May 7, 2021

May 7, 2021

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St. Joseph declared co-patron of CCHS 16

Science delves into a mystery at Old St. Joseph Church 5 INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español.......................................10-13 Events calendar............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes................... 3-9, 14-15 Schools....................................16-18 Scripture readings.......................2 TV & Movies.................................22 U.S. news.....................................23 Viewpoints.............................26-27 World news............................ 24-25

‘Keep the faith’ Facing death, priest turns farewell into teachable moment 3

‘Mantengan la fe’

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THANK YOU!

FILE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Father Michael Kottar gives a homily during a Mass for pilgrims from the Diocese of Charlotte who attended the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY Faith, love and food: All things ‘Mama H’

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El mayor regalo de una madre: entregar su hijo a Dios 10

Mysteries of the rosary windows

Hermana Juana Pearson echará una mano en albergue fronterizo

illuminate St. Mark Church

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Faith depicted in ‘living stones’ 14-15

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

One act of pure love is greatest miracle Christians can perform

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ontemplative prayer transforms and purifies the human heart, Pope Francis said.

Being contemplative in prayer is an act of faith and love, it is “the ‘breath’ of our relationship with God,” he said during his weekly general audience May 5.

Continuing his series of talks on prayer, the pope reflected on contemplative prayer, which is not so much a way of doing, “but a way of being,” he said.

“Being contemplative does not depend on the eyes, but on the heart. And here prayer enters into play as an act of faith and love” that offers God’s “breath,” purifying the heart and sharpening one’s gaze so that one can see the world from another point of view, he said.

“Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. ‘I look at Him and He looks at me’” in loving contemplation, the pope said, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2715).

Jesus’ gaze “illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of His truth and His compassion for all men,” the quote continues.

“Everything comes from this – from a heart that feels that it is looked on with love,” Pope Francis said. “Then reality is contemplated with different eyes.”

One does not need many words, he said; “a gaze is enough. It is enough to be convinced that our life is surrounded by an immense and faithful love that nothing can ever separate us from.”

Contemplation and action are not at odds, Pope Francis said.

“There is only one great call in the Gospel, and it is that of following Jesus on the way of love,” which is the pinnacle and center of everything, he said.

In this way, charity and contemplation say the same thing, and as St. John of the Cross believed, one small act carried out with pure love “is more valuable to the church than all other works combined.”

Pope Francis said that whatever is “born of prayer and not from the presumption of our ego, what is purified by humility, even if it is a hidden and silent act of love, is the greatest miracle that a Christian can perform.”

St. Athanasius: ‘Founder of orthodoxy’

Dr. Matthew Bunson

Feast day: May 2 St. Athanasius, a 4th Century bishop, Father of the Church and Doctor of the Church, is known as “the father of orthodoxy” for his absolute dedication to the doctrine of Christ’s divinity.

St. Athanasius was born to Christian parents living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 296.

His parents took great care to have their son educated, and his talents came to the attention of a local priest who was later canonized as St. Alexander of Alexandria. The priest and future saint tutored Athanasius in theology, and eventually appointed him as an assistant.

Around the age of 19, Athanasius spent a formative period in the Egyptian desert as a disciple of St. Anthony in his monastic community. Returning to Alexandria, he was ordained a deacon in 319, and resumed his assistance to Alexander, who had become a bishop. The Catholic Church, newly recognized by the Roman Empire, was already encountering a new series of dangers from within.

The most serious threat to the fourthcentury Church came from a priest named Arius, who taught that Jesus could not have existed eternally as God prior to His historical incarnation as a man. According to Arius, Jesus was the highest of created beings, and could be considered “divine” only by analogy. Arians professed a belief in Jesus’ “divinity,” but meant only that He was God’s greatest creature.

Opponents of Arianism brought forth numerous scriptures which taught Christ’s eternal pre-existence and His identity as God. Nonetheless, many Greek-speaking Christians found it intellectually easier to believe in Jesus as a created demi-god, than to accept the mystery of a Father-Son relationship within the Godhead. By 325, the controversy was dividing the Church and unsettling the Roman Empire.

In that year, Athanasius attended the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicea to examine and judge Arius’ doctrine in light of apostolic tradition. It reaffirmed the Church’s perennial teaching on Christ’s full deity, and established the Nicene Creed as an authoritative statement of faith. The remainder of Athanasius’ life was a constant struggle to uphold the council’s

teaching about Christ.

Near the end of St. Alexander’s life, he insisted that Athanasius succeed him as the Bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius took on the position just as the Emperor Constantine, despite having convoked the Council of Nicea, decided to relax its condemnation of Arius and his supporters.

Athanasius continually refused to admit Arius to communion, however, despite the urgings of the emperor.

A number of Arians spent the next several decades attempting to manipulate bishops, emperors and popes to move against Athanasius, particularly through the use of false accusations. Athanasius was accused of theft, murder, assault, and even of causing a famine by interfering with food shipments.

Arius became ill and died gruesomely in 336, but his heresy continued to live. Under the rule of the three emperors that followed Constantine, and particularly under the rule of the strongly Arian Constantius, Athanasius was driven into exile at least five times for insisting on the Nicene Creed as the Church’s authoritative rule of faith.

Athanasius received the support of several popes and spent a portion of his exile in Rome. However, the Emperor Constantius did succeed in coercing one pope, Liberius, into condemning Athanasius by having him kidnapped, threatened with death, and sent away from Rome for two years. The pope eventually managed to return to Rome, where he again proclaimed Athanasius’ orthodoxy.

In 369, Athanasius managed to convene an assembly of 90 bishops in Alexandria, for the sake of warning the Church in Africa against the continuing threat of Arianism. He died in 373, and was vindicated by a more comprehensive rejection of Arianism at the Second Ecumenical Council, held in 381 at Constantinople.

St. Gregory Nazianzen, who presided over part of that council, described St. Athanasius as “the true pillar of the Church,” whose “life and conduct were the rule of bishops, and his doctrine the rule of the orthodox faith.”

— Catholic News Agency

On battling Arianism: then and now

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he Church has confronted a dazzling and depressing number of heresies in her long history – Gnosticism, Pelagianism, Jansenism, to name just a few – and one that for a time seemed on the verge of establishing its dark ascendancy over Christianity was Arianism.

At its heart, Arianism proposed that the Son of God was not eternal but was created by the Father from nothing. Christ was thus a changeable creature, His dignity bestowed upon Him as Son of God. The heresy was condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325 thanks in large measure to the heroic stand by St. Athanasius of Alexandria. But by the cunning of its supporters, it was rehabilitated and forced upon the common faithful by heretical Roman emperors and their ecclesiastical minions. As St. Jerome wrote during the crisis, the world “awoke with a groan to find itself Arian.”

Arianism was finally defeated in 381 at the Council of Constantinople through the unflagging labors of several Fathers and Doctors of the Church, including St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

It would be a mistake, however, to think that heresy – especially the Arian heresy – is a relic of the past that cannot happen again. In fact, we are seeing a resurgence of it today.

The great historian and Catholic apologist Hilaire Belloc once observed, “As all heresies necessarily breathe the air of the time in which they arise, and are necessarily a reflection of the philosophy of whatever non-Catholic ideas are prevalent at that moment they arise, Arianism spoke in the terms of its day.”

And our times are a most fertile ARIANISM, SEE PAGE 21

Daily Scripture readings 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

MAY 16-22

Sunday: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26, 1 John 4:11-16, John 17:11b-19; Monday: Acts 19:1-8, John 16:29-33; Tuesday (St. John I): Acts 20:17-27, John 17:1-11a; Wednesday: Acts 20:28-38, John 17:11b-19; Thursday (St. Bernardine of Siena): Acts 22:30, 23:6-11, John 17:20-26; Friday (St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions): Acts 25:13-21, John 21:15-19; Saturday (St. Rita of Cascia): Acts 28:16-20, 30-31, John 21:20-25

MAY 23-29

Sunday (Pentecost Sunday): Acts 2:1-11, Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23; Monday (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church): Genesis 3:9-15, John 19:25-34; Tuesday (St. Bede the Venerable, St. Gregory VII, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi): Sirach 35:1-12, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday (St. Philip Neri): Sirach 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday (St. Augustine of Canterbury): Sirach 42:15-25, Mark 10:46-52; Friday: Sirach 44:1, 9-13, Mark 11:11-26; Saturday (St. Paul VI): Sirach 51:12cd-20, Mark 11:27-33

Our parishes

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Vocation discernment camps resume this June

Spirit of Hope virtual fundraiser coming May 13 ASHEVILLE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte invites everyone to attend its “Spirit of Hope” virtual fundraising event, set for 6:307:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13.

The fundraiser – a critical source of support for Catholic Charities in western North Carolina – is being held online this year due to public health restrictions on inperson gatherings. Through the virtual event, people will be able to gather online to celebrate and support Catholic Charities’ work in Asheville and surrounding communities.

It is the last in a series of three virtual fundraisers being held this year by the social services agency to fund its work across the western half of the state.

The virtual event will feature speakers including Bishop Peter Jugis and Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Spirit of Hope participants will also hear from keynote speaker Father Patrick Cahill, pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville; Jesse Boeckermann, Catholic Charities’ western region director; and Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director and CEO. This year’s Spirit of Hope Award will be given to Father Cahill.

People who have participated in Catholic Charities’ programs will also share how their lives have been changed by the help they have received over the past year, thanks to the generosity of so many supporters and volunteers.

The May 13 virtual fundraising event aims to bring together parishioners, friends and clergy from across the Asheville region to raise the funds necessary to provide support and relief to even more people and families continuing to struggle during the pandemic, he said.

“The Spirit of Hope raises funds that are critical to the services Catholic Charities provides in the western region of the diocese,” Carter said.

“We are so deeply appreciative and amazed with the generosity of donors.”

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Register now At www.spiritofhope.org: Register and get more details about the 2021 Spirit of Hope free virtual event

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SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

LIZ CHANDLER | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Gathering around Father Michael Kottar before he left for Ohio last week were Monsignor Patrick Winslow, the diocese’s vicar general and chancellor, and from St. Joseph College Seminary: Father Matthew Kauth, rector, Father Jason Christian, Father Matthew Buettner, the 27 college seminarians, and members of the Daughters of the Virgin Mother.

‘Keep the faith’ Facing death, priest turns farewell into teachable moment LIZ CHANDLER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

MOUNT HOLLY — As dusk fell late last week, nurses rolled Father Michael Kottar outside Atrium Health’s Carolinas Rehabilitation in a wheelchair where 27 young men studying to become priests stood preparing to say goodbye.

At 53, Father Kottar has been diagnosed with CreutzfeldtJakob Disease, an extremely rare and aggressive brain disease for which there is no effective treatment or cure. The next day, the priest of 27 years would board a medical flight bound for Ohio, where he will be Kottar with his family and get the endof-life care he needs.

But on this evening, Father Kottar felt unsettled about leaving the diverse flock of 300 families he has pastored at St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby and Christ the King Mission in Kings Mountain. He was pleased, though, to spend a moment with these future priests of the Diocese of Charlotte, since becoming a priest is his most treasured achievement.

The students from St. Joseph College Seminary had come to sing and pray and provide comfort to Father Kottar. Nobody knew Father Kottar also had a gift for them.

BELOVED PRIEST

Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Michael Kottar is the oldest of three children, the big brother of twin girls he simply called “sista” because he couldn’t tell them apart. Their mother worked as a Catholic school secretary and library tech, and their father coordinated an assembly line for General Motors. He was a bookworm who graduated top of his high school class, and “shocked” his sisters when he announced he wanted to become a priest.

He dove into studies – first at Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio, then earning a philosophy degree from St. Alphonsus Redemptorist Seminary in Connecticut, and finally attaining a Master of Divinity from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Maryland, in 1994. He was ordained a priest that year for the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., where he served five years before joining the Charlotte diocese in 1999.

Father Kottar has served from Charlotte to North Wilkesboro to Andrews in the Nantahala National Forest, to St. Mary in Shelby. A fitness buff, he loves to hike and cruise the Caribbean with his compatriot Father Herbert Burke, who leads the neighboring Immaculate Conception Parish in Forest City. He also is known for his slapstick, British-style sense of humor, and for his way with words: He delivers moving homilies, which made pilgrimages he led particularly meaningful.

Father Kottar became pastor of St. Mary in 2007. His longest-running assignment, he loves the mix of people and cultures there, and is widely appreciated for his counseling, Great Adventure Bible study, and for overseeing an expansion of the narthex – and getting the parking lot paved.

But last December, Father Kottar began feeling dizzy, and at times had to cancel Mass. After what seemed like endless testing, in April he received the terminal diagnosis.

“It was hard to hear. I thought I’d have a few more years. But if God wants me now, then that’s what will be. I just can’t understand how anyone could get through something like this without faith,” Father Kottar said, just before meeting the college seminarians.

‘IT’S ABOUT HAVING FAITH’

In his wheelchair, his demeanor calm, Father Kottar sat and listened as fellow priests blessed him, gave him Holy Communion, and sprinkled holy water. He smiled as the seminarians – FAITH, SEE PAGE 21

CHARLOTTE — Deadlines are approaching for the Diocese of Charlotte’s vocation discernment camps for teenagers.

The annual discernment camps for young men and women aged 1519 will be held in person this year after being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Quo Vadis Days for young men will be held June 14-18, and Duc In Altum for young women will be held June 21-25. Both camps will be held at Belmont Abbey College.

The five-day Quo Vadis Days camp for young men will include talks by local priests, seminarians and others on the vocations to the priesthood, marriage and fatherhood. Its goal is to challenge young men to ask the fundamental question “Quo vadis?” (“Where are you going?”), while equipping them with the tools and opportunity to discern God’s will for their lives.

The five-day Duc In Altum camp will focus on forming young women in authentic femininity after the role model of Mary.

Through talks and time spent in prayer and worship, the hope is that young women will open their hearts to responding to vocations as wives and mothers, consecrated religious or consecrated lay faithful.

Both retreat-style camps attempt to strike a balance between the activity of a summer camp and the quiet of a retreat. Each day is structured to include Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, time for personal reflection and lots of time for fellowship with fellow teens.

Registration and more info To register, go to www. charlottediocese.org/vocations/quovadis-days or www.charlottediocese. org/vocations/duc-in-altum.

The deadline to register for Quo Vadis Days is Wednesday, June 9. The deadline to register for Duc In Altum is Wednesday, June 16.

Registration for each camp is $150 and includes campus lodging, all meals and retreat materials. Financial aid is available.

For questions regarding retreat registration, contact Lainie Lord in the diocesan Vocations office at ldlord@ charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3401.

For questions about the camps themselves, contact Father Brian Becker, diocesan vocations promoter, at bjbecker@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3351.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: MAY 8 – 4:30 P.M. Mass for 100th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church Holy Angels Church, Mt. Airy MAY 10 – 2 P.M. Meeting with 50th Anniversary of the Diocese of Charlotte planning committee Pastoral Center, Charlotte MAY 11 – 11 A.M. Presbyteral Council Meeting, Virtual

May 7, 2021

MAY 12 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Philip the Apostle Church, Statesville

MAY 17 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury

MAY 14 – 10 A.M. Diocesan Finance Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

MAY 19 – 10 A.M. SEPI Board of Directors Meeting, Virtual

MAY 14 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

MAY 21 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte

MAY 19 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Lenoir

Diocesan calendar of events

Volume 30 • NUMBER 16

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

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

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

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

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

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

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

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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 mayo: 13, 20 y 27.

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. La devoción comienza el viernes 7 de mayo a las 8 p.m. con la celebración de la Santa Misa, seguido de Adoración nocturna y concluye con la Misa del sábado el 8 de mayo a las 8 a.m. Para más información o para inscribirse a una hora de Adoración, visite www.ProLifeCharlotte.org/doscorazones.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS RETURN TO GOD PRAYER MINISTRY: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 8, Veterans Park, Huntersville. Come pray at this peaceful public prayer event with members of the St. Mark Church community. All are welcome. For details, go to www. returntogodnow.com.

MASS FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL: 10 a.m. Monday, May 31, St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte. The Mass and rosary (to be recited at 9:30 a.m.) will be offered for all military personnel who have died or retired and for those who are now serving.

An all-American hotdog lunch will be served after Mass. All military personnel are invited and encouraged to come in uniform. Photos of those who have died, who are now serving in the military and retired military personnel will be displayed at the cathedral. To include your service member, preferably in uniform, please mail a photocopy of them with their name and military rank on the back to Michelle Maher, Office of the Bishop, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, to be received no later than May 26. Please do not send original photographs as they cannot be returned.

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.

SUPPORT GROUPS RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for both men and women in the diocese. For details about upcoming retreats, contact Jackie Childers at 980-241-0251 or Jackie.childers1@gmail.com, or Jessica Grabowski at 910-585-2460 or jrgrabowski@charlottediocese.org.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Counseling services available through Catholic Charities KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — This year’s Mental Health Awareness Month message is “You Are Not Alone.”

For some, the pandemic has led to isolation and feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression in many ways. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Month is focusing on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it’s OK to not be OK. “Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives – a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Here in western North Carolina, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s mental health counseling program is available to help.

The agency has shifted from in-person to “tele-counseling” sessions to provide access to counseling services during these uncertain times – no matter where in the diocese people live.

“Few of us have been immune from the increased anxiety and stresses related to this unprecedented time of living under COVID-19,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director and CEO. “One of the things I am particularly proud of has been the incredible ability of our professional staff to pivot services during the past year in providing services using telehealth.”

“Tele-counseling” is offered through an easy-to-use and secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. People 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 include the same quality and types of services as in-person counseling.

The service means more people across the diocese can access mental health counseling – not just if they live in Charlotte, Asheville or the Triad where Catholic Charities’ four counselors are based.

Counseling is available to individuals and couples, and bilingual counseling sessions are also available.

Services are provided on a sliding fee scale based on income.

These fees and health insurance coverage, when possible, help cover program expenses.

Find out more Get more information about “telehealth” counseling offered through Catholic Charities online at www.ccdoc.org (select “Counseling” from the Services menu), or call 828-255-0146 in Asheville, 704-370-3227 in Charlotte, or 336-714-3204 in Greensboro or Winston-Salem.

Your DSA contributions at work 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.

Some Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte programs are funded in part by contributions from the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how you can contribute at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Science delves into a mystery at Old St. Joseph Church ALAN HODGE BANNER NEWS

MOUNT HOLLY — Most everybody likes a good mystery and looking for an answer is part of the fun.

That’s what happened on April 16 and 17 at Old St Joseph Church in Mount Holly, when the case of a long-standing oral tradition concerning the possibility of unmarked graves being located in the cemetery was investigated by using hightech ground penetrating radar (GPR).

The survey was conducted by UNCCharlotte geology professor Dr. Andy Bobyarchick and a team of his applied geophysics students.

The survey project was a partnership between the Diocese of Charlotte and UNC-Charlotte, and part of the diocese’s ongoing work to preserve and restore the historic Old St. Joseph Church after completing a major renovation in 2018.

What prompted the investigation? Oral history stories of unmarked graves going back many years. Current St. Joseph’s caretaker Bill Bridgeman says his predecessor in that role, the late Carl Heil, often talked about the tales.

“He would get a tear in his eye whenever he spoke about it,” Bridgeman said.

Bryan Somerville is president of the Mecklenburg County Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Somerville and his group take part in St. Patrick’s Day ceremonies held each year at the church, which was built by and for Irish immigrants in 1843.

“The oral histories are of unmarked burials possibly from the 1840s and 1850s,” Somerville said. “People knew if they put them inside the walls of a Catholic cemetery they would be on holy ground and protected.”

Old St. Joseph’s cemetery contains dozens of marked graves, which are already being cared for, but records are scant and it is presumed that other

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES SARKIS

Cathedral undergoes critical roof repairs SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

gravestones have been damaged or lost over time. The idea, from the diocese’s perspective, is that if the GPR survey finds additional unmarked graves in the surveyed area, the people buried there can be memorialized, cared for and respected.

Somerville approached the diocese’s vicar general and chancellor, Monsignor Patrick Winslow, concerning the oral history stories and then he contacted UNC-Charlotte and Bobyarchick.

Somerville was on site for the survey and eagerly watched the proceedings.

Legends and emotions aside, it was hard-fact science that Bobyarchick brought to the cemetery in the form of his GPR device. The machine sends out sound waves that are reflected back to a computer monitor. It also has a magnetometer that detects metal objects.

Depending on the soil type and density, it can penetrate up to about 10 feet.

To start the survey, Bobyarchick and his students used long measuring tapes to lay out a grid on the ground. Then, the

GPR machine was rolled along the rows in a slow and steady manner as the monitor revealed what lay beneath the surface.

“The radar sees everything in the subsurface that has an electrical contrast with the surrounding soil,” Bobyarchick said. “This includes rocks, roots, garbage, and many things of human origin like buried utilities (and sometimes graves).

“So, when we interpret the radar data, we speak in terms of anomalies. How strong is the reflected energy? How deep is the reflecting object? What is the shape of the reflecting object? If we are looking for unmarked graves, the radar will detect grave contents only if there is something to reflect the energy. In modern graves that include a metal casket and a vault, you usually see very strong reflections because of the metal in those objects. In older graves where the body might have been interred in a wooden coffin, the radar reflection will be much weaker to MYSTERY, SEE PAGE 20

PHOTOS BY JOHN BUNYEA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

New altar dedicated at Holy Cross Church KERNERSVILLE — A new altar top, or “mensa,” for Holy Cross Church was dedicated by Bishop Peter Jugis April 27. The new mensa, which measures 6.5 feet long, is made from North Carolina mahogany and replaces a smaller glass top that had become chipped and fractured over the years. It was placed atop the existing altar base, funded by the Columbiettes decades ago. It was manufactured by Wall Lumber Co. and finished by a parishioner, who also carved out the receptacle for the altar stone, which was repurposed from a deconsecrated altar in Cincinnati. During the altar dedication, Bishop Jugis anointed the altar with sacred chrism and then burned incense. He and Father

Noah Carter, pastor, placed relics of martyrs St. Vitalis and St. Cletus inside the altar stone, and it was sealed by parishioners Bob Demmond and Allen Livelsberger. The altar was then prepared for Mass, dressed with linens and candles by parishioners Gloria Ortiz, Pascuala Velasco, Kathy Garlow and Juliann Demmond. They and others who assisted at the special liturgy were among those who are involved with the liturgical life of the Kernersville parish, including sacristans, Arts and Environment coordinators, and Facilities and Buildings members, Father Carter noted.

CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick Cathedral is undergoing critical roof repairs to fix leaks that have caused extensive water damage to the plaster walls inside the 82-year-old structure.

Southern Star Construction started work April 27 on the project, which is expected to take up to two weeks to complete depending on the weather and on nearby road construction that could impact their work.

Besides repairs to the flashing and the seals around the flashing on the roof, the copper gutters will also be repaired around the exterior of the building.

The cathedral’s Mass and confessions schedule will remain unchanged while the work is underway.

The $40,000 repair project is being paid for with funds the cathedral received from the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign. The campaign aimed to provide new funding to parishes and ministries to use as they needed, as well as solidify the diocese’s future through endowments and major capital projects.

“The FFHL diocesan campaign kicked off in 2013 and it is gratifying to see that years later the funds received in that campaign are still having an impact and will continue to have an impact for years to come,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director.

“The gifts made by the over 15,000 people to that campaign are changing lives and making improvements to parish life.”

Built in 1939, the 400-seat cathedral is a landmark in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood and is home to many important diocesan liturgies throughout the year, including the annual Chrism Mass that welcomes all the priests from across the diocese every Holy Week.

In January 2022, the diocese will mark its 50th anniversary, so Father Christopher Roux, rector, hopes to have the plaster walls repaired and other improvements completed over the course of this year to prepare for upcoming anniversary events.

“Before we do work inside, we have to make sure the building is sealed, so we can go forward with restoration and repairs to the interior,” Father Roux said.

He anticipates opportunities for people across the diocese to contribute to beautifying the cathedral. “This is a parish, but it’s also the (mother) church of the Diocese of Charlotte. We will have some opportunities throughout the year for donations for memorial projects. Anyone who has some resources to donate (towards renovations), we can use that, too.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 OUR PARISHES

Longtime teacher Mercy Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin passes away BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin, 83, died Thursday, April 22, 2021, at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont. She was a Sister of Mercy for 65 years.

Because of pandemic restrictions, a private funeral Mass was celebrated April 27, 2021, in the chapel at Sacred Heart Convent, followed by a private interment at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was part of a U.S. Navy family.

Mauldin Her parents were Dr. Hugh Edgar Mauldin, D.D.S., and Louellen Fitzgerald.

She earned baccalaureate and master’s degrees in mathematics from N.C. State University in Raleigh and a master’s degree in theology from St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y. She taught in several elementary schools staffed by the Sisters of Mercy and made her mark in her years of teaching at Charlotte Catholic High School.

In addition, for 23 years, she taught math and theology at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. She was the first woman religious to hold a faculty position at the college – a 92-mile round trip from Belmont. While at Limestone, she earned its Fullerton Teaching Award four times, had a yearbook dedicated to her and was chosen a commencement speaker. On her retirement from teaching, the president of Limestone stated that Sister Mary Hugh was one of the college’s most respected and admired treasures.

Once she left the official classroom, Sister Mary Hugh ministered as an adult religious educator and gave talks in parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte.

She was exceptionally well-known for this work.

Besides teaching, she enjoyed playing tennis, doing crossword puzzles and beautiful cross-stitch, reading and gardening. She was committed to music, especially liturgical music, and was the appointed director of liturgy at Sacred Heart Convent.

Her chosen motto was “Solum Jesum” (“Only Jesus”), which guided her religious life.

Deeply involved in community life, Sister Mary Hugh would often say, “I am not me, I am we” – indicating her attachment to community, family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include the Sisters of Mercy, her sister, Mary Feamster of Burlington, N.C.; her brother Hugh of Norfolk, Va.; and her nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont, NC 28012.

McLean Funeral Home of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

which the diocese and the community value.”

The property is under contract and expected to close later this year. The developer, Shelter Investments Development Corp., has completed several similar renovation projects in the past, including the former Ashe Hospital in Jefferson, which earned the 2020 Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

— Catholic News Herald

In Brief Three vicars forane named CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis announces the appointment of three new vicars forane effective April 29: Father John Starczewski has been appointed for the Charlotte Vicariate, Father Stephen Hoyt for the Hickory Vicariate, and Father Christopher Gober for the Winston-Salem Vicariate.

Sometimes called a dean, a vicar forane is a priest appointed by the bishop in order to promote a common pastoral activity in a region of the diocese and to provide spiritual and pastoral counsel to the other priests in that region, according to Church law.

The Diocese of Charlotte has 10 vicariates.

— Catholic News Herald

First ‘Noli Timere’ Award given MOUNT HOLLY — On May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, St. Joseph College Seminary bestowed its inaugural “Noli Timere Award” on Bob Gallagher in honor of his longstanding and stalwart support for the Catholic faith in western North Carolina. The award is named after the college seminary’s motto, lifted from the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel. The angel commands courage of St. Joseph, telling him, “Do not be afraid.”

“The award is designed to shine a light on an individual who was undaunted in his or her courageous defense of the faith, who did not fear to take the Church’s welfare as one’s own responsibility. This award, therefore, is about faithful and courageous discipleship,” the college seminary’s rector, Father Matthew Kauth, said in making the presentation. “I know of no single individual in our diocese who has done more for the defense and promotion of the Catholic faith than our friend we honor this evening: Bob Gallagher. We thank you, we honor you and may God reward you.”

Pictured with Bob Gallagher and his wife Jackie are (from left) Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; Father Kauth; and Father Timothy Reid, vicar of education for Catholic Schools.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter.

Photo provided by Fredrik Akerblom.

Rogation Mass offered CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas’ pastor Father Matthew Codd offered the first Rogation Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the parish’s history April 25. The name “Rogation” comes from the Latin word “rogare,” which means to ask or petition, and had its origins in 6th Century Rome when Pope Gregory the Great instituted the commemoration to beg God’s intercession to end a plague.

The ancient Rogation Mass is a penitential Mass, with the priest wearing violet vestments, and Mass is preceded by the chanting the Litany of the Saints, and an outdoor procession. Besides

Mira Via matching gift exceeded

this being Father Codd’s first Rogation Mass, this Mass was likely the first public Rogation Mass offered since the diocese was established in 1972.

The Extraordinary Form commemorates two sets of Rogation Masses each year. The first, celebrated on April 25, is called the “major” Rogation day or “Greater Litanies,” while another set of Rogation Masses are commemorated during the three days prior to Ascension Thursday. These Ascension week Rogation Masses are of French origin from the 5th Century and were instituted to implore God’s protection against natural disasters. These latter Masses, called the “minor” Rogation day or “Minor Litanies,” are occasionally accompanied by a blessing of fields or farms.

The Rogation Mass in Charlotte wasn’t the only commemoration in the diocese this year.

Father Jason Christian, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, also offered a special Rogation Mass and procession April 25.

— Markus Kuncuro and Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

Diocese plans sale of historic school, to be renovated as affordable senior housing LEXINGTON — In consultation with Preservation North Carolina, the Diocese of Charlotte is planning to sell the Dunbar School, a historic building in Lexington, for a future development that will honor its legacy of community service.

Built in 1951 and expanded several times over the years, the Dunbar School is an important part of Lexington’s history. The city’s only high school for African Americans before integration, it was named for Paul Lawrence Dunbar, an African American poet born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1872. He was the son of former slaves and classmate of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Though Dunbar only lived to be 33 years old, he was a prolific writer who was popular with black and white readers of his day, and his works continue to be celebrated today. Many schools across the nation reflect the Dunbar name.

The diocese purchased the vacant property in 2009 with the hope of preserving its history and continuing its legacy as a community asset by converting the building into affordable senior housing. However, diocesan officials said as they worked through development plans it became clear the diocese did not have the means to properly renovate the building, so the diocese leased it to community organizations over the next several years while alternative plans could be considered.

“Ultimately, the cost of maintaining the structure far exceeded the leasing income, so the diocese closed the building a few years ago and began a thoughtful search to find a community-minded buyer,” said Anthony Morlando, diocesan properties and risk management director. “Fortunately, we found just that: We have agreed to sell the 10-acre site at near cost to a development company that is pursuing plans for affordable senior housing like the diocese had originally envisioned and that will honor the historic nature of the property,

CHARLOTTE — MiraVia, a Catholic, non-profit charity which helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children, successfully completed a recent fundraising campaign that will help establish a new outreach center. The campaign exceeded a gift matching goal to raise $77,700 by Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11.

An anonymous donor presented the challenge and donors responded, raising $106,203.

That means $183,903 will go towards the new outreach center in Charlotte, enabling MiraVia to build upon the program’s strong foundation and increase its services to expecting and new mothers in need.

— Megan Edahl

Considering the diaconate?

If you are interested in the possibility of serving as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Charlotte, contact Deacon Ed Konarski at Eward.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 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’s website at www.charlottediocese. org/permanent-diaconate/permanentdiaconate/ and then clicking on Application Norms.

Sparta Knights help local pregnancy center, food closet SPARTA — The Knights of Columbus Roundtable at St. Frances of Rome Mission recently presented a $50 donation to the Alleghany Pregnancy Center. Pictured above are Sir Knights Al Stenco, Gary Carlson, John Pokorney, Executive Director Ronda Patrick, Program Director Tammy Mason, and Sir Knight Greg Songhurst.

The Knights of Columbus Roundtable at St. Francis of Rome in Sparta also recently presented a $250 donation to the Solid Rock Food Closet. Pictured below are Carlson, Pokorney, Stenco and Songhurst with Volunteer Coordinator Vivian Valdes-Fauli.

— Patrick Hession, correspondent

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 OUR PARISHES

CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY

(At right) Alberta Hairston – “Mama H” to all who know her – is a beloved member of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. Throughout her life as a mother, teacher, mentor and campus minister, she emphasizes that in order to share the love of Christ, we must connect with others.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARYANN LUEDTKE

(Below) Hairston is pictured with Leon Bell, N.C. A&T Class of 2008.

Bell went on to receive a master’s degree in clinical/medical social work from Howard University as well as studied in a master’s program for special education at ECU. PHOTO PROVIDED

Faith, love and food: All things ‘Mama H’ Mother, mentor shines as example to others GEORGIANNA PENN CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — Three gifts of grace tell the story of Alberta Hairston, former Catholic Campus Minister for Thea House which serves A&T State University and Bennett College: “My mother’s faith, my community and the Catholic Church.”

Through these gifts Hairston – lovingly known as “Mama H” – has fully lived her vocation as mother, teacher, mentor and campus minister. And the roots of her faith and vocation run deep.

Growing up, Hairston and her brother Paul walked to Mass each day with their mother, Mary Elizabeth Coughlin. “I was fascinated by the altar,” Hairston said of her childhood parish, Holy Trinity Church, nestled in the west end of Cincinnati, Ohio.

“The tabernacle rotated by the push of a button and the monstrance would appear because we’d have Benediction after each High Mass,” recalls Hairston, a Pre-Vatican II African American Catholic. “All around the tabernacle would light up, I couldn’t wait! And the consecration – that was my favorite part of Mass.”

“There’s a lot people can do over the breaking of the bread,” says Hairston, who incorporated cooking as a way of building community during her 19 years as Catholic campus minister at Thea House. “Cooking is her gift,” says Krisan

Walker, chairperson for St. Pius X Church’s Community Life group.

And, not surprisingly, the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is her favorite Scripture. By sharing a meal together, “Mama H” knew what her students needed.

“Mama H’s life’s work is a very real pro-life thing,” says Walker. Even students experiencing unplanned pregnancies found Thea House. Hairston accompanied them in charity by providing love, weekly meals and spiritual support – all things needed to stay in school and raise a new baby. “All things Mama H,” says Walker. “To know love, you’ve got to meet love.”

MEET ‘MAMA H’

Raised in a diverse part of Cincinnati in the 1940s, her mother taught Hairston to respect the dignity of all God’s people.

Their neighbors were Italian, German, Irish – many of whom were local merchants and shopkeepers.

“They lived above their shops. We had the green grocer, the butcher, the apothecary,” recalls Hairston. “Our mother made sure we were on our best behavior when we visited the merchants. We treated them with great respect. And in return, they treated us with respect, even though they knew we were poor.”

Hairston’s family lived in an old, substandard plank house. There was always a pot of warm water idling on the stove and Big Band music playing on the radio.

Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, played either on an old Victrola, “the kind you had to wind up,” or on one of their two Crosley radios, typically reserved for blackout drills during World War II.

In the summers while still a child, Hairston discovered her love for sharing food. She and her brother and mother made regular trips to the railroad freight yard for food that had arrived for merchants to purchase for their shops. “Cornmeal, flour, sugar, onions, potatoes… if anything was bruised or the bags were busted, it went to waste, so we’d take it home,” remembers Hairston. “Someone made my mother a pushcart out of what had been my baby buggy wheels and put boards on it. We’d

walk down Pike Street behind the brewery with that pushcart full of food.”

When she got tired from the uphill walk home, she would climb on top of the potatoes and go for a ride. “My brother strapped me on safely somehow. We could not wait to get home and share our goodies with awaiting neighbors.”

Her mother died in 1950, when Hairston was just 12 years old. Several foster homes later, Hairston went to live with her social worker from Catholic Charities, also named Elizabeth like her mother. Catholic Charities took Hairston under its wing and helped form her young life. They paid her high school tuition and gave her a weekly allowance. In return, Hairston mentored young mothers, teaching them to shop, cook and have personal dignity in caring for their homes and children – a glimpse into her own maternal vocation.

In 1956, Hairston received a scholarship to Bennett College. Hairston never “felt” segregation up North. At Bennett, they had a strict dress code and never left their dorm rooms without their hats, gloves and stockings. Excited to venture downtown to one of Greensboro’s finest department stores for a new hat, Hairston was appalled when she arrived and was not permitted to try on the hats. Movie theaters were segregated, too. “You want me to pay 50 cents for a movie ticket, but then tell me where I need to sit and insult me with a neon sign that read ‘Colored Entrance’?

I had never seen that in my life,” says Hairston. A&T and Bennett students came from all over the country and were not accustomed to this type of treatment.

She left college and went to work as a Catholic school teacher in Ohio during the

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY In this photo taken at her mother’s house in the 1940s, Hairston is seated in the middle surrounded by her cousins.

Framed on the wall is an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Her mother had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, praying the novena often – and Hairston herself continues to pray it on the first Friday of each month.

PHOTO PROVIDED

1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, Hairston’s daughter, Susan Elizabeth Hairston, discovered Bennett College and upon graduating, encouraged Hairston to move back to Greensboro to finish her degree at Bennett. Hairston not only earned her degree from Bennett, she then went on to earn a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University.

In 1990, for this mother-daughter duo, St. Pius X Church in Greensboro became their church home. Thea House opened in 1992, run by the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province. St. Pius X’s then pastor, Father David Hyman, was the first campus minister. In 1994, Thea House became part of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Campus Ministry program and Hairston served there from 1994 to 2013.

“Mama H wanted Thea House to be a home away from home,” says Father Amadi Marcel, Thea House’s current Catholic campus minister. “She treated the students as her own children and grandchildren.”

When Hairston’s daughter died, Thea House became her refuge. Hairston remembers Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, reminding her that although she had lost her daughter, through Thea House God has given her many children.

“Mama H was my spiritual mom,” says Dr. Janine Davenport, an A&T graduate and veterinarian for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, who converted to the faith during her time at Thea House. “She coached me through the gates of understanding.”

“Mama H brought ‘home’ to me as a student by providing a safe place to grow in my faith,” adds alumna and Thea House supporter Nadra Taylor. “She welcomed everyone with open arms and helped students navigate through issues they faced as they transitioned into adulthood.

She is a true example of what God calls His people to do – and that is to love.”

“Mama H is someone special. She is a shining light for Christ,” echoes parishioner Deb Ritzel, who traveled to Lourdes, France, with Hairston and the Order of Malta in 2019.

Monsignor Marcaccio notes, “There are many modes of ministry and many gifts but the same Spirit. Alberta’s gift is a keen and kind maternal sense, which manifested in her role as campus minister and continues among our parishioners today.

“Alberta, who is always observant and very intuitive, can spot the person who needs extra encouragement of knowing that they have a ‘Mama’ in their corner.

Alberta can be firm and challenging. She

also is not afraid to offer tough love and call things the way she sees them. However, she is supremely generous and forgiving.

“Alberta has walked the journey of faith with our college students in good times and bad. Together they faced so many things, ranging from the crisis of being displaced by a hurricane to supporting a student’s decision for life. Alberta has also helped me with our African refugee families.

Some were traumatized by their experience during the camps in Africa and had great difficulty getting adjusted to a new lifestyle here. Alberta’s maternal affection helped them find healing for those deep hurts and prepared them for the achievable opportunities that have led to hope and success.”

“I used to celebrate Holy Mass at Thea House on Sunday evenings, which ended with a delicious home-cooked meal.

Alberta makes the best soul food, and her greens are legendary,” says Marcaccio. “I distinctly remember marveling at those enormous trays of chicken and mac and cheese. Why so much and why only thighs?

Because thighs were cheaper and Alberta would stretch that grocery budget to the maximum in order to have plenty of leftovers.”

“You see, often the students were the first ones in their families to go to college; and while they may have been able to cover tuition through grants and loans, they had little left for meals,” he says.

“Those Sunday meals carried the kids through the week, and me, too. Not that I took a thigh home because of lean times, but because Mama H’s first ingredient on her every recipe was love. Her ministry – her life’s mission – is the unconditional love of a mother, and that takes you very far in life.”

Though Hairston is retired she hasn’t slowed down at her parish, and on her “to-do list” is getting involved with Room At The Inn, a local housing and support program for single pregnant women and single mothers with children suffering from homelessness.

To share the love of Christ, we must connect with others, she insists. “Sitting at the table together puts everybody on the same plane. (And) it is important for our elders to spend time with our youth.”

She encourages people to volunteer with their local campus ministry program or with their parish’s youth group.

It is in the breaking of the bread that we see Christ in each other, she says.

“Just having a cup of coffee and sandwich with someone means a lot.”

Catholic Charities’ Wee Care Shoppe has new addition SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — For nearly 35 years, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte has served new mothers in need with a Wee Care Shoppe located in WinstonSalem providing clothing, blankets, bottles, diapers, wipes and other needed supplies to families with babies.

Now Catholic Charities’ Lenoir office has opened a similar Wee Care Shoppe to help people living in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties who are struggling to provide essentials for their children especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For parents of infants and young children, buying diapers, baby wipes and clothing are major, unavoidable expenses. Diaper purchases alone can make up a significant percentage of a family’s monthly budget, as the yearly cost of diapers can range from $600 to more than $1,000 per child.

“Families are struggling to make ends meet, even families where one or two parents are working,” notes Joe Purello, director of the Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy for Catholic Charities.

Distributing essential items for infants and toddlers of families in need really helps bridge the gap. In just the first quarter of 2021, Catholic Charities’ Lenoir office assisted 46 households – a total of 201 people.

Purello says that in Lenoir, “Participants who pick up the diapers or who come for the diaper/infant supply distribution include moms, dads and sometimes grandparents.”

Becky DuBois, regional office director in Winston-Salem, credits the generosity of individuals, parish ministries and other groups who have donated new or gently-used items to the Wee Care Shoppe to support families in caring for their babies.

“We all know it is expensive to clothe and diaper babies, who quickly grow and need larger sizes. The Wee Care Shoppe Ministry can help reduce stress for parents,” she said.

According to Winston-Salem volunteer Judy Moore, the effect the ministry has on moms is tangible.

It is “so heartwarming to see the happiness and relief in a mother’s eyes when she finds needed clothing and shoes for her child, and she knows that they are hers free of charge,” she said. “As a Catholic agency we are pro-life. We need to support mothers, especially those who have chosen life instead of abortion.”

Christine Bohle, who also serves families in Winston-Salem, adds, “I volunteer in the Wee Care Shoppe because I know I make a difference in these peoples’ lives. The smiles and thank yous from caregivers is something no paycheck could ever match.”

In Forsyth County, Triad Baby Love Plus provides case management services and referrals to community resources to families with newborns to infants up to 18 months old. They frequently refer families to the Wee Care Shoppe to obtain baby supplies.

Baby Love Plus recently thanked Catholic Charities Wee Care Shoppe for its assistance, quoting Matthew 25:35

in their acknowledgment: “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

“You invited our participants into your Wee Care Shoppe and allowed us to shop for baby formula, Pampers and clothing, and other needed supplies. We’d like to say ‘thanks’ for showing your support,” the agency said.

Want to donate?

Wee Care relies heavily on donations from individuals, parishes and others. To make a secure financial gift online, go to www.ccdoc. org/donate. Call ahead to the Winston-Salem office at 336-727-0705 or the Lenoir office at 828-434-5710 to schedule a drop-off of donations of baby items. Donations including diapers and baby wipes are welcome, but baby seats and furniture (such as cribs and mattresses) cannot be accepted. Clothing donations must be for small children (up to 2T) and must be new or clean and gently used.

Can your parish, neighborhood or school host a “Diaper Drive”? Catholic Charities will provide flyers for bulletins and will arrange the pick-up of large parish/school bulk collections of diapers and baby wipes.

Need help?

Families in Lenoir or the Piedmont Triad seeking assistance can call Catholic Charities to get help from a case management coordinator, in English or in Spanish. For those who do not live in Lenoir or Winston-Salem, Catholic Charities staff can also try to connect families in need with access to local diaper banks and other services, as well. n Lenoir Office, 328-B Woodsway Lane N.W.: 828-434-5710 n Winston-Salem Office, 1612 E. 14th St. N.E.: 336-727-0705 Appointments for item pick-up are scheduled in Lenoir and Winston-Salem. If a voicemail message is reached, please leave name, phone number and home city. Items offered are: diapers, baby wipes, infant and toddler toiletries, and new and gently used clothing and baby blankets – for infants and toddlers up to 2 years old.

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 10

Padre Julio Domínguez

A las madres en su día

C

uando Dios tuvo a bien pensar en la mujer, vio que el hombre se sentía solo y tuvo la gran idea de darle una compañera. A esta la llamó Eva pues sería la madre de todos los vivientes Desde el origen de esta maravillosa creación de Dios, la mujer ha sido pensada con un doble instinto, el primero ser compañía y el segundo ser madre.

El primer instinto es muy esencial y hermoso a la vez, pues siempre veremos el papel de la mujer en nuestra sociedad, en nuestras vidas, como aquella que sabe identificar lo que nos agobia, lo que nos preocupa. Ese sexto sentido que ellas tienen es siempre un don que han recibido de Dios para poder acompañar al ser humano y estar al pendiente de los demás.

Ese don de Dios es tan maravilloso pues podríamos decirlo que las asemeja a Dios en su divina providencia y cuidado por los demás.

El segundo instinto es todavía mas sorprendente y maravilloso, me refiero al don de la maternidad. Ya desde el momento que Dios creo a la mujer, quiso poner en ella todas las facultades para que fuera fecunda, que fuera capaz de cooperar con Dios en la obra de la creación de un nuevo ser y sobre todo puso en ella todo ese amor, profundo y encarnado de proteger e incluso dar su vida por ese ser concebido en su seno.

Ser madre no es cualquier cosa, es un don venido de lo alta, es un don al servicio de una humanidad que recibió el mandato de ser fecundos y multiplicarse. Ser madre toca las más íntimas fibras del ser humano.

Es por eso que nuestras madres siempre están al pendiente de nosotros, aún cuando casi tengamos cincuenta años, ellas seguirán preguntando si estamos bien o si las necesitamos, ¿qué acaso no es lo mismo que hace Dios con todos nosotros que, a lo largo de nuestra existencia, no aparta sus ojos de nosotros?

Nuestras mamás buscan el bien de nosotros, siempre tratando que seamos mejores, que tengamos éxito en la vida, que mejoremos en todo, incluso muchas veces en nuestras actitudes desviadas, porque saben que todo ello nos llevara a la felicidad. Al igual que Dios, ese ser extraordinario, que como bellamente diría el Papa Luciani o Juan Pablo I en su discurso del 10 de septiembre de 1978 “Dio e anche Madre-Dios también es Madre” refiriéndose a que Dios está siempre al pendiente de que nosotros vayamos triunfando, creciendo en sabiduría y en gracia, dándonos los medios para convertirnos siempre, asemejándonos a Él, haciendo relucir nuestra dignidad humana y sobre todo mostrándonos el camino hacia DOMÍNGUEZ, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

El mayor regalo de una madre: entregar su hijo a Dios Como María, doña Esperanza Prieto dijo “Sí” a la voluntad divina CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — El 21 de febrero de 1971, a pocos días de cumplir 26 años de edad, la señora Esperanza Prieto recibió por primera vez en su vida la tarea más sublime que Dios puede encargar a una mujer: la de ser madre.

Un año después, el 12 de abril de 1972, una nueva vida llegaría a la familia formada por Esperanza y Marcial Domínguez. El recién nacido, el nuevo vástago, a quien luego bautizaron con el nombre de Julio César, completaría la felicidad en el hogar junto a su primer hermanito, Luis Santiago.

Esperanza y Marcial habían contraído nupcias en Altamira, estado de Tamaulipas, zona costera del Golfo de México de donde son originarios. Apenas casados, siguiendo el deseo de mejorar su vidas, se trasladaron a Tampico, a poco más de diez millas al sur de Altamira, donde la familia tendría mayores posibilidades de progresar y crecer. Además, los padres y hermanos de doña Esperanza se habían mudado a esta ciudad y el nuevo matrimonio no estaría solo.

La familia, instalada en Tampico, vio crecer a sus niños bajo el amparo de Dios, siguiendo sus preceptos y enseñanzas. Los

padres, trabajadores, amorosos y piadosos, siempre proveyeron de cuidado espiritual y material a Luis Santiago y Julio César.

“Mis hijos tuvieron una niñez de familia, rodeados por nuestro amor, el de mis hermanos, sus primos. Siempre

juntos”, dice doña Esperanza.

Mientras don Marcial se desempeñaba como chofer, doña Esperanza se quedaba con los niños, trabajaba en las labores del hogar y también se las ingeniaba para buscar tareas que complementaran los ingresos de la casa. “A veces no alcanzaba, por los gastos de los estudios y todo, pero

puedo decir que siempre, como familia, hemos tenido una vida buena”, asegura.

INIMAGINABLE Lo que nunca imaginaría doña Esperanza, es que más adelante tendría que compartir el amor de su hijo Julio César con cientos, miles de otras personas a las que él sirve con amor paternal. Julio César, el menor, sería ordenado sacerdote por el Obispo Willian Curlin el siete de julio de 2003 junto a los sacerdotes Enrique González Gaytán y Matthew Ryan Beuttner.

Julio César es nuestro Padre Julio Domínguez, Director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

“César (como llaman en la familia al Padre Julio), siempre fue un niño al que no le gustaban las bromas pesadas.

Mientras él siempre quería ir al Catecismo, su hermano no, lo que me reclamaba porque tenían que ir juntos”. La devoción de la familia por la Virgen de Guadalupe, pero “también por el principal, al que vamos a seguir sus pasos toda la vida, a Jesús”, marcó la vida del Padre Julio César Domínguez.

“Ya desde que era niño me di cuenta que mi hijo se animaba para el sacerdocio”, MADRE, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

Caridades Católicas tiene nuevo local WeeCare Shoppe SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

CHARLOTTE — Por cerca de 35 años, Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Charlotte viene sirviendo a madres en necesidad con una tienda Wee Care Shoppe localizada en Winston-Salem proveyendo ropita, frazadas, bottles, pañales, pañitos de limpieza y otros suministros a las familias con bebés.

Ahora, la oficina de Caridades Católicas en Lenoir ha abierto una tienda Wee Care Shoppe para ayudar a las personas que residen en los condados Alexander, Burke, Caldwell y Catawba que se ven en apuros para proveer cuidados a sus niños, especialmente durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

“Las familias están luchando para llegar a fin de mes, incluso aquellas en las que ambos padres trabajan”, señaló Joe Purello, director de la Oficina de Asuntos

Sociales y Defensa de Caridades Católicas.

Solo en el primer trimestre de 2021, la oficina de Lenoir asistió a 46 hogares, con un total de 201 personas. Purello dijo que en Lenoir, “una gran cantidad de participantes que recogen los pañales o vienen por la distribución de pañales o suministros para bebés son papás”.

Becky DuBois, directora de la oficina regional en Winston-Salem, acredita la generosidad de las personas, ministerios parroquiales y otros grupos que han donado artículos a Wee Care Shoppe. “El Ministerio Wee Care Shoppe puede ayudar a reducir el estrés de los padres”, dijo.

En el condado Forsyth, Triad Baby Love Plus brinda servicios de administración de casos y referencias a recursos comunitarios para familias con recién nacidos y bebés de hasta 18 meses de edad.

Con frecuencia derivan a las familias a Wee Care Shoppe por ayuda.

Baby Love Plus agradeció recientemente

a Wee Care Shoppe, citando Mateo 25:35 en su reconocimiento: “Porque tenía hambre y me diste de comer, tenía sed y me diste de beber, era extranjero y me diste la bienvenida”.

“Ustedes invitaron a nuestros participantes a su Wee Care Shoppe y les permitieron recibir fórmula para bebés, pañales, ropa y otros suministros necesarios. Nos gustaría decirles ‘gracias’ por mostrarnos su apoyo”, dijo la agencia.

¿Quiere donar?

Para hacer una donación segura online, visite www.ccdoc.org/donate. Llame con anticipación a la oficina de Winston-Salem al 336-727-0705 o a la oficina de Lenoir al 828-434-5710 para programar una entrega de donaciones. No se aceptan sillas y muebles para bebés. ¿Puede organizar una campaña de WEECARE, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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‘Mantengan la fe’ 2007, su asignación más larga. Le encanta la integración de las personas y culturas allí, y fue muy apreciado por su consejería, su estudio bíblico Great Adventure y por supervisar la expansión del nártex y lograr la pavimentación del parque de estacionamiento.

Pero en diciembre pasado, el Padre Kottar comenzó a sentirse mareado, y en ocasiones tuvo que cancelar la Misa. Después de lo que parecían ser pruebas interminables, en abril recibió el diagnóstico terminal.

“Fue difícil de escuchar. Pensé que tendría unos años más. Pero si Dios me quiere ahora, entonces eso es lo que será. No puedo entender cómo alguien podría superar algo como esto sin fe”, dijo el Padre Kottar, justo antes de encontrarse con los seminaristas universitarios.

Encarando la muerte, sacerdote convierte su despedida en un momento de enseñanza LIZ CHANDLER DIRECTORA DE COMUNICACIONES

MOUNT HOLLY — Mientras caía el sol a fines de la semana pasada, unas enfermeras llevaron en silla de ruedas al Padre Michael Kottar a los exteriores del Hospital Carolinas Rehabilitation de Atrium Health, donde 27 jóvenes que estudian para convertirse en sacerdotes se preparaban para darle el adiós.

A los 53 años, el Padre Kottar ha sido diagnosticado con la enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, una enfermedad cerebral extremadamente rara y agresiva para la que no existe un tratamiento o cura. Al día siguiente, el sacerdote por 27 años abordaría un vuelo médico con destino a Ohio, donde estará con su familia y recibirá la atención que Kottar necesita al final de sus días.

Pero esa tarde, el Padre Kottar se sentía inquieto al dejar a la congregación diversa de 300 familias que pastorea en la parroquia Santa María Auxiliadora en Shelby y en la Misión Cristo Rey en Kings Mountain. Sin embargo, le complació pasar un momento con los futuros sacerdotes de la Diócesis de Charlotte, ya que haberse convertido en sacerdote es el logro que más atesora.

Los seminaristas universitarios habían llegado para cantar, orar y brindar consuelo al Padre Kottar. Nadie podría imaginar que el Padre Kottar también tenía un regalo para ellos.

QUERIDO SACERDOTE

Nacido y criado en Youngstown, Ohio, Michael Kottar es el primero de tres hijos, el hermano mayor de las gemelas

”SE TRATA DE TENER FE” a las que simplemente llamaba “hermana” porque no podía distinguirlas. Su madre trabajó como secretaria y técnica bibliotecaria de una escuela católica, y su padre coordinaba una línea de ensamblaje para la General Motors.

Era un ratón de biblioteca que se graduó como el mejor de su clase en la escuela secundaria y “sorprendió” a sus hermanas cuando anunció que quería convertirse en sacerdote.

Michael se sumergió en los estudios, primero en la Universidad Pontificia Josephinum en Ohio, luego obteniendo el Bachillerato en Filosofía del Seminario Redentorista San Alfonso en Connecticut, y finalmente logrando una Maestría en Divinidad del Seminario Mount St. Mary en Maryland, en 1994. Fue ordenado sacerdote ese mismo año por la Diócesis de Metuchen, Nueva Jersey, donde sirvió cinco años antes de unirse a la Diócesis de Charlotte en 1999.

El Padre Kottar sirvió en Charlotte, North Wilkesboro, Andrews y Shelby. Aficionado al gimnasio, le fascina el hiking y navegar por el Caribe con su compatriota, el Padre Herbert Burke, quien dirige la vecina parroquia Inmaculada Concepción en Forest City. También es conocido por su sentido del humor, al estilo británico, y por su manera de hablar: ofrece conmovedoras homilías, que hicieron que las peregrinaciones que condujo fueran particularmente significativas.

El Padre Kottar se convirtió en pastor de Santa María en

Con calma, el Padre Kottar, sentado en su silla de ruedas, escuchó la bendición de sus compañeros sacerdotes, recibió la Sagrada Comunión y un rocío de agua bendita.

Sonrió mientras los seminaristas, armonizando con las Hijas de la Virgen Madre, cantaban el Regina Caelli en tenor melódico, bajo y barítono.

Entonces el Padre Kottar, que había estado incapacitado durante días por una infección, se animó a decir unas palabras.

“Es maravilloso ver una Diócesis de Charlotte en crecimiento”, dijo. “En caso que muera, tengo algunas palabras para el futuro: es un buen futuro”.

“Ha habido algunos tiempos malos en la Iglesia”, señaló, consciente de la crisis de abuso sexual por parte del clero y las divisiones políticas dentro de la Iglesia.

“Entonces, tienen sus trabajos por delante. Puede que aún no sepan cuáles son, pero Dios tiene un plan para cada uno de ustedes”.

Les animó a enseñar el rezo del Rosario, venerar la Eucaristía y a estar por encima de divisiones.

“Desearía poder quedarme un poco más, y tal vez lo haga. Pero ustedes van a ser el futuro. Y creo que ser liberal o conservador no es importante. Se trata de tener fe, tener fe en Dios. Así que mantengan la fe”.

Entre lágrimas, su hermana Renee Selby dijo que espera que sus palabras y ejemplo inspiren a cualquier joven que esté explorando su propósito en la vida.

MANTENGAN, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

Padre Gregorio deja Charlotte Congregación Vicentina lo envía a Panamá CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — En un escueto comunicado publicado el pasado domingo 25 de abril en la página de facebook de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, el Padre Gregorio Gay, párroco, dio a conocer a la feligresía que el próximo 4 de julio celebrará su última misa dominical antes de dejar la parroquia.

Después de tomar unas breves vacaciones con su familia, el Padre Gregorio, siguiendo las indicaciones del Superior General de la Congregación de la Misión Vicentina, se instalará en una nueva misión en la República de Panamá.

El Padre Gregorio inició sus labores en Charlotte asistiendo al Padre Vicente Finnerty en diciembre de 2016. En agosto de 2019 fue nombrado párroco e instalado en una Misa celebrada por el Obispo Peter Jugis. Desde ese entonces ha servido con particular dedicación a la feligresía, participado en numerosos eventos en defensa de los derechos humanos de los migrantes y se ha convertido en la voz de “la periferia”, tal como la define el Papa Francisco, a la que llega con ayuda espiritual y material.

En su comunicado, el Padre Gregorio relata que hace más de un año escribió una carta al Superior General de la Congregación de la Misión haciéndose voluntario para una misión internacional en Alaska.

Sin embargo, hace más de un mes falleció uno de sus buenos amigos, misionero en Panamá, cuya muerte lo

tocó profundamente. “Entonces, pregunté a mí Visitador Provincial sobre la necesidad en Panamá y me dijo que la situación del personal era crítica”, por lo que, pidiendo realizar la voluntad de Dios, ha sido designado para colaborar en este último destino.

En la misma comunicación, expresa que el Obispo Peter Jugis le ha agradecido por el servicio brindado a la comunidad de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y aprobado que el Padre Leo Tiburcio, C.M., sea nombrado como párroco y, al mismo tiempo, el Superior Provincial de la orden nombrará al Padre Hugo Medellín, C.M., como superior de la casa. Ambos sacerdotes actualmente se desempeñan como vicarios parroquiales.

“Muchos me han preguntado cómo me siento. Por un lado, obviamente triste porque la parroquia aquí es una verdadera comunidad activa con muchas personas dispuestas a apoyar en la construcción de una verdadera comunidad de fe. También me siento agradecido por la manera que la comunidad aquí, junto con los empleados, mis co-hermanos, y los demás voluntarios de la parroquia me han edificado con su amor para con Dios, la Iglesia, y la parroquia. También estoy feliz de tener la posibilidad de servir en el país donde creció mi amor para con los humildes en una iglesia verdaderamente formada por todos los bautizados. Cuenten siempre con mis oraciones y mi amistad”, escribió el Padre Gregorio.

VIDA DE SERVICIO

El Padre Gregory Gay III nació en Baltimore, Maryland, el 8 de octubre de 1953. Ingresó a la Congregación de la Misión el 8 de agosto de 1973, y se formó en el Seminario María Inmaculada en Northampton, Pennsylvania, donde recibió un Master en Divinidad y Teología, siendo ordenado sacerdote el 24 de mayo de 1980.

ARCHIVO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

En la imagen de archivo, el Padre Gregorio Gay aparece junto al Obispo Peter Jugis durante la Misa de Instalación como párroco celebrada el 6 de agosto de 2019. Más adelante, haciendo una profesión de fe y poniendo sus manos sobre la Sagrada Biblia, renovó su juramento de fidelidad a la Iglesia.

Entre 1985 y 2000 sirvió en la Misión de Panamá, donde fue nombrado Provincial de ese territorio. En 2004 fue elegido Superior General, siendo reelecto para el cargo en 2010, teniendo a su cargo a aproximadamente cuatro mil hermanos y sacerdotes vicentinos y más de 23 mil Hijas de la Caridad en 90 países.

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Mayo, mes de la Salud Mental “No estás solo’, Caridades Católicas ofrece consejería CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — En mayo se celebra el Mes de la Concientización sobre la Salud Mental, que comenzó en los Estados Unidos en 1949 por iniciativa de Mental Health America (MHA) con el propósito de crear conciencia y educar al público sobre las ​​enfermedades mentales, el efecto que tienen sobre la salud física y emocional de los niños, sus familias y comunidades; celebrar la recuperación de las personas afectadas; así como también reducir los estereotipos y conceptos equivocados que rodean a las enfermedades mentales. El lema para este año 2021 es ‘No estás solo’.

Los CDC, Centros para la Prevención y Control de Enfermedades de Estados Unidos, aseguran que la salud mental de una persona puede cambiar con el tiempo, y las enfermedades mentales, especialmente la depresión, aumentan el riesgo de muchos tipos de problemas de salud física, como derrames cerebrales, diabetes tipo 2 y enfermedades cardíacas. De la misma manera, la presencia de afecciones crónicas puede aumentar el riesgo de contraer una enfermedad mental.

CAUSAS

Los CDC afirman que más de la mitad de estadounidenses serán diagnosticados con un desorden mental a lo largo de su vida y uno de cada 25 habitantes vive con una seria enfermedad mental como esquizofrenia, bipolaridad o depresión mayor.

Numerosos factores afectan la salud mental de las personas, tales como traumas, historias de abuso, condiciones médicas crónicas como el cáncer o diabetes, factores biológicos, desequilibrios químicos en el cerebro, uso de alcohol o drogas recreativas, tener pocos amigos o sentimientos de soledad y aislamiento.

Hoy, cuando la presencia de la pandemia de COVID-19 ha tenido o tiene un efecto en nuestras vidas, muchas personas enfrentan desafíos que resultan agobiantes y causan emociones fuertes, tanto en niños como adultos.

El distanciamiento social, establecido por las autoridades sanitarias para detener el contagio del virus, puede hacernos sentir aislados e incrementar el estrés y ansiedad que podrían causar miedo, rabia, preocupaciones, frustración; cambios en el apetito, energía, deseos e intereses; dificultad en la concentración y toma de decisiones; problemas del sueño y pesadillas; así como también repercusiones físicas como dolores de cabeza, de cuerpo, problemas estomacales y de piel. Lamentablemente, el estrés agrava la salud mental, los problemas físicos existentes e incrementa el uso de tabaco, alcohol y otras sustancias, advierten los CDC.

AYUDA

Pero no todo el panorama pinta de color oscuro. El programa de consejería de salud mental de la Diócesis de Charlotte de Caridades Católicas, al igual que el que ofrecen otras organizaciones, está disponibles para ayudar.

La agencia ha pasado de sesiones en persona a sesiones de “teleconsejería” durante estos tiempos inciertos.

La “teleconsejería” se ofrece a través de una plataforma segura y fácil de usar. Las personas usan su computadora, teléfono celular o tableta para tener una sesión de video confidencial cara a cara con un consejero, que dura aproximadamente una hora, e incluye la misma calidad y servicio que el asesoramiento en persona.

La consejería, que también se brinda en español para individuos y parejas, es ofrecida por titulados en psicología, consejería o trabajo social con licencia en Carolina del Norte.

Más online Obtenga más información sobre la teleconsejería ofrecida por Caridades Católicas www.ccdoc.org (seleccione ‘Counseling’ en la pestaña ‘Services’), o llame al 828-255-0146 en Asheville, 704-3703227 en Charlotte, o al 336 -714-3204 en Greensboro o WinstonSalem.

Existe ayuda local a través de MHA of Central Carolinas. Para acceder a ella visite www.mhacentralcarolinas.org y haga click en la pestaña ‘En Español’ en lo alto de la página.

FOTO CORTESÍA HERMANA JUANA PEARSON

Después de recibir el pedido de ayuda de Caridades Católicas de Estados Unidos, la hermana Juana Pearson viajó a la zona fronteriza de Texas para, con su presencia, colaborar en la atención de cientos de menores no acompañados que solicitan refugio en nuestro país. “Sé que voy a regresar con un cambio para bien. Mi corazón y mis ojos estarán más abiertos de lo que hoy están, al igual que mi compromiso con la gente”, dijo.

Hermana Juana Pearson echará una mano en albergue fronterizo CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

SALISBURY — Atendiendo el urgente llamado de Caridades Católicas de Estados Unidos, la hermana Juana Pearson viajó el sábado 1 de mayo a McAllen, Texas, en auxilio del personal que atiende la emergencia migratoria fronteriza en la que miles de niños no acompañados llegan al país huyendo de la violencia en sus países de origen.

Según nos informó la hermana Juana, la Conferencia de mujeres líderes religiosas (LCWR) solicitó a todas las congregaciones en Estados Unidos si podrían permitir que algunas de sus monjas sirvan en los refugios ubicados a lo largo del estado de Texas.

La hermana Juana Pearson pertenece a la congregación de las Hermanas de San José, en Philadelphia, y es coordinadora del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Salisbury.

El Servicio Católico de Noticias reportó que desde el pasado mes de febrero, la hermana Norma Pimentel, Misionera de Jesús y directora ejecutiva de Caridades Católicas del Valle del Río Grande en la Diócesis de Brownsville, inició el proceso de ayuda a solicitantes de asilo que se encontraban a la espera en territorio mexicano, desde que los Protocolos de Protección al Migrante de la administración de Donald Trump -también conocidos como el programa “Quédate en México”- se pusieron en marcha durante el verano de 2019. La mayoría en el campamento son familias con niños menores de 7 años.

La crisis migratoria se agravó con la llegada de miles de niños no acompañados que huyen de la violencia en Centroamérica y México. Los servicios de refugio y salubridad se vieron desbordados, así como el personal voluntario que sirve desinteresadamente.

La hermana Juana afirma que el lunes, después de Pascua de Resurrección, llegó a sus manos el llamado

de auxilio. Después de considerar su estado de salud, edad y trabajo pendiente en la diócesis, puso en oración su decisión.

El martes siguiente, su congregación respondió positivamente y, tras contactar a Caridades Católicas de Estados Unidos, recibió la llamada de la oficina en McAllen requiriendo su presencia lo más pronto posible. Debido a que ya había recibido su segunda dosis de inmunización contra el COVID-19, se programó su salida para el primer día de mayo.

“Oré antes de presentarme. ‘Señor, quisiera hacer algo más’, le dije y sé, en mi corazón, que Dios quiere que esté allí. No sé por qué pero si se que quiere que esté allí”, nos dijo.

“La gente es tratada malamente, no son bienvenidos.

Sé que algunas personas están atacando a los voluntarios. Ellos no solo necesitan mis oraciones sino también mis manos en acción”, añadió.

La hermana Juana es consciente que algunas personas que conoce pueden no apoyar su decisión.

“Tengo que responder ante Dios la vocación que me entregó. Mi compromiso con el Señor fue hacer su voluntad con la energía que él me otorga. Ante Dios puedo decir que respondió a mis oraciones, que hice frente a mis responsabilidades y las tomé. Sé que es lo correcto que debo hacer y no me intimida ni asusta que mis acciones no complazcan a algunas personas”.

Respecto a sus expectativas, la hermana Juana espera que la visita la transforme. “Sé que voy a regresar con un cambio para bien. Mi corazón y mis ojos estarán más abiertos de lo que hoy están, al igual que mi compromiso con la gente”, finalizó.

Más online En www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org: Encontrará mayor información sobre Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Brownsville que atiende el refugio para migrantes en McAllen, Texas.

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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El Tercer Secreto de Fátima CONDENSADO DE ACIPRENSA

Las apariciones de la Virgen de Fátima son famosas por el “secreto”, dividido en tres partes, que fue transmitido a la humanidad.

De estas, la más famosa es la tercera, conocida comúnmente como el “tercer secreto”, que se mantuvo de manera confidencial en el Vaticano hasta el año 2000, cuando el Papa San Juan Pablo II decidió hacerlo público. En términos generales, la tercera parte del secreto se refiere al conflicto del siglo XX entre la Iglesia y la Rusia comunista.

EL “TERCER SECRETO”

Sor Lucía escribió: “Después de las dos partes que ya he expuesto, hemos visto al lado izquierdo de Nuestra Señora un poco más en lo alto a un ángel con una espada de fuego en la mano izquierda; centelleando emitía llamas que parecía iban a incendiar el mundo; pero se apagaban al contacto con el esplendor que Nuestra Señora irradiaba con su mano derecha dirigida hacia él; el ángel señalando la tierra con su mano derecha, dijo con fuerte voz: ¡Penitencia, Penitencia, Penitencia! Y vimos en una inmensa luz que es Dios: ‘algo semejante a como se ven las personas en un espejo cuando pasan ante él’ a un obispo vestido de blanco ‘hemos tenido el presentimiento de que fuera el Santo Padre’. También a otros obispos, sacerdotes, religiosos y religiosas subir una montaña empinada, en cuya cumbre había una gran Cruz de maderos toscos como si fueran de alcornoque con la corteza; el Santo Padre, antes de llegar a ella, atravesó una gran ciudad medio en ruinas y medio tembloroso con paso vacilante, apesadumbrado de dolor y pena, rezando por las almas de los cadáveres que encontraba por el camino; llegado a la cima del monte, postrado de rodillas a los pies de la gran Cruz fue muerto por un grupo de soldados que le dispararon varios tiros de arma de fuego y flechas; y del mismo modo murieron uno tras otro los obispos, sacerdotes, religiosos y religiosas y diversas personas seglares, hombres y mujeres de diversas clases y posiciones.

Bajo los dos brazos de la Cruz había dos Ángeles cada uno de ellos con una jarra de cristal en la mano, en las cuales recogían la sangre de los mártires y regaban con ella

las almas que se acercaban a Dios”.

ESPADA DE FUEGO

El ángel con la espada de fuego representa el juicio que caería sobre el mundo si no fuera por la intercesión de María, que irradia la luz que detiene la espada de fuego. “La perspectiva de que el mundo podría ser reducido a cenizas en un mar de llamas, hoy no es considerada absolutamente pura fantasía: el hombre mismo ha preparado con sus inventos la espada de fuego”, dijo sobre el tema el Cardenal Ratzinger.

Durante la consagración del mundo al Corazón Inmaculado de María en 1984, la segunda de las peticiones de San Juan Pablo II fue: “De la incalculable autodestrucción, de todo tipo de guerra, líbranos”.

EL OBISPO DE BLANCO

El tercer secreto revela que los videntes, luego de ver una inmensa luz proveniente de Dios, tuvieron “el presentimiento de ver al Papa”. Además, el Santo Padre junto a otras personas subió a una montaña empinada “en cuya cumbre había una gran Cruz de maderos toscos”.

El viaje del Papa y sus acompañantes “a través de la ciudad en ruinas” sugiere que la Iglesia deberá atravesar la destrucción que acompaña a la guerra y que evoca el sufrimiento del Pontífice al ser incapaz de detenerla.

APARENTE MUERTE DEL OBISPO

Esto parece referirse al intento de asesinato de San Juan Pablo II el 13 de mayo de 1981, en el aniversario de la primera aparición de la Virgen de Fátima.

Los críticos de la interpretación dada por la Santa Sede apuntan al hecho que San Juan Pablo II no murió. Sin embargo, si en la visión Lucía vio que le dispararon al Papa y cayó al suelo, ella pudo haber pensado que fue asesinado, aún si en realidad solo estaba herido gravemente; además, la intercesión de María cambió lo que pudo haber sucedido. Después de leer el tercer secreto, San Juan Pablo II atribuyó su supervivencia a María.

LA JARRA DE CRISTAL

Los ángeles que “recogían la sangre de los mártires y regaban con ella las almas

Lecturas Diarias 9-15 MAYO

Domingo: Hechos 10:25-26 34-35 44-48, 1 Juan 4:7-10, Juan 15:9-17; Lunes: Hechos 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: Hechos18:1-8, Juan 16:16-20; Viernes (San Matías): Hechos 1:15-17, 20-26, Juan 15:9-17; Sábado: Hechos 18:23-28, Juan 16:23-28

16-22 MAYO

Domingo (La Ascensión del Señor): Hechos 1:1-11, Efesios 1:17-23, Marcos 16:15-20; Lunes: Hechos 19:1-8, Juan 16:2933; Martes: Hechos 20:17-27, Juan 17:1-11; Miércoles: Hechos 20:28-38, Juan 17:11-19; Jueves: Hechos 22:30, 23:6-11, Juan 17:20-26; Viernes: Hechos 25:13-21, Juan 21:15-19; Sábado (Santa Rita de Casia): Hechos 28:16-20, 30-31, Juan 21:2025

23-29 MAYO

Domingo de Pentecostés: Hechos 2:1-11, 1 Corintios 12:3b7,12-13, Juan 20:19-23; Lunes (María, Madre de la Iglesia): Génesis 3:9-15, 20, Juan 19:25-34; Martes: Sirácides 35:1-15, Marcos 10:28-31; Miércoles (San Felipe Neri): Sirácides 36:12, 5-6, 13-19, Marcos 10:32-45; Jueves: Sirácides 42:15-26, Marcos 10:46-52; Viernes: Sirácides 44:1, 9-13, Marcos 11:1126; Sábado: Sirácides 51:17-27, Marcos 11:27-33

‘La Virgen María’, óleo sobre lienzo de Domenikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco, (Creta, Grecia, 1541-Toledo, España, 1614). Imagen cortesía del Museo del Prado, Madrid.

FOTO DE ARCHIVO CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE | EL OBSERVADOR ROMANO

En la imagen de archivo se oberva al Papa Juan Pablo II siendo asistido después de haber sido baleado en la Plaza San Pedro el 13 de mayo de 1981. El Papa recibió heridas en el abdómen, brazo y mano mientras era trasladado en un vehículo abierto en una plaza abarrotada por una multitud de aproximadamente 20 mil personas. que se acercaban a Dios” son un poderoso símbolo de la salvación y enseñan la importancia de su sangre.

El Cardenal Ratzinger señaló en su interpretación que “la visión de la tercera parte del ‘secreto’, tan angustiosa en su comienzo, se concluye pues con un imagen de esperanza: ningún sufrimiento es vano y, precisamente, una Iglesia sufriente, una Iglesia de mártires, se convierte en señal orientadora para la búsqueda de Dios por parte del hombre”.

SECRETO REVELADO

A pesar de que algunos piensen lo contrario, el Vaticano ha revelado todo el secreto. Benedicto XVI señala que “quien lee con atención el texto del llamado tercer ‘secreto’ de Fátima... tal vez quedará desilusionado o asombrado después de

todas las especulaciones que se han hecho.

No se revela ningún gran misterio; no se ha corrido el velo del futuro”.

OTRAS INTERPRETACIONES

Dado que la Santa Sede no ha definido infaliblemente la materia, son posibles otras interpretaciones. Pero esto no quiere decir que otras interpretaciones sean racionales, sobre todo si se apartan de las líneas principales de la expresada por la Santa Sede.

Sor Lucía misma indicó que estaba de acuerdo con la interpretación ofrecida por el Vaticano y reiteró su convicción que la visión de Fátima se refiere sobre todo a la lucha del comunismo ateo contra la Iglesia y los cristianos, y describe el inmenso sufrimiento de las víctimas de la fe en el siglo XX.

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iiiMay 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

The Prelude: The Ten Commandments

CATHOLIC N

The Annunciation of the Lord

The Visitation of Mary

Faith depicted i

Mysteries of the rosary windo SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

The Nativity of the Lord

The Presentation in the Temple

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Baptism of the Lord

The Wedding at Cana

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

The Transfiguration of the Lord

The Institution of the Eucharist

HUNTERSVILLE — The nave of St. Mark Church has undergone a colorful transformation, thanks to a years-long effort that culminated in March.

The church’s previous clear windows have been replaced with 22 custom stained-glass windows depicting the 20 mysteries of the rosary, along with two other windows representing the Old Testament (Moses and The 10 Commandments) and the New Testament (St. Peter with the Keys of the Kingdom).

Scenes from the rosary, an ancient prayer of the Church which focuses on the life of Christ, now visually envelope congregants with colorful rays of light as they enter the 1,500-seat church.

“When I arrived at the parish, (former pastor) Monsignor Richard Bellow mentioned that he always wanted to have windows depicting the mysteries of the rosary,” recalls Father John Putnam, pastor. “During the building of the church, there were no funds for this project. I thought it was a great idea and would be a fitting project to honor the pastor-emeritus.”

Church buildings, in the rich tradition of Catholicism, are visual teachers of the faith, the faith expressed in “living stones,” he says. “It is important that we recover this aspect of church architecture so as to engage the whole person in the important work of worship and formation.”

Besides Father Putnam, former parochial vicars Father Noah Carter and Father Brian Becker also had a hand in selecting the images for the stained-glass windows with an eye for Biblical accuracy in the scenes.

The 22 stained-glass windows were created by artist Ronald Dixon of Dixon Studio in Staunton, Va. Todd Hinkle, a craftsman of Dixon Studio, welded and installed the windows over the course of nearly two and a half years.

“The mysteries are gro Christ on Earth, as viewe His apostles and follower Annie. “Ron has portraye activity and drama so vie the experience of the peo rich color palette that inc lots of physical backgrou flowers, gray stone, brow “The angels above the scene are portrayed in am intermediary for Christ heaven and earth, watch occasionally participatin The 22 windows were f families, parishioners wh a group, parish organiza like the Knights of Colum Sponsorships were avail window.

Dixon Studio installed Ascension of Jesus,” on window “Epilogue: St. Pe Kingdom,” was installed The window depicting mystery, “The Assumpti donated by the parish’s K Council 12654. The counc Steve Romeo, had a grea Virgin Mary – promoting Huntersville parish, espe days, and organizing the procession in 2009.

“As a Knight we don’t we carry rosary beads as However for Steve it was was devoted to Mary! He day,” says current Grand He and former Grand Kn were present to help with “Assumption of Mary” w “The window is beauti

NEWS HERALD

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion

The Resurrection of the Lord

The Ascension of the Lord

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption of Mary

The Coronation of Mary

The Keys to the Kingdom

in ‘living stones’

ows illuminate St. Mark Church

ounded in the life of ed through the eyes of rs,” explains Dixon’s wife, ed them as scenes with ewers can meditate on ople portrayed. He used a cludes a blue border and und: green foliage, colored wn wood, etc.

Gothic arch in each mber and act as an and for us, between hing over the scenes, and ng,” she notes. funded by individual ho came together as ations and ministries mbus, and clergy. lable for $22,000 per

d the first window, “The Oct. 17, 2018. The final eter with the Keys to the d March 18. the fourth glorious ion of Mary,” was Knights of Columbus cil’s late Grand Knight, at love of the Blessed g devotion to her at the ecially on Marian feast e parish’s first Marian

carry a sword instead s our weapon of choice. s much more personal. He e prayed the rosary every d Knight Vince Famularo. night Earle Markey h the installation of the window on July 20, 2020. iful,” Famularo observes.

The 22 stainedglass windows were created by artist Ronald Dixon of Dixon Studio in Staunton, Va. PHOTOS BY PAUL E. JOHNSON, AMY BURGER AND DIXON STUDIO

“The artist captured her lovely face. When we go to Mass we attempt to sit by the window and offer prayers to our Blessed Mother and for Steve’s soul.”

Parishioners funded the fifth glorious mystery window, “The Coronation.” It is the heaviest of all 22 windows at approximately 150 pounds, with the most individual pieces of glass and the most lead came to hold them together.

Amy Burger, parish public relations coordinator, has painstakingly photographed the stained glass windows as each has been installed.

“I’m fascinated by how different the windows look from the outside, compared to looking at them from the inside,” Burger says. She is really amazed by the “Assumption of Mary” window donated by the Knights of Columbus.

“This image of Mary is fascinating in this window. It is as if she is looking at you one way and then another as you get closer,” she observes.

“It has been an absolute joy to witness and help with the installation of every window.”

— Amy Burger contributed.

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Our schools 16

catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

A four-foot statue of St. Joseph was blessed during a special dedication Mass April 30 at Charlotte Catholic High School, designating St. Joseph as co-patron of the school, along with Our Lady of Mercy.

Father Timothy Reid, school chaplain and vicar of education, and Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, concelebrated Mass and blessed the statue.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

A special day of blessing: St. Joseph declared co-patron of CCHS SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — April 30 was a historic day for Charlotte Catholic High School as diocesan and Catholic Schools officials announced during this Year of St. Joseph, both for the Diocese of Charlotte and the universal Church, that St. Joseph is now officially the school’s co-patron.

Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, concelebrated a dedication Mass with Father Timothy Reid, the high school’s chaplain and vicar of education for Catholic Schools.

The Mass was celebrated in the school gymnasium and was attended by the freshman class in their first all-class Mass of the 2020-’21 school year due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

St. Joseph now joins Our Lady of Mercy as co-patron of Charlotte Catholic. The Sisters of Mercy, who served as teachers

and administrators of the high school when it was created in 1955, designated Our Lady of Mercy as patroness at its founding.

During his homily, Monsignor Winslow told those present that he believes the diocese played a role in the Holy Father’s declaring 2021 the Year of St. Joseph in the universal Church.

“When we sent over a request regarding the indulgences to be offered (for the diocesan Year of St. Joseph in 2020), I believe we brought to the radar ... that it was the anniversary,” Monsignor Winslow said. “And it wouldn’t surprise me if we were one of the voices who precipitated the decision for the entire year, this year in honor of St. Joseph.”

“It’s a wonderful way to see how our efforts here have contributed to the universal Year of St. Joseph,” he noted.

Before the end of Mass, a four-foot statue of St. Joseph donated to the high school was blessed with holy water by Monsignor Winslow and Father Reid.

“Today is a very special day of blessing for us. In this Year of St. Joseph, we are dedicating Charlotte Catholic High School and placing ourselves under his patronage,” Father Reid said.

“In this Year of St. Joseph, when throughout the world Catholics are honoring our spiritual father, it makes perfect sense that we should place ourselves under his patronage as well,” he added.

Kate McArdle, freshman class president, said, “It was an exciting day for Charlotte Catholic and the freshman class was so grateful to be a part of a blessing and dedication of our new patron saint. It’s wonderful that we now have both Our Lady of Mercy and St. Joseph watching over us.”

In addressing McArdle and her classmates, Principal Kurt Telford said, “St. Joseph is a great model for all of us, but especially for you and our other Catholic school members, as he teaches us how to live courageously in doing the will of God and how to be thoughtful and use good judgment in making important life choices. In making St. Joseph our patron, we now have his spiritual protection and prayers in a special way for us.”

Organizers at Charlotte Catholic plan to build a St. Joseph grotto outside the school’s entrance so all those who visit the campus will see both a statue of St. Joseph and the statue of Our Lady, which stands just outside the school chapel near the front steps.

Immaculata School receives transformative gift for STEM Lab TARA HACKMAN SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

HENDERSONVILLE — Immaculata School is kicking off a major capital project thanks to a grant of up to $1.9 million from Shea Homes.

A key component of the project is a cutting-edge STEM Discovery Lab with a Maker Space Patio. Opening in 2022, the STEM Discovery Lab will be the only one of its kind serving pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students in the region.

Principal Margaret Beale announced the news of the grant April 24, adding that the school has already secured over 50 percent of an additional $100,000 that the grant program stipulated the school must raise through its own campaign – potentially bringing the total contributions to $2 million.

Beale said the STEM Discovery Lab will greatly benefit grade students at the Hendersonville school.

“The new STEM Discovery Lab will be a dedicated space for hands-on, inquiry-based learning,” she said. “Students will work together to fine-tune their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As teachers guide their class through project-based learning, students will become masters of their education and take ownership of their learning. By instilling students with these essential skills, we are setting them up for great success in high school, college and beyond.”

Other elements of the capital project include relocating Immaculata’s front entrance and administrative offices.

It comes on the heels of a nearly $1 million renovation completed in the fall of 2020 to install state-of-the-art technology and security systems at the school.

The grant program by Shea Homes, an award-winning homebuilder based in Walnut, Calif., supports Catholic schools throughout the United States in communities STEM LAB, SEE PAGE 20

SKETCH PROVIDED BY IMMACULATA SCHOOL

This sketch shows an aerial view of the planned STEM Lab and tower that will be built at Immaculata School in Hendersonville.

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

17

Making a world of difference OLA’s principal Ramkissoon retiring after 13 years

‘As it says (on the signage) when you come in: “We’re not just a school, we are a family.” That’s really what I wanted it to say. I wanted to appeal to people who want a Catholic education (for their children) to know when they come in, it is nice and small.’

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of the Assumption’s Principal Allana Ramkissoon, who helped guide the K-8 school through many significant transitions over her 13-year tenure, is set to retire June 24.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, she came to the Diocese of Charlotte from Turks and Caicos in 2005, after answering an advertisement for teaching opportunities in North Carolina.

She assumed the role of principal at OLA, the diocese’s most diverse school, in October 2008. Her appreciation for diversity and her mission to offer a Catholic learning environment for all who seek it is evident in her dedication to her students, families and staff who have been a part of the OLA family over the years.

“Most of the work I have done here has really been to help the school find itself, and I think it has,” Ramkissoon says.

“As it says (on the signage) when you come in: ‘We’re not just a school, we are a family.’

That’s really what I wanted it to say. I wanted to appeal to people who want a Catholic education (for their children) to know when they come in, it is nice and small.”

Ramkissoon believes that OLA has something unique to offer among the diocese’s 19 Catholic schools. “What we have here is really something special.

It shows that everybody has a place.

Everybody can find a place. We happen to be in a neighborhood where there is a lot of diversity,” she explains.

OLA has gone through several transformations, which Ramkissoon has helped spearhead. For example, the school expanded to include sixth through eighth grades in 2011.

“Parents wanted kids to go back to a small school environment,” Ramkissoon says. Expanding the middle school grades meant siblings could stay together longer, which many families preferred. “(This addition of the middle school) helps kids flourish at OLA before they go off to a larger high school environment,” she says. Roughly 95 percent of OLA’s eighth-graders go on to either Charlotte Catholic High School or Christ the King High School in Huntersville.

“The faith, the shared values, devotions, celebrations of the saints, the liturgical seasons… those are the things that really make a world of difference,” Ramkissoon believes.

In 2012-’13 OLA went through a rebranding to reflect the expansion in 2011. The mascot became the Phoenix, a mythical bird which represents new life and resurrection.

“OLA was going through a rebirth, so little things like that helped the students feel like the school had a new purpose, a new vision,” she recalls. “We had to consider how we could preserve the glory of the past and chart a new way that was meaningful and relevant.”

Ramkissoon oversaw a major gymnasium renovation, which improved what was

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

a multipurpose space used for physical education programs, as well as updates to the cafeteria that included adding a stage for theatrical performances.

“Because we were so committed to English language learners, we applied for a grant and received $500,000 in 2018. This allowed us to create a ‘cafetorium,’ a space for dining, performances, instruction, and our breakfast program, which allows us to offer breakfast foods and snacks to hungry students,” she explains.

OLA also underwent a major transformation in the creation of a STEM lab and Makerspace adjoining the updated library.

“I have learned so many different things, how to do so many different things – and made some mistakes,” Ramkissoon admits.

“But in the end, the result is a place where parents feel 100 percent confident that their students are safe and are being formed in Gospel teaching.”

Ramkissoon is retiring for a number of reasons, she says. Most importantly, she plans to spend more time visiting and caring for her aging parents, who live in Trinidad.

The pandemic has prevented her from seeing them, so she is looking forward to possibly being able to travel there in August.

She says what she will miss most in leaving OLA is “just being in the midst of it all. It’s not one thing, but the fact that I am not going to be here, not be part of this daily mission.”

Tearing up, she adds, “You feel like you are in the middle of something great happening every day. You feel like you can almost feel the breath of God every day. I don’t know if I will ever feel that again. I hope I do.”

Ramkissoon notes that when you work at a place that keeps God at the center of every day’s activities, it’s easy to understand how real God is.

“As teachers, especially at a Catholic school, you understand the responsibility that is put on you. You embrace it. The work is beyond teaching them to get into a good university. The work is so you can see what has been promised, or what will come to pass. That is what the job is,” she says.

“This is a spiritual calling. When you are in the school, you put yourself on holy ground ... because of the work we do.”

“That is what I will miss most. I am blessed to have had a job that makes me feel like that every day.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

2021 Pitman Scholarships awarded SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

It’s easy being green.

Get the Catholic News Herald delivered to your email inbox!

You’ll be able to read your newspaper earlier, and you’ll help save some trees.

It’s free, too – making it wonderfully easy to be green.

Contact us at catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3333 to sign up today!

CHARLOTTE — Eighteen college students who are Catholic parishioners in North Carolina have each been awarded a $1,000 to $1,500 scholarship from the George Warren Pitman Endowment Fund.

The endowment was established by the late George Warren Pitman, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who once lived in Charlotte. He made the scholarships available to applicants who reside in either Mecklenburg County or the town of Dunn, N.C. Pitman, a renowned designer, built a successful business in the Carolinas and Virginia before passing away in 2007 at the age of 79. For more than 30 years, he ran his design firm, George Pitman Inc., from his beautiful home in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood. He was a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., and Bright’s School of Design in Chicago, and he bequeathed $1.2 million of his fortune to establish an endowment that funds need-based scholarships to Catholic students who also wish to earn an undergraduate degree.

Through the George Warren Pitman Scholarship Fund, college-bound Catholics can apply for renewable awards of up to $1,000, depending on the type of college (two-year, four-year or vocational) they plan to attend.

A total of five freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and five seniors

are receiving scholarships this year.

They will attend universities including: Appalachian State University, Belmont Abbey College, Catholic University of America, High Point University, LenoirRhyne University, N.C. State University, Purdue University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNCCharlotte, UNC-Wilmington, University of Dayton, University of Georgia, University of Texas at Austin, VPI State University and Washington & Lee University.

The application period for the George Pitman Scholarship runs from Dec. 3 to March 1. (For more information, contact Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte, at 704-608-0359 or email jkkelley@charlottediocese.org.)

“Mr. Pitman’s transformative gift continues to benefit Catholic students to attend a college or university of their choice,” Kelley said.

He added, “More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands of dollars to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”

Those like Pitman who make a planned gift that benefits the diocese or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society. The Catholic Heritage Society is comprised of more than 1,300 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the diocesan foundation in their wills.

Since 1994, the foundation has distributed $11.5 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.

Catholic Charities extends our deepest gratitude to the parishes, companies, and individuals who sponsored this year’s annual Vineyard of Hope virtual fundraising event that supports services provided in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

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May 7, 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.

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

A week of the Classics

Cheer Camp

July 19 – 23 Rising 5th – 8th grade

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.

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: www.stmichaelcs.com

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

MYSTERY FROM PAGE 5

non-existent. Metal in the wooden coffin such as nails or handles might cause a reflection, and sometimes the grave shaft itself will show up as a lateral disturbance in the natural soil horizon.”

The survey action began on the morning of April l6 behind the church.

“We surveyed the section of ground along the back side of the church and before the rock wall,” Bobyarchick said. “This

MANTENGAN VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 11

El domingo 2 de mayo, el Obispo Peter Jugis se unió a los feligreses en Santa María para compartir la noticia de la partida de su párroco y anunciar que el Padre Fidel Melo servirá como administrador parroquial hasta que un pastor permanente sea designado.

“El Padre Kottar había dicho previamente que uno de los más importantes roles de un sacerdote es llevar a Cristo al mundo. Y él se convirtió en sacerdote para compartir el amor de Cristo con todos”, anotó el Obispo Jugis.

“Ahora es importante para nosotros seguir haciendo lo mismo”, dijo, citando el lema de la parroquia: “Que en todas las cosas Dios sea glorificado”.

Monseñor Patrick Winslow celebró la Misa y en su homilía trazó un paralelo entre los actos del Padre Kottar y sus palabras: “Estoy tomando un día a la vez”.

“Así como he vivido, así moriré, un día a

DOMÍNGUEZ VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

la felicidad eterna.

Un don que, últimamente debido a la presión ideológica de nuestros tiempos, ha hecho guerra para deteriorarlo, pero sabemos que, al ser un don de Dios, puesto en la creación ontológica de la mujer seguirá siempre triunfando y seguiremos teniendo estas bellas mujeres que no solo nos sirven de compañeras, sino que

is the area that was our initial target and was thought on the basis of oral history to contain unmarked graves. As I looked at Cell A, as the area was called, I didn’t see any feature that I would call a grave. There are, however, several features that are of interest and yet to be determined.”

After surveying the rear area, the next day saw Bobyarchick and his team return to the church and lay out a grid in an open area in front of the cemetery and beside where marked graves are located.

Several hours were spent skating the GPR device along the grass and peering intently at its monitor.

The students were excited to be taking part in an “in the field” expedition.

“Looking for possible graves gives us a deeper understanding of this area and its history,” said senior geology major Malori Harrington.

Harrington’s fellow student Summer Beamer was also thrilled about taking part in the survey. “It’s fascinating to think about the possibility of people being buried here that no one knew about.”

After the field work, Bobyarchick took the data back to his office for study, which will take some time to complete.

So what’s the bottom line regarding the legendary, unmarked grave mystery at Old St. Joseph Church?

“No, we have not solved the mystery for now,” Bobyarchick said. “GPR is really a first step in grave location, and for older burials it gets more and more difficult because the grave contents are not as reflective as modern caskets and vaults. For older burials you can get hints, but the proof is in the pudding, as we say.”

— Reprinted with permission of the Banner News.

la vez. Ese es su mensaje”, dijo Monseñor Winslow.

Cuando se le preguntó directamente, el Padre Kottar dijo que si pudiera, le diría a su parroquia simplemente: “Adiós”.

El Padre Kottar regresará con su familia parroquial, dijo su hermana, cuando sea enterrado en la cercana Abadía de Belmont.

El Padre Kottar dijo que espera con ansias lo que vendrá después de eso: “Será bueno ver a Dios, el Señor”.

Más online En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea un video en el que los seminaristas universitarios de San José le cantan al Padre Kottar, y sus consejos de despedida.

Comparta sus palabras de apoyo Para comunicarse con el Padre Kottar y su familia, envíe un correo electrónico a stmaryshelby@charlottediocese.org o envíe una carta a: Violet Springs Health Campus (Attn: Father Michael Kottar), 603 Diley Road, Pickerington, OH 43147.

también están siempre presente entre nosotros.

Una felicitación a todas aquellas mujeres que han recibido el don de ser madres y que con mucho amor han recibido a sus hijos. De una manera muy especial quiero extender la felicitación a manera tal que llegue a aquellas mujeres, que a lo mejor no han dado físicamente a luz a un hijo, pero han sabido darles luz a tantas almas. Pienso en todas las monjitas que se esforzaron por educar a miles de niños con disciplina, talento y mucho amor. Pienso en las doctoras y enfermeras que no tan solo realizan

STEM LAB FROM PAGE 16

where the company builds homes.

“This extraordinary gift is not the first such gift made by Shea Homes to benefit our Catholic schools, and we remain grateful to them. The diocese has truly been blessed by individuals and groups such as Shea Homes that have bestowed multiple seven-figure gifts over time for capital projects that are having meaningful, long-term impacts on the lives of people served by our schools, parishes, and other diocesan entities like our college seminary,” said Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Christian Cook, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish and Immaculata School, expressed gratitude for the Shea Homes grant.

“The generosity of the donor, Shea Homes, does more for our school than merely allowing us to improve the curb appeal of our facility. This gift will enable Immaculata to have a transformational impact on our current students and future generations in our community,”

MADRE VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

relató doña Esperanza. Tras mudarse la familia a una colonia de reciente formación en Tampico, “donde se puede decir que fuimos los fundadores”, llegó un sacerdote perteneciente a una congregación a la capilla donde la comunidad se congregaba para hacer oración. El sacerdote, con mucho esfuerzo y la ayuda de los vecinos, levantó la parroquia en donde instaló un altar de Adoración Perpetua, convirtiéndose el joven Julio César en uno de los adoradores nocturnos.

El ejemplo del sacerdote caló en el joven que ya cursaba estudios secundarios y en otros jóvenes de su misma edad. “Cuatro o cinco sacerdotes salieron de ese grupo”, asegura doña Esperanza.

“Cuando César terminó la preparatoria y llevaba cuatro semestres de universidad para convertirse en contador público, hizo un retiro. Al salir me dijo que había decidido ser sacerdote. Ya antes me parecía a mí que se inclinaba por eso y le había dicho a mi esposo que parecía que César iba para cura”.

Doña Esperanza, apoyando su decisión, le dijo que tomara en serio esa vocación, que luego no habría vuelta atrás.

SATISFACCIÓN

“Tener un hijo sacerdote es una alegría, pero a la misma vez es difícil. Lo extraño cada uno de mis días, pero siempre estamos

un trabajo, sino que entregan su vida por el bien y el cuidado de los pacientes y así podría mencionar muchas ministerios y funciones en que la mujer sigue siendo parte esencial de nuestras vidas.

Que nuestro buen Dios siga bendiciéndolas a todas ellas y puedan seguir siendo para todos nosotros esa ayuda, esa protección, esa guía, esa bondad de Dios operante aquí en la tierra. Dios las bendiga siempre y felicidades en este Día de las madres.

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

Father Cook said.

The dedicated STEM Discovery Lab, he said, will advance the school’s mission of bringing together science and faith in a holistic educational approach.

“All too often our culture wants to present faith as being incompatible with math and science, with reason and logic.

But as St. John Paul II wrote in Veritatis Splendor, ‘…science and technology do not free us from the obligation to ask religious questions but spur us on to face the most difficult questions of the heart and conscience.’ We want our students to graduate from Immaculata with the foundations to confront the most difficult questions that their future will most certainly bring.”

Gayden and Janell Gauthier, who are among the donors to the school’s campaign, shared, “We support Catholic schools because we envision a Catholic education as a beacon of hope – nurturing students as disciples of Christ and preparing them spiritually, intellectually, socially and physically to face the challenges of the 21st century.”

Established in 1926, Immaculata School currently has 149 students enrolled in pre-K to eighth grade and is fully accredited through Cognia (formerly AdvancEd).

comunicados al teléfono. Oro por él y todos los sacerdotes que están lejos de sus familias.

Pero sé que está tranquilo, feliz con su trabajo y sus pensamientos. Siempre trato de ayudarlo, aunque sea con mis oraciones”, afirma doña Esperanza, quien lo ha visitado en varias ocasiones en Estados Unidos. “Lo triste es que cuando se ordenó, mi esposo no pudo estar con nosotros porque no llegó a arreglar sus papeles para obtener la visa de visitante”, nos dijo compungida.

“Estoy contenta porque he visto todo lo que ha hecho por ayudar a los latinos en Estados Unidos. Hay mucha gente que no conoce a Jesús y él trata de ser una ayuda para presentárselos. Eso me hace muy feliz”.

“Me da satisfacción que lo quieran y siempre se los encargo. Tiene muchos papás y mamás, muchas familias que lo quieren bien. Eso me llena de orgullo y sé que no está solo”, dice la orgullosa madre que espera, nos dice bromeando, ver a su hijo convertido en obispo. “Cada vez que le digo eso él responde ‘¡No, válgame Dios!, no por favor’”.

En este día de la madre, doña Esperanza sabe que recibirá el mejor regalo que le puede dar su hijo Julio César: una llamada telefónica.

Mientras, pide a todas las madres que apoyen a sus hijos que desean ser sacerdotes. “No podemos sino sólo estar a favor de una obra hermosa que Dios realiza en nuestros hijos”, finalizó.

En la persona de doña Esperanza Prieto, Catholic News Herald rinde homenaje y desea un feliz día de la Madre a todas las mamás de nuestra comunidad.

WEECARE VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 10

recolección de pañales? Caridades Católicas organizará la recogida de grandes colectas de pañales y toallitas húmedas desde parroquias y escuelas.

¿Necesita ayuda?

Las familias de Lenoir o Piedmont Triad pueden llamar a: n Oficina de Lenoir, 328-B Woodsway Lane N.W.: 828434-5710 n Oficina de Winston-Salem, 1612 E. 14th St. N.E.: 336727-0705

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

FAITH FROM PAGE 3

harmonizing with the Daughters of the Virgin Mother – chanted “Regina Caeli” in melodic tenor, bass and baritones.

Then Father Kottar, who had been incapacitated with infection for days, perked up to speak.

“It’s wonderful to see such a growing Diocese of Charlotte,” he said. “In case I die, I have a few words for the future: It’s a good future.”

“There have been some bad times in the Church,” he noted, citing the clergy sex abuse crisis and political divisions within the Church. “So, you’ve got your jobs ahead of you. You might not know what they are yet, but God has a plan for each one of you.”

He encouraged them to teach using the rosary, to revere the Eucharist – and to rise above division.

Struggling to find the words, he continued, “I wish I could stay a little longer, and maybe I will, but you are going to be the future – and I think liberal, conservative, it’s not that so much. It’s about having faith. Having faith in God. “So keep the faith.”

Through tears, his sister Renee Selby said she hopes his words and example inspire any young person who is exploring their purpose in life.

On May 2, Bishop Peter Jugis joined St. Mary’s parishioners to share the news of their pastor’s departure and announce that Father Fidel Melo will serve as parish administrator until a permanent pastor can be appointed.

“Father Kottar has previously said he saw bringing Christ to the world as one of the most important roles of a priest, and he became a priest in order to share the love of Christ with everyone,” Bishop Jugis noted. “Now it is important for us to carry on doing the same,” he said, quoting the parish’s motto: To reach Father “that in all Kottar and his family, things God may email stmaryshelby@ be glorified.” charlottediocese.org Then or send mail to: Violet Monsignor Springs Health Campus Patrick Winslow (Attn: Father Michael said Mass, and Kottar), 603 Diley Road, in his homily he Pickerington, OH 43147. drew a parallel between Father Kottar’s deeds and his words that “I’m taking one day at a time.” “ ‘As I have lived, so will I die – one day at a time.’ That is his message,” Monsignor Winslow said.

Asked directly, Father Kottar said if he could, he would tell his parish simply: “Adios.” A farewell that translates “To God.” Father Kottar will return to his parish family, his sister said, when he is buried at nearby Belmont Abbey. He said he’s looking forward to what comes after that: “It will be good to see God, the Lord.”

Share words of support

ARIANISM FROM PAGE 2

environment for a kind of Neo-Arianism.

Original Arianism taught that Jesus was a mere creature, while today’s version exists in a therapeutic, materialistic and secularizing culture that also rejects a Jesus who is the Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity. Instead, He is a revolutionary who called for Marxist liberation against existing power structures, or He is a kind of guru or teacher who encourages us toward a journey of spiritual exploration that demands neither repentance nor even an awareness of sin. If He was divine at all it is because He was able to “self-actualize His divine potential,” and He most certainly never intended to establish a Church, because after all, since we are more spiritual than religious we don’t need a Church to limit our freedom with rules and judgment.

Neo-Arians are found in great numbers today even in the Church. As Father Dwight Longenecker wrote several years ago in the National Catholic Register, “The difference between Arius and the modern heretics is that Arius was actually explicit in his teaching. The modern heretics are not. They inhabit our seminaries, our monasteries, our rectories and presbyteries. They are

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the modernist clergy who dominate the mainstream Protestant denominations and who are too many in number within the Catholic Church as well.”

What is the antidote?

It is the same as it was in the 4th century. We begin by deepening our own knowledge of the faith, by proclaiming Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity. It is also vital to be willing to speak with clarity but with charity with our families, friends and those we meet about what the Church actually teaches and asks us to believe. In a society where even the words “truth,” “Christ,” “judgment,” “sin” and “authority” can trigger hostile responses, we should also be prepared to face criticism, ostracism, mockery, and one day soon perhaps persecution for identifying them. Athanasius faced the same challenges and endured five exiles from his beloved Alexandria for speaking out. He was willing to stand against the whole world, and though in the end the true faith triumphed, it came at a high price for him and many others. We are asked to speak and to live the truth. Are we also willing to pay the price?

DR. MATTHEW E. BUNSON is a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and one of the United States’ leading authorities on the papacy and the Church. This commentary is reprinted with permission from Legatus Magazine, online at www.legatus.org.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Watch a video highlight of the St. Joseph College seminarians singing to Father Kottar, and his parting words of advice

Regional Director Piedmont Triad, NC

Do you strongly believe it’s possible to disrupt the cycle of poverty?

Do you want a faith-based mission-driven job that directly impacts the lives of thousands of North Carolinians, most of whom live at or near the federal poverty level?

We are seeking a candidate deeply committed to the organized work of charity, highly skilled, and very energetic for this internaland external-facing position which is responsible for providing resource development, strategic direction, leadership, and constituent engagement to support staff and service delivery within a 10-county area.

For a complete job description visit: ccdoc.org/jobs.

Cover letter and resume (2-page maximum) must be submitted electronically to: dbfebles@charlottediocese.org.

No phone calls, please. Position open until filled.

ccdoc.org

Mix 22

catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

New book celebrates Queen of the Apostles Church ALAN HODGE BANNER NEWS

BELMONT — Since its official dedication in March 1965, Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont has been a spiritual and community icon. Now a new book, “A Home For All: History of Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church, Belmont NC,” is out that celebrates not only the church’s past, present and future, but the overall scope of the Catholic influence and Morris impact in our area.

The book’s author is Belmont resident and Queen of the Apostles parishioner Jack Morris, who is a former Wall Street Journal bureau chief. Morris has also written several other works including the “History of the Remarkable Haile Gold Mine” which details the story of the Lancaster, S.C. operation that began in 1827 and has reopened as the largest gold mine in the eastern United States.

“A Home For All” begins by examining North Carolina’s Catholic heritage going back to the early 1800s. From there, Morris moves closer to home and tells the story of how Irish Catholic gold miners arrived in what is now Mount Holly and in 1843 built St. Joseph Church – the fourth oldest Catholic church in our state.

Morris continues his local Catholic chronology by outlining how Belmont Abbey came into being and its rise as a religious and educational anchor in our area.

Moving into more recent times, Morris goes into deep detail about how Queen of the Apostles Church was established and the enormous impact the church and its congregation has had not just in Belmont, but across Gaston County and the rest of the Southern Piedmont.

But “A Home For All” is more than a rundown of the planting and blossoming

of Catholicism in the Carolinas, it is about the people, their faith and their positive influence on society, schooling and spirituality.

Just a few of the many Catholic leaders that Morris presents in his pages include Father Jeremiah O’Connell, Abbot Leo Haid, Sisters of Mercy Mother Mary Margaret, Monsignor John McSweeney, Abbot Placid Solari, and Father Frank Cancro, who recently retired as Queen of the Apostles’ pastor.

Morris also adds to the richness of his writing by including interviews with dozens of folks who shared their recollections and reflections of the Queen of the Apostles story.

On the visual side, “A Home For All” is richly illustrated throughout with dozens and dozens of photographs and other illustrations going back to the 19th century and continuing up to the present day.

Churches such as Old St. Joseph, Belmont Abbey, and of course Queen of the Apostles past and present are featured. In addition, photos of celebrations and ceremonies connected with local Catholic life are plentiful.

Even though its main focus is on Queen of the Apostles Church, the book is also about a large slice of the life and lore of eastern Gaston County and the multilayered, positive impact that its Catholic residents have had and continue to have there. You might call it history with a heart.

— Reprinted with permission of the Banner News.

Get the book Hardbound copies of “A Home For All” are available at Queen of the Apostles’ parish office, 503 N. Main St., Belmont, for $30. The office is open Mondays-Fridays 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Shipping adds $12. For in-person purchases provide exact cash, check or money order.

Electronic payments may be made online at www.queenoftheapostles.org. Prepaid sales only can be picked up at weekend Masses. No sales take place at the church.

“Get your ducks in a row!”

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

704.843.1446 | www.ncestateplanninginfo.com

6406 Carmel Road, Suite 301 | Charlotte, North Carolina 28226

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

‘Mortal Kombat’ By turns brutal, ponderous and silly, director Simon McQuoid’s feature debut is a reboot adaptation of a series of video games previously brought to the big screen via a couple of movies dating from the mid-1990s.

It charts the exploits of a mixed martial arts fighter (Lewis Tan) whose languishing career is suddenly put on hold when he gets mixed up in a prolonged smackdown pitting the underdog forces of planet Earth against those of a realm called Outworld. Joining him in the struggle are, among others, a duo of special forces veterans (Jessica McNamee and Mehcad Brooks) and an ill-tempered, pottymouthed mercenary. The bloody mayhem that results includes the demise of characters, some human, others monstrous, by incineration, dismemberment and reduction to pulp. The fact that the protagonist is primarily motivated by the desire to protect his family (Laura Brent and Matilda Kimber) is a feeble offset to such savagery or to a

convoluted mythos involving various “gods.”

Nonscriptural religious ideas, excessive gory violence, gruesome sights, a couple of mild oaths, pervasive rough and some crude and crass language.

CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

‘Voyagers’ This tedious sci-fi parable about the positive and negative aspects of human nature pits an aggressive, fear-mongering lad (Fionn Whitehead) against a gentler peer (Tye Sheridan) for the leadership of their fellow crew members on board a spaceship staffed by teenagers and bound for a distant planet.

The two also become rivals for the favor of a female comrade (Lily-Rose Depp). Writerdirector Neil Burger’s flat thriller, which also features Colin Farrell as the lone adult on the craft, fails to arouse interest in, or sympathy for, its colorless characters and will likely leave viewers feeling lost in space. Much violence with some gore.

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

On TV n Saturday, May 8, 10:30 a.m. (EWTN) “The Story of Father John Sullivan.” The true story of Blessed John Sullivan, who rejected a life of wealth and his Anglican upbringing to become a Catholic priest focused on the poor and afflicted in his native Ireland. n Sunday, May 9, 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 Monday, May 10, 11:30 a.m. (EWTN) “They Might be Saints: Sister Marie De MandatGrancey.” The fascinating story of Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey. Follow her extraordinary efforts to locate the house of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as she travels to Ephesus,

Turkey, to bring this treasure to the Church. n Wednesday, May 12, 10:30 a.m. (EWTN) “The Message of Fatima.” A condensed version of the EWTN series documenting the astounding miracles at Fatima, where Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, were visited by the Blessed Mother in a series of apparitions. n Friday, May 14, 11:30 a.m. (EWTN) “St. Anthony of Padua.” A look at the life of St. Anthony of Padua, great orator and Doctor of the Church, whose feast day is June 13. n Tuesday, May 18, 5:30 p.m. “Benedicta: Marian Chant from Norcia.” Experience the daily life of the Benedictine Monks of Norcia, and watch as they record their new album, “Benedicta,” which contains ancient, neverbefore recorded Marian chants. n Thursday, May 20, 5:30 p.m. “Alter Christus.” Reflections from various cardinals on important aspects of the priesthood. n Friday, May 21, 11:30 a.m. “St. Teresa of Avila.” An illuminating docudrama examining the life of the 16th Century saint and mystic Teresa of Avila.

Our nation

May 7, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Mother’s Day is May 9 and National Nurses Week is May 6-12.

Mother and daughters work together in Catholic hospital GREGORY A. SHEMITZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROSLYN, N.Y. — Caring for the sick is a vocation and way of life shared by a mother and two daughters serving together at a Catholic Hospital in Long Island, N.Y. Novlet Davis-Bucknor, 59, is a nurse practitioner in the cardiothoracic department of St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Nassau County. Her oldest child, LaToya Bucknor, 39, also a nurse practitioner, works with the critical care team. Another daughter, Shekeya Washington, 31, is a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit.

“It’s good to work together because we always have each other to lean on,” said Novlet, who was born and raised in Jamaica and immigrated at age 26 to the U.S., where a few years later she began her studies to be a nurse.

Novlet is the ultimate role model as a mom and professional woman, LaToya and Shekeya told Catholic News Service.

“She’s always there for us,” said LaToya.

“She’s always loving and showing us that no matter what we go through in life, she’s always going to be there to support us.”

“My mom has shown so much ambition and strength,” Shekeya said. “She’s worked really hard to get where she is today. She’s never satisfied. She always pushes for more. She’s an example for my sisters and me as a Black woman.”

An office manager at a furniture store in Jamaica, Novlet didn’t initially consider nursing as a career until her husband, Paul Bucknor, suggested it when she came to this country.

She had a change of heart after thinking about her mother, Frances Amanda Davis, a loving, faith-filled woman who gave birth to 14 children, was a homemaker and also assisted midwives with delivering babies.

“My mom was always giving, always helping,” said Novlet. “I wanted to do something to give back. I went into nursing because I wanted to feel fulfillment when I worked.”

Novlet, simultaneously managing her roles as a wife, mother and student, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, and several years later, she obtained a doctorate in nursing practice at New York’s Stony Brook University.

She began her career in 1995 at age 34 as a nurse’s aide at St. Francis, where she has worked throughout her career. She became a registered nurse in 1996 and a nurse practitioner 12 years later.

Inspired by her mom’s career, LaToya said she decided at age 15 she wanted to be a nurse. Following in her footsteps, she, too, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Molloy, and has worked her entire career at St. Francis. She became a nurse practitioner in 2019.

Shekeya, on the other hand, said watching her mother’s daily routine when she was a child had a different effect on her.

“To be honest, she kind of scared me away from nursing at the beginning,” said Shekeya, chuckling. “She worked nights

CNS | COURTESY NOVLET DAVIS-BUCKNOR

Novlet Davis-Bucknor, right, and her daughter LaToya Bucknor, both nurse practitioners, are seen taking a break after administering the COVID-19 vaccine to fellow staff members at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Roslyn, N.Y., Jan. 6. when we were little kids. We couldn’t run around the house because she was sleeping.

And when she came home, she would talk about her rough day as a floor nurse.”

After studying for her bachelor’s in biology at Hofstra University in Long Island, Shekeya considered continuing her education to become a physician or a physician’s assistant. However, after accepting a job as a unit clerk at St. Francis, and seeing her mother and other nurses in action, she changed her mind.

“Working at St. Francis allowed me to see the other side of nursing,” said Shekeya, who lives at home with her parents and younger sister in Queens. “Between what my mom showed me and what I got to see for myself working at the hospital, that cemented it for me. I went back for my nursing degree.”

Shekeya graduated from Molloy’s nursing program in 2018 and wants to further her studies at some point, with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist.

Not all of Novlet’s children opted for nursing. A third daughter, 29-year-old Shenequa Bucknor, chose a career in marketing and public relations.

While nursing has proven to be a rewarding career for Novlet, LaToya and Shekeya, it has also presented its share of risks. That was never more evident than a year ago, when they found themselves battling to save lives -and to protect their own -- in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking back at that frightening time, they said their strong family bond and shared professional experiences in a common workplace proved vital to their survival, physically and emotionally.

Though working in different areas, their paths occasionally intersected during the chaos of the first few months of the surging coronavirus. Dressed head-to-toe in personal protective equipment, they would

hug each other when the moment allowed and share expertise in their respective specialties to determine the best way to treat the mounting number of critically sick patients.

“We took it one day at a time, one shift at a time,” said LaToya. “We tried to support each other, encourage each other.”

Shekeya, a nurse for less than two years when the coronavirus struck, was shaken by the experience. She said her mom and sister helped guide her through a period during which she had a constant feeling of doom while working nonstop in a unit “that saw a lot of death.”

Shekeya and her mother both contracted COVID-19 but had mild symptoms and recovered relatively quickly. LaToya, the mother of a 10-year-old son, did not get infected.

The ongoing health crisis has suspended an annual medical mission trip Novlet, her husband and all three children have been making to Jamaica since 2013. For one week each July, the family and a team of medical professionals and other volunteers from the New York area staff a pop-up clinic in Novlet’s hometown of Clarendon Parish where they provide medical and dental care to its residents.

The humanitarian effort is financed by the LJDR Davis Foundation – a nonprofit cofounded by Novlet and her sister, Pearlyn Clark – in partnership with the Catholic Health Caregivers Fund. The foundation was established in memory of four of Novlet’s siblings, who died between the ages of 28 and 40, primarily as a result of the country’s lack of quality health care, Novlet said.

“We provide free, unbiased medical care to everyone who wants and needs the help,” Novlet said, adding that more than 10,000 people have been served since the program began.

Although the mission trip was canceled in 2020 and this year, Novlet remains committed to the effort, arranging this past January for clothing, food, beds, wheelchairs and medical supplies to be shipped to Jamaica.

In the past, the journey to Jamaica gave Novlet and her family an opportunity to enjoy a festive reunion with her mother and other relatives. Things will be dramatically different this year, though. The family will be going to Jamaica, not on a mission trip, but to attend the funeral of Novlet’s mom, who died in March of complications from pneumonia at age 94. Frances Amanda Davis will be buried in late May. Frances’ life story – one filled with many challenges that were overcome through the strength of her character and deep Baptist faith -- inspired Novlet last year to author a memoir dedicated to her mother’s legacy called “MAMA’S HEART.” “I promised my mom that I was going to write her memoir,” explained Novlet.

“She was such an inspirational woman and religious woman, a woman who feared God. Even through the deaths of her children, she was still giving God the glory.

“It’s going to be a somber Mother’s Day this year,” she added. “Hopefully, we can give her all the honors she deserves.”

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For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Biden raises refugee cap but with caveat WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden announced May 3 he was raising the historically low refugee cap of 15,000 left by the Trump administration, but he also warned that his administration may not be able to meet the new number of refugees it is seeking to resettle in what remains of the fiscal year: 62,500. In a statement, the president acknowledged that it may be difficult for his administration to meet the new goal this year.

Legislative initiatives may crowd out Equality Act MIAMI — With President Joe Biden now proposing several ultra-expensive infrastructure, education and family-related bills, the president’s controversial Equality Act may get a slower hearing in the U.S. Senate. In March, the Equality Act was passed by the House of Representatives but faces an uncertain outcome in the Senate, which is split more equally between Democrats and Republicans. The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, the credit system and jury duty. It also seeks to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity and also expand the number of institutions now classified as public accommodations. Meanwhile, Biden is asking for quick passage of a $2.25 trillion infrastructure package as well as a $1.8 trillion program to expand access to preschool and community college as well as child care and health care benefits. “There is big stuff moving through Congress right now that is taking up a lot of the bandwidth, including high priority stuff like infrastructure proposal and what not, and I think (the Senate’s pending vote on the Equality Act) is at least partially the product of that,” said Dan Balserak, religious liberty director and assistant general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

— Catholic News Service

Our world 24

catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Vatican approves new invocations for Litany of St. Joseph VATICAN CITY — Updating the Litany of St. Joseph, approved in 1909, the Vatican has added seven invocations, including two that address the guardian of Jesus and husband of Mary as “support in difficulty” and “patron of refugees.”

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments published the additions May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

The additions were approved by Pope Francis, the congregation said, and drew the new invocations mainly from modern papal texts about St. Joseph, including Pope Francis’ December apostolic letter proclaiming a Year of St. Joseph and St. John Paul II’s 1989 apostolic exhortation, “Redemptoris Custos” (“Protector of the Redeemer”).

Since Pope Francis wanted, as he wrote in his letter, “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal,” the congregation said, it seemed appropriate to update the 112-year-old litany.

Providing only the Latin-language version of the invocations, the congregation said it would be up to bishops’ conferences to translate the phrases and to add others if St. Joseph is invoked by their people in a particular way.

The Latin phrases are: “Custos Redemptoris” (Protector of the Redeemer); “Serve Christi” (Servant of Christ); “Minister salutis” (Minister of salvation); “Fulcimen in difficultatibus” (Support in difficulty); “Patrone exsulum” (Patron of refugees); “Patrone afflictorum” (Patron of the afflicted); and “Patrone pauperum” (Patron of the poor).

— Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

Pope to new priests: Pray, be poor, be close to people CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — The priesthood “is not a career, it is a service,” Pope Francis told nine men just before ordaining them to the priesthood for the Diocese of Rome.

The service to which priests are called must reflect the way God has cared and continues to care for His people, a “style of closeness, a style of compassion and a style of tenderness,” the pope told the men April 25 during his homily at the ordination Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Mass marked the first time in more than a year that Pope Francis presided at a liturgy at the main altar in the basilica and the first time that more than a few hundred people were allowed in at the same time. Close to 1,000 people, mainly family and friends of the ordinands, sat socially distanced and wearing masks throughout the Mass.

The new priests, who are between the ages of 26 and 43, include six Italians, a Romanian, a Colombian and a Brazilian. Six studied at Rome’s major seminary; two prepared for the priesthood at the Neocatechumenal Way’s Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Rome; and one attended the Rome Seminary of Our Lady of Divine Love.

On the Sunday when the Gospel reading is about the Good Shepherd and the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis told the new priests that they must never forget they were called from among God’s people to be shepherds.

“Be shepherds” like Jesus, he said. “Shepherds of the holy, faithful people of God. Shepherds who go with the people of God – sometimes ahead of the flock, sometimes in the midst of it or behind it, but always there with the people of God.” Pope Francis said that as he already had mentioned to the nine in the sacristy before Mass, “Please, steer

CNS | VATICAN MEDIA

Nine men lie prostrate in St. Peter’s Basilica before being ordained to the priesthood by Pope Francis during a Mass at the Vatican April 25. clear of the vanity, the pride of money. The devil enters through the pockets. Think about this.”

“Be poor like the holy, faithful people of God are poor,” he told them. “Don’t be climbers” seeking some kind of “ecclesiastical career.” Priests who become “functionaries” or “businessmen,” he said, lose their contact with the people and “that poverty that makes them like Christ, poor and crucified.”

Closeness is key in the life of a priest, the pope said.

First, they must be close to God in prayer. Then, close to their bishop, close to one another and close to their people.

“I suggest you make a resolution today: Never speak ill of a brother priest,” he said. “If you have something against another, be a man, put on your pants, go and tell him to his face.”

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Pope updates Vatican civil laws: cardinals, bishops can face trial

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In Brief Markets need regulation; poor need protection from fallout, pope says VATICAN CITY — Financial speculation is unsustainable and dangerous, therefore, markets must be regulated and the poor protected, Pope Francis said. “We still have time to start a process of global change to put into practice a different, more just, inclusive, sustainable economy that leaves no one behind,” he said. In a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network May 4, the pope offered his prayer intention for the month of May, which is dedicated to the world of finance.

While the “real economy, the one that creates jobs, is in crisis,” he said, noting the large number of people who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “financial markets have never been as bloated as they are now.”

The world of big finance is so far removed from most people’s lives, he said, and if finance is not regulated, then it becomes “pure speculation driven by monetary policies. This situation is unsustainable,” the pope said. “It’s dangerous.”

VATICAN CITY — Updating the laws that govern the Vatican’s civil judicial system, Pope Francis stated that cardinals and bishops accused of a crime can now be tried in a Vatican court. The pope said the new measure, issued “motu proprio,” on his own accord, reflects the “fundamental equality of all” by ensuring that the Vatican judicial system conforms to the principle that “among all the faithful there is true equality in dignity and in action.”

The pope also stressed the need for changes to the current judicial system “to ensure the equality of all members of the Church and their equal dignity and position, without privileges that date back to earlier times and are no longer in keeping with the responsibilities that each person has in building up the Church. This requires solidity of faith and consistency of behavior and actions,” he wrote in the document published April 30.

Still, the new law says, the pope must give his “prior consent” before a cardinal or bishop is tried by city-state’s court. The court handles crimes against Vatican civil law, not the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law. Showing his intent that cardinals and bishops will be tried like anyone else who violates the civil code, Pope Francis also abolished Article 24 of the current law, which stated that only the Court of Cassation – the Vatican’s appellate court consisting of three cardinals and several associate judges – “is competent to judge” cases against cardinals and bishops.

— Catholic News Service

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of May: Rev. Ramon Berg – 2003 Rev. Henri Blanc – 1972 Rev. Anthony E. Cahill, OSB – 1985 Rev. Hugh Hagerty, OSB – 1979 Rev. Edmund Kirsch – 2001 Rev. Francis J. McCourt – 1982 Rev. William McShea – 1973 Rev. Matthew McSorley, OSB – 2012 Rev. James J. Noonan – 1992 Rev. Msgr. Michael O’Keefe – 1994 Rev. Edward C. Smith – 1983 Rev. James A. Stuber – 1985

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

Administrative Assistant St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Charlotte is seeking a bilingual (English / Spanish) Administrative Assistant for the Faith Formation Office.

This part-time position involves reception duties such as walk-ins and phone calls, office tasks such as email, copying, and filing, assistance

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

with the office budget and finances, and oversight, utilization and maintenance of PDS database.

Most hours are worked during weekdays, but position requires office coverage on Sundays during the academic year. Also requires occasional Saturday hours Please submit a cover letter and resume to Kelly Flowers, Director of Faith Formation, at Kelly@4sjnc.org.

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.

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catholicnewsherald.com | May 7, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Deacon Clarke Cochran

T

he publication of Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” (“Brothers and Sisters All”) has led me to reflect on the pain of division and how we might overcome them. Divisions include deep political divisions, but mainly I refer to our widening Catholic rifts.

In “Fratelli Tutti” Pope Francis applies Catholic social doctrine to the “new things” of 2020 and of our times generally: The coronavirus pandemic, poverty and inequality, the refugee crisis, social isolation and political extremism. These are all too familiar, highlighted by virus fatigue, tribal partisan battles between Democrats and Republicans, and January’s storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Yet, for me as a Catholic and especially as a deacon, divisions among fellow Catholics cause the most pain and sorrow. Pope Francis recognizes “destructive forms of fanaticism” among Christians (“Fratelli Tutti,” 46). In the words of St. Paul, “It has been reported to me…that there are rivalries among you….” (1 Cor 1:11) Paul writes these words in sadness and disappointment over factions in Corinth’s nascent Christian community. Two thousand years later, our more “mature” American Catholic community exhibits similar rivalries. When I was a young man in the 1950s and 1060s, Catholic parents expressed strong disapproval of “mixed marriages,” meaning between a Catholic child and a Protestant. Now, however, strong disapproval attaches to a “mixed marriage” between the children of Catholic Democratic and Catholic Republican families.

Catholics routinely hurl scorn and condemnation at each other over political differences. If you doubt that, check out

‘Fratelli Tutti’ and the remedy for our divisions the comments section of Catholic News Herald’s Facebook page any time there is a news posting about a public figure! More disturbing, however, is the routine labeling of parishes and clergy. Descriptors such as Liberal or Conservative or Traditional or Progressive or Faithful or Orthodox are common. Some Catholics describe other Catholics as “Cafeteria Catholics” or “Catholics in Name Only.” Sometimes I fear we are in the situation the psalmist laments: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the upright do?” (Ps 11:3).

Parishes have always differed from one another in liturgical style, range of internal and external ministries, women’s roles and cultural traditions.

What’s different now, is that Catholics in some parishes disparage other parishes for these differences. Labeling is the antithesis of catholicity – the universality of our faith. Increasingly, although we continue to be apostolic, we fail to be one, holy, or catholic. We have lost the “fraternity” and “social friendship” at the center of “Fratelli Tutti.”

“Some believers think that (their spiritual stature) consists in imposition of their own ideologies upon everyone else, or in a violent defense of the truth…. All of us, as believers, need to recognize that love takes first place: love must never be put at risk, and the greatest danger lies in failing to love” (92).

Or, as St. Paul puts it, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree on what you say, that there be no divisions among you, but that you may be united in the same mind and in the same purpose” (1 Cor 1:10).

In the spirit of “Fratelli Tutti,” what might soothe – even heal – our festering

Protecting God’s Children We proclaim Christ to the world around us by our efforts to provide a safe environment for all people, especially the young and the vulnerable.

The Catholic Church is absolutely committed to the safety of children. Together we can make a Promise to Protect and a Pledge to Heal.

Suspect sexual abuse or misconduct?

If you have information about possible sexual abuse or misconduct by any clergy, employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Charlotte, report concerns safely, securely and anonymously 24/7 over the phone using the diocese’s new hotline, 1-888-630-5929, or online: www.RedFlagReporting.com/RCDOC Please note: If you suspect a child is in danger, please contact 9-1-1 or your local law enforcement agency.

Safe Environment training Every Church worker must go through abuse prevention and education training. Find more information about the Diocese of Charlotte’s Safe Environment program, sign up for Protecting God’s Children training and more: Go to www.charlottediocese.org and click on “Safe Environment” For more information or questions, please contact the diocese’s Human Resources Office: www.charlottediocese.org/human-resources or 704-370-6299.

Jesuit Father John Michalowski

wounds? How can we strive to live our faith above the noise of the tribal hostilities surrounding us? I suggest we make five pledges to one another: n Pledge 1: Never denigrate, mock or declare another Catholic outside the fold.

“Brothers and Sisters All” is the English translation of “Fratelli Tutti.” I urge us to pledge always to remember that whatever our disagreements, we are eternally members of the same family through a common baptism. When we yell at or denigrate one another, we give scandal to those who might otherwise be attracted to the faith, and we provide an excuse for some Catholics to seek other, less divisive religions. “Let us renounce the pettiness and resentment of useless in-fighting and constant confrontation” (78). n Pledge 2: Stop labeling. I suggest we pledge to eliminate certain adjectives from our vocabulary – liberal, conservative, orthodox, faithful, progressive, traditional and the like. One noun – Catholic – unites us; adjectives divide us. Seek by positive words to convert others, not to declare them heretics for disagreeing. n Pledge 3: Employ dialogue, accompaniment and encounter.

In “Fratelli Tutti” Pope Francis constantly encourages Catholics to engage respectfully, but forthrightly, in conversation with each other and with all people. Criticize ideas and practices, never people. Genuine intra-Church dialogue depends more on listening than on speaking; more on sustained and respectful engagement than on episodic shouting matches. n Pledge 4: When God calls us to be prophetic, denounce actions, not persons or groups. The Lord does call us to be passionate about life, dignity, justice and peace. Passionate concern evokes prophetic condemnation of evil. This is foundational in our faith. But it is evil actions, policies and practices that deserve prophetic scrutiny. Our duty to condemn evil practices does not extend to judgments about the salvation of individuals. n Pledge 5: When it comes to Catholics and politics, respect “specialization.”

Too often, Catholic divisions stem from different partisan loyalties. Remember that the full range of Catholic social doctrine embraces a wide variety of fundamental concerns: healthcare, abortion, war and peace, education, racial justice, poverty, economics, and many others. No one Catholic can focus equally on all. Most of us “specialize,” learning as much as we can about one or two policy issues and then focusing our political and social advocacy on that issue. The goal is to engage public life from our “specialty,” while respecting others’ choices of focus. Together they express the full range of our faith’s social teaching.

I invite you to adopt these pledges to remedy our divisions.

ach of the Gospels gives one or more accounts of Jesus feeding the crowds by multiplying the loaves and the fish. Often our focus is simply on the miracle, and we miss the fact that Jesus is feeding the crowds in more than one way.

In Matthew 14:14-20 we read: “When Jesus saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He began to teach them many things.” When His disciples came and asked Him to dismiss the crowd “ ‘so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ He said to them in reply, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’” They told Him that they only had five loaves and two fish. Jesus took what they had and “looking up to heaven, He said the blessing, broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples to set before the people… They all ate and were satisfied.”

Notice that Jesus first feeds their minds and spirits with His teaching before He feeds their bodies. Love reaches out to feed the whole person in mind, body and spirit. This is why the Church traditionally calls us to both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. One can wipe out hunger with “bread and circuses” as the Roman emperors once did. The result was a population that did not revolt but whose inner spirit decayed, and Rome eventually fell.

This is why the Church calls for an integral development of the whole person. Mind, body and spirit all need to be fostered, so that all persons will be able to exercise all of their human rights in community.

So if we begin with feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and those in prison, and welcoming the stranger, we are then called to continue on to see that all are educated in both knowledge and virtue, that those in doubt and pain are comforted and consoled, and that those who are wronged find both justice and forgiveness.

Only this will result in a full culture of life where the dignity of each and all is recognized.

How do we get there? The First Letter of John shows us the way: “Beloved, if God has so loved us, we also must love one another. …If we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us” (4:11-12).

As Jesus shows us by His life, love is not about sentiment but about actions that feed the whole person. We are called to love our neighbor as Jesus loved others and as He loves us. “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. ... We love because He first loved us” (4:16-19).

This is our hope and our prayer: that we so allow His loving grace into our lives that we, as the community of the Church, become more and more like Jesus – feeding the body, spirit and soul of all in the world.

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

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

To live in God’s love

E

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Dr. Tod Worner

The hard world and how to restore mercy to a merciless age

W

e live in a merciless age.

Gone are the days of the uncalculating kind word, the politely doffed hat, and the deferential door-opening. No longer is it customary for the young to offer their bus seat to an elder, for the rushing commuter to allow someone to merge, or for the unconsciously offered “please” and timely penned thank-you note. When any of this does happen, it is the exception and not the rule. Flatly counter-cultural instead of cultural.

Sadly, our conversation is even worse. People talk all the time and rarely listen. And when they do “listen,” they process nothing their interlocutor is offering. Instead, they simply stay silent while crafting their next rebuttal or riposte. It is a monologue of smugness, certainty and unapologetic self-satisfaction.

Those with whom we disagree are no longer considered earnest intellectual sparring partners, but instead are our enemies. Once, on any given issue, the continuum of opinions in search of truth were explored and appreciated for their intriguing evolution and thoughtful nuance. Now, they are harshly dismissed. If you are not with us, you are against us. If you are on the road to “right,” you are still wrong.

The practice of persuasion, the touch of charm, the warmth of engagement have been exiled. Anger is argument.

Outrage is standard currency.

Indignation is relished.

We live in a time that has forgotten about mercy. It is conviction without pardon, judgment without grace. There is nothing excusable.

Thoughtless words, we are told, cannot be unsaid. Historical mistakes, we are taught, cannot be contextualized. Running afoul of fashionable orthodoxy is simply unforgivable. You will be chastised, mobbed, crushed or exiled. Justice, we are instructed, dictates it. You will be saved only by being destroyed.

Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor would be pleased with modern times. And so would Joseph Stalin, the man of infinite purges who literally erased his comrades from photographs for their perceived transgressions. His eerie philosophy of eradicating the enemy along with his ideas echoes in today’s intolerant world. As Russian author Anatoly Rybakov summarizes Stalin’s hellishly dismissive worldview, “No man, no problem.”

This is no way to arrive at Truth.

This is no way to be treated.

This is no way to treat our brothers and sisters.

We are not perfect. Not one of us.

We will make mistakes again and again. True, we are dignified, but we are fallen. And yet, in the merciful eyes of God, we are deemed worthy of redemption. That should give us great

pause. Instead of haughtiness and entitlement, we should be consumed by humility and gratitude.

As Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would discover in the crushing despair of the Soviet gulag, “Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart – and through all human hearts.”

Just consider what Christ told us again and again about our brokenness and the imperative for mercy: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (Jn 8:7), and “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”

(Mt 7:3).

And, “Then Peter approaching asked him, ‘Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times’ ” (Mt 18:21-22).

And, “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:22-24).

And, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Lk 15:7).

C.S. Lewis reminds us in our righteous indignation that the grace we offer, the mercy we extend is an extension of the grace and mercy we have first received: “Forgiving does not mean excusing. ... To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

So today – right now – let’s begin again. Let’s open the door for another.

Let’s smile and say thank you. Let’s pay that genuine compliment. Let’s truly listen and humbly give another their due. Let’s forgive and forget. Let’s leave behind arrogance and rediscover humility. Let’s abandon outrage and embrace gratitude.

Let’s bring a little mercy back to a merciless age.

DR. TOD WORNER is a husband, father, Catholic convert and practicing internal medicine physician.

His blog, “Catholic Thinking,” is found at Aleteia.org.

He also writes for Patheos (“A Catholic Thinker”) and the National Catholic Register. Follow him on Twitter @thinkercatholic.

Letter to the Editor

We cannot compromise on abortion Abortion is a wedge issue because it separates a mother from her child. Abortion, at its core, is a destruction of the family, the “cell of society” as St. John Paul II described it in his “Letter to Families.” The family is a cell in the sense that it is where life begins and is nurtured, and these cells comprise the body of society. Systematically destroy the cells, and the body dies.

Opposition to abortion is part of seeking true social justice simply because laws that allow abortion allow injustice to be perpetuated against the most defenseless members of society. In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass frequently reflects on the effects that slavery had on the entire United States. Even though this evil practice was legal only in the South, the whole country was affected by the brutalization and dehumanization of the human person. We

see the lingering effects today. In the same way, abortion teaches society that human life may be snuffed out as a matter of choice and convenience. No other issue has the same weight or the same effect. It is a rejection of truth, of beauty, and ultimately of God. Pope Francis, following his predecessors, encourages Catholics to work for and love the common good. There are some things that prevent the common good from ever being attained. An unjust law, especially one that allows violence against the weak under the guise of “freedom,” is one of these things.

Because of its nature, its effect, its frequency, and the fact that the law celebrates it as “liberty,” abortion is the preeminent issue of our day. And as we would not compromise with slavery, we must never compromise with abortion.

MATTHEW BOSNICK is a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte.

Most-read stories on the web Through press time on May 5, 5,857 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 8,118 pages. The top 10 headlines in May have been: n Facing death, priest turns farewell into teachable moment............................................................................3,157 n Why do we pray for the dead?....................................................................................................................................478 n Where to watch Mass online...................................................................................................................................... 298 n Offering Masses for the dead.................................................................................................................................... 206 n Bishop Jugis announces ‘Year of St. Joseph’.........................................................................................................193 n Santa Rita de Casia, ‘la santa de lo imposible’.......................................................................................................143 n Consecrated secular reacts to beatification...........................................................................................................134 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald...............................................................................128 n 33-day consecration to St. Joseph.............................................................................................................................121 n The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist...........................................................................................................106

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