Feb. 17, 2023

At a glance

February 17, 2023

Volume 32 • NUMBER 10

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

5things you need to know this week

LOVE LIKE ST. GELTRUDE COMENSOLI

Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, St. Geltrude Comensoli (1847-1903) of Brescia, Italy, loved Jesus deeply from a very young age. At 7, she received her First Communion in secret because she desired to be closer to Our Lord. Persevering through severe illness, she eventually founded the Congregation of the Sacramentine Sisters of Bergamo in 1882. On Feb. 18, 1903, St. Geltrude – Apostle of the Eucharist – passed away in the middle of Eucharistic Adoration. Learn more: www. carmelitesph.org.

STUDY LIKE ST. JOHN HENRY

NEWMAN

In honor of the Feb. 21 birthday of St. John Henry Newman, a prominent Catholic theologian of the 19th century, read one of the most popular works of this Anglican priest turned Catholic cardinal. Two famous options include his “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine” or “Essay on the Grammar of Assent.”

EAT LIKE A KING

704-370-3333

EDITOR: Spencer K. M. Brown

704-808-4528, skmbrown@charlottediocese.org

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan

704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org

HISPANIC MEDIA MANAGER: César Hurtado

704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

EDITORIAL TEAM:

Kimberly Bender

704-370-3394, kdbender@charlottediocese.org

Annie Ferguson

704-370-3404, arferguson@charlottediocese.org

SueAnn Howell

704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

Troy C. Hull

704-370-3288, tchull@charlottediocese.org

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher

704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson

704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:

Liz Chandler

704-370-3336, lchandler@charlottediocese.org

ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:

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

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

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. 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: $16.75 per year for registered families 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.

Pancakes and King Cakes are traditional Mardi Gras fare. Combine them Feb. 21 with this recipe for King Cake pancakes from Kathleen Phillips: www.gritsandgouda.com/ king-cake-pancakes-for-mardi-gras-andfat-tuesday.

FAST LIKE A FOODIE

Make meatless meals amazing with recipes from awardwinning chef and former Vatican Swiss Guard David Geisser in “The Lenten Cookbook” (Sophia Institute Press, 2022). Seventy-five recipes for delicious soups, salads, curries, smoothies and other delectable dishes are paired with essays on fasting and spiritual growth by renowned biblical scholar Scott Hahn in this first-ever guidebook to mealtimes in Lent. To order: www.sophiainstitute.com.

Diocesan calendar of events

ESPAÑOL

HORA SANTA : 7-8 p.m. Todos los jueves del mes con excepción de los primeros jueves. En la Capilla del segundo piso, Family Life Center en St. Patrick, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

VIÑEDO DE RAQUEL: ¿Es usted o un ser querido que busca la curación de los efectos de un aborto anterior? Los retiros de fin de semana son ofrecidos por Caridades Católicas para hombres y mujeres en todas las regiones de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Para obtener información sobre los próximos retiros, incluidos retiros en las diócesis vecinas, comuníquese con Karina Hernández: 336267-1937 o karinahernandez@live.com.

VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN: 6 p.m. los jueves, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Nos

Correction

reunimos para una Vigilia de Adoración por la Paz y la Justicia en Nicaragua, que en estos últimos meses están pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario, la hora santa de reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel.

PRAYER SERVICES

ANOINTING OF THE SICK 10 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18, St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road, Mint Hill. Includes a special Mass for those who wish to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick. For details, call Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: After the 9 a.m. Mass every third Sunday at the Mother Teresa Pro-Life Memorial, St. Vincent

MEDITATE LIKE AQUINAS

Experience Lent with one of the Church’s greatest philosophers and theologians in Aquinas’s “Lenten Meditations: 40 Days with the Angelic Doctor.” In this new release from Sophia Institute Press, readers will find 63 Scripture-based homilies from St. Thomas Aquinas specially selected for this holy season. To order: www.sophiainstitute.com.

— Annie Ferguson

de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte.

HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

LUKE MISSION (UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH) : Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 3 p.m. Sundays at St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden. For details, email ucmcanton@gmail.com.

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.

To register for online training, go to www. virtus.org. Upcoming workshops:

GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road (Virtual session)

The cover image for the Feb. 3 edition of the Catholic News Herald was a photo illustration. The photo taken by Catholic News Herald contributing photographer Stephen Sheppard had been edited from its original form for clarity and effect, which was not clearly stated in the print edition. We regret the error.

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

FEB. 19 – 10 A.M.

Dedication Mass for New Church

St. Luke Church, Mint Hill

FEB. 24 – 10 A.M.

Finance Council Meeting

Pastoral Center, Charlotte

FEB. 25 – 12 P.M.

Rite of Election

Holy Family Church, Clemmons

MARCH 1 – 6 P.M.

Seminarian Education Campaign Dinner

Graylyn International Conference Center, Winston-Salem

Our faith

‘Remember that you are dust’

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of penitential prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it, too.

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person’s forehead, he speaks the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Ashes also symbolize grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God. Writings from the second-century Church refer to the wearing of ashes as a sign of penance.

THE ASHES

The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year’s Palm Sunday Mass. They are christened with holy water and scented by exposure to incense.

While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine Mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

RECEIVING ASHES

While not a holy day of obligation, Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer and fasting.

Priests administer ashes during Mass on Ash Wednesday and everyone – even non-Catholics and non-Christians – is invited to accept the ashes as a visible symbol of penance.

Some people take the rest of the day off work and remain home. It is generally inappropriate to dine out, shop or go about in public after receiving the ashes. Feasting is highly inappropriate. Small children, the elderly and the sick are exempt from this observance.

It is not required that a person wear the ashes for the rest of the day, and they may be washed off after Mass. However, many people keep the ashes as a reminder until the evening. Recently, movements have developed that involve pastors distributing ashes to passersby in public places. This isn’t considered taboo, but Catholics should know this practice is distinctly Protestant. Catholics should still receive ashes within the context of Mass.

In some cases, ashes may be delivered by a priest or a family member to those who are sick or shut-in.

Daily Scripture readings

FEB. 19-25

Sunday: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Matthew 5:38-48; Monday: Sirach 1:1-10, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday (St. Peter Damian): Sirach 2:1-11, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (St. Polycarp): Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday: Isaiah 58:19a, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday: Isaiah 58:9b14, Luke 5:27-32

Inspiring words for your Lenten journey

St. Augustine: “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”

Flannery O’Connor: “I do not know you, God, because I am in the way. Please help me to push myself aside.”

Dorothy Day: “How shall we have the means to help our brother who is in need? We can do without those unnecessary things which become habits, cigarettes, liquor, coffee, tea, candy, sodas, soft drinks and those foods at meals which only titillate the palate. We all have these habits, the youngest and the oldest. And we have to die to ourselves in order to live, we have to put off the old man and put on Christ. That it is so hard, that it arouses so much opposition, serves to show what an accumulation there is in all of us of unnecessary desires.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “Never forget that there are only two philosophies to rule your life: the one of the cross, which starts with the fast and ends with the feast. The other of Satan, which starts with the feast and ends with the headache.”

St. John Chrysostom: “Fasting of the body is food for the soul.”

St. Catherine of Siena: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”

WHY WE RECEIVE ASHES

Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and remind us that life passes away.

The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the bishop blessed the hair shirts they were to wear during their 40 days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the previous year’s palms. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins –just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of 40 days’ penance and sacramental absolution.

— Catholic Online

Pope Francis

To evangelize, Christians

to argue but be meek like sheep

Christians are not called to “argue, counterattack and defend themselves” when evangelizing but to be meek and humble, Pope Francis said.

At his general audience Feb. 15, the pope continued his series of catechesis on evangelization and apostolic zeal.

The pope said Christians often think “we will become relevant, numerous, prestigious and that the world will listen to and respect us” if they evangelize forcefully. Instead, he said, Christ asks His followers to be “sheep among wolves,” protected by God and marked by “meekness, innocence and dedication.”

Each Christian’s call to evangelize stems from a personal encounter with Christ just as the disciples had, Pope Francis explained.

“To evangelize does not mean going ‘blah, blah, blah’ and nothing more,” the pope said while waving his hand to convey a rambling speech. It requires “a passion that involves all of you: the mind, the heart, the hands, everything. The whole person.”

Addressing the disciples’ seemingly contradictory obligations to be close to Jesus and go out to share His message, the pope said the two elements of discipleship go together, since “without mission the relationship with (Jesus) does not grow.”

Proclaiming the Gospel to others begins with having encountered Jesus, he said. One cannot share the light of Christ without first experiencing it.

But, the pope continued, “following Christ is not an inward-looking fact: without proclamation, without service, without mission, the relationship with Him does not grow.”

“That is how you proclaim (the Gospel),” the pope said, “by showing Jesus more than talking about Jesus.”

FEB. 26 - MARCH 4

Sunday (First Sunday of Lent): Genesis

2:7-9, 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11; Monday (St. Gregory of Narek): Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46; Tuesday: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:7-15; Wednesday: Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 11:29-32; Thursday: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25, Matthew 7:7-12; Friday (St. Katharine Drexel): Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:20-26; Saturday (St. Casimir): Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-18

MARCH 5-11

Sunday: Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1:8b10, Matthew 17:1-9; Monday: Daniel 9:4b-10, Luke 6:36-38; Tuesday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity): Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12; Wednesday (St. John of God): Jeremiah 18:18-20, Matthew 20:17-28; Thursday (St. Frances of Rome): Jeremiah 17:510, Luke 16:19-31; Friday: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46; Saturday: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Pope Francis also noted that in preaching the Gospel, “we often invite people to do something” rather than focus on communicating the Gospel’s “principal message” of God’s closeness to His people. He urged Christians to communicate “the reality of God,” as “the close, the tender, the merciful one” through their lives and actions.

And just as Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs or groups, Christians are not meant to be alone in their missions, he said; they should go forth together, relying on support from one another rather than on worldly attention or rewards.

are not called

Our diocese

For the latest news 24/7:

catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Registration now open for 28th annual Run Leo races

WINSTON-SALEM — The annual 5K and 10K races held at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem are now open for registration. The race, set for Saturday, March 25, will raise funds for St. Leo School. Run Leo is one of the premier races in the Triad with upwards of 750 runners each year. If you “are not a runner,” all are welcome to join the 1-mile John Hanson Fun Run. Visit www. runsignup.com/Race/NC/WinstonSalem/ StLeosRoadRace5K10KandFunRun. If you are interested in sponsoring this year’s race or would like more information, email RunLeo@ stleocatholic.com.

— Spencer K.M. Brown

Birthright coming to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — Founders of Birthright

Charlotte, a local chapter of Birthright International, are in the process of opening a pregnancy care center for women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Hank Chardos and his wife Sally opened a Birthright center in Columbia, S.C., 43 years ago. They hope Birthright Charlotte will provide an alternative to women who are seeking an abortion.

Birthright International has 250 locations worldwide. For more information about how you can donate office space or get involved, go online to www.birthrightofcharlotte. org. Questions? Contact Chardos at hank@ birthrightofcharlotte.org.

—

SueAnn Howell

Holy Family Parish bestows

St. Teresa of Calcutta Award

CLEMMONS — Holy Family Parish recently presented its inaugural St. Teresa of Calcutta Award to parishioner Carole Scagneli. She is the first recipient of the parish award, awarded to a parishioner who follows in the footsteps of Mother Teresa. Holy Family plans to name a recipient each year in December.

Scagneli has demonstrated an outpouring of service and charity to Holy Family Parish and the surrounding community, performing “small things with great love,” as Mother Teresa said. For many years, her dedication to each and every program has been exemplary. Scagneli has assisted Holy Family in a myriad of ways, including as parish council member, Mass coordinator leader and cemetery committee member. She helped with the cleaning and making of altar linens; formed and headed the Arimathean ministry; served on the committee for the Curlin Center renovation with specific responsibility of selecting the pews, altar and furnishings of the new chapel; initiated and organized the Thursday Eucharistic Adoration program; and assisted with the formation and ministry for the parish’s outreach program for Cameroon.

— Spencer K.M. Brown

Reunited: Nicaraguan priests welcomed by bishop, Charlotte parish after imprisonment

LIZ CHANDLER lchandler@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Two Catholic priests imprisoned in Nicaragua since August arrived in Charlotte to hugs and tears from family and friends on Feb. 12, after their recent release and deportation to the United States.

Fathers Ramiro Tijerino and Óscar Danilo Benavidez Dávila, both of Nicaragua, were among 222 political prisoners exiled from the country by President Daniel Ortega.

More inside

PAGES 23-24: More coverage of the Nicaraguans released from prison and an update on the bishop imprisoned after refusing to leave

Mayra Tijerino, a parishioner at St. Matthew in Charlotte, flew to Washington, D.C., to bring her brother and his fellow priest to her home in the Charlotte area.

The pair met with Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis and other diocesan leaders Feb. 14, as the two men adjusted to their newfound freedom. In their first 48 hours, they also visited a doctor, enjoyed a steak lunch, shopped for clothes and shoes, and were outfitted with new black clerics, courtesy of Deacon Carlos Medina, who immigrated from Nicaragua years ago.

St. Matthew parishioners immediately went to work preparing a birthday celebration for Father Tijerino, who turned 51 on Feb. 16. The parish has been praying for him and his fellow political prisoners since their imprisonment last August, and shared the good news of the two priests’ return at recent Masses.

Two dozen well-wishers turned out to greet the priests at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

“I am thankful to God,” Father Tijerino’s mother, near tears as she and her husband positioned themselves at the bottom of the airport escalator that would soon deliver their son.

“He’s coming!” a boy cried, spotting Father Tijerino, his uncle, descending toward him.

Well-wishers unfurled blue-and-white Nicaraguan flags as they greeted the priests, who appeared generally fit – and all smiles.

“There were some hard months but thanks to God and the prayers of this parish, we were given the strength to endure,” Father Tijerino said, working his way through a receiving line in baggage claim.

Father Óscar Danilo Benavidez Dávila was embraced as if he were family, too. “God bless the parish,” he said. “I am grateful to this diocese, and to the parish, and to the faithful whose prayers sustained us.”

Both priests said they were not physically mistreated in prison but noted emotional and psychological stress caused by such tactics as leaving the lights on for two straight months, then off for a month.

“They gave us food,” Father Tijerino said, “and the medical care wasn’t the best, but it was there.”

Father John Allen, parochial administrator of St. Matthew Parish, hugged his fellow priests and pledged to help with anything they needed. He is planning a Mass of Thanksgiving at an appropriate time.

“Today is a joyous day for their family and friends, and we look forward to celebrating with them at St. Matthew,” Father Allen said. “As witness to the power of prayer, we will continue to pray for Bishop Álvarez who remains imprisoned and in danger.”

Bishop Rolando Álvarez, an outspoken critic of Nicaragua’s government, was sentenced to 26 years in prison Feb. 10 on charges of undermining the government, according to news reports – one day after he refused to board the flight to the United States with other prisoners.

In his message Feb. 12, Pope Francis invited the faithful to pray and expressed sadness over the continued detention of Bishop Álvarez. He issued an appeal for Nicaraguan leaders “to open their hearts” in search of peace and to engage in dialogue.

Seven “collaborators” of Bishop Álvarez – including Father Tijerino – were also given lengthy prison sentences last week, then suddenly released after what the U.S. government said were concerted diplomatic efforts.

As an independent institution trusted by a large portion of Nicaraguans, the Church is a threat to Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Student protests intensified last spring and numerous Catholic and other religious leaders were among those detained during a crackdown last summer.

“I am grateful to God for bringing me here, and I am happy to see my family,” Father Tijerino said Sunday, kissing an infant nephew, Eduardo, he was meeting for the first time.

“I knew I would see them again – I just didn’t know when. I want to thank the Catholic community of Charlotte for their prayers of support for me, and I hope we will remember and continue to bring strength to the prisoners who remain in Nicaragua.”

More online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : See more photos and video of Father Ramiro Tijerino’s emotional reunion with his family at the Charlotte airport

PHOTOS BY LIZ CHANDLER AND SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD (Left) Father Ramiro Tijerino greets his nephew Andres after arriving Feb. 12 at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Nicaraguan priest was released Feb. 9 after spending more than six months in prison as a political prisoner of the Ortega government. His family, members of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, and others in the diocese have been praying for his safe release and for peace in Nicaragua. On Tuesday, he and fellow ex-prisoner Father Óscar Danilo Benavidez Dávila met with Bishop Peter Jugis.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Parishes honor feast of St. Blaise

Christians around the world celebrated the Feb. 3 feast of St. Blaise, a 4th-century bishop dedicated to increasing the spiritual and physical health of his people in Sebastea, Armenia. Legend has it that a mother came to St. Blaise with her young son, who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At the saintly bishop’s command, the child coughed up the bone. For centuries, Catholics have honored the feast of St. Blaise by having their throats blessed by a priest to help protect them from diseases of the throat. Two candles are blessed, held slightly open, and pressed against the throat as the blessing is said. Parishes around the Charlotte diocese observed this tradition, including St. Mark Church and School in Huntersville and St. Francis Church in Mocksville.

(At top and left) Father Melchesideck Yumo and Deacon Rich McCarron imparted the traditional throat blessing for the Feast Day of St. Blaise at the 9 a.m. Mass at St. Mark Church. Father Yumo then went to the school to give the blessing to St. Mark School students. The middle school students were on their way to the annual Catholic Schools Week student volleyball games when they dress in team costumes – a great image of the intersection of faith and fun at Catholic schools in the diocese.

Flame of faith: Parishes celebrate Candlemas

(Above top and left) Holy Cross Church in Kernersville was among parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte that celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, or Candlemas, on Feb. 2. The evening began with the blessing and distribution of candles, followed by a candlelit procession and a Solemn High Mass offered by Father Joseph Wasswa, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro. Father Noah Carter, pastor of Holy Cross, and Father Jacob Mlakar, parochial vicar, concelebrated.

(Above right) St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville also celebrated the feast with a blessing of the candles, followed by a procession and bilingual Mass offered by Father Eric Kowalski, pastor.

At Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, students and parishioners brought candles and figures of the Infant Jesus for a blessing on Candlemas. Father Peter Pham from St. John Neumann Church celebrated the Mass, assisted by Deacons David Reiser and Peter Duca. Father Pham reminded the congregation to “be the light of Jesus in the world.” Candlemas is celebrated 40 days after the birth of Jesus and commemorates when Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to present Jesus in the Temple to fulfill Mosaic law. The candles used in the day’s liturgy symbolize Christ as the light of the nations.

PHOTOS OF HOLY CROSS CHURCH BY STEVEN SHEPPARD, PHOTO OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH PROVIDED

(Above right) Father Eric Kowalski blessed parishioners’ throats on the Feb. 3 feast of St. Blaise at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville.

Faithful take refuge in the rosary

Pandemic halted monthly group, so they went daily

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — With the start of the pandemic and social distancing mandates across the country in March 2020, organizers of the Alegría Hispana Choir’s Rosary at St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte were left in confusion and despair.

Bishop gives thanks for consecrated men and women

SUEANN

CHARLOTTE — Consecrated religious who serve in the Diocese of Charlotte as religious order priests, brothers and sisters were honored during a special celebration Feb. 4, the annual Mass for the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.

Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated the Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church, held in conjunction with the Church’s worldwide celebration, to recognize the religious men and women who serve the Church in the Diocese of Charlotte.

More than 50 religious sisters ranging in age from the mid-20s to late 80s were present, representing nine religious orders that minister in the diocese. Among them were two 2023 jubilarians: Trappist Sister Genevieve Durcan (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) and Franciscan Sister Jane Russell (Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis), who are both celebrating 60 years of professed religious life this year. They currently live with the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont.

Bishop Jugis gave thanks for the gift of their religious vocation and their service to the Church in the diocese.

“It demonstrates to me, and to everyone whom you encounter, that the Holy Spirit is alive and well in the Diocese of Charlotte,” he told them. “The Holy Spirit is inspiring men and women to a total gift of self to God, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.”

The whole body of the Church gives witness to Christ, the bishop said, yet “nothing can substitute for the special witness that you religious give both to

those inside the Church and those outside the Church – a witness to the holiness of the kingdom of Christ, a witness to the holiness of the Church.”

Referring to the day’s Gospel passage from Matthew 16:24-27, the bishop reflected on Christ’s words to His followers: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

“This is a saying of Jesus that is meant for all Christians regardless of their vocations,” he explained. “Deny oneself, put Christ first, and then follow Him. It’s true for Christian marriage, it’s true for the Christian single life.”

Yet, he added, those who consecrate their lives through religious vows and promises provide a special and powerful witness.

“It’s the way you gain the whole world and finding one’s life in the process,” he said. “The Lord has given you that very special grace of a vocation of leaving everything and following Christ, witnessing to a kingdom that ‘is in the world but not of the world.’”

Established by then-Pope John Paul II in 1997, the World Day for Consecrated Life is held in conjunction with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas, commemorating the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles. The worldwide Church commemorated the day on Feb. 2.

In a statement, Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, said the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life provides a special opportunity for Catholics to give thanks to God for people who choose a consecrated vocation.

“We give thanks to God today for continuing to call men and women to serve Him as consecrated persons in the Church. May each of us be inspired by their example to love God above all things and serve Him in all that we do,” he said.

After more than 15 years of gathering to pray the rosary once a month, its members and occasional guests thought the tradition had come to an end. However, something new and hopeful emerged amid a time of great fear and confusion. Since March of 2020, the Hispanic prayer group at St. Gabriel adapted, taking their faithful tradition

the world, including Canada, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

Last year when social isolation measures were relaxed, some people thought this virtual rosary would fall by the wayside.

Yet the virtual prayer group had taken on a life and blessing of its own. Thanks to the collaboration of members José Luis García and his wife Ada, a group of between 20 and 30 members is on its way to completing a third consecutive year of praying the rosary together every day.

“After the last wave of the pandemic, the number of participants decreased,” said García, who explained that with the return of usual activities, parishioners also returned to the presence of their parish groups.

“However, for many, as in my case, it became a point of contact, part of a daily spiritual exercise, part of our lives, and the rosary always prevailed before other activities,” he said.

Throughout their prayerful perseverance, it wasn’t all happiness for the couple, however. Ada and Jose both got sick with COVID-19, and Ada even received treatments for cancer three times since 2020.

“Even then, with Ada in her bed and me from the computer, we remained faithful to the task of facilitating the rosary each and every day,” Garcia said.

During the rosary, which the group prays daily at 8:30 p.m., songs and prayers of healing are recited for those who are included in a regularly updated list of the sick.

to new heights: instead of praying the rosary once a month, the group began a virtual daily rosary, uniting and inspiring a local and international community.

Augusto Frattini, one of the members of the choir, proposed to Carmen Calvar, director of Alegría Hispana, to take advantage of the new technologies that appeared, including Zoom, to continue virtually with the rosary. Pilar Castañeda, another member of the choir, stepped up, providing technical support to pray the rosary together online.

Since 2020, they have prayed a daily rosary virtually. At first, only eight participants logged on, but the prayer group now has more than 100 members scattered across

“The rosary became a refuge, an area where we could maintain the relationship of community and permanent spiritual contact. And this generated a commitment in which all of us who organized the prayer were involved,” Garcia said.

“We have experienced God’s love and miracles in the different needs of the group,” added Pilar Castañeda. “Even without Adita or me, the rosary would continue because it is the work of the Holy Spirit and of our Blessed Mother Mary. Looking at the results of these almost three years, I have no doubt that prayer is important and effective.”

More online

At www.bit.ly/3XenG4b: Join the daily rosary every night at 8:30 p.m. via Zoom

Several events planned to celebrate Black History Month

CHARLOTTE — Parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to learn more about the contribution of Black Catholics in our nation’s history and participate in events marking Black History Month at parishes around the diocese.

Here are some scheduled events:

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, GREENSBORO

n Feb. 17-19 – Parish retreat with the theme “Unity in Eucharist.” Deacon James Mahoney from the Archdiocese of

Philadelphia will serve as director and preacher. The retreat includes:

n Friday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. – prayer service

n Saturday, Feb. 18, 1:30 p.m. – luncheon to honor elders

n Sunday, Feb. 19, 11:30 a.m. – Mass and the conclusion of the retreat

The parish will also have a youth celebration for Black History Month at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

ST. PETER CHURCH, CHARLOTTE

n Sunday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m. – St. Peter Social

Justice Ministry will host local historian Dr. Tom Hanchett, who will share the history of racial and economic segregation in Charlotte based on his book “Sorting Out the New South City: Race, Class and Urban Development in Charlotte 1875-1975” and years of work in this area.

ST. THERESE CHURCH, MOORESVILLE:

n Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9:30 a.m. – “A Place at The Table” film screening. This documentary is the story of six African Americans on the path to being canonized.

SAVE THE DATES

n Saturday, May 20, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the Diocese of Charlotte African American Affairs ministry will host a Day of Reflection. Details to be announced.

Learn more

Learn more about Black Catholic history and activities hosted by the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry online at www.charlottediocese.org/african-americanaffairs-ministry — SueAnn Howell

‘The Holy Spirit is alive and well in the Diocese of Charlotte’

HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

Pictured Feb. 4 with Bishop Peter Jugis, Trappist Sister Genevieve Durcan (left) and Franciscan Sister Jane Russell (right) are both celebrating 60 years of professed religious life this year.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PHOTO PROVIDED José Luis García and his wife are part of the group that has coordinated daily recitation of the rosary via Zoom almost three years ago. The spiritual practice has since become part of their daily life.

Countdown to ordination: Pray for our future priests

CHARLOTTE — With ordination just four months away, people are invited to pray for three men expected to be ordained priests for the Diocese of Charlotte this June using special kneelers now making their way to parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte. The special kneelers, or prie-dieus, are commissioned each year for the ordinands by the Mary’s Sons apostolate.

Journals also accompany the kneelers so people can convey their well-wishes to the future priests. The kneelers, pictured here at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, will be given to the new priests: Christopher Brock, Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu and Peter Rusciolelli – at their June 17 ordination at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Parishes scheduled to host the kneelers in the coming weeks include:

n Feb. 20-27: Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro

n Feb. 27-March 5: St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mocksville (two kneelers)

n Feb. 28-March 5: Our Lady of the Highways Church, Thomasville (one kneeler)

n March 6-13: Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem

n March 14-20: Holy Family Church, Clemmons

n March 20-27: St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem

n March 27-April 2: Holy Angels Church, Mount Airy

n April 3-11: St. Dorothy Church, Lincolnton

n April 11-16: St. Ann Church, Charlotte

Learn more

At www.maryssons.org : Learn more about the Mary’s Sons apostolate

Our Lady of the Assumption’s Deacon Luis Flores dies at 62

CHARLOTTE — Deacon Luis A. Velasquez Flores, 62, of Charlotte passed away Feb. 1, 2023, after a long illness. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Feb. 11, 2023, at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte. Interment followed at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Mint Hill.

Deacon Flores was born in 1960 in El Salvador.

After moving to Long Island, N.Y., when he was an adult, he discerned a calling as a deacon for the Church. He was ordained by Bishop William Murphy for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., on May 17, 2003, and served at St. Hugh of Lincoln Parish

in Huntington Station, N.Y., until 2007, when he moved to North Carolina. After settling in Charlotte, he was granted faculties to serve as a deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte on Sept. 20, 2007, and was assigned to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.

Deacon Flores was very active in Hispanic ministry, including officiating at baptisms and weddings, and teaching religious education classes and RCIA. He was a kind soul, with a servant’s heart, always available for ministry when needed.

He is survived by his wife Adela; their daughter Patricia; and three grandchildren: Hailey, Alexandria and Alonso.

Carolina Funeral Service was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

Coordinator of Family and Youth Evangelization

This position is part of a greater team of staff in the Education and Formation Office of the parish, including the assistance of a Program Support Specialist and Administrative Support Specialist. The CFYE works under the direction of the pastor to equip the youth, young adults, and adults in the parish to know their faith better, grasp with intellectual vigor the teachings of Sacred Scripture and Tradition, and go into their lives witnessing to the truth of Christ’s love and salvation.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent knowledge in theology, religious studies, and/or catechetics.

• Must be a practicing Roman Catholic, able to provide a letter of good standing from current Catholic employer or parish pastor.

• 3-5 years of experience working in a Catholic institution with adults and/or youth, and can demonstrate effectively the use of classroom techniques, and familiarity with sacramental preparation curriculum.

‘The Passion’ returns to Boonville

BOONVILLE — After a hiatus of 12 years in its performances of The Passion during Holy Week, the theater group of the Divine Redeemer Parish in Boonville will return this year with a presentation of “The Passion of Christ” at the parish on Good Friday, April 7.

Sergio Lopez, director and producer, as well as Hispanic Ministry vicariate coordinator in Winston-Salem, told the Catholic News Herald that rehearsals have begun, with script readings and initial stage blocking. López noted that last year, Father Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo, invited members of the theater group of St. James the Greater Parish of Concord to present “The Passion” during Holy Week.

“This group, associated with some members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Charlotte, brought us a megaproduction,” Lopez said.

This year, Father Lhoposo asked parishioners to carry out their own production once again, offering them his full cooperation.

The play involves more than 20 actors in 11 scenes, from the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to His crucifixion and the lowering of His Body from the cross on Good Friday. Among the production’s members is Alberto Vargas, a 22-year-old Mexican who works in construction and will play the role of Jesus. “I don’t know why they chose me,” Vargas said. “I have no experience, but the director told me that my slow speech and physical appearance help me. I am already rehearsing in my house as well, and I believe that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will be able to play a worthy role.”

— César Hurtado

• Excellent organizational skills.

• Strong communication skills both written and oral.

• Ability to work collaboratively with others. Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with co-workers, families, and children.

• Ability to recruit and train volunteer teachers and delegate successfully.

• Experience in Microsoft Office, including Publisher, is essential.

• Commitment to continued personal growth in faith and professional advancement.

• English-Spanish bilingual, strongly preferred.

Applicants may send resumes to Fr. Carter: ncarter@holycrossnc.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROBYN MAGYAR

Flores

Emilson Figueroa surveys an empty fishpond that belongs to his family near Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The pond used to be filled with water year-round but now dries up during the dry season. The changing climate has had an impact on land in Honduras, but farmers are learning new techniques to water their crops, protect the natural resources and keep their families healthy.

Help combat the big problem of hunger using a little rice bowl

How to give

ONLINE: www.crsricebowl.org/give

PHONE: 877-435-7277 (8 a.m.-11 p.m. EST)

MAIL: Catholic Relief Services

Attn: CRS Rice Bowl

P.O. Box 5200 Harlan, IA 51593-0700

(Please write “CRS Rice Bowl” on the memo line of your check.)

With ongoing conflicts, extreme weather events and widespread inflation making it more difficult for families around the world to put food on the table, Catholic Relief Services invites Catholics across the U.S. to pray, fast and give alms through its annual Lenten program CRS Rice Bowl, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22.

“The past year has been hard on so many families around the world,” said Beth Martin, CRS’ director of formation and mobilization. “We’ve seen an increase in global hunger because of a kind of perfect storm of multiple factors. CRS Rice Bowl

www.crsricebowl.org:

is a great way for U.S. Catholics to show our sisters and brothers in these difficult situations that they are not forgotten, and that we will continue to stand in solidarity with them.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we often forget the last words he says to the innkeeper, “Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.” He gives freely and wholeheartedly in equal measure to the need of the one whom he serves.

“As Catholics, we are called to serve those in need,” Martin said. “We are called to be the Good Samaritan and give freely. Almsgiving through CRS Rice Bowl is a way for us to heed God’s call and help those overseas and in our home community at the same time.”

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and

n Three “Stories of Hope” videos take you to Honduras, Kenya and the Philippines, where you’ll learn how people are overcoming the causes of hunger and adapting to climate change.

provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work includes emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

While CRS Rice Bowl donations go primarily to CRS programs around the world dedicated to ending hunger and poverty, 25 percent of the funds stay in the diocese where they are collected. As families in the U.S. struggle with increases in the cost of living, supporting these same efforts here at home remains of vital importance.

“By making a small sacrifice during Lent, Catholics and others of goodwill can be part of a larger movement to combat hunger not just globally, but here in the U.S. as well,” Martin said. “CRS Rice Bowl can unite us, and when we come together to combat a problem, we can achieve farreaching, ambitious goals like bringing global hunger to an end.”

n In weekly Lenten reflections and Stations of the Cross “digital retreats,” journey with Jesus to Calvary and remember our brothers and sisters around the world who experience suffering and poverty each day.

CRS | OSCAR LEIVA, SILVERLIGHT

The Figueroa family on their farm near Tegucigalpa, Honduras: (from left) grandfather Maximiliano Turcios, brothers Maynor and Emilson Figueroa, Rony Figueroa and his wife, Reina. Using new watering techniques for their crops, the family is combatting severe droughts caused by climate change.

Rony Figueroa grows corn, beans and bananas, but it’s hard to get good harvests working in the Dry Corridor –an area impacted by high temperatures and lack of rain. Droughts have become more frequent and storms stronger.

“Nowadays, we don’t know when winter starts or when it ends,” he explains.

A Catholic Relief Services project helped him repair an old reservoir and install a low-cost irrigation system that uses very little water. Now Rony can harvest his crops even if it doesn’t rain. His produce and income are now enough to feed his family, and he has become an advocate for caring for the environment.

Bean Soup with Chayote Squash & Rice

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. olive oil

3 15-oz. cans red beans, drained and rinsed

2 C. water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1 yellow chili, seeded and minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid

Juice of 1 lime

CRS | GEELA GARCIA

Loraine and Kate Enecillo feed the fish at their fishpond in Northern Samar, Philippines. For many years, the Enecillo family were coconut farmers but found it difficult to earn enough income. After joining a CRS program to learn how to build their own fishpond, now they can sell fish at the market as well as provide food for their family.

Raul and Rhodora Enecillo live in Northern Samar, Philippines, with granddaughters Loraine and Kate. They rise at 5 a.m. each day to tend their farm before getting their granddaughters off to school. Education is important to them, and they hope Loraine and Kate will go to college. For years, the couple worked hard as coconut farmers, but heavy rains caused damaging floods. Then, through a CRSfunded program, Raul and Rhodora built a fishpond.

“Life is so much easier now that we have the fish for our daily living,” Rhodora says.

They have since added two more fishponds, and thanks to the extra income, Loraine and Kate are pursuing their education.

CRS | PATRICK MEINHARDT, GGIMAGES

Rebecca Etelej, 37, fetches water in Kaitese Center in Turkana, Kenya. Rebecca and her husband Lotiang were practicing agropastoralism for several years, applying old farming practices. Through the Kenya RAPID program in collaboration with the Diocese of Lodwar, they built a shallow well and equipped it with a solar pumping unit.

Turkana is hot and dry, with temperatures in the mid-90s year-round. Most people raise livestock such as goats and camels, but the climate makes this work difficult. Rebecca and her husband Lotiang farm and raise goats, relying on rain and river water to irrigate their crops and feed their animals. But it is raining less and less, and when it does rain, it can be unpredictable and intense, leading to floods that wash away the seeds. Through a CRS program, they installed a well and solar-powered pump and learned new farming techniques. Lotiang also learned to grow kale, which can be sold for a high price at the market. The couple have become leaders in their community and now teach others what they learned.

Enjoy these meatless recipes from each community:

1 T. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 C. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 14-oz. cans full fat coconut milk

1 C. green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

1-3 Thai chili peppers or serrano chili peppers, sliced

Salt to taste

4 C. steamed white rice

2 chayote squashes, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes, or summer squashes

Fresh cilantro

4 C. cooked white rice

Sauté onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil until translucent. Add beans, water and bouillon, and heat thoroughly. Add yellow chili, jalapeño, tomatoes, lime juice and chayote, and simmer on low for about an hour. Add cilantro and serve over rice. Servings: 4-6

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add the onion and continue to sauté until soft and translucent. Add the squash and pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Stir in the green beans. Then add the sliced chili peppers and salt to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the green beans are tender. Serve over steamed white rice. Servings: 4

4 large potatoes, chopped

1 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

3 C. spinach or other leafy green, chopped

1 16-oz. bag frozen corn

1 16-oz. bag frozen peas

2 T. olive oil

Place potatoes, onions, garlic and salt in a pot with water to cover the tops of the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Add spinach, corn and peas, and cook until water has completely evaporated (about 5 minutes). Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until spinach is tender. Remove from heat and mash entire mixture until it resembles mashed potatoes. Servings: 4

This Lent, encounter families in Honduras, the Philippines and Kenya who are overcoming hunger and the impacts of climate change with the prayers and support of people like you:

CRS | OSCAR LEIVA, SILVERLIGHT

American Catholics Make Difference in Haiti Through Support of Kobonal School

When Catholic donors give to a charity — particularly to support mission work in a country like Haiti — they often ask, “Is this really going to make a difference?”

“Is this really going to have a lasting impact on the poor?”

It may surprise you, but according to Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, the answer to those questions is a resounding “Yes!” Cavnar has been working with Catholic missions around the globe for more than 20 years, and the case studies his team has compiled clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of outreaches run by priests, religious sisters and Catholic lay leaders.

One of the Catholic missions he often praises is the Kobonal Haiti Mission, founded by Father Glenn Meaux. [See related story on opposite page.]

“The Kobonal Haiti Mission has a variety of effective ministries to help the poor, and one of their most successful outreaches is the school they operate for needy children in the Diocese of Hinche,” Cavnar said. “Children in that area of Haiti had been growing up illiterate prior to the Mission’s founding, and many became trapped in a cycle of poverty that virtually assured they would remain poor for the rest of their lives. When the school opened its doors, everything changed for those kids. They got a quality education, and that blessing opened up doors of opportunity for them.”

Cavnar also credited American Catholics for the role they have played in supporting the Mission’s many programs. They have been particularly supportive of Fr. Meaux’s school and have helped it grow over the years.

“Compassionate Catholics in the U.S. provided the financial support Fr. Meaux needed to fund construction of classrooms, hire staff and maintain the school’s

operation,” he explained. “Their donations continue to support the great things he is doing, and he is deeply grateful for the help they are providing. His success depends on it.”

When asked why donors are so eager to support ministries like Fr. Meaux’s Mission in Kobonal, Cavnar suggested it is because American Catholics have a high level of trust in missionary-run programs, and they want a tangible connection to the families being helped. When they give to the Kobonal Haiti Mission, they are satisfied their gift will have a direct and meaningful impact.

“For example, when someone contributes to the Kobonal Haiti Mission’s educational programs, they know they are changing a child’s life for the better,” Cavnar said. “In those cases, their gift becomes something like a scholarship. It educates a child who might otherwise have remained illiterate. The impact that it has is dramatic. In time, as those children grow up and can pursue better jobs, many are even able to lift their entire family out of poverty.”

So the question “Will my charitable gift really make a difference in Haiti?” has been answered. Yes, it will!

Readers interested in supporting Cross Catholic Outreach education programs and other outreaches to the poor can contribute through the ministry brochure inserted in this issue or send tax-deductible gifts to: Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02384, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 20090-7168. The ministry has a special need for partners willing to make gifts on a monthly basis. Use the inserted brochure to become a Mission Partner, or write “Monthly Mission Partner” on mailed checks to be contacted about setting up those arrangements.

Above: Fr. Meaux’s Mission has always aspired to address all the needs of the poor in Kobonal, and that goal has led him to build schools to provide poor children in that area of Haiti with a quality Catholic education and a lunch feeding program.

Below: The school system run by the Kobonal Haiti Mission includes classes for a range of grade levels and even offers a scholarship program for those students interested in pursuing higher education through college classes or technical training.

Legacy Giving Provides Catholics With Unique Opportunity to Bless Others

If you are like many Catholics born in the 1950’s or before, you have probably begun to think about the spiritual legacy your life and actions represent. What did we care about? What did we value? These are some of the things we hope will be remembered.

“For a growing number of Catholics, this introspection has led to the exploration of ‘legacy giving’ — the use of one’s will, trust, life insurance policy or retirement to leave behind an echo of one’s beliefs, deeds and values — a blessing of others that will reverberate

beyond our own lifetime, hopefully influencing our family and others we cherish,” explained Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, an official Catholic relief and development charity with a staff dedicated to such estate planning.

According to Cavnar, Cross Catholic Outreach has helped many Catholics establish these “legacy gifts” and expects them to play a significant role in future ministry missions.

“A will or trust can also reflect a person’s special heart for a country or

for an area of need. It can be used to build houses for poor families or to build classrooms to educate children, for example,” Cavnar said. “Others simply want to help the poorest of the poor and make their legacy gift for that purpose. It’s their way of saying, ‘As a Catholic, I value life and support works of mercy. I want my family to understand that calling and believe in it too.’ And because legacy gifts can be quite large, they often achieve incredible things. A single one might build an entire school or fund the construction of hundreds of homes. It’s

producing an amazing impact and serves as an incredible testament to the faith of the giver.”

In addition to this service, Cross Catholic Outreach’s staff can also support donors seeking to establish a charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or special endowment. Financial planners can also obtain information to help those who seek professional counsel or have donoradvised funds.

To learn more about these services, the charity recommends readers visit its special online portal at CrossCatholicLegacy.org

Cross Catholic Outreach: “We Can Lift Families Out Of Extreme Poverty By Focusing On Education”

Ask most Catholic missionaries how they would eliminate poverty in a developing country like Haiti, and they will usually begin by talking about the value of an education. Poverty, they will often say, is born out of illiteracy and is perpetuated by the hardships and lost opportunities the uneducated must endure.

“They will also explain that in one generation, a quality education can end this downward spiral and turn everything around. That is why so many Catholic missions make it a priority to send needy children to school. They know the value of teaching children to read, write and do arithmetic - that we can lift families out of extreme poverty by focusing on education,” explained Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, one of the leading Catholic ministries working to educate poor boys and girls in the developing countries of the world. “Once

children break free from poverty, they tend to lift up their whole family and continue to make education a priority when their own children are born.”

When Father Glenn Meaux and his missionary team arrived in Kobonal, Haiti, in 1989, he was deeply disturbed by the magnitude of poverty he saw there. Very few employment opportunities existed for the unskilled, uneducated population, so very few families were able to earn money to buy food.

Access to safe water was also a serious problem. Many families were traveling long distances to collect contaminated water from ponds or streams because no other options existed.

In addition to suffering caused by hunger and thirst, Fr. Meaux saw that families were starving for spiritual guidance. Entrenched in superstition and occult practices, few had ever heard the name of Christ.

“There was no agriculture; there was no irrigation system; there was literally no hope at the time,” Fr. Meaux recalled. “With this sense of hopelessness, it is easy to see how Kobonal earned its reputation as the ‘darkest corner of the Diocese of Hinche.’”

Realizing that creating real and lasting improvement in Kobonal would require local children to be educated, Fr. Meaux

included the launch of a school in his plans to revitalize the community, and that decision is now credited with starting the incredible turnaround the area has experienced.

“The Kobonal school became the centerpiece of the entire community’s transformation,” agreed Cavnar, who has helped the Mission develop its educational programs over the years.

“Fr. Meaux also used the school to bring down cases of malnutrition in the area by serving breakfast and lunch to the attending children. In every project he pursues, he keeps his focus on improving lives, and the Kobonal school plays an important role in that objective. It started as a way of educating the youngest kids

Above:

the program late are not left behind.

Left: Life in Kobonal is hard and many families still live in poverty, so the Mission continues to seek support from compassionate Catholic donors in the U.S.

in the area, but as children have moved through the program, it has evolved to include support for those seeking a higher education as well. As a result, it really does have the potential to break the cycle of poverty in Kobonal, ending poverty for individuals and families once and for all.”

According to Cavnar, many American Catholics share Fr. Meaux’s enthusiasm for educational programs that benefit the poor, and Cross Catholic Outreach regularly receives donations to support Catholic missions educating children in Haiti, Central and South America, and the developing countries of Africa.

“There are three types of people who regularly support education. One group has been blessed by God, have children

How to Help

who were educated, and want that same blessing provided to others,” Cavnar said. “The second group is interested in giving to programs that break the cycle of poverty — to teach a man to fish, as the saying goes. They love educational ministries because they have that kind of life-transforming impact. The third group is drawn to our educational programs because they want to change a life and bless a poor child in a very direct and personal way. They are effectively giving a scholarship to a child and can celebrate that their act of mercy will forever change a boy’s or girl’s life for the better. All of those are great reasons to support Catholic missions that educate the poor. All of them will make a world of difference.”

To fund Cross Catholic Outreach’s effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper, or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02384, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 200907168. The brochure also includes instructions on becoming a Mission Partner and making a regular monthly donation to this cause. If you identify an aid project, 100% of the donation will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry.

The Kobonal Haiti Mission provides students with everything they need to succeed, including uniforms and supplies. The teachers at the school are committed to helping ensure children who enter

“A quality education can end this downward spiral and turn everything around.”

Jim Cavnar Cross Catholic Outreach

The hard-working Our Lady of Grace varsity girls geared up for the 2023 Shamrock Tournament. The team won third place in the Renegar Tournament in November, pictured here with coaches (from left) Corbin Rusch, Annie Ferguson, Dennis Finnegan and David Foppe at Bishop McGuinness High School.

Grace perfects nature

One team’s journey to the 2023 Shamrock Tournament

As hundreds of families, including mine, prepared for this year’s Shamrock Basketball Tournament, I was reminded that “the more things change, the more things stay the same.”

The expression certainly fits my experience with Catholic middle school basketball.

Founded in 1962 at St. Patrick School in Charlotte, the Shamrock Tournament is turning 60 this year. It’s been held every year since its inception except during the pandemic in 2021. This three-day showdown for seventh- and eighth-graders, boys and girls, has become a rite of passage for so many Catholic families, full of fun, friends and faith. I’m an assistant coach for the mighty Panthers, the varsity girls’ team at Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro. My daughter Mary plays shooting guard and forward on the team, so I’ve had the pleasure of watching her and her teammates grow in their skills and maturity over several years while cheering, comforting, and helping coach these girls as they arrive at this memorable moment.

I too played in the Shamrock Tournament – back in the mid-1990s. I was the center for Sacred Heart’s middle school team in Salisbury.

Shamrock at a glance

n Established: 1962 at St. Patrick School, Charlotte

n Founder: Kenneth “Joe” Mosca

n Host Schools: St. Patrick School (19622007), Holy Trinity Middle School (20082017), Charlotte Catholic High School (2018-present)

n Biggest Tournament: 93 teams, 10 venues

n 2023 Tournament: 50 teams, 6 venues

n States represented in 2023: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

n More than basketball: Tournament Mass, cheerleading competition

My dad Art Reilly was the assistant coach. Sacred Heart’s teams were new then. In sixth grade, it was announced we’d be starting a basketball team for boys and a cheerleading squad for girls. “Hey, what about a girls’ team,” a few of us asked. So, with my friend Carmen’s mom as head coach and my dad as the assistant, we started one. We even had a say in choosing our mascot. Go, Dolphins! Our first games –and the Shamrock Tournament – were tough. We steadily improved though and even won a Christmas tournament one year. Though the details are fuzzy, I do remember the fellowship and fun with friends and families, especially at the Shamrock Tournament. It’s a chance to spend the night in a big city surrounded by your best friends playing the game you love. As a young teen, it was hard to imagine anything more exciting.

This year, on Feb. 17-19, approximately 50 teams from Catholic schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia will compete in dozens of games. For many eighth-graders, it’s the culmination of four years of playing together – a milestone as they prepare for high school, as they come of age.

Our Lady of Grace Panthers

n Coach: Dennis Finnegan (since 1996)

n Assistant Coaches: David Foppe, Corbin Rusch, Annie Ferguson

n Eighth-graders: Emmy, Marika, Mary, Olivia, Serena

n Seventh-graders: Amaia, Audrey, Charlotte, Gracie, Rilynn

n Sixth-graders: Danielle and Lilly

n Parish: Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro

n Pastor: Father Casey Coleman

n Favorite (Team) Food: Elizabeth’s Pizza (and zeppole) on Bridford Parkway, Greensboro

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OUR LADY OF GRACE SCHOOL

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHRIS FERGUSON Head Coach Dennis Finnegan gives advice on defending the post position. GRACE, SEE PAGE 13

Ferguson

PROUD OF OUR PANTHERS

Our team at Our Lady of Grace is led by an extraordinary coach, Dennis Finnegan, who has shepherded both girls’ and boys’ teams there for 27 years. Mary and her fellow eighth-graders Marika, Serena and Olivia have been playing together since fifth grade. They are joined this year by a cadre of up-and-coming players ranging from sixth to eighth grade.

As an assistant coach, it has been aweinspiring to watch them learn the game and develop their skills with each passing season.

I can still hear their squeals of delight during their first win on the Junior Varsity team and the more raucous cheers last year from the Our Lady of Grace stands when Olivia hit the winning shot in an emotional buzzer beater.

We began our current season with a Mass our entire team attended together. The faith runs deep among our volunteer coaching team of four, but it’s Assistant Coach David Foppe who takes the spiritual mantle by encouraging and leading us in prayer and connecting the lessons of the court with the Catholic faith. He also arranges for team blessings by Father Casey Coleman, our pastor, whose spiritual guidance to us as individuals and as a team is immeasurable.

Naturally, he was pleased to see us sitting together for Mass that Sunday, a big group of middle school girls and their parents and coaches celebrating the Blessed Sacrament.

What better way to start a season than with the grace received from the source

and summit of our faith?

We lost our first game but came back with three wins – placing third in the Renegar Tournament in Winston-Salem –the first such achievement for an OLG team in a long time.

As the season went on, we twice saw Serena – with her perfect layups – score 21 points in a game. Marika outran just about everyone with her remarkable athleticism, scoring key baskets. Mary grew in her court awareness, making beautiful assists to her teammates, and scored 14 points on her 14th birthday weekend. She has also learned to see the bigger picture and to persevere on the court and in prayer.

Olivia made basket after basket, scoring in double figures in multiple games and reached a personal best of 18 points in one game.

Still, there were many tough losses too. Just last weekend, the girls were in tears after a difficult loss in their conference tournament. To borrow from St. Thomas Aquinas – this is where grace begins to perfect nature. When we admit our weakness and dependence on God, we are receptive to grace and are thus strengthened.

Fortunately for us, there is an abundance of grace flowing at our Greensboro parish, thanks to our patroness and the frequent availability of the sacraments. Not to mention, we still had the Shamrock Tournament ahead of us – with its Big (middle school) League competition, hotel stay and meals out as a team.

THROUGH THE GENERATIONS

God has also given us the gift of Coach Finnegan, who has coached at Our Lady of Grace since 1996 when his children Lindsay, Lauren and Michael played. This was around the same time my dad was coaching my sister and me at Sacred Heart,

so when we first met, it felt as though we had lived parallel lives. We’re all Irish to boot. Fittingly, my father and Dennis met for the first time last year at the Shamrock Tournament.

Though our mascot is the panther, Coach Finnegan is a lion-hearted man – fierce, tender, loyal and wise. He has coached two Shamrock Tournament Champion teams in 2001 and 2004. Coach Finnegan says he’s been blessed to work with so many wonderful student athletes and praised them for their kindness and respect even during moments of tough criticism.

“Why I was so lucky to have this opportunity only God knows,” he says.

Indeed, there’s a certain perfection to our team that no conference record (we’re fourth) or tournament results could improve or erase.

My years in middle school basketball and playing in the Shamrock Tournament with my dad as a coach seem to transcend time as it does for Coach Finnegan and his children. Much has changed, but we still laugh and talk about those days almost 30 years ago. Mary will move on soon, too, but no matter how much our lives change, we’ll always have Jesus – and basketball.

ANNIE FERGUSON is a member of the Catholic News Herald editorial team.

Administrative Coordinator

The Diocese of Charlotte, Office of Development is currently accepting applications for a 30-hour week (benefits-eligible), Administrative Coordinator to support the Director of Planned Giving/Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Office of Development staff.

The position requires a professional who can work independently, communicate well with donors, and can successfully work in an environment that requires multitasking.

This individual will administer endowment funds, provide records management, and provide general administrative support to the Foundation and development staff.

Knowledge and Experience

• Associates degree or greater in related field

• Three years’ experience in administrative support

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

• Proficient in MS Office

• Solid planning and organizational skills

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

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Please submit letter of interest and resume to: Gina Rhodes, Office of Development

gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or mail to: 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, Nc 28203

e Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Coaches Dennis Finnegan and Annie Ferguson prepare the girls for the Shamrock Tournament.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHRIS FERGUSON

Voices of Support

“I loved my time at Belmont Abbey. The education I received is the foundation of everything I have done professionally, from my years of working in Charlotte banks to more recently joining the diocese. Even more importantly, I met my wife and deepened my faith at Belmont Abbey. It’s great news that the college is moving toward the next level.”

– Matt Ferrante ’03, Diocese of Charlotte CFO and CAO

“I’m not Catholic. I’m a Baptist girl, and I probably would have never reached out to students in Campus Ministry, but they have become some of my best friends. I like to attend Mass from time to time. At first, I was nervous, but they have made me feel welcome and helped me follow along. Mass gives me a great sense of peace but also of love. There is a great feeling of togetherness. It’s like a piece of your heart is going to stay here forever.”

— Sekyah Chestnut ’24, a junior from Whiteville, N.C., studying sport management

“Everything that I’ve learned has gradually pushed me closer to what God’s purpose is for me. All of that started by just sitting in the classroom at Belmont Abbey College.”

— Emilia Pippen ’17

“In the Rule of St. Benedict one of the standout passages is that all guests are to be welcomed as Christ, and I think that Belmont Abbey really lives that.”

— Dr. Joseph F. Wysocki ’04, Dean of the Honors College, and associate professor of politics

“If you start with the premise that there’s such a thing as objective truth, then you can pursue it. You can come to understand it better, and you don’t explore that in a 15-minute conversation over coffee. You do it over the course of an education.”

— Robert M. Gallagher ’72, former trustee, parent and grandparent of alumni

‘Made True’: The Campaign for Belmont Abbey College

Belmont Abbey College unveils $100 million development plan

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

BELMONT — In keeping with the hushed tones of its monastery, Belmont Abbey College has quietly raised $72 million for capital and academic improvements and now opens its historic “Made True” campaign to raise a total of $100 million on the eve of its 150th anniversary.

College leaders unveiled their plans Feb. 18, describing a three-pronged effort to further secure, strengthen and free the college to live out authentic Church teaching and make Catholic higher education more accessible at the only Catholic institution of higher learning between Northern Virginia and Florida.

The campaign includes funding for a new monastery, performing arts center, academic enhancements, growth of the college’s endowment to rely less on federal money, and innovative stewardship programs to help students graduate debt free.

“Our success so far is primarily based on the love and commitment of our benefactors,” said Philip Brach, vice president of college relations. “In the early stages of an ambitious campaign like this, you go to your closest friends – then you offer the opportunity for everyone to become part of our exciting new future.”

College leaders are grateful for the significant number of non-alumni and non-parents who have supported the campaign at large levels – and they hope to hit $100 million by 2026, the college’s milestone 150th anniversary. They are reaching out now to all Belmont Abbey alumni, students and families, and people across the region, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to help raise the remaining $28 million necessary to fund their plans.

“The abbey had responsibility for the Church in North Carolina before the Raleigh diocese was formed about 100 years ago,” Brach said. “So,

we have this deep connection that most colleges don’t have to the local Church and local community.”

Benedictine monks from St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa., established Belmont Abbey and its college in 1876 – well before the Raleigh (1924) and Charlotte (1972) dioceses were created. The first abbot, Bishop Leo Haid, served as both abbot of Belmont Abbey and as bishop of the mission territory that encompassed all of North Carolina at the time.

Benedictine Father Herman Wolfe arrived with two students in April of 1876 and started classes immediately. Enrollment doubled that fall and has grown steadily ever since, despite not always having the resources to fully accomplish what the college has set out to do.

For almost 15 centuries, Benedictines have lived their charism of hospitality and vows of stability, the disciplines of monastic life and obedience. In North Carolina, their work has offered a quality Catholic education to those who desire it. The monks remain a force at Belmont Abbey nearly 150 years after the first of them arrived. Together with President William Thierfelder and the college community, they continue to offer an education in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields.

“Our approach is from the Catholic intellectual tradition,” Abbot Placid said. “We seek to answer the questions what is life about, how do we respect people, and how is human life supposed to flourish in community?”

With an enrollment of nearly 1,500, comprised of an even number of Catholic and non-Catholic students, the college seeks to further enter contemporary culture and help shape it. The “Made True” capital campaign will help provide a classical liberal arts and science education to students seeking knowledge and wisdom rooted in objective truth. It aims to do that in three ways: DEVELOPMENT, SEE PAGE 15

MADE FREE

The first campaign initiative includes $15 million to help fund a new monastery and performing arts center, as well as personal career, vocation and family programs all aimed at building religious freedom and virtue. The funding will act as seed money to leverage partnerships, naming opportunities and contributions designated for these high-profile projects.

The new performing arts center will give The Abbey Players – the oldest performing arts group in North Carolina – an elegant new venue that can host larger audiences and be used by the local community for events and performances.

The new monastery is a gift to the monks who have served the college for well over a century, and will allow the historic existing monastery to undergo renovations for use by the college.

“Everything begins with the monastic community,” Thierfelder said. “They’ve come here seeking God, and they believe by living and praying and working together in community, they’re going to come to a deeper, more profound love of God. It’s a remarkable vocation and commitment. One of their vows is of stability. To have a religious order stay in one place forever, that’s also quite remarkable.”

MADE STRONG

Another $30 million raised in the campaign will go toward strengthening the school through new academic programs in nursing, public policy and finance, increased advocacy for religious freedom, and enhancements to its successful Belmont House in Washington, D.C.

Belmont Abbey offers nearly 50 undergraduate, graduate, professional and pre-professional fields of study, and has a 95 percent acceptance rate into medical schools. Its Belmont House hosts students, friends, policymakers and religious in the nation’s capital and serves as a meeting place to provide hospitality for Belmont Abbey students, alumni and guests. The college aims to open similar houses in other cities to provide accommodations and networking that helps influence other public and private sectors, such as finance in New York.

“There’s a movement across the country of like-minded colleges that have focused on classical liberal arts and great-book curriculums,” Brach said. “This has served the Church enormously…The students who go out in the world with the education provided by this campaign are going to make big, big changes in the country and in the Church.”

Thierfelder likened each college commencement to a “beating heart” – sending forth graduates to go out and make an impact in their various careers and vocations.

“When Abbot Leo Haid blessed the cornerstone of this building in 1886, he said, ‘The work and prayers here shall spread God’s blessing over this beautiful country in the years to come when perhaps few of you who are listening will be among the living,’” Thierfelder said. “It’s a beautiful vision.”

MADE SECURE

The remaining $55 million raised in the $100 million campaign will help build the endowment and reduce – and eventually eliminate – federal aid. It’s an effort to help secure the college’s ability to teach and live the Catholic faith without government mandates that might conflict with Church teaching.

“The concept of religious liberty is extremely important to us,” Abbot Placid said, “particularly as it’s become a more contentious issue in recent years.”

About half of Belmont Abbey’s students are Catholic, while the other half hail from a variety of faiths. Students appreciate the Catholic identity of the college as well as the freedom to practice their individual beliefs, Brach said, and they value the quality education, welcoming environment, small size, and pastoral setting of the campus.

The campaign’s third pillar also seeks to attract and retain students and faculty through innovative programs that will make Belmont Abbey an employer of choice and enable students to graduate debt free.

‘Made True’ Campaign

Belmont Abbey College’s “Made True” Campaign is built on three tiers: Made Free, Made Strong and Made Secure. The campaign aims to raise $100 million, with $72 million raised so far.

Belmont Abbey College to build new monastery and performing arts center

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

BELMONT — Belmont’s striking array of buildings glimpsed from Interstate 85 is set to become even more distinctive.

Belmont Abbey College has grand plans to build up its campus – with the addition of a new monastery for the Benedictine monks who founded the college 146 years ago, and a new performing arts center for use by the community and the college.

Each project is expected to cost in the range of $15 million and could exceed that depending on the imagination and support of donors, sponsors and partners. The college’s recently announced fundraising campaign includes seed money that leaders say will help leverage additional support specifically for the two signature projects.

Founded in 1883, The Abbey Players is the longest-running performing arts group in North Carolina and typically produces six shows a year in its 180-seat theater, which shows wearand-tear and signs of its age. The new venue will allow for much bigger audiences with seats for 2,000 to 3,000 guests.

“The idea that we are growing rapidly enough to require a new Performing Arts Center is breathtaking,” said Abbey Players theater director Christopher Donoghue, who recently assumed the role when his father, Simon Donoghue, retired after 48 seasons. “To be given the opportunity to take us to that next step means the world to me.”

The performing arts center will be built on the college’s main road, Abbey Lane, and provide space for hosting campus-wide events, including high-profile national and international speakers that the college regularly attracts. Community members may also rent the facility for events and productions.

The idea for a new monastery arose in recognition of the historic monastery’s

TOTAL $100 M $55 M $30 M

$15 M

$72 M

increasing signs of age and in gratitude for what the Benedictine monks started here, said Philip Brach, vice president of college relations.

“The greatest gift to Belmont Abbey College – which no one donor can give because it’s priceless – is the monks who have dedicated their time and energy here,” Brach said. “Imagine the value of this gift when you measure the entirety of all of the monks who have dedicated their entire lives to this monastery and the college over the course of almost 150 years.”

Abbot Placid Solari, the eighth abbot of Belmont Abbey, first visited the monastery at about age 4 when his older brother Father James Solari was a monk there. Abbot Placid returned for a longer stay in 1974 and entered the novitiate. He has served and worked at Belmont Abbey ever since. Today, the monastery is home to 11 monks with three more in formation.

When Brach first raised the idea of building a new monastery next to the Abbey basilica and existing monastery, he said Abbot Placid was very interested, especially when he heard the existing monastery could be repurposed for the college’s growing needs.

“The current building is not all that conducive to community life,” Abbot Placid explained. “It’s 120 yards long in a straight line. Our infirmary space, although the monks get wonderful care, is inadequate. And the rooms, although they have been reconfigured as best as possible, date back to about 1880.”

Also, the kitchen is on two floors. “You could say it’s a great exercise opportunity for the cooks, but it’s not ideal,” Abbot Placid said with a smile.

Thanks to the “Made True” campaign, a new monastery will give the monastic community the space and features it needs to continue serving for another 150 years, he said. “We are so grateful for the help in providing a more adequate living space for the monks and care for our elderly who devoted their lives to others.”

$100 MILLION GOAL — $72 MILLION RAISED

$15 Million — Made Free

* Build a new monastery

* Build a Performing Arts Center

* Build personal freedom and virtue

* Establish additional career, vocation and family programs

$30 Million — Made Strong

* Protect religious freedom

* Mission-aligned academic programs in nursing, public policy, finance

* The Belmont House, American Semester, Responsible Citizenship

$55 Million — Made Secure

* Secure financial freedom

* Establish an innovative scholarship fund and endowment

* Focus on student retention and faculty entrepreneurship

(From left) Renderings depict Belmont Abbey’s future performing arts center and monastery.

Padre Julio Domínguez

Tiempo de Cuaresma

Queridos Hermanos en Cristo, estamos por comenzar un tiempo litúrgico que personalmente me gusta muchísimo, pues me da la oportunidad de ponerme delante de Dios, revisarme delante de Él, ver mi caminar por este mundo y preguntarme si realmente estoy en el camino a la Patria Eterna o me he desviado de los caminos del Señor. Me refiero al maravilloso tiempo de Cuaresma.

La Cuaresma, como bien sabemos, es un tiempo litúrgico que nos invita a la conversión. La Iglesia pone este tiempo en el calendario para podernos preparar para la Pascua y tenemos que tomarlo con mucha seriedad y darle un sentido de ofrecimiento y entrega al Señor.

La Santa Cuaresma tiene un tiempo de duración de 40 días, comenzando el Miércoles de Ceniza y terminando con la Cena del Señor en el Jueves Santo. Durante estos 40 días, todo fiel cristiano se compromete a caminar en las vías del Señor, buscando su crecimiento en el conocimiento de la Palabra de Dios y sobre todo en la vivencia de la caridad.

Hace algunos días, una persona me preguntaba por cuál sería mi ofrecimiento en esta Cuaresma, y le respondí lo que ya tenía planeado hacer, es decir, dejar de comer carne durante toda la Cuaresma, pues sé que no es fácil para mí y además siento que mi salud lo necesita. Pero fuera de lo que podemos hacer o no hacer, dejar o no dejar, la gran pregunta es: ¿mi sacrificio, lo cual yo quiero ofrecerle al Señor, ayudará a incrementar mi amor a Dios y al prójimo? Porque es precisamente ese punto el que nos pide el Señor, es decir, que crezcamos en la caridad, que imitemos mejor el ejemplo de Cristo y que nos lancemos a una vida más santa.

Si la Cuaresma la empezamos con un buen plan de vida, podremos sacar muchos beneficios de ella. Lo primero que debo de pensar es: es tiempo de preparación, por lo tanto, tengo que prepararme. Una buena manera es escuchando a Dios, y eso lo haremos leyendo las lecturas de la Misa diariamente, ya con esto estaremos en comunicación y escucha de lo que el Padre quiere de nosotros. Lo siguiente es prepararme para un buen examen de conciencia, pues en todas nuestras parroquias habrá servicios penitenciales. Por lo tanto, con seriedad, sobre todo en una visita al Santísimo Sacramento, haré una examinación de mi vida para pedirle perdón a Dios. Otra de las cosas que puedo hacer es un buen retiro espiritual que me ayude a ver puntos que no había visto en mi vida, y que me de pauta para volver a Dios. No se me puede olvidar las obras de misericordia, tanto los materiales como las espirituales, es decir buscar a mi prójimo mas necesitado y ayudarlo en sus necesidades materiales y espirituales. Pienso que la mejor manera de vivir la cuaresma es examinar los ambientes en donde nos movemos y vivimos. Tal vez una reconciliación en casa con mi familia para que reine la fragancia de Cristo en nuestros hogares.

Renovándonos nosotros, ayudamos a que la Iglesia Universal se renueve. Ayudemos a que esto pase.

¿Estás listo(a) para dar lo mejor de tí en esta Cuaresma? ¡Unámonos en este tiempo y animémonos unos a otros!

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

Reunidos

El Padre Ramiro Tijerino saluda a su pequeño sobrino Eduardo después de llegar al Aeropuerto Internacional de Charlotte el 12 de febrero. El sacerdote nicaragüense fue dejado en libertad el 9 de febrero, después de permanecer más de seis meses en la cárcel como prisionero político del gobiernos del presidente Ortega. Sus familiares, miembros de la parroquia San Mateo en Charlotte, y simpatizantes a lo largo de la diócesis han permanecido orando por su liberación segura y la paz en Nicaragua.

Sacerdotes nicaragüenses fueron recibidos por el Obispo y parroquia de Charlotte después de estar encarcelados

LIZ CHANDLER lchandler@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Dos sacerdotes católicos encarcelados en Nicaragua desde agosto llegaron a Charlotte el 12 de febrero con abrazos y lágrimas de familiares y amigos, después de su reciente liberación y deportación a Estados Unidos.

Los Padres Ramiro Tijerino y Óscar Danilo Benavides Dávila, ambos de Nicaragua, estaban entre los 222 presos políticos exiliados del país por el presidente Daniel Ortega.

Mayra Tijerino, feligresa de San Mateo en Charlotte, viajó a Washington para llevar a su hermano y compañero sacerdote a su casa en Charlotte.

Ambos se reunieron con el Obispo de Charlotte, Peter Jugis, y otros líderes de la diócesis el 14 de febrero, mientras se adaptaban a su nueva libertad. En los primeros 2 días visitaron un médico, disfrutaron de un almuerzo con carne, compraron ropa, zapatos y nuevos trajes clericales, cortesía del Diácono Carlos Medina, también nativo de Nicaragua.

Feligreses de San Mateo preparan una fiesta de cumpleaños para el Padre Tijerino, quien cumplió 51 años el 16 de febrero. La parroquia ha estado orando por él y sus compañeros presos políticos desde su encarcelamiento en agosto pasado, y compartió las buenas nuevas del regreso de los dos sacerdotes.

Decenas de participantes acudieron a saludar a los sacerdotes en el Aeropuerto Internacional Charlotte Douglas.

“Estoy agradecida a Dios”, dijo la madre del P. Tijerino, al borde de las lágrimas mientras ella y su esposo se ubicaban cerca de una escalera mecánica que pronto les dejaría ver a su hijo.

Varios simpatizantes desplegaron banderas nicaragüenses mientras saludaban a los sacerdotes, que parecían estar en forma y eran todo sonrisas.

“Fueron meses difíciles, pero gracias a Dios y a las oraciones de esta parroquia, se nos dio la fuerza para soportar”, dijo el Padre Tijerino.

El P. Benavides fue abrazado como si fuera parte de la familia. “Dios bendiga a la parroquia”, dijo. “Estoy agradecido a esta diócesis, a la parroquia y a los fieles cuyas oraciones nos sostuvieron”.

Ambos sacerdotes dijeron que no fueron maltratados físicamente en prisión, pero sufrieron estrés emocional y psicológico causado por tácticas, como dejar las luces encendidas durante dos meses y luego apagarlas por un mes.

LIZ CHANDLER | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Obispo Jugis agradeció a mujeres y hombres consagrados en Misa especial

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE – Las personas que sirven en la Diócesis de Charlotte como sacerdotes, hermanos y hermanas de órdenes religiosas fueron honradas durante una Misa especial el sábado pasado.

El Obispo Peter Jugis celebró una Misa por la Jornada Mundial de Oración por la Vida Consagrada en la iglesia San Vicente de Paúl. La Misa anual honró a las y los religiosos que sirven a la Iglesia en la mitad occidental de Carolina del Norte.

Más de 50 religiosas representaron a nueve órdenes religiosas presentes en la diócesis. Entre ellas se encontraban dos jubilarias de 2023: la hermana trapense Genevieve Durcan (Orden de Cistercienses de la Estricta Observancia) y la hermana franciscana Jane Russell (Hermanas de

la Tercera Orden de San Francisco), que celebran 60 años de vida religiosa en 2023. Ellas actualmente viven con las Hermanas de la Misericordia en Belmont.

Monseñor Jugis les agradeció por el don de su vocación religiosa y servicio a la Iglesia en la diócesis.

“Me demuestra a mí, y a todos los que encuentran, que el Espíritu Santo está vivo en la Diócesis de Charlotte”, les dijo. “El Espíritu Santo está inspirando a hombres y mujeres a un don total de sí mismos a Dios, siguiendo los pasos de Jesucristo”.

Todo el cuerpo de la Iglesia da testimonio de Cristo, dijo el obispo, pero “nada puede sustituir el testimonio especial que ustedes religiosos dan tanto a los que están dentro y fuera de la Iglesia: un testimonio de la santidad del reino de Cristo, un testimonio de la santidad de la Iglesia”.

Refiriéndose al pasaje del Evangelio del día de Mateo 16:24-27, el obispo reflexionó

sobre las palabras de Cristo a sus seguidores: “El que quiera seguirme, que se niegue a sí mismo, tome su cruz y me siga”.

“Este es un dicho de Jesús que está destinado a todos los cristianos, independientemente de sus vocaciones”, explicó. “Niéguese a sí mismo, ponga a Cristo primero, y luego sígalo. Es cierto para el matrimonio cristiano, es cierto para la vida cristiana soltera”.

Sin embargo, agregó, aquellos que consagran sus vidas a través de votos y promesas religiosas brindan un testimonio especial y poderoso.

“Es la forma en que ganan el mundo entero y encuentran su vida en el proceso”, dijo. “El Señor les ha dado esa gracia muy especial de una vocación de dejar todo y seguir a Cristo, dando testimonio de un reino que ‘está en el mundo pero no es del mundo’”.

La Jornada Mundial de la Vida

Grupo de oración cumple tercer aniversario de rezo diario del Rosario

ha tomado una fuerza inusitada y, de ser rezado una vez por mes, se ha convertido en una práctica diaria que une e inspira a toda una comunidad internacional.

Consagrada se celebra junto con la Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor, también conocida como Candelaria, que conmemora la venida de Cristo, la Luz del Mundo, a través del encendido simbólico de velas. La Iglesia mundial conmemoró el día el 2 de febrero.

En un comunicado, el obispo de Lansing y presidente del Comité de Clero, Vida Consagrada y Vocaciones de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos, Earl Boyea, dijo que este día brinda una oportunidad especial para que los católicos den gracias a Dios por las personas que eligen una vocación consagrada.

“Hoy damos gracias a Dios por seguir llamando a hombres y mujeres a servirle como personas consagradas en la Iglesia. Que cada uno de nosotros sea inspirado por su ejemplo para amar a Dios sobre todas las cosas y servirle en todo lo que hacemos”, señaló.

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Cuando en marzo de 2020 iniciaron las restricciones de contacto social para prevenir el contagio del COVID-19 en Estados Unidos, los organizadores del Rosario del Coro Alegría Hispana de la parroquia San Gabriel en Charlotte quedaron confundidos.

Augusto Frattini, uno de los integrantes del coro, propuso a Carmen Calvar, directora de Alegría Hispana, que se aprovechara de las nuevas tecnologías que aparecían, entre ellas Zoom, para continuar virtualmente con el Rosario. Pilar Castañeda, otra de las miembras del coro, facilitó el soporte técnico.

Así se hizo, y el Rosario Virtual diario, que inició con solo 8 participantes, llegó a contar con más de un centenar de seguidores en Canadá, Ecuador, Colombia, Perú, Costa Rica, República Dominicana y Estados Unidos.

Posteriormente, en 2022, cuando las medidas de aislamiento social se relajaron, algunas personas pensaron que el Rosario Virtual llegaría a su fin.

Nada más lejos de la realidad, y bajo la coordinación de una pareja de miembros, José Luis García y su esposa Ada, el grupo de entre 20 a 30 miembros se ha mantenido y se encuentra en camino a cumplir su tercer año consecutivo de rezo diario del Santo Rosario.

“Es verdad que tras la ola de la pandemia bajó el número de participantes”, dijo García, explicando que con el retorno de las actividades habituales los feligreses también regresaron a la presencialidad de sus grupos parroquiales.

“Sin embargo, para muchos, como en mi caso, se volvió un punto de contacto, parte de un ejercicio espiritual diario, parte de la vida y siempre primó el Rosario antes que otras actividades”, añadió.

Pero no todo fue color de rosa para el matrimonio. Ada y José enfermaron de COVID e incluso Ada recibió tratamiento de cáncer en tres oportunidades.

“Hasta en esos momentos, con Ada en su cama y yo desde la computadora, seguimos fieles a la tarea de coordinar el Rosario”, dijo García.

Durante el Rosario, que se ora diariamente a las 8:30 de la noche, se incluyen cánticos y una oración de sanación por quienes están incluídos en una lista que se renueva constantemente.

“El Rosario se convirtió en un refugio, en una zona donde mantener la relación de comunidad y permanente contacto físico y espiritual. Y ello generó un compromiso en el que nos envolvimos todos los que organizamos el rezo”, aseveró García.

“Hemos experimentado el amor y los milagros de Dios en las diferentes necesidades del grupo”, anota Pilar Castañeda.

El Padre John Allen, administrador parroquial de San Mateo, abrazó a sus compañeros sacerdotes y se comprometió a ayudar con cualquier cosa que necesitaran. Ha hecho arreglos para que un médico vea a ambos sacerdotes esta semana, y está planeando realizar una Misa de acción de gracias en el momento apropiado.

“Hoy es un día alegre para su familia y amigos, y esperamos celebrar con ellos en San Mateo”, dijo el P. Allen. “Como testimonio del poder de la oración, continuaremos orando por el Obispo Álvarez, quien permanece encarcelado y en peligro”.

El Obispo Rolando Álvarez, un crítico abierto del gobierno de Nicaragua, fue sentenciado a 26 años de prisión el viernes con cargos de socavar al gobierno, según informes de prensa, un día después de que se negó a abordar el vuelo a los Estados Unidos con otros prisioneros.

En su mensaje del 12 de febrero, el Papa Francisco invitó a los fieles a orar y expresó su tristeza por la continua detención del Obispo Álvarez. Hizo un llamado a los líderes nicaragüenses “a abrir sus corazones” en busca de la paz y entablar un diálogo.

Siete “colaboradores” del Obispo Álvarez, incluido el Padre Ramiro, también recibieron largas sentencias de prisión, y luego fueron liberados repentinamente después de lo que el gobierno de Estados Unidos dijo que eran esfuerzos diplomáticos concertados.

Como institución independiente en la que confían una gran parte de los nicaragüenses, la Iglesia es una amenaza para el gobierno cada vez más autoritario de Ortega. Las protestas estudiantiles se intensificaron la primavera pasada y numerosos católicos y otros líderes religiosos se encontraban entre los detenidos durante la represión del verano pasado.

Después de más de 15 años de rezar el Rosario una vez al mes de manera presencial, sus integrantes y ocasionales invitados pensaron que esa tradición había llegado a su fin. Eran tiempos de confusión, de incertidumbre, y de presencialidad prácticamente insustituible.

Los hechos demostraron todo lo contrario. Desde ese entonces y hasta nuestros días, el rezo del Rosario de ese grupo hispano

“Si no estuviéramos Adita y yo, el Rosario seguiría porque es obra del Espíritu Santo y de nuestra madre Santa María. Viendo los resultados de estos casi tres años, no me queda ninguna duda de que la oración es importante y efectiva”, finalizó el facilitador.

Más online

En www.bit.ly/3XenG4b: Puede seguir cada noche a las 8:30 p.m. el rezo del Santo Rosario en Zoom

“Estoy agradecido con Dios por traerme aquí, y feliz de ver a mi familia”, dijo el Padre Ramiro el domingo, besando a Eduardo, su sobrino pequeño a quien veía por primera vez. “Sabía que los volvería a ver, pero no sabía cuándo. Quiero agradecer a la comunidad católica de Charlotte por sus oraciones de apoyo, y espero que recordemos y continuemos fortaleciendo a los prisioneros que permanecen en Nicaragua”.

Más online

En www.catholicnewsherald.com : Vea más fotos y videos de la emocional reunión del Padre Ramiro Tijerino con su familia en el aeropuerto de Charlotte.

“Hemos experimentado el amor y los milagros de Dios”

FOTO CORTESÍA

José Luis García y su esposa Ada son parte del grupo que coordina el rezo diario del Santo Rosario que inició sus actividades hace casi tres años, cuando se presentaron las limitaciones de contacto social ante el contagio del COVID-19. La práctica espiritual se ha convertido en parte de la vida diaria de decenas de personas que cada noche, a las 8:30 p.m., se conectan a través de una plataforma digital.

Retiros de formación teológica sobre la Eucaristía

Hombres y mujeres se preparan para Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional

CÉSAR HURTADO

rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — El Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte invitó a dos Retiros de silencio que se llevarán a cabo del 17 al 19 de febrero y del 10 al 12 de marzo, teniendo como tema de referencia la Eucaristía.

Así lo dio a conocer el Padre Julio C. Domínguez, Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano, quien se encuentra profundamente comprometido con la formación teológica sobre el sacramento de la Eucaristía.

“Las cifras publicadas por la Conferencia de Obispos de Estados Unidos mostraron el año pasado que solo el 8 por ciento de los católicos cree en la presencia real de Cristo en la Eucarística. El resto, desconoce el tema o piensa que es solo un símbolo. Hay que revertir ese mundo, hacer notar que estamos frente al Señor y que Él nos habla a nosotros”, dijo el Padre Domínguez sobre la razón de su cruzada.

Parte de la responsabilidad de esta realidad, reconoció el vicario, “es de nosotros los sacerdotes”. “Cuando nos entregamos a nuestro ministerio, hacemos bien las cosas, no vamos corriendo en la Misa y le damos sentido a lo que estamos diciendo, la gente inmediatamente lo capta y se compromete, incluso si el sacerdote no habla bien nuestro idioma”, dijo. Explicó que si los sacerdotes

mecánicamente hacen las cosas y no muestran a los fieles la unción sagrada de la Eucaristía, “estamos dando un mal ejemplo”.

RETIRO ABIERTO

El retiro está especialmente dirigido para los Ministros Extraordinarios de la Eucaristía que, a entender del Padre Domínguez, necesitan formación teológica fundamental para que ellos, “desde la Escritura, puedan entender más de la Eucaristía”.

“La formación es importante porque nuestra relación con la Eucaristía no es solo un asunto práctico de cómo saber darla, cómo poner la copa y eso. Eso es algo mecánico. Lo que interesa es la vivencia espiritual, lo que estamos viviendo como laicos para tener esa relación con Él, esa intimidad con Él, para que nazca una vida de entrega al Señor”, dijo, añadiendo que, sin embargo, el retiro está abierto a todos los fieles de la diócesis.

Serán tres días. En el caso de las mujeres se llevará a cabo del 17 al 19 de febrero. Para los hombres la fecha designada es del 10 al 12 de marzo. Ambos encuentros se desarrollarán en un centro de retiro en Pickens, Carolina del Sur, y el destinado para las mujeres ya completó su cupo.

El Padre Domínguez precisó que el retiro, parte del proceso de Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional, expondrá las formas y figuras que en el Antiguo Testamento

hablaron sobre lo que sería la Eucaristía, el rito de Melquisedec, el maná, el cordero pascual, el arca de la alianza, el templo; concluyendo con el Nuevo Testamento que relata la institución del sacramento y el capítulo 6 del Evangelio de San Juan que habla del pan de vida.

AVIVAMIENTO EUCARÍSTICO NACIONAL

La Conferencia de Obispos de Estados Unidos decretó el año pasado un proceso de Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional, un movimiento para restaurar la comprensión y la devoción al sacramento, ayudándonos a renovar nuestra adoración a Jesucristo en la Eucaristía.

Inició con la fiesta de Corpus Christi el 19 de junio de 2022, que es seguido por un año de avivamiento diócesano del 19 de junio de 2022 hasta el 11 de junio de 2023. En este primer año de renacimiento se invita al personal diocesano, a los obispos y a los sacerdotes a responder al llamado de

FOTOS PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ

El Centro de Retiros en Pickens, S.C., gracias a la imponente naturaleza que nuestra, es un lugar propicio para la reflexión espiritual. La sede sirve de base para los retiros de la Familia de Emaús.

compartir este amor con los fieles a través de congresos y eventos eucarísticos.

La segunda fase, del 11 de junio de 2023 al 17 de julio de 2024, fomentará la devoción eucarística a nivel parroquial a través de la celebración fiel de la Misa, la Adoración Eucarística, las misiones, los recursos, la predicación y los movimientos orgánicos del Espíritu Santo.

El ciclo concluirá con un Congreso Eucarístico Nacional en Indianápolis, Indiana, del 17 al 21 de julio de 2024, donde más de 80 mil católicos de todas las edades se reunirán para reconsagrar sus corazones a la fuente y cumbre de nuestra fe: la Eucaristía.

Más online

En www.bit.ly/40IW0HC : Encontrará la solicitud de inscripción para el retiro de hombres

Familias presentaron a sus “Niños Jesús” durante fiesta de la Candelaria

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Cientos de católicos de origen hispano, fieles a las tradiciones de sus países de origen, llevaron devotamente las imágenes de sus ‘Niños Jesús’ a las Misas que se celebraron en las parroquias y misiones de la diócesis el pasado dos de febrero, fecha en la que se celebra La Candelaria, la fiesta de la Presentación de Jesús y la Purificación de la Virgen María.

La parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, que sirve mayoritariamente a la comunidad hispana de Charlotte, celebró dos Misas, al mediodía y a las siete de la tarde del jueves 2, registrando una gran asistencia en ambas liturgias.

La Misa del mediodía, oficiada por el Padre Leo Tiburcio, párroco, fue asistida por el Diácono Eduardo Bernal, quien ofreció la homilía.

Previo al inicio de la Santa Misa se realizó una procesión con velas encendidas.

En su homilía, el Diácono Bernal señaló que esta fecha, para nuestro pueblo latinoamericano, es muy especial por la ofrenda que han traído al templo “en los niños Dios y en las velas”, que reflejan una “tradición heredada de sus familias, de sus abuelos, de sus padres”, y por la que su Santa Madre Iglesia les dará algo a cambio, “¿y saben que se les dará?, su bendición”, que convierte estas imágenes, estas veladoras y todo lo que llevan en un sacramental, “en un

símbolo de la espiritualidad”.

Luego señaló que la Fiesta de la Presentación, también conocida como Candelaria, refleja la luz de Jesucristo, “que alumbra a las naciones y a la gloria de su pueblo”.

Dijo que el 80% de la humanidad vive en la pobreza, y que esa virtud nos puede ayudar a confiar en la misericordia de Dios.

“En cambio, nosotros no la aceptamos y tratamos de tener más”, convirtiéndonos en máquinas de producir con la ilusión de acumular más y más riquezas a veces innecesarias.

¿Cómo poder hacer nuestra esta virtud de la pobreza? se preguntó el diácono, señalando que la respuesta es seguir el ejemplo de José, María y Jesús. “Reconciliarnos con esa realidad, vivir en paz, siguiendo los ejemplos de pureza”, pobreza y obediencia a Dios.

“Que en el hogar, quien mande, sea Cristo Jesús”, rogó.

Al término de la Liturgia, se realizó la bendición de las velas e imágenes de los ‘Niños Jesús’ que los fieles presentaron ante el altar.

Refiriéndose a las veladoras, rosarios e imágenes del Niño Jesús invocó, “que estos sacramentales que ahora llevaremos a casa sean para nosotros muestras de tu amor, la luz que nos ilumine en los momentos difíciles de nuestras vida”, pidiendo que el Señor derrame sobre nosotros “la gracia de una mente limpia, un corazón puro y un cuerpo casto”.

FOTO CORTESÍA FACEBOOK PARROQUIA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE CHARLOTTE Tras una procesión de veladoras, decenas de fieles presentaron a sus ‘Niños Jesús’ ante el altar para ser bendecidos, junto con rosarios y veladoras, al término de la Misa celebrada por el Padre Leo Tiburcio el pasado 2 de febrero en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte.

Vuelve ‘La Pasión’ a Boonville

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

BOONVILLE — Después de un intervalo de 12 años en las representaciones de Semana Santa, el grupo de teatro de la Iglesia Divino Redentor en Boonville retorna este 2023 la presentación de La Pasión de Cristo, que pondrá a consideración del público el 7 de abril, Viernes Santo, en las instalaciones de esa parroquia.

Sergio López, director y productor de la puesta en escena, además de coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Winston-Salem, dijo a Catholic News Herald que, después de efectuar un llamado a la feligresía y realizar un proceso de selección para integrar el elenco, los ensayos han dado inicio con la lectura del guión y dirección escénica.

López comentó que el año pasado, culminadas las restricciones sanitarias por la pandemia de COVID-19, el párroco, El Padre Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo, ante la ausencia de iniciativas locales, invitó a los integrantes del grupo de teatro de la Iglesia Santiago el Mayor de Concord a representar La Pasión de Cristo durante la Semana Santa, “Este grupo, asociado con algunos miembros de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, nos trajeron una megaproducción”, dijo López.

Por esta razón, el Padre Swamunu requirió a los miembros de la parroquia a realizar su propia producción, ofreciéndoles su total cooperación.

“Ese fue mi ministerio durante muchos años”, dijo López, quien ya tiene en su cuenta la producción y dirección de 16 pastorelas y había dirigido con anterioridad ‘La Pasión’.

Al ser encargado de la nueva puesta en escena, López reescribió el antiguo libreto, dándole nueva vida con esta adaptación que muestra la experiencia ganada con los años y el uso de un lenguaje más comprensible y sencillo, “aterrizándolo a las expresiones que usamos frecuentemente y que no causan confusiones en el contenido”.

TRABAJO EN ACCIÓN

En enero pasado el director hizo una invitación a la comunidad para que participe, pero no repartió ningún formulario de inscripción. “El primer domingo de ensayo tenía muchas dudas sobre si los voluntarios llegarían. Menos

mal llegó mucha gente, pero aún quedan papeles para llenar, entre ellos el de Judas y de otros personajes ‘malos’ que nadie quiere”, dijo.

En la obra participan más de 20 actores en once escenas que recrean, desde la entrada de Cristo a Jerusalén el Domingo de Ramos, hasta la crucifixión y la bajada del cuerpo de nuestro Salvador. Entre los integrantes se encuentra Alberto Vargas, un joven mexicano de 22 años que trabaja en la construcción y representará a Jesús. “No sé por qué me eligieron a mí”, dijo. “No tengo experiencia, pero el director me dijo que mi hablar pausado y aspecto físico me ayudan. Ya estoy ensayando también en mi casa y creo que, con la ayuda del Espíritu Santo, podré hacer un papel digno”, dijo.

Respecto al vestuario, López dijo que “algo queda de lo que se hacía antes” y lo combinarán con los de otras producciones. También se encuentran en la búsqueda de voluntarios que ayuden en esta tarea. Aseguró que el propósito de esta obra es la evangelización y por ello pone a disposición su libreto a otras parroquias que deseen realizar la puesta en escena. “Puedo decir que en estos más de 10 años hay muchos niños y jóvenes que nunca han visto la obra. Ahora la podrán apreciar, valorar y conocer el sacrificio que ofreció Cristo por nosotros”.

Youth Coordinator

St. James Catholic Church (Concord, NC) is currently accepting resumes for the position of Youth Coordinator to work in our Religious Education Department. Under the Director of Faith Formation, the Youth Coordinator is responsible for the implementation of the Religious Education Program for the high school youth of the parish. The Youth Coordinator is also responsible for coordinating the Young Adult Ministry of the parish. It is a hands-on position in which office hours and non-office hours are expected.

Qualifications

and Education Requirements

• Bi-Lingual (Spanish)

• BA Degree in Religious Education, Catechesis, Theology or a related field or 2 years of experience in a related field.

• Must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the church.

• Ability to lead and conduct oneself in a professional manner that is reflective of church teachings.

• Strong, clear, and effective verbal and written planning and communication skills are a must.

• Must have strong and proven organizational and interpersonal skills to develop teamwork, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to Dan Ward at danw@saintjamescatholic.org.

**St. James Catholic Church is an Equal Opportunity Employer**

FOTO CORTESÍA SERGIO LÓPEZ Después de una larga espera de más de una década, la parroquia Divino Redentor en Boonville volverá a representar ‘La Pasión de Cristo’ el Viernes Santo. Sergio López, director y productor, dijo que la iniciativa evangelizadora se dió en respuesta a la solicitud del párroco, Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo, realizada la Semana Santa del año pasado.

22 de febrero, Miércoles de Ceniza

El Miércoles de Ceniza es uno de los días de guardar más populares e importantes en el calendario litúrgico, pues abre la Cuaresma, una temporada de ayuno y oración.

La celebración tiene lugar 46 días antes del Domingo de Pascua, y es observado principalmente por los católicos, aunque muchos otros cristianos también lo siguen.

El Miércoles de Ceniza proviene de la antigua tradición judía de penitencia y ayuno. La práctica incluye el uso de cenizas en la cabeza. Las cenizas simbolizan el polvo del que Dios nos hizo. Cuando el sacerdote aplica las cenizas en la frente de una persona, pronuncia las palabras: “Recuerda que eres polvo, y al polvo volverás”.

Alternativamente, el sacerdote puede decir las palabras: “Arrepiéntanse y crean en el Evangelio”.

Las cenizas también simbolizan el dolor de que hemos pecado y causado la división de Dios.

Los escritos de la Iglesia del siglo II se refieren al uso de cenizas como un signo de

‘Recuerda que eres polvo’

penitencia.

Los sacerdotes administran las cenizas durante la Misa y todos están invitados a aceptar las cenizas como un símbolo visible de penitencia. Incluso los no cristianos y los excomulgados son bienvenidos a recibir las cenizas. Las cenizas están hechas de las ramas de palma benditas, tomadas de la Misa del Domingo de Ramos del año anterior.

Es importante recordar que el Miércoles de Ceniza es un día de oración penitencial y ayuno. Algunos fieles toman el resto del día libre del trabajo y permanecen en casa. Por lo general, es inapropiado salir a cenar, comprar o andar en público después de recibir las cenizas. Celebrar con un banquete es completamente inapropiado. Los niños pequeños, adultos mayores y enfermos están exentos de esta observancia.

No se requiere que una persona mantenga las cenizas por el resto del día, y pueden ser lavadas después de la Misa. Sin embargo, muchas personas mantienen las cenizas como un recordatorio hasta la noche.

Recientemente, se han desarrollado movimientos que involucran a pastores que distribuyen cenizas a los transeúntes en lugares públicos. Esto no se considera tabú, pero los católicos deben saber que esta práctica es claramente protestante. Los católicos deben recibir las cenizas dentro del contexto de la Misa.

En algunos casos, las cenizas pueden ser entregadas por un sacerdote o un miembro de la familia a aquellos que están enfermos

o que no pueden salir de sus hogares. El Miércoles de Ceniza marca el comienzo de la temporada de Cuaresma. Es una temporada de penitencia, reflexión y ayuno que nos prepara para la resurrección de Cristo el domingo de Pascua, a través de la cual alcanzamos la redención.

¿POR QUÉ RECIBIMOS LAS CENIZAS?

Siguiendo el ejemplo de los ninivitas, que hacían penitencia usando vestuario de yute y aplicando cenizas, nuestras frentes están marcadas con cenizas para humillar nuestros corazones y recordarnos que la vida concluye en la Tierra. Recordamos esto cuando se nos dice: “De polvo eres, y en polvo te convertirás”.

Las cenizas son un símbolo de penitencia hecha sacramental por la bendición de la Iglesia, y nos ayudan a desarrollar un espíritu de humildad y sacrificio.

La distribución de cenizas proviene de una ceremonia de épocas pasadas. Los cristianos que habían cometido faltas graves realizaban penitencia pública. En Miércoles de Ceniza, el Obispo bendecía el rudo vestuario que debían usar durante los cuarenta días de penitencia, y rociaba sobre la ropa cenizas hechas de las palmas del año anterior. Luego, mientras los fieles recitaban los Siete Salmos Penitenciales,

Lecturas Diarias

FEBRERO 19-25

Domingo: Levítico 19:1-2, 17-18, 1 Corintios 3:16-23, Mateo 5:38-48; Lunes: Eclesiástico 1:1-10, Marcos

9:14-29; Martes (San Pedro Damián): Eclesiástico 2:1-11, Marcos 9:30-37; Miércoles (Miércoles de Ceniza):

Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corintios

5:20-6:2, Mateo 6:1-6, 16-18; Jueves (San Policarpo): Deuteronomio 30:15-20, Lucas 9:22-25; Viernes:

Isaías 58:1-9a, Mateo 9:14-15; Sábado: Isaías 58:9b-14, Lucas 5:27-32

los penitentes eran expulsados de la iglesia debido a sus pecados, así como Adán, el primer hombre, fue expulsado del Paraíso debido a su desobediencia. Los penitentes no volvían a entrar en la iglesia hasta el Jueves Santo, después de haber ganado la reconciliación con el trabajo de cuarenta días de penitencia y la absolución sacramental. Más tarde, todos los cristianos, ya fueran penitentes públicos o secretos, llegaron a recibir cenizas por devoción. En épocas anteriores, la distribución de cenizas era seguida por una procesión penitencial.

LAS CENIZAS

Las cenizas están hechas de las palmas benditas utilizadas en la celebración del Domingo de Ramos del año anterior. Las cenizas son rociadas con agua bendita y perfumadas por exposición al incienso. Si bien las cenizas simbolizan la penitencia y la contrición, también son un recordatorio que Dios es misericordioso, especialmente con aquellos que lo invocan con corazones arrepentidos. Su misericordia divina es de suma importancia durante el tiempo de Cuaresma, y la Iglesia nos llama a buscar esa misericordia durante todo el tiempo de Cuaresma con reflexión, oración y penitencia.

— Catholic Online

FEBRERO 26-MARZO 4

Domingo (Primer Domingo de Cuaresma): Génesis

2:7-9, 3:1-7, Romanos 5:12-19, Mateo 4:1-11; Lunes: Levítico

19:1-2, 11-18, Mateo 25:31-46;

Martes: Isaías 55:10-11, Mateo

6:7-15; Miércoles: Juan 3:1-10, Lucas 11:29-32; Jueves:

Esther 4:17, Mateo 7:7-12;

Viernes: Ezequiel 18:21-28, Mateo 5:20-26; Sábado:

Deuteronomio 26:16-19, Mateo 5:43-48

MARZO 5-11

Domingo: Génesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timoteo 1:8b-10, Mateo

17:1-9; Lunes: Deuteronomio

9:4-10, Lucas 6:36-38;

Martes (Santas Perpetua y Felícita): Isaías 1:10, 16-20, Mateo 23:1-12; Miércoles:

Jeremías 18:18-20, Mateo

20:17-28; Jueves (Santa Francisca de Roma):

Jeremías 17:5-10, Lucas

16:19-31; Viernes: Génesis

37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28, Mateo

21:33-43, 45-46; Sábado:

Miqueas 7:14-15, 18-20, Lucas 15:1-3, 11-32

Arts & entertainment

Transmitting faith: Catholic radio station celebrates four years on air

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — When Carolina Catholic Media launched its radio station AM 1270 four years ago, it filled a huge void in Catholic radio programming in the Carolinas.

An independent station, with an affiliation with the EWTN Global Radio Network, Carolina Catholic Radio’s 10,000-watt signal spans the greater Charlotte area, transmitting faith-filled programs to listeners each day. In addition, its livestreaming and on-demand capabilities attract listeners from countries around the world, as far away as Japan and the Philippines.

Founder David Papandrea says the idea for a radio station originated from a conversation he had with Spencer Swope, EWTN’s southeast regional marketing manager, when the two met in 2015 at the Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference.

Swope told him the only places EWTN lacked area coordinators for their media missionary outreach were in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas. Papandrea, a career broadcaster, was looking for a new challenge and believes their meeting was divine providence.

Papandrea pulled together a board of directors from parishes across the region in 2016, incorporating Carolina Catholic

Radio in 2017. “Even though we have this fast growing area of Catholicism here, we were dealing with people who didn’t know anything about EWTN or Catholic radio. Everything was basically an idea for local evangelization centered on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We had to market the idea without a tangible product,” he said.

The station signed on four years ago on Jan. 31, 2019, with EWTN Radio programming, also providing local news and information for about six minutes every hour. The first feature locally produced program to hit the airwaves with local talent was “Faith and Sport” with Dr. John Acquaviva, an author and professor of exercise science at Wingate University.

Jason Murphy, coordinator of the annual Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference, received a call from Papandrea in 2019 shortly after the station went on air, asking Murphy to tape some promos for the conference. “I had never done that and was uncomfortable at first,” Murphy said.

Papandrea pushed him out of his comfort zone a bit further by asking him to tape a series of reflections. He also asked Murphy to consider taping a weekly program geared toward men. The overriding motivation was to challenge our men daily and not “see you at the conference next year.”

Murphy has recently taped the 110th

episode of “The Obligation,” his radio show that encourages men in their faith. “Men across the country are reaching out. I like hearing their conversion stories. I’m always trying to inspire men, reach men, and reawaken in them what we are called to be as husbands, fathers and men of God,” he said.

St. Mark parishioners Jean Whelan and Kathleen Lewis, hosts of “Joyful Echo,” just aired their 100th episode. Friends for 25 years, the two had no experience in radio, but Papandrea learned of their love of the Catholic faith and their leadership and involvement with the Mary’s Women of Joy group at the Huntersville parish.

They were hesitant about hosting a show at first, but after much prayer and discernment, they finally gave their fiat.

“We’re very devoted to Our Lady and we are just echoing our Magnificat through the radio show,” Whelan said. “We’re not scripted at all. We speak from the heart as we tape the program.”

Lewis added that “we talk about how Jesus touches our lives and how we respond to that echo.”

Whelan said there aren’t many places in everyday life where a woman can go to hear that they are precious to God, that He delights in her. “That’s not a message out in the world. If we can be a voice that is joyfully echoing that truth to women, we

are happy to do it.”

Carolina Catholic Media also expanded its reach by getting out into the community.

Life’s Journey…

FILE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, is interviewed by Jason Murphy of Carolina Catholic Radio during “Catholic Night” at the Charlotte Knights ballpark Truist Field on Sept. 9, 2022.

Our nation

U.S. Catholics urged to aid, pray for quake victims in Turkey, Syria

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reacting to “heartbreaking scenes” of death and destruction in Turkey and Syria, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ international policy committee urged U.S. Catholics and all people of goodwill to pray for the victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the two countries Feb. 6 and to give generously to those in need.

According to figures released Feb. 14, the death toll had risen more than 41,000 and about 75,000 others were injured.

“I join with our Holy Father Pope Francis in praying for the souls of the departed as we mourn the loss of so many lives,” Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Ill., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, said in a Feb. 8 statement.

“We pray for those injured and the many others suffering, and we also pray for the safety and protection of emergency personnel working to save lives and tending to those in need in the wake of this disaster,” he said. Rescue workers were still “trying to free people from rubble and those alive are facing freezing conditions as they try to salvage their belongings and seek shelter,” Bishop Malloy said. “In a region that has experienced much conflict and hardship, these heartbreaking scenes call out to us to provide aid and assistance to our brothers and sisters in need.”

The bishop urged U.S. Catholics “to give generously” to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association to support their efforts to provide emergency humanitarian relief.

“I also call upon the U.S. government to provide muchneeded assistance and to work in conjunction with Catholic aid organizations to deliver effective assistance to those most in need,” he said.

CNEWA, an agency of the Holy See, is looking to aid over 2,000 families in Syria’s Aleppo and Hama regions –already long ravaged by conflict – by providing bedding, food, medicines, infant formula, diapers and clothing. Donations can be made online at www.cnewa.org/work/ emergency-syria; toll-free by phone at 800-442-6392; or by mail to CNEWA headquarters, 1011 First Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022.

CRS, the U.S. Catholic Church’s overseas relief and development agency, also is accepting donations through

its website, www.crs.org. CRS is partnering with Caritas Turkey, Caritas Syria and Caritas Anatolia -- members of Caritas Internationalis, a global confederation of Catholic relief organizations – to shelter displaced victims while ensuring access to food, clean water and hygiene supplies. At least one U.S. archdiocese has announced its parishes will take up a special collection for quake victims – the Boston Archdiocese.

Rescuers carry an earthquake victim on the rubble in Jandaris, Syria, Feb. 7. A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked areas of Turkey and Syria early Feb. 6, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing thousands.

OSV NEWS | KHALIL ASHAWI, REUTERS

“Recognizing the growing need for assistance,” a Feb. 9 archdiocesan statement said, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley has asked that the collection be taken at Masses during the weekend of Feb. 18-19. The “funds raised will help to provide safe shelter, and access to food, clean water and hygiene supplies” through CNEWA and CRS, it said. — OSV News

CCDOC.ORG

Welcome the Stranger… join the Catholic Charities team as we help refugees and immigrants succeed in their new life, reach self-sufficiency, and integrate into our Charlotte community. Please note that these positions are based in Charlotte.

Supervisor, Refugee Youth and Employment Programs: Provide program management services and support the staff of our Refugee School Impact Program (ensuring the academic success of refugee school-aged children) and Employment Programs (providing job training and job seeking support and collaborating with employers). Full-time. Bachelors’ Degree and relevant work experience necessary.

Refugee Case Aide, School Impact Program: Assist staff in the implementation of After School and Summer Camp activities, and provide one-on-one tutoring/mentoring to refugee children. Part-time, 20 hours/ week. Experience working with children preferred; valid driver’s license required.

Visit ccdoc.org/jobs for more information on joining the Catholic Charities team.

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Miami archbishop offers to house exiled Nicaraguan priests

MIAMI — Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski spoke to the Florida Catholic Feb. 11 about the expected arrival in Miami of some of the political prisoners released by the Nicaraguan government and flown to the U.S. Feb. 9. “Most of the people expelled were politicians or candidates for public office that (Daniel) Ortega locked up before the elections,” the archbishop said, but among them were “four or five priests, a couple of seminarians, a deacon and an organist.” Although they would be taken in at first by Nicaraguan families, Archbishop Wenski said he offered the priests and seminarians longer term housing at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. “I’m offering them the hospitality of the seminary as well as the opportunity to get acclimated, acculturated and see what the next steps would be after that,” he said. At the seminary they could take “intensive English classes” while finalizing their immigration paperwork. The Nicaraguans were expected to arrive from Washington Feb. 12 and take part in the 1 p.m. Mass.

National Black Catholic Congress to be held in D.C. area

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholics are being invited to register to attend this summer’s

National Black Catholic Congress, which over the years has made history of its own. The National Black Catholic Congress XIII will be held July 20-23 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside the District of Columbia. Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory – the archbishop of Washington who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis in 2020, becoming the first African American cardinal in history – will give the opening keynote speech and celebrate the opening Mass. Early registration for the National Black Catholic Congress XIII ends Feb. 28 and regular registration ends July 15,. For more information, including a schedule of events, and to register, go online to nbccgathering2023.org.

Registration opens for 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Registration for the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024, will open Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. The Year of the National Eucharistic Congress and Missionary Sending 2024-25 is the third and final year of the U.S. bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival. The congress is expected to draw more than 80,000 people, with prayer and liturgies, catechesis for individuals and families, and a festival-like atmosphere. Those who want to attend can sign up at the National Eucharistic Revival’s website, www.eucharisticcongress. org. The National Eucharistic Revival is a threeyear campaign by the U.S. bishops to increase the Catholic understanding of and devotion to Jesus’ real presence in Eucharist. It was prompted after national studies reported that only 30-40% of Catholics profess that belief, and that only 15% of Catholics go to Mass every Sunday. — OSV News

Are you 70 ½ years or older?

Unlock your potential to make a difference.

An IRA rollover gift to your parish, the diocese, Catholic school, agency, or the Foundation provides meaningful support without impacting your checkbook, and can maximize your giving potential.

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

Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte

Donate Your Car

Our world Nicaraguan regime sentences Bishop Álvarez to 26 years in prison, the harshest sentence to date for an Ortega opponent

DAVID AGREN OSV News

Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa was convicted and sentenced by a Nicaraguan court to 26 years in prison Feb. 10 – barely a day after the outspoken prelate defied President Daniel Ortega by refusing to go into exile.

The court convicted Bishop Álvarez on charges of conspiracy to undermine national integrity and spreading false information after a secret trial in which he was denied a lawyer of his choosing. He was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship and prohibited from holding elected office or a public position.

Bishop Álvarez was not present as Judge Octavio Rothschuh delivered the decision Feb. 10 over state-controlled media.

Ortega disparaged Bishop Álvarez the previous day as “deranged” and accused him of being “someone who considers himself leader of the Church in Nicaragua, the Church in Latin America.”

Bishop Álvarez refused to board a Feb. 9 flight carrying more than 200 political prisoners to the United States, according to Ortega, who says the prelate wanted to meet first with his fellow bishops. Bishop Álvarez was subsequently moved from house arrest – where he had languished incommunicado for five months – to a prison notorious for deplorable conditions.

“Irrational and uncontrollable hatred from the Nicaraguan dictatorship toward Bishop Rolando Álvarez. Merciless vengeance against him. They have not withstood his moral stature and his prophetic coherence,” tweeted Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Baez of Managua, who has been exiled in Miami.

“Rolando will be free. God will not abandon him,” he tweeted. “They sink further each day in their fear and evil,” he wrote about the regime.

Bishop Álvarez’s conviction follows the Ortega regime sending 222 political prisoners to the United States, including six clergymen also convicted of conspiracy and spreading false information.

Planned Giving Officer

The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time Planned Giving Officer. This position is responsible for securing planned gifts to support ministries of the Diocese of Charlotte, cultivate relationships with current and new Catholic Heritage Society members, and increase endowment gifts to the Foundation Diocese of Charlotte that support the Diocese of Charlotte. Must be willing to travel within the Diocese of Charlotte.

Knowledge and Experience:

• BA/BS degree required

• 3 to 5 years of demonstrated experience in professional fund development; 3 years planned giving experience preferred

• Excellent relationship building skills: ability to work effectively with parishioners, prospects, and parish leaders

• Proficient in MS Office

• Excellent organizational and attention to detail skills

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently

• Experience in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge/NXT and WealthEngine preferred

Please submit letter of interest and resume to:

Gina Rhodes, Office of Development gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or mail to:

1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, Nc 28203

e Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The sentence given to Bishop Álvarez was the harshest for an Ortega opponent since the Nicaraguan leader unleashed a crackdown on critics of his increasingly tyrannical regime, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ortega has persecuted political opponents -- arresting seven potential presidential candidates prior to his winning re-election in 2021, in a race the United States and European countries considered rigged. His regime has also extinguished the registrations of nongovernmental groups, forced the closure of Church charities and educational projects, and suppressed independent media outlets.

The Nicaraguan Church has a complicated history with Ortega, who first claimed power in a 1979 revolution with the Sandinistas and returned to office in 2007, presenting himself as a proper Catholic – and supported by some in the Church hierarchy.

Church leaders clashed with Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, after protests over a proposed social security reform erupted in 2018. Parishes provided shelter for protesters and priests subsequently accompanied the families of political protesters.

“The Church has been a moral voice in supporting the defense of life and dignity,” a Nicaraguan priest, who wants to remain anonymous, told OSV News prior to Álvarez’s sentencing. “It opted for being a home or field hospital, as the pope says.”

“Bishop Álvarez,” the priest said, “is the most beloved and most respected bishop for his coherence and his commitment to the poor and neediest. He has been a clear

and firm voice in defense of human dignity and, in his role as a pastor, he has been a prophetic voice in defense of the most vulnerable.”

Youth Minister

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, located in High Point, NC has a job opening for a Youth Minister. This is a full-time position. Weekend and evenings required.

Responsibilities include: building young disciples who are connected to Parish life and have a desire to serve others. The Parish provides programs of Edge and Life Teen to assist in this effort. The Youth Minister is in charge of Sacramental Preparation for Confirmation.

Not operating alone, the Youth Minister develops a core team of volunteers and catechists to assist in building the program. Concurrently the Youth Minister should develop close communication and mutual support from the families of the youth. Community involvement would include retreats such as Catholic Heart Work Camp and locally Operation In As Much.

This applicant should be an active practicing Catholic, registered in a Parish, who embraces in word and deed the teachings of the Catholic Church.

If interested, submit resume including personal and professional references to:

Deacon Wally Haarsgaard

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church

4145 Johnson Street

High Point, NC 27265

Email: whaarsgaard@ihmchurch.org

OSV NEWS | MAYNOR VALENZUELA, REUTERS Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, a frequent critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, prays at a Catholic church in Managua May 20, 2022. A Nicaraguan court sentenced Bishop Álvarez to more than 26 years in prison Feb. 10 for conspiracy and spreading false information.

Guadalupe is a message of communion amid mixed cultures, pope says

VATICAN CITY — Our Lady of Guadalupe is a message of “mestizaje,” or a fusion of cultures that leads to an encounter between humanity and God, Pope Francis said. In a message to Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Toledo, Spain, Pope Francis reflected on the figure of Guadalupe to mark the occasion of the shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and in Spain becoming “sister shrines.” “Mary, our Mother, is always a bond of communion for her people,” and her invitation to prayer and communion “has been expressed in many places in the world with the invitation to build a temple that would be a house with doors always open to all,” the pope said in his message, which was published Feb. 13. Two of the most famous temples in Hispanic culture built at Mary’s request are the Guadalupe shrines in Spain and Mexico which are considered “sister shrines” following a ceremony in Guadalupe, Spain, Feb. 13 in which Archbishop Cerro and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes both participated.

Holy Land tourism bounces back after pandemic, but Ukraine war presents setbacks

JERUSALEM — Last December’s Christmas tree lightings in many towns and cities in Jerusalem finally pointed to a return toward normalcy for Holy Land pilgrim visits and tourism following the global pandemic and lockdowns. But the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has presented other setbacks to the local tourism economy and the pandemic changed daily living and livelihoods for many throughout the Holy Land, according to the regional director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), an agency of the Holy See. As Israel lifted all bans and restrictions connected with COVID-19, the country has witnessed a gradual return of tourism, especially in the last quarter of 2022. — OSV

When the Diocese of Charlotte celebrated its 50th anniversary with “Catholic Night” at Truist Field Sept. 9 last year, they broadcast live, featuring an interview with Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese.

“We’re hoping to spearhead more ‘Catholic Night’ events at other baseball parks across the diocese in the future,” Papandrea said.

While they are expanding programming, platforms and community reach, Carolina Catholic Media has a critical need for funding. The network was hit hard by the pandemic and forced to shut down radio operations for seven months, from August 2021 through February 2022, due to insufficient funding. As events were cancelled during the pandemic, fundraising became more difficult. The team was unable to reach out into the community to capitalize on those former opportunities to generate revenue.

“We are here to reflect our beautiful Carolina Catholic community,” Papandrea said. “You can tell when people call in how much of what we do impacts them. Some are fallen away Catholics, some agnostics, atheists… People from all walks of life are finding their way to us and hearing a positive message through our seven audio and video platforms. We need more people from our parishes, schools and ministries to partner with us to continue this important work like our recent March for Life live broadcast.”

Tune in, get involved

Local programming on 1270AM is featured daily: 1-6 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends.

Download the Carolina Catholic Media app to listen to programs live and on demand including sections on Prayer and Learning. Find out more on how you can donate or get involved at www.carolinacatholicmedia.org Questions? Email David.Papandrea@carolinacatholicradio.org.

A 2011 graduate of Belmont Abbey College, Dr. Christine J. Basil began her teaching career elsewhere and returned to serve as an assistant professor at the Honors College. She is grateful for what the college offers faculty like herself.

“The first thing the abbot said to me was: ‘Welcome home,’” Basil recalled. “That deep sense of belonging and community gives rise to very honest and vulnerable conversations. Having taught other places, I’ve never seen anything like what is possible here.”

Thierfelder added, “The two fundamental things that every human being wants is to know what’s true and to be loved. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on… We’re called to love people, invite them in. That Benedictine charism of welcoming each guest ‘in persona Christi’ (in the person of Christ) is where you see Christ in each person no matter what their background is, their faith or who they are. We say, ‘Come on in’ and ‘We love you.’”

On behalf of himself and his brother monks, Abbot Placid expressed his gratitude to everyone who has – and may still – support the “Made True” campaign.

“We, as founders of the college, are deeply moved by the generous support from the donors of the capital campaign as they join us in ensuring that this type of education – which is more important today than ever before – is available now and for future generations.”

How to give

At www.madetrue.bac.edu : Get more information and learn how to support Belmont Abbey College’s historic “Made True” campaign

Self-giving

redeems romantic love, makes it holy

As a writer, one of the things I appreciate most about the English language is its expansive vocabulary. The plethora of synonyms at our disposal makes it possible to find just the word to express subtle nuances of feeling or thought. We owe this rich treasury largely to the Norman invasion of 1066, when the Germanic Anglo-Saxon tongue was somewhat forcibly wed to the Romance language of French. The offspring of this philological union grew up to become modern English.

This explains why we tend to have at least two words for most everything, one each with German and Latin roots. Examples

Our Lady of Fatima teaches obedience and trust

neighbor as yourself is agape. To love your enemies is definitely agape.

In contrast, eros has historically gotten a bad rap. Where agape is selfless and giving, eros is selfish and receiving. But to suggest that erotic, or romantic love has no place in Christian life would be a mistake. We must be careful not to over-spiritualize religion. If the end of Christianity is the union of the human and the divine, what is human mustn’t be discarded but elevated. And what could be more human than falling in love?

A young man and young woman catch one another’s eye and experience the excitement of mutual attraction. Anyone who has ever been in love knows the rush of a new romance. You yearn for the other and long to possess them because of the way you feel when they are near you. Young love is in many ways selfish and possessive, but as love matures it becomes more selfless and giving.

include ghost (German) and spirit (Latin); body (German) and corpse (Latin). Often these words take on different connotations over time. A “body” can be living or dead, but we reserve the word “corpse” to refer to a body that’s given up the ghost. “Ghost” means the same as “spirit” but today implies a spooky spirit, so modern prayer books no longer speak of the Holy Ghost. Yet despite our rich vocabulary, English is handicapped when it comes to speaking of love. We rely on this one little word to express so much. I love ice cream. I love my children. I love my wife. I love God. The same word is used in each instance, but what I mean by it is quite different. How I feel about ice cream is not how I feel toward God (one would hope). Why is our otherwise verbose mother tongue so impoverished when it comes to the most important thing of all? It’s a mystery I have no answer to. Greek has us beat in this regard. The ancient Greeks came up with different words to describe the various kinds of love. Love between family members was called “storge,” while love between friends was “philia.” Romantic love was called “eros” (from which we get our word “erotic”), while “agape” referred to selfgiving love. This latter term is used most often in the Greek New Testament. It was translated into Latin as “caritas,” from which we get the English word “charity.”

Agape is considered the highest and purest form of love because it is the least self-interested. To love someone with agape is to love them for their own sake, not for what we get out of it. Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength requires agape. To love your

In his 2006 encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” (“God is Love”), Pope Benedict XVI redeems erotic love by showing its connection to agape. While recognizing that undisciplined eros tends toward lust, he nevertheless observes that eros also provides “a certain foretaste of the pinnacle of our existence, of that beatitude for which our whole being yearns.”

Eros and agape, he writes, “can never be completely separated… Even if eros is at first mainly covetous and ascending, a fascination for the great promise of happiness, in drawing near to the other it is less and less concerned with itself, increasingly seeks the happiness of the other, is concerned more and more with the beloved, bestows itself and wants to ‘be there for’ the other. The element of agape thus enters into this love….”

Erotic love has the wonderful effect of drawing us out of ourselves. We recognize in our beloved something that is good and beautiful and worthy, and we yearn to possess the object of our desire. If eros ends here, it degrades into lust. But rather than being eradicated, eros is meant to be elevated. As romantic love grows, the desire to possess the beloved doesn’t go away, but to it is added the desire to give oneself to the beloved.

As it matures, eros doesn’t transform into something different; it grows into something greater. Whereas eros says “I want to possess you,” agape says, “I want to give myself to you.” True, mature romance has both. “My lover belongs to me, and I to him” (Song 2:10).

Of all the many and varied forms of love, the mutually self-giving love between spouses most reflects the inner life of God – Father,

Obedience is not a trait that has ever come particularly easy for me. I have a stubborn and somewhat contrary nature. I’m also excessively curious and like to know the “why” behind everything. And I will admit to a rather rebellious streak, as well, which means that telling me to do something is often a guaranteed way to make me not want to do it. I often thank the Lord that I was given such patient and loving parents, or else I might not have survived my adolescence and young adulthood.

Coming to the Catholic Church in my mid-20s required a lot of trust in things I didn’t fully understand, things I may never fully understand this side of heaven. I had to accept many things in my heart long before I would begin to get a hold of them with my mind, and even 10 years later I am still amazed when a new piece of the faith suddenly “clicks” for me.

I recently read “Inside the Light: Understanding the Message of Fatima” by Sister Angela de Fatima Coelho. Before reading this book, I knew only the basic story of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin that took place in Fatima, Portugal, in the early 20th century: how Our Lady appeared to three young shepherd children over a series of several months, culminating in the spectacular “miracle of the sun” that was witnessed by many thousands of people.

Sister Angela presents many beautiful ideas to meditate upon, but one that struck me particularly comes from the first request the Virgin Mary made of the children. When she first appeared to them, they did not know who she was, only that she was a beautiful lady who was “dressed in the light of God.” She said to them, “I have come to ask you to come here six months in succession on the 13th day, at this same hour. Later on, I will who tell you who I am and what I want.” No introduction, no explanation, just the request that they keep showing up for her. And perhaps one of the miracles: The children obeyed! No questioning, no arguing, no bargains. The children simply did what she asked of them and were rewarded with incredible graces; so much so that two of them, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, became the two youngest nonmartyred canonized saints.

Are we as adults capable of such obedience and trust, even knowing ahead of time the rewards that are promised?

It’s easy to see the importance of obedience in children. As their caregivers, we might try to make sure that they brush their teeth, eat their vegetables, get plenty of sleep. We know that if they follow these instructions then they will thrive in life long before they are grown enough to understand the reasons behind it. Hygiene and a healthy diet are not

made more or less effective based on a child’s comprehension of them; it’s more important that they just do what they are told.

Spiritually, we are all children in the eyes of God, and sometimes we are called to trust and obey even if we don’t understand the “why” first. As we mature spiritually, God may enlighten our hearts more as to the necessity of certain practices, but that does not mean we should wait for that enlightenment before starting.

It reminds me of a quote by C.S. Lewis from his book “Mere Christianity.” In the chapter about charity, Lewis says, “Do not waste time bothering about whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” Sometimes action must precede feeling. How many of us have struggled through a new exercise regime or a healthier diet, yet only come to fully appreciate the benefits many weeks after we begin?

I do not have the most disciplined of temperaments. I can be rather lenient with myself and easily make excuses when I am not in the mood to do something. Once again, I’m grateful for the forbearance of my parents while I was growing up, especially during my teenage years, but I am also grateful for the rules and expectations they imposed, the obedience they required in certain things. Obedience was something I needed to practice before I had the maturity to appreciate the reason for it.

The Holy Catholic Church has given us certain “rules,” such as the obligation of attending Sunday Mass every week, for our own well-being. Just as God gave us the Sabbath for our need and benefit, and even made it a commandment that we rest one day a week, so the Church says we must fulfill certain duties because they are necessary for the health of our souls. In various apparitions, Our Lady has made requests of us, as she made of the shepherd children at Fatima, such as praying a daily rosary and the First Saturday Devotions.

Do we trust God? Are we willing to be obedient to Him, to the decrees of His Church, and to the requests of His Mother? Are we willing to give Him our lives and our hearts? As Sister Angela says in her book, “the things of God don’t always work according to our rules and regulations. Often, He asks for faith FIRST, and only then does He offer us the understanding we seek. … With some things the heart must understand before the mind does.”

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

Kathryn Evans Heim

Deacon Matthew Newsome

‘The mutually self-giving love between spouses most reflects the inner life of God...’

Effie Caldarola

Live Lent through the lessons of Black History Month

My friend Sister Mary Hogan told me that what she remembers most vividly about her experience in Selma, Ala., in 1965 was the “hate stare.”

Sister Hogan was a young religious sister in Detroit when then Archbishop (later Cardinal) John Dearden permitted his priests to respond to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s request for clergy and religious leaders to come to Selma. The day before, peaceful marchers had been met with violence from police and bystanders on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Her community’s superior asked who wanted to go to Selma in response to Dr. King’s plea.

“I jumped up and said, ‘I do,’” Sister Hogan told me in an interview in 2015. “I thought she was kidding.”

But the next day, Sister Hogan found herself on a plane, and if you see pictures of sisters in long, traditional black serge habits sitting in the grass near that famous bridge, you may spot her.

Later, she recalled the eyes full of contempt watching her along the march and following her at the airport. Decades later, Sister Hogan said she had never again experienced the level of hatred conveyed in those eyes.

Much has changed for the better since 1965. But Black Americans still face powerful struggles and inequality in housing, employment, health care, incarceration and education.

How about Black Catholics?

A recent Pew research study revealed that 6 percent of Black Americans are Catholic. That translates to about 3 million people.

Do they sense the same commitment from their Church and its leadership as evidenced by Archbishop Dearden in 1965? Or do they sometimes feel invisible?

THE MOST SEGREGATED HOUR

Over the recent Martin Luther King Day weekend, I attended a local parish. I intentionally scanned the crowd and found not one Black face. The homily did not mention our national observance, and the bulletin made no reference to the holiday or to the day of service it engendered.

King’s long-ago observation rang true: The 11 o’clock hour on Sunday is the most segregated in America.

But did not we, a Church full of Catholics regardless of color, have a deep need to be reminded of the ongoing struggle for justice and the legacy of a great American?

Later, I went online and found the bulletin for that Sunday from Gesu Parish in Detroit, where my friend Jesuit Father Lorn Snow is pastor. His parish, in a neighborhood that used to be mostly Jewish and Irish, is predominantly Black. But that, too, is changing, as young and suburban white Catholics come seeking the parish’s diversity.

In pastoring a Black community, said Father Snow, who is white, “the most important thing is to listen.”

Enculturating people’s experience into the liturgy is also important, he said. Gesu’s music ministry incorporates a lively African American vibe.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Gesu’s bulletin contained a full page of events relative to social and racial justice – an archdiocesan Mass at the cathedral, a parish event, an invitation to the National Black Catholic Congress in July. There was a reminder that the Novena of Grace, a nine-day preached event in March that is a tradition in Jesuit parishes, will have racial justice as its theme. If the novena is live-streamed, I plan to attend as a good (and hopefully fruitful) Lenten exercise.

But what else can I do for Lent?

One Lenten wake-up call for those who often sit in segregated pews is to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King’s stirring admonition to “moderate” whites and to Christian church leaders who often disappointed him.

Written in 1963 while King languished in jail for civil disobedience, the letter still holds relevance and challenge for our Church today.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” wrote King.

As the Church, how do we stand for justice?

EFFIE CALDAROLA is a columnist for OSV News.

Most-read stories on the web

Son and Holy Spirit mutually giving and receiving the gift of Themselves to each other for all eternity. Thus eros, when disciplined and directed toward agape, becomes holy.

The good news revealed by Christ is that God has this mutually reciprocal love for us. “I am in my Father and you are in me

and I in you,” Jesus says (Jn 14:20). That’s why at the center of the Bible we find an erotic love poem, the Song of Songs. What better response could we make to God’s offer of love than that given by the Bride in its opening lines: “Draw me after you! Let us run! … Let us rejoice and exult in you; let us celebrate your love” (Song 1:4).

Pope Francis

From online story: “Pope says education can help lift ‘darkness of hatred”

From Feb. 1 through press time on Feb. 15, 14,884 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald. com have viewed a total of 21,198 pages. The top five headlines so far have been:

n Reunited: Nicaraguan priests welcomed by Charlotte parish after imprisonment 806

n Catholic Schools Week highlights faith, excellence and service ................................................794

n St. Valentine: Mysterious martyr whose name now represents romance 789

n OLA’s Deacon Luis Flores dies, aged 62............................................................................................ 787 n Religious group takes next step in Church recognition 676

The Catholic News Herald has reached the Facebook feeds of more than 59,000 people in English and Spanish during the past month. The most talked about post? Video from the Nicaraguan priests’ arrival in Charlotte. Join the conversation: www.facebook.com/ CatholicNewsHerald.

On YouTube over the past month, videos produced by the Catholic News Herald were viewed more than 19,500 times. The most-watched video? Nicaraguan priests arrive in Charlotte.

Letters policy

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

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

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

E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

Mail: Letters to the Editor Catholic News Herald

1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203

‘There is a need for this beneficial enlightenment of knowing, while the darkness of hatred, which often comes from forgetfulness and indifference, intensifies in the world.’

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

8:00AM-3:00PM

REGISTER ONLINE AT GOEUCHARIST.COM

The Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage, held each spring on the campus of Belmont Abbey College, is designed to provide young people of the Diocese of Charlotte with a day of reflection, prayer, formation, vocation awareness and fellowship. It is a component of the annual Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress. During the day-long event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., youth enjoy live music, a vocations fair and motivational speakers, as well as Eucharistic Adoration and a Eucharistic Procession on the historic Belmont Abbey College campus. There are separate program tracks for middle and high school students, and the sacrament of confession is also available. COST

$15/person, includes lunch