April 23, 2021

April 23, 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

Kulp named OLA principal 18

Winston-Salem chapel to benefit from endowment 5

OLG parishioners donate $500,000 scholarship fund

Reaching out to the margins Llegando a la periferia

19 INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español......................................... 8-11 Events calendar............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes............................. 3-7 Schools....................................18-19 Scripture readings.......................2 TV & Movies.................................20 U.S. news................................22-23 Viewpoints.............................26-27 World news............................ 24-25

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Celebrating Catholic Charities Week

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Esfuerzo comunal construye y administra Casa Hogar en México 9

St. Gabriel Parish upgrades digital, visual worship tools 3

St. Eugene Parish among latest to sponsor vaccination clinic 3

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Prayers said aloud lead the way to God

B

ecause prayer is a dialogue with God, people should not dismiss or be embarrassed by saying their prayers out loud or in a whisper, Pope Francis said.

“Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life,” and when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, it was with a vocal prayer, the “Our Father,” the pope said April 21 during his weekly general audience.

Continuing his series of talks on prayer, the pope reflected on the importance of speaking the words of prayers out loud rather than seeing prayer just as a mental exercise or form of meditation.

Too often, people think reciting a prayer is something only children or the uneducated do, but it is the way Jesus taught His followers to pray, he said.

“The words we speak take us by the hand. At times they restore flavor, they awaken even the sleepiest of hearts,” they reawaken forgotten feelings and they “lead us by the hand toward experiencing God,” he said.

People should be humble when seeing the elderly who unfailingly show their fidelity to the duty of prayer and who are “often the great intercessors of parishes,” he said.

“They are the oaks that from year to year spread their branches to offer shade to the greatest number of people,” he said. And even though they, too, must have faced moments of darkness and emptiness, they remain faithful to vocal prayer.

“It is like an anchor, one can hold onto the rope and remain faithful, come what may,” he said.

“The words of a prayer get us safely through a dark valley, direct us toward green meadows rich in water and enable us to feast in front of the eyes of an enemy,” as Psalm 23 teaches, he said.

The words can both reflect and shape feelings, helping feelings come to light, excluding and censoring nothing, the pope said.

“Pain is dangerous if it stays covered, closed up within us” as it can poison the soul, Pope Francis said.

Sacred Scripture shows the human heart can be home to harmful or hateful feelings, he said, “and when these evil feelings come knocking at the door of our heart, we must be able to defuse them with prayer and God’s words.”

Vocal prayers “are the only ones, in a sure way, that direct to God the questions He wants to hear. Jesus did not leave us in a fog. He told us, ‘Pray then like this,’ and He taught the Lord’s Prayer,” he said.

“St. Catherine,” by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1746

St. Catherine of Siena Feast day: April 29 St. Catherine was a third-order Dominican, peacemaker and counselor to the pope. She single-handedly ended the Avignon exile of the successors of Peter in the 14th century.

Born in Siena, on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1347, Catherine was the 23rd of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa’s 25 children. Her twin sister died in infancy.

She exhibited an unusually independent character as a child and an exceptionally intense prayer life. When she was 7 years old, she had the first of her mystical visions, in which she saw Jesus surrounded by saints and seated in glory. In the same year she vowed to consecrate her virginity to Christ. When, at the age of 16, her parents decided that she should marry, she cut off her hair to make herself less appealing, and her father, realizing that he couldn’t contend with her resolve, let her have her way.

She joined the Dominican Tertiaries and lived a deep and solitary life of prayer and meditation for the next three years. She had constant mystical experiences, capped by the end of the three years with an extraordinary union with God granted to only a few mystics, known as “mystical marriage.”

St. Catherine suffered many intense periods of desolation alongside her mystical ecstasies, often feeling totally abandoned

by God. She ended her solitude at this point and began tending to the sick, poor and marginalized, especially lepers. As her reputation for holiness and remarkable personality became known throughout Siena, she attracted a band of disciples, two of whom became her confessors and biographers, and together they served Christ in the poor with even greater ardor.

God called her to a more public life while she was still in her 20s, and she established correspondences with many influential figures, advising and admonishing them and exhorting them to holiness, including the pope himself, who she never hesitated to rebuke when she saw fit.

Great political acts which are attributed to her include achieving peace between the Holy See and Florence who were at war, to convince the pope to return from his Avignon exile, which he did in 1376, and to heal the great schism between the followers of the legitimate pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed him in 1380. She achieved this while on her deathbed.

Her “Dialogues,” one of the classics of Italian literature, are the record of her mystical visions which she dictated in a state of mystical ecstasy.

In 1375, while visiting Pisa, she received the stigmata, even though they never appeared on her body during her lifetime, owing to her request to God. They appeared only on her incorruptible body after her death.

She died in Rome on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33.

She is one of two patron saints of Italy; the other is St. Francis of Assisi.

— Catholic News Agency

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read about more saints whose feast days are in April, including: St. Isidore, patron saint of the Internet, April 4; Pope St. Martin I, April 13; St. Anselm, April 21; and St. Mark, the Evangelist, April 25.

Daily Scripture readings APRIL 25-MAY 1

Sunday: Acts 4:8-12, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18; Monday: Acts 11:1-18, John 10:110; Tuesday: Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday (St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis Grignion de Montfort): Acts 12:24-13:5a, John 12:44-50; Thursday (St. Catherine of Siena): Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday (St. Pius V): Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday (St. Joseph the Worker): Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

MAY 2-8

Sunday: Acts 9:26-31, 1 John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8; Monday (Feast of Sts. Philip and James): 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28, Luke 24:46,26, John 14:27-31a; Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday: Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday: Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday: Acts 16:1-10, Colossians 3:1, John 15:18-21,

MAY 9-15

Sunday: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48, 1 John 4:7-10, John 15:9-17; Monday: Acts 16:1115, John 15:26—16:4a; Tuesday: Acts 16:2234, John 16:5-11,; Wednesday: Acts 17:15, 22—18:1, John 16:12-15,; Thursday (Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord): Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Mark 16:15-20; Friday (Feast of St. Matthias): Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, John 15:9-17; Saturday: Acts 18:23-28, John 16:23b-28

Our parishes

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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St. Gabriel Parish upgrades digital, visual worship tools KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel Church has undergone a technological transformation, enabling the parish to enhance the worship experience for people in the church and at home.

The Charlotte parish – one of the largest in the Diocese of Charlotte – raised more than $250,000 to fund significant upgrades encompassing audio, lighting, security and visual tools including livestreaming equipment. The fourphase project began in January and the final equipment was installed earlier this month.

The need to modernize the parish’s technological capabilities was highlighted when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented parishioners from attending Mass in person, said parish communications director Darby McClatchy.

With all churches closed for several months last year, the parish turned to its aging equipment to keep parishioners connected digitally.

“The systems in place served us well for four decades,” McClatchy said, yet “they weren’t doing the job anymore.”

Previously, the church used a camera on a tripod to record videos of select Masses, which were then edited and posted online afterwards.

Last summer, the church’s sound system stopped working, and the hearing-impaired technology became increasingly unreliable. The church turned temporarily to a portable audio system that was being used for outdoor Masses, but it was inadequate for regular indoor use.

Now because of the improvements, St. Gabriel Church has an improved sound system and upgraded lighting, including a spotlight to use for worship services and Eucharistic Adoration. The setup has four cameras controlled by a joystick, a monitor to see all of the views, and the ability to switch between the cameras. Large screens are mounted on the walls on either side of the sanctuary to project prayers, hymns and other information for the large number of worshipers gathered in the 1,000seat church. The new audio system also has enhancements for those who are hearing impaired.

The project was funded entirely by parishioner donations, including a legacy gift from an anonymous donor.

The church livestreamed its first Mass using the new equipment on Holy Thursday, McClatchy said.

The parish’s director of technology, Ben Vigil, was instrumental in the project, she noted. He oversaw installation and programming of the new technology.

Since Holy Week, the parish has received quite a lot

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ST. GABRIEL CHURCH

St. Gabriel Church upgraded its technology to be able to livestream Masses with multiple camera angles. The parish’s first broadcast was the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. of positive feedback about the upgrades and people are enjoying the livestreamed Masses, she said. The church is livestreaming Masses on Sundays at 9 a.m. (Watch online at www.stgabrielchurch.org/livestream.)

A typical Sunday Mass is getting about 300 to 500 live

viewers and more people are tuning in after the broadcast for a total of 1,200 views on average, McClatchy noted.

“It’s important to be able connect with people online, especially now,” McClatchy said. “We’re thankful to finally be here.”

St. Eugene Parish among latest to sponsor vaccination clinic RICK LOBER SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

ASHEVILLE — St. Eugene Parish has joined a growing number of churches in the Diocese of Charlotte hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics – following the example of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte to Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, among others. Through these community outreach efforts, thousands of people have received the vaccine as well as information about protecting themselves and others during the pandemic.

St. Eugene Parish partnered with the Leicester Community Health Center and the Western Carolina Medical Society to host a vaccination clinic April 8.

In western North Carolina, as in many other parts of the diocese, the Hispanic community is disproportionately impacted by the medical and financial hardships caused by the pandemic. Many in this community have minimal or no health insurance and little access to healthcare providers in the area.

Moreover, lack of information, language barriers and vaccine hesitancy have all contributed to the insufficient number of low-income Hispanics who have currently received the COVID-19 vaccine in

the region. So parishioners Sue Koester and Christy Montesdeoca worked with health care providers to reach out to low-income and vulnerable populations in the Hispanic community.

The parish’s social hall was converted into a checkin location, waiting area, vaccination site and also the 15-minute observation area for the participants.

Medical professionals and staff from the community health center, interpreters, medical professionals from the parish and approximately 10 other parishioners were on hand to facilitate the clinic.

Ninety-eight people, many of whom are parishioners, received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine with no complications.

St. Eugene Parish will repeat the vaccination clinic on May 8 for people to receive their second dose of the vaccine.

The interactions between the participants, interpreters and the trained medical staff provided an opportunity to explain the vaccine, satisfy any concerns and promote the COVID-19 vaccine in the local Hispanic community.

Father Pat Cahill, St. Eugene’s pastor, praised the event saying, “Easter is a season of new life and our vaccination efforts are a most appropriate way to celebrate.”

St. Eugene Parish partnered with the Leicester Community Health Center and the Western Carolina Medical Society to host a vaccination clinic April 8.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY RICK LOBER

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: APRIL 25 – 11 A.M. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Diocesan Youth Conference (Livestreamed) St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte APRIL 27 – 6 P.M. Dedication of New Altar Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

APRIL 29 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Family Church, Clemmons

MAY 2 – 12:30 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

MAY 6 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Angels Church, Marion

APRIL 30 – 12 P.M. Meeting with Vicars Forane regarding the 50th Anniversary of the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, Charlotte

MAY 4 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Ann Church, Charlotte

MAY 8 – 4:30 P.M. Mass for 100th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church Holy Angels Church, Mt. Airy

Diocesan calendar of events CONFERENCES & CATECHESIS

April 23, 2021

‘ANCHORED – FAITH, HOPE, LOVE’ DIOCESAN YOUTH CONFERENCE: April 23-25, held virtually. For details, go online to www.anchored2021.com.

Volume 30 • NUMBER 15

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

CONSIDERING THE DIACONATE?: If you are interested in the possibility of being formed as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Charlotte, contact Deacon Ed Konarski at edward.konarski@ charlottediocese.org by July 15. Only those men who appear to have a genuine call to formation as a deacon will be invited by the formation team to complete an application for admission to the next formation class. Norms required for application to the formation program are on the Diocese of Charlotte’s website at www.charlottediocese.org (click on “Vocations” and then select “Permanent Diaconate”).

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

STAFF

ESPAÑOL

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

UNA VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN POR LA PAZ Y LA JUSTICIA EN NICARAGUA: Los jueves a las 6 p.m., nos reunimos en la Catedral San Patricio para, que en estos últimos meses está pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario y la corona de adoración y reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel. La vigilia de oración es en español. Vigilias de abril: 29.

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

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 más información o para inscribirse a una hora de Adoración, visite www.

ProLifeCharlotte.org/dos-corazones.

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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PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS

“Coronation of the Virgin” by Paolo Veneziano (1324), on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Have a May crowning at your home May crownings are a popular tradition in parishes and schools. This May, public celebrations and gatherings may be restricted in some parts of our diocese, but why not have a May crowning of your own at home? You can find lots of resources online – everything from how to make a crown of flowers using coffee filters to Scriptural reflections on Mary’s title as Queen of Heaven. One easy-to-use website is TheReligionTeacher.com. The website points out: Why do we crown Mary? Besides the fact that she is the Mother of Christ the King, Mary herself shows us the way to experience the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God, He stressed the importance of humility. “The last will be first” He said to His disciples (Mt 20:16). The Virgin Mary is a model of humility for us. If we want to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, then Mary shows us the way.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor At www.thereligionteacher.com/may-crowning-activities: Find a list of resources for you to organize your own May crowning and other ways to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary during the month of May.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: First Fridays and First Saturdays, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Next vigil will be May 7-8, with Father Ernest Nebangongnjoh as Friday’s celebrant. Join each First Friday through First Saturday of the month in an overnight vigil 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.

33-DAY CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH: Just as Jesus and Mary entrusted themselves entirely to the care and protection of St. Joseph as head of the Holy Family, so too can we follow their example. 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 Tuesday, July 20, would conclude on Saturday, Aug. 21, the feast of Our Lady of Knock. Learn more at www.yearofstjoseph.org.

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.

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

Winston-Salem chapel to benefit from endowment SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

WINSTON-SALEM — Brothers Christopher and Craig Shores remember their father David Shores as a faithful mentor who quietly practiced his Catholic faith. When Shores passed away last August at 78, he left a $92,000 estate gift, of which $45,000 was used to establish an endowment benefiting the little mission that he loved: Our Lady of Fatima Chapel.

The David Shores Endowment will benefit the downtown chapel, a mission church of Our Lady of Mercy Parish and one of the diocese’s smallest missions, where Shores and his family regularly attended Mass for nearly 50 years.

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel Shores was established in 1954 to serve a large influx of Western Electric employees who relocated from New Jersey. Located on the corner of Third and Cherry streets, it is a small gray brick building originally built in the early 1900s as the city’s first public library. An influx of Hispanic Catholics in the 1990s added to the community’s diversity, and now its parishioners come from more than 10 countries.

Craig Shores said his late mother Donna and his father, a law professor at Wake Forest University, loved the church’s diversity.

“My parents believed in diversity, so going to St. Benedict Church was one of those experiences. We went to Sunday school there, and visited St. Leo the Great Church a bit, too, but our family felt most comfortable at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel,” he said.

“I remember one Christmas, when Mom and Dad invited a gentleman from Our Lady of Fatima over for Christmas Day dinner,” recalled Christopher Shores. “A recent exile from Chile during the Pinochet regime, he spoke very little English, and had virtually no friends or family in town.”

“It was obvious to me, even as a kid, how moved

he was to be included in our family’s Christmas. At some point in the evening, he turned to my brother and me and said, ‘Your father is a great man.’ Dad, embarrassed by the grandiosity of the compliment, laughed and brushed it off, but it was good to hear.

Dad’s incurable humility would never allow that notion to be even hinted at, let alone expressed, but I knew it was true,” he said.

Longtime friends Pat Roach and Charlie Rose also saw firsthand Shores’ humility and generous spirit.

“He was humble, in the background, but if anyone needed anything he was first in line to help,” Roach said.

“David was a very loyal friend – faithful, with a quiet demeanor. He was the person you could rely on,” Rose added.

Father Carl Zdancewicz, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church and Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, said the endowment gives him peace of mind.

“I am really grateful for it,” he said.

The chapel remains in good shape following its renovation in 2002, he noted, but the Shores endowment will enable future repairs to be funded without having to draw upon parishioner donations.

“With this endowment gift, 15 of our 18 mission churches now have endowment funds,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “Mission churches are typically our smaller churches and it is wonderful that individuals like David Shores think about those special churches in 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@ charlottediocese.org.

Consecrated secular reacts to beatification SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte woman has a spiritual connection to a person beatified by Pope Francis.

In a recent decree, the pope recognized a miracle needed for the beatification of Armida Barelli, a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and the cofounder of the Secular Institute of the Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ (SIM).

A pious woman ahead of her time, Barelli focused her talents, intellect and service to the Church in her native Italy during the early 20th century. And to Joy Barnes, Barelli exemplifies how Catholics today can pursue a religious vocation focused on hands-on Barelli service.

Barnes, a member of the Diocese of Charlotte Tribunal staff, is one of only 47 SIM community members in the United States and its only member in the Southeast. As a consecrated secular, she has taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience but is not required to live in community.

She has been a professed member of the secular institute for 15 years.

“We pursue our ministry in our daily lives,” Barnes explains. “We live the Franciscan charism, which is to be of service to others. For me, that is working in the tribunal. I help people work through the annulment process, which helps people receive the sacraments and restore their relationship to the Church.”

Born in Milan in 1882, Barelli translated German articles during World War I. Her work attracted the attention of Cardinal Andrea Ferrari, archbishop

of Milan, who selected her to serve as vice president for social action for the Milan Committee of Catholic Women. In 1918 Barelli met Pope Benedict XV, who appointed her president of the National Girls Youth of Catholic Action. She held this position for the next 28 years.

In addition to her social service work, Barelli established the Third Order Franciscan Sisters of the Social Kingship of the Sacred Heart in 1919 and founded the Institute for Religious Vocations in 1920. In 1921, at the pope’s request, she established the Society of Friends of the Catholic University.

Together with Franciscan Father Agostino Gemelli, she co-founded SIM, which today has more than 2,800 members in more than 30 countries around the world.

Barelli became ill with bulbar palsy in 1949 and died Aug. 15, 1952, aged 69.

Barnes says that she, like Barelli, has been called to many positions in serving the Church. Over the years she has taught confirmation and served as a lector, cantor and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. She also trained altar servers and served as a sacristan for many years.

“I have always worked with liturgy, as far as my parishes were concerned,” she says.

Her work at the tribunal has been edifying. “My work with the tribunal is always directed toward bringing people to the sacraments, the heart of our faith, and dedicated to the salvation of souls,” she explains. “There’s nothing better than to spend my time and energy on. I consider it a blessing, I enjoy the work.”

“Armida was a formidable lady of heroic faith who dedicated her life to the service of God and left a lasting legacy of good works. We are very proud of her,” Barnes says.

— www.Aletia.org contributed.

OUR PARISHESI

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In Brief Students return to in-person worship WINSTON-SALEM — Students at Wake Forest University attended in-person Mass at Easter, the first offered since the pandemic began last year. Following the university’s guidelines, Campus Ministry can allow up to 100 people to attend Mass in the space available, following social distancing rules and other public health precautions.

Prior to the outdoor Mass at Easter, students watched Mass streamed live online, and on YouTube and Instagram, offered by chaplain Father Marcel Amadi.

The Diocese of Charlotte’s Campus Ministry program has been diligently adapting to changes in COVID-19 policies among the 21 colleges and universities it serves. For details, go online to www.catholiconcampus. com.

— Father Marcel Amadi

Knights help local food pantry JEFFERSON — Knights of Columbus Council 16839 recently donated $500 to the Ashe County Sharing Center Inc.’s Food Pantry.

Pictured with Executive Director Michael Sexon are Sir Knight Charles Flederback, Past Grand Knight Bob Breton, and Grand Knight Luis De La Cerda.

— Patrick Hession, correspondent

Praying for an end to abortion HUNTERSVILLE — Members of St. Mark Parish’s Respect Life Ministry spent a day of prayer March 27 during the 40 Days for Life campaign outside the Planned Parenthood facility in Charlotte. The parish ministry adopted the day to pray at the facility all day for an end to abortion. Prior to the prayer vigil, members attended a special Respect Life Mass and were anointed with blessed oil for spiritual protection by Father John Putnam, pastor.

— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 OUR PARISHES

SEMINARIAN SPOTLIGHT: Aaron Huber CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with 41 men currently studying for the priesthood in four seminaries.

Twenty-seven men are at St. Joseph College Seminary in Belmont. Ten men are studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. One man is finishing up his studies at The Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and three men are at The Pontifical North American College in Rome.

Aaron Huber, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville, is one of those studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.

To help the faithful of the diocese come to know him and how his vocation has unfolded as he has progressed in his discernment, the Huber Catholic News Herald recently asked Huber to share about his journey to the priesthood.

CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?

Huber: I first heard the call to the priesthood when I was young, possibly 10 or 11 years old. I remember talking to a friend of mine about what we wanted to be when we grew up, and both of us voiced our desire to be the pope! While my aspiration for the papacy has certainly changed, the desire to serve Our Lord as His priest never left. However, my attention to the call was sporadic.

When I was a junior in high school, I had a profound conversion experience in which I felt the deepest peace at the thought of being a priest. Finally, it was not until the summer after my freshman year at Belmont Abbey College while serving as a Totus Tuus missionary that the Lord really revealed Himself to me in such a way that I knew I had to pursue Him. CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation?

Huber: I first voiced my desire to be a priest to Father

Matthew Buettner. My Totus Tuus team had been sent to St. Michael Church in Gastonia for the week, and it was there that the Lord placed the priesthood on my heart.

Father Buettner was the pastor at the time, and what started out as a young man talking to a priest he barely knew, turned into a long-lasting and deeply valued friendship.

CNH: What type of feedback or advice did you get from him?

Huber: Father Buettner’s first piece of advice was to keep praying about my vocation. Further, since St. Michael Church is only 15 minutes from Belmont Abbey, he told me to get in touch with him after I returned for the fall semester so that he could put me on the altar server schedule. Serving at the altar and prayer, specifically Eucharistic Adoration, were the two things he always recommended.

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

Huber: My interest in the priesthood was certainly not limited to the diocesan life. After my experience in high school, I was definitely more inclined to some form of religious life. I researched a couple of Franciscan communities and even reached out to a couple of them.

However, as my discernment progressed, I found that my attention had shifted to the diocesan priesthood. I exhausted the Charlotte diocese’s vocations webpage, then proceeded to look up any information I could on the diocesan priesthood.

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

Huber: I reached out to Father Christopher Gober through the email provided on the vocations page of the diocesan website. Father Gober told me about the Quo Vadis Days program that the diocese was starting up and directed me to the registration page.

After finishing high school, I ended up at Belmont SEMINARIAN, SEE PAGE 12

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

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

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Is God calling you?

If you think God may be calling you to a vocation as a priest or religious, the Diocese of Charlotte has resources to help you! Go online to www.charlottediocese.org/vocations to learn more and connect with someone who can answer your questions and provide discernment guidance.

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.

St Mary’s Catholic School Job Opening for the 2021-2022 School Year

Science Teacher St Mary’s Catholic School in Greenville, SC is accepting applications for a highly-qualified middle school Science teacher for the 2021 2022 school year.

St Mary’s Catholic School is a two-time National Blue Ribbon School with a 120 year history of academic excellence and currently serves 305 students in grades K3 through 8. St Mary’s is served by both the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia as well as a team of experienced, dedicated lay teachers, and offers a wonderful work environment and a welcoming, familial atmosphere.

The ideal candidate would be a practicing Catholic, highly experienced with teaching Science to middle school students, and possess a valid teaching certification. Compensation is dependent upon years of experience.

Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte

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.

Please email cover letter, resume, and references to Principal Steven Zimmerman at principal@stmarysgvl.org. For more information about St Mary’s Catholic School, please visit our website at https://smsgvl.org.

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Ukrainian bishop makes pastoral visit to Charlotte

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DARREN BALKEY

Five Charlotte seminarians instituted as lectors CINCINNATI, OHIO — Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary celebrated a Mass for Institution of Lectors April 17. Five seminarians of the Diocese of Charlotte were instituted as lectors by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of the Diocese of Cincinnati. Pictured (from left) are Jose Palma Torres, Kevin Tran, Matthew Dimock Jr., Archbishop Schnurr, Kevin Martinez and Elliott Suttle.

POSITION SUMMARY

CHARLOTTE — People young and old welcomed Bishop Bohdan Danylo, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, to St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Parish, for a pastoral visit April 17-19. In his homily during the Divine Liturgy (Mass) offered April 18, Bishop Bohdan encouraged people to proclaim the resurrected Christ especially in response to the darkness, despair and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, the pandemic may be “a little bit behind us” but many people still suffer, he said. Christians are called to be messengers of the Good News, he said. “We know what darkness is, we know what uncertainty is, we know what it means to be afraid,” yet just as Jesus’ disciples did when they encountered the risen Lord, we should proclaim as the Paschal troparion states: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!” The bishop entreated, “Preach the same news that the apostles preached to those that they encountered... Even with more joy, proclaim the Good News about the risen Christ to whoever God is calling us to proclaim: our families, our neighbors, our friends at work.” The Ukrainian Catholic Church is one of 23 autonomous Eastern (Byzantine) rite churches in communion with the pope. The growing St. Basil Parish, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bishop Bohdan, worships at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. For more information, go online to www.stbasil.weebly.com.

Director of Evangelization and Discipleship

The Director of Evangelization and Discipleship will provide leadership and supervision to all catechetical activities within the life of the parish, which includes Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation programs for children and adults (RCIA).

Responsibilities of the Director of Evangelization and Discipleship include, but are not limited to:      

Leading and overseeing parish volunteers who assist in these programs as leaders or catechists.

Enhancing and building up parish Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Family Catechesis, parish missions and retreats and overseeing community outreach.

Working to strengthen unity between the English and Spanish speaking communities, through devotions, community activities, and parish events.

Collaborating closely with the Pastor in overseeing the liturgy as the principal place of encounter with parishioners.

Working collaboratively with the principal of Saint Michael Catholic School to assist the school’s mission to form disciples of Jesus Christ.

Overseeing the Parish Volunteer Coordinator for the Diocese of Charlotte Safe Environment/ Protecting God’s Children Program.

The Director will report to the Pastor and will serve in conjunction with the Administrative Assistant and School Principal as a member of parish leadership.

Job Qualifications:       

A successful applicant must have a degree in theology or related field and must be: Knowledgeable and understanding of the Church’s call for a New Evangelization.

A practicing Catholic, a member in good standing of a Catholic parish, and have a strong faith commitment, dedicated to the Gospel, living a life of prayer and service.

Skilled in leadership and management, decision-making, program development, and building interpersonal relationships in ministry.

Experienced in parish faith formation leadership, youth ministry, and young adult ministry.

Able to plan, organize, and collaborate in a team environment.

Able to successfully pass a background check.

Deadline: May 1, 2021

Please submit a cover letter and resume to the Pastor, Fr. Lucas Rossi at lcrossi@stmccg.org

Formation Program for the Permanent Diaconate

If you are interested in the possibility of being formed as a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Charlotte, you must make initial contact with Deacon Ed Konarski at Edward.Konarski@charlottediocese.org by July 15, 2021.

Only those men who appear to have a genuine call to formation as a Deacon will be invited by the Formation Team to complete application for admission to the next formation class.

The norms required for application to the formation program can be found on the Diocese of Charlotte website at https://charlottediocese.org/permanent-diaconate/permanent-diaconate/ and then clicking on Application Norms.

DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021

Llegando a la periferia Celebrando la Semana de Caridades Católicas

Padre Julio Domínguez

Matrimonio y ministerio familiar

L

a solidez de los matrimonios y de las familias hispanas está enraizada en una cultura profundamente católica que puede salir adelante hasta en las situaciones más difíciles.

En 1983, los obispos de Estados Unidos escribieron una carta pastoral titulada “La presencia hispana: esperanza y compromiso”.

La carta produjo una gran alegría entre los católicos hispanos cuando escucharon decir a los obispos: “En este momento de gracia reconocemos que la comunidad hispana que vive entre nosotros es una bendición de Dios”.

Los obispos dijeron también que los hispanos ejemplifican y fomentan los valores esenciales para el servicio a la Iglesia y a la sociedad, incluyendo un profundo y respetuoso amor por la vida familiar en la que toda la familia extendida halla sus raíces, identidad y fortaleza.

Hoy, este don de familia es compartido por millones de católicos latinos en más de 4,500 parroquias en las que está presente el ministerio hispano. Particularmente, el amor a la familia se percibe mucho a través de los innumerables niños hispanos de toda edad presentes los domingos en las liturgias en español a lo largo y ancho del país.

Los datos de la Oficina Nacional del Censo de 2009 muestran que, de los 10,5 millones de familias hispanas que residen en Estados Unidos, 66% están constituidas por una pareja casada y 41% por una pareja casada con hijos menores de 18 años. Asimismo, un 69% de los niños hispanos viven con ambos padres casados.

Sin embargo, las parejas y las familias hispanas no están inmunes a los diversos factores sociales que hoy corroen al matrimonio y la vida familiar. Es más, muchas familias hispanas tienen que enfrentar el impacto directo que ocasiona la migración desde sus países, la cual deja a cónyuges y familias enteras divididas por fronteras. Estas personas sufren además dolorosas separaciones bajo un sistema de inmigración ineficaz que no sólo dificulta sus esfuerzos para la reunificación, sino que también separa al esposo(a) de su esposa(o) y a los hijos de sus padres debido a las deportaciones que, con frecuencia, no toman en cuenta la vida familiar ni la MATRIMONIO, PASA A LA PÁGINA 12

SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

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a Semana de Caridades Católicas es una oportunidad para resaltar el trabajo de Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Charlotte durante el año pasado.

Como ningún otro año en sus 71 de historia, la agencia de servicios sociales ha superado los desafíos de la pandemia de COVID-19 encontrando soluciones innovadoras y asociándose con organizaciones comunitarias para servir a más de18,021 personas en el oeste de Carolina del Norte solo en 2020.

Trabajadores y voluntarios han laborado diligentemente para cubrir la demanda sin precedentes por alimentos, asistencia en pago de renta y servicios, en el lanzamiento de servicios de consejería online y mucho más.

Los últimos esfuerzos de la agencia incluyen llegar a las personas sin hogar, en particular veteranos y personas desplazadas de un campamento para personas sin hogar en Charlotte, ejemplificando la misión de la Iglesia de “ir a la periferia”, como lo ha señalado el Papa Francisco.

Ayuda alimentaria de emergencia Las tres despensas de Caridades Católicas en Asheville, Charlotte y Winston-Salem distribuyeron más de 662,967 libras de alimentos a 11,154 personas el año pasado, y la demanda sigue creciendo.

La Oficina de la Región Oeste ahora atiende aproximadamente a 600 personas cada mes y la oficina de Asheville ha ampliado su asociación con MANNA FoodBank.

“Cuando las empresas y otros servicios caritativos estaban cerrando sus puertas debido a la pandemia, la oficina de Caridades Católicas de Asheville se adaptó de la noche a la mañana a la crisis”, explicó Rick Lober, voluntario de la Oficina de la Región Oeste.

“Inmediatamente abrimos una opción de entrega al paso para la despensa de alimentos. A medida que aumentaba el número de solicitantes, reforzamos nuestros procedimientos para brindar servicios de manera más eficiente y segura. Cuando algunos participantes de Transition Out of Poverty se quedaron sin poder salir de sus hogares, organizamos una entrega segura de alimentos y provisiones esenciales”, dijo Lober.

Consejería en Salud Mental Cuando los servicios presenciales de consejería de salud mental cesaron debido a la pandemia, Caridades Católicas cambió a sesiones de “tele-consejería” para brindar acceso a esos servicios a 267 personas.

Se llevaron a cabo más de 2,187 sesiones de “teleasesoramiento” a través de una plataforma nueva, fácil de usar y segura. Las personas ahora usan su computadora, teléfono móvil o tableta para tener una sesión de video confidencial con un consejero.

“Una vez que quedó claro que esta pandemia no iba a terminar en unas pocas semanas, y que las restricciones en los servicios presenciales iban a ser una nueva realidad, nuestros consejeros de salud mental trabajaron en estrecha colaboración con

nuestro personal administrativo para explorar y adoptar formas innovadoras de brindar terapia a nuestros clientes y, al mismo tiempo, otorgar la misma confidencialidad”, dijo el Dr. Gerard Carter, director ejecutivo de Caridades Católicas.

Vivienda para veteranos A inicios de octubre de 2019, Caridades Católicas lanzó el programa de Servicios de Apoyo para Familias de Veteranos (SSVF), una iniciativa para servir a veteranos de bajos ingresos y sus familias que no tienen hogar o están en peligro de perderlo.

Gracias a una donación de $500,000 anuales del Departamento de Asuntos de Veteranos de Estados Unidos, Caridades Católicas ha proporcionado servicios de asistencia en vivienda y otros beneficios a veteranos elegibles y sus familias.

La agencia ha recibido $467,000 adicionales en fondos federales del Acta CARES a través de VA para apoyar a veteranos sin hogar y con peligro de perderlo.

En 2020, durante el peor momento de la pandemia, los fondos del Acta CARES permitieron que la agencia alojara a 96 veteranos sin hogar en hoteles, mientras se buscaba casa para ellos. También, en trabajo de prevención, asistieron con el pago de rentas y servicios para evitar el desalojo de veteranos que perdieron sus ingresos por la pandemia.

Durante este año, Caridades Católicas ha ayudado a 29 veteranos a encontrar un hogar y pagar rentas y servicios.

Tonya Lawrence, coordinadora de casos de SSVF, dijo que “durante el año pasado la pandemia nos ha demostrado que en cualquier momento nuestras vidas pueden cambiar drásticamente, pero el poder continuar sirviendo a otros y asistir a nuestros veteranos a prevenir que pierdan su hogar, prueba que podemos superar cualquier impedimento y continuar sirviendo para alcanzar nuestras metas”.

Proyecto de campamento Extendiendo su misión, Caridades Católicas colabora con otras organizaciones comunitarias para ayudar a un gran número de personas sin hogar que han estado viviendo en carpas en Charlotte. ‘Tent City’, como se conoce al lugar, creció hasta alojar a más de 100 personas que vivían en un campamento de carpas inseguro e infestado de ratas en North End. El lugar fue desalojado en febrero por la autoridad de salud del condado y los residentes alojados temporalmente en hoteles.

Utilizando $2.1 millones de fondos federales del Acta CARES, varias organizaciones, incluyendo Caridades Católicas, se han unido para proveer subsidios de alquiler y servicios de apoyo a personas que vivían en el campamento. La alianza incluye a United Way of Central Carolinas, la agencia sin fines de lucro Socialserve y Caridades Católicas.

Mientras que otras organizaciones comunitarias encuentran alojamiento para estas personas, Caridades Católicas brindará servicios de apoyo “integrales” para hasta 75 hogares, conectándolos con capacitación laboral, atención médica, educación y cualquier otra necesidad para ayudarlos a recuperarse en los próximos 12.

“Caridades Católicas fue invitada a participar por su reputación como administradora de casos” dijo Sandra Buck, directora regional de la agencia.

“Los coordinadores de casos empoderan a los participantes en el programa a identificar, mejorar y utilizar sus fortalezas para sobreponerse a sus obstáculos identificados, estamos contentos de ser parte de este esfuerzo organizado y esperamos próximamente trabajar en conjunto con otros proveedores para alcanzar esta meta”, finalizó.

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

El trabajo de la comunidad de Mezquital, Durango, residente en el área de High Point, Carolina del Norte, permite que hasta 18 adultos mayores puedan residir con las comodidades que merecen en la Casa Hogar ‘Alegría de vivir’ que construyeron y administran en su tierra natal. “Somos gente buena, trabajadora, humilde, que pase lo que pase siempre está allí para ayudar”, dijo Leticia Ontiveros, miembro del comité de ayuda.

Diácono Sigfrido Della Valle

¿Qué sabemos de San José?

C

on motivo del 150 aniversario de la declaración de San José como patrón de la Iglesia Universal por el Papa Pío IX, el Papa Francisco proclamó una celebración de un año dedicada al padre adoptivo de Jesús.

Poco sabemos de San José, la Biblia lo menciona pocas veces y la última vez es cuando Jesús se pierde de sus padres y es encontrado en el templo de Jerusalén.

Pero lo que sí sabemos con certeza es que era del linaje del rey David, era el esposo de Santa María, Madre de Dios y, por consiguiente, padre de crianza o adoptivo de Jesús. Su profesión carpintero, y la Biblia nos dice de una manera muy especial que era un hombre justo, en otras palabras, era un hombre que estaba abierto a todas las cosas que Dios quería que hiciera por Él.

José se hizo santo aceptando totalmente la voluntad de Dios. Pero hay tantas cosas más de él que quisiéramos saber: ¿cómo era la vida de él cuando se tuvo que ir a Egipto?, ¿qué tipo de conversaciones tenía con su hijo mientras trabajaban juntos lado a lado? Poco se sabe de él, pero ese poco es más que suficiente para saber todo sobre él.

Las devociones por San José son bien profundas. Él es el patrón de los papás, de los trabajadores, patrón de la Iglesia Universal y el patrón de la muerte feliz, ya que la tradición nos dice que cuando murió, Jesús y María estaban con él, posiblemente antes que Jesús empezara su ministerio público (Lucas 2:41-51).

San José tenía muchas virtudes: él fue santificado antes de nacer, el más puro y santo de todas las criaturas después de ella, María, especialmente para poder ser el esposo de la Virgen. Él fue liberado del pecado original inmediatamente después de haber sido concebido.

La doctrina nos dice que San José nació sin pecado original. San José era libre de la concupiscencia, que significa la rebelión de nuestros apetitos sensitivos, pasiones y emociones descontroladas.

Esto significa que, en vez de ser llevados por la razón, somos llevados por la pasión o apetitos.

Esto nos lleva a inclinarnos hacia el pecado.

San José había hecho promesa de virginidad.

San Francisco de Sales, doctor de la iglesia, nos dice que los dos, la Virgen María y San José, habían hecho votos de virginidad para todas sus vidas. San Jerónimo también nos dice que no sólo la Virgen María, sino también San José.

Santo Tomás de Aquino también nos dice que cómo la mujer mas santa y virgen, le da la mano en casamiento a San José, si ella había hecho votos de virginidad. Y la respuesta es que la Virgen María, antes de casarse con San José, había sido certificada por Dios. Y San José había hecho los mismos votos de virginidad perpetua. Él era libre de toda tentación y de apetitos de la carne. ¡Qué gran virtud la de la castidad!, que es la renuncia a todo placer sexual. Otras palabras asociadas a esta virtud son pureza, honestidad, honra, continencia, virginidad.

Bienaventurados los limpios de corazón porque ellos verán a Dios (Mateo,5:8). Que el ejemplo de vida de San José nos ayude a ajustar nuestra inteligencia y voluntad a las exigencias de la santidad de Dios.

Que así sea.

EL DIÁCONO SIGFRIDO DELLA VALLE es coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del vicariato de Smoky Mountains.

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FOTO CORTESÍA PATRONATO MEZQUITAL

Esfuerzo comunal construye y administra Casa Hogar en México CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

THOMASVILLE — Hace ya más de 20 años que un gran número de migrantes procedentes de Mezquital, estado de Durango, México, comenzó a llegar a la zona de Thomasville, Carolina del Norte, área de High Point, a la que llamaron “La Tierra Prometida”, porque era un lugar tranquilo donde podían encontrar trabajo y lograr salir adelante con sus familias.

Leticia Ontiveros lo recuerda con mucha claridad. “Éramos jóvenes”, dice, “y cada domingo, después que nuestros esposos jugaban fútbol, todas la familias solíamos reunirnos para comer juntas”.

En una de aquellas reuniones, en las que con toda seguridad se contaban anécdotas de la tierra lejana y recordaba con añoranza a los familiares y amigos que quedaron atrás, se leyó una carta enviada por el párroco del pueblo en la que les solicitaba ayuda.

Esa misma tarde, las casi cincuenta familias reunidas decidieron hacer algo por su tierra y con alegría constituyeron un comité de ayuda, planeando que el pueblo instalara otro localmente para trabajar en conjunto.

Se redactaron actas y se decidió trabajar para asistir con despensas para los adultos mayores, “que es una comunidad muy agradecida”, relata Ontiveros.

MANOS A LA OBRA

Por más de cuatro años consecutivos la comunidad en pleno se movilizó. Cada familia colaboraba con cinco dólares mensuales para financiar múltiples actividades destinadas a recaudar fondos. Por largos años se reunieron cada mes para hacer rifas, ventas de comida, charreadas y bailes.

La voz corrió, no solo por toda la región sino por todo el país. Otras comunidades de paisanos de Mezquital decidieron unirse al proyecto. Así, se acercaron hermanos de Oklahoma, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, Georgia y otros estados. Con sólo cinco años de fundado, el proyecto crecía y con él las responsabilidades y trabajo del grupo.

Fue entonces que una persona de Mezquital decidió regalarles un terreno en el pueblo. ¿Qué haremos? Fue entonces la pregunta, por lo que en junta decidieron que el espacio se ocuparía para construir una casa hogar para los abuelitos. Los esfuerzos se redoblaron con entusiasmo y, como ellos mismos lo reconocen, “tardamos mucho en construir sólo dos cuartitos”. El ánimo no decayó, más al contrario, con la llegada del programa 3x1 que impulsó el gobierno mexicano, el proyecto despegó.

“Necesitábamos veinte mil dólares para comenzar”, contó doña Leticia, y así, con los otros sesenta con los que se comprometería el gobierno, tendrían los ochenta mil dólares necesarios para construir la casa hogar.

Reunir veinte mil dólares no era una tarea fácil.

Organizaron tandas, un sistema cooperativo de beneficio comunitario, y finalmente pudieron recaudar el dinero.

En 2010, la Casa Hogar “Alegría de Vivir” ya estaba en funcionamiento con una capilla, sala de estar, comedor y nueve recámaras con una capacidad máxima para 18 adultos mayores.

El Sr. Felipe Flores, miembro del comité del patronato en Thomasville, asegura que “la necesidad que mira uno en los ‘viejitos’ es lo que nos motiva a trabajar por ellos”. “La gente emigra, se quedan solos. Y si nosotros estamos bien, ¿por qué no echarles una mano?”

DAR Y RECIBIR

Desde entonces la ayuda desinteresada a la casa hogar no se ha detenido. La pandemia de COVID-19 marcó la última actividad presencial del grupo el 14 de febrero de 2020, cuando celebraron la fiesta de San Valentín.

Los fondos que recaudaron con anterioridad les han permitido seguir aportando a la obra. Pero, pese a que las actividades se han paralizado, la ayuda comunitaria no se ha detenido.

“Hace poco nos informaron que una persona en el pueblo se había enfermado. Rápidamente vendimos 300 boletos de 20 dólares y pudimos recaudar más de 6 mil dólares para ayudarla en su tratamiento de cáncer”, relató doña Leticia.

“El pueblo ha aprendido a estar presente siempre en las necesidades. Con actividades, vendiendo hamburguesas o lo que sea nos la arreglamos. Es muy raro que te digan que no”, afirma.

La ayuda también se proyecta a la propia comunidad de Thomasville, en donde el edificio de la iglesia y la casa parroquial de Nuestra Señora de los Caminos han visto renovaciones en sus estructuras.

Dar desinteresadamente tiene su recompensa. Esos primeros migrantes, que llegaron atraídos por la demanda de mano de obra en fábricas y trabajos de construcción, han prosperado y muchos de ellos hoy son dueños de sus propios negocios u ocupan puestos de supervisión en las fábricas a las que arribaron como operarios.

Sus hijos, orgullo de la comunidad, son la primera generación que logra obtener una educación superior. Ellos asisten a universidades como Duke, Chapel Hill, NC State, UNCG y UNCC. Para doña Leticia “la constancia es el secreto”, pues “no sólo los inteligentes llegan a donde quieren. Y creer en tus valores te llevará a donde quieres llegar”, asegura. Ella, maestra de escuela secundaria en México, siempre enseñó a sus alumnos los valores como la responsabilidad, confianza, honestidad, sinceridad. “Para mí estar en la Iglesia, seguir sus reglas, marca la diferencia y es el secreto para una vida feliz”.

“Somos gente buena, trabajadora, humilde, que pase lo que pase siempre está allí para ayudar”, finalizó.

Más online Si desea contactarse con el grupo, escriba un mensaje en su página de facebook. Los puede encontrar como Patronato Mezquital. También puede escribir un correo a nortenosenmezquitalac@gmail.com.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Fin de semana juvenil CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Del viernes 23 al domingo 25 de abril se llevará a cabo la Conferencia Juvenil Diocesana combinando contenido digital “en vivo”, pregrabado y de otro tipo en una versión virtual debido a las restricciones de reunión vigentes decretadas por las autoridades por la pandemia de COVID-19.

El tema de este año, “Anclado en la fe, esperanza y amor”, correspondiente a la cuadragésima cuarta edición, se desarrollará utilizando la plataforma Zoom, y estará vigente en la página web del evento, www.anchored2021.com, hasta el 1 de enero de 2022.

Los organizadores han sugerido a los jóvenes de los grupos de la iglesia a reunirse para participar en este evento virtual de formas que sean seguras y se adapten de la mejor manera para sus circunstancias locales. Igualmente, animaron a los jóvenes y sus familias a utilizar el contenido de la Conferencia Juvenil Diocesana de la manera que mejor se adapte a sus necesidades.

Se requiere que los participantes se inscriban para las conferencias del viernes 23 y sábado 24. El domingo 25, el Obispo Peter Jugis celebrará la Santa Misa y en su homilía se dirigirá a los jóvenes de la diócesis. Para esta última fecha no es necesario registrarse.

A través de un comunicado, Paul Jos. Kotłowski, director de la Oficina del Ministerio Juvenil de la Diócesis de Charlotte, dio a conocer que este año se estará ofreciendo el premio St. Timothy a un joven de cada parroquia que presente una nominación.

También se brindará el premio Obispo William Curlin a personas o grupos que sobresalen en ministerios de cuidado pastoral, así como el premio Obispo Begley a los jóvenes que demuestren un extraordinario servicio cristiano, liderazgo católico y altos estándares morales.

Finalmente, el premio Papa San Juan Pablo II estará dirigido a clérigos ejemplares en su ministerio con la juventud.

Las parroquias tienen plazo hasta el 21 de mayo para remitir sus nominaciones.

Más online En www.anchored2021.com: Puede inscribirse y también acceder al contenido “en vivo” y pregrabado de la conferencia juvenil diocesana. Para informes sobre los premios, escriba un correo a Ibis Centeno, coordinadora de la pastoral juvenil hispana de la Diócesis de Charlotte, icenteno@charlottediocese.org.

FOTO CORTESÍA IGLESIA SANTA MARGARITA MARÍA

FOTO CORTESÍA PASTORAL FAMILIAR

Entregaron ayuda alimentaria en Vicariato de Asheville

Exitoso encuentro de parejas en Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

SWANNANOA — Manna Food Bank, en colaboración con Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Charlotte y la asistencia de decenas de voluntarios, repartió gratuitamente paquetes de alimentos y artículos de primera necesidad en la Iglesia Santa Margarita María en Swannanoa, condado Buncombe, al este de la ciudad de Asheville.

Entre la ayuda proporcionada hubo vegetales frescos y pañales para bebés. El reparto fue abierto al público en general y no hubo necesidad de inscripción.

CHARLOTTE — Lágrimas de alegría y emoción derramaron las parejas que asistieron a un encuentro organizado por el Padre Leo Tiburcio, vicario parroquial de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe el 18 de abril. Los asistentes pudieron disfrutar de las charlas preparadas por integrantes de la Pastoral Familiar del Vicariato de Charlotte, así como de un delicioso y romántico almuerzo ofrecido en los jardines de la iglesia.

Madres voluntarias son ahora ‘Madrinas’ CHARLOTTE — Madres latinas, voluntarias en la escuela Our Lady of the Assumption en Charlotte, son oficialmente “Madrinas”. Ellas ayudan a la escuela en los Open House, dan la bienvenida, asisten a otras familias que se interesan en la educación católica y participan en eventos internos y externos de la escuela.

FOTO CORTESÍA FRAVELIN HUERTA

Please pray for Deacon Robert Kratchman who died during the month of April 2017 Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus www.kofcnc.org

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Reconocieron a servidores formados en programa de Ministerio Laico CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Cuatro fieles de la Iglesia San John Neumann en Charlotte recibieron el pasado domingo 18 de abril sus respectivos diplomas que certifican el haber concluido los estudios del programa de formación laical que desarrolla la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Al término de la Misa en español, que se celebra regularmente en esa parroquia los domingos al mediodía, el celebrante y párroco, Padre John F. Starczewski, llamó al frente a Héctor Fabián del Alba, Ana María Sánchez, Abel Vásquez y María de los Ángeles Campos para que recibieran sus diplomas, así como el saludo y reconocimiento de la comunidad en la que prestan sus servicios.

Los cuatro miembros de la feligresía iniciaron la formación laical en 2019, concluyéndola en 2020. Lamentablemente, debido a las restricciones de reunión decretadas por la pandemia de COVID-19, la ceremonia habitual con liturgia en la que se entregaban los diplomas de participación debió cancelarse y los certificados únicamente se enviaron por correo.

Eduardo Bernal, coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Charlotte, dijo que se precisaba realizar esta entrega frente a la comunidad para reconocer el esfuerzo, entrega y dedicación de los participantes.

El curso, precisó, que tiene dos años escolares de duración y reúne una vez por semana a decenas de participantes, “es una fuente de crecimiento e inspiración

para los fieles laicos que desean aumentar el conocimiento de su fe, mejorar sus técnicas de estudio y aprendizaje, así como dar un paso adelante en el servicio a su comunidad parroquial”.

El Programa de Formación para el Ministerio Laico está diseñado para ayudar a los laicos a comprender mejor su fe para que puedan responder mejor a su llamado bautismal a participar en la misión de la Iglesia. Este programa está dirigido para católicos de todos los niveles: ya sea que estén comenzando a participar, voluntarios de mucho tiempo, catequistas o empleados de la Iglesia.

Héctor Fabián del Alba, nacido en Coahuila, México, dijo que “lo que se siembra se cosecha”, en alusión a las enseñanzas que le dió su madre cuando era niño. Aunque se mantuvo un poco alejado por un tiempo, ello originó que “progresivamente se fuera dando un cambio” que lo ha llevado a servir en su parroquia por los últimos siete años.

Por su parte, Ana María Sánchez, casada y con un niño, agradeció la comprensión y apoyo de su familia en el esfuerzo que emprendió para su formación. “Estas clases han marcado en mí un antes y un después”, dijo al referirse a los conocimientos recibidos. Catequista de niños y jóvenes, coordinadora de los proclamadores de la Palabra, Sánchez señaló que durante la asistencia al curso no podía estar al frente de ningún ministerio para dedicar su tiempo por entero a los estudios. La hoy coordinadora del Movimiento Emaús de mujeres asegura que se requiere aprender sobre la fe para poder estar “al frente” de un ministerio, ya

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En una sencilla pero emotiva ceremonia al término de la misa del domingo 18 de abril, cuatro graduados del Programa de Formación de Laicos de la Diócesis de Charlotte, Héctor Fabián del Alba, Ana María Sánchez, Abel Vásquez y María de los Ángeles Campos recibieron sus diplomas de manos del Padre John Starczewski, párroco de San John Neumann, donde los graduados prestan su servicio voluntario al Ministerio Hispano.

que “eso no es fácil”.

Para Abel Vásquez, nacido en Morelia, Michoacán, la formación laical fue la continuación de su caminar en México, donde había formado parte del movimiento cursillista y, desde niño, su participación en los oratorios de San Juan Bosco.

“Al llegar a Charlotte y encontrar esta comunidad tan vibrante, me comprometí más y se me abrió el panorama para ser parte de la Pastoral Hispana y RICA” (Rito de Iniciación para Adultos Católicos).

“Gracias a este curso pude entender mejor nuestra fe, las raíces de la tradición de la Iglesia Católica y cómo se conjuga el trabajo de la Iglesia con la sociedad”, dijo.

María de los Ángeles Campos, casada con dos hijos y natural de El Salvador”, dijo que el programa ha sido “una gran bendición en mi vida”, pues la ha ayudado en su crecimiento espiritual y atención a la familia.

“Me enamoré de Jesús y la Cristología”,

añadió la hoy coordinadora de la Legión de María. “Siento que los servidores, a través de este programa, logramos un mayor compromiso para hacer que los que están alejados tengan un encuentro cercano con Jesús”.

Los cuatro servidores reconocieron que se encontraban más a gusto con la formación presencial, pero que el paso a la formación virtual, aunque duro, difícil y brusco, fue necesario para poder continuar con los estudios. “Lo bueno es que los maestros pudieron adaptarse y seguir manteniendo nuestro interés con tareas e investigación”, señaló la Sra. Campos.

Más online En www.charlottediocese.org/ev/adulteducation: encontrará información en inglés.

También puede contactar al coordinador del ministerio hispano de su parroquia/vicariato o escribir un correo a Frank Villaronga, director del programa, a frankv@charlottediocese.org.

Lecturas Diarias 26 ABRIL-1 MAYO

Only 300 tickets will be sold, so you do actually have a chance to win Tickets are $100 each

Buy your ticket online NOW:

roominn.org/buy-raffle-tickets-here/ or mail a check with “Raffle” in the memo to: PO Box 13936, Greensboro, NC 27415 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT – GOOD LUCK!!

(Drawing will be on May 6th)

Domingo: Hechos 4:8-12, 1 Juan 3:1-2, Juan 10:11-18; Lunes: Hechos 11:1-8, Juan 10:1-10; Martes: Hechos 11:19-26, Juan 10:22-30; Miércoles: Hechos 12:24-13,5, Juan 12:44-50; Jueves (Santa Catalina de Siena): Hechos 13:13-25, Juan 13:16-20; Viernes: Hechos 13:26-33, Juan 14:1-6; Sábado: Hechos 13:44-52, Juan 14:7-14

2-8 MAYO

Domingo: Hechos 9:26-31, 1 Juan 3:1824, Juan 15:1-8; Lunes (Santos Felipe y Santiago): 1 Corintios 15:1-8, Juan 14:6-14; Martes: Hechos 14:19-28, Juan 14:27-31; Miércoles: Hechos 15:1-6, Juan 15:1-8; Jueves: Hechos 15:7-21, Juan 15:9-11; Viernes: Hechos 15:22-31, Juan 15:12-17; Sábado: Hechos 16:1-10, Juan 15:18-21

9-15 MAYO

Domingo: Hechos 10:25-26 34-35 44-48, 1 Juan 4:7-10, Juan 15:9-17; Lunes: Hechos

‘La Ascensión del Señor’, óleo sobre lienzo de Francisco Bayeu, (Zaragoza, 1734-Madrid, 1795).

Imagen cortesía del Museo del Prado, Madrid.

16:11-15, Juan 15:26-16:4; Martes: Hechos 16:22-34, Juan 16:5-11; Miércoles: Hechos 17:15-26, 22-18:1, Juan 16:12-15; Jueves (Solemnidad de la Ascensión del Señor): Hechos18:1-11, Efesios 1:17-23, Marcos 16:1520; Viernes (San Matías): Hechos 1:15-17, 20-26, Juan 15:9-17; Sábado: Hechos 18:2328, Juan 16:23-28

12

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SEMINARIAN FROM PAGE 6

Abbey College, and it was not until that summer as a Totus Tuus missionary that I began to reach out to the Vocations Office. By that time, I was beginning my sophomore year at the Abbey and reached out the Vocations Office again with the guidance of Father Buettner.

CNH: When did you enter seminary for the Diocese of Charlotte?

Huber: I entered seminary for the diocese in the fall of 2016. I had just completed my second year at the Abbey and entered college seminary as a junior.

CNH: What seminary have you been assigned to?

Huber: I always enjoy answering this question.

While I was at the Abbey, I got to know Father Matthew Kauth through his moral theology classes. I told him of my desire to join the seminary, and he made known to me that the diocese was close to establishing its very own minor seminary.

By the time I was ready to enter, St. Joseph College Seminary had just opened and was ready to accept its first class of college seminarians. Father Kauth was named the rector of the seminary, and Father Buettner was named the house spiritual director.

I could not have planned it better myself, as these two priests had been, and continue to be, instrumental in my discernment. It was clear that God was opening the door, and all I needed to concern myself with was saying “yes” to His call.

CNH: What practices or activities have you been doing since discerning you have a vocation to the priesthood?

Huber: Daily prayer is a must. There have been times when mental prayer and devotional prayers were not easy, but through many successes and failures in discipline, I can say that prayer has been the surest way to navigate the challenges I have

come across. Of course, by prayer, I also include the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. Spiritual reading, disciplines and charitable works are a part of my daily life and are essential to it. However, I knew that if I was not falling in love with Jesus in those things, then all of it is as straw. The further I progress in seminary, the more time I spend in silence in His presence, and it is in those moments that I feel most affirmed in my vocation.

CNH: What advice do you have for a man discerning a call to the priesthood?

Huber: Noli timére! (Be not afraid!) Trust that God only desires your eternal happiness with Him, and He will never lead you into something that will make you unhappy. Stay close to the Lord in the Eucharist and accept your current state in life. If you’re a son, brother, student, single adult living out in the world, or all four, work at being the best of those roles for Jesus. He will open the door for you, but you must not be afraid to walk through.

CNH: Looking back, what do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation to the priesthood?

Huber: Our Lord in the Eucharist has helped me through many difficulties in my life. He continues to be the source of love, forgiveness, consolation and acceptance in my life. Nothing can ever replace Him! I am constantly reminded that Our Lord is truly the source of all goodness in my life, and He will always be.

Further, our Mother Mary and her pure spouse St. Joseph work overtime for me. I have come to realize that I will never be able to love them enough, nor will I be able to exhaust their love for me.

Finally, friendship with priests and seminarians has been so vital to my time in seminary. Being able to go through the ups and downs with fathers and brothers who have supported me has been a huge blessing.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

MATRIMONIO VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 8

dignidad humana.

La Iglesia puede hacer la diferencia al mantener unidos a los matrimonios y las familias hispanas. El apoyo que las parejas hispanas encuentran en sus parroquias y en otras comunidades de fe, puede ser la clave para un matrimonio sólido y una familia saludable.

Estudios muestran que las familias hispanas que tienen lazos fuertes con su comunidad de fe tienen mayores probabilidad de alcanzar un nivel educativo más elevado, así como de prosperidad económica y social. ¿Qué puede hacer la Iglesia, hoy y en el futuro, para brindar un ambiente saludable y un sentido de comunidad a las parejas y a las familias hispanas que crecen en parroquias culturalmente diversas?

La respuesta no sólo se encuentra en lo que hacemos, sino en quiénes somos y cómo interactuamos unos con otros.

Primero, los sacerdotes y ministros eclesiales laicos necesitan estar más conscientes y comprometidos con el llamado para recibir a los hispanos, abrazarlos y caminar con ellos; dejando de lado el lenguaje de “nosotros-ellos” y pasando al lenguaje de “todos-nosotros-juntos”.

Segundo, lo que hacemos como ministros católicos deberá estar enraizado en el doble compromiso que tenemos con el mensaje de Cristo y las personas con las que vivimos y hacemos nuestro ministerio. Esto exige un profundo conocimiento de Cristo y su mensaje, de las familias hispanas en nuestra parroquia y del contexto cultural, religioso, social y económico en el que viven. Este conocimiento brota del esfuerzo que ponemos para saber escucharlas y nuestro genuino interés en las necesidades, aspiraciones e ideas que tengan estas personas en sus vidas.

Tercero, los ministros ordenados y laicos necesitan ser comunicadores eficaces del mensaje de Cristo entre las personas que hablan español y que tienen una cultura y manera particular de hacer las cosas. Esto incluye un conocimiento de la manera que las familias hispanas toman decisiones, aprenden, organizan y juntan con otros grupos. Tales conocimientos y compromiso nos ayudan a acoger y empoderar a los padres hispanos para que desarrollen y ejerciten su liderazgo en la familia y sociedad. ¡Trabajemos activamente para mantener fuertes a las familias latinas en los años venideros!

EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ es director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

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April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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iiiApril 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Reaching out t Celebrating Catholic Charities Week May 1-8 SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

‘When businesses and other charitable services were closing their doors due to the pandemic, we adapted overnight to the crisis.’

Rick Lober

Western Region Office volunteer

‘Being able to continue to serve others, and assist our veterans to prevent homelessness and regain permanent housing, proves we can persevere through anything.’

Tonya Lawrence

Supportive Services For Veterans Families case coordinator

C

atholic Charities Week, May 1-8, is an opportunity to spotlight the work of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte throughout western North Carolina over the past year.

Like no other year in its 71-year history, the social services agency has risen to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding innovative solutions and teaming up with community organizations to serve more than 18,021 people across western North Carolina last year alone.

Staff and volunteers have worked diligently to meet the unprecedented demands for food, rent and utilities assistance, launched online counseling services, and more. (On pages 16-17, see a snapshot of the comprehensive social services provided in 2020.)

And they have not slowed down in 2021. The agency’s latest efforts include reaching out to persons experiencing homelessness – particularly veterans and people displaced from a homeless encampment in Charlotte – exemplifying the Church’s mission to “go to the margins,” as Pope Francis has urged, especially in response to the hardships caused by the pandemic.

Emergency food assistance Catholic Charities’ three food pantries in Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem distributed more than 662,967 pounds of food to 11,154 people last year, and the need for food aid during the pandemic continues.

For example, the Western Region Office is now serving approximately 600 people each month. The office in Asheville has expanded its partnership with MANNA FoodBank. Catholic Charities staff and volunteers are also helping with the leadership of a MANNA Community Market on the second Tuesday of each month in Woodfin, working with volunteers from St. Eugene Church and the north Asheville area.

“When businesses and other charitable services were closing their doors due to the pandemic, the Asheville Catholic Charities office adapted overnight to the crisis,” explains Rick Lober, Western Region Office volunteer.

“We immediately opened a drive-through option for the food pantry.

As the numbers of recipients swelled, we rose to the occasion and beefed up our procedures to deliver services more efficiently and safely. When some Transition Out of Poverty program participants were stuck in their homes, we arranged a safe, contactless delivery of essential food and provisions,” Lober says.

“None of this was possible without dedicated staff and volunteers willing to serve our community in a time of uncertainty.”

The Piedmont Triad office also made arrangements for food to be delivered to people who could not come to the pantry.

“Volunteers and a local taxi company delivered food to older individuals or those with health issues who were afraid to leave their home due to COVID-19,” says Becky DuBois, Piedmont Triad region director. “We were also fortunate to receive a small grant that allowed us to purchase rolling shopping carts, allowing people who walk to our pantry to receive and transport more food for their family.”

Mental health counseling When in-person mental health counseling services ceased because of the pandemic, Catholic Charities pivoted to “tele-counseling” sessions to provide access to counseling services for 267 people.

More than 2,187 “tele-counseling” sessions have been held through a new, easy-to-use and secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.

People now use their computer, mobile phone or tablet to have a one-on-one, confidential video session with a counselor. The online sessions last about an hour and feature the same quality and types of services as in-person counseling.

“Once it became clear that this pandemic was not going to end within a few weeks, and that restrictions on face-to-face services were going to be a new reality, our mental health counselors worked closely together with our administrative staff to explore and then adopt innovative ways to provide therapy in a way that permitted us to serve our clients while also affording the same confidentiality protection,” says Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director.

Housing for veterans

Starting in October 2019, Catholic Charities la Families (SSVF), a program to serve veterans an danger of becoming homeless.

Thanks to a $500,000 annual grant from the U. Charities has provided eligible veterans and the management and assistance in obtaining VA an Since that initial grant, Catholic Charities has CARES Act funding through the VA to support v homelessness in veterans who are already hous In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, CA temporarily house another 96 veterans experien agency staff searched for housing. They have al and utility payments for housed veterans to pre income loss.

So far this year, Catholic Charities has helped and rent or utilities assistance.

“For me to continue to provide services to a vu pandemic has had it challenges,” says Tonya La with Catholic Charities in the middle of the pan interaction with my clients or other staff. That w not being able to build the rapport face-to-face.”

Lawrence says, “Over the past year, COVID-19

HE COVER

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

15

to the margins

aunched Supportive Services For Veterans nd their families who are homeless or are in

.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Catholic eir families with housing location services, case nd other benefits. s received an additional $467,000 in federal veterans without homes and prevent sed.

ARES Act funding enabled the agency to ncing homelessness in hotel rooms while lso stepped up their prevention work – rent event eviction due to pandemic-related

d 29 veterans with finding affordable housing,

ulnerable population in light of a global awrence, SSVF case coordinator. “I started ndemic. I wasn’t able to have the face-to-face was very challenging working with others and ” 9 has shown me that at any abrupt moment our

lives can change drastically – but being able to continue to serve others, and assist our veterans to prevent homelessness and regain permanent housing, proves we can persevere through anything, continue to help others and achieve the goal of the program.”

Encampment project Taking its mission even further, Catholic Charities is now collaborating with community and grass-roots organizations to help a number of Charlotteans who had been living in and around the North End community. “Tent City,” as it became known, had grown to more than 100 people living in tents in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The encampment was cleared by county health officials in February, and the residents moved temporarily to hotel rooms until community groups could identify more permanent solutions.

Using $2.1 million in federal CARES Act funding allocated from the City of Charlotte, several organizations including Catholic Charities are coming together to provide rental subsidies and supportive services to people formerly living in the encampment. The partnership includes the United Way of Central Carolinas, the housing assistance nonprofit Socialserve and Catholic Charities.

While other community organizations find housing for these individuals, Catholic Charities will provide “wraparound” supportive services for up to 75 households – connecting them with job training, healthcare, education, and any other needs to help them get back on their feet over the next 12 months.

“Catholic Charities was invited to participate because of our reputation as a case management provider,” notes Sandra Buck, Catholic Charities’ Charlotte region director. “Our case management model employs a strengths-based approach and focuses on long-term strategies to help our participants achieve sustainable outcomes. Case coordinators empower program participants to identify, enhance and use their strengths to overcome their identified obstacles.

“We are excited to be a part of this organized effort and look forward to working in concert with the other providers toward this goal.”

‘Our case management model employs a strengthsbased approach and focuses on longterm strategies to help our participants achieve sustainable outcomes.’

Sandra Buck

Catholic Charities’ Charlotte region director

How can you help?

Financial donations to enable Catholic Charities to assist participants and buy food are an effective way to help serve people in need at this time. Make donations online at www.ccdoc.org (click on “Donate”); or by mail to: Catholic Charities, Central Processing All Regions, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203-4003.

Need assistance?

Catholic Charities is offering services to as many people in need as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. People in western North Carolina can email ccdoc@charlottediocese.org or reach out to their local Catholic Charities office: Asheville Charlotte Greensboro

828-255-0146 704-370-3262 336-288-1984

Lenoir 828-434-5710 Murphy 828-835-3535 Winston-Salem 336-727-0705

Individuals needing assistance can also call 2-1-1 to find up-to-date information on available community services that may be available. 2-1-1 helps connect people to information about local food pantries, medical resources and possible changes to government benefits.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 FROM THE COVER

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

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Our schools 18

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Michael to incorporate classical curriculum starting this fall SUEANN HOWELL AND PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

GASTONIA — St. Michael School is incorporating a new Catholic liberal arts curriculum in the classical model, phased in over three years starting this fall.

Already, the move is attracting interest from parents and increased enrollment.

Classical education is an effective and increasingly popular model for private schools, and it is rooted in the Catholic tradition.

In a classical education or academy model, students are taught how to learn and think critically – going above the already rigorous language arts and STEM curriculum standards the school currently has in place. In this time-tested and research-based approach, students develop not just intellectually but also spiritually, emotionally and socially as lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

St. Michael School has a distinguished history of educating thousands of students over the past seven decades, but in recent years the school has struggled to remain sustainable.

At the end of the 2015-’16 school year, the parish took out a loan from the Diocese of Charlotte to help cover a shortfall of $198,000. The subsequent year, the diocese took on the financial operations of the school while leaders began evaluating how to set the school apart and position it in what has become a competitive private education marketplace.

Since announcing its transition plans last fall, the parish has offered a series of talks called “Hearts United” to inform parents and parishioners about the Church’s

role in education. Principal Michelle Vollman has also shared information about classical liberal arts through “Coffee with the Principal” meetings and weekly newsletters.

“I believe that Catholic liberal arts is going to be something wonderful for our school,” Vollman said. “It will really help us grasp hold of our Catholic identity and give the students the tools and the strategies that they need to be lifelong learners and thinkers for themselves.”

Thanks to these communications efforts, the school has already seen an enrollment increase of 30 new students for the fall.

Curriculum enhancements will be implemented over the next three years, and are being made in consultation with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education.

ICLE aims to equip Catholic educators to renew today’s Catholic schools by drawing on the Church’s tradition of education and pursuit of faith, wisdom and virtue.

The school has already received two visits from Colleen Richards, an ICLE consultant, offering teacher workday trainings and classroom observations.

“What does the Church give us in education? We have 2,000 years of tradition here… There is a huge tradition that we have to draw upon, so we are very glad to help St. Michael’s to access it and bring it to life in their classrooms,” Richards said.

“I’m excited about the Catholic liberal arts transition, because of its ability to renew Catholic education, and it renews Catholic education in re-introducing something in the human person which we all have, which is wonder,” said Father Lucas Rossi, pastor, in a video the school released this month. “What we want to

Catholic Schools Director of Development The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time Director of Development for Catholic Schools. The candidate must be a college graduate with a degree in marketing, communications, or related field. He or she must have at least three years of experience in fundraising and marketing.

Extensive fundraising experience may be substituted for a completed undergraduate degree.

Responsibilities include working closely with all 19 diocesan Catholic schools and assisting them in developing and carrying out annual school fund development plans including but not limited to annual giving campaigns, major gifts efforts and planned giving activities. Candidate will meet regularly on site with all 19 schools to support and coordinate their fund development efforts

Please submit cover letter and resume

by April 30, 2021 to: Jim Kelley, Office of Development, jkkelley@charlottediocese.org

preserve is that wonder for the good, the true and the beautiful – to preserve that all of the time they are at St. Michael School.”

Math and science teacher Maria Boylan is looking forward to sharing the new curriculum with her students.

“To me classical education, liberal arts education, is going to be such a refreshing way for me (to teach),” Boylan said. “I have always believed in curiosity and encouraging wonder, and just the love of learning. So it’s really, truly bringing out the best in children. I believe every child is gifted and I think this program is going to focus on enhancing their giftedness and bringing it forward.”

Parent Robert Sawyer said he and his wife Katie were both raised Catholic and want to provide a similar foundation for their children. “We appreciated the solid foundation that provided, not only from the spiritual sense, but also the liberal arts education,” he said.

Father Rossi described a Catholic liberal arts education as helping to revive within children the desire to keep learning – not just to ask, “What do I have to do to do well on this test?” or to think, “When am I going to need this in life again?”

He said the school hopes the new educational approach will “get away from this sense that education is only supposed to be pragmatic, and to make it just useful for someone, but rather shows us how to be truly human, which is to be in union – heart, mind, body and soul – with our Creator, our heavenly Father. And Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life to that relationship.”

Learn More At www.stmichaelcs.com: Learn more about St. Michael School’s three-year transition to a Catholic liberal arts curriculum starting this fall.

CCHS launches racial equity, diversity initiative with survey CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School is launching a multi-layered initiative to increase understanding, appreciation and support for racial equity, diversity and inclusion as rooted in Catholic teaching. In a letter sent this week to school community members, Principal Kurt Telford said the initiative reflects a commitment “to doing everything we can to offer a supportive and welcoming environment for all students, teachers and families – from developing lessons and events that celebrate our diverse community to shaping students who exemplify Catholic teaching on the inherent dignity of every human being.”

In the first step of the initiative, parents, students, staff, teachers and alumni have been invited to participate in an anonymous survey, based on a similar U.S. Department of Education survey, to collect baseline data about engagement, safety and school climate. The survey includes questions about race, ethnicity, culture and other topics designed to give leaders a broad perspective.

Survey findings will drive the initiative’s next steps as CCHS seeks to identify opportunities and enhancements that reflect its mission to bring Christ to all people, Telford said.

The pilot initiative is being done in partnership with the Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools Office.

— Catholic News Herald

Kulp named OLA principal CHARLOTTE — Tyler Kulp, principal of Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, has been named principal of Our Lady of the Assumption School effective June 25, the Diocese of Charlotte Schools Office has announced.

Kulp succeeds Allana-Rae Ramkissoon, who is retiring at the end of this school year after serving 13 years as OLA’s principal.

He brings more than 16 years of experience as a teacher, department chair and administrator, and is passionate about Catholic education and the mission to form virtuous disciples of Christ.

“Blessed and excited – these are the two words that I keep Kulp coming back to on this new opportunity,” Kulp said in a statement. “I am beyond thankful to have been selected as the new principal of Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School. My family and I are looking forward to meeting the OLA community and to returning to Charlotte.”

Kulp began his school leadership career in the Charlotte diocese in 2015, when he began serving as principal at Sacred Heart School. Prior to that, he worked in the Rowan-Salisbury School System, where he taught math at Corriher-Lipe Middle School in Landis.

He holds a Master of Science in school administration from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in school administration and middle grades math from Catawba College in Salisbury. He is pursuing a Doctor of Education in educational leadership.

A certified master catechist, he is also an Apple Teacher and a member of the Alliance for Catholic Education, National Catholic Educational Association and Institute for Catholic Liberal Education.

He and his wife Jessica have two children: Stella, nearly 3, and William, 10 months.

Kulp was selected after a rigorous search led by a committee of parents, clergy and education leaders.

“I want to thank our dedicated search committee for the time they spent in this process,” Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said in a statement. “Mr. Kulp has accomplished much in his tenure as principal, including cultivating and growing a school environment where all families, regardless of their background, felt welcome and supported. OLA has a wonderful legacy and history here in the Diocese of Charlotte, and I have no doubt that Mr. Kulp will use his varied skillset and dedication to Catholic education to ensure the continued growth, vitality and commitment to discipleship and Christian community that make OLA unique.”

— Catholic News Herald

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

19

‘Education in Virtue’ program adopted by more diocesan schools SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

Pictured are (from left) Catherine Rusch, principal of Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro; Katie Williams, advancement director for Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville; philanthropists and Catholic school supporters Don and Mary Gay Brady; scholarship recipient Chase Wiedwald and his mother Carol Wiedwald; and Father Casey Coleman, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAOLA SCILINGUO

OLG parishioners donate $500,000 scholarship fund to Bishop McGuinness High School Families of faculty, staff members at Piedmont Area Catholic Schools to benefit ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — A life-changing surprise awaited Our Lady of Grace teacher Carol Wiedwald and her eighth-grade son Chase in the school’s lobby the morning of March 29. It was a $20,000 scholarship to Bishop McGuinness High School from parishioners Don and Mary Gay Brady, who were there to present the award.

“We are absolutely grateful,” Wiedwald said as she searched for words to express her joy. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. Bishop has been great for Tyler, my older son, this year.”

Don Brady added, “We wanted the first recipient to be from our parish school.”

For the Bradys, belief in the crucial role of Catholic education in society stems from extensive personal experience. Their five children and many of their grandchildren have attended Our Lady of Grace, and two of their grandchildren currently have Wiedwald as a teacher.

The couple and a small, dedicated committee are seeking contributions to match their $500,000 donation to raise the fund’s total to $1 million while encouraging others to actively support Catholic schools.

“More and more Catholics across the diocese are making a difference with five-, six- and seven-figure donations,” said Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte. “This is a testament to the life-changing difference our Catholic institutions are making.”

The Catholic Schools Employees Scholarship Fund – the largest donation the high school has ever received – has a twofold purpose. “The goal is to recruit and keep quality educators. It’s an incentive for them to fulfill their vocation and allows them the opportunity to send their children to Catholic schools, even if their financial situation wouldn’t have allowed for that,” said Katie Williams, advancement director for the diocesan high school in Kernersville. “It also will, over time, increase enrollment.”

When it comes to retaining quality educators, the fund is already succeeding.

“Carol (Wiedwald) has been a great gift to OLG because she started the STREAM program, so she’s teaching all our kids from kindergarten to eighth grade,” said Our Lady of Grace School Principal Catherine Rusch. “She’s really leading the charge with advanced math in middle school, up to two years advanced, so we’re very lucky to have her.”

Father Casey Coleman, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, noted, “Teachers here and at other parochial schools are oftentimes already making a sacrifice because

they can make more money as a teacher elsewhere, but they buy into the mission. If they buy into the mission of Catholic schools by doing such hard and dedicated work, then we should be giving back to them in ways like this.

By making that sacrifice, putting their own kids through Catholic school is harder to do. This is a wonderful opportunity that makes it more feasible.”

As of press time, nine students are eligible for the scholarship during the 2021-’22 school year. Additional scholarships have continued to be awarded since the first one on March 29. Any faculty or staff member from Bishop McGuinness or other Piedmont Area Catholic Schools (PACS) are eligible for the scholarship for their children. Qualifying students are rising ninth-graders or transferring to Bishop McGuinness. For every year of enrollment at Bishop McGuinness, the eligible students receive $5,000 toward tuition.

PACS includes Bishop McGuinness, Our Lady of Grace and St. Pius X in Greensboro, Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point, Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo in WinstonSalem, and Sacred Heart in Salisbury.

“We have great teachers and staff at all our Catholic schools including the Piedmont Area Catholic Schools,” said Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of the diocese’s Catholic schools. “This scholarship is a way to make Catholic education available to the employees who work for and with us, and at the same time provide their children with the gift of a Catholic education.”

Since 2017, Don Brady has served on a committee to help increase enrollment while fostering religious vocations from Bishop McGuinness, which has a capacity for 600 students and a current enrollment of 420. Brady also helped with the search for its new head of school, Dr. Jared Rashford, who starts in June.

The Bradys are longtime advocates of Catholic education, having generously donated time, talent and treasure to new building projects, a preschool playground and technology upgrades at OLG School over the years, as well as many projects for the church and community.

“We want to promote Catholic education and culture, so we can literally change the world,” Father Coleman said.

“We’re extremely blessed and privileged to be the first beneficiaries and to have such wonderful parishioners like Don and Mary Gay Brady, who have done so much for Catholic schools and continue to do so.”

For more information or if you are interested in helping with a matching gift, contact Katie Williams, director of advancement at Bishop McGuinness, at 336-564-1009 or kwilliams@bmhs.us.

CHARLOTTE — Two more Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte will begin using the “Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue” program this fall.

St. Ann School in Charlotte and St. Pius X School in Greensboro will launch the Christian values curriculum starting this fall, joining existing users Sacred Heart School in Salisbury and St. Michael School in Gastonia.

The “Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue” program is structured on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and was developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Mich.

It is designed to provide a consistent structure and systematic instruction for students to learn about the seven virtues so that they can form the habits necessary to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Crystal Koury, assistant superintendent of diocesan schools, said the two additional schools will take advantage of additional resources from the Dominican sisters to launch the program and prepare teachers who will be implementing the program.

The additional training and onboarding resources are a new component, Koury said, emphasizing the value of virtue and building it up not only in students and teachers, but also in families. The Dominican sisters recently provided training sessions for staff, teachers and administrators who will be using the new program this fall, she said.

Koury explained the effort is about “creating a common language and a common approach to everyday life. We don’t want to just learn about virtue. We want to focus on a program that reinforces how to live virtue.”

“The goal is to continue to focus on instilling virtue in our students,” she said, “because if we are instilling virtue, we are working towards our mission to equip students to be disciples of Christ and approach the world with a Catholic view.”

An eight-member Virtue Development Committee in the Catholic Schools Office vetted the program, procured resources and planned professional development opportunities to get the program off the ground.

The committee represents a variety of stakeholders including parents, teachers, administrators, priests and Catholic Schools Office employees. Steering the committee is Katie Matlak, coordinator of certification and curriculum and program assistant with the Education Vicariate.

Beyond this particular program, the Virtue Development Committee has a wider focus, looking at ways to cultivate virtue and leadership at all of the diocese’s 19 schools.

Committee member and St. Pius X’s Assistant Principal Antonette Aguilera said the “Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue” program stood out “because of the way in which it is designed to permeate school culture.”

Rather than being another curriculum simply to add on to other programs, she said, it is “an approach to living, to learning and to teaching. We look forward to creating a shared dialogue and a community-wide understanding of living in virtue.”

Principal Kathy McKinney said St. Ann School looks forward to sharing information with parents this fall after teachers have received resources and training.

Echoing Aguilera, McKinney noted, “We liked that this is not simply a program or one more thing that we have to do, but rather a school-wide approach to common language that will help all understand virtues, think about virtues when making decisions for ourselves and others, as well as guiding all of us to be consistent with our approach to day-to-day situations. This will provide us with a consistent framework for promoting our Catholic identity and being Christlike to others in what we say and do, as well as how we choose to live our lives.”

— www.SistersofMary.org contributed.

Mix 20

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

OLC pastor highlights knowledge of history, culture as key to peaceful co-existence SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

‘Roe v. Wade’ Good intentions can only partially sustain this dramatization of events surrounding the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion across the United States.

Overly rhetorical and with a script stuffed full of quotations whose appearance in the dialogue registers as anything but natural, co-directors Cathy Allyn and Nick Loeb’s film reveals a few interesting historical sidelights. But they fail to bring together the varied ingredients of their story, which is told from the perspective of prolific abortionist-turned-pro-life-leader Dr. Bernard Nathanson. Among the elements that might have been better developed is the potentially intriguing biography of Dr. Mildred Jefferson, the first Black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and a longstanding champion of the unborn. Mature themes, disturbing images, medical gore, a couple of mild oaths.

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

CHARLOTTE — Father Basile Sede, pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Church, has written a third book entitled “Comparing Cultures and Religions in a Postmodern World: Joseph Ki-Zerbo Versus Jaques Maritain.”

In his latest book, Father Sede illustrates how culture and religion are basic to every human society, and the history of a people always sustains its cultural and religious values.

“This book highlights the idea that every history is an embodiment of culture, tradition and religion,” Father Sede explains. “Globalization is bringing lots of challenges to the world today because, though people have different origins with different cultures and religions, they are conditioned by necessity to live together.

“Accordingly, some knowledge of the major world cultures and religions is truly relevant for peaceful coexistence.”

He notes that he decided to use African cultures and religious practices as his departing point “for the mere fact that Africa is generally considered as the cradle of civilization, and it is a very historic and controversial continent.”

“However, while examining some prominent world cultures and religions (in a comparative manner), my major focus is on the Christian-

On TV

Thomistic culture and religion as illustrated

by Jacques Maritain in comparison with the African culture and religion as expressed by Joseph Ki-Zerbo,” he explains.

Ki-Zerbo was a historian, politician and writer from Burkina Faso who is considered one of Africa’s foremost thinkers. Raised Catholic, he briefly trained for the priesthood before dropping out to study history and law at the Sorbonne. A socialist and an advocate of African independence and unity, he died in 2006.

Maritain was a Catholic convert and French philosopher who was one of the leading interpreters of St. Thomas Aquinas in the 20th century. A close friend of St. Paul VI, he also was influential in the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He died in 1973.

Father Sede asserts that both thinkers considered that amid ongoing multiculturalism and globalization, authentic humanism or personalism – based on the sacredness of the human person – should be endorsed as a new civilization or culture.

“Only such a culture can make the future of humankind essentially meaningful and interesting,” he says.

Available online At www.amazon.com: “Comparing Cultures and Religions in a Postmodern World: Joseph Ki-Zerbo Versus Jaques Maritain” is available for sale.

n Saturday, April 24, 11:30 a.m.

(EWTN) “Armenia – A Faith to Move Mountains.” The first country to adopt Christianity, Armenia’s Catholics suffered greatly during the Communist regime. But after decades of persecution and destruction, the Church is rebuilding while faced with numerous challenges. n Sunday, April 25, 6 a.m.

(EWTN) “Regina Caeli with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis recites the glorious prayer to Our Lady Queen of Heaven: the Regina Caeli. n Tuesday, April 27, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Venezuela: Women at the Top.” An inside look into two very different Catholic religious communities in Venezuela: the contemplative Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Missionary Teaching Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. n Wednesday, April 28, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Philippines: Silsilah – A Link to the Almighty.” Witness how a Catholic priest earned the respect of the nation’s Muslim communities after risking his life to negotiate a compromise between the federal government and a rebel sect. n Thursday, April 29, 3:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “St. Catherine of Siena.”

Discover the prolific work and life of one of the Doctors of the Church, St. Catherine of Siena, as told through interviews and reenactments in this EWTN original docudrama, filmed on location in Italy. n Friday, April 30, 11:30 a.m.

(EWTN) “Dominic Guzman: Preacher of Grace.” A drama portraying the life of St. Dominic, who labored zealously for the salvation of others by preaching the Word of God.

“Get your ducks in a row!”

Estate Planning | Probate WAITING COULD DEVASTATE YOUR FAMILY St. Matthew’s Parishioner

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April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

ST. MICHAEL CATHOLIC SCHOOL SUMMER CAMPS Plan to attend one or several of our unique summer camps where students will learn, create and discover while making new friends.

Carpentry Camp

Track and Field Camp

June 21 – 25 Ages 3 -15

July 12- 16 Rising 4th – 8th grade

This workshop will teach even wee woodworkers the tools of the trade and most importantly safety!

Campers will work to design and build a birdhouse to take home.

Cheer Camp June 21 – 25 Ages 3 -15 Students will learn 3-4 cheers for the week and a group cheer routine to be performed at the end of the week for parents.

Shakespeare Theater Camp June 21 – 26 Rising 2nd – 8th grade Campers will study acting, juggling, sword fighting, set design and costuming as they work to create their own production of Twelfth Night.

Reading Enrichment Camp June 29 – July 2 / July 12 – 16 / July 26 -30 Rising 2nd – 4th grade This is a fun program geared toward helping students become more confident readers.

Athletes will enjoy a week of fitness training while learning and/perfecting form in jumps, throws and sprints.

A week of the Classics July 19 – 23 Rising 5th – 8th grade Delving into the activities of Classical civilizations including poetry, philosophy, sports and preparing classical foods plus virtual museum tours.

Intro to Latin July 19 – 23 Rising 3rd – 8th grade An introduction to one of the world’s most ancient languages. Each day will be a mix of instruction, vocabulary and other fun activities including making your own Roman snack.

Choir Camp August 3 – 6 Rising 3rd – 8th grade During the week students will learn several new pieces of music, practice Gregorian chants and learn to sing parts of the Mass.

For additional information or to ask questions about any of the camps please contact: St. Michael Catholic School at 704- 865-4382 or school@stmichaelsgastonia.org To Register: https://tinyurl.com/4yz4m94r

21

Our nation 22

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Catholic leaders see Chauvin verdict as a call for more action

Research with fetal tissue from elective abortion called ‘deeply offensive’

CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

JULIE ASHER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee April 20 called on the Biden administration to fund research “that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion.”

“The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “Our government has no right to treat innocent abortion victims as a commodity that can be scavenged for body parts to be used in research.”

His remarks were a reaction to a notice the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., posted April 16 in the grants area of its website announcing the end of a Trump administration ban on research involving human fetal tissue acquired from elective abortions. In addition, NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will no longer convene the Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board.

Under President Donald Trump, the two agencies had established the board to review research applications for NIH grants, cooperative agreements, and research and development contracts that proposed using fetal tissue from elective abortions.

The previous administration also terminated contracts to outside institutions that used fetal stem cells for research.

According to Roll Call, a news outlet on Capitol Hill, the decision to lift the ban came after 26 House Democrats wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging this policy change.

“It is unethical to promote and subsidize research that can lead to legitimizing the violence of abortion,” Archbishop Naumann said in his statement. “Researchers have demonstrated that we can do effective scientific research and develop efficacious clinical treatments without harvesting tissue from aborted babies.”

“It is also deeply offensive,” he added, “to millions of Americans for our tax dollars to be used for research that collaborates with an industry built on the taking of innocent lives.”

The previous HHS ban on NIH using human fetal stem cells in research announced June 5, 2020, came after an audit of its own research involving human fetal tissue and elective abortions. In 2019 alone, NIH spent $120 million on fetal tissue of unborn babies, according to a HHS news release at the time.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although Catholic leaders across the country called the April 20 jury verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial a moment of justice, they also stressed there is still a lot of work to do to move toward healing.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Minneapolis and St. Paul called the verdict – which found the former Minneapolis police officer guilty on all counts for his role in the death of George Floyd last spring – “a sobering moment for our community.”

“The decision by a jury of peers punctuates the grief that has gripped the Twin Cities in these last months and underscores the soul-searching that has taken place in homes, parishes and workplaces across the country as we together confront the chasm that exists between the brokenness of our world and the harmony and fraternity that our creator intends,” he said.

The archbishop said he was praying for healing in the nation’s communities in this challenging time and for comfort for the Floyd family and for all who mourn and seek justice.

In an April 21 statement, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory said he echoed Archbishop Hebda’s call for “peace and nonviolence in all of our communities.”

He also urged people to renew their commitment to respect each other and remember their shared humanity.

Other bishops around the country echoed this response soon after the verdict was issued, while many were gathered outside in Minneapolis and around TV sets and phones across the country awaiting the jury’s decision in the late afternoon that came after more than 10 hours of deliberation over two days.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said the “just verdict” should bring “more than a sigh of relief,” stressing that it should “spur us on in the peaceful but persistent struggle for racial justice, for genuine police reform and toward the creation of peaceful cities and neighborhoods.”

He also said the continued work is up to everyone in “overcoming racism, prejudice and other injustices.”

Chauvin’s high-profile trial was three weeks long and included testimony from dozens of witnesses and hours of video footage. But just because the trial is over does not mean underlying issues are

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Nakami Green of Minneapolis reacts April 20 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. “I’m feeling a lot of hope, I’m feeling a lot of relief from the grief I’ve been feeling the last few weeks,” she said. “This (verdict) means a lot to me, knowing our voices have been heard.” resolved, another bishop said.

“We must still face the reality that we are not done with racism,” said Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Mo. “In our own communities, including in the Diocese of Jefferson City, individuals are being humiliated and denigrated because of their race. Their human dignity is being crushed and defiled because they are seen as ‘other’ or ‘less than.’”

In a statement, he said, “Violence motivated by racism must stop,” and he asked people to pray for this to happen, urging an “awakening of consciences in every American, but especially in our faithful.”

The nation’s bishops were not the only Catholic leaders to publicly react to the long-anticipated verdict. Leaders of Catholic organizations also were quick to issue statements or respond on social media to the jury’s decision and its implications.

Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, offered prayers for Floyd’s family and similarly echoed the call for the nation to do more.

“While there may be a brief sense of relief that justice has been served, “ she

said, “we must acknowledge that, as a country, we still have a lot of work to do to eradicate the pervasive racism and continued disregard for human life that continues to play out in communities across the country.”

Similarly, Mercy Sister Mary Haddad, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said the nation’s Catholic health care ministry sees racism as a public health crisis and is “committed to addressing health disparities and achieving health equity.”

Lay leaders also responded to the trial’s outcome, which captured so many people not just in the past three weeks but in the 11 months since Floyd’s death.

John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, a Washington-based advocacy group, echoed the sense of a “deep breath of relief for this decision,” but he similarly coupled it with an acknowledgment of the ongoing challenge ahead.

“We can never forget that George Floyd and many others killed by police violence begged for breath they were denied. In that remembering, the struggle for justice continues,” he said.

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Archbishop prays for victims, a stop to ‘senseless violence’ INDIANAPOLIS — Expressing sorrow for the loss of life in yet another mass shooting in the U.S., this time at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis on April 15, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson prayed for the victims and their families. He also prayed that “these senseless acts of violence will stop.

Once again our nation is mourning the loss of lives in a mass shooting and this time it is eight of our own neighbors who were killed at the Indianapolis FedEx Ground center,” Archbishop Thompson said. “We pray for the victims and loved ones of those who were murdered as well as those who were injured.” Eight people were killed and several others were wounded by a gunman who killed himself after his shooting spree. The shooter was later identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana, a former FedEx employee.

USCCB pro-life chairman: HHS rule on Title X ‘terrible policy’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published a proposed rule to rescind the Trump administration’s enforcement of a Title X provision that “draws a bright line between abortion and family planning,” as the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee chairman has described it. Title X, enacted by the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970, covers reproductive health care services for low-income patients such as wellness exams, cervical and

breast cancer screenings, contraceptives, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Section 1008 of the law states that “none of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” In February 2019, the Trump administration implemented the “Protect Life Rule” enforcing Title X’s ban on taxpayer funds from being used to promote or provide abortion as family planning. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rule Feb. 24, 2020.

The Biden administration’s proposed rule to rescind this “is terrible policy,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., pro-life committee chairman. “It would reintegrate abortion into what is supposed to be a prepregnancy family planning program.”

FDA criticized for lifting in-person requirement for abortion drug WASHINGTON, D.C. — The decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s acting commissioner to suspend enforcement of the agency’s in-person prescribing requirement for the abortion drug endangers women’s health and possibly their lives, pro-life leaders said. On April 12, Dr. Janet Woodcock said the FDA will “exercise enforcement discretion” regarding its own requirement for mifepristone as long as President Joe Biden’s declaration of a public health emergency for COVID-19 remains in place. The brand name for mifepristone is Mifeprex. Also called RU-486, it is used to end pregnancies during the first 10 weeks.

Archbishop Naumann said April 16 it was difficult to see the FDA’s decision “as anything other than callous capitulation to the requests of abortion activists without regard for the health and safety of the women involved. With this decision, not only are women being sold the lie that abortion will solve their problems, but also that chemical abortion is a safe and easy way to go about it,” he said in a statement.

JUST A REMINDER

Thursday, May 13, 2021 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For the safety of our guests and benefactors, this will be a virtual event.

Join us at ccspiritofhope.org

We look forward to seeing you.

— Catholic News Service

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23

Our world 24

catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope calls for global prayer for end of pandemic VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is calling for a global prayer marathon for the entire month of May, praying for the end to the pandemic.

The pope urges individuals, families and communities to recite the rosary throughout May. The prayer marathon is dedicated to the theme “from the entire Church an unceasing prayer rises to God.” The theme refers to the miraculous event recounted in the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-12) when all the Church prayed for Peter, who was imprisoned until God sent an angel to free him, illustrating how the Christian community comes together to pray in the face of danger and how the Lord listens and performs an unexpected miracle.

Each day in May, there will be a livestream from one of 30 chosen Marian shrines or sanctuaries to guide the prayer at 6 p.m. Rome time (noon EDT) on all Vatican media platforms.

The pope will open the month-long prayer May 1 and conclude it May 31.

— Catholic News Service

Papal charity sees increased violations of religious freedom globally CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — The religious persecution exercised by China and North Korea, restrictions on religious freedom in dozens of countries and the continuing threat of violence at the hands of religious fundamentalists belonging to a variety of faiths all have worsened since 2018, said Aid to the Church in Need, a papal foundation and Catholic charity.

The problems “have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. States have used the insecurity to increase control over their citizens, and nonstate actors have taken advantage of the confusion to recruit, expand and provoke wider humanitarian crises,” said an analysis published with ACN’s annual report, “Religious Freedom in the World.”

The report, released April 20, said outright persecution exists in “26 countries which are home to 3.9 billion people or just over half – 51 percent – of the world’s population.”

While the charity found the overall situation worsening globally, it did find a

glimmer of hope, saying that from 2018 to 2020 there had been “significant progress, especially in interreligious dialogue, as well as the increasingly important role of religious leaders in the mediation and resolution of hostilities and war.”

The report raised alarms about the addition of religion as a factor in increased violence in several sub-Saharan African countries where “populations have historically been divided between farmers and nomadic cattle herders, occasionally experiencing outbreaks of violence resulting from long-simmering ethnic and resource-based conflicts – more recently exacerbated by climate change, growing poverty and attacks by armed criminal gangs.”

Sporadic violence, poverty, corruption and poor educational and work opportunities, it said, have “provided fuel for the rise of armed groups including Islamist militants, both local, and more recently foreign – transnational jihadist groups engaged in a targeted, systematic persecution of all those, Muslims and Christians alike, who do not accept the extreme Islamist ideology.”

In addition, it said, terrorist groups and Islamist extremists took advantage of “government distraction” in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic “to increase their violent attacks, entrench territorial gains and recruit new members.”

Obviously, the lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings enacted by national, state or local governments also had an impact on citizens’ freedom to worship.

As an example, the report cited “examples of disproportionate restrictions on religious practice” in some U.S. states and in Spain “where attendance at religious services was very restricted while places of business or recreation were allowed to welcome customers in greater numbers.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic opened an important debate around the world about fundamental rights, including the right to religious freedom, the implications of legislative overreach and whether, in some cases, aggressively secular governments are adequately able to discern the importance of these rights,” the report said.

As for China, the charity said state control of anyone identifying with a religion has become “relentless.”

“Mass surveillance, including artificial intelligence-refined technology, a social credit system that rewards and punishes individual behavior, and brutal crackdowns on religious and ethnic groups, enforce the state supremacy,” the report said, pointing particularly to the “mass internment and coercive ‘re-education programs’ affecting more than a million, mostly Muslim, ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang province.”

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In Brief Turkson: Risks to life outweigh economic benefits of exploiting nature VATICAN CITY — The costs of harming nature are greater than any economic benefits drawn from such exploitation, said Cardinal Peter Turkson. So many species and habitats are destroyed “when our conduct and treatment of nature gets abusive,” said the cardinal, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Therefore, “for ethical, moral and theological reasons, it is incumbent upon us to safeguard the biodiversity on earth.” The cardinal and Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist, were the two keynote speakers April 20 at a webinar on biodiversity organized by the dicastery and the Vatican COVID-19 Commission’s ecology taskforce and held in partnership with numerous other Church-based and nonprofit organizations. Coming ahead of Earth Day on April 22, the webinar was meant to help inspire and point the way forward for parishes, individuals and communities in preparation for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15) in October.

in Eastern Ukraine and the increased presence of Russian troops on border. In an interview with Vatican News April 20, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, said he wanted to express “profound gratitude for the Holy Father for his prayer and for his support to the suffering people of Ukraine. We are truly grateful to the Holy Father above all for his empathy and his prayer for Ukraine, for our people who are in such sorrow because once again, we are living in a moment of great fear,” he said. After praying the “Regina Coeli” prayer April 18, the pope expressed his “deep concern” about violations of the cease-fire and about increased military activity in the region. “Please, I firmly hope that the increase of tensions may be avoided and, on the contrary, gestures may be made that are capable of promoting mutual trust and fostering reconciliation and peace, so necessary and so desired,” the pope said.

Head of Ukrainian Catholic Church grateful for papal support amid tension VATICAN CITY — The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church thanked Pope Francis for publicly voicing concern about the ongoing war

Police fire tear gas into Haitian bishops’ Mass for freedom MIAMI — A “Mass for the freedom of Haiti,” led

by Haitian bishops, turned violent at the end when police fired tear gas into the church. The Miami Herald reported the April 15 Mass in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, included the nation’s 11 bishops and a packed crowd that overflowed into the streets. The Mass was part of a national strike in response to recent kidnappings of clergy and religious in Haiti and growing anarchy in the Caribbean nation. The Church and other entities had called for the strike. The Miami Herald said some members of the congregation made it out of the church, but some passed out in the pews.

“The violence has reached a high point – we see that this is the deepest point ever reached in this country and we cannot go deeper,” Fiammetta Cappellini, Haiti-based country representative for the Milan-based AVSI, said April 14. AVSI, she

said, is not joining the national strike due to its ongoing humanitarian work, but Cappellini said the agency supports the spirit of the strike and hopes it brings attention and assistance to Haiti’s difficulties, which she said have been in steep decline since 2018.

— Catholic News Service

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HAVE YOU ANSWERED THE CALL TO SUPPORT THE DSA?

The purpose of the Diocesan Support Appeal (DSA) is to help provide the annual funding necessary to carry out the mission of our diocese – namely to fulfill our call to “grow ever more perfectly into a community of praise, worship, and witness, and to become a leaven of service and sign of peace through love in the Piedmont and western North Carolina.”

The DSA provides funding for 50 ministries and programs.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

When we make our annual contribution to the DSA, we join with all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the diocese to do the Lord’s work – works of love and service that no one individual or parish can do alone.

WAYS TO GIVE

ONLINE: charlottediocese.org/dsa TEXT: “DSA” to 704-389-2096 ENVELOPE: mail pledge card to diocese or contact your parish office QR CODE:

Thank You for your 2021 DSA donation which will be credited to your parish!

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Deacon Matthew Newsome

Jesuit Father John Michalowski

Strive for everyday holiness

Do you realize how much you are loved?

W

hen considering all the postresurrection actions of Christ, we naturally tend to focus on what we may call “major events” such as granting the Apostles the authority to forgive sins (Jn 20:23), celebrating the Eucharist with the disciples who were on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:30), or commissioning the Church to preach the gospel to all nations (Mt 28:19).

But some of my favorite aspects of the disciples’ encounters with the Risen Christ are what we might consider to be rather mundane details. An example would be Luke’s account of Jesus asking the disciples if they have anything to eat (Lk 24:41). In John’s gospel we find the Lord reclining by a charcoal fire and eating breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Jn 21:12). Rising from the dead must give one quite an appetite!

The fact that the gospel writers chose to include small details such as Jesus eating baked fish serve a similar purpose as His inviting Thomas to touch the wound in His side (Jn 20:27). They demonstrate that the resurrection was a physical event.

This was no ghost or apparition that the disciples were seeing. The same body that hung on the cross and was buried in the tomb was standing before them. This was Jesus in the flesh, and He was hungry!

The physical resurrection is a fundamental tenet of the Catholic faith. Every time we recite the Apostles’ Creed we profess our faith in the resurrection of the body. It is also an article of the faith that after His resurrection Christ’s body was glorified. The Catechism states: “Christ’s Resurrection was not a return to earthly life ... (but) is essentially different. In His risen body He passes from the state of death to another life beyond time and space” (CCC 646).

In His glorified state, Christ is the first fruit of the future resurrection that will take place at the end of time when the souls of all the departed will be reunited with their bodies, either to share eternal life with Christ in glory or to depart into eternal death. We rightfully associate Christ’s glorified body with divinity. But that can also make the glorified Christ seem rather disassociated with this world. The mundane details of the resurrection accounts are therefore more than testimonies to the physicality of His resurrection. They are also important reminders of the humanity of the glorified Christ.

With this in mind, I was struck this Easter by a small detail in John’s account of the empty tomb. When Peter entered, he “saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered His head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place” (Jn 20:6-7). The cloth covering Jesus’ head would have been something called a “sudarium” and was distinct from the larger burial shroud that would have covered the entire body.

What Peter witnessed was these two separate cloths not thrown onto the floor, but neatly and intentionally arranged, presumably by the Risen Lord Himself.

What does this tell us? It suggests that after undergoing His great passion, passing through the gates of death to consummate His priestly offering of Himself to the Father for the redemption of mankind, descending into hell to free the souls of the righteous departed, rescuing us from slavery to sin, definitively conquering death and finally rising from the tomb in glory, the first thing our Savior did was make His bed. I find that incredible. And also very comforting.

Making your bed. Brushing your teeth.

Cooking a meal. Washing the dishes.

Folding the laundry. Little tasks such as these fill our daily lives, and sometimes they can feel like a drudgery. By performing such tasks with care even in His glorified state, Our Lord shows us that holiness is not separate from ordinary life. It is not necessary for us to escape our everyday duties to attain sanctity. To become a saint we don’t have to establish a religious order or throw ourselves before the lions in the Colosseum. Our everyday life becomes holy if we “do small things with great love,” as St. Teresa of Calcutta said.

I don’t know whether Mother Teresa ever read “The Practice of the Presence of God,” but in this spiritual classic Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection reminds us that “our sanctification (does) not depend upon changing our works, but in doing that for God’s sake which we commonly do for our own.” Therefore “we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” We are not all called to perform great tasks, but we are all called to great holiness. By showing us in His glorified state the great dignity of small everyday tasks, Our Lord reminds us that holiness is within reach of us all.

When I think of Jesus standing quietly in the tomb after He resurrected, neatly folding the linen cloths that had covered His precious body, I am reminded of the priest or deacon at the altar folding the corporal cloth upon which His Body lay in the Eucharist. Amid the Mass, it seems like a small thing. But when performed with love and care, small things become imbued with sanctity. Do I take the same care when folding my laundry at home?

Do I wash my family’s dishes with the same devotion as when I cleanse the sacred vessels at Mass? I have to say no, but I would no doubt be holier if I did.

Father, forgive me, for I have sinned.

I’ve never liked making my bed. It always seemed like a wasted effort since it would only be unmade again that night. My attitude has always been, “why bother?”

But Christ shows us by His example that no effort, no matter how small, is wasted when done with love.

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

A

t the end of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola asks the retreatant to enter in to the Contemplation to Attain Love. Ignatius gives two prenotes about love to help the retreatant to understand the height and breadth and depth of God’s love, so that he or she might respond in full-hearted love. The first is: “Love ought to manifest itself more by deeds than by words.” Talk is cheap.

It is the living out of love that matters.

The second is: “Love consists in a mutual communication between two persons.

That is, the one who loves gives and communicates to the beloved what he or she has, or a part of what he or she has or can have; and the beloved in return does the same to the lover. …Each shares with the other.” (Spiritual Exercises, 230-231.

Ganss) At Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Eastertime, we encounter the mystery of God’s love for us. Jesus is the lover who loves us – all of us. He is also the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Word of God, and the Son of the Father. He became human in Mary’s womb and was born for us and as one of us. What does Jesus share with us and what do we share with Him? St. Augustine tells us the Son of God “had no power of Himself to die for us: He had to take on our mortal human flesh. This was the way in which, through immortal, He was able to die; the way in which He chose to give life to mortal man: He would first share with us and then enable us to share with Him. Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did He of Himself have the power to die” (Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings, Monday of Holy Week).

“Accordingly, He effected a wonderful exchange with us, through mutual sharing: we gave Him the power to die, He gave us the power to live.” We gave Him death; He gave us eternal life! “He loved us so much that, sinless Himself, He suffered for us the punishment we deserved for our sins.”

Jesus took upon Himself the worst that humans could do, so that He could both feel and understand all suffering, bringing that into God that we might never doubt that God understands and feels compassion for us. In His love, Jesus gives us eternal life, unlocking for us the path to eternity.

This is not just a matter of hope, for He has given us the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Love, our Advocate and Comforter – to be with us and to slowly transform us into being lovers, too. As St. Paul tells us, we are to “put on Christ.” “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

As we read the Easter Gospels, we become more and more aware of the power of love. Mary Magdalene and the other women go to the tomb early in the morning. Although they believe Jesus is dead, their love brings them to the tomb to anoint His Body, completing the Jewish burial rites. But the tomb is open and Jesus is not there. The angel tells them that Jesus is risen. When Mary Magdalene tells the Apostles, only Peter and John go

to the tomb to see for themselves. It is as the women have told them. The Gospel tells us that John “saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead” (20:8-9).

Peter’s love was shaken by his three-fold denial and Jesus’ crucifixion. He was still caught up in his own failure. John saw with the eyes of love and knew in his heart that Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus then appears to Mary Magdalene to console her and to speak her name, “Mary.” As Isaiah tells us, God knows each of us by name, because He loves us.

Knowing that most of the Apostles do not believe the women when they tell them that Jesus will appear to them in Galilee, Jesus’ love leads Him to appear to them in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. “Peace be with you,” he tells them. He shows them the wounds in His hands and His side and eats with them. Jesus then seeks out the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. His love seeks out the stray and He opens the Scriptures to them, revealing passages in Isaiah and the psalms that speak of how the Messiah must suffer and die. “It was our pain that He bore, our sufferings He endured. …

He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by His wounds we were healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). How often has a parent, whose child is undergoing an operation, said they wish they could take the child’s pain to themselves? Jesus, in His love for us, took on the pain of our punishment and saved us from our sins. Jesus then reveals Himself to the two disciples in the breaking of the bread.

We gave Jesus death. He gives us life. Do we really realize how much each of us is loved? We are loved not to think that we are special, but in order to free us that we might become more and more like the One who loves us: Jesus Christ, who is risen for us. The gift of Jesus’ love led Peter and the disciples to go out and witness to Jesus’ love and to the resurrection. It led them to form a community in which “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread (the earliest name for the Eucharist), and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

They lived in love and, following the Holy Spirit, they reached out beyond the Jewish community to the Samaritans, the Roman centurion, the Ethiopian official, then to all of the world. As disciples, we continue that life and that work of witness. Christ is risen for us. Will we love Him and all of our brothers and sisters in return?

Let us pray: Loving Jesus, You died for us and You rose for us. May we die to those things that keep us from You and from loving our neighbor as You teach us to do. Help us to live in love that others might see Your life in us and come to believe in You. We ask this of the Father in Your Name Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

JESUIT FATHER JOHN MICHALOWSKI is the parochial vicar of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

April 23, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Kathryn Evans

C.S. Lewis and the value of revisiting stories

I

have always been an avid re-reader of books, just as I also delight in re-watching favorite movies and television series. In some ways, this is due to finding comfort in the familiar and predictable, knowing that my imagination is not going to be assailed by inappropriate or untimely thoughts and images. But I have also learned that the pieces I enjoy returning to can be treasure troves, with new ideas and insights to be gained on each visit, and they can also be balms for an anxious mind over-burdened by the constant influx of the 24-hour news cycle.

In the past few years, I have reread (or listened to the audiobooks) of C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” series multiple times.

These are stories I grew up with as a child, at least the first few books. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” “Prince Caspian,” and “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” were staples of my childhood, though most of the others I did not read until I was grown.

But my frequent returns to these books as an adult are not just for nostalgic reasons (there are plenty of books that I loved as a child but find rather tedious now). I return to them because of the rich theological and philosophical thought that Lewis put into them.

In “The Horse and His Boy,” the most underrated of the Narnia books in my opinion, the Christ-like character of Aslan teaches many valuable lessons to the children throughout the story. The most prominent idea to me on recent readings has been how Aslan illuminates a person’s personal history, showing where he was himself at work and guiding their path, but he will not tell them the story of anyone else.

This is clearly an important point for Lewis, because it is repeated multiple times. To one inquiring character, Aslan says, “I tell no one any story but his own.” And just a few chapters later, to another character asking of the consequences of a prior incident, Aslan repeats, “No one is told any story but their own.” How often do we pay more attention to the lives of others than we do to our own lives and actions? We live in a voyeuristic culture, as we scroll through others’ updates on social media, follow the lives of celebrities, scrutinize the decisions and circumstances of people whose lives do not even affect our own, or needlessly critique actions that have already been made.

St. Thomas Aquinas warned of the dangers of curiosity – how it can lead us astray of our own paths by distraction or into the sins of pride and vanity as we judge others.

It might be tempting for us to dismiss works like “Chronicles of Narnia” as mere children’s books. However, Lewis’ own philosophy and writings argue for the potential benefits of reading children’s stories even as an adult. In his essay “On Stories,” Lewis wrote, “No book is really worth reading at the age of 10 which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of 50.” This argument is twofold: we should not dismiss good stories simply because they are primarily aimed at children, and we should also make sure our children are being read and shown good stories in the first place. If one can’t enjoy

or see the benefit of the stories children are reading or watching, perhaps we should reevaluate the entertainment being given to them. No matter the age, our minds should be cultivated with only the best of stories and ideas.

C.S. Lewis himself was a great proponent of rereading and actively engaging with what he read by making notes right in the book and underlining passages which caught his eye. The books in his personal library showed his history with them in different pencil and pen marks from these multiple readings. None of us should be expected to do this for every book that we read, for some books certainly don’t invite the effort.

Some books may be worth reading only once, even if greatly enjoyed that one time, but some books are capable of being much more fruitful.

Think of how we benefit from frequent reading of the Bible. Personally, I love revisiting the books of Genesis and Exodus.

These books contain so many stories we all think we know, even if we have only infrequently picked up a Bible ourselves, and yet the stories are so rich every time we visit them. As we gain life experience, knowledge and wisdom, stories take on different lights.

We might identify with a new character we overlooked on previous readings, or we might gain new insight on an event we had not considered earlier.

Lewis intentionally crafted the Narnia books to bring readers closer to God. In “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” Aslan tells the children (and us readers): “This was the reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” By exposing ourselves and our children to certain allegories like Narnia, it helps us to recognize God in our own world. Lewis was one of the greatest thinkers and Christian apologists of the past several centuries, and it is such a gift to us that he worked in so many different forms of writing. He wrote essays, poems and fiction in several genres – all of it influenced by his deep love for God. A final note and personal opinion on the reading order. The books were originally published with “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian” as the first two books, as those were the first to be written. Now generally published in the narrative’s “chronological” order, they begin with “The Magician’s Nephew.” If you are reading the books for the first time, or reading them to your children for the first time, my recommendation is to start with “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” as this book is the best introduction to the world of Narnia. “The Magician’s Nephew” works best as a prequel, when one is already familiar with the world and characters, and it is also very fruitfully read in conjunction with “The Last Battle.”

Happy reading!

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

Letter to the Editor

Oppose firearms bill Please call your state legislators and ask them to oppose H.134, which would allow conceal-carry permit holders to bring handguns into church-affiliated schools. Parents, teachers, principals and pastors oppose allowing firearms because of the danger of leaving these weapons unlocked and unguarded, or having them firing accidentally. In one instance in Texas last January, a person who brought a gun to a church was disarmed and the gun used to kill him and injure others. In other instances, “good guys” with guns accidentally shot people they were trying to help or innocent bystanders.

In an FBI study of 160 active shooter

incidents from 2000 to 2013, only one was stopped by an individual with a valid firearm permit.

Gun violence is a pro-life issue which affects the United States much more than any other developed country.

From 30,000 to 40,000 Americans die by firearms each year and many more are injured. We need universal background checks with no loopholes, a ban on assault weapons for civilians, and “redflag’’ laws to keep firearms from felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, but we need to honor them with action, too.

JANET ZACCARELLI lives in Mooresville.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 23, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD