three things all sane people value most in this world). They seem distinct to us, but in God they are the same thing. Keats is correct: Beauty is truth (and goodness). It’s like when a single beam of light is split into different colors by a prism. Truth, goodness and beauty are the colors of God’s light shining on the world, and each attracts us in a different way. Truth appeals to our mind and goodness appeals to our heart, but beauty appeals directly to our soul.

“Beauty is what we notice first,” writes Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft in his book “Wisdom of the Heart.” “It is the ambassador of truth and goodness.”

Kreeft says, “Beauty is to God what sunlight is to the sun. Beauty is God’s shining. It acts on us, not we on it.”

Art, regardless of medium, is an attempt to capture this shining of God upon creation. One reason artists often seem tragic is because this is an impossible task. You cannot capture beauty. It captures us.

Beauty is bigger than this world and bigger than ourselves. This is why an encounter with beauty, whether in a sunset or a baby’s laugh, makes us forget ourselves for a while. It’s also why beauty breaks our heart even as it fills us with joy – because that joy is from another world that we haven’t arrived at yet. It’s an appetizer that leaves us hungry for more.

That God made everything good and true doesn’t surprise us. It logically follows from His nature. It would be impossible for God to create anything false or evil. But beauty surprises us every time. Beauty is less necessary even though it’s no less divine. God didn’t have to make everything beautiful – but He did, as His promise of a greater world to come.

That’s why, while God’s truth is the object of our faith and God’s goodness the object of our love, God’s beauty is the object of our hope – hope that God’s Providence, His divine plan for you, me and all creation is not only true and good, but also beautiful.

Deo gratias.

DEACON MATTHEW NEWSOME is the Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University and the regional faith formation coordinator for the Smoky Mountain Vicariate.

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 19, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SAN AGUSTÍN

THANKSGIVING

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

El historiador Michael Gannon, de la Universidad de Florida, se unió a la controversia y luego de una investigación concluyó que el sitio exacto de la celebración de la primera cena de Acción de Gracias debió haber ocurrido en algún punto entre la Fuente de la Juventud y la Misión Nombre de Dios.

“Cuando los peregrinos llegaron a Plymouth por primera vez, los españoles de San Agustín de Florida estaban en su segunda etapa de remodelación de la ciudad, o sea ya habían pasado 56 celebraciones del Día de Acción de Gracias”, finalizó Grannon.

La tradición del Día de Acción de Gracias de los españoles continuó y se expandió por toda las misiones de Florida, las Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi y Louisiana hasta que ocurrió la invasión de los británicos en 1763, que obligó a retirar a todos los residentes españoles de San Agustín hacia la isla de Cuba y otros territorios dominados por la corona española.

La tradición del Día de Acción de Gracias se ha convertido en un símbolo nacional de la sociedad americana. Pero no fue hasta que Sarah Josepha Hale, editora de una revista en Boston, inició una fuerte campaña a través de sus editoriales que en 1863 el presidente Abraham Lincoln aceptó y proclamó el último jueves de noviembre como el día nacional de Thanksgiving.

Hoy en día, se puede comparar con la celebración del Día de Independencia y la Navidad de San Nicolás. Esta tradición se ha esparcido por países como Canadá y Holanda.

De todas maneras, la próxima vez que visite San Agustín pregunte a los locales dónde fue la primera cena de Acción de Gracias.

se acerquen. Ingrese el pavo completamente descongelado y seco y siempre mantenga un extintor de incendios de uso múltiple cerca. Nunca use agua para extinguir un incendio de grasa.

Respecto a la cocina en general: n Mantenga una “zona libre de niños” de al menos 3 pies alrededor de la estufa y las áreas donde se preparan o transportan alimentos o bebidas calientes. Igualmente, el piso debe estar despejado n Asegúrese que los cables eléctricos de los electrodomésticos no estén al alcance de los niños. n Mantenga los fósforos y encendedores en un gabinete cerrado con llave. n Asegúrese que sus alarmas de humo funcionan. Pruébelos presionando el botón de prueba. n Para evitar incendios de cocina debe estar alerta. No estará alerta si tiene sueño, ha consumido alcohol o tomado medicamentos o drogas que lo adormecen. n Permanezca en la cocina cuando esté por freir, hervir alimentos o utilizar la parrilla. n Al cocinar alimentos, revíselos regularmente y use un temporizador para recordarle que está cocinando. n Mantenga todo lo que pueda incendiarse (guantes de horno, utensilios de madera, envases de alimentos, toallas, cortinas) lejos de la estufa.

GOMEZ FROM PAGE 22

accomplished through our own human efforts, without God. And as a final point, I would note that these movements are Utopian. They seem to really believe that we can create a kind of “heaven on earth,” a perfectly just society, through our own political efforts.

I believe that it is important for the Church to understand and engage these new movements not on social or political terms, but as dangerous substitutes for true religion.

In denying God, these new movements have lost the truth about the human person. This explains their extremism and their harsh, uncompromising and unforgiving approach to politics.

And from the standpoint of the Gospel, because these movements deny the human person, no matter how well-intentioned they are, they cannot promote authentic human flourishing. In fact, as we are witnessing in my country, these strictly secular movements are causing new forms of social division, discrimination, intolerance and injustice.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE

The question is: What is to be done? How should the Church respond to these new secular movements for social change?

My answer is simple. We need to proclaim Jesus Christ. Boldly, creatively.

We need to tell our story of salvation in a new way – with charity and confidence, without fear. This is the Church’s mission in every age and every cultural moment.

We should not be intimidated by these

n Mantenga la estufa, los quemadores y el horno limpios. n Use mangas cortas, ajustadas o bien enrolladas al cocinar. La ropa suelta puede entrar en contacto con los quemadores de la estufa o un quemador eléctrico.

Si pese a todas la precauciones tiene un fuego en la cocina: n Si se inicia un pequeño fuego de grasa en una sartén, sofoque las llamas deslizando una tapa sobre la sartén. Apague el quemador, no mueva la sartén. Para evitar que el fuego se reinicie, deje la tapa en su lugar hasta que la sartén se haya enfriado. n Nunca vierta agua en un fuego de grasa sobre la sartén para cocinar. n Nunca descargue un extintor portátil en un incendio de grasa porque propagará el fuego. n En caso de incendio en el horno, apague el aparato y mantenga la puerta del horno cerrada hasta que se enfríe.

Después de un incendio, el horno debe ser revisado y/o reparado antes de ser utilizado nuevamente. n En caso de duda, ¡simplemente salga!, cierre la puerta para ayudar a contener el fuego y llame al 9-1-1 o al departamento de bomberos desde un teléfono celular o el teléfono de un vecino.

Si tiene preguntas, escríbame un correo a mezacorralg@concordnc. gov o llame al (704)920-6058.

“Si es predecible, entonces se puede prevenir”.

GILBERTO MEZA-CORRAL es asistente del jefe de bomberos del Departamento de Bomberos de la Ciudad de Concord.

new religions of social justice and political identity. The Gospel remains the most powerful force for social change that the world has ever seen. And the Church has been “anti-racist” from the beginning. All are included in her message of salvation.

Jesus Christ came to announce the new creation, the new man and the new woman, given power to become children of God, renewed in the image of their Creator.

Jesus taught us to know and love God as our Father, and He called His Church to carry that good news to the ends of the earth – to gather, from every race and tribe and people, the one worldwide family of God. That was the meaning of Pentecost, when men and women from every nation under heaven heard the Gospel in their own native language. That is what St. Paul meant when he said that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free.

Of course, in the Church we have not always lived up to our beautiful principles, or carried out the mission entrusted to us

by Christ.

But the world does not need a new secular religion to replace Christianity. It needs you and me to be better witnesses.

Better Christians. Let us begin by forgiving, loving, sacrificing for others, putting away spiritual poisons like resentment and envy.

Personally, I find inspiration in the saints and holy figures in my country’s history.

In this moment, I am looking especially to Servant of God Dorothy Day. For me, she offers an important witness for how Catholics can work to change our social order through radical detachment and love for the poor grounded in the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount and works of mercy.

ACADÉMICO VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

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ESCUELAS DIOCESANAS

Fuera del área de Charlotte, hay nueve escuelas primarias/intermedias parroquiales y una escuela secundaria diocesana: n Escuela Asheville Catholic: PK-8; 12 Culvern St., Asheville; 828-252-7896; www.ashevillecatholic.org n Escuela secundaria Bishop McGuinness: grados 9-12; 1725 N.C. Hwy. 66 Sur, Kernersville; 336-564-1010; www.bmhs.us n Escuela Immaculata: PK-8; 711 Buncombe St., Hendersonville; 828-693–3277; www.immac.org n Escuela Immaculate Heart of Mary: PK-8; 4145 Johnson St., High Point; 336-8887-2613; www.ihm-school.com n Escuela Our Lady of Grace: PK-8; 201 South Chapman St., Greensboro; 336-275-1522; www.olgsch.org n Escuela Our Lady of Mercy: PK-8; 1730 Link Road, WinstonSalem; 336-722-7204; www.ourladyofmercyschool.org n Escuela Sacred Heart: PK-8; 385 Lumen Christi Lane, Salisbury; 704-633-2841; www.salisburycatholicschool.org n Escuela St. Leo: PK-8; 333 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem; 336-748-8252; www.stleocatholic.com n Escuela St. Michael: PK-8; 704 St. Michael’s Lane, Gastonia; 704-544-2070; www.stmichaelcs.com n Escuela St. Pius X: grados K-8; 2200 North Elm St., Greensboro; 336-273-9865; www.spxschool.com Visite la página web de cada escuela para obtener información sobre la matricula o programar una visita.

Más en línea En www.charlottediocese.org/schools-office: Obtenga más información sobre las 19 escuelas católicas de la Diócesis de Charlotte, su misión y liderazgo.

She also had a keen sense that before we can change the hearts of others, we have to change ourselves.

She once said: “I see only too clearly how bad people are. I wish I did not see it so. It is my own sins that give me such clarity.

But I cannot worry much about your sins and miseries when I have so many of my own. … My prayer from day to day is that God will so enlarge my heart that I will see you all, and live with you all, in His love.”

This is the attitude that we need right now, when our society is so polarized and divided.

I am also drawing inspiration from the witness of Venerable Augustus Tolton. His is an amazing and truly American story. He was born in slavery, escaped into freedom with his mother, and became the first black man to be ordained a priest in my country.

Father Tolton once said, “The Catholic Church deplores a double slavery – that of the mind and that of the body. She endeavors to free us of both.”

Today, we need this confidence in the power of the Gospel.

We are at risk right now of sliding into a new “tribalism,” a pre-Christian idea of humanity as divided into competing groups and factions.

We need to live and proclaim the Gospel as the true path to liberation from every slavery and injustice, spiritual and material. In our preaching and practice, and especially in our love for our neighbors, we need to bear witness to God’s beautiful vision of our common humanity – our common origin and common destiny in God. Finally, in this hour I think the Church must be a voice for individual conscience and tolerance, and we need to promote greater humility and realism about the human condition. Acknowledging our

common humanity means recognizing our common frailty. The truth is that we are all sinners, people who want to do the right thing but often do not.

That does not mean we remain passive in the face of social injustice. Never!

But we do need to insist that fraternity cannot be built through animosity or division. True religion does not seek to harm or humiliate, to ruin livelihoods or reputations. True religion offers a path for even the worst sinners to find redemption.

One last thought, my friends. And that is the reality of God’s providence. We need to hold onto this supernatural understanding, because it is true. God’s loving hand still guides our lives and the course of nations.

In the United States, the Church is preparing to celebrate next month the 490th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which marks the true spiritual founding of America.

Already, we are seeing signs of an authentic religious awakening going on in America, underneath all the controversy of our politics, the continued clouds of the pandemic, all the uncertainty about where our country is heading.

I am confident that we will see this spiritual awakening grow and spread in the coming decade, as we look ahead to the 500th anniversary of the apparition.

And Our Lady’s words at Tepeyac continue to strengthen and inspire me: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?

Are you not in my shadow, under my protection?”

May God bless you all and may Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to intercede for us!

THE MOST REVEREND JOSÉ H. GOMEZ is the archbishop of Los Angeles. This is adapted with permission from an address delivered by video to the Congress of Catholics and Public Life in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 4.