Feb. 11, 2022

February 11, 2022

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

‘United as one’ Our 19 schools come together to celebrate Catholic Schools Week

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‘A special day of grace’ Marian statue on the move during Catholic Schools Week

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Parishes, groups begin local Synod conversations 5 FUNDED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF THE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE THANK YOU!

Consecrated men, women honored at Mass 4 Homenaje a la Vida Consagrada durante Misa especial el 5 de febrero

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Celebrando Día de la Candelaria 10

At a glance 2

catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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February 11, 2022 Volume 31 • NUMBER 10

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

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

INDEX

Contact us.....................................2 Español.......................................10-13 Our Faith........................................3 Our diocese.............................. 4-6 Scripture readings..................3, 11 Arts & Entertainment...................7 U.S. news.................................14-15 Viewpoints..............................18-19 World news............................. 16-17

things you need to know this week

SCOTT HAHN IS COMING TO CHARLOTTE! Explore the “Riches of our Catholic Faith” and study Scripture with one of today’s most respected Catholic scholars. Saturday, Feb. 19, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road. The day kicks off with Mass at 8:30 a.m., followed by two talks by Hahn and plenty of time to browse and get books signed. Cost: $20 per person. Register: www.stpaulcenter. com/charlotte.

MARRIAGE ADVICE: Valentine’s Day is Feb. 14, but did you know that a day earlier, the Church celebrates World Marriage Day? The annual observance is “an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops noted in a recent announcement. The website www.foryourmarriage.org has lots of resources for couples – whether you’ve just started dating or you’ve been married for decades.

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

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SPEAKING OF VALENTINE’S DAY: There were probably three St. Valentines in early Church history – all of whom were martyrs. The one commonly linked to today’s holiday of love was a priest or bishop bludgeoned and beheaded for his faith, then buried along a road leading out of Rome. Think there’s no connection? Never underestimate the Church’s mastery of inculturation!

At www.catholicnewsherald.com, learn more about the various St. Valentines in “How a beheaded martyr became the poster child for romantic love.”

Not something you’d want to see on a Valentine’s Day card, but this is the severed head of St. Valentine – one of them, at least.

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Subscribe today! Call:

704-370-3333

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

DATE NIGHT AT THE ABBEY: Take your sweetie to an exuberant (and free!) show at Belmont Abbey Monday, Feb. 21. Part of the popular “Arts at the Abbey” series, this concert features Ensemble Aubade, a Boston-based chamber music group hailed for “intensity, imagination, skill and finesse” (St. Lawrence University) performing works by C.P.E. Bach, Louise Farrenc and

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CONFERENCES & TALKS

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

WNC RESPECT LIFE: Interested in getting involved in pro-life work? The WNC Respect Life Group will meet 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrews Pl., Swannanoa. Hosted by the Carolina Pro-Life Action Network (C-PLAN) of Western NC, a coalition of parish Respect Life leaders across the area. For details, email ashevilleprolifecatholics@gmail.com.

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

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

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

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

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

MARCH 5 – 10:25 A.M. Mass for the Catholic Men’s Conference St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte

MIX MUSIC, PRAYER AND TRADITION: Attend Solemn Vespers with the seminarians of St. Joseph College Seminary. The young men have resumed Vespers services most Sundays at 5 p.m. at St. Ann Church, located at 3635 Park Road in Charlotte. The next one will be held Sunday, Feb. 20. More info: www.stjcs.org/ calendar.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

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Diocesan calendar of events

HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

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

Ensemble Aubade

Robert Russell Bennett.

Starts at 8 p.m. in the Abbey basilica – one more reason to visit this “Treasured Site” in our diocese (which is featured on page 8). Masks required; donations welcome. Details: www. belmontabbeycollege. edu/campus-life/artsat-the-abbey.

FEB. 18 – 10 A.M. Finance Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

CAREGIVING FROM THE HEART: 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 23, St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328-B Woodsway Lane N.W., Lenoir, and 1-2 p.m. Feb. 23, St. Charles Borromeo Church, 728 West Union St., Morganton. Presented by Mary Mitchell, family caregiver support specialist, Western Piedmont Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging. As rewarding and fulfilling as caregiving can be, it can also give rise to stress and frustration. Learn about available resources. Hosted by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Elder Ministry. For details and to register: Sandra Breakfield, Elder Ministry program director, at 704-370-3220 or sandrab@ccdoc.org.

PRAY FOR LOVED ONES WHO HAVE LEFT THE FAITH: 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Join the Legion of Mary in praying the Stations of the Cross using “Way of the Cross for Loved Ones Who Have Left The Faith,” by Father Jeffrey Kirby.

Books available to use or to purchase for $5.50.

‘PLANTING THE SEEDS OF FAITH’ WOMEN’S DAY OF REFLECTION: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday. Feb. 26, St.

Therese Church (St. Ignatius Day Chapel), 217 Brawley School Road, Mooresville, led by Father Bernard Oleru.

All women high school age and older are invited. Lunch included. Donations of $5 are requested to support the parish’s Backpack Ministry and Food for Days.

Register by Monday, Feb. 21, by emailing Alby Halsey at granhalsey@gmail.com.

‘OPEN WIDE OUR HEARTS’ WEBINAR: Join a courageous conversation on race led by Donna Toliver Grimes, Assistant Director, USCCB Office of African American Affairs; Toni Tupponce, Our Lady of Consolation Parish Black Cultural Commission; and Deacon Clarke Cochran, St. Peter Church Social Justice Ministry. 7-8:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 28. Register online: www.stpeterscatholic. weshareonline.org/Openwideourhearts. More info: Rosheene Adams, diocesan African American Affairs Ministry, rladams@rcdoc.org.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS MARY’S SONS KNEELERS: Parishioners around the Diocese of Charlotte can pray for the men expected to be ordained – Deacon Darren Balkey and Deacon Aaron Huber – on special kneelers they will receive when ordained on June 18. For more info, go online to www.

MarysSons.org. Upcoming parishes hosting the kneelers: FEB. 14-21: St. John Neumann Church, Charlotte FEB. 28-MARCH 7: St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte

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: HAMLET: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, St. James Church, 1018 West Hamlet Ave. (En Español) WINSTON-SALEM: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, Our Lady of Mercy Church, 1730 Link Road (En Español) SUPPORT GROUPS RETROUVAILLE: Have you attended a Retrouvaille Weekend? If so, consider coming to the twice-monthly “Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience” (C.O.R.E.). The next meeting will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 12 and 26, in NLC Room 206 at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. For info, contact Dolores and George King: dkingmsm@gmail.com or 980-829-8724.

RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for men and women in the diocese. For details, contact Jessica Grabowski at 910-585-2460 or jrgrabowski@rcdoc.org, or Lorena Haynes at 828-5850483.

Our faith

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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2022 WORLD DAY OF THE SICK

Pope Francis

People have the right to life, needed health care

P CNS | DANISH SIDDIQUI, REUTERS

Rohan Aggarwal, 26, a resident doctor treating patients suffering from COVID-19, rushes to an emergency call at a ward for COVID-19 patients, during his 27-hour shift at Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi in this 2021 file photo. In a message for the Feb. 11 World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis emphasized a patient-centered approach to medical care.

Progress must never trump health care JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — Although scientists have made great strides in the field of medicine, genuine care and listening to those who suffer must always be at the forefront of any therapy, Pope Francis said.

“Patients are always more important than their diseases, and for this reason, no therapeutic approach can disregard listening to the patient, his or her history, anxieties and fears,” the pope wrote in his message for the 2022 World Day of the Sick on Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Care that respects each patient’s “dignity and frailties” is especially needed when “healing is not possible,” he added.

“It is always possible to console; it is always possible to make people sense a closeness that is more interested in the person than in his or her pathology. For this reason, I would hope that the training provided to health workers might enable them to develop a capacity for listening and relating to others,” he wrote.

‘Visiting the sick is an invitation that Christ addresses to all His disciples.’ — Pope Francis Reflecting on Christ’s call in Luke 6:36 to “be merciful,” the pope focused on the need to accompany those who suffer “on a path of charity.”

Many people who are ill, especially during the current pandemic, “spent the last part of their earthly life in solitude, in an intensive care unit, assisted by generous health care workers, yet far from their loved ones and the most important people in their lives.

He thanked health care workers who

went out of their way to care for the sick as a mission “carried out with love and competence, (that) transcends the bounds of your profession.”

He also highlighted the importance of Catholic health care institutions, which help to meet the needs of those unable to obtain medical treatment due to poverty or social exclusion: “At a time when the culture of waste is widespread and life is not always acknowledged as worthy of being welcomed and lived, these structures, like ‘houses of mercy,’ can be exemplary in protecting and caring for all life, even the most fragile, from its beginning until its natural end.”

“Closeness to the sick and their pastoral care is not only the task of certain specifically designated ministers; visiting the sick is an invitation that Christ addresses to all His disciples,” he added.

“How many sick and elderly people are living at home and waiting for a visit! The ministry of consolation is a task for every baptized person, mindful of the word of Jesus; ‘I was sick, and you visited me.’”

Visit this ‘Treasured Site’ on Lourdes feast day

Daily Scripture readings FEB. 13-19

Sunday: Jeremiah 17:5-8, 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20, Luke 6:17, 20-26; Monday (Sts. Cyril and Methodius): James 1:1-11, John 14:6, Mark 8:11-13; Tuesday: James 1:12-18, Mark 8:14-21; Wednesday: James 1:19-27, Ephesians 1:17-18, Mark 8:22-26; Thursday: James 2:1-9, Mark 8:27-33; Friday: James 2:14-24, 26, Mark 8:34–9:1; Saturday: James 3:1-10, Mark 9:2-13

FEB. 20-26

Sunday: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38; Monday (St. Peter Damian): James 3:13-18, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday (The Chair of St. Peter): 1 Peter 5:1-4, Matthew 16:13-19; Wednesday (St. Polycarp): James 4:13-17, Mark 9:38-40; Thursday: James 5:1-6, Mark 9:41-50; Friday: James 5;9-12, Mark 10:1-12; Saturday: James 5:13-20, Mark 10:13-16

FEB. 27-MARCH 5

Sunday: Sirach 27:4-7, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, Luke 6:39-45; Monday: 1 Peter 1:3-9, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday: 1 Peter 1:10-16, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (St. Katharine Drexel): Deuteronomy 30:1520, Luke 9:22-25; Friday (St. Casimir): Isaiah 58:1-9a, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday: Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 5:27-32

One of the diocese’s 50th anniversary “Treasured Sites” is Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe.

For its patronal feast day, Father Benjamin Roberts will offer the votive Mass of Our Lady of Lourdes at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11. The parish will also celebrate the feast at all Masses this weekend: 5 p.m. Saturday Vigil (English), and Sunday at 7:30 and 10 a.m. (English) and noon (Spanish). For info, go to www.ourladymonroe.org.

For more about the diocese’s 50th anniversary “Treasured Sites,” see www.faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

eople have a right to life, not to death, which must be welcomed but never provoked, Pope Francis said.

“The right to care and treatment for all must always be prioritized, so that the weakest, especially the elderly and the sick, are never discarded,” he said Feb. 9 during his weekly general audience.

The pope also criticized a problem he said is real for older people “in a certain social class” of not being given all of the medicine or care they need since they lack the money.

“This is inhumane. This is not helping them, this is pushing them more quickly toward death,” he said. They must be cared for and not marginalized.

The pope’s remarks were part of his series of audience talks about St. Joseph and his role as the patron saint of a “happy” death, a term used to describe a last stage of life that is peaceful and full of faith and hope.

Pope Francis praised a recent comment by retired Pope Benedict XVI, who, at nearly 95 years of age, recognizes his own presence before “the dark door of death.”

It is “good advice” for everyone, Pope Francis said, because today’s “so-called ‘feel-good’ culture tries to remove the reality of death.” People seek to ignore “our finite existence, deluding ourselves into believing we can remove the power of death and dispel fear.”

The pandemic has brought the reality of death back into focus, he added, and so many people “have lost loved ones without being able to be near them, and this has made death even harder to accept and process.”

The Christian faith is not about removing the fear of death; “rather, it helps us to face it” with trust in Christ’s promises, he said. Christians know for certain, he said, that Christ is risen and “awaits us behind that dark door of death.”

“We cannot avoid death, and precisely for this reason, after having done everything that is humanly possible to cure the sick, it is immoral to engage in futile treatment,” the pope said, referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s teachings on the legitimacy of refusing “overzealous” treatment not to cause death but to accept it (paragraph 2278).

When it comes to the experience of death itself, of pain or of suffering, he said, “we must be grateful for all the help that medicine endeavors to give, so that through so-called ‘palliative care,’ every person who is preparing to live the last stage of their life can do so in the most human way possible.”

However, the pope warned against confusing such care with unacceptable interventions that lead to killing people.

“We must accompany people toward death, but not provoke death or facilitate assisted suicide.”

Our diocese 4

catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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In Brief Throats blessed on feast day HUNTERSVILLE — In a Catholic tradition that is being revived in several parishes across the diocese, hundreds of people young and old came to St. Mark Church to get their throats blessed Feb. 3, the feast day of St. Blaise.

Father Melchesideck Yumo, parochial vicar, and Deacon Richard McCarron blessed people by placing two blessed candles, tied together in the shape of a cross with a red ribbon, and invoking the saint’s intercession saying, “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The parish also displays a relic of St. Blaise, patron saint of throat diseases and illnesses, in its side nave.

— Amy Burger

Two Hearts Vigil continues CHARLOTTE — Nearly 60 people came to St. Patrick Cathedral to attend the February Vigil of the Two Hearts Mass and devotion Feb. 4. The Mass was offered by Father Ernest Nebangongnjoh, parochial vicar, assisted by Deacon Paul Bruck. After Mass, at the beginning of Nocturnal Adoration, Deacon Bruck led the attendees in a Holy Hour of Reparation for the tragedy of abortion.

The Vigil of the Two Hearts is offered each first Friday evening, continuing in Nocturnal Adoration through first Saturday morning at the cathedral to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary devotions, all while praying for the end of abortion, for families, and for the country’s conversion back to God. The event is organized by the Carolina Pro-Life Action Network of Charlotte (C-PLAN). For more information, contact info@ prolifecharlotte.org or visit www.prolifecharlotte. org/two-hearts.

— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

Webinar on race relations set for Monday, Feb. 28 CHARLOTTE — A special webinar about “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,” the U.S. bishops’ 2021 pastoral letter against racism, will be held Monday, Feb. 28, featuring Donna Toliver Grimes, assistant director of the USCCB Office of African American Affairs; Toni Tupponce, Our Lady of Consolation Parish Black Cultural Commission; and Deacon Clarke Cochran, St. Peter Church Social Justice Ministry. Register online at www.stpeterscatholic.weshareonline.org/ Openwideourhearts to sign up for the webinar, which will begin at 7 p.m.

The webinar is sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte African American Affairs Ministry, St. Peter Church Social Justice Ministry and Our Lady of Consolation Church Black Culture Commission. For more information, contact Rosheene Adams, diocesan African American Affairs Ministry director, at rladams@rcdoc.org.

— Catholic News Herald

PHOTOS BY SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Above, clockwise) Sisters of Mercy from Belmont, the Missionaries of Charity from Charlotte, brothers with the Missionaries of the Poor from Monroe, and the Daughters of the Virgin Mother from Gastonia gathered with Bishop Peter Jugis for Mass for the World Day for Consecrated Life Feb. 5 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

Consecrated men, women honored at Mass SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — For the first time in two years, consecrated religious gathered at the Eucharistic table with Bishop Peter Jugis Feb. 5 at St. Patrick Cathedral to celebrate Mass, honor jubilarians and commemorate World Day for Consecrated Life.

The last time religious sisters and brothers came to St. Patrick Cathedral to worship together and recognize jubilarian community members was Feb. 1, 2020 – just weeks before churches were closed for public worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the Mass on Feb. 5, Bishop Jugis honored 20 consecrated religious – those celebrating a milestone anniversary of their profession of vows in 2021 and 2022.

“We thank God that we are able to come together in person this year to celebrate the PAGE 16: World Day for Consecrated Life,” Bishop Jugis Pope Francis said at the beginning of his homily. celebrates World “This year we are also celebrating the 50th Day of Prayer for anniversary of the Diocese of the Charlotte, Consecrated and we praise God for blessing the diocese with Life Feb. 2 at many different charisms of religious life to St. Peter’s enrich our witness to the presence of Christ’s Basilica in Rome kingdom. From the very beginning of the diocese, in fact, and even before the diocese was formed, some of our religious communities were already here, making Christ known,” he added.

Bishop Jugis told the more than 50 women and men religious who had gathered for Mass that their lives are a powerful witness in our local Church of the primacy of God in one’s life.

“You say with Isaiah, ‘My God is the joy of my soul, I rejoice heartily in the Lord.’”

He spoke of the demands of religious life, the self-denial and the carrying of one’s cross in service to the Lord. “Though the Lord does make great demands of those who follow Him, it is true, as we know, that His yoke is easy and His burden light,” Bishop Jugis said.

More inside

He recounted that some years ago, someone said to him, “You certainly chose a hard life for yourself, becoming a priest.” Bishop Jugis stated that, “Rather than calling it hard, it actually is more accurate to say, it is a constant companionship with Christ.”

“The vocation of following Jesus, to make Jesus one’s life, does entail taking up the cross and sacrifice and self-denial, but the grace of vocation is humbling and fulfilling and enables one to say with Isaiah, ‘My God is the joy of my soul,’” he explained.

The presence of men and women religious in the diocese enriches the life of the local Church and all its ministries, he said.

“Consecrated religious can be found active in ministry to the poor, ministry to the sick and homebound, ministry to seniors, ministry to homeless pregnant women, ministry to battered women, ministry to those suffering with AIDS, healthcare ministry, ministry to disabled children and adults, daycare ministry to little children, ministry of contemplative prayer for the Church and the world, ministry to migrant populations, ministry of catechesis and faith formation and Catholic education at all levels, parish ministry and prison ministry,” he noted.

“May the Lord bestow His blessing on our religious sisters, our religious brothers and religious priests, and especially those who are celebrating special anniversaries of religious profession,” Bishop Jugis said at the conclusion of his homily.

Did you know?

Established by Pope John Paul II in 1997, World Day for Consecrated Life is marked in conjunction with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas Day, commemorating the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles.

Similarly, consecrated men and women are called to spread the light and love of Jesus Christ through their unique witness of selfless service, such as caring for the poor, the contemplative work of prayer, or through their professional careers.

— Catholic News Service contributed.

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Burmese Catholics mark coup anniversary with prayer KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — As Myanmar citizens observed a “silent strike” in defiance of the ruling junta Feb. 1, the anniversary of the military coup, Burmese Catholics in Charlotte are praying for those they left behind.

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was on the path to democracy after more than five decades of military rule, but the political, economic and social freedoms begun in 2011 were abruptly ended by a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. This triggered anti-coup protests featuring people banging pots and pans, blowing horns and clapping hands.

Government killings and detentions followed. Nearly 1,500 people have died, including at least 50 children, and more than 11,000 people have been arrested since the coup. The Christian minority has particularly been a target of government reprisals.

Intense fighting between the Buddhist-majority military junta and rebel forces in ethnic minority areas, including the predominantly Christian Kayah, Chin and Karen states, has forced civilians to flee to forests or take shelter in churches and schools.

Mark Kuhp and his family are parishioners at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte.

They’re one of more than 50 Burmese Catholic families that meet regularly for prayer services and Mass at OLA. “We have been very sad. We have been praying for peace for our country,” Kuhp told the Catholic News Herald.

“We especially pray for the people who have relatives, close relatives, who have been killed in our home country.

They’re being killed by the military government. A lot of people have died.”

Kuhp left Myanmar in 2008 to escape the regime. He used to work for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Refugee Resettlement Office and still helps with interpretation services. He had looked with hope as Myanmar moved towards democracy, then watched as the country fell back into violence last year.

“So many people have fled over the years,” he said, but added, “I’ve not seen it this bad (before).”

Fighting has intensified recently.

Churches and other community institutions are caught in the middle of the violence and deliberately targeted by government forces.

Kuhp prays that peace can be restored soon in his homeland.

Pope Francis has also been praying for the persecuted people of Myanmar.

For more than a year, “we have watched with pain the violence staining Myanmar with blood,” the pope said at the end of his general audience Feb. 2.

Joining an appeal launched by Myanmar’s bishops, the pope called on the international community “to work for reconciliation between the parties involved. We cannot look away from the suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters. Let us ask God, in prayer, for consolation for that tormented population.”

“We’re grateful that Pope Francis is interested in us,” Kuhp said. He said he hopes the attention to his home country will also help end the violence.

— Catholic News Service contributed.

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Parishes, groups begin local Synod conversations SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Across the Diocese of Charlotte, people are preparing to enter the Church’s worldwide conversation on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”

Dr. Alessandro Rovati, department chair and assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College, was appointed by Bishop Peter Jugis in November to serve as the official contact person for the diocesan phase of the Synod. His work is already well under way.

Rovati has given prayerful consideration to the Synod documents in order to create the discussion questions and procedures that will be used in the Synod conversations.

“December was a month of study, research and prayer,” Rovati explained.

“I collected all documents on the Synod and studied them to make sure I would incorporate best practices and ideas, and to enter into the vision of the Holy Father.”

In January Rovati reached out to all 92 parishes and missions, some of which have already begun creating committees.

Parishes including St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte are now communicating to parishioners their plans for Synod conversations.

Synod discussions will begin this

month across the diocese’s 10 vicariates.

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

“In order to allow us to have a common conversation across groups, I have created a script with three guiding questions for the Synodal discussions. All the groups will respond to all or some of the questions,” Rovati said.

“These are questions that I did not just make up, but have come out of what the pope and Synod of Bishops have said and are from documents I studied in the course

of my research,” he added.

The goal is to conduct all Synod conversations, either in person or via online meetings, before April 30.

Individuals will also be able to share their input online via the Synod website.

Rovati said he needs all input turned in by the end of April so that he can generate an interim report in May that will identify the key topics being brought forth.

On June 11, he will use the findings of the report to lead a day of prayer and discussion with more than 100 Synod representatives from across the diocese at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

“The goal of the Synod is to encounter the Lord and one another, and we cannot do that unless we are centered in the Lord and open our hearts to what He wants to say to us in our encounter with one another,” Rovati asserted.

Rovati will summarize the information and compile a final report, which will be given to the USCCB by June 30. The USCCB will then send a synthesis of all the U.S. dioceses’ work to the Vatican.

— Patricia Guilfoyle contributed.

For more information To learn more about the Synod 2021-2023, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/ synod2023. For inquiries, email synod@rcdoc. org.

In Kennedy Lecture, former planning director urges diocese to listen as it grows and changes SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Divine providence surely played a role in lining up Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt as the keynoter for the 22nd annual Kennedy Lecture Jan. 29 at St. Peter Church.

The Diocese of Charlotte is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Father Gaunt, who just celebrated 50 years as a Jesuit, has a unique history with the diocese that impacts us today.

“I was here before St. Peter was a Jesuit parish,” Father Gaunt told the dozens of parishioners who braved the snow that Saturday morning to hear his talk, “Our Journeying Together: Who Are We Listening To? Who Are We Accompanying?”

The parish’s annual Kennedy Lecture series aims to challenge and stimulate thinking by engaging prominent people in the field of religion and ethics.

When Father Gaunt arrived in the diocese in 1981, only months after his ordination, he lived in Hot Springs and began a ministry at Mars Hill College.

Over the course of his 10-year ministry in the diocese, he served as an assistant pastor and pastor.

In 1987 he served as the director of the diocese’s Office of Planning and Research, where he coordinated the diocesan Synod, putting his master’s degree in public administration to work in service to the people of God in western North Carolina.

For the past 11 years, Father Gaunt has served as the executive director of CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, at Georgetown University.

He focused this year’s Kennedy Lecture on what CARA research points to in Catholic and other religious communities’ populations and how people are practicing their faith.

Despite all the gloom and doom in secular media, he shared,

‘Listening is a civic virtue, and it is a requirement if we are to be evangelizing disciples as Catholics.’

Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt

Former Diocese of Charlotte planning director and 2022 Kennedy Lecturer

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ST. PETER CHURCH

“the Catholic community has remained fairly stable.” He noted, however, that overall “we are becoming more and more a religiously disconnected people.”

There has been an increased decline among other Christian denominations, and an increase in the “nones,” people who claim KENNEDY, SEE PAGE 20

6

catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Right) Acts of service, “pajama day” and spirited student-faculty volleyball games are all hallmarks of Catholic Schools Week.

(Bottom) Students at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte watch the livestreamed CSW Mass Jan. 31.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

BY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AND BY CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘United as one’ Students in 19 Catholic schools across western N.C. celebrate Catholic Schools Week SUEANN HOWELL AND KIMBERLY BENDER CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Christ in the Eucharist was made present to more than 7,000 students in Catholic schools across western North Carolina as Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated a livestreamed Mass from St. Patrick Cathedral Jan. 31 to kick off Catholic Schools Week.

The bishop customarily offers Mass during Catholic Schools Week at several schools around the diocese. But last year’s Mass – livestreamed to all 19 schools instead of in-person because of pandemic restrictions – was such a hit that school officials opted for it again this year as a way to unify all 19 schools in prayer.

“The Mass keeps us united as one, even

though we are physically many miles apart at this moment,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “But it’s just as St. Paul said about the Mass: ‘We, though many, are one body for we all partake of the one bread’ – the Holy Eucharist, the Body of Christ. So in this Mass we are praying for all of our students and their families, and also for all of our teachers and staff at all of our schools throughout the diocese.”

Schools adjusted their Monday class schedules to accommodate the special liturgy.

“It is a unique opportunity we have to celebrate this Mass together,” explained St. Matthew’s Principal Kevin O’Herron. “We are not a silo here at St. Matthew, but we join in brotherhood with all of the other 19 schools across the diocese. What a special event this is – to be in the same place at the same time celebrating the Eucharist.”

St. Matthew fifth-graders Victoria Thumm, Olivia Vuchnich and Joey Groccia

thought watching the Mass from their classrooms was “neat.”

“It was kind of cool that everybody was there watching,” Groccia said.

“It was really beautiful, and I liked knowing that everyone was there celebrating at the same time,” Vuchnich added.

Our Lady of the Assumption School student Ainsley Kojis agreed. “I like knowing the bishop is celebrating the Mass with 7,000 students. It makes you feel important and special.”

Seeing the bishop was definitely a highlight for the kids, said St. Matthew fifth-grade teacher Julia Kerr. “They got to see the bishop. (In class) we talk about holy orders, about the (bishop’s) miter, about the staff.”

Mass with the bishop “gives them a good view of that,” she said.

OLA student Eliana Francis said, “I think it’s pretty cool that the bishop is dedicating the homily to us, because I think

he recognizes that, as Catholic students and young adults, we will grow in the Church family.”

OLA’s Principal Tyler Kulp added, “There are people in this diocese who may never get to see Charlotte or downtown. As we all know, in our diocese we are spread across North Carolina. So to celebrate Catholic Schools Week, to hear the bishop’s message together as 19 schools, over 7,000 kids in our diocese to hear the reason we are here – our faith, our foundation, our spirituality – it is so important to hear that message from our leader.”

Besides the livestreamed Mass, students commemorated Catholic Schools Week Jan. 30-Feb. 5 with service projects, special programs honoring families, the clergy, the military and community leaders, as well as student vs. teacher games.

Now in its 48th year, Catholic Schools Week is organized by the National Catholic Education Association to provide the opportunity to showcase all that Catholic schools have to offer, as well as build community and encourage charitable outreach.

More Catholic Schools Week coverage At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from Catholic Schools Week

Arts & Entertainment

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

Stamp honors Black Catholic sculptor Lewis’ works share message of human dignity through time

7

On TV n Friday, Feb. 11, 4:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage Experience.”

With travel restricted because of the worldwide pandemic, the Holy Father has granted a plenary indulgence for those who join in this virtual pilgrimage to the Grotto to honor the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

DENNIS SADOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

‘Home Team’ Suspended from his job as the result of a scandal, a previously work-obsessed NFL coach (Kevin James) temporarily relocates to his Texas home town where his ex-wife (Jackie Sandler) and preteen son (Tait Blum) still live and, in an effort to bond with the alienated lad, joins the coaching staff (led by Taylor Lautner) of the boy’s Pop Warner football team. Under the direction of Charles and Daniel Kinnane, lame comedy mars what might have been a good-hearted fact-based drama about family reconciliation. Instead, viewers are left in the lurch by a range of gags that fall flat. Graphic gross-out humor, crass expressions.

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

‘Munich: The Edge of War’ Jeremy Irons as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain dominates this historical drama that uses the story of a fictional friendship as an introduction to the controversial policy of appeasement toward Hitler (Ulrich Matthes) pursued by the U.K. and France in an effort to avert World War II. Despite having been close pals during their student days at Oxford University, a young secretary to Chamberlain (George MacKay) and a German foreign ministry official (Jannis Niewöhner) have long been estranged after quarreling over the latter’s enthusiastic support of the Nazis. But the Brownshirts’ former fan has since realized the true nature of the regime and, with the strategy of giving in to the Fuehrer’s demands about to reach its high point at the 1938 summit conference in the city of the title, tries to renew ties so the duo can collaborate on opening the eyes of his ex-buddy’s boss. Profanities, considerable crude and crass language.

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

‘Death on the Nile’ The tangled relationships linking an heiress (Gal Gadot), her newlywed husband (Armie Hammer) and the embittered woman (Emma Mackey) who was once both her best friend and his fiancee may or may not be the cause of fatal events during a cruise on the titular river.

With an ensemble of suspects to choose from among his fellow passengers on the excursion, acclaimed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot will need all his skill to unravel the mystery.

Probably acceptable for older teens. Brief but intense combat violence.

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

Edmonia Lewis, the first African American and Native American sculptor to achieve international recognition through works that reflected her Catholic faith and the dignity of people, is being commemorated on a new postage stamp.

The stamp, the 45th in the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series, was issued at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

The stamp’s design features a painted portrait based on an Augustus Marshall photograph taken between 1864 and 1871 while Lewis was in Boston, the USPS said.

Lewis overcame multiple obstacles before arriving in Rome in 1865 and opening a studio where she incorporated the neoclassical style popular at the time and establishing herself as one of the most significant sculptors of the 19th century.

Her work is in the permanent collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Howard University Gallery of Art in Washington.

Works also are scattered in church institutions in the U.S. and Europe. Some continue to be discovered after being missing for decades.

Art historian Elizabeth Lev, who grew up in Boston and has lived in Rome for 30 years, said it was in the Eternal City, where its cosmopolitan atmosphere meant skin color mattered little, that Lewis found inspiration to pursue sculpting in her preferred medium of marble.

“Rome becomes a place where she can truly not just discover herself but become everything she always dreamed to be,” Lev told Catholic News Service. “The limitations she felt and were real in many ways in the U.S. were not limitations (in Rome).”

Lev described Lewis’ works as reflecting her mixed ancestry. She created sculptures of notable abolitionists as well as figurative images that reflected the experiences of people of color, particularly after the abolition of slavery.

Lewis also portrayed religious images, at times imitating neoclassical and Renaissance artists. One such work from 1875 depicts Moses in an imitation of Michelangelo’s 16th-century statue of the man who led the Israelites out of oppression.

An 1874 piece portrays Hagar, an Old Testament heroine who was the maidservant to Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Hagar is shown after Sarah banished her to the wilderness in a jealous rage over Hagar’s son Ishmael, whom Abraham fathered. Hagar has an empty jug at her feet while looking heavenward as she seeks water. Art experts have surmised that Lewis chose Hagar as a symbol of courage and survival, a symbol of her own experiences.

Details of Lewis’ early life are limited. She was born in 1844 in Greenbush, N.Y., near Albany.

Later in life, Lewis maintained that she was born on July 4 that year. Her father was Haitian American and her mother was Chippewa. Both

n Saturday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Called by Mary.” Pilgrims and their families recount their journeys of healing to the Grotto in Lourdes where Mary appeared before St. Bernadette.

CNS | COURTESY U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Edmonia Lewis, an African American and Native American sculptor who was Catholic, is honored on a new stamp as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series.

died before Lewis was 5.

Lewis was raised by her mother’s family until she was 12 and was known as “Wildfire,” according to a Smithsonian American Art Museum biography. In 1859 when she was 15, her older brother, who had become a successful gold miner in California, helped Lewis enroll at Oberlin College in Ohio, one of the first institutions in the country to admit African Americans. She took the name Mary Edmonia Lewis.

She did not graduate, however. Despite the school welcoming African Americans, Lewis was subjected to racism and sexism. In 1862, two friends became ill after Lewis served them wine, opening the way to charges that she poisoned them.

The charges were dismissed at trial, but soon after Lewis was severely beaten by white vigilantes who left her for dead. About a year later, she was accused of stealing artists’ materials from the school, but again was acquitted because of a lack of evidence. Lewis left Oberlin in 1863 for Boston, again with her brother’s assistance. There she studied under portrait sculptor Edward Brackett.

In the resolutely anti-slavery atmosphere of STAMP, SEE PAGE 20

n Saturday, Feb. 12, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Bakhita.” The dramatic life of Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese-born slave who converted to the Catholic faith and became a sister in the Canossian Daughters of Charity. She was canonized by St. John Paul II. n Sunday, Feb. 13, 6 a.m.

(EWTN) “Angelus with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis leads the world in the recitation of the Angelus live from Rome. n Tuesday, Feb. 15, 9-10 p.m. (PBS) “The American Diplomat.” This episode of the series “American Experience” recounts how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the State Department during the Cold War. n Thursday, Feb. 17, 5 p.m.

(EWTN) “Polish Catholic: Saint Faustina.” As his Polish journey continues, Father Mitch Pacwa visits the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow to view the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus. He also explores the life and legacy of Poland’s own St. Faustina. Part 1 of 2. n Friday, Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Saint of Lourdes.” The life of Bernadette Soubirous, peasant girl of Lourdes, France, to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858.

The film calls us to find peace of mind and heart, as Bernadette did, even in the midst of chaos.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘A special day of grace’ Marian statue on the move during Catholic Schools Week SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

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 Consolation Church Now through Sunday, Feb. 13 1235 Badger Ct., Charlotte, N.C. 28206 The statue will be available for veneration until Sunday, Feb. 13. For details and daily veneration times, go to www. faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 14-15 6212 Tuckaseegee Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28214

the pilgrim statue for three days starting Wednesday, Feb. 16: n 8:15 a.m. Wednesday: Mass and procession with St. Gabriel School n 6 p.m. Wednesday: Daily Mass with Marian-themed homily and recitation of the rosary n Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 18: Individual veneration available until 7 p.m. daily

St. Joseph Vietnamese Church Saturday-Wednesday, Feb. 19-23 4929 Sandy Porter Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28273

For details, go to www. faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

For details, go to www. faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

St. Gabriel Church & School

Holy Spirit Church

Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 16-18 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28211 St. Gabriel Parish will host

Wednesday-Sunday, Feb. 23-27 537 N.C. 16 Business, Denver, N.C. 28037 For details, go to www. faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

At www.faithmorepreciousthangold.com: Get more information about the pilgrim statue of Mary, Mother of God, and see when it is scheduled to visit your parish or school.

CHARLOTTE — Delicate flowers clutched in their hands and bundled up against the cold, students of St. Ann School joyfully honored Mary, Mother of God with a procession and prayer service Jan. 31.

The custom statue of Mary, Mother of God visited St. Ann Parish and Holy Trinity Middle School during Catholic Schools Week as part of a year-long Marian image pilgrimage to mark the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Over the course of this year, the statue of Mary will travel throughout the diocese to parishes, missions, schools and other locations of importance to Catholics so people may venerate Mary as our patroness and pray for special graces for the Church in western North Carolina.

As the students filed into the church Jan. 31, they placed their flowers into vases at the foot of the sanctuary steps near the pilgrim image.

Fifth-grader Summer Clayton added her flower to the bouquet.

When asked what she loved about the Blessed Mother, she told the PHOTOS BY SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Catholic News Herald, “I love that (From left) A student from St. Ann School places a carnation in a vase near the Marian pilgrim she gave birth to Jesus.” image Feb. 1 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. Holy Trinity Middle School students spend time Once everyone was settled in venerating the image of Mary, Mother of God Feb. 2 in the school gymnasium. their pews, Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church and vicar of education for the diocese’s 19 Catholic schools, explained to them the importance of time throughout the day to pray with students before the day’s events. the pilgrim image and explain the significance of the “Today is a special day of grace for our school and statue’s visit during the 50th anniversary year, which is for our parish as we have this statue,” he said. “We are themed “Faith More Precious Than Gold.” blessed we get several days with Our Lady. My hope is “When you were baptized, you were given the gift of that over the course of these next couple of days, you faith,” Father Matlak said. “But at the end of the day, it and your classmates will be able to come here and spend will be up to you what you do with the gift that you have, some time.” the gift that has been given to you.”

Principal Michelle Kuhn says that she feels blessed Father Reid shared with both school communities that that St. Ann School “was able to participate, not only the Marian pilgrimage “is a good chance for us to get to in the procession, but in gathering together as a school know Our Lady, to know more about her and also to ask community to pray the rosary.” for her intercession in our lives.”

The following morning, Feb. 1, the pilgrim image was transferred to the Holy Trinity Middle School Online gymnasium for veneration.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights from the Principal Kevin Parks livestreamed the all-school visit of the statue of Mary, Mother of God to St. Ann Parish

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Mass, celebrated by Father Reid, from the school’s chapel. Due to pandemic restrictions, only students from the Little Flowers of St. Therese and the Knights of St. Joseph group attended the Mass in person to represent the entire school community.

One of the Little Flowers of St. Therese, Alice Palomino, remarked, “We were all in the Presence of the Lord united as one, and it was beautiful.”

“Holy Trinity’s community was excited to be one of the first school stops for the pilgrimage statue on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord,” Parks said.

Holy Trinity’s chaplain, Father Joseph Matlak, took

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Prayer for the 50th anniversary

MARIAN ART SERIES

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.

‘Treasured Site’ spotlight for February From Old St. Joseph Church, the first Catholic church built in western North Carolina, to Belmont Abbey Basilica, Monastery and College, our diocese is filled with decades of stories, architecture and landmarks of faith. Learn more about the history of Catholicism in western North Carolina by visiting these significant points of interest – treasured places that attest to the faith, hope and perseverance of people who helped plant the roots of our local Church:

St. Lawrence Basilica 97 Haywood St., Asheville, N.C. 28801 www.saintlawrencebasilica.org St. Lawrence Basilica – one of two minor basilicas located within the Diocese of Charlotte – was designed and built in 1905 by renowned Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino. Pope John Paul II elevated the status of the church to a minor basilica in 1993. It is the only basilica in western North Carolina and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The red brick building, built in the Spanish Renaissance style, is capped by a copper dome that is guarded by statues of St. Lawrence, St. Stephen and St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

The stunning 82-foot-by-58-foot dome, constructed of terracotta tile, is one of the largest free-standing elliptical domes in North America. It features the same vaulting technique and herringbone tile pattern that Guastavino used at Grand Central Terminal and Ellis Island’s Registry Room, as well as 200plus other locations in New York City, and at Asheville’s Biltmore House.

‘The Annunciation’ Rome (c. 2nd century) TRICIA KENT SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15 makes clear from the dawn of salvation history the role that the Woman, the mother of the Redeemer, would have in God’s eternal plan for our salvation. Of course, we know that Woman to be Mary.

From its institution, the Church has understood and honored Christ’s mother for her importance on Earth and in heaven. In seeking truth through beauty, the Church has always incorporated her image in its teaching, devotional life, and in the liturgy itself. Few images of Mary or even Christ remain from those earliest centuries of persecution, but one striking image comes down to us from the Roman catacombs as a reminder of her pivotal place in the eyes of God and His people: this image of The Annunciation.

It is significant to note that perhaps the oldest surviving image of the Blessed Virgin does not depict the Nativity or her place at the foot of Christ’s cross, but the very moment of the Incarnation.

Before the Church Fathers had settled on the canon of Scripture, Mary’s greeting by the Archangel Gabriel as “blessed among women” was painted on the arched ceiling of the Catacomb of Priscilla. Once a rock quarry, this catacomb was used as a place of Christian burial for seven early popes and many martyrs beginning as early as the 2nd century. The decorative ceiling seems to date from the beginning of Christian usage – so early in fact, that some art historians doubt it shows Mary at all, though this same catacomb gives us some of the earliest paintings of the Madonna and Child and Christ the Good Shepherd.

The image is certainly Roman in style, but decay has stolen many of the details.

What can we glean from what remains? Look carefully: A woman enthroned and crowned with a regal diadem, being addressed by an honored figure with a rudimentary halo standing bold upright before her and addressing her directly.

In the context of early Christian art, this makes perfect sense. In this image you can hear “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women,” and young Mary, the teenaged virgin betrothed to Joseph, is seen by all who witness the sacrifice as the very Queen of Heaven whose fiat was uttered as the Word became flesh in her womb.

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!

February prayer intention For religious vocations. May God grant an increase to all religious orders who serve in the Diocese of Charlotte and grant zeal to all who are being called to a life of religious consecration.

Saint of the Month St. José Sánchez del Río Feast day: Feb. 10

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read more about “St. José Sánchez del Río, teenage martyr for the faith”

TRICIA KENT is a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 10

Padre Julio Domínguez

Pasará el invierno

A

yer me fui a caminar e invite al Señor a caminar conmigo. Al principio me sentía solo y un poco distraído, y rezaba para sentir al Señor cerca de mí.

En eso me asomé hacia un bosquecillo que hay en el parque y vi los árboles grandísimos totalmente sin hojas, azotados por el viento frío que corría por la tarde.

Me les quede mirando y reflexionaba en cómo era posible que pudieran seguir viviendo, si los fríos en las noches por acá son aterradores, brutales y crueles.

Inmediatamente me vino a la mente la situación tan triste que se está viviendo en México con tanta corrupción, tanta violencia, en donde no hay justicia para el inocente y los mismos servidores públicos, que están para proteger al ciudadano, están como lobos destruyendo al prójimo.

También recordé la situación moral y espiritual que estamos viviendo en los Estados Unidos, donde se está perdiendo el respeto por la vida y la dignidad humana que, de verdad, está de preocuparse.

Se habla de una crisis económica y los especialistas mundiales están haciendo mil cosas por resolver el problema, pero qué poca importancia le dan a la crisis de Dios, que es precisamente la raíz de todos nuestros problemas sociales, morales, espirituales e incluso económicos.

Fue en ese momento de frustración, angustia y, por qué no decirlo, miedo, en el que sentí fuertemente la presencia de Dios y agradecí su compañía. Él me hizo mirar nuevamente hacia esos árboles sin hojas que parecen secos y me sugirió: ellos no van a morir, ellos esperan una nueva primavera en la que darán follaje, flores y frutos, porque yo soy el Señor y yo los mantengo con mi providencia.

Un sentimiento de esperanza inundó mi corazón y mi mente y me alegré. Pero al mismo tiempo me puse a pensar cuál sería esa nueva primavera de la que el Señor me hablaba, ¿será que se refería hasta la llegada de su Reino? ¿o será que me estaba diciendo que podemos hacer algo por resolver esas situaciones?

Generalmente, cuando platico con la gente, siempre escucho la esperanza de que la situación cambie. Me doy cuenta de que es una gran mayoría la que quiere el bien y que sin duda haría todo lo posible por evitar el mal.

Si esa gran mayoría nos comprometiéramos a rezar, a cambiar nuestras actitudes de violencia, a desear más las cosas de Dios y menos las terrenas, a enseñar a nuestros hijos el temor de Dios, las virtudes cristianas y no dejarse engañar por el dinero fácil o mal habido, entonces sí, aunque hubiera muchas personas queriendo hacer el mal nos aferraríamos a querer hacer el bien y la nueva primavera vendría para nosotros, logrando hacer cambiar los sistemas de nuestros gobiernos que son generalmente los más afectados por la corrupción.

Estos árboles dieron una respuesta de esperanza a mi corazón y me dijeron que hay que estar firmes y rígidos, esperando a que el invierno acabe, que aunque se siente la fuerza del frío éste no puede apagar la esperanza de que el Señor está con nosotros y que con nuestro esfuerzo humano podemos hacer un nuevo mundo en el que more la justicia, la paz y la solidaridad.

Aprendamos a vivir cristianamente, nuestro mundo necesita de testigos vivos que verdaderamente manifiesten que se puede hacer algo en el invierno de esta sociedad.

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

FOTOS POR SERGIO LOPEZ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebrando Día de la Candelaria CLEMMONS — El 2 de febrero, miembros de la comunidad hispana de la Parroquia de la Sagrada Familia en Clemmons celebraron una procesión con velas y rezaron el rosario para conmemorar la Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor. La celebración recuerda la presentación de Jesús en el Templo y el final de los 40 días de purificación de la Santísima Virgen María después del parto, como se describe en Lucas 2:22-40. Es costumbre traer Niños Jesús (estatuas del Niño Jesús) a la iglesia para una bendición y encender velas que representen a Jesús como la Luz del Mundo.

Al inicio de la celebración, el Padre James Stuhrenberg, párroco, bendijo

las velas y los “Niños Jesús” que traía la gente. También señaló que el día también conmemora la primera Misa celebrada en español en la Diócesis de Charlotte en 1992. Luego, los miembros del coro encabezaron una procesión hacia la iglesia mientras todos cantaban un himno mariano y colocaban velas y peticiones frente a una imagen de Nuestra Señora. El rosario concluyó con un canto a la Virgen. Fue una hermosa experiencia unir a todos los presentes en la celebración de una tradición de la Iglesia.

— Lyzbeth Roman, Coordinadora del Ministerio Hispano

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Poeta del amor, poeta de Dios CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

G. Pulgarín y A. Plata

La importancia de la familia

L

a familia está en el centro del plan de Dios para la felicidad y progreso de sus hijos.

Una de las necesidades que todos tenemos es el querer ser aceptado y amado. Es parte de nuestra naturaleza como seres humanos y en ello la familia juega un rol muy importante.

Marcos 3:25 nos dice: “si una familia está dividida contra sí misma, esa familia no puede mantenerse en pie”.

El núcleo familiar es muy importante porque es el entorno en el que cada miembro tiene un acercamiento con la vida.

Sin la familia no habría continuidad en la raza, cultura, religión, valores, y ella nos sirve de apoyo y guía en los momentos cruciales de nuestra existencia.

En la familia es el primer lugar donde aprendemos a crecer y se nos enseña el amor incondicional, la fe para prepararnos a enfrentar nuestros miedos y retos venideros.

Una madre nos enseña a permanecer fieles y cuidar con esmero y dedicación el regalo más valioso que es la vida.

El padre nos enseña a luchar, a tratar a todas las personas por igual. Nos enseña a conocer a Dios como verdadero Padre, a conocer los verdaderos valores para formar el cimiento de una buena sociedad. Sin estos valores no podríamos vivir con tolerancia, teniendo caridad y respeto por cada persona.

Los hermanos, si los hay, nos ayudan a superarnos con sus buenos consejos y a ver la luz hacia donde debemos seguir, aprendiendo, como dice el Papa Francisco, “el don y el perdón recíprocos, sin el cual ningún amor puede ser duradero”.

Aprendemos a reconocer nuestros errores, a levantarnos de nuevo con más fuerza para salir adelante y restaurar los vínculos rotos.

Los abuelos, con la sabiduría obtenida por los años y experiencias vividas, nos transmiten la tradición que no debemos perder, porque es nuestra identidad familiar la que permite que nuestra cultura siga viva y sea transmitida a futuras generaciones.

Hoy en día se nos está cambiando el procrear hijos para continuar con la raza humana por tener mascotas FAMILIA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

CHARLOTTE — “Que ninguno se aislé al rezar el rosario, y que nadie se ponga a ver televisión, no se excusen diciendo ‘es que llego cansado’, como padres sabemos nuestra obligación”.

Este es uno de los versos escritos por Luis Tapia, poeta de vocación, feligrés de la Iglesia San Vicente de Paúl en Charlotte, y médico veterinario de profesión.

‘Hablemos serio’, como dicen los ecuatorianos, nacionalidad de Luis Tapia, un apasionado de la lectura y, por ende, de la escritura correcta.

“No me considero un poeta en sí”, dice humildemente, reconociendo que su pasión inició en la escuela secundaria, cuando descubrió esa vena literaria que hasta el día de hoy lo acompaña.

“Por ahí escribí uno que otro versito, pero me profundicé más en lo que son los acrósticos”, señaló. Pero fueron las vivencias religiosas que comenzó a vivir en compañía de su esposa, Cleopatra, las que lo llevaron a inclinarse por la poesía de tema religioso.

Lamentablemente, reconoce que su trabajo a tiempo completo lo distrae de poder dedicarse con más empeño a su tarea de escritor, la que lo inquieta constantemente.

“Todavía no tengo el tiempo para realmente sentarme a escribir, pero lo pienso hacer cuando me jubile”, anotó.

Pero también Luis Tapia es un conocedor de las reglas gramaticales y de ortografía del idioma castellano. Integrante del ministerio Emaús de varones en la parroquia San Gabriel, “sufría” al ver los errores gramaticales y ortográficos impresos en documentos de trabajo que presentaban sus hermanos.

“No es que me disguste en extremo ver esos errores, pero si me gustaría ayudar y enseñar a las personas que desconocen las reglas”.

“Cuando uno escribe algo, parte de la belleza de ese escrito está representado en la manera como lo escribes. Un error o una falta te cambia el sentido de lo que quieres decir”.

Leer ayuda mucho, afirma, y pone de ejemplo la Biblia, que “tiene una escritura perfecta, no tiene ni un solo error”, por lo que, “aparte de lo que te dice la Biblia, también es bueno leerla con el fin de aprender a escribir correctamente”.

DE QUITO A CHARLOTTE

Nacido en Santo Domingo de los Colorados, una localidad a medio camino entre la capital de su país, Quito, y la costa del Océano Pacífico, Tapia se crió en una escuelita de campo con poco acceso a recursos básicos como energía eléctrica y bibliotecas. “Unos pocos libros de la escuela y ahí nomás”, era todo con lo que contaban, recuerda.

Graduado de la escuela como bachiller, su primer trabajo, obviamente, estuvo relacionado con las letras.

Empleado como reportero de un diario local, el jovencito Luis Tapia comenzó a dar sus primeros pasos en la redacción informativa.

“Empezaba a buscar los hechos del pueblo y a ver qué podía ser noticia, así recibí mi primer salario”.

“La lectura llegó después, cuando ya fui a la

Homenaje a la Vida Consagrada durante Misa especial el 5 de febrero SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERO SENIOR

Familia que reza unida Que marido y mujer recen juntos les pido, como dice en el título de esta canción.

Para que una familia permanezca unida, debe formar un coro al hacer oración.

Que los hijos al verles, le sigan sus pasos, y en familia reciban total bendición.

Bendecid Oh Señor las familias, Amén.

Bendecid a las que rezan solas también.

Que ninguno se aisle al rezar el rosario, y que nadie se ponga a ver televisión, no se excusen diciendo -es que llego cansado, como padres sabemos nuestra obligación.

Es que no es suficiente con que el uno rece, ni tampoco decir -me falta vocación.

Si yo amo a mi esposa, me siento a su lado, y entre dos entonamos este himno de amor: Bendecid Oh Señor las familias, Amén, Bendecid a las que rezan solas también.

Recordemos la promesa de matrimonio, de permanecer juntos en el bien y el mal, que rezar no es solo un asunto de mujeres, ni te hace menos hombre acercarte al altar.

Es hora de cambiar y empezar nuevamente, fueron dos al comienzo, son dos al final.

Bendecid Oh Señor las familias, Amén, Bendecid a las que rezan solas también.

No esperemos estar en el lecho de muerte, ni en la fría cama de algún hospital, para reconocer que fallamos a Cristo, y ese instante clamar por perdón y piedad.

Hoy la vida te ofrece el tiempo suficiente, para arrepentirte y ponerte a rezar.

Tómale de la mano al que tienes al lado, como cuando entraron de camino al altar.

Bendecid Oh Señor las familias, Amén, Bendecid Oh Señor, la mía también.

universidad en Quito”, la primera separación familiar que le tocó vivir cuando aún era menor de edad.

Vivir la soledad a una temprana edad, afirma, lo llevó a encontrar compañía en la lectura y la escritura. Desde ese entonces, alrededor de 1980, cuenta con registros de “lo POETA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20

CHARLOTTE — Por primera vez en dos años, los religiosos consagrados se reunieron en la mesa eucarística con el obispo Peter Jugis el 5 de febrero en la Catedral St. Patrick para celebrar la Misa, honrar a los jubilares y conmemorar el Día Mundial de la Vida Consagrada.

La última vez que hermanas y hermanos religiosos vinieron a la Catedral St. Patrick para adorar juntos y reconocer a los miembros de la comunidad jubilar fue el 1 de febrero de 2020, solo unas semanas antes de que las iglesias cerraran para el público debido a la pandemia.

Durante la misa del 5 de febrero, el obispo Jugis honró a 20 religiosos consagrados, aquellos que celebran un aniversario histórico de su profesión de votos en 2021 y 2022.

“Damos gracias a Dios por poder reunirnos personalmente este año para celebrar la Jornada Mundial de la Vida Consagrada”, dijo el obispo Jugis al comienzo de su homilía.

“Este año también estamos celebrando el 50 aniversario de la Diócesis de Charlotte, y alabamos a Dios por bendecir la diócesis con muchos carismas diferentes de vida religiosa para enriquecer nuestro testimonio de la presencia del reino de Cristo. Desde el mismo comienzo de la diócesis, de hecho, e incluso antes de que se formara la diócesis, algunas de nuestras comunidades religiosas ya estaban aquí, dando a conocer a Cristo”, agregó.

El obispo Jugis les dijo a los más de 50 religiosos y religiosas que se habían reunido para la Misa que sus vidas son un testimonio poderoso en nuestra Iglesia local de la primacía de Dios en la vida de uno. “Tú dices con Isaías: ‘Mi Dios es el gozo de mi alma, me regocijo de todo corazón en el Señor’”.

Habló de las exigencias de la vida religiosa, de la abnegación y de llevar la cruz en el servicio del Señor.

“Aunque el Señor exige mucho de quienes lo siguen, es cierto, como sabemos, que Su yugo es fácil y Su carga ligera”, dijo el obispo Jugis.

Relató que hace algunos años, alguien le dijo: “Ciertamente eligió una vida difícil para usted, haciéndose sacerdote”. El obispo Jugis declaró que, “En lugar de llamarlo difícil, en realidad es más exacto decir que es un compañerismo constante con Cristo”.

Lecturas Diarias 13-19 FEBRERO

Domingo: Jeremías 17:5-8, 1 Corintios 15:12, 16-20, Lucas 6:17, 20-26; Lunes (Santos Cirilio y Metodio): Santiago 1:1-11, Marcos 8:11-13; Martes: Santiago 1:12-18, Marcos 8:14-21; Miércoles: Santiago 1:19-27, Marcos 8:22-26; Jueves: Santiago 2:1-9, Marcos 8:27-33; Viernes: Santiago 2:14-24, 26, Marcos 8:34–9:1; Sábado: Santiago 3:1-10, Marcos 9:2-13

11

20-26 FEBRERO

Domingo: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Cor 15:45-49, Lucas 6:27-38; Lunes: Santiago 3:13-18, Marcos 9:14-29 Martes (Cátedra de San Pedro Apóstol): 1 Pedro 5:1-4, Mateo 16:13-19; Miércoles (San Policarpo): Santiago 4:13-17, Marcos 9:38-40; Jueves: Santiago 5:1-6, Marcos 9:41-50; Viernes: Santiago 5:912, Marcos 10:1-12; Sábado: Santiago 5:13-20, Marcos 10:13-16

27 FEBRERO-5 MARZO

Domingo: Sirácides 27:5-8, 1 Corintios 15:54-58, Lucas 6:3945; Lunes: 1 Pedro 1:3-9, Marcos 10:17-27; Martes: 1 Pedro 1:10-16, Marcos 10:28-31; Miércoles de Ceniza: Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corintios 5:20-6:2, Mateo 6:1-6, 16-18; Jueves: Deuteronomio 30:15-20, Lucas 9:22-25 Viernes: Isaías 58:1-9, Mateo 9:14-15; Sábado: Isaías 58:9-14, Lucas 5:27-32

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La imagen peregrina mariana de María, Madre de Dios, visitó la escuela secundaria Holy Trinity el 2 de febrero. Los estudiantes veneraron la imagen de Nuestra Señora en el gimnasio de la escuela.

Peregrinación Mariana Una estatua de María, Madre de Dios, encargada especialmente, visitará más de 100 locaciones en la Diócesis de Charlotte durante el año del aniversario, realizando una peregrinación espiritual para visitar a los fieles en toda nuestra diócesis, tal como lo hizo en su visita a Santa Isabel. A través de la participación en esta memorable Peregrinación Mariana, nuestra familia diocesana se agrupa, uniendo parroquias, misiones, escuelas y otras instituciones Católicas en oración a Dios a través de la intercesión de nuestra patrona.

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación Desde ahora hasta el domingo 13 de febrero 1235 Badger Ct., Charlotte, N.C. 28206 La estatua estará disponible para veneración hasta el domingo 13 de febrero. Para obtener detalles y los horarios de veneración diarios, visite www.faithmorepreciousthangold.com.

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe lunes a martes, 14-15 de febrero 6212 Tuckaseegee Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28214 Para más detalles, visite www.faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

Iglesia y escuela St. Gabriel miércoles a viernes, 16-18 de febrero 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28211 La parroquia de St. Gabriel albergará la estatua del peregrino durante tres días a partir del miércoles 16 de febrero: n 8:15 a.m. miércoles: Misa y procesión con el Colegio San Gabriel n 6 p.m. miércoles: Misa diaria con homilía de temática mariana y rezo del rosario n miércoles a viernes 18 de febrero: Veneración individual disponible hasta las 7 p.m. a diario

Iglesia vietnamita de San José sábado-miércoles, 19-23 de febrero 4929 Sandy Porter Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28273 Para más detalles, visite www.faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

Iglesia del Espíritu Santo miércoles-domingo, 23-27 de febrero 537 N.C. 16 Business, Denver, N.C. 28037 Para más detalles, visite www.faithmorepreciousthangold. com.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Un día especial de gracia’ Estatua mariana en movimiento durante la Semana de las Escuelas Católicas SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

CHARLOTTE — Con flores agarradas en sus manos y abrigadas contra el frío, los estudiantes de la Escuela St. Ann honraron con alegría a María, Madre de Dios, con una procesión y un servicio de oración el 31 de enero.

La estatua personalizada de María, Madre de Dios, visitó la parroquia St. Ann y la escuela secundaria Holy Trinity durante la Semana de las Escuelas Católicas como parte de una peregrinación de imágenes marianas para conmemorar el 50 aniversario de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

En el transcurso de este año, la estatua de María viajará por toda la diócesis a parroquias, misiones, escuelas y otros lugares de importancia para los católicos para que la gente pueda venerar a María como nuestra patrona y rezar por gracias especiales para la Iglesia en el oeste de Carolina del Norte.

Cuando los estudiantes entraron en fila a la iglesia el 31 de enero, colocaron sus flores en jarrones al pie de los escalones del santuario cerca de la imagen del peregrino.

Summer Clayton, estudiante de quinto grado, agregó su flor al ramo. Cuando se le preguntó qué amaba de la Santísima Madre, le dijo al Catholic News Herald: “Me encanta que haya dado a luz a Jesús”.

Una vez que todos se instalaron en sus bancos, el padre Timothy Reid, párroco de la iglesia St. Ann y vicario de educación de las 19 escuelas católicas de la diócesis, les explicó la importancia de los eventos del día.

“Hoy es un día especial de gracia para nuestra escuela y nuestra parroquia ya que tenemos esta estatua”, dijo.

“Somos bendecidos de tener varios días con Nuestra Señora. Mi esperanza es que, en el transcurso de estos próximos días, usted y sus compañeros de clase puedan venir aquí y pasar un tiempo”.

A la mañana siguiente, 1 de febrero, la imagen peregrina fue trasladada al gimnasio de la escuela secundaria Holy Trinity para ser venerada.

El director Kevin Parks transmitió en vivo la misa celebrada por el padre Reid desde la capilla de la escuela.

Debido a las restricciones de la pandemia, solo los estudiantes del grupo Las Pequeñas Flores de Santa Teresa y los Caballeros de San José asistieron a la Misa en persona.

Una de las Florecitas de Santa Teresita, Alice Palomino, comentó: “Estábamos todos en la Presencia del Señor unidos como uno, y fue hermoso”.

“La comunidad de Holy Trinity estaba emocionada de ser una de las primeras paradas escolares para la peregrinación de la estatua en la Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor”, dijo Parks.

El capellán de Holy Trinity, el padre Joseph Matlak, se tomó el tiempo durante todo el día para orar con los estudiantes ante la imagen peregrina y explicar el significado de la visita de la estatua durante el año del 50 aniversario, cuyo tema es “La fe más preciosa que el oro”.

El padre Reid compartió con ambas comunidades escolares que la peregrinación mariana “es una buena oportunidad para conocer a Nuestra Señora, saber más sobre ella y también para pedir su intercesión en nuestras vidas”.

¿Sabías?

La estatua viajará a más de 100 lugares de la diócesis durante el año, visitando iglesias, escuelas, eventos y sitios de importancia para los católicos en el oeste de Carolina del Norte.

La estatua peregrina de María, Madre de Dios, fue bendecida por el obispo Jugis el 12 de enero, justo antes del comienzo de la Misa en la Catedral de San Patricio para abrir el año del aniversario.

Hecho en madera de tilo, fue esculpido a mano en Alemania hace 20 años. Mide 52 pulgadas de alto y pesa aproximadamente 41 libras.

Para obtener más información sobre la peregrinación mariana y para ver cuándo visitará su parroquia o escuela, busque actualizaciones en www.faithmorepreciousthangold.com.

Más online En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea videos destacados de la visita de la estatua de María, Madre de Dios en la parroquia de St. Ann

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

ARTE CON MARÍA

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.

A la luz: ‘Lugar valioso’ de febrero Desde la vieja iglesia San José, la primera iglesia católica construida en el oeste de Carolina del Norte, hasta la basílica, monasterio y universidad de Belmont Abbey, nuestra diócesis está llena de décadas de historias, arquitectura y puntos de referencia de la fe.

Obtenga más información sobre la historia del catolicismo en el oeste de Carolina del Norte visitando estos importantes puntos de interés: lugares preciados que atestiguan la fe, la esperanza y la perseverancia de las personas que ayudaron a plantar las raíces de nuestra Iglesia local:

Oraciones y devociones

Basilica San Lorenzo 97 Haywood St., Asheville, N.C. 28801 www.saintlawrencebasilica.org La Basílica San Lorenzo, una de las dos basílicas menores en la Diócesis de Charlotte, fue diseñada y construida en 1905 por el renombrado arquitecto español Rafael Guastavino. El Papa Juan Pablo II elevó el estatus de la iglesia a una basílica menor en 1993. Es la única basílica en el oeste de Carolina del Norte y está en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos. El edificio de ladrillo rojo, construido en estilo renacentista español, está coronado por una cúpula de cobre custodiada por las estatuas de San Lorenzo, San Esteban y San Luis Gonzaga. La impresionante cúpula de 82 pies por 58 pies, construida con baldosas de terracota, es una de las cúpulas elípticas independientes más grandes de América del Norte. Presenta la misma técnica de bóveda y patrón de mosaico en espiga que Guastavino usó en Grand Central Terminal y Ellis Island’s Registry Room, así como en otras más de 200 construcciones en la ciudad de Nueva York y en la Casa Biltmore en Asheville.

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La Anunciación Roma (Siglo II) TRICIA KENT ESPECIAL PARA EL CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El proto-evangelio de Génesis 3:15 deja claro desde los albores de la historia de la salvación el papel que la Mujer, la madre del Redentor, tendría en el plan eterno de Dios para nuestra salvación.

Por supuesto, sabemos que esa Mujer es María.

Desde su institución, la Iglesia ha comprendido y honrado a la madre de Cristo por su importancia en la Tierra y en el cielo. Al buscar la Verdad a través de la belleza, la Iglesia siempre ha incorporado la imagen de la Virgen en su enseñanza, vida devocional y en la liturgia misma. Quedan pocas imágenes de María o incluso de Cristo de aquellos siglos iniciales de persecución, pero una imagen impactante nos llega desde las catacumbas romanas como un recordatorio de su lugar central a los ojos de Dios y Su pueblo: esta imagen es la de La Anunciación.

Es importante hacer notar que quizás la imagen más antigua que se conserva de la Santísima Virgen no representa la Natividad o su lugar al pie de la cruz de Cristo, sino el momento mismo de la Encarnación.

Antes que los Padres de la Iglesia se decidieran por el canon de las Escrituras, el saludo a María por parte del Arcángel Gabriel como, “bendita entre todas las mujeres”, fue pintado en el techo de arcos de las Catacumbas de Priscila. Esta

catacumba, anteriormente utilizada como cantera de rocas, se usó como lugar de entierro cristiano para siete de los primeros papas y muchos mártires desde el siglo II. Este techo decorativo parece datar del comienzo del uso cristiano; de hecho, es tan temprano que algunos historiadores del arte dudan que muestre a María, aunque esta misma catacumba nos brinda algunas de las primeras pinturas de la Virgen y el Niño y Jesús el Buen Pastor.

La imagen es ciertamente de estilo romano, pero con su deterioro ha perdido muchos detalles. ¿Qué podemos deducir de lo que queda? Mire con cuidado, una mujer entronizada y coronada con una diadema real, a la que se dirige una figura honrada con un halo rudimentario que se yergue audazmente frente a ella y se le dirige directamente.

En el contexto del arte cristiano primitivo, esto tiene mucho sentido. En esta imagen se puede oír, “Salve, llena eres de gracia, el Señor está contigo: bendita eres entre todas las mujeres” y la joven María, la virgen adolescente desposada con José, es vista por todos los que presencian el sacrificio como la mismísima Reina del Cielo cuyo mandato fue pronunciado cuando la Palabra se hizo carne en su vientre.

TRICIA KENT es feligrés de la iglesia St. Thomas Aquinas en Charlotte.

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 a la vez que celebramos la fundación de la Diócesis de Charlotte. ¡Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros!

Intención de oración en febrero Por las vocaciones religiosas.

Que Dios conceda un incremento del número de vocaciones a todas las órdenes religiosas que sirven en la Diócesis de Charlotte y conceda devoción y entusiasmo a quienes están siendo llamados a una vida de consagración religiosa.

Santo del mes San José Sánchez del Río Santoral: 10 de febrero En www.catholicnewsherald. com: Lea más sobre “St. José Sánchez del Río, adolescente mártir de la fe”

Our nation 14

catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Biden urges a return to political civility in remarks at prayer breakfast KURT JENSEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden, addressing the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 3, called for a return to the political civility he said he’d known as a freshman U.S. senator from Delaware.

“We don’t spend as much time with each other as we used to,” he reflected at the gathering.

The breakfast was greatly cut down from its previous incarnations at a Washington hotel.

This year it was held in the auditorium at the Capitol Visitor Center. One of the organizers, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called it a “reset,” limiting attendance to members of Congress, breakfast speakers and their spouses.

It was the first time the event was held in person in two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proceedings also were carried live on C-SPAN and other broadcast outlets.

The 70th annual breakfast was low-key and bipartisan.

The event always features members of Congress reading Scripture, and this year Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., read from the Gospel of Matthew.

“As president, you should still be able to count on our prayers for the success of our nation,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. He said the breakfast reflected “the right of each of us to worship the good Lord as we see fit.”

In his brief remarks, Biden, only the second Catholic president in the nation’s history, discussed the losses in his own life, including his son Beau’s death from a brain tumor, adding, “Everyone has had horrible things to deal with. I had a lot of help.”

Biden waxed nostalgic about an earlier time of eating

lunches as part of a group in the Senate: “You learn about their losses and their happiness and you learn about them.”

He added, “It’s hard to dislike someone when you know they’re going through something you went through.”

Addressing McConnell directly, he said, “Mitch, I don’t want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends.

And that is not an epiphany we’re having at the moment.

You’re a man of your word, you’re a man of honor.

Thank you for being my friend.”

Referencing Matthew 20:28, Biden said, “I pray we do what Jesus taught us: to serve rather than be served.”

Concluding, Biden said, “One of the reasons other countries sometimes think we’re arrogant is because we believe anything is possible.”

“Unity doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything, but unity is where enough of us believe in a core of basic things. The common good, the general welfare, a faith in the United States of America.”

Political unity, Biden said, “is elusive,” but “it’s really very necessary. That’s why we’re here – to make the most of our time on earth.”

The keynote speaker was Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization advocates for fair and equal treatment in the criminal justice system.

He told the gathering, “We have to understand our power as people of faith to embrace one another.”

Outlining what he described as America’s “narrative of racial differences” from the era of slavery to the violence that has persisted long after the Civil War ended, he concluded: “We’ve got to stay hopeful even when it’s difficult and painful.”

CNS | SARAH SILBIGER, REUTERS

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 3 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

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In Brief Louisville, Ky., archbishop retires; pope names Black bishop as successor WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., and appointed as his successor Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of HoumaThibodaux in southeastern Louisiana.

Archbishop Fabre, 58, is one of 12 African American prelates in the U.S. Church and he will be the first Black archbishop of Louisville.

The newly named archbishop has headed the Louisiana diocese in since 2013. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 2006 to 2013. He is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.

As required by Church law, Archbishop Kurtz turned in his resignation to the pope when he reached the age of 75 last August. He has headed the Louisville archdiocese since August 2007.

Bishop urges action to address ‘pervasive’ injustice of human trafficking WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recognizing that human trafficking is pervasive in the United States and globally, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration called for prayer and worldwide action to end the exploitation of people. Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington issued his appeal in advance of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking Feb. 8. The day is observed on the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was sold into slavery as a child in her native Sudan, and has been designated by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

The bishop pointed to the Church’s continuing work and unwavering commitment to eradicate human trafficking and alleviate its harm to survivors.

Pope Francis “has aptly described slavery as ‘a scourge that wounds the dignity of our weakest brothers and sisters,’” Bishop Dorsonville said. “Often unseen, we know that human trafficking is pervasive throughout the world, including in the United States, and it is imperative that we take all necessary steps to address this injustice.”

Black History Month: reminder of need to work for justice, equality WASHINGTON, D.C. — Flanked at the front of

the sanctuary by six large portraits of Black Americans whose faith-filled lives placed them on the road to possible canonization by the Church, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. celebrated Mass Feb. 6 to mark Black History Month in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. “Celebrating Black History Month not only enlightens us to the contributions of Black Americans, but reminds us of the work toward justice and equality that is still in front of us,” said Bishop Campbell during the Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.

“Only when every person in this nation sees everyone else as equal to them – sees everyone as a child of God – can justice and equality be achieved,” he said. “Then we will have peace, and love will flourish.”

Some of that work includes official recognition of Black Americans’ faith witness through sainthood, sharing stories of Black American role models and a more balanced representation in leadership and other roles, he said.

In his homily, the bishop pointed out that although Blacks make up 14.3% of the American population, currently only 3% of U.S. senators are Black.

Kentucky tornado recovery expected to last 2-4 years OWENSBORO, Ky. — Families across western Kentucky continue to face the impact of the December tornadoes that roared through several communities as one Catholic Charities agency accompanies them along the way.

Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, said that tornado recovery is both “short-term and long-term.” Recovery efforts are expected to take two to four years, she told The Western Kentucky Catholic, the diocesan newspaper.

Short-term needs include shelter, clothing and medical assistance. Long-term needs include repairing and rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed by the storms.

Catholic Charities has been providing financial assistance through gift cards distributed by parishes. Aid also is available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and through a Small Business Administration loan program.

Montalvo-Gesser said the average FEMA award people receive is about $9,000, but the maximum FEMA award for those who have lost “absolutely everything” is $36,000.

“Now, can you rebuild a house on that? No, you cannot,” she said.

This is where Catholic Charities will step in, helping people throughout western Kentucky to help heal and slowly rebuild their lives.

Montalvo-Gesser said the outpouring of monetary donations from across the country has been incredible, and she hopes it will continue. Donate via www.owensborodiocese. org/give.

— Catholic News Service

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

Bishop Michael J. Begley – 2002 Rev. Edward Beatty – 1990 Rev. Kenneth Geyer, OSB – 2012 Rev. Lawrence Hill – 1985 Rev. David Kessinger – 2021 Rev. Msgr. Anthony Kovacic – 2015 Rev. Kieran Neilson, OSB – 2019 Rev. Arthur Pendleton, OSB – 2020 Rev. Joseph J. Waters - 2015

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Be moved by Spirit, not ‘mechanical repetition,’ pope tells religious JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — The Holy Spirit, and not the need for recognition, must be the primary motivation in one’s religious life, Pope Francis told consecrated men and women in his homily Feb. 2.

“Sometimes, even behind the appearance of good works, the canker of narcissism, or the need to stand out, can be concealed.

In other cases, even as we go about doing many things, our religious communities can appear moved more by mechanical repetition – acting out of habit, just to keep busy – than by enthusiastic openness to the Holy Spirit,” the pope said.

“Let us today examine our interior motivations and discern our spiritual movements, so that the renewal of consecrated life may come about, first and foremost, from there,” he said.

Hundreds of men and women belonging to religious orders attended the Mass for the celebration of Candlemas – the feast of the Presentation of the Lord – which also marked the Vatican celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life.

During the Mass, Pope Francis exchanged consecrated bread and wine with Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphaël Pierre XXI Minassian, who was elected in September, thus sealing their ecclesial communion.

In September, after the election, the pope granted the Armenian patriarch’s request for unity, which is sealed with the gesture of partaking of the Eucharist together. The Armenian Patriarchate, based in Beirut, is one of 22 Eastern Catholic Churches that is in full unity with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.

The Mass began with the traditional

blessing of candles. Led by several candlebearing acolytes, Pope Francis processed toward the Altar of the Chair in a darkened St. Peter’s Basilica, faintly lit by the congregation’s candles, as the choir sang, “O radiant light, eternal splendor of the Father, Christ the Lord immortal.”

Pope Francis blessed the candles and prayed that the Lord would guide all men and women “on the path of good” toward His Son, “the light that has no end.”

In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel reading from St. Luke, in which the young Mary and Joseph, along with baby Jesus, meet the elderly Simeon and Anna, who “await in the Temple the fulfillment of the promise that God made to His people: the coming of the Messiah.”

Just like the elderly Simeon recognizes the Messiah “in the guise of a poor little baby,” religious men and women are called to be “moved by the Spirit” rather than success or prestige in their congregations.

“The Spirit moves us to see God in the littleness and vulnerability of a baby, yet we at times risk seeing our consecration only in terms of results, goals and success: We look for influence, for visibility, for numbers,” the pope said. “The Spirit, on the other hand, asks for none of this. He wants us to cultivate daily fidelity and to be attentive to the little things entrusted to our care.”

Secondly, Simeon’s example of seeing and recognizing Christ is a testament to the “great miracle of faith” that “opens eyes, transforms gazes and changes perspectives.”

While the world often sees consecrated life as “a waste, a relic of the past, something useless,” the pope called on religious men and women to reflect on how they view religious life and whether their

CNS | REMO CASILLI, REUTERS

Members of the clergy hold candles as Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 2. The Mass also marked the Vatican celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life. eyes are “turned only inward, yearning for something that no longer exists, or are we capable of a farsighted gaze of faith, one that looks both within and beyond.”

“Let us open our eyes: The Spirit is inviting us amid our crises, decreasing numbers and diminishing forces, to renew our lives and our communities. Let us look at Simeon and Anna: Although they were advanced in years, they did not spend their days mourning a past that never comes back, but instead embraced the future opening up before them,” he said.

Pope Francis said the act of Simeon taking baby Jesus in his arms reflects the calling to embrace Jesus in one’s life, which is “the very heart of faith” and an important aspect of Christian life, especially at times when we are “losing our bearings, getting caught up in a thousand different things, obsessing about minor

issues or plunging into new projects.”

“If consecrated men and women lack words that bless God and other people, if they lack joy, if their enthusiasm fails, if their fraternal life is only a chore, it is not the fault of someone or something else,” the pope said.

“It is because our arms no longer embrace Jesus. When that happens, our hearts fall prey to bitterness, to complaining about things that do not go like clockwork, to rigidity and inflexibility, to the illusion of our own superiority.”

Instead, when one embraces Christ, he or she will also “embrace others with trust and humility.”

“Then conflicts will not escalate, disagreements will not divide, and the temptation to domineer and to offend the dignity of others will be overcome,” he said.

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In Brief Retired pope asks forgiveness in response to Munich abuse report VATICAN CITY — At 94, retired Pope Benedict XVI said he knows he will soon stand before God’s judgment and he prayed that he would be forgiven for his shortcomings, including in handling allegations of clerical sexual abuse. “Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate,” he said. In response Feb. 8 to a recent report on sexual abuse cases in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Pope Benedict also confirmed that an error in the testimony written on his behalf had been an oversight and “was not intentionally willed and I hope may be excused.”

However, the retired pope, who headed the Munich Archdiocese from 1977 to 1982, emphasized his feelings of shame and sorrow for the abuse of minors and made a request for forgiveness to all victims of sexual abuse. “I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church.

All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate,” he wrote.

Vatican: Synod process showing progress, some challenges VATICAN CITY — The Church worldwide is showing good progress and “much joy” after the opening of the synod process, but there also have been some “uncertainties” and challenges,

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said the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops. “There is growing awareness that the synodal conversion to which all the baptized are called is a lengthy process that will prolong itself well beyond 2023,” the council said in a press release Feb. 7. “The desire all over the world is (that) this synodal journey, which has begun at the local level,” continues “so that tangible signs of synodality might increasingly be manifest as constitutive of the Church,” it said.

The ordinary council met Jan. 26 to discuss progress being made on the Synod around the world and to elaborate the criteria for the “reports” to be prepared by dioceses and bishops’ conferences and submitted to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, it said.

Vatican official inaugurates nunciature in Abu Dhabi VATICAN CITY — The opening of a new apostolic nunciature in the United Arab Emirates is a testament to fraternity and goodwill between Muslims and Christians, said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Abu Dhabi Feb. 4, Archbishop Peña, the substitute secretary for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State, said the new nunciature is also “a further sign of the Holy Father’s solicitude and concern for all the people in this land. May this new embassy of the Holy See serve as a place of encounter and dialogue for our bilateral cooperation for many years to come,” the archbishop said.

Among those present at the inauguration were Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation; Bishop Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar for Southern Arabia; and Monsignor Yoannis Gaid, member of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity.

The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations in 2007, but the nuncio resided in Kuwait. The nunciature is headed by Slovenian Monsignor Kryspin Dubiel.

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— Catholic News Service

Finance Administrative Assistant The Accounting/Finance Departments of the Diocese of Charlotte are accepting applications for an administrative assistant position. Responsibilities include distributing mail, ordering supplies, processing daily deposits, maintaining files, composing routine correspondence, preparing minutes for board meetings, but also assisting with various accounting and finance related tasks and projects, including processing signature card changes for checking accounts, administering the corporate credit card program, processing stock gifts, following up with parishes about second collections, reconciling GL accounts, and other items as assigned.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit

Note to young people: Our elders need you!

S

ince the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been praying the rosary with our residents every day.

Lately I’ve been aware of how much I’ve grown to appreciate one of the joyful mysteries – I sometimes find myself lingering in the Temple with Mary and Joseph as they present their infant Son to the Lord.

In his homily for this year’s Feast of the Presentation on Feb. 2, Pope Francis proposed three questions that help us reflect on this scene and our own lives.

Referring to Simeon, who was “moved by the Spirit,” he first asked, “What moves us? … Is it the Holy Spirit, or the spirit of this world? … What moves our days? What is the love that makes us keep going?”

Referring to Simeon’s proclamation, “My eyes have seen your salvation,” the pope then asked, “What do your eyes see?”

‘My love for the elderly is what keeps me going.’

A “naïve gaze,” he said, flees reality and refuses to see problems. But a “sapiential gaze” looks within and sees beyond. It does not stop at appearances, but “can enter into the very cracks of our weaknesses and failures, in order to discern God’s presence even there.”

Finally, reflecting on how Simeon took Jesus into his arms, the pope asked, “What do we take into our own arms?”

At a moment when our mission near the elderly has been challenged in ways I never could have imagined – as a result of the pandemic and the burgeoning crisis in long-term care staffing – reflecting on these three questions has affirmed my vocation. They have also inspired me to make an appeal to young people.

The first question – “What moves you?” – takes me back to the dawn of my vocation.

As a nominally Catholic teenager, I started volunteering at a Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor and unexpectedly found my purpose in life, my vocation. From my very first encounters with the infirm elderly, my heart was profoundly moved.

As I strove to make the elderly happy, God was awakening in my heart something that I hadn’t even known was there.

Many years later I realized that my joy in serving others sprung from what St. John Paul II termed “the law of the gift” – the experience of finding myself through

the sincere gift of myself.

Why did the elderly move me so deeply?

To paraphrase Pope Francis, what did I see in them?

In the needy, frail seniors with whom I began to spend more and more time, I first saw a group of people who needed a great deal of assistance in meeting their basic human needs – but there was more.

In the elderly I saw the universal human need for love and esteem stripped of all pretense. I saw vulnerability in weakness and honest emotions.

I saw that many of the residents possessed that sapiential gaze of which Pope Francis spoke, and I appreciated the wisdom they so freely shared.

Somehow these people from my grandparents’ generation were more open and authentic than people my parents’ age – they were really cool!

During my college years, I gained experience in a variety of healthcare environments, but I always came back to the elderly. At the same time, I saw that many of my peers felt drawn to work in pediatrics.

Realizing this difference further confirmed my calling. It was God who had planted this love for the elderly deep in my heart – my vocation was real!

All that was left was to follow my heart and take the elderly into my own arms, as our foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan, had done.

This commitment is achieved through the vow of hospitality, by which we Little Sisters devote our lives uniquely to the service of the elderly poor. Forty years later, the elderly still move me every day; my love for them is what keeps me going.

If you are a young person looking to make a difference in the world, I urge you to spend time with the elderly. Let them help you discover the seed of self-giving love planted deep in your heart.

Society is rapidly aging, and the needs of seniors have never been greater. Older people need youth to reach out and take up their cause, and the young need the sapiential gaze of their elders.

In various spots around the country, young people are launching intergenerational initiatives. Check out tandem-app.org, bridgethegenerations. com, paletteprogram.org or oldpeopleare. cool to see some of the great projects already underway – or create your own!

If you are a young woman and this reflection has moved you, ask yourself if there is a place in your heart for the elderly. Then please contact me – I’d love to share with you the joy of our vocation in the service of the elderly!

SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT, L.S.P., is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.

Deacon Matthew Newsome

Vatican II on the Liturgy W ith the promulgation last year of “Traditionis Custodes” (Pope Francis’ restrictions on celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass) and the ensuing debate over the liturgical legacy of the Second Vatican Council, now is the perfect time to revisit what the council actually said regarding the reform of the liturgy. People may have varying preferences and opinions, but, as the council reminds us, “regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church ... therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority” (“Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” 22). So what does the Church actually say?

The first thing to understand is that the Second Vatican Council did not produce the Mass we have today. That was promulgated

by Pope Paul VI in 1969, four years after the close of the council. The council did call for “a general reform of the liturgy” (SC 21) and issued principles under which that reform was to take place. In fact, it was the first topic the Council Fathers took up.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” was the first document promulgated by the council on Dec. 4, 1963, with an overwhelming majority vote by the bishops of 2,147 to 4. The Council Fathers clearly state that this was not to be a rupture from the past but rather something done in continuity with what came before. “There must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing” (SC 23).

The introduction of the vernacular is one of the things people associate most with the conciliar reforms. Regarding the language used in the liturgy, the Fathers state, “The use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites. But since the use of the mother tongue ... may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants” (SC 36). In other words, the Council Fathers did not view this as a question of using either Latin or the vernacular, but of making good use of both. This is echoed later in the constitution when it says, “In Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue,” but then adds, “Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (SC 54).

Similarly, regarding liturgical music, nowhere does the council say out with the old and in with the new. In fact, they

assert the opposite, saying, “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value” (SC 112). It goes on: “The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care” (SC 114), and “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (SC 116).

Does that mean only one style of music is permitted? No. The council also says, “In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it” (SC 119).

Again, we have a case of the council calling for a both/and rather than an either/or approach.

As the Council Fathers explain, “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community ... Provisions shall also be made, when revising the liturgical books, for legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups, regions, and peoples, especially in mission lands, provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved” (SC 37, 38).

A major hallmark of the council’s liturgical reform is a call for the active participation of the laity. “Sacrosanctum Concilium” never speaks of this in terms of giving the laity more jobs to do, but instead as a call for the sacred truths of our faith to be communicated effectively through our rituals, so that people may enter into the liturgy more intentionally and prayerfully.

The whole project of reform is undertaken with this in mind. “Both texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community” (SC 21). “The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and ... within the people’s powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation” (SC 34).

Regarding many other things people typically associate with the reforms of Vatican II, such as the posture of the priest at Mass, or certain styles of vestments or church furnishings, the Second Vatican Council is silent. It states only that liturgical art and furnishings “should worthily and beautifully serve the dignity of worship” (SC 122), noting, “The Church has not adopted any particular style of art as her very own; she has admitted styles from every period according to the natural talents and circumstances of peoples, LITURGY, SEE PAGE 19

February 11, 2022 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

19

Robert Mixa

That lasting spiritual punch of a pilgrimage vacation

L

ike Clark Griswold from the “Vacation” film series, my dad was known for taking our Chicago suburban family on long, cross-country expeditions by car. We did this nearly every year, following my dad’s detailed itinerary to a tee.

Thus, we were seasoned travelers. In 2001, we went by car to the Rocky Mountains. We took Grandma along with us. The year before this my dad drove us to visit the Mixas in Florida, stopping at Walt Disney World along the way.

‘There’s no way of living without something like pilgrimage.’

We’d even traveled the East Coast, from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., through to Williamsburg. Each trip was exhausting, yet each had more or less a “sacral” goal: mountains, the Magic Kingdom, the ocean, the U.S. Capitol. But 2002’s excursion to see Pope John Paul II and later to visit St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mont Royal in Montreal was on a higher plane.

We were making a pilgrimage, a high expression of that sacral longing for “beatitudo” that is at the heart of all human activity.

The 2002 World Youth Day was Pope John Paul II’s last. My sister was already out in Toronto with a Catholic youth group partaking in the World Youth Day events leading up to the papal Mass. My dad wanted us to join her for that Mass and to see the great pope I had heard about my entire life.

It was a cloudy, rainy day when we arrived in Toronto, and it stayed that way well into the papal Mass. But during John Paul II’s homily the sun came out, and the pope, who did not see anything as mere coincidence, took it as a sign with heavenly significance. It was as if the Son (the true Light of the world) had appeared.

The pope preached that life in the Holy Spirit is not a condition of age but can begin at any age, inspiring many of the attending youth to follow Christ and take up their crosses. The pope then put everything in the context of pilgrimage when he announced that the place of the next World Youth Day would be in Cologne. Because Cologne Cathedral includes the Shrine of the Three Kings, the pope presented an icon of the three magi as pilgrims, following the heavenly light to Christ and calling us to follow their example.

I started to see my life as such a pilgrimage.

“JPII,” as we called out to him, told us to treasure the memory of Toronto, and indeed I have.

The pope’s final words about pilgrimage set the tone for the rest of our trip. From Toronto we drove to Montreal, primarily to see the majestic St. Joseph’s Oratory on Mont Royal.

Along with my Walkman, I took a book my mom had recently bought that caught my interest. It was Romano Guardini’s “The Art of Praying.” I did not know who Romano Guardini was at the time, but his book was transformative for me, preparing my soul for the experience I would soon have at St. Joseph’s Oratory.

The Oratory was like a mysterious temple perched atop a hill. You have to climb your

way into it, as if ascending the mountain of the Lord, Mount Zion. I decided to venture by myself once I got inside, offering prayers in the votive chapel with St. Joseph and contemplating the beauty of the sanctuary and all the history of the faithful looking down at me. It was as if I were approaching the Holy of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant, finding and seeing the glorious stillpoint of all things in the Eucharist.

This trip, which ended with our reception of the Holy Eucharist, became like an icon of the Mass for me – the source and summit of Christian life, a reminder of where we find our rest. Without this, I knew life would make no sense and become a restless flurry of activity with no ultimate end.

There’s no way of living without something like pilgrimage. It’s inscribed in our nature, whether we express it by walking to Jerusalem or driving to Disney World.

Almost all human cultures encourage pilgrimages of some kind. Pagan shrines dotted the landscape of the ancient world. Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives. In fact, the direction of their prayer, and more basically their life, is pointed there. Jews used to make pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem, and now many still go to the Wailing Wall.

The Crusades began because of the disruption of pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Many of the shrines that popped up in Europe during the Middle Ages satisfied an essential human need for pilgrimage when pilgrimages to Jerusalem were no longer possible. Nations in Europe and beyond reveal their heart and soul in shrines that are the destinations of pilgrimage routes: Rome, Chartres (France), Altötting (Bavaria), Częstochowa (Poland), Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and Guadalupe (Mexico) readily come to mind, providing the faithful with the practice of pilgrimage that is a well-spring of meaning.

That trip to Toronto and Montreal changed my life. I don’t know if my dad realizes this, but that journey was the best, most efficacious religious instruction my parents ever gave me. It helped me to better understand myself as a member of the “pilgrim Church on earth,” making her way by the Spirit to the eternal banquet in the Father’s house. I learned more on that trip and others like it than I did from all the formal religious instruction I had received in school.

Encountering Pope John Paul II, a man who saw all things through eyes of faith, and heeding his call to holiness, then walking through St. Joseph’s Oratory with all its religious symbolism – these things put me in greater touch with the supernatural element of faith than what I could glean from any book. It stuck with me, orienting me toward my goal in this life: union with God. Parents, take your children on pilgrimages, not only for the sake of handing down the faith, but to give them a rich experience of the faith journey and what it means to be a pilgrim. It can be exhausting and challenging, but the trip will be treasured for a lifetime.

Be like Clark Griswold, ready to take your family station wagon out for a summer excursion across the country. Go to a shrine or two! Maybe you can stop by Wally World along the way.

ROBERT MIXA is the Education Fellow at Word on Fire Institute.

He received his M.T.S. in biotechnology and ethics from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute. You can read more of his thoughts, reviews and interviews at www.RobertMixa.com.

Most-read stories on the web

‘He is the God of closeness, compassion, tenderness and He does not seek perfectionism: He seeks our welcome.’

Pope Francis

From online story: “With God, people can navigate life with trust, optimism, pope says” Through press time on Feb. 9, 6,285 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 9,240 pages. The top 10 headlines in February have been: n Marian pilgrim image on the move during Catholic Schools Week.............................393 n Black Catholic popes, saints and leaders........................................................................... 302 n Tradición mexicana resalta Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor................................ 300 n Pilgrim image of Mary to visit 100-plus sites across diocese this year.................... 255 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald......................................... 245 n Catholic Schools Week highlights faith, excellence and service...................................241 n St. Agatha feast day: Feb. 5.................................................................................................... 190 n Belmont Abbey College receives accreditation to offer master’s degrees.............. 189 n Consecrated religious honored...............................................................................................179 n Scouts to celebrate 50th anniversary at Catholic Camporee.......................................178

LITURGY FROM PAGE 18

and the needs of the various rites ... provided that it adorns the sacred buildings and holy rites with due reverence and honor” (SC 123).

I should also point out that “Sacrosanctum Concilium” does not concern itself only with the Mass. A large section deals with the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours), including a call for pastors to celebrate “the chief hours, especially Vespers ... in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts” (SC 100).

One cannot escape the irony that today a parish where Vespers is routinely prayed, Latin is used together with the vernacular at Mass, and Gregorian chant is given a place of honor alongside popular hymns, will undoubtedly be accused of being a “pre-Vatican II” parish, even though a straightforward reading of the conciliar text indicates this is precisely what we should be doing.

I will conclude with a personal

observation. As a college campus minister, I often hear it said both that young people relate more to contemporary worship and that they are attracted to more traditional liturgy. Fifteen years of working with young adults have taught me this: young people have different liturgical preferences, just like anyone else. One notable difference I have observed is that young adults are less likely to attach ideological significance to their preferences or to anathematize those with different opinions. I believe this is because, to them, Vatican II is a matter of history. They did not live through the tumultuous years when the conciliar reforms were being introduced, allowing them to approach the subject a bit more dispassionately and therefore more charitably. The both/and approach expressed by the council to them just seems like common sense. This should give us all hope for the future.

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

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 11, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

POETA

KENNEDY

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 11

FROM PAGE 5

que estaba escribiendo”.

Tapia arribó a la Ciudad Reina como la mayoría de los migrantes, en búsqueda de mejores horizontes para él y su familia.

“Perdí mi trabajo en una compañía grande relacionada con la crianza de aves en Ecuador y ya no pudo mantener el nivel de vida que tenía. Gracias a Dios, algunos amigos me invitaron y recibieron en Charlotte para explorar posibilidades aquí”, relató.

Inicialmente llegó solo, al cabo de dos meses, con trabajo y habiendo investigado escuelas para sus hijos, determinó que era el momento preciso para que toda la familia lo acompañara. En mayo de 2000 se reunió con toda la familia.

“Desde ese entonces hemos sido bendecidos y nos ha ido muy bien en todos los aspectos”.

Después de haber trabajado por 17 años en una empresa alemana en Charlotte, en 2017 decidió unirse al equipo de trabajo de su esposa que tiene una compañía de servicios contables.

“No soy contador, pero me encargo de la parte de redacción de cartas e ingreso de datos, y, después del trabajo, muchas veces me ocupo de mi afición, escribir... siempre buscando dar un mensaje positivo de vivencia personal en mis versos”.

Por el momento, se encuentra recopilando sus poemas con la intención de reunirlos y ver su posible publicación. “Es muy poco todavía lo que tengo, necesito producir más. Pero mi meta es no irme de este mundo sin publicar un libro”, sentenció.

no religious affiliation.

The total Catholic population in the U.S. has increased year over year, “but Catholics are becoming less engaged in sacramental life at a parish,” he said.

Interestingly, Catholics who are not going to Mass are finding other ways to engage in their faith by participating in Bible studies or service organizations.

“People are looking to belong,” Father Gaunt explained.

He also noted that mobility plays a factor in the changing landscape of parishes. The massive shift of people from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt, for example, has created a population boom and the need for more churches in the South.

“Here in Charlotte, it’s building and building, and these kind of ‘megachurches.’

STAMP FROM PAGE 7

Boston, Lewis was inspired to create busts of abolitionists John Brown, who led the doomed slave rebellion at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and Col. Robert Gould Shaw, who was killed while leading the all-Black 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the Union Army’s unsuccessful second assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, S.C., in 1863.

Lev said Lewis’ work in Boston and

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

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For more information on how to leave a legacy gift to your parish, Catholic school, Catholic agency, the Diocese of Charlotte or the diocese foundation, please contact Gina Rhodes, Director of Planned Giving at / gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or Foundation of the 704-370-3364 Heidi Kelley, Planned Giving Officer at Diocese of Charlotte 704-370-3348 / hmkelley@rcdoc.org.

… And this is not because the local pastors are incredible evangelizers,” he joked.

“When talking about this in the diocese, when you mention this, pastors are just overwhelmed at the sheer number. Our estimates are there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people every Sunday (prepandemic) who are not coming to church because they can’t get into the parking lot.

“They (churches) can’t keep up. There just isn’t enough room.”

Immigration also has expanded the Church in the U.S., he said. “The Catholic community in North Carolina today is a majority minority community,” he said, yet “if we look into our churches and our engagement, that is not what we see.”

He asked, “Who are we actively listening to? Are we? How are we accompanying one another if we are not seeing some mixing of these communities?”

What we need is a radical welcome, he said.

“A parish is a constantly changing

community. If you see a parish as a stable community, it is not that. You are missing the boat.”

“We have to turn that upside down, and as a parish understand that we are a constant, changing group.”

The most important thing is to invite and welcome Catholics into the pews, he urged.

In his closing remarks, Father Gaunt recalled that the diocese’s first bishop, Bishop Michael Begley, journeyed with and listened to the poor of Appalachia – with orphans and refugees and those who were so often made invisible to society.

“Listening is a civic virtue, and it is a requirement if we are to be evangelizing disciples as Catholics,” Father Gaunt said.

“Pope Francis commends to us that it is in listening, in journeying together, that we most clearly manifest ourselves as the people of God.”

Europe was inspired by her experiences as well as by the faith of the abolitionists, whose belief in human dignity was rooted in their deeply held religious principles.

Having saved enough money from the sale of her work, Lewis traveled to Europe in 1865 at age 20 in the hope of establishing her sculpting career. After stops in London, Paris and Florence, Italy, Lewis settled in Rome, where she opened a studio during the winter of 1865-1866, collaborating with other female sculptors in a male-dominated discipline.

Lewis’ work caught the eye of several benefactors, including John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, a Scottish magnate who became Catholic at age 21.

Crichton-Stuart financially supported Lewis, allowing her to craft works that gained enthusiastic reviews. Lev, other art historians and scholars continue to study and teach about new understandings and discoveries about Lewis and her sculptures.

How Lewis became Catholic is uncertain, Lev said. Lev related one story that says the Native American tribe that raised her in New York was being ministered to by Jesuit missionaries. Lev, however, doubts that was the case and points to Lewis’ time

in Rome as likely being more influential in the development of her Catholic faith.

“There’s the Catholicism of this Scottish convert who is very excited about her work, and she is brought into this world of Catholic patronage in Rome. Part of it is the welcome of the Catholic community,” Lev said.

One of Lewis’ most well-known sculptures is “Forever Free,” created in 1867. It depicts a Black man and woman emerging from the bonds of slavery. Lev said that while the man is standing, the woman is shown on her knees praying in thanksgiving for being freed of the bonds of slavery.

That sculpture and others, Lev said, were how Lewis used her art in a subtle and nuanced way to address issues of social justice.

“That’s where I think we can learn from someone who knew about racism really, the woman who was beaten to within an inch of her life at Oberlin. The woman who every step of the way had to overcome obstacles,” Lev told CNS. Lewis died in London in 1907 at age 63.

She never married and had no children.

She is buried in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in the borough of Brent.

FAMILIA VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 11

que los reemplazan y en las que se invierte

Watch online At www.stpeterscatholic.org: Watch video of the 22nd annual Kennedy Lecture

dinero, queriéndolas transformar como personas. Y se nos olvida la razón del ser humano, fuimos creados por Dios para habitar y multiplicar la vida en la Tierra que Él nos dio como heredad, para dominar los animales, no para que ellos reemplacen la vida humana.

Sin seres humanos no habría futuro en el mundo. Por eso cada vez más se nos propone algo simple que no genere esfuerzo; pero no nos damos cuenta a dónde nos está llevando esta frialdad, la cultura del descarte, la indiferencia por el que sufre, por el que tiene necesidad no solo material sino de afecto, amor y comprensión.

Pidamos a nuestro creador que cuide y fortalezca a cada familia para que nuestras futuras generaciones den el valor y la importancia de ser familia, reconocer lo que Dios nos está hablando y así hacer su voluntad, que no es más que realizar la vocación al amor.

“La felicidad de una persona no depende de su riqueza o posición social, sino del amor que fundamenta toda su vida” (Cardenal Van Thuan).

GONZALO PULGARÍN y ADRIANA PLATA son un matrimonio integrante del equipo de la Pastoral Familiar del Vicariato de Charlotte.