Oct. 14, 2022

At a glance

PUBLISHER

EDITOR: Spencer K. M. Brown 704-808-4528, skmbrown@charlottediocese.org

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

HISPANIC MEDIA MANAGER: César Hurtado 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

EDITORIAL TEAM: Kimberly Bender 704-370-3394, kdbender@charlottediocese.org Annie Ferguson 704-370-3404, arferguson@charlottediocese.org SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Liz Chandler 704-370-3336, lchandler@charlottediocese.org

ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@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.

Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332

keeagan@charlottediocese.org.

5

things you need to know this week

SEEK ST. LUKE’S INTERCESSION

Oct. 18 is the feast of St. Luke, author of one of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Referred to as the “beloved physician” (Col 4:14), St. Luke gives us the words of the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation and the Magnificat as well as the details of the Presentation in the Temple. Tradition holds that he was the first to paint the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he’s represented that way in traditional iconography. Learn more: www.catholicnewsherald.com

GET CRAFTY FOR ALL SAINTS DAY

Artistic possibilities abound for All Saints Day. One option is to create a collage of the Church Triumphant in this cloud of witnesses craft. It’s a great way to teach your children about the saints and their intercession for us. Details are online at www.catholicnewsherald.com

AUTUMN WALKS WITH GOD

Soak in the natural beauty of the season by exploring the grounds of nearby retreat centers that are designed to be meditative, such as Living Waters in Maggie Valley (www.catholicretreat.org) and the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory (www.catholicconference. org). A handy guide to leaf-peeping sites and nearby churches is on our website: www.catholicnewsherald.com

PRAY THE ROSARY IN PUBLIC America Needs Fatima organizes “rosary rallies” across the U.S. every October. Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury is hosting a rally at noon Saturday, Oct. 15, in front of Spanky’s Restaurant. Many other parishes participate. Check with yours for details.

Diocesan calendar of events

PRAYER SERVICES

DIVINE MERCY DAY OF HEALING : 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. To register, go to www.stmatthewcatholic.org.

HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST LUKE MISSION (UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH) : Divine Liturgy (Mass) is offered Sundays at 3 p.m. at St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden. All welcome. For info: ucmcanton@gmail.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

WORLD FEST: Saturday, Oct. 15, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Ethnic food, games, entertainment and cultural devotions. Everyone welcome. For details, call the parish office at 704-549-1607.

OCTOBER FAMILY FEST: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, Immaculata School and Immaculate Conception Church, 711 Buncombe St., Hendersonville. Live music, dance performances, inflatables, games, bingo, and

beer for sale. All proceeds benefit the school. For details, visit www. immaculateconceptionchurch.com.

FILM SCREENING EVENT, ‘A PLACE AT THE TABLE – AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON THE ROAD TO SAINTHOOD’: 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, MACS Fine Arts Center, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road, Charlotte. Join us for an afternoon of fun, music and refreshments. Six incredible Black men and women are on the path to canonization. Hosted by Our Lady of Consolation Church for the entire Diocese of Charlotte as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. For details, email OLCcharlotte@rcdoc.org.

RETREATS

RETROUVAILLE OF WESTERN

CAROLINA: Retrouvaille weekend in Charlotte Oct. 14-16. Designed for married couples facing difficult challenges in their relationship, couples who are struggling or not communicating well, and those who are considering separation or divorce. Call 727-343-6701 or go to www. helpourmarriage.org.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

PROTECTING CHILDREN: Protecting God’s Children (Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios) workshops educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register for online training, go to www.virtus.org. Upcoming workshops:

CHARLOTTE: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, and 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 (Spanish), St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road

SWANNANOA: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, St. Margaret Mary Church’s parish hall, 102 Andrews Pl.

TALKS

CONFERENCE & HOLY HOUR ON ‘BEAUTY, THE LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL’: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, in Aquinas Hall at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Hosted by Deacon Matthew Newsome. For details, contact the parish office at 704-549-1607.

— Annie Ferguson

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

OCT. 17 – 6 P.M.

Sacrament of Confirmation

St. Barnabas Church, Arden

OCT. 19 – 6 P.M.

Sacrament of Confirmation

St. Joan of Arc Church, Candler

OCT. 23 – 2:30 P.M.

HONOR ST. JOHN PAUL II AND FATIMA Oct. 22 marks the memorial of St. John Paul II during the same month that the last Marian apparition and Miracle of the Sun appeared in Fatima, Portugal, on Oct. 13, 1917. The sainted pope credited Our Lady of Fatima for his survival of an assassination attempt in 1981. Another detail: The saint ordained our own Peter Jugis to the priesthood in 1983, and appointed him Bishop of Charlotte in 2003. Learn more about the late pontiff: www.stjohnpaul.org/fatima

The first apparition of Mary

Our Lady of the Pillar is patroness of Spain and all Hispanics

Our Lady of the Pillar (officially in Spanish, “Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza”) is recognized as the first Marian apparition in the history of Christianity and is the only one that happened while the Virgin Mary was still alive. Although it was technically a bilocation of Our Lady, because she was living with John the Apostle in Jerusalem, it is still regarded as an apparition by the tradition of the Church.

According to tradition, James the Greater, brother of St. John the Evangelist, traveled with great effort to Roman Hispania (modern-day Spain) to evangelize the local tribes. He not only confronted great difficulties, but he also saw very little apostolic fruits of conversion. Tradition says that when he was at his lowest point of discouragement, in 40 A.D., while he was sitting by the banks of the Ebro River in Zaragoza (back then known as Caesaraugusta), Mary appeared to him accompanied by thousands of angels to console and encourage him.

The Virgin Mary, with the Child Jesus in her arms and standing on a pillar, asked St. James and his eight disciples to build a church on the site, promising that “it will stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place themselves under my patronage.”

The church of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza is the first church dedicated to Mary in history, and it remains standing to

this day, having survived invasions and wars.

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Communists dropped three bombs on the church from an airplane. The bombs tore through the roof and hit the floor, but none of them exploded. The three now deactivated bombs are currently on display in one of the basilica’s walls.

Our Lady is also said to have given the small wooden statue of the apparition to St. James. It now stands on the pillar she arrived on. The wooden statue is a relatively simple image 15 inches high, standing on a jasper pillar 5.9 feet tall. But the crown adorning her head is a masterpiece. It was made in 44 days by 33 workmen. The sun-like crown is made of 2,836 diamonds cut triangularly, 2,725 roses, 145 pearls, 74 emeralds, 62 rubies and 46 sapphires. The crown of the baby Jesus is identical in shape, although not in size.

The basilica has been redesigned and expanded several times during its history. The current structure, completed in the 17th century, includes 11 brightly colored tiled domes and is the second biggest church in Spain.

Nuestra Señora del Pilar is not only the patroness of Spain but also of all Hispanic peoples, since it was on Oct. 12, 1492, the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, that Christopher Columbus arrived on American land and the first Mass in the Americas was celebrated.

Our faith

Pope Francis

Complaints, coupled with inaction, are poison

Complaints without any desire to do anything about the situation are poison, Pope Francis said. Complaining can be “a poison to the soul, a poison to life” and “almost a sin” when it prevents people from building and strengthening “the desire to move forward,” he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 12. The pope continued his series of talks about discernment by reflecting on the role of desire in discovering what one truly wants or needs in his or her life. Desire, he said, “is the compass to understand where I am and where I am going,” and it can indicate whether a person has just given up and is “standing still.” It is important to be able to recognize sincere desire, which is not a momentary craving, but is something that “knows how to touch deeply the chords of our being, which is why it is not extinguished in the face of difficulties or setbacks,” he said.

“It is like when we are thirsty: if we do not find something to drink, we do not give up; on the contrary, the yearning increasingly occupies our thoughts and actions, until we become willing to make any sacrifice in order to quench it,” he added. “Desire makes you strong, it makes you courageous, it makes you keep going forward, because you want to arrive” at that goal. A sincere desire is what helps people embark on “a successful, coherent and lasting project,” he said.

OCT. 16-22

Sunday: Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:144:2, Luke 18:1-8; Monday (St. Ignatius of Antioch): Ephesians 2:1-10, Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday (St. Luke): 2 Timothy 4:10-17b, Luke 10:1-9; Wednesday (Sts. John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues and Companions): Ephesians 3:2-12, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 12:3948; Thursday (St. Paul of the Cross): Ephesians 3:14-21, Luke 12:49-53; Friday: Ephesians 4:1-6, Luke 12:54-59; Saturday (St. John Paul II): Ephesians 4:7-16, Luke 13:1-9

OCT. 23-29

Sunday: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14; Monday (St. Anthony Mary Claret): Ephesians 4:32-5:8, Luke 13:10-17; Tuesday: Ephesians 5:2133, Luke 13:18-21; Wednesday: Ephesians 6:1-9, Luke 13:22-30; Thursday: Ephesians 6:10-20, Luke 13:31-35; Friday (Sts. Simon and Jude): Ephesians 2:19-22, Luke 6:12-16; Saturday: Philippians 1:18b-26, Luke 14:1, 7-11

OCT. 30-NOV. 5

Sunday: Wisdom 11:22-12:2, 2

Thessalonians 1:11-2:2, Luke 19:1-10; Monday: Philippians 2:1-4, Luke 14:12-14; Tuesday (All Saints): Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12a; Wednesday (All Souls’ Day): Wisdom 3:1-9, Romans 5:5-11, John 6:37-40; Thursday (St. Martin de Porres): Philippians 3:3-8a, Luke 15:1-10; Friday (St. Charles Borromeo): Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 16:1-8; Saturday: Philippians 4:10-19, Luke 16:9-15

Modifying a popular saying, Pope Francis said the road to hell is paved with good intentions and no action. “The era in which we live seems to promote the maximum freedom of choice, but at the same time it atrophies desire,” the pope said. “We are bombarded by a thousand proposals, projects, possibilities, which risk distracting us and not allowing us to calmly evaluate what we really want,” he said. For example, people who stare at their telephone, always “turned outward, toward the other,” always living in the moment and never stopping to think about what they yearn for. “Desire cannot grow in this way.” But, the pope said, “by engaging in dialogue with the Lord, we learn to understand what we truly want from life.” That is why Jesus engages with the paralytic by the pool, who has been waiting for years for healing, but is not proactive and only grumbles, he said.

“Beware, because complaints are a poison,” he said, “they stop the desire to go forward. Ask God to help us know our deepest desire, that God Himself has placed in our heart, and perhaps the Lord will give us the strength to make it come true,” Pope Francis said. “Because He, too, has a great desire for us: to make us share in His fullness of life.”

— Alejandro Bermudez, Catholic News Agency

“St. James and his disciples adoring Our Lady of the Pillar,” by Francis Goya (c. 1775-’80)

diocese

Charity and love prevail in High Point

Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul renew vows, observe patronal feast day

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

HIGH POINT — Fueled by prayer and the sacraments, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul pour themselves out for those in need in the Triad, cementing the bonds of God and community through their indefatigable charity.

From Mananthavady – a city in the Wayanad District in Kerala State, India – Sisters Christie Kunnel, Josna, Vinaya, Praveena, Agnes Maria and Elsa Tom now live at St. Vincent’s Convent in a rural area near the High Point city limits. They call Christ the King Church their home parish while serving other nearby Catholic churches and the wider community in multitudinous ways.

“We are so happy to be here,” says Sister Christie. “Serving Our Lord in this way brings us great joy.”

FILLING SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL NEEDS

The sisters prepare for and participate in liturgical services for the church by arranging flowers in the sanctuary, washing and ironing church linens, and singing in the choir. They also take Communion to those in the hospital and the homebound and teach religious education at three parishes.

One of their community outreach ministries is De Paul Academy, which prepares immigrant children for beginning school at the right age. Sisters Josna, Elsa Tom, Vinaya and Praveena are all licensed teachers at the fivestar preschool.

Habtamu Workneh and his family came from Ethiopia.

Each of his three children has thrived at De Paul Academy.

“When my daughter went there last January, she did not speak English. I was so afraid she would get confused. Later, when I took her for her entrance test for kindergarten, she did perfectly. She got a 100. I was so happy and surprised.”

Workneh’s twin sons now attend the school and love learning and playing games there. He says Sister Josna does a wonderful job of keeping him informed.

Workneh adds, “I asked my daughter what the difference was between her school in Ethiopia and the one here, and she said the sisters talk to her and treat her as a mother would. This has been a big relief for me.”

A BEAUTIFUL VOCATION

The current convent, which opened in 2011, is the mother house for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in the U.S. and has the capacity to house 14 religious sisters. The sisters grow a variety of fruits on the 16-acre property, including apples, persimmons, muscadine grapes, plums and blueberries.

With only six sisters – in 2015 there were 13 – there is

a shortage of hands to get all the work done. Since then, six sisters transferred to convents in Charlotte and Lake Wylie, S.C. Even so, they go about their days cheerfully.

“My charity began at home,” says Sister Christie, who grew up in a large Catholic family in India. It was there where her mother and siblings noted how nicely and neatly she completed her chores, and where her parents first encouraged her to help anytime she saw someone in need.

Sister Christie is the seventh of 10 children, including three siblings who likewise have religious vocations – two of her brothers are priests, and one of her sisters is also a religious sister. The children attended a Catholic school and were educated by nuns.

In India, Sister Christie, RN, BSN, studied for six years to become a nurse while also starting formation for her religious vocation.

Today, she and Sister Agnes Maria, RN, BSN, use their education to care for the sick at High Point’s Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Sister Christie splits her time between the medical center and Pennybyrn retirement community, where she often stays after her hours to spend more time with her patients.

“I have 21 residents during my shift,” she says. “I stay longer because they need more. They need someone to listen to them.”

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Last month, the sisters were able to fully observe their

ANNIE FERGUSON AND PAUL CAMPBELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD; PHOTO PROVIDED BY SISTER CHRISTIE KUNNEL Sisters Josna and Vinaya of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul teach preschoolers at De Paul Academy in High Point. (Above left) Father Philip Kollithanath offered Mass at the convent on Sept. 27.

(Below) Sister Christie tends the muscadine grapes growing on the convent property. For more photos, visit www.catholicnewsherald.com.

‘Little Way’ of St. Thérèse Parish has big impact in community

More than $486k raised for two local charities

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

MOORESVILLE — St. Thérèse Parish is giving back in a big way, raising more than $486,000 for two local charities serving the poor and hungry in the greater Mooresville community.

Parishioners capped off their yearlong 75th anniversary celebration the first weekend of October with a banquet, Family Fun Day and liturgical celebrations. Throughout the year, they raised money to cover a variety of celebrations and events – and vastly exceeded their charitable goal of $250,000.

Proceeds will go to support two Mooresville-based charities.

FeedNC, which provides healthy groceries, hot meals, workforce education and community connections, will receive $353,576. The Christian Mission, which provides rent and utility assistance, clothing, food, skills training and education, will receive $132,693 – as well a substantial in-kind donation valued at $150,000.

“We are humbled by their bold support,” said Amy LaCount, executive director of The Christian Mission. “Our partnership with St. Thérèse is crucial, as their parishioners make all of our programs a reality through regular volunteering, hosting food and coat drives, and financial giving.”

St. Thérèse’s fundraising efforts illuminate the parish’s generous spirit, said anniversary chair Ian Campos. “We had set ourselves the goal of helping raise $250,000 toward the FeedNC and The Christian Mission capital campaigns. Our parishioners and a few non-parishioners really came together in the ‘St. Thérèse Little Way’ and have pledged $486,269 collectively toward these campaigns.”

Popularly known as The Little Flower, St. Thérèse was a cloistered French Carmelite nun who died young in 1897 but was renowned for her simple approach to the spiritual life, seeking to do ordinary little things with extraordinary love – thus the “Little Way.”

St. Thérèse Parish has had longstanding relationships with Feed NC and The Christian Mission dating back decades. Both charities are in the process of building new facilities to meet growing demand for their services, particularly in the wake of

the pandemic and economic conditions.

FeedNC’s $7 million facility underway on U.S. 21 (Charlotte Highway) in Mooresville will feature “The St. Thérèse Food Pantry” and an outdoor “St. Thérèse Picnic Area” to commemorate the parish’s support and dedication to the charity’s mission.

FeedNC (which stands for “Food Education Essentials Dignity”) serves about 150 clients a day experiencing food insecurity. More than 5,000 people a year are served through a variety of services, and the nonprofit is receiving 40 new applications a week from individuals and families in need.

“St. Thérèse Parish has truly made an impact and are true partners of FeedNC,” said Lara Ingram, executive director. “It’s really astounding how generous people are and how much people understand the need. COVID changed everyone’s life. People saw their neighbors having need and responded.”

Fundraising during a pandemic was challenging, she said, but the parish was instrumental “in helping us reach the finish line on our building project.”

St Thérèse has partnered with The Christian Mission since the 1950s, helping families break the cycle of poverty.

“We’re so grateful for their help,” LaCount said. “It’s great that we can invest in the community together.”

The organization, which works to break the cycle of poverty and help people become self-sufficient, has seen a 30% increase in requests from individuals and families in need of assistance.

Its capital campaign has raised $2.3 million toward its $5 million building project, scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2023. The new facility will feature “The St. Thérèse Kitchen.”

Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Thérèse Parish, appreciates how his parishioners embraced the community outreach. “I was very pleased with our efforts, organization, charity and participation. It was a big boost to our parish and to the agencies that we supported,” he said.

Campos added, “We are a truly blessed parish and one that knows how to share its blessings with a joyful heart. May Thérèse continue to bless and inspire us in her own ‘Little Way’ for many more years to come.”

Make an impact

FeedNC and The Christian Mission welcome volunteers and financial contributions as they pursue their missions.

For information, go to www.feednc.org/feednc-building-abigger-table and www.ourchristianmission.org

Diocese wins outpouring of support in appeal to protect Catholic education

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has received broad support in its legal case to protect the freedom of Catholic schools to employ teachers who uphold Church teaching.

More than 40 religious denominations, civil rights groups, legal scholars, faith groups and educational organizations filed friendof-the-court briefs Sept. 29 in support of the diocese, agreeing that the diocese should remain free to ask its teachers to uphold the Catholic faith in word and deed. The support underscores how important the case is for religious and civil rights organizations nationally, the diocese said.

Currently under consideration in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the case dates back to 2017, when the American Civil Liberties Union sued Charlotte Catholic High School on behalf of retired drama teacher Lonnie Billard after the school removed him from its list of substitute teachers. The school asks all of its teachers to uphold and model the Catholic faith. Billard entered a same-sex marriage and posted about it on Facebook, where he was friends with parents of current and former students. A federal court in 2021 ruled in Billard’s favor, and the diocese appealed.

In its appeal, the diocese argues that the U.S. Constitution and federal law protect the freedom of religious schools to choose teachers who support and uphold their religious beliefs.

The diocese is being represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm based in Washington, D.C., which has an undefeated record in the U.S. Supreme Court and is assisting free of charge.

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly protected the right of religious schools to choose who will teach and model the faith for the next generation,” said Luke Goodrich, the Becket Fund’s vice president and senior counsel. “If ‘separation of church and state’ means anything, it means the state doesn’t get to dictate the inner workings of Catholic schools.”

The friend-of-the-court briefs filed Sept. 29 include support from a broad range of Christian and non-Christian faiths, including: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Seventh-day Adventist Conference and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, as well as the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty and the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team of the Religious Freedom Institute.

Support also comes from numerous other religious groups, educational organizations, prominent legal scholars, the Christian Legal Society, the Cardinal Newman Society, and civil rights groups including the Institute for Free Speech.

“Religious liberty means the right to be different, individually and institutionally,” the brief filed jointly by seven legal scholars states. “This freedom can exist only if religious institutions are free to create learning environments where their beliefs, principles of morality, and way of life are passed on through both instruction and personal example.”

The briefs explain how the freedom to hire faithful employees is protected by federal employment law, civil rights laws such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the U.S. Constitution.

“This remarkable show of support demonstrates that this case is not just about the freedom of one school to teach the Catholic faith, but about the freedom of all people of faith to form communities around shared religious beliefs and practices,” Goodrich said.

Billard and the ACLU argue that his termination is a form of sex discrimination.

The diocese asserts that hiring faculty who fully embrace Catholic values is essential to passing on the faith to future generations. Parents make immense sacrifices to send their children to Catholic schools, the diocese says, and they expect the diocese to ensure its schools provide an authentic Catholic education.

Fiesta Val!

WINSTON-SALEM — Members of Our Lady of Mercy in WinstonSalem threw their annual Fiesta Val celebration on Sept. 25, bringing the many cultures of their parish together for a day of prayer, food and dancing.

The diocese also notes that Billard, like all teachers, signed an annual employment contract agreeing to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church. Billard was married to his wife of more than 20 years during his initial tenure at Charlotte Catholic High School.

Several other Catholic schools recently prevailed in similar highprofile cases. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court in Illinois and the Indiana Supreme Court both threw out lawsuits from former Catholic educators who lost their jobs after entering samesex unions in violation of their contracts and Church teaching.

On Sept. 30, a federal district court in Indiana ruled in favor of the school in another similar case.

The Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome also recently released guidance on the identity of Catholic schools, emphasizing that “teachers must be outstanding in correct doctrine and integrity of life” and “have the obligation to recognize and respect the Catholic character of the school from the moment of their employment.”

The ACLU is expected to respond to the diocese’s appeal in November, and a decision from the court is expected in 2023.

Lawlor

Honoring St. Francis, bringing people together

Pet parents and their furry,

local clergy in honor of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron

of

honor this great saint and the special place

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Church in Charlotte,

Francis

Church in Mocksville, St.

St.

Church

St.

Showing Respect for Life

Faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte gathered Oct. 2 to kick off October’s Respect Life Month and form “Life Chains” as a public witness for the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death.

photos from around the diocese

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Pictured are life chains with parishioners from Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, St. Mark Church in Huntersville, St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte and St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville.

A special year for a special devotion

Forest City parish holds 10th annual Cross-a-Thon and Eucharistic procession

PENNY WATKINS & MICHAEL DAIGLE

Special to the Catholic News Herald

FOREST CITY — Members of Immaculate Conception Parish trekked two miles through downtown Forest City Sept. 24 praying, carrying heavy crosses on their shoulders, and following the Blessed Sacrament – an annual devotion they have dubbed a “Cross-a-Thon.”

This year marked the Cross-a-Thon’s 10th anniversary. The event, which included a Eucharistic Procession, was sponsored by the local Knights of Columbus.

Immaculate Conception’s pastor, Father Herbert Burke, led the procession with the Blessed Sacrament.

This year, the event raised funds for St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, and several seminarians were in attendance to help lead the procession – carrying a massive, heavy lead cross.

Father Matthew Buettner, spiritual director of the seminary, joined Father Burke in the procession, carrying the monstrance down Main Street in Forest City.

Meanwhile during the procession, the

Lay Carmelites offered parishioners who were unable to walk the distance the opportunity to join in the experience spiritually by praying a Carmelite version of the Stations of the Cross, written by the cloistered Carmelite Nuns in Ravenna, Italy.

The prayers included quotes from Sister Mary of Saint Peter, and from St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. In revelations to the Carmelite Sister Mary of Saint Peter, Jesus told her: “By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused, and the conversion of many will

be obtained.” Jesus also told her: “I can no longer remain in the midst of a people that will continue to be so heedless and so ungrateful. Look at the torrents of tears that stream from My eyes! Can I find no one to wipe away these tears by making reparation to My Father, and imploring forgiveness for the guilty?”

In honor of its 10th year, the Cross-aThon was dedicated for the conversion of souls and in reparation for sin, with a devotion to the Holy Face that included 24hour adoration and a special Reparations Novena.

PHOTOS BY GIULIANA POLINARI RILEY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Another chance to say ‘I do’

Married couples invited to Wedding Anniversary Mass

CHARLOTTE — Catholics celebrating milestone wedding anniversaries this year – or at any time throughout the pandemic – are cordially invited to join Bishop Peter Jugis for a special Wedding Anniversary Mass in their honor.

The Mass, set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at St. Ann Church in Charlotte, honors couples who have been married for 25 years or more.

Sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte’s new Office of Family Life, the event includes a reception with the bishop after Mass. Couples who celebrated their 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries in 2020, 2021 and 2022 will receive a special certificate commemorating their anniversary.

Register at www.charlottediocese.org/ bishops-yearly-anniversary-mass-for-couples. St. Ann Church is located at 3635 Park Road.

— SueAnn Howell

Can’t attend?

Here is a Prayer for Married Couples you can pray to mark a couple’s jubilee wedding anniversary if unable to attend the special Mass on Oct. 23:

Almighty and eternal God, You blessed the union of married couples so that they might reflect the union of Christ with His Church: Look with kindness on them. Renew their marriage covenant, increase Your love in them, and strengthen their bond of peace so that, with their children, they may always rejoice in the gift of Your blessing.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

— www.foryourmarriage.org

‘You shall be my witnesses’

Church worldwide unites for World Mission Sunday

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Catholics around the world will participate in World Mission Sunday the weekend of Oct. 23, uniting as one community of faith in support of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are living in situations of poverty, violence and oppression.

World Mission Sunday is a global effort to support the work of missionaries and, through a special second collection to the Pontifical Mission Societies, provide for the building up of more than 1,000 local churches in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and parts of Latin America and Europe.

Father Patrick Cahill, pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville, has served as the mission office director for the Diocese of Charlotte since 2014.

“I’ve learned that the needs are endless,” he said. “That does not give us an excuse to be complacent or turn away. Rather, we embrace the needs of the Church and give willingly and happily.

“It’s a blessing for us to be able to be a part of orphanages in Hyderabad (India), cathedrals in Buea (Cameroon), and health clinics in Lima (Peru),” he said. “World Mission Sunday reminds me how blessed we are to be Catholics and to be united in a global communion of prayer and sacrifice.”

Pope Pius XI instituted Mission

Sunday with the first worldwide collection taking place in October 1927.

Pope Francis reiterated the Church’s support in January, prescribing this year’s theme for World Mission Sunday: “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

“Every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ,” he said. “And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than to evangelize the world, bearing witness to Christ. The identity of the Church is to evangelize.”

The pope also reminded the faithful of two important anniversaries for the life and mission of the Church: the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide, now referred to as the Evangelization of the People, and the 200th anniversary of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

Pope Francis expressed his dream to see a “completely missionary Church, and a new era of missionary activity among Christian communities.”

Learn more

At www.onefamilyinmission.org : Get more information about the Pontifical Mission Societies, which funds the work of missionaries to provide food, education, and medical care to the most vulnerable communities in the pope’s missions.

Carmelites profess temporary, definitive promises at ceremony

CHARLOTTE — The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Charlotte Community of Discalced Secular Carmelites received the temporary and definitive promises of 10 members at Mass Sept. 10 at St. Ann Church.

Promises in the Carmelite Order are made to the community and the superior of the order. Members promise to live according to the Rule of St. Albert and follow the constitution and statutes of the order created in the wake of the reforms of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.

Members also strive to live according to the evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience, and of the beatitudes.

Father Timothy Reid, the community’s spiritual advisor, served as main celebrant and received the promises of the members – either temporary or definitive (lifelong) promises.

Those making temporary promises were: (from left) Lee Benson, Stacy Peterson, Rene Kathe, Chantal Totman, Peggy McElravey, Ann Spinetto, Anna Lopez and Doris Kasprack.

Those making definitive promises were: (from left) Marie Schroeder and Paula Schrum.

The Discalced Secular Carmelites meet monthly at St. Ann Church. For more information, visit the community’s website at www.olmcocds.org.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Arden parishioner remembers Society of St. Vincent de Paul in will

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

ARDEN — Devoted to the Church and the poor, the late Catherine Holzworth designated in her will that nearly $78,000 be given to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – a charitable organization that follows in the footsteps of the French saint known for his compassion for the poor.

Holzworth, a member of St. Barnabas Parish in Arden, passed away aged 83 on Dec. 27, 2020. As a student at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., she felt called to a religious vocation and became a Sister of the Holy Cross. Holzworth was a member of the order for 13 years until she

left over concerns that there would not be enough money to support her retirement there or in any other order given the overall funding issues at the time.

Leaving the order wasn’t an easy decision.

“Being a religious sister meant a lot to Catherine,” said Mary Unterborn of Dayton, Tenn., Holzworth’s youngest sister and executor of her estate. “She read everything she could about Mother Teresa and her mission to serve the poor. She was Catherine’s inspiration.”

Holzworth moved to Montana, married and lived there for 30 years. Throughout her life, her love for the Lord and His Church never wavered. After her husband passed away, she retired to North Carolina. Holzworth remained active in the Church, working at St. Barnabas and teaching confirmation classes.

“Our parents also supported the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” Unterborn said. “Giving to a charity that serves our communities in this way was a natural choice for Catherine. The good to come from her donation would bring her so much joy.”

The gift was split between three conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul: 50 percent went to the St. Barnabas Conference in Arden, 25 percent went to the St. Eugene-St. Lawrence-St. Joan of Arc Conference in Asheville, and another 25 percent went to the St. Margaret Mary Conference in Swannanoa.

“With the way the estate was drawn up, there was a problem with the wording. It was left to St. Vincent de Paul, Asheville, which is an entity that doesn’t technically exist, and

Catherine may not have been aware of how it was made out,” explained Jim Loosemore, president of the Arden conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The estate attorney contacted the Diocese of Charlotte to ask how it addresses this type of situation.

“Our office was able to organize meetings and discussions between all the parties –the leadership of the three conferences, the estate attorney and Catherine’s sister. We came up with a solution that all parties supported. We all wanted to make sure Catherine’s wishes were honored,” said Jim Kelley, development director for the diocese. “Like all those who leave an estate gift to the Church, Catherine’s gift will change lives. She is one of over 1,500 people we have worked with who either have or will leave a gift to the Church in their estate plans.”

The Arden conference’s clientele is split evenly between Buncombe and Henderson counties, helping with utilities, rent, mortgage and food.

“We are very grateful for the money from the estate. It came at a perfect time. The food pantry is taking up a lot of our funds. With the increase in food prices and inability to receive goods from the food banks, all the sources are drying up,” said Loosemore. “Because of the COVID issues, there are a lot of people pushed into situations they never expected. They don’t know who to call first, and we help them with that. The other conferences do the same.”

With this gift, Holzworth’s legacy lives on as the fruits of her labor continue to help those in need.

Room At The Inn

Administrative Coordinator

The Diocese of Charlotte is currently accepting applications for a full-time Administrative Coordinator to support the Director of Planned Giving / Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Office of Development staff.

This position requires a professional who can work independently, communicate well with donors, and can successfully work in an environment that requires extensive multi-tasking.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

•Associates degree or greater in related field

•Three years’ experience in administrative support

•Preferred experience in Raiser’s Edge or other database software

•Competent in MS Office software

•Solid planning and organizational skills

•Ability to work both independently and as part of a larger team

•Strong written, verbal and inter-personal skills

Please submit letter of interest and resume by October 31, 2022 to:

Gina Rhodes – Office of Development gmrhodes@rcdoc.org

Or by mail to: 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203

The Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Annual Benefit Banquet

Our theme is “LIFE WINS!”

Thursday, October 20, 2022 from 6:00 8:30 p.m. Sheraton Greensboro (or join us LIVE online)

Melissa is the survivor of a failed saline infusion abortion in 1977. Despite the initial concerns regarding Melissa’s future after surviving the attempt to end her life at approximately seven months gestation, she has not only survived but thrived. Melissa’s story, and her life, is so much more than one of survival. It’s evidence of the intergenerational impact of abortion on all of our lives. More importantly, it’s a testament to the beauty of God’s grace in our lives.

Fulfilling the purpose that she beli eves God set out for her when He saved her from the certain death of the abortion attempt, Melissa is truly a voice for the voiceless. Don’t miss this chance to hear her story!

You’ll also get to hear the story of one of our mothers, Taylor , and find out how YOU can walk with single moms in need!

To sponsor the event or host a table, Please contact Marianne at 336.391.6299 or mdonadio@roominn.org

For more information, please visit roominn.org/events

Franz Liszt, St. Francis and ‘Deux Légendes’

CHRISTINA L. REITZ

Although the feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4 is not often associated with music, there is a connection.

In the 19th century, a major shift occurred in music. As composers craved to express their art on a different level from that of the traditional “absolute music,” many began writing “program music” –that is, instrumental music that tells a story.

prédication aux oiseaux” (“St. Francis of Assisi – the Sermon to the Birds”), inspired by Chapter 16 of “The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi.” The Dover edition, translated by Thomas Okey, states: “My little sister the birds, much are ye beholden to God your Creator, and always and in every place ye ought to praise Him (…) God feedeth you and giveth you the rivers and the fountains for your drink; He giveth you the mountains and the valleys for your refuge, and the tall trees wherein to build your nests (…) wherefore your Creator loveth you much, (…) and therefore beware, little sisters of mine, of the sin of ingratitude, but ever strive to praise God.”

The 1966 Breitkopf & Härtel edition of the score includes Liszt’s own humility-filled preface: “My want of facility, and perhaps also the narrow limits of musical expression possible in a little work of small dimensions (...) have obliged me to restrain myself, and to greatly diminish the wonderful profusion of the text of the ‘Sermon to the little birds.’ I implore the ‘glorious poor servant of Christ’ to pardon me for having thus impoverished Him.”

Greensboro area’s Father Scherer passes away, aged 85

GREENSBORO — Father James F. Scherer passed away Sept. 15, 2022, at AuthoraCare Collective/Beacon Place in Greensboro.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, located at 2210 N. Elm St. in Greensboro. A reception will follow.

He was born on March 13, 1937, in Philadelphia. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 16, 1964, and incardinated in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

During his ministry, he served in the Greensboro area as a marriage and family

therapist and certified social worker, and since the 1970s he regularly assisted with offering Masses at St. Pius X Church and other Greensboro area parishes. In 1997, he was featured as the graduation speaker at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville.

Besides his parents, Father Scherer was preceded in death by two siblings, brother Charles and sister Trudy.

He is survived by his sister, Betty Ann McNamara; 15 nieces and nephews; and a multitude of great-nieces and greatnephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one’s favorite charity.

Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services of Greensboro was in charge of the arrangements.

Irish nuns from the Catholic order Poor Servants of the Mother of God established a convalescent home in the former Penny mansion.

Two events are planned at Pennybyrn to honor the dedication of those original sisters, as well as the hundreds of volunteers and staff members who have faithfully served Pennybyrn’s mission since its beginning: one in October for Pennybyrn residents, staff and board members, and a second event in November to recognize donors and supporters.

One of the masters of this genre was Franz Liszt (1811-’86), a Hungarian pianist who took Europe by storm with his unmatched technique. Although he is well-known for his significant contributions to music history, many are surprised to learn that he was a devout Catholic. While the feast of St. Francis (Oct. 4) is rarely associated with music, the first of Liszt’s “Deux Légendes” is based on this beloved saint.

Liszt was raised in the Catholic faith. His father wanted to be a Franciscan and named his son after the order. After an incredibly successful career, Franz moved to Rome in 1861 to marry Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, but the annulment for her first marriage fell through, and the idea was abandoned. He stayed in the Eternal City and pursued the minor clerical orders, subsequently being referred to as Abbé Liszt.

While in Rome, he composed “Deux Légendes” (“Two Legends”), the first entitled “St. Francois d’Assise-La

By basing the work on this account, Liszt combined literature, nature and religion – all aspects that fascinated Romantic composers. The composition is for solo piano beginning with high notes to represent birds singing. They call back and forth before breaking into song, but when St. Francis begins to preach, a lower register of the piano is used to depict a man’s voice. A dialogue ensues between the saint and the birds, presented by low and high registers, respectively. Soon, the birds become so impressed with St. Francis’s preaching that they cease singing entirely to listen.

St. Francis is always associated with animals and nature, making him one of the most beloved saints in our history.

(Our own family dog, Charlie Chuckles, wears a blessed St. Francis medal.) A popular quote erroneously attributed to St. Francis is “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” Although there is no evidence he actually said those words, it is certainly applicable to the first of Liszt’s “Deux Légendes.”

More online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : Listen to Liszt’s “Légendes” and read further details on the

Chamber honors Pennybyrn

HIGH POINT — Pennybyrn retirement community has been honored by the Business High Point Chamber of Commerce as its “Business of the Year” for 2022. The annual award, presented during the chamber’s awards gala Sept. 21, recognizes one business that demonstrates good corporate citizenship, a robust culture of employee support and excellence in service, while also advocating for the High Point community.

“Pennybyrn very much appreciates this recognition of our team’s commitment to the residents, families and the community we serve,” said Rich Newman, president and CEO of Pennybyrn. “This is especially meaningful as we celebrate 75 years of service and care, as we live out our mission of demonstrating God’s love for the lives we touch, and as we prepare for many more years of service. We have approximately 400 staff that serve with love and dedication; this is truly a recognition of their commitment every day.”

Pennybyrn was established in 1947 when five

“As we celebrate 75 years of Pennybyrn serving and caring, I thank God for his faithfulness and for the many staff, leaders, board members and supporters who have served alongside the sisters with such love, generosity and dedication over the years,” said Sister Lucy Hennessy, board chair and mission leader.

— Spencer K.M. Brown

Hundreds march for life in Forest City

FOREST CITY — Several hundred people marched through the center of Forest City on a rainy Saturday to advocate for life. The Sept. 10 March for Life raised funds for the local pregnancy center, Hands of Hope for Life.

The Knights of Columbus were active in coordinating the event through a Supreme Knights program, Aid and Support After Pregnancy, which benefits babies and mothers after birth.

Tim Will, March for Life chairman of the N.C. State Council Knights of Columbus, has been teaming up local Knights councils with local pregnancy centers in North Carolina cities or towns to conduct Marches for Life. Marches have been planned for Waynesville, Hickory and Shelby, and additional marches are being considered in other towns.

Marches this fall are considered particularly important so voters can identify pro-life candidates to support in the November election.

Southern Homes of the Carolinas

Scherer

Franz Liszt’s portrait

Franz Hanfstaengl,

Marian Pilgrimage

A specially commissioned statue of Mary, Mother of God is visiting more than 100 locations across the Diocese of Charlotte during the anniversary year.

Upcoming visits include:

OUR LADY OF THE MOUNTAINS & ST. JUDE CATHOLIC CHURCHES

Until Oct. 16

315 N. 5th St., Highlands, N.C. 28741

3011 Hwy. 64 East, Sapphire, N.C. 28774

OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC CHURCH

Oct. 19-24

725 Deese St., Monroe, N.C. 28112

OUR LADY OF THE AMERICAS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Oct. 24-27

298 Farmers Market Road, Biscoe, N.C. 27209

ST. JAMES CATHOLIC CHURCH

Oct. 27-30

1018 W. Hamlet Ave., Hamlet, N.C. 28345

ST. MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Oct. 30-Nov. 3

818 McGowan Road, Shelby, N.C. 28150

For more information about these pilgrimage stops, go to the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary website, www.faithmorepreciousthangold.com

Ebony Thomas, who spent 10 years in prison, shares her personal story of struggle in returning home. She now owns two businesses that hire ex-felons and gives second chances.

(Above) Members of St. Peter Church who organized the event in collaboration with Re-entry Partners of Mecklenburg County are (from left) Carmen San Juan, Joanna Patcha, Kate Dennstaedt, Stephanie Fielder, Mary Stokes and Jenny Cox.

(Left) Pictured are Carmelia Stephens and Colin Patcha, a member of St. Peter Parish and a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School.

Walking with the excluded

‘30 days out: the re-entry simulation’

JENNY COX Special to the Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — Some 70 members of St. Peter Church and the larger community came together Aug. 27 to put themselves in the shoes of those formerly incarcerated.

They participated in “30 Days Out: The Re-entry Simulation,” a program sponsored by Re-entry Partners of Mecklenburg County that simulates the struggles faced by more than 20,000 people returning home from prison in North Carolina each year.

The project was one way the parish is contributing to the Diocese of Charlotte’s “50 Acts of Charity,” a yearlong initiative by the diocese’s parishes, schools and ministries to give back to the community while celebrating the diocese’s 50th anniversary in 2022. Acts of Charity have included corporal and spiritual works of mercy – everything from food and diaper drives to prayer and taking action in solidarity with the poor and others in need.

“As a Jesuit parish, one of our apostolic preferences is walking with the excluded,” said Joanna Patcha, a member of St. Peter’s Social Justice Ministry who helped organize the event. “The re-entry simulation provided just a glimpse into the struggles suffered by those formerly incarcerated, some of the most

stigmatized in our society. We hope people walk away with more understanding, compassion and awareness of the need for change.”

Each participant was given an identity – complete with name, criminal background, family situation and life scenario. Some began with resources and family support. Others did not. All had to navigate one month post-release, broken up into four 15-minute segments. Tasks included getting identification from the DMV, finding a job, securing housing, managing childcare, buying food, going to the bank, meeting with a probation officer, seeking public assistance and other tasks that people just released from prison have to tackle.

Every station required a bus ticket before any service was provided, as many returning from prison do not have transportation. Some participants were given crying babies to carry. Others were provided with peer support specialists to guide them. Vague and confusing directions, limited time to complete tasks, and the warm temperature of the building (the air conditioning system broke, unplanned) made for a taste of the harsh reality many people experience as they start to rebuild their lives.

The future of healthcare is here.

Together with CaroMont Health, we’re shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JENNY COX

St. Aloysius members spruce up Catholic Conference Center patio and green area

HICKORY — Members of the Emmaus Family of St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory performed one of the 50 Charity Acts commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Charlotte. During a full day’s work, a group of more than a dozen volunteers covered a 320-square-foot area with topsoil and renovated more than 360 square feet of landscaping. The new patio, which has been furnished with benches, serves as a place of meditation for those attending the different spiritual activities hosted by the Catholic Conference Center, while the green areas look more orderly and clean. Brother Freddy García, who coordinated the execution of the work with Deacon Scott D. Gilfillan, the center’s director, said, “The brothers of the Emmaus Family were enthusiastic about the project, they worked with joy and zeal in the execution and were very happy with the results.” “Everyone brought food, sandwiches, fruit, ice water and shared lunch. It was a true community work party,” he added.

Local parishioners provide gifts from the heart – literally

CHARLOTTE — Some of our local parishes have been providing opportunities for the faithful to bestow literal gifts from the heart to help those in need: the gift of their blood.

Did you know that every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood? Patients of all ages need blood donations – accident and burn victims, patients undergoing heart surgery or organ transplants and those battling cancers can receive lifesaving medical care thanks to blood donors.

Helping to support this ongoing and vital need for blood, St. Mary Mother of God Parish in Sylva and St. Therese Parish’s Knights of Columbus in Mooresville are among those that recently hosted blood drives to support the American Red Cross. More than 60 people participated in the blood drives, with a total of 65 pints collected – potentially saving 260 lives! Pictured are members of St. Mary Mother of God Parish at their blood drive.

These blood drives are one way our parishes have participated in “50 Acts of Charity,” a diocesan-wide initiative to manifest the love of God to others through charitable acts, in celebration of the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary.

Visit www.redcrossblood.org to learn more about participating in or hosting a blood drive to help save lives in our community.

Prayer for the 50th anniversary

The 50th anniversary year will bear great spiritual fruit if we ask God for the graces we hope to receive. Please offer the 50th anniversary prayer daily for many graces to be poured on our diocese during this jubilee anniversary:

Heavenly Father, accept our humble prayer of praise and gratitude as we joyfully celebrate 50 years as the Diocese of Charlotte. Throughout our history the faithful of western North Carolina, under the watchful care of esteemed bishops and abbots, have been nurtured by Your providential hand. Confident that You invite Your children to implore Your constant blessings, we pray that You continue to pour forth Your heavenly grace upon us. With filial affection and devotion, we further ask that You look kindly upon the prayers we seek through the intercession of our venerable patroness, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, who with motherly attention tends to the needs and concerns of the Church. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers & Devotions

The 50th anniversary theme, “Faith More Precious Than Gold” (1 Peter 1:7), encourages use of the Church’s tried-and-true prayers, devotions and sacramentals, which for centuries have brought people closer to God. Let us confidently ask for the graces we hope to receive from God as we celebrate the founding of the Diocese of Charlotte. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

October prayer intention

For parents. May God, through the intercession of Sts. Anne and Joachim, give strength and virtue to parents, that they may be true witnesses of faith and charity to their children.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : Read more about St. John Henry Newman

Saint of the Month St. John Henry Newman Feast day: Oct. 9

PHOTOS

SZAREK

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FREDDY GARCIA

Faith and healing: A solemn devotion

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of people gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for the feast of the Lord of Miracles on Sunday, Oct. 9. After the solemn Mass, crowds followed dozens of parishioners clad in purple regalia for a procession celebrating the revered Peruvian devotion.

Father Leo Tiburcio, parochial vicar, accompanied by Deacon Eduardo Bernal, celebrated Mass in honor of the miraculous image of the so-called “Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla.”

In his homily, Deacon Bernal compared our desire and search for healing and miracles with Sunday’s Gospel of the 10 lepers.

“Ours is a similar search for grace and healing, as surely many of us come today to ask the Lord of Miracles for healing,” Deacon Bernal said. “But our pride does not let us realize that it is so close to obtaining each day, just by following Christ, and listening what our priests dictate to us.”

At the end of the Mass, the attendees followed the procession outside where the image of the Lord of Miracles was already prepared on a dais which would be carried across church grounds.

Deacon Bernal blessed the sacred images, along with the members of the brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles who were preparing to carry the dais on their shoulders, encouraging them to continue their work of faith.

At each stop along the procession across the church grounds, prayerful devotees placed flowers in front of the two central images, the Lord of the Miracles and Our Lady of the Clouds.

Parents raised their young children to place flowers in front of the image of Our Lord as it passed among the crowd.

Flora Núñez, who for 25 years saw the procession of the Lord of the Miracles pass by outside the door of her house in Lima, said she has been devoted since she was a child, when her mother entrusted her to the “Purple Christ” to heal from a disease that affected her.

“Through intercession to the Lord of Miracles, I was healed, and many others experienced miraculous healing as well,” she said.

“My faith has brought me to see the Lord of Miracles,” said Irineo Garay. “My wife passed away four years ago, after 64 years of marriage. Today I am 90 years old and I come to visit the Lord for the both of us, to ask the Lord for the health of my family.”

Jorge Caldas, foreman of the Hermandad South Charlotte, which organizes the procession, thanked the constant support of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. The church houses the image year round, so that people may come and venerate the image and stay connected or learn more about this Peruvian devotion.

PHOTOS BY TRAVIS BURTON AND CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church celebrated the Lord of the Miracles procession on Sunday, Oct.

Members of other brotherhoods in Charlotte and Raleigh came to

the members of La Hermandad South Charlotte lead the procession. The dais carrying the icon is

devotion to the Lord of Miracles

MIRACLES

FROM PAGE 14

HISTORY OF THE LORD OF MIRACLES

On Nov. 13, 1655, a devastating earthquake shook Lima, leaving thousands dead and villages turned to rubble. In Pachacamilla, a poor neighborhood comprised of Angolan slaves, the image of a brown-skinned Christ, painted on a wall in the village, remained perfectly intact.

The veneration began during another

(Left) Deacon Eduardo Bernal blesses the dais, members and assistants to the Lord of Miracles procession.

(Below, clockwise from left) Members of the brotherhood are privileged to carry the sacred image of “Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla.”

Women titled “zahumadoras” offer incense ahead of the procession. Children are raised close to the image to receive a blessing from the Lord. Iraida Valdivia, a traditional Peruvian singer, offers a song to the Lord of Miracles.

earthquake in 1687 when, in a series of prayers, the steward of the chapel of Santo Cristo, Don Sebastián de Antuñano, took an oil copy of the original painting of Christ through the devastated streets of Lima, asking for the end of the cataclysm.

In 1746, Lima suffered the most destructive earthquake in its history, and it is said that a replica of the image came out in procession and the earth stopped shaking instantly.

Appointed in 1715 as “Patron of the City of Lima” and designated by the Vatican in 2005 as the “Patron of Peruvian Residents and Immigrants,” the Lord of Miracles remains one of the largest processions in the world.

La milagrosa imagen del Señor de los Milagros salió en su único recorrido procesional anual en Charlotte el pasado domingo 9 de octubre. Decenas de fieles la acompañaron cantando, orando y ofreciéndole flores. Algunos padres de familia acercaron a sus hijos para que miembros de la Hermandad South Charlotte los aproximaran a la venerable imagen y recibieran la bendición del Señor.

CÉSAR HURTADO |

NEWS HERALD

Señor de los Milagros recibió veneración de fieles

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Decenas de fieles ataviados con el tradicional hábito morado ocuparon una zona preferencial del templo de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe el domingo 9 de octubre por la tarde, para atender la Misa solemne y procesión del Señor de los Milagros, una devoción de origen peruano que se ha extendido por todo el mundo.

El Padre Leo Tiburcio, vicario parroquial, celebró la Misa en la que se honró la milagrosa imagen del llamado ‘Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla’. Lo asistió en el altar el Diácono Eduardo Bernal.

En su homilía, el Diácono Bernal comparó las lecturas del día, donde se narraba la búsqueda de sanidad de varios enfermos de lepra. “La misma búsqueda de sanidad que seguramente muchos de nosotros venimos a rogarle hoy al Señor de los Milagros. Y, por nuestro orgullo, no nos podemos dar cuenta que se encuentra tan cerca de obtener, con solo seguir lo que nos dictan nuestros sacerdotes”.

EMOTIVA PROCESIÓN

Al término de la Misa, los asistentes se dirigieron al exterior del templo donde ya se encontraba la imagen

montada sobre un anda.

El anda muestra dos imágenes, al frente la del Señor de los Milagros, y en su lado posterior la de la Virgen de la Nube, una advocación mariana de origen ecuatoriano.

El Diácono Bernal bendijo el anda y a los hermanos que se preparaban a llevarla sobre sus hombros, animándolos a continuar su obra de fe.

Luego, tras aplausos, se inició el recorrido procesional por los terrenos de la parroquia.

Abrieron paso a la imagen un numeroso grupo de sahumadoras, que elevaban al cielo nubes de un fragante humo.

Después de avanzar trayectos cortos, los integrantes de la hermandad se turnaban para llevar la pesada anda.

En cada parada, los devotos ofrecían flores que eran colocadas frente a las imágenes. Las flores que se retiraban eran entregadas a los asistentes, quienes las llevaban como recuerdo.

Algunos padres de familia acercaban a sus pequeños hijos para ser alzados y puestos frente a la imagen del Cristo crucificado.

EXPRESIÓN DE FE

La señora Flora Núñez, quien por 25 años vio pasar la procesión del Señor de los Milagros por la puerta de su

casa en Lima, dijo ser devota desde niña, cuando su madre la encomendó al ‘Cristo Morado’ para que sane de una enfermedad que la afectaba. “El Señor me hizo ese milagro y muchos otros más”, añadió emocionada.

“Mi fe me ha traído a ver al Señor de los Milagros”, dijo el señor Irineo Garay. “Después de 64 años de matrimonio, hace cuatro años mi esposa falleció. Hoy ya tengo 90 años y vengo por los dos, a pedirle al Señor por la salud de mi familia”.

Jorge Caldas, capataz de la Hermandad South Charlotte, organizadora de la procesión, agradeció el apoyo constante de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, donde se aloja la imagen, recibiendo la veneración de los fieles y devotos durante todo el año.

También dio las gracias a los hermanos de otras hermandades en Charlotte y Raleigh que colaboraron, y espera que el próximo año puedan incrementar sus actividades para progresivamente “volver a lo que era la procesión antes de la pandemia”.

Más online

En www.facebook.com/CNHEspañol : Vea un video y más fotos sobre la procesión

Hermanos cargadores y hermanas sahumadoras de otras hermandades de Charlotte también se presentaron para rendir culto al Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla. También asistieron miembros de la Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros en Raleigh. Las andas del Señor de los Milagros muestran en su cara frontal la imagen de un Cristo moreno crucificado, y en su cara posterior un lienzo de la Virgen de la Nube, una advocación de origen ecuatoriano. En Lima, Perú, donde nació el culto a la imagen pintada por un esclavo angoleño en el siglo XVII, se reanudaron los recorridos procesionales tras dos años de pandemia. Históricamente, solo una guerra ocurrida en el siglo XIX y la pandemia de COVID-19 impidieron la salida a las calles de la milagrosa imagen. La devoción por el Señor de los Milagros se ha extendido a todos los confines del mundo, incluido Estados Unidos, donde se lleva a cabo en muchas importantes ciudades del país.

Padre Julio Domínguez

La verdadera felicidad

Desperté muy temprano hoy, pienso que eran las 4 de la mañana, con un pensamiento muy fuerte en mi mente y en mi corazón. Le dije a mi Señor: quiero ser feliz, muy feliz, ayúdame a encontrar la verdadera felicidad.

Mi anhelo, quiero aclarar, no proviene de un trauma, ni mucho menos de un estado de insatisfacción actual, sino del deseo, de esa convicción del corazón que pide más y más y que no se agota, y que quiere ser saciado, y que lleno de alegría y entusiasmo pide que se encuentre lo que tanto busca.

Me puse a pensar en los bienes que tengo. Se me vinieron a la mente mis abuelos, mis padres, mi hermano, los miles de amigos que tengo, las cosas materiales que poseo y, sin embargo, aún con todo esto, que considero es muchísimo, (sin merecerlo) me di cuenta que mi corazón no está saciado y que busca más y más.

Me puse a pensar en las miles de personas que, al sentir esto mismo, lastimosamente van llenando sus vidas de cosas materiales. Viendo a los grandes multimillonarios que aún con todo el dinero y el poder que ya tienen están ansiosos de seguir acumulando y buscando. Y no tan solo ellos, pues aún los pobres nos aferramos a cosas en menor escala pero siempre buscando lo mismo: ser felices.

El dilema es tan fuerte y tan grande que hace que, incluso en las sociedades, aparezcan conflictos y luchas porque todos van buscando personalmente, y muchas veces egoístamente, la felicidad.

Rezando las laudes esta mañana, me vino un pensamiento hermoso que considero viene totalmente de Dios, pues me llevó inmediatamente a escribir todo esto y a ordenar mis pensamientos, y sobretodo a apaciguar mi corazón.

Me dijo, “Poséeme a mí que soy la fuente de la verdadera felicidad. Soy el que puede ser poseído sin ser totalmente exclusivo de ti. Soy el que llena sin hacerte sentir hastío de mí, soy el que te posee por completo sin quitarte tu libertad, soy el que se da por completo pero te impulsa a darlo a los demás, soy el Dios verdadero que conoce tus más grandes anhelos, el que te creó con esa ansia de poseerme y que mientras vivas jamás podrás saciarlo completamente, pues en cuanto amor soy infinito y tu corazón es finito. Amarás y amarás y seguirás amando. Experimentarás una y otra vez nuevas emociones y pasiones y no podrás saciarte. Querrás buscarme más y más y, aunque tendrás la sensación de encontrarme, nunca podrás decir que ya me posees del todo, sino que ese mismo sentimiento te dará más entusiasmo para seguir queriendo amar y amar hasta el infinito”.

“No te preocupes hijo mío, no es que estés enloqueciendo, no es que sea solo un juego de palabras. Debes de entender que así te hice y tú corazón no descansará hasta que me encuentre a mí totalmente en la eternidad. Sólo el que persevere hasta el fin se salvará, allí en el cielo. A los campeones que buscaron la verdadera felicidad les daré el abrazo eterno que tanto desearon y serán completamente satisfechos, y no necesitarán ya de buscar más pues en mí encontrarán completamente lo que en su corazón estaban ya buscando”.

Y le dije a mi Señor, “Señor, ¿puedo decir que soy feliz aquí en este mundo?” Y bellamente me respondió, “Haz la prueba y verás que bueno es el Señor”.

Búscalo hoy, búscalo siempre.

es Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

FOTOS POR TRAVIS BURTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Jóvenes vivirán encuentro con Cristo

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — La parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe extendió una invitación a los jóvenes entre 18 a 30 años de edad a participar en una jornada juvenil donde podrán establecer un encuentro con Cristo, junto a otros jóvenes como ellos.

Así lo anunció el Padre Leo Tiburcio, párroco, quien precisó que la jornada se realizará del viernes 28 al domingo 30 de octubre en las instalaciones de la iglesia localizada en el suroeste de Charlotte.

“Es una edad donde especialmente es muy duro practicar la fe o llegar a creer en Dios porque es cuando creemos que ‘yo lo puedo todo, entonces no necesito de Dios’. Además estamos bajo la influencia de los amigos, tenemos deseos personales de logro académico, buscamos donde encajar y creemos que no podemos practicar nuestra fe y continuar siendo nosotros mismos”, dijo el Padre Tiburcio.

GRUPO OLVIDADO

El Padre Tiburcio reconoció que los jóvenes han sido un grupo un poco olvidado por la Iglesia. “Tenemos muchos ministerios para adultos, hombres y mujeres; y como sacerdotes puede suceder que no sabemos cómo entrarle a la formación con ellos. Los retos que nos ponen a veces nos espantan. El aceptar que nos juzguen, sus críticas hacia nosotros, nos pueden alejar. Debemos dar más énfasis hacia ellos porque sabemos que ellos son la fuente de la Iglesia”.

También señaló que es el momento oportuno para abordarlos, pues puede suceder que su fe se tambalee.

“Necesitamos encontrar las palabras, la forma correcta de cómo hablarles de Dios, cómo hacerles sentir que Dios es real. Pero, de que tienen hambre de Dios, lo tienen”, dijo.

SEGUNDA JORNADA

La parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe ha realizado jornadas juveniles por varios años, pero detuvo su realización en 2010. El año pasado reanudaron sus actividades y llevaron a cabo la primera jornada post pandemia que fue sorprendente en asistencia y alcance geográfico, llegando a recibir jóvenes de otros estados.

“Pude ver que los jóvenes siguen estando dolidos, en búsqueda de Dios, pero no saben cómo encontrarlo. A veces tienen la vergüenza de creer que están viviendo una situación terrible y ningún otro joven de su edad atraviesa por la misma experiencia. Aquí les explicamos que aún así, viviendo esas experiencias, Dios está con ellos, los bendice y acepta”, dijo el párroco.

Los jóvenes que participaron del retiro se reúnen regularmente en la parroquia. “Algunos se envuelven en la catequesis, hay otros que participan en actividades parroquiales, nos ayudan a dirigir el estacionamiento, a dirigir el tráfico, se van asimilando al trabajo que llevamos”, dijo el Padre Tiburcio.

INVITACIÓN

El Padre Tiburcio aseguró que los jóvenes que decidan participar no se van a arrepentir, la van a pasar muy bien, van a encontrar nuevos amigos, tener un tiempo muy sanador para su alma, encontrar sentido a la vida y hasta quizás su vocación, “como pasó conmigo, cuando participé en una jornada donde pude encontrar mi vocación sacerdotal. Es un gran regalo que se pueden dar a sí mismos”, puntualizó.

Más información

Para

inscripciones,

Renovación Carismática realizó congreso diocesano

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

MORGANTON — La Renovación Carismática de la Diócesis de Charlotte llevó a cabo su Décimo Congreso de Servidores reuniendo casi un millar de participantes en la escuela media Walter R. Johnson en Morganton.

La jornada de dos días de duración se realizó del sábado 8 al domingo 9 de octubre y contó con la presencia del reconocido predicador católico Salvador Gómez y la animación musical del ministerio Ríos de Agua Viva de Asheboro.

El tema del congreso se centró en el lema de la celebración del 50 Aniversario de fundación de nuestra Diócesis de Charlotte, “La fe es más preciosa que el oro”.

El predicador Gómez, de origen salvadoreño y ampliamente conocido por los fieles hispanos de la diócesis y de toda Latinoamérica, disertó sobre el valor de la fe, la importante presencia del Señor en nuestras vidas, la adoración y la duda de los católicos, la presencia real de Dios en la Eucaristía, así como el proceso de liberación, misión y servicio al que todo el pueblo de Dios está llamado.

El coordinador de la Renovación Carismática de la Diócesis de Charlotte, Belisario Solórzano, agradeció la colaboración de la comunidad de Morganton que les dió la bienvenida para este congreso que “es una fiesta para agrupar a todos los grupos de acción de nuestra diócesis”.

ESPECIAL CARISMA

Respecto al especial carisma de la Renovación Carismática, Solórzano dijo que todos quienes seguimos a Dios contamos con uno y es nuestro deber ponerlo a servicio de la comunidad. “El carisma no es para cada uno, el carisma no santifica a las personas, el carisma el Señor nos lo da para poder servir a la comunidad, para poder otorgarlo a la

Iglesia”, subrayó.

El coordinador dijo que, tras los orígenes de la Renovación Carismática en Estados Unidos, “hoy somos millones de millones de católicos carismáticos dentro de la Iglesia que hemos tenido una conversión personal, que hemos tenido un encuentro personal con el Señor Jesús. Nuestra misión es evangelizar para que otras personas también puedan conocer lo que nosotros en un día hemos conocido”.

La señora Marta Mendoza, feligresa de la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo en Morganton y natural de Aguacatán, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, es miembro de la Renovación Carismática desde su país de origen. “Me gusta porque tiene mucho movimiento, alaba a Jesús y nos ayuda mucho a nosotros”, dijo.

Albita Macario, de Concepción Tutuapa, San Marcos, Guatemala, dijo que asiste al congreso para saber más de Dios y crecer más en la fe. “A veces damos más tiempo al trabajo a las cosas que no valen la pena, entonces ¿por qué no dar más tiempo a Dios?” La feligresa destacó el avivamiento de la Renovación Carismática, “uno aplaude, alaba a Dios, y se siente más la presencia del Espíritu Santo”, dijo.

La realización de este importante congreso fue suspendida durante la pandemia de COVID-19, “y gracias a Dios este año lo estamos haciendo realidad”, dijo Belisario Solórzano, señalando que, de no mediar inconvenientes, estarán celebrando ininterrumpidamente futuras ediciones anuales de este evento, “pues es una manera de evangelizar a todas las personas, participen o no en las actividades de la Iglesia”.

Más online

En www.facebook.com/CNHEspañol : Vea un video y más fotos sobre este evento diocesano

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD El predicador laico católico, Salvador Gómez, tuvo a su cargo la exposición de varios temas centrados en el lema del 50 Aniversario de la Diócesis de Charlotte, “la fe es más preciosa que el oro”. El reconocido autor y orador en Latinoamérica, narró su encuentro personal con Cristo, ocurrido gracias a la intervención de su padre. En su juventud, al salir de una institución correccional, su padre lo llevó al Sagrario a presentarle a un amigo, Jesús. Pidiendo perdón a su hijo por castigarlo por sus actos sin haberlo podido ayudar, lo encomendó al Señor sabiendo que solo Él podría lograr cambiar su vida. “Ese fue el inicio de mi vida en el Señor”, dijo conmovido.

FOREST

Décima edición de Cross-a-thon

Intensa actividad en Gastonia

Recordaron a San Vicente de Paúl

CHARLOTTE — El 27 de septiembre, la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe celebró una Misa conmemorando la fiesta de San Vicente de Paúl, fundador en 1625 de la Congregación de la Misión, ‘los Vicentinos’, que tienen a su cargo esa parroquia. En la imagen aparecen, de izquierda a derecha, el Diácono Eduardo Bernal; el Padre Hugo Medellín, vicario; el Padre Walner Díaz, vicario; y el Padre Leo Tiburcio, párroco, junto a tres niñas servidoras del altar. En su homilía, el Padre Tiburcio dijo que San Vicente de Paul, “descubrió en la persona de Jesús el misterio del servicio y la misión de proclamar la Buena Nueva”, y que todos estamos comprometidos en esta misión de ir al mundo, proclamar la fe y anunciar el Reino de Dios. Señaló que, “a través del servicio debemos mostrar la caridad, el amor de Dios a cada persona”, brindando ayuda económica, espiritual y de formación.

FOTO PROPORCIONADA POR LA IGLESIA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE

SERGIO LÓPEZ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Un numeroso grupo integrado por jóvenes que se prepararon

años recibió el sacramento. Ofició la Misa el párroco, Padre Peter Nouck.

Padre Nouck,

parroquial

Clemmons

sucedió al Padre Lawrence Heiney

Heiney

retiró

GIULIANA RILEY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Festejaron Aniversario

SPARTA — La Iglesia Santa Francisca de Roma en Sparta celebró un aniversario más el pasado 25 de septiembre. La fiesta, un almuerzo organizado por las comunidades anglo e hispana, se realizó después de la Misa dominical que ofreció su párroco, Reverendo Cory A. Catron. El Obispo Vincent S. Waters de la Diócesis de Raleigh consagró la iglesia en mayo de 1966 en memoria de Frances Payne Darr, madre de Ed Darr, uno de los miembros fundadores.

Lecturas Diarias

OCTUBRE 16-22

Domingo: Éxodo 17:8-13, 2 Timoteo 3:144:2, Lucas 18:1-8; Lunes (San Ignacio de Antioquía): Efesios 2:1-10, Lucas 12:13-21; Martes (San Lucas Evangelista): 2 Timoteo 4:9-17, Lucas 10:1-9; Miércoles (Santos Juan de Brébeuf e Isaac Jogues, presbíteros, y compañeros, mártires): Efesios 3:2-12, Lucas 12:39-48; Jueves: Efesios 3:14-21, Lucas 12:49-53; Viernes: Efesios 4:1-6, Lucas 12:5459; Sábado: Efesios 4:7, 11-16, Lucas 13:1-9

OCTUBRE 23-29

Domingo: Sirácides 35:12-17, 20-22, 2 Timoteo 4:6-8, 16-18, Lucas 18:9-14; Lunes: Efesios 4:32-5:8, Lucas 13:10-17; Martes: Efesios 5:2133, Lucas 13:18-21; Miércoles: Efesios 6:1-9,

7-14, Lucas 13:22-30; Jueves: Efesios 6:10-20, Lucas 13:31-35; Viernes (Santos Simón y Judas Apóstoles): Efesios 2:19-22, Lucas 6:1219; Sábado: Filipenses 1:18-26, Lucas 14:1, 7-11

OCTUBRE 30-NOVIEMBRE 5

Domingo: Sabiduría 11:22-12:2, 2 Tesalonicenses 1:11-2:2, Lucas 19:1-10; Lunes: Filipenses 2:1-4, Lucas 14:1214; Martes (Solemnidad de Todos los Santos): Apocalipsis 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 Juan 3:1-3, Mateo 5:1-12; Miércoles (Todos los fieles difuntos): Sabiduría 3:1-9, Romanos 5:5-11, Juan 6:37-40; Jueves: Filipenses 3:3-8, Lucas 15:1-10; Viernes (San Carlos Borromeo): Filipenses 3:17-4:1, Lucas 16:1-8; Sábado: Filipenses 4:10-19, Lucas 16:9-15

Planned Giving Officer

The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time Planned Giving Officer who reports to the Director of Planned Giving. The successful candidate must have an undergraduate degree and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in fundraising; experience in carrying out gift planning programs preferred; extensive fundraising experience may be substituted for a completed undergraduate degree.

Responsibilities include assisting parishioners throughout the diocese to develop and implement long range financial plans for their benefit, the benefit of their family, their parish, diocesan entities and/or the diocese itself. Additional responsibilities include working directly with parishes to develop planned giving committees.

Please submit resume by October 31, 2022 to:

Gina Rhodes – Director of Planned Giving gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or by mail to

1123 South Church Street – Charlotte, NC 28203

e Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer

FOTO CORTESÍA MUSEO DEL PRADO, MADRID ‘San Lucas’, 1771, óleo sobre lienzo de Francisco Bayeu y Subías. Zaragoza, 1734 - Madrid, 1795

San Lucas Evangelista

Cada 18 de octubre celebramos a San Lucas Evangelista, autor del tercer evangelio y de los Hechos de los Apóstoles.

Gracias a su relato de la vida de Jesús, plasmado en su evangelio, los cristianos podemos conocer mejor a la Virgen María, ya que Lucas registró muchos más pasajes de su vida que cualquiera de los otros evangelistas. Esto se explica por la cercanía que tuvo Lucas con el Apóstol San Juan, el discípulo amado, quien se hizo cargo de la Madre de Dios, tal y como Jesús lo pidió en la Cruz.

La fecha de nacimiento de San Lucas es incierta, pero se cree que nació en Antioquía. Su nombre significa “portador de luz” y se convirtió a la fe en Jesucristo alrededor del año 40. No conoció personalmente al Señor, pero sí a San Pablo, de quien fue discípulo. Lucas fue un hombre instruido, a diferencia de la mayoría de los apóstoles, y de amplia cultura. Se dice que fue médico, pero también sabía de letras, su lengua era el griego, y de algunas artes como la pintura.

Es el único autor del Nuevo Testamento que no tuvo origen judío y cuyos escritos estuvieron pensados para llevar la Buena Nueva a los pueblos gentiles. De hecho, Lucas escribió en griego “koiné”, es decir, la lengua más extendida de la antigüedad junto al latín. En su evangelio, San Lucas pone de relieve a quienes sufren en el cuerpo o en el alma, especialmente a los pobres y los pecadores arrepentidos. Además, nos recuerda siempre la necesidad de la oración.

Era compañero de viajes de San Pablo. En los Hechos de los apóstoles, al narrar los grandes viajes del Apóstol, habla en plural diciendo “fuimos a... navegamos a...” Y va narrando con todo detalle los sucesos tan impresionantes que le sucedieron a San Pablo en sus 4 famosos viajes. Lucas acompañó a San Pablo cuando éste estuvo

prisionero, primero dos años en Cesarea y después otros dos en Roma. Es el único escritor del Nuevo Testamento que no es israelita. Era griego.

En su evangelio demuestra una gran estimación por la mujer. Todas las mujeres que allí aparecen son amables y Jesús siempre les demuestra gran aprecio y verdadera comprensión.

De todos los cuatro, su evangelio es el más fácil de leer. Son 1,200 renglones escritos en excelente estilo literario. Lo han llamado “el evangelio de los pobres”, porque allí aparece Jesús prefiriendo siempre a los pequeños, a los enfermos, a los pobres y a los pecadores arrepentidos. Es un Jesús que corre al encuentro de aquellos para quienes la vida es más dura y angustiosa.

De acuerdo a la tradición, Lucas habría predicado en Macedonia, Acaya, Galacia y Beocia.

Sobre su destino final, ocurrido posteriormente a la muerte de Pedro y de Pablo, no se tiene suficiente certeza. Se debate si murió martirizado o si, de acuerdo al “Prefatio vel argumentum Lucae” (Prefacio o argumento de Lucas), murió siendo anciano, probablemente a los 84 años. Existe una fuerte tradición según la cual habría sido martirizado junto a Andrés, el Apóstol, en la tierra de Patras, provincia romana de Acaya. De acuerdo a esta misma tradición, Lucas habría muerto colgado de un árbol.

Generalmente, se le representa con un libro en las manos, al lado de un toro o novillo.

Es el santo patrono de los doctores, cirujanos, carniceros, encuadernadores, escultores, notarios y artistas, debido, esto último, a que probablemente pintó una imagen de la Virgen María.

ACTOS DE CARIDAD

Peregrinación Mariana

Una estatua especialmente encargada de María, Madre de Dios, está visitando más de 100 lugares en toda la Diócesis de Charlotte durante el año del aniversario. Las próximas visitas incluyen:

IGLESIA CATÓLICA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LAS MONTAÑAS E IGLESIA CATÓLICA SAN JUDAS

Hasta el 16 de octubre

315 N. 5th St., Highlands, N.C. 28741

3011 Hwy. 64 East, Sapphire, N.C. 28774

IGLESIA CATÓLICA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOURDES

Del miércoles 19 al lunes 24 de octubre 725 Deese St., Monroe, N.C. 28112

IGLESIA CATÓLICA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LAS AMÉRICAS

Del lunes 24 al jueves 27 de octubre 298 Farmers Market Road, Biscoe, N.C. 27209

IGLESIA CATÓLICA SAN JAMES

Del jueves 27 al domingo 30 de octubre

1018 W. Hamlet Ave., Hamlet, N.C. 28345

IGLESIA CATÓLICA MARÍA AUXILIADORA

Del domingo 30 de octubre al jueves 3 de noviembre

818 McGowan Road, Shelby, N.C. 28150

Para obtener más información sobre estas paradas de peregrinación, visite el website del 50 aniversario de la Diócesis de Charlotte, www. faithmorepreciousthangold.com

Centro de Conferencias Católico luce nuevo patio y área verde renovada

HICKORY — Los hermanos de la Familia Emaús de la parroquia San Luis Gonzaga en Hickory realizaron uno de los 50 Actos de Caridad a los que la Diócesis de Charlotte invitó a participar conmemorando el 50 aniversario de su fundación. En una jornada de un día completo, un grupo de más de doce voluntarios cubrió un área de 320 pies cuadrados con bloques de piso y renovó más de 360 pies cuadrados de áreas verdes. El nuevo patio, al que se le han acondicionado bancas, sirve como lugar de meditación para los asistentes a las diferentes actividades espirituales que acoge el Centro de Conferencias Católico; mientras que las áreas verdes lucen más ordenadas y limpias. El hermano Freddy García, quien coordinó la ejecución de la obra con el Diácono Scott D. Gilfillan, director del centro, dijo que “los hermanos de la Familia Emaús se entusiasmaron con el proyecto, trabajaron con alegría y ahínco en la ejecución y quedaron muy contentos con los resultados”. “Todos llevaron comida, bocadillos, fruta, aguas con hielo y compartieron el almuerzo. Fue una verdadera fiesta de trabajo en comunidad”, agregó.

— César Hurtado

Oración Para el 50 Aniversario

Padre Celestial, acepta nuestra humilde oración de alabanza y gratitud mientras celebramos con alegría los cincuenta años de la Diócesis de Charlotte. A lo largo de nuestra historia, los fieles del oeste de Carolina del Norte, bajo el cuidado de estimados obispos y abades, han sido alimentados por tu mano providencial. Confiamos en que invitas a tus hijos a implorar tus constantes bendiciones, te pedimos que sigas derramando tu gracia celestial sobre nosotros. Con afecto y devoción filial, te pedimos además que veas con buenos ojos las oraciones que pedimos por la intercesión de nuestra venerable patrona, la Santísima Virgen María, que con atención maternal atiende las necesidades y preocupaciones de la Iglesia. Te lo pedimos por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo, que vive y reina contigo en la unidad del Espíritu Santo, Dios por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

Oraciones y devociones

El tema del 50 Aniversario, “La fe es más preciosa que el oro” (1 Pedro 1:7), alienta el uso de las oraciones, devociones y sacramentales probados y verdaderos de la Iglesia, que durante siglos han acercado a las personas a Dios. Pidamos con confianza las gracias que esperamos recibir de Dios al celebrar la fundación de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros.

Intención de oración de octubre

Por los padres. Que Dios, por intercesión de los santos Ana y Joaquín, den fuerza y virtud a los padres, para que sean verdaderos testigos de fe y de caridad para con sus hijos.

Santo del mes San John Newman

Parroquianos entregan literalmente regalos de corazón

SYLVA — Algunas de nuestras

a

www.redcrossblood.org

vidas en nuestra comunidad.

Fecha de la fiesta: 9 de octubre

FOTO POR FREDDY GARCÍA

FOTOS PROPORCIONADAS POR SUSAN SZAREK

María Madre de Dios en Sylva y

nation

USCCB pro-life chairman calls for ‘radical solidarity’ with pregnant women

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee called for a “radical solidarity” with pregnant women to protect and support them and their unborn child.

“In the post-Roe world, we must act in radical solidarity with the pregnant woman and her child, as we work and pray for the day when abortion is unthinkable,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The archbishop made the remarks in a statement released late Oct. 4 to mark the 100 days since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its Dobbs ruling.

Mothers should “be protected and supported,” he said, “and we all have a responsibility to stand with mothers in need and provide the material and emotional support necessary to allow mothers, children and families to live in dignity.”

Archbishop Lori also issued the statement to reiterate Catholic teaching on life as a response to recent public comments from people in public life “who distort the Catholic Church’s teaching,” said a USCCB news release.

“The Catholic Church recognizes that all people, born and unborn, have been created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore have inherent dignity, and the right to life,” Archbishop Lori said.

“When a woman is carrying a child, both mother and child are valued and should be protected, and the life of one should not be set against the life of another.”

He added, “The goal is always to save life, never to intentionally destroy life. The church seeks the protection of all unborn children, this includes the innocent child conceived in rape or incest.”

Neither Archbishop Lori nor the news release named any specific public officials’ comments on abortion and the Catholic Church, but in remarks Sept. 22, President Joe Biden claimed that a bill sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to ban abortion after 15 weeks nationwide is more strict than what the church says about abortion.

Speaking at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York, Biden said Graham and others are “talking about how they’re gonna, you know, make sure that Roe is forever gone and Dobbs becomes a national law.”

He said the senator’s bill has “no exceptions.” “I happen to be a practicing Roman Catholic, my church doesn’t even make that argument,” Biden said.

However, the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn

Children from Late-Term Abortions

Act,” as the bill is called, does include exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. The measure also has been introduced in the House.

“Whereas the church always seeks the protection of all unborn children, it is licit to support legislation that falls short of this goal, if it advances protections and limits harm,” said Archbishop Lori said in his statement.

He quoted Section 73 of St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical on the value and inviolability of human life, “Evangelium Vitae”: “This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.”

“The USCCB supports legislation that seeks to limit the harm of abortion, including some legislation that includes exceptions,” Archbishop Lori said. “We will continue to pray and work for the day when all human life is welcomed in love and protected by law.”

The Supreme Court’s June 24 decision overturning Roe v. Wade came in a challenge to a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks.

The case was Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In a Sept. 21 statement he issued for October as Respect Life Month, Archbishop Lori said the court’s reversal of Roe “is, without question, an answer to prayer,” but in a post-Roe world, “Catholics must now work together for another, even deeper paradigm shift.”

“We must move beyond a paradigm shift in the law in order to help the people of our nation better see who we can be as a nation by truly understanding what we owe to one another as members of the same human family,” he said.

“To build a world in which all are welcome,” he said, Catholics “must heed” the words of St. Teresa of Kolkata “and remember ‘that we belong to one another.’”

Military archdiocese, bishops oppose VA’s proposed abortion services rule

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Archdiocese for the Military Services have filed a joint statement objecting to a rule proposed by the Biden administration to allow abortions to be performed on demand in health programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The interim final rule allows abortions, including elective abortions, in VA programs through nine months of pregnancy,” said the statement, dated Sept. 21. “That abortion is permitted through all nine months of pregnancy can be inferred from the rule’s failure to place any gestational limit on the availability of abortion in VA programs,” it added.

On Sept. 1, the VA submitted to the Federal Register an interim final rule allowing the VA to provide access to abortion counseling and – in certain cases – abortions to pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries, according to a Sept. 2 news release from the VA.

“In our view, there are at least three problems with the interim final rule,” the USCCB and military archdiocese said in their statement.

“First, the department has no statutory authority to adopt it,” the statement said. “Second, the rule represents a violation of conditions Congress has placed on the availability of taxpayer funds and government facilities for abortions. Third, the rule will facilitate the taxpayer-funded destruction of innocent human lives and harm the women it is intended to benefit.”

Once the rule was published Sept. 9 by the Federal Register, the VA began immediately to

provide these services “in as many locations as possible.” At the same time, a 30-day period for public comment began, during which the VA was considering making the rule permanent.

The USCCB and the military archdiocese filed its joint statement objecting to the interim rule electronically. In its news release, the VA said the department specifically “will provide access to abortions when the life or health of the pregnant veteran would be endangered if the pregnancy were carried to term, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest,” the VA release said.

The statement from the USCCB and the military archdiocese said: “Given the broad construction ordinarily given the term ‘health’ in the abortion context, a rule permitting abortion for reasons of health without further qualification or limitation has generally been understood to permit abortion on demand.”

The VA said beneficiaries enrolled in the VA’s Civilian Health and Medical Program “will also have access to this care.”

“This is a patient safety decision,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “Pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. That’s what our nation owes them, and that’s what we at VA will deliver.”

The VA action is one of several initiatives the Biden administration has announced to provide abortions to women since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 24 to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue of abortion to the states.

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of October.

Rev. Alcuin Baudermann, OSB – 1975

Rev. Paschal Baumstein, OSB - 2007

Rev. Patrick J. Donahue, OSB – 1994

Rev. Joseph A. Elzi – 2019

Rev. Raymond B. Hourihan – 2016

Rev. John A. Oetgen, OSB – 2009

Rev. Msgr. William Wellein – 1997

Rev. Lawrence Willis, OSB - 2003

Head of Miami Catholic Charities helps coordinate statewide response to Ian

MIAMI — The world heard about Hurricane Ian’s devastation along coastal southwest Florida, but the Catholic Charities network of agencies will also focus on lesser known but equally stricken communities and devastated farmworker enclaves in the region.

That was the reassurance given by Miami’s director of Catholic Charities following a factfinding mission he made Oct. 1-2 to the greater Fort Myers region, and following preliminary conversations with seven Catholic Charities agency heads in Florida.

“As we continue to do these assessments in all these pockets of low-lying areas that are 6 to 8 feet under water – in places like Bonita Springs, Arcadia and Wauchula – that is where Catholic Charities will help: in these pockets you are not hearing anything about,” said Peter Routsis-Arroyo. He served as CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Venice before moving to Miami.

Hurricane Ian plowed into southwest Florida on the afternoon of Sept. 28 as a strong Category 4 storm.

The top gust recorded by a National Weather Service station was 155 mph at Punta Gorda airport north of Fort Myers. Gusts in the suburban area of Cape Coral, north of Fort Myers, reportedly reached 140 mph.

Bishops to elect new USCCB president, vice president

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During their fall general assembly in Baltimore Nov. 14-17, the U.S. bishops will elect the next president and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from a slate of 10 candidates nominated by their fellow bishops. They also will vote on chairmen-elect for six standing USCCB committees.

The president and vice president are elected to three-year terms, which begin at the conclusion of this year’s general assembly. At that time, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit will complete their terms as president and vice president, respectively.

Candidates for president and vice president are, in alphabetical order: Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia; Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City; Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco; Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle; Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas; Archbishop Gustavo GarcíaSiller of San Antonio; Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore; and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.

Federal judge sides with Catholic school in guidance counselor’s firing

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal court in Indiana sided with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and one of its Catholic high schools in a lawsuit filed by a former guidance counselor who said her contract was not renewed because of her same-sex union.

The Sept. 30 ruling in Fitzgerald v. Roncalli High School and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, relied on previous Supreme Court rulings that have emphasized a ministerial exception protecting a religious school’s hiring and firing practices from government intrusion. The recent decision echoes a nearly identical ruling from a year ago based on a lawsuit filed against the same school and archdiocese from another school counselor

whose contract was similarly not extended due to her same-sex union. Decisions in both cases were issued by U.S. District Judge Richard Young for the Southern District of Indiana. Young said the Indianapolis Archdiocese and its schools can select, retain or dismiss faculty according to their religious standards, something he also stressed a year ago.

THE ORATORY Center for Spirituality

434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586

Hill, SC 29731-1586

327-2097

We continue our series of programs recognizing the 60th anniversary of the start of Vatican II.

Why does Vatican II matter? This series is not just a history lesson. We will look at why what happened 60 years ago is relevant to our understanding of what Church is today.

October 21-22

Friday 7:00-9:00 pm Saturday 9:30 am – 4:00 pm On-line & in person

The Universal Call to Holiness: Vatican II’s Wisdom for Spiritual Living Carl McColman

November 5

9:30 – 11:30 am On-line and in person

how will you be remembered?

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

school, Catholic agency, the Diocese of Charlotte or the diocese foundation, please contact Gina Rhodes, Director of Planned Giving at 704-370-3364 / gmrhodes@rcdoc.org . Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte

How We Know God: Vatican II on Revelation, Scripture and Tradition Peter Judge

November 19

9:30 – 11:30 am On-line and in person

Sensing the Divine: Vatican II and Sacramental Renewal Joseph Favazza

December 3

9:30-11:30 am On-line only

Joys and Hopes – Still Francis’ Interpretation of Gaudium et Spes in Times of Trouble Massimo Faggioli

REGISTRATION:

To register or for more information on these programs, please go to https://rockhilloratory.org/center-for-spirituality or contact the Center at oratorycenter@gmail.com

Vatican’s synod organizers say it is a ‘fruit’ of Second Vatican Council

A.C. WIMMER Catholic News Agency

VATICAN CITY — In a message marking the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, the organizers of the Synod on Synodality called the Synod of Bishops a “fruit” of the council.

Quoting Pope Francis, the synod’s general secretariat on Oct. 10 said the synod was “indeed one of (the Council’s) most precious legacies.”

“The purpose of the synod was and remains to prolong, in the life and mission of the Church, the spirit of the Second Vatican Council,” the message said. “The concept of ‘synodality’ is found throughout the council, even though this term (only recently coined) is not found expressly in the documents of the ecumenical assembly.”

In March 2018, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith’s International Theological Commission produced a document on the theological roots of synodality in the Church: “Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church.”

The CDF document noted that in the history of the Church, synods and councils were nearly interchangeable terms for formal ecclesiastical assemblies.

It said that the more modern view

of a synod as something distinct from a council does not go back even as far as Vatican II, and that its development was accompanied by the neologism of “synodality.”

Speaking of the Church as “synodal” by its nature is something novel, the commission said, and required “careful theological clarification.”

The Vatican’s message on Oct. 10 said the “synodal process currently underway is also within the Council’s wake.”

In October 2021, the Catholic Church began the first phase of a global twoyear synodal process that will culminate in a meeting of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in 2023.

Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, is the meeting’s chief organizer.

The Maltese cardinal said the question that the Synod on Synodality was trying to answer is “what is the type of Church that the Holy Spirit is enlightening us to have for today?”

The Oct. 10 message concluded with the words of Pope Benedict XVI that the “synodal dimension is constitutive of the Church: it consists of a coming together of every people and culture in order that they become one in Christ and walk together, following Him, who said: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.’”

25th and 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

If you were married during 1972 or 1997, you and your family are invited to attend the annual Diocesan Anniversary Mass at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte on Sunday, October 23, 2022. Mass begins at 2:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

Register online at www.charlottediocese.org/bishops-yearly-anniversary-mass-for-couples.

Sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte Office of Family Life.

CNA

Bishops gather on the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II.

Pope tells Putin: Stop the war

VATICAN CITY — With “rivers of blood and tears” still flowing in Ukraine and with the increasing threat of the use of nuclear weapons, Pope Francis begged Russian President Vladimir Putin: “Stop this spiral of violence and death.” With the situation being “so serious, devastating and threatening,” the pope did not offer his customary commentary on the day’s Gospel reading before reciting the Angelus prayer Oct. 2. Instead, he focused on the war and the “terrible and inconceivable wound” it is inflicting on humanity. While constantly calling for peace and offering prayers for the victims since the war began in late February, the pope drew attention in his talk to “the serious situation that has arisen in recent days with further actions contrary to the principles of international law,” a clear reference to Putin’s announcement Sept. 30 that Russia was annexing four occupied territories in Ukraine. The decision, the pope told people in St. Peter’s Square, “increases the risk of nuclear escalation to the point of fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide.” “My appeal is addressed first of all to the president of the Russian Federation, begging him to stop this spiral of violence and death, also for the sake of his people,” the pope said. But “saddened by the immense suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the aggression suffered,” Pope Francis also appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “to be open” to any “serious peace proposals.”

Germany’s Synodal Path continues to draw attention in Rome

ROME — German Catholics involved in the Synodal Path are convinced the Church must address the “systemic causes” of the clerical sexual abuse scandal and that will require change, said Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof, a member of the German Synodal Assembly. And while some of the assembly’s proposed changes sound radical to some people – with the harshest critics even warning that the Synodal Path could lead to schism – Kreuter-Kirchhof said, “We are members of the Roman Catholic Church, and we will stay members of the Roman Catholic Church.” Kreuter-Kirchhof, a professor of law and member of the Vatican Council for the Economy, spoke about the Synodal Path at a conference Oct. 4 at the German Embassy to the Holy See. The fourth assembly of the Synodal Path was in September. The fifth and final meeting is scheduled for March. In the wake of the clerical abuse scandal and with the release of a major study of its causes, the German bishops’ conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics launched the Synodal Path in 2019. The process began with forums to discuss issues in the four areas the study identified as containing the “systemic causes” of sexual abuse and its cover-up: the exercise of power in the Church; sexual morality; priestly existence; and the role of women in the Church. “Abuse has brought endless suffering to the victims,” Kreuter-Kirchhof said, and “the Church has lost an infinite amount of trust.” Some 360,000 people officially left the Church in Germany in 2021, and the number seems set to be even higher for 2022, she said.

Introducing the Lillian Congdon Transitional Rehab Center

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The Lillian Congdon Transitional Rehab Center will have 24 private, one-bedroom suites. Each will have a bathroom with a walk-in shower. The brand-new facility will feature fine dining, a stateof-the-art gym, Kore Balance for assessments, Never2Late for cognitive training and standing tolerance, outdoor therapeutic space, POCket Pro for exercises at home and more.

Call 336-821-6548 today

schedule your personal tour

and can

more information, go to www.charlottediocese.givingplan.net or call Gina Rhodes at 704/370-3364.

High Point, NC

ViewPoints

After ‘Dobbs’: Reaching the mountaintop

What do you do when, after a long climb up a mountain path, you’ve reached the peak – and realize that it was only the first mountain that must be climbed? Do you dig your flag in the ground and declare victory? Do you turn back defeated? Or do you press on with renewed hope?

The Right to Life movement reached that longsought mountaintop last June, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It was a long climb, begun in 1973, yet it has become clear that this was not the end of the journey. Lawsuits, court decisions, popular referenda, elections and legal confusion have marked the last three months and promise to fill the months ahead. Catholics facing this reality have choices, but which do we choose? Press on, of course. But toward which of the mountains still ahead?

The answer depends on the goal of the pro-life journey. In the July 8 issue of Catholic News Herald, Bishop Jugis and other Catholic leaders described this goal: “Our goal has been – and always will be –to enable and equip every woman with the support and resources she needs to welcome and care for her unborn child.” In the 49-year slog up the mountain, overturning Roe could seem like the goal. It was not. Welcoming, nurturing, educating and equipping children and families for a life of human dignity and solidarity has been – and always will be – the goal. Reaching it requires three connected strategies: legal protection of life; private, Church-supported assistance for mothers-to-be and their children; and family-supportive government policies.

Existing Catholic programs, such as pregnancy care centers, Catholic Charities, and shelters such as Catherine’s House and MiraVia in Belmont Abbey that support women and families are a major contribution to the second strategy. It is relatively easy for Catholics to see and support these first two strategies. The third is vital as well, but often controversial. It includes public social and economic policies that support mothers, children and families. This strategy significantly reduces the incentive for pregnant women to seek abortions, as it guarantees the support needed to raise their children in dignity.

As the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life said in its statement on Dobbs, public policies require guaranteeing accessible healthcare to all and preparing legislative measures to protect the family and motherhood. The academy stated, “We need solid assistance to mothers, couples and the unborn child that involves the whole community, encouraging the possibility for mothers in difficulty to carry on with the pregnancy and to entrust the child to those who can guarantee the child’s growth.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed this affirmation: “It is a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love.”

In the Catholic tradition, support for children

The Battle of Lepanto and the rosary

Oct. 7 marked the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was originally known as Our Lady of Victory. The date commemorates the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when the armies of the Christian west, united as the Holy League under King Philip II of Spain and Pope (later St.) Pius V, defeated the Ottoman Turks who would otherwise have conquered and blotted out all of Christianity from Europe.

The pairing of the titles Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary highlights an important truth of our faith: It is through the power and prayers of the rosary that God and His handmaid, the Blessed Virgin Mary, will triumph over evil. After the victory at Lepanto, the Venetian Senate had a picture painted to commemorate the battle along with these words, “Non virtus, non arma, non duces, sed Maria Rosarii, victors nos fecit” (“Not valor, not weapons, not leaders, but Our Lady of the Rosary made us victors”).

During the crisis that led to the battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V knew the martial potency of this devotion to the Blessed Virgin. The pope knew that they were fighting a holy war, that it was souls at stake as well as lives, and they needed prayers and spiritual weapons if Christendom was to be saved.

As the fleet of the Holy League set out to make history, every Christian soldier was equipped with a rosary. Throughout Europe, the rosary was being prayed by the faithful for the success of the Christian army, and before any ship sailed forth, each one was blessed by the papal nuncio. Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans and Capuchins accompanied the entire fleet, and Mass was celebrated on the deck of each ship before the battle was joined.

Though heavily outnumbered by the Turks, it was by a miraculous shifting of the wind, perhaps the very breath of the Virgin Mary, that the winning advantage was given to the Christian fleet and Europe was saved.

In 1911, the British writer G.K. Chesterton first published his poem “Lepanto.” Though Chesterton was not yet Catholic when he wrote it, the theme of spiritual warfare and the powerful intercession of the pope in Rome echoes throughout the piece. He even acknowledges how the Church was being attacked from within as well as from without, as the heresies of Luther and Calvin were at that time sweeping through northern Europe. “And Christian killeth Christian in a narrow dusty room,/ And Christian dreadeth Christ that hath a newer face of doom,/ And Christian hateth Mary that God kissed in Galilee,/ But Don John of Austria is riding to the sea.”

Though both Chesterton and his poem have fallen into obscurity in the modern era, it remains a true masterpiece of English literature and is made all the more powerful for

the spiritual nature and historical significance of its subject matter. The beauty of rhyme and meter, the evocative imagery, and the deft use of language brings to life this scene of history in a way that few modern writers could manage.

The poem focuses primarily on the figure of Don John of Austria, the commander chosen by Pope Pius V to lead the Christian fleet and who is depicted by Chesterton as the last true Crusader and Christian knight. “And the pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,/ And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross… Where risen from a doubtful seat and half-attainted stall/ The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall.”

As the monarchs of Europe were caught up in their own politics and rivalries, few were willing to heed the pope’s call and unite against a common threat. But Don John, half-brother to King Philip II and already a battletested commander at the young age of 24, rallied to the Holy Father and was given command. During the battle, he wore a relic that contained a fragment of the True Cross, which had been given to him by the pope. Young and dashing, but also devout and faithful, Don John is a figure to be admired by all.

It’s reported that at the very same hour that the conflict ended, Pope Pius V had a vision of the battle from his room in Rome. The date and time were marked by those present, as the pope suddenly stopped the work he was doing and went to the window and looked east, then declared that they must go and give thanks for the great victory that had been won. News of the battle did not reach Rome for more than 15 days after this. “The pope was in his chapel before day or battle broke,/ (Don John of Austria is hidden in the smoke.)/ The hidden room in a man’s house where God sits all the year,/ The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear./ He sees as in a mirror on the monstrous twilight sea/ The crescent of his cruel ships whose name is mystery.”

In an essay, Chesterton later wrote of Don John, “Europe, in the age in which he lived, was, as it is now, in one of its recurring periods of division and disease.”

The same could be said of our own age, and it is one of the reasons that it is so important to remember events such as the Battle of Lepanto and works of art such as Chesterton’s that celebrate it. Times may be dark, the enemies of this world may seem overwhelming, but Christian virtue and heroism are never dead. In the rosary, we’ve been given the ultimate weapon to fight evil, and the Battle of Lepanto is a testament to the power of prayer.

Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Whose Immaculate Heart will triumph, will strengthen us and give us victory in the end.

KATHRYN EVANS HEIM is an author and wife living outside Salisbury, where she gardens, raises chickens, experiments with cooking and reads too many books. Find her work at www.evanswriting.com.

Kathryn Evans Heim

Deacon Clarke Cochran

“Madonna of the Rosary” by Simone Cantarini. Oct. 7 is the anniversary of the decisive victory of the combined fleet of the Holy League of 1571 over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto.

Letters to the Editor

The power of intercessory prayer

The recent article about Padre Pio in the Sept. 16 issue of Catholic News Herald brings to mind his intercession for my father-in-law and my eldest son.

About 25 years ago, my father-inlaw was on his death bed. My son was attempting to enter medical school in the U.S. to no avail. My father-in-law’s six siblings were divided as to whether or not to continue life support for Pop. I prayed and asked for Padre Pio’s intercession for Pop and my son. As Pop’s days appeared to be numbered, my wife and I drove to Pennsylvania, hoping to see Pop before he passed. As we were about to enter the hospital, a cream-colored VW bug with darkened windows rounded the corner. Its New Jersey license plate read “Pdre Pio.” I told my wife that Pop would be OK and our son would get into medical school. Pop lived another five years and our son is a practicing physician in Pennsylvania.

WILLIAM J. BARKER lives in Charlotte.

Most-read stories on the web

In perilous times, turn to Our Lady

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us conquer the power of evil. From famine and war, deliver us. From nuclear war, deliver us. From sins against human life at its very beginning, deliver us. From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the people of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice, within nations and among nations, deliver us.”

It’s been 40 years, always a significant number in our Church history since Pope St. John Paul II wrote these words within the Act of Consecration of the modern world to Our Lady of Fatima on May 13, 1982.

With the chaotic and perilous times we are currently experiencing, I wanted to share these words I’ve said daily for a long time. Catholics worldwide would benefit from saying this prayer after every Mass for themselves, their children and the world.

CHRIS GOODMAN lives in Charlotte.

‘A church in love with Jesus has no time for quarrels, gossip and disputes. May God free us from being critical and intolerant, harsh and angry. This is not a matter of style but of love.’

Pope Francis

From online story: “Pope prays for unity of Church as he celebrates anniversary of Vatican II”

Through press time on Oct. 12, 8,671 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 12,263 pages this month. The top five headlines in October have been:

View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald 196 n Local artist creates Marian shrines for Our Lady of Grace Church...................................................... 155 n Join hands and pray for life 140 n ‘Blessing of the Animals’ to honor St. Francis, bring people together

136 n Father Scherer passes away, aged 85 130

What’s hot on social media?

The Catholic News Herald reached the Facebook feeds of more than 225,000 people with more than 100 posts during the past week. The most talked about post? Photos from the recent animal blessings for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Check out the photos and join the conversation at www.facebook.com/CatholicNewsHerald.

Letters policy

The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity.

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

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Mail: Letters to the Editor

Catholic News Herald

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Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Publication Number: 007-093

Filing Date: OCT. 04, 2022

Issue frequency: Every other Friday

Number of issues published annually: 26

Annual subscription price: $23.00

Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 1123 S. Church St, Charlotte, NC 28203-4003

Contact Person: P. Guilfoyle

Telephone: 704-370-3334

Publisher: The Most Rev. Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Editor: Patricia L. Guilfoyle

Owner: Cathedral Publishing Corp.

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SISTERS

patronal feast – the Sept. 27 feast of St. Vincent de Paul, known for his compassion for the poor – for the first time since 2019.

The sisters renewed their vows of chastity, poverty and obedience on Sept. 25 at Christ the King and celebrated two days later with friends and family at the convent, waking early for prayer and Mass offered by Father Philip Kollithanath, the pastor of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro.

As pastor of Christ the King from 1994 to 2011, Father Kollithanath petitioned thenBishop William Curlin to invite the sisters from his native state of Kerala, India, to the U.S. In 1999, the bishop extended the invitation to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul at Mananthavady, and the first group arrived in 2000.

“Children love to be with the sisters,” says Father Kollithanath. “We know how important it is for children to have nuns in their lives. When these nuns came in their habits, it was a hit in the community. The children want to touch them and talk with them. People are very welcoming, including the non-Catholics. Their presence in habits has made a big, big impact on the diocese. Now our children are more aware of the need for vocations to the religious life.”

Twenty-three years after Bishop Curlin’s invitation, the sisters continue their work with a deep sense of joy that only serving the Lord could bring. “I want to help people. If anyone is need and I can help, I will do it,” Sister Christie says. “That’s what St. Vincent de Paul was all about, helping the poor.”

COCHRAN

and family is not the sole responsibility of self-sufficient individuals – it is also the obligation of civil authorities. What might such a society and economy look like? What policies toward this end have Catholic Social Teaching and the USCCB promoted? The seven most impactful public responsibilities (briefly described) are:

1. Universal health insurance, which of course includes pregnant women and their unborn children, as well as other members of her family. Ever since Pope St. John XXIII’s encyclical, “Pacem in Terris” (1963), the Church has recognized healthcare as a human right. For the United States, this means guaranteeing public and private health insurance for all persons. For North Carolina, it means finally expanding Medicaid to all eligible persons under the Affordable Care Act.

2. A living wage, one sufficient to support a family in dignity, a right Catholics have recognized as far back as 1891 in Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum.”

3. Public support for families in the form of Child Tax Credits, SNAP (food stamp) benefits and the Earned Income Tax Credit supplements low wages. These programs should be designed and funded sufficiently to bring every family out of poverty.

4. Support for healthy and stable marriages entails ensuring fair tax burdens for working families, availability of marriage and family counseling, and mental health and addiction services for those in crisis.

5. Pope Francis’ mantra, “Tierra, Techo, Trabajo” (“Land, Lodging, Labor”) are

also essential human rights. While policies 2, 3 and 4 above create the equivalent of “land and labor” by supporting work and stability, affordable housing policies at the federal, state and local levels ensure safe and healthy “Lodging.” Federal housing vouchers and state and local funding for building and maintaining low-income housing are part of what it means to be pro-life.

6. Although education of children is the primary responsibility of parents, Catholic teaching recognizes the government’s vital role. The current crisis of public education has many causes (poverty, racial discrimination, social media disruption, among others). Nevertheless, the requirement remains for social policies that help parents to educate their children, including higher salaries and suitable facilities in public schools and suitably designed public support for religious schools.

7. Finally, a particular challenge to raising children in the United States is a criminal justice system that incarcerates far too many persons, especially minorities. The consequence is weakened family structures, increased poverty, child abuse and abortion. Criminal justice reform must be part of a comprehensive approach to family support.

It’s a long list, a journey with difficult climbs, but the goal remains the same: “To enable and equip every woman with the support and resources she needs to welcome and care for her unborn child.”

From this new mountaintop, can we find a renewed hope to fuel commitment of energy, prayers, talents and resources to achieve the goal?

“What I felt today was emotional. I was uncomfortable, frustrated and even a little desperate,” said Major David Robinson of the CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department, who joined Charlotte City Council member Reneé Johnson at the simulation. “I haven’t experienced that kind of struggle in my own life because of where I was born. The most important tool I carry every day is not anything on this belt, not my bulletproof vest, not my radio and certainly not my gun. It’s empathy.”

The two-hour event ended with a group debrief and a testimonial by Ebony Thomas, who served 10 years in prison and shared her experience of the struggle to return home.

“There’s way more to it than breaking the law. A felony follows you – 20 years later they still want to know and you have to check that box,” she said.

Thomas, who now owns V.M. Transportation Service and another company that hire those who have been in prison, said she never wants others to experience the rejection and depression she felt returning to society.

“I was denied a job and housing and was in a really depressed state. I never want anyone to experience what I did.”

Participants left with resources to learn more and take action in helping those returning to society.

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