March 17, 2023

At a glance

March 17, 2023

Volume 32 • NUMBER 12

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

things you need to know this week 5

THANK YOU, ST. JOSEPH

On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the faithful can relax their Lenten resolutions and partake in delightful foods, including the Italian pastries known as zeppole. Fried dough with cream and other fillings, Zeppole di San Giuseppe are traditionally served in Italy on the March 19 feast, which is also Father’s Day in Italy and other countries. This year, the solemnity has been transferred from March 19 to March 20. Try a local Italian restaurant or make your own: www. giallozafferano.com/recipes/Zeppole-di-SanGiuseppe.html

THE WORLD’S MOST POETIC PRAYER

Father Michael Rennier illustrates how the Mass heals and transforms us in “The Forgotten Language: How Recovering the Poetics of the Mass Will Change Our Lives.” The new release from Sophia Institute Press is available March 20 at www.sophiainstitute.com/product/theforgotten-language.

TOLKIEN RECEIVES HIS ONE TRUE RING

On March 22, 1916, J.R.R. Tolkien – the famous author of “The Lord of the Rings” – and Edith Mary Bratt (pictured at right) exchanged wedding rings at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Warwick, England. Because it was during Lent, a marriage service took place without a nuptial Mass. The couple later received a nuptial blessing and went on to have four children. Edith was the inspiration for the character of Lúthien in one of her husband’s earliest tales of Middle-earth.

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.

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THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IN ART

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been depicted in Christian art since the 3rd century and has been the subject of many artists’ works. With the March 25 solemnity approaching, now is a good time to teach the children in our lives about this important event in salvation history using the symbolism found in art. Many resources can be found online.

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 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

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: After 9 a.m. Mass every third Sunday at Mother Teresa Pro-Life Memorial, St. Vincent 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. For details, contact your parish office. To register for online training, go to www. virtus.org. Upcoming workshops:

ARDEN: 9 a.m. Saturday, March 18, St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Dr. CHARLOTTE: 6 p.m. Monday, March

Search “Annunciation” at www.sophiainstituteforteachers.org/art for discussion guides.

MEATLESS MEALS MADE EASY

In a rut with your Friday meals this Lent? Try one of the roughly 400 meatless dishes at CatholicMom.com, such as Irish swordfish and vegetables, hummus pizzas, money-saving pasta meals, or one of the delectable shrimp dishes at www.catholicmom.com/ articles/tag/meatless-friday

— Annie Ferguson

20, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road

GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, March 25, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road

SUPPORT GROUPS

RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for men and women in the diocese. For details, contact Jessica Grabowski at 910-5852460 or jrgrabowski@rcdoc.org, or Lorena Haynes at 828-585-0483.

TALKS

CURSILLO REGION VII SPRING

ENCOUNTER : Friday-Saturday, April 14-15, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. An encounter is one of the few times that all the language groups (English, Spanish and Vietnamese) come together. For details and registration, visit www.charlottecursillo.com.

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

MARCH 18 – 10:40 A.M.

Mass for the Catholic Men’s Conference of the Carolinas St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte

MARCH 21 – 10:30 A.M.

Solemn High Mass for the Solemnity of St. Benedict Belmont Abbey, Belmont

MARCH 23 – 11 A.M.

Funeral Mass for Father Tom Clements Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury

MARCH 25 – 1:50 P.M.

Lenten Youth Pilgrimage Eucharistic Adoration Belmont Abbey, Belmont

Our faith

Pope Francis

To be an apostle is to serve, not move up Church’s hierarchy

Pope Francis celebrates the Eucharist during a visit to St. Joseph Parish in Rome for Gaudete Sunday in Advent, one of two occasions in the year when rose-colored vestments are permitted, the other being Laudete Sunday in Lent.

CNS | PAUL HARING

Laetare Sunday and our Lenten journey

The fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally known as Laetare Sunday. This name is taken from the opening antiphon at Mass, Laetare Jerusalem which means “Rejoice, O Jerusalem.”

Laetare Sunday marks the halfway point through the Lenten season of fasting, penance and almsgiving, and because of this it is a day of joy in anticipation of the close arrival of Easter. This day corresponds with Gaudete Sunday, the halfway point through the season of Advent. On both days, the priest wears rose-colored vestments and the altar is decorated with flowers, traditionally roses.

During both Lent and Advent, the rose color is meant to be a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Our Lord’s birth and resurrection.

Laetare Sunday signifies a temporary suspension of our voluntary penitential observances. In the early Church, marriages were not allowed to be held during the Lenten season except on this one day.

Laetare Sunday is meant to be a jubilant and joyous day amid the darkness of Lent and coming Passiontide.

Laetare Sunday should remind us to keep focused and remember why we are fasting, doing penance and giving alms – all of it is in

Daily Scripture readings

MARCH 19-25

Sunday: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41; Monday (St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary): 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, Romans 4:13, 16-18, Matthew 1:16, 18-21; Tuesday: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12, John 5:1-16; Wednesday: Isaiah 49:8-15, John 5:17-30; Thursday (St. Turibius of Mogrovejo): Exodus 32:7-14, John 5:31-47; Friday: Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22, John 7:12, 10, 25-30; Saturday (The Annunciation of the Lord): Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10, Hebrews 10:4-10, Luke 1:26-38

anticipation of Easter. It is not for some arbitrary reason that we give things up for these 40 days or that we make special acts of penance and charity, but it is to unite us with and bring us closer to Our Lord.

St. Paul reminds us, “And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of His body, the Church. And I have been made a servant of the Church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming His message, which is the secret He hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to His people” (Col 1:24-26).

As an Easter people, we are to keep our hearts and minds on Our Lord and to seek Him alone. For it is only in Christ that suffering and death are overcome.

While Lent is a time of darkness, a spiritual desert, we place our hope in the Resurrection.

As St. Peter reminds us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

— Spencer K.M. Brown. Catholic Online contributed.

Being an apostle does not mean climbing up the Church’s hierarchy to look down on others but humbling oneself in a spirit of service, Pope Francis said.

During his general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 15, the pope explained that apostleship as understood by the Second Vatican Council produces an equality – rooted in service – among laypeople, consecrated religious, priests and bishops.

“Who has more dignity in the Church? The bishop? The priest? No, we are all Christians at the service of others,” he said. “We are all the same, and when one part (of the Church) thinks it is more important than the others and turns its nose up (at them), they are mistaken.”

Vatican II, the pope said, did not focus on the laity’s relationship with the Church’s hierarchy as a “strategic” move to adapt to the times, but as “something more that transcends the events of that time and retains its value for us today.”

The Second Vatican Council’s “Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity” states that collaboration between the hierarchy and the laity is essential for the church to fully live out its mission.

Viewing Christian life as a chain of authority “where the person on top commands the rest because they were able to climb up (the ladder)” is “pure paganism,” said the pope.

Reflecting on the passage from St. Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus sends out 72 apostles ahead of Him two-by-two, Pope Francis said that service is the vocation Jesus gives to all, including “to those that seem to be in more important positions.”

“Listening, humbling yourself, being at the service of others: this is serving, this is being Christian, this is being an apostle,” he said.

The pope encouraged Christians to pray for members of the Church’s hierarchy who appear conceited since “they have not understood the vocation of God.”

MARCH 26-APRIL 1

Sunday: Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45; Monday: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11; Tuesday: Numbers 21:4-9, John 8:21-30; Wednesday: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95, Daniel 3:52-56, John 8:3142; Thursday: Genesis 17:3-9, John 8:51-59; Friday: Jeremiah 20:10-13, John 10:31-42;

Saturday: Ezekiel 37:21-28, Jeremiah 31:1013, John 11:45-56

APRIL 2-8

Sunday (Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord): Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:1427:66; Monday: Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:1-11; Tuesday: Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-33, 3638; Wednesday: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Matthew 26:14-25; Thursday (Holy Thursday): Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15; Friday (Good Friday): Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9, John 18:1-19:42; Saturday (Easter Vigil): Genesis 1:1-2:2, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18, Romans 6:3-11, Matthew 28:1-10

Pope Francis also asked that all members of the Church reflect on their relationships and consider how that impacts their capacity for evangelization.

“Are we aware that with our words we can harm people’s dignity, thus ruining relationships?” he asked. “As we seek to dialogue with the world, do we also know how to dialogue among ourselves with believers? Is our speech transparent, sincere and positive, or is it opaque, ambiguous and negative?”

“Let us not be afraid to ask ourselves these questions,” the pope said, because examining the responses can help lead Christians toward a more apostolic Church.

Our diocese

For the latest news 24/7:

catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Catholic News Herald announces new photographer/videographer, Troy Hull

CHARLOTTE — The Catholic News Herald announces the addition of Troy Hull, photographer and videographer, to its team.

Hull began his career as a videographer and live broadcast truck operator in television news and sports. With more than 20 years of experience, he has covered many major stories. From presidential visits by Bill Clinton through Barack Obama, to covering several hurricanes that hit the Carolinas, his work and news expertise have appeared in a wide variety of news projects, winning such accolades and industry awards as an Emmy and an AP Press award.

Hull’s passion and skill in photography led to his working with such clients as Amazon, ESPN the Undefeated, United Negro College Fund, the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Post, Q-City Metro. com, Johnson & Wales University, Johnson C. Smith University, First Presbyterian Church, and The First Tee of Greater Charlotte. Hull and his wife live in Charlotte. Hull will serve as the senior photographer and videographer for the Catholic News Herald and the Diocese of Charlotte Communications Office.

— Catholic News Herald

Perpetual Adoration returns to Pennybyrn in High Point

HIGH POINT — After a three-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration will return to the chapel at Pennybyrn retirement community on March 19, the eve of the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

“We are all very excited,” said Sister Lucy Hennessy, S.M.G., mission leader and chairperson of Pennybyrn’s board of directors. “When the chapel closed, it was devastating for people. We are all so happy about the return of Perpetual Adoration.”

After the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, the Blessed Sacrament will be taken in procession up the center aisle of the main chapel and then over to the Adoration Chapel to be officially enthroned, Sister Lucy said. Father James Solari, assisted by Deacon David King, will lead the Eucharistic Procession, Benediction and Divine Praises followed by silent prayer.

Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist by at least one person every hour of every day will then resume in the chapel.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chapel closed March 14, 2020, after holding Perpetual Adoration for nearly 26 years – since the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 5, 1994. Re-recruiting people to commit one hour a week took time. Four coordinators worked hard to fill six-hour time periods for each day of the week and ultimately reached their pre-Easter goal.

A minimum of 168 people are needed to make Perpetual Adoration possible. However, having at least two adorers assigned to each hour is helpful for backup, making the preferred number of adorers 336. After coordinators’ efforts, there are now a record 219 people committed to Holy Hours. There are a good mix of new adorers and those who have committed to it for many years, Sister Lucy noted.

The Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, who serve at Pennybyrn, also spend time in Eucharistic Adoration early each morning.

“We want the faithful to come, too,” Sister Lucy said. “But the sisters are there if needed. We love it as much as they do.”

— Annie Ferguson

New health ministry bridges faith and medicine at St. Matthew Parish

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — At St. Matthew Parish, ministering to both body and spirit are top priorities. For years, parishioners have enjoyed spiritually enriching educational programs in addition to its 100-plus ministries. Now the parish has established a health ministry, aimed to promote wellness and provide education by connecting parishioners to community resources.

In an effort to provide health-focused initiatives for St. Matthew parishioners, the parish has entered into a partnership with Atrium Health and its Faith Community Nursing Program.

Sandy Farrelly, who chairs the new health ministry committee, has been a nurse for 40 years. The first step she and her committee took was to hire a part-time Atrium Health Faith Community Nurse, Maryanne White, to work directly with the parish.

“I presented the idea of faith community nursing some 10 years ago, but it just wasn’t the right time,” Farrelly said. “This is a great place to have parish nurses. This ministry has such potential to expand and with Atrium we will have access to more resources. I’m really excited about that!”

“It’s wonderful to be a nurse in your own faith,” said White, who has been in nursing for 48 years and a member of the parish for the past 30 years. “It’s a chance to combine my faith with health. It’s wonderful to be working in my own parish and to be the first nurse at St. Matthew.”

Faith community nursing was formally recognized as a specialty by the American Nurses Association in 1998. A faith community nurse is required to complete an approved basic preparatory training to support holistic health and provide spiritual care for people connected to a house of worship.

White will coordinate programs at St. Matthew Parish in cooperation with the health ministry committee. Currently the committee has a survey posted online for parishioners to respond

to. Once the results are in and an understanding of the needs of the parish can be gleaned, specific programs will be scheduled at both the church’s Ballantyne and Waxhaw locations.

“We do a wonderful job of meeting spiritual needs at the parish, and we have a great counseling center,” said parish ministry leader Deacon Joe Becker. “Physical needs are what we wanted to turn to next, and to do it from a faith-based perspective.”

He explained that the faith community nurse is not intended to be a one-on-one healthcare provider, but rather someone who can connect parishioners, such as the elderly, with community resources.

“What we’re trying to do is to be present to our parishioners in a way that can help them with whatever unmet needs they have,” Deacon Becker added.

Last month, as part of the parish health and wellness education and outreach efforts, White conducted an orientation program on CPR, AED use, and what to do if someone is choking. On Saturday, March 25, she will offer blood pressure checks after the 4 p.m. Mass at St. Matthew’s Waxhaw location.

Father John Allen, St. Matthew’s pastoral administrator, is pleased with the new ministry and faith community nurse partnership. “Since our spiritual life and spiritual health involves both body and soul, I am delighted that St. Matthew is partnering with Atrium Health to provide a parish nurse and wellness opportunities for our parishioners,” he said.

St. Matthew Parish joins Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte in offering a Faith Community Health Ministry. St. James the Greater Parish in Concord also has a parish nurse to assist parishioners with their healthcare needs and offer educational programs at the parish.

Learn more

For more information about St. Matthew Parish’s health ministry or survey, check the parish bulletin online at www.stmatthewcatholic. org; or email Maryanne White, faith community nurse, at maryanne. white@atriumhealth.org.

Pennybyrn’s Sister Lucy Hennessy honored with Long Leaf Pine Award

HIGH POINT — More than 300 people turned out for the 55th annual St. Patrick’s Day Tea at the Pennybyrn Retirement Community in High Point on March 12, where Sister Lucy Hennessy was surprised with the state’s Long Leaf Pine Award, the most prestigious award conferred by the governor of North Carolina. It is awarded for exemplary service to the state and one’s community and only bestowed on some of North Carolina’s most prominent citizens. Sister Lucy, who hails from Ireland, serves as mission leader and chair of the board of directors at Pennybyrn and has led the community of more than 450 residents for over 30 years. N.C. Sen. Michael Garrett presented the award at the event, which mostly served Irish Coffee as well as tea, courtesy of the Knights of Columbus. Among those in attendance were residents, staff, volunteers, donors, priests and religious. N.C. Governor Roy Cooper signed the award, with the official words: “Reposing special confidence in the integrity, learning and zeal of Sister Lucy Hennessy, I do by these presents confer The Order of the Long Leaf Pine with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary privileged to enjoy fully all rights granted to members of this exalted order among which is the special privilege to propose the following North Carolina Toast in select company anywhere in the free world: ‘Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine / The summer land where the sun doth shine / Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great / Here’s to “down home,” the Old North State!’”

— Catholic News Herald

Hull

CHARLOTTE — Bishop

Bishop’s new portrait unveiled

Diocese of Charlotte

Director of Leadership Gifts Full Time

Candidate must be a college graduate with a degree in marketing, communications, business administration or related field with five years’ work experience in fund development. Leadership gift experience preferred. Applicants should have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to interact well with diverse groups. Responsibilities include developing strategies, events, and materials to inform, engage, cultivate, and solicit current and prospective leadership gifts.

Please submit resume to Jim Kelley, Office of Development, jkkelley@rcdoc.org

or 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC. Questions call Jim Kelley at 704-608-0359.

Put your professional skills to use for the Church

The Diocese of Charlotte is hiring!

CHARLOTTE — Amid a historically tight labor market, the Diocese of Charlotte has more than 50 jobs available across its Catholic Schools Office, central administration and Catholic Charities agency.

Diocesan leaders encourage people to apply, as the diocese’s competitive pay and benefits, plus its family-friendly work environment, make it a good fit for those interested in putting their professional skills to work for the Church. Missiondriven individuals are sought for full- and parttime positions in education, social work, human resources, technology services, campus ministry, development and finance.

“Come join one of the fastest-growing dioceses in the United States,” invited Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools. “We are always looking for those interested in the teaching or business side of education. As an educator in our diocese, you will help form the next generation to pursue excellence of intellect, heart and soul with salvation as the ultimate goal.”

Gerry Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities, encouraged job seekers to apply to the organization’s 12 open positions.

“In the ministry of Catholic Charities,” he said, “every workday is an opportunity to live out the preaching of Jesus found in Matthew 25:35-36: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’”

Is God calling you to work for His Church?

— Annie Ferguson

Learn more

At www.charlottediocese.org/human-resources/ employment-opportunities : Find a complete listing of jobs in the Diocese of Charlotte

LIZ CHANDLER | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Peter Jugis was presented with his new episcopal portrait March 2, on the occasion of his birthday March 3 and, later this year, his 20th anniversary of his ordination as the fourth Bishop of Charlotte. The new official portrait will replace his original portrait that has been on display at parishes, schools and diocesan ministries since his episcopal ordination in October 2003. The portrait was taken by Travis Burton, owner of TO2 Photography and member of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte.

Reminiscences from parishioners and friends

“Father Tom was my pastor at Sacred Heart in Salisbury for many years. He was kind to everyone, humble and very intelligent. He also had a wisdom that could be quite astounding. Even in the most difficult situations, he had advice that would bring healing. And if you needed his help, he was there. The last time I saw him was at Pennybyrn. He could no longer remember me, but Father Andrew Draper and I went to say hello when we saw him in one of the common areas. Father Draper asked him for a blessing, and Father Tom remembered every word of it – a priest always and forever! May he rest in peace.”

— Sister of Mercy Susie Dandison

“I had the privilege of working with Father Tom at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro in 1987-1988 when he served as pastor there and I was parochial vicar. I remember his humility, easygoing nature and great dedication to ministering to the sick and dying and their family members.”

— Father Ron Marecki

“Father Tom was a great priest and friend. He drove to Quebec, Sainte-Annede-Beaupré, to perform our marriage for my wife Colleen and me. He was there at the birth of our two sons to offer prayer and support. Anytime you had an emergency, or any problems, day or night, he was there to help. If anyone should receive his just reward and go home to Our Heavenly Father, it’s Father Tom Clements.”

— Deacon James Mazur, Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury

“Father Tom held and holds a special place in my heart. When my youngest sister needed a kidney transplant and none of us qualified, he offered to donate one of his. He did not match, but the thought and gesture are still dear to my heart.”

— Sister of Mercy Martha Hoyle

“I had the pleasure of working with Father Tom at the Salisbury VA and will never forget his acts of kindness with the veterans. He brought great comfort to all he had contact with. As an RN, I will never forget when he performed the blessings of the hands and the healing that was felt from that. Although I am not Catholic, he took the time to give me a rosary and then to explain the rosary and its meaning. I will never forget his kindness.”

— Sharon Taylor

“Father Tom married us, baptized our children and led us to God in the most inclusive ways possible. If we were interested in seeking God, Father Tom helped move the boulders that were blocking our path. And he did it with courage, love and laughter – even if it took a gentle kick in the behind to move you toward the light. He was a shepherd. His flock’s journey with God, the condition of our souls, came first. … While he was a well-versed theologian, he believed in social justice, community and reaching out to your neighbor in practical matters, rather than lofty verbiage. He would make St. Francis proud. Thank you, Father Tom. You have changed generations of hearts for the better. Rest in the arms of God. You earned it.”

— Steve and Mary Jo Simpson

Father Thomas Clements passes away at 94

HIGH POINT — Father Thomas Paul Clements, one of the longestserving priests in North Carolina who was known for his kindness, passed away peacefully on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Pennybyrn retirement community in High Point. He was 94.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered by Bishop Peter J. Jugis at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 23, 2023, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 375 Lumen Christie Lane in Salisbury, N.C. Bishop Jugis ministered at Sacred Heart with Father Tom in the late 1980s. A reception will immediately follow at the pavilion of The Revival Golf Course at the Crescent, 220 Laurel Valley Way in Salisbury. Interment will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Nantucket, Mass. Father Tom will be buried with his sister and her family. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated by Father John M. Murray, pastor of St. Mary, Our Lady of the Isle Parish. Father Tom attended and celebrated Masses at St. Mary, Our Lady of the Isle Parish as well as weddings, baptisms and funerals for his family there.

Father Tom studied throughout his priesthood. He spent a year in Rome (1966-1967) at the Pontifical North American College. He later studied at the University of Georgia (1972-1973) and returned home to continue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a master’s degree in social work in 1974. He was the director of Catholic Social Services from 1972 to 1986 and served as the vicar of the Hickory, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Albemarle vicariates at different points in his ministry.

He also served as the chaplain at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salisbury from August 1997 until March 2010. This work was very important to him, and he touched many lives there during his tenure. He made many friends at the VA center, as he did wherever he went.

Clements

A beloved pastor, family member and friend, Father Tom ministered at parishes throughout North Carolina for 45 years until his retirement in 2000. This May would have been the 68th anniversary of his priesthood.

Born in Raleigh on March 26, 1928, to the late Joseph B. and Mary J. Clements, Tom went to grade school at the Cathedral School in Raleigh before moving to Maryland to attend St. Charles High School. He later attended St. Charles College, a minor seminary in Catonsville, Md.

He continued his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, where he was ordained a deacon in 1954. He returned to his hometown to be ordained a priest at Raleigh’s Sacred Heart Cathedral on May 19, 1955. Bishop Vincent Waters presided over the ordination that also included Father Robert Shea and the future Monsignor Joseph Showfety, the first chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Tom began his priestly ministry when the Diocese of Raleigh comprised the entire state. His first assignment was at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Newton Grove followed by St. Benedict Church in Greensboro, where he was parochial vicar for two years.

His first assignment as pastor came in 1958 at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Shelby followed by Christ the King Mission in Kings Mountain, St. Joseph of the Hills Church in Eden, St. Joan of Arc Church in Candler, Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, Holy Family Church in Clemmons and Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

In 1988, he returned as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. Although he didn’t know any Spanish at the time, Father Tom started the Hispanic Ministry at the parish in 1995 because he saw a need for it. He ministered at Sacred Heart until his retirement in 2000 and continued to assist with sacraments at nearby parishes.

Father Tom’s family was always an integral part of his life. He was devoted to his sister, Anne, and consistently made a point to visit her for her birthday. He was there for Anne and her four children when she was widowed at a young age. He was a wonderful uncle to all of his nine nieces and nephews. He spent as much time with them as he could when they were growing up, while still fulfilling his duties as a full-time pastor of his church. He faithfully stayed in touch with his family in North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, South Carolina and Massachusetts. He was his family’s uncle and priest and served both titles in an exemplary way for decades.

Father Tom also had a deep love and respect for nature. He enjoyed the outdoors and was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in whatever part of the country he happened to be. Birds had a special place in Tom’s world, and he passed that love and respect on to his family. When he would visit his sister and family in Nantucket, one of his favorite things was to walk to the beach and spend quiet time there. He would always bring back treasures from these walks. In August 2012, Father Tom was fortunate to move into Pennybyrn at Maryfield with the help of his nieces, Soo and Diane. It was a joyful process and one that he embraced, much to his family’s delight. He settled into assisted living and lived a happy and full life at Pennybyrn. His family is forever grateful to everyone who was a part of Father Tom’s life at the retirement community. His niece, Soo, was a regular visitor there, and every visit assured her how well-cared for Father Tom was and how content and delighted he was being a part of the Pennybyrn family. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph B. and Mary J. Clements, brother Joseph “Doc” Clements, sister Anne Hancock Woodley, sister-in-law Edie Clements, brothers-in-law David Hancock and Jack Woodley, niece Carolyn Clements, grandniece Marnie Clements, niece Bonnie Woodley, cousin Mrs. Leo Middleton and Mr. Laurie Murray and many other loved aunts, uncles and cousins. Those left to cherish his memory are his nieces and nephews, Soo Woodley (Ernie Oliver), Patrick Hancock (Kris), Michael

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SOO WOODLEY AND ST. BENEDICT CATHOLIC CHURCH

Soo Woodley regularly visited her Uncle Tom at Pennybyrn retirement community in High Point. A beloved son, uncle, brother, cousin and priest, Father Tom Clements always made time for his family.

Father Tom Clements (above) was ordained in 1955 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh with Monsignor Joseph Showfety and Father Robert Shea. Bishop Vincent Waters presided.

Father Tom Clements was part of the family for many parishioners and often visited their homes. He posed for a photo at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury with Annie (Reilly) Ferguson, who is now a part of the Catholic News Herald editorial team, on the day of her First Holy Communion in 1989.

A most ‘clement’ priest

Remembering my pastor, Father Tom

Inclined to be merciful, mild, compassionate – that was Father Tom Clements. It’s rare to embody the meaning of one’s name so thoroughly, but Father Tom always seemed to do things right. From my vantage point, his clemency knew no bounds.

As my pastor from when I was 7 to 19 at Sacred Heart in Salisbury, Father Tom was an integral part of many of my religious milestones and present for all the celebrations in between. We were incredibly blessed to have him at our parish for so long. Between Sunday and school Masses, we’d see him at least twice a week. Anytime I had a part in the Mass, especially when I’d feel awkward (and very tall) as a teenager, he had a way of putting me at ease just by being himself – incredibly kind. He saw people’s souls instead of exterior appearances and treated each person with care. At our eighth-grade graduation Mass, I could feel his sadness over our departure from the parish school. As I grew up, I eventually started realizing just how wonderful a priest he was. I greatly admired him for starting Hispanic Ministry at the parish in 1995, and I remember telling him so after Mass one day. In his response, I could see

how important it was to him to love and minister to all of God’s people. He was 67 and didn’t know any Spanish, but he started to learn.

I most especially loved my First Holy Communion. Father Tom made time to drop by the celebration at our home afterward. Even though I heard he might come, it was truly special when he arrived. Five years ago, I found a photo from that day in 1989 and began to appreciate the depth of his ministry as I reminisced and gained new awareness of his good works, including all he did for my family.

In the days following his passing, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Father Tom through the eyes of his family, friends and people from the VA Hospital in Salisbury. So profound were the stories of his acts of mercy and healing that they took my breath away. That’s the true priesthood of Jesus Christ – a breathtakingly beautiful gift from God. With Father Tom, it felt like the Good Shepherd Himself was with us. Those years with him surely left an imprint on my soul. May he rest in peace with Our Loving Father.

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

could always say so much with very few words.”

FROM PAGE 6

Woodley, Diane Nichols, Jack Woodley Jr., Joseph Clements III (Donna), Frank Clements (Kim), Robert Clements (Susie), 18 grandnieces and nephews, 12 greatgrandnieces and nephews, and many loving friends.

To quote a friend who sent a card of condolence: “Father Tom was a man who

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Father Tom Clements’ name to: Sisters of Maryfield, SMG, 1315 Greensboro Road, High Point, N.C. 27260; or to Salisbury VAMC, Voluntary Service, 1601 Brenner Ave., Salisbury, N.C. 28144, where any funds donated will be used directly for the veterans. Sechrest-Davis Funerals and Cremations in High Point is in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNIE FERGUSON

a man of good reputation, full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit’

Benedictine monk, Brother James Raber, ordained a deacon

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

BELMONT — Benedictine monk

Brother James Raber of Belmont Abbey was ordained a deacon March 8 during Mass at the Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.

Atlanta Auxiliary Bishop John Nhan Tran presided over the Mass and ordination, serving as homilist. Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey, Benedictine priests, visiting priests and priests of the Diocese of Charlotte also assisted at Mass. In his homily, Bishop Tran cited the second reading, Acts 6:1-7b, encouraging Deacon Raber to “be a man of good reputation, full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit,” as he embarks on his ministry as deacon.

“Conform your manner of life always to the example of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve, who gives His life as a ransom for many,” Bishop Tran said. “Serve others with great joy and humility as you would serve the Lord.”

A native of Charleston, S.C., Deacon Raber entered Belmont Abbey in 2014, after having worked for seven years as a ship’s navigator in the Merchant

Marines. He made his solemn vows as a monk in 2018.

“Brother James, indeed, you have come a long way,” Bishop Tran said in recounting all of the years and the journey that brought him to this day.

“Your life of service to God and His people beginning today takes on a new meaning today. Jesus, who calls you to service, is also with you until the end of time as He promised.”

“May our Blessed Mother, Mary Help of Christians, intercede for you daily as you pray the rosary. And may God, who has begun the good work in you, bring it to completion,” Bishop Tran concluded.

Deacon Raber can now proclaim the Gospel at Mass, give homilies, baptize and officiate at weddings. He is considered a “transitional” deacon as compared to a “permanent” deacon – a reflection that he intends to continue his formation and prepare for the final step of ordination to the priesthood next summer.

Learn more

At www.belmontabbey.org : Learn more about the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey

‘Be

PHOTOS BY ROLANDO RIVAS

(From left) Atlanta Auxiliary Bishop John Nhan Tran invokes the Holy Spirit during the ordination rite. Deacon James Raber, a Benedictine monk, lies prostrate before the sanctuary steps in Mary Help of Christians Basilica at Belmont Abbey March 8.

The Golden Arrow Prayer

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God, be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, in heaven, on earth, and in the hells, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

New pastoral associate for music and liturgy named at St. Pius X Parish

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

GREENSBORO — After a national search for a new pastoral associate for music and liturgy, the people of St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro decided they already had everything they were looking for in parishioner Francine Britto. After her predecessor, Andrew O’Connor, accepted a position at a church in Florida, Britto graciously agreed to help out in the interim while the search continued.

Growing prayer apostolate seeks Christ’s Face in prayer

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

HUNTERSVILLE — It’s not a typical prayer group, or a typical devotion to Our Lord. On Monday evenings, a number of parishioners quietly make their way into St. Mark Church and kneel before an image of the Holy Face of Jesus. They pray specific prayers to make reparation for sin in the world through what is called the “Apostolate of Reparation through the Holy Face.”

“It has been said that devotion to the Holy Face is really devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ,” said Virginia Greecher, who coordinates the group at St. Mark. “Our thoughts focus on the intense love that Jesus has for each of us – a love so intense that it is depicted as His Sacred Heart on fire, blazing with love for us. How can one respond to such love? Only with love.”

The apostolate has spread to Holy Spirit Parish in Denver, St. Michael Church in Gastonia, and both St. Ann and St. Thomas Aquinas parishes in Charlotte over the past 14 months.

Each Monday, the group meets at St. Mark and prays The Golden Arrow prayer. This prayer was revealed by Our Lord in a private revelation to Venerable Sister Marie de St. Pierre, a Carmelite nun of Tours, France, in 1843 as a way to make amends for the sins of blasphemy, worshipping false idols and failing to keep the Lord’s Day holy – all sins against three of the Ten Commandments.

“We now have a core group of 10 people and others join us as they feel called,” Greecher said. “I believe reparation is a call from God. It’s that call that sets someone on fire for love of God. Once they realize it, they are ablaze.”

She and others prayed a nine-day novena from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20 leading up to the feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday. She said the purpose of the Apostolate of Reparation through the Holy Face at St. Mark Parish is the same as that stated by Sister Marie: “By virtue of this Holy Face, offered to the Eternal Father, we can appease His anger, and obtain the conversion of the wicked and of blasphemers.”

On Feb. 21, St. Mark Parish celebrated a Holy Face feast day Mass. Near the altar was a relic of St. Veronica, who

is believed to have wiped the face of Jesus as He made His way to Calvary, and an image of the Holy Face of Jesus. The image is a replica of the relic of the veil of St. Veronica, which is kept at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Father Aaron Huber, St. Mark’s parochial vicar, offered the Mass and posed questions to those gathered during his homily: “Ask yourself, ‘Am I seeking His face in these practices? Am I seeking His face in my prayer?’”

He encouraged them in their apostolate, saying, “And since we know that Our Lord uses instruments, allow yourself to be an instrument of His hand to reach out to those who do not know Him. Be aware that you bear the Face of Christ in your heart and your actions.”

Celeste Richards, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Denver, attended the Monday prayers at St. Mark for months. She felt a nudge to ask her pastor, Father Carmen Malacari, if she could start a Holy Face Apostolate at their parish.

Father Malacari offered the first Holy Hour dedicated to Reparation through the Holy Face last Nov. 15, the anniversary of Our Lord’s appearance to Sister Marie. He continues to lead the Holy Face Apostolate prayers during Adoration every Tuesday morning after the 9:15 a.m. Mass. Each week, Richards places an image of the relic of the Holy Face of Jesus in the church for the Holy Hour and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. She also places a relic of St. Pius X, who in 1905 commissioned the image of the Holy Face, next to the image.

She is thankful for Father Malacari’s leadership and hopes his example encourages other priests to bring the apostolate to their parishes.

“I know Our Lord listens to us,” Richards said. “We are begging Him for His mercy during these times. This is one way we can all be with Him if we answer His call. Hopefully, we are saving someone’s soul.”

Learn more

For more information about bringing the Apostolate of Reparation through the Holy Face to your parish, contact Virginia Greecher at greecherv3@gmail.com. Prayers and general information can be found online at www.holyfacedevotion.org

“I was enjoying some time off, but I think it’s just in my blood –fortunately or unfortunately – that I can’t get myself out of liturgy and music,” Britto said with a laugh.

Previously the director for music and liturgy at Holy Infant in Durham, Britto moved to the Triad for her husband Errol’s job as a general surgeon at Novant Health-Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

Britto has a licentiate in music, a post-master’s degree from The Trinity College of Music in London and certifications in liturgy and in early childhood development from The London Montessori Schools. Britto has lived and worked in parishes all over the world and also looks forward to starting a regular youth choir at St. Pius X Parish that will learn a wide range of music, from traditional to contemporary.

She noted her 13 years at St. Mary’s Parish in Oak Ridge, Tenn., as being particularly special to her as she enjoyed working with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Originally from India, Britto has a soft spot for religious sisters thanks to an experience with the Missionaries of Charity.

“My background is in classical music, directing and composing music. I went into teaching at a high school, which was a lot of fun,” she said. “I was young and didn’t look at the Church as my direction, but then I met the Dominican sisters and remembered my great experiences with Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity, and that led me to where I am now.

“I always say God puts you in places you least expect to be, but trust in Him and goodness knows where you’re going to be next.”

Britto

Father Aaron Huber (left), parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish, celebrated Mass on Feb. 21, Shrove Tuesday, for the feast of the Holy Face of Jesus. (Above) Parishioners gather weekly at several parishes in the diocese to pray The Golden Arrow prayer to make reparation for sin in the world.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

schools

Inspiring the next generation

New initiative at Charlotte Catholic High School showcases beauty of the Catholic faith

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — A transformation has occurred in a main hallway at Charlotte Catholic High School. The once plain white walls across from the school chaplain’s office now showcase engaging displays of art and information to help students grow in their understanding and love of the Catholic faith.

The displays are just one component of a new “Catholic Campus Immersion Initiative,” an effort by the Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools Office to highlight aspects of the faith in a highly visual manner at its 20 schools, starting with Charlotte Catholic High School. The displays, which run along the hallway outside the school chaplain’s office, are changed throughout the school year to reflect the liturgical seasons – using art that captures students’ attention and solicits their input, enabling them to participate directly in the initiative.

“The idea is when the students are in the school, going from class to class, the atmosphere reinforces the faith they are being taught in the classroom,” explained Dr. Daniel Garland, the diocese’s director of religious education for schools.

The “Catholic Campus Immersion Initiative” focuses on three primary areas: permanent structure design, rotational displays, and music and vocal.

The goal, Garland said, is to have a new item each quarter that emphasizes each area of focus. The goal, he said, is to ensure that throughout the school, “rather than a bombardment of disconnected Catholic images, there is a unified theme, whether it be sacred art, murals, etc.”

Suzanne Cona, who teaches Latin and co-chairs the school’s World Language Department, is on the steering committee and coordinates the rotating displays for the initiative. She spearheaded an Advent display featuring the “O Antiphons,” a Christmastide display, and the current display, “A Journey Through Lent.”

“We wanted to create spaces and environments in the school where people can expect to see certain things,” Cona said, “like the Chaplain’s Hallway, where the students know they can find something interesting there to help them grow in their faith. It’s been a wonderful way to evangelize.”

Hunter McNamara, a senior, and his classmates are responding positively to the displays. “I think it’s a great representation of Lent. It gives us a visual roadmap of the journey,” he said.

“The Lent display reminded me that it’s not going to be a smooth journey … there will be bumps along the way,” added senior Laura Anderson.

“I enjoyed making my mark on the school and knowing that my art is impacting the faith journey of others,” said junior Maddie Haines, who created most of the artwork for the Lent display.

Garland noted that the initiative is not going to be relegated to just one hallway. “Eventually we will have sacred art throughout the school, so students are immersed in beauty, because beauty points to God. It’s attractive,” he said. “The more they see beauty, the more they are transcended, and their eyes are drawn up to God.”

Garland said Catholic Schools officials hope to replicate the “Catholic Campus Immersion Initiative” at other schools in the diocese in the future.

Christ the King names Mark Tolcher next principal

HUNTERSVILLE — After a national search, Christ the King Catholic High School and the Diocese of Charlotte announced the appointment of Mark Tolcher, a veteran Catholic school administrator, teacher and coach, as the school’s next principal beginning July 1, as part of a transition to a president-principal leadership model.

Tolcher brings more than 18 years of Catholic school experience, currently serving as director of

enrollment at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Ga., where he also served as associate assistant principal for a year and as a theology instructor from 2017 to 2021.

A lifelong Catholic with a passion for strong academics and sharing the faith in the formation of young people, Tolcher previously taught religion at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Hapeville, Ga., and theology at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Fayetteville, Ga., where

he also coached three sports and worked as an administrator. For eight years, he worked as a high school youth minister at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Jonesboro, Ga.

“Mr. Tolcher is a man of deep faith and an experienced educator who, like us, believes in developing the whole child – academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally,” said Dr. Greg PRINCIPAL, SEE PAGE 24

Tolcher

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SUZANNE CONA

Charlotte Catholic High School students and Father Juan Miguel Sanchez, school chaplain, peruse “A Journey Through Lent” display March 9. The display is part of the new Catholic Campus Immersion Initiative created to help the school community grow in their understanding and love of the Catholic faith.

New statue allows St. Pius X students to feel the embrace of the Holy Family

GREENSBORO — A beautiful new statue of the Holy Family greets all who enter St. Pius X School in Greensboro. The bronze work of art now graces DeJoy Circle near the school’s main building breezeway entrance. Imported from Italy, the statue is a gift from parishioners Tom and Mary Martin. There are plans to include a plate acknowledging the Martins’ generous gift, and the area will be landscaped this spring. “It is absolutely OK for students to touch the statue!” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, the pastor of St. Pius X Church. Under his direction, it was placed at the height where the average second-grader can reach the child Jesus’ hands. Monsignor Marcaccio also said he wants everyone, especially the children of the school and parish, to feel welcome to touch the statue. He added, “How sacred and how special it is that, as students and families walk past the statue at our school, they will be able to feel the embrace of the Holy Family.”

— Annie Ferguson

Bishop McGuinness Varsity Girls win state championship for second year

KERNERSVILLE — The Lady Villains are seeing double – double NCHSAA 1A girls basketball championship titles, that is. On March 11, for the second year in a row, the girls’ team at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville won the state championship. The team (28-4), led by Coach Brian Robinson, bested Chatham Charter School by 30 points. “Winning the state title in 2022 was an awesome experience,” Robinson said. “Going into 2023, we knew we had to do double the work just to get back to the same point because we had a target on our backs.”

He added, “To the girls’ credit, they didn’t let the distractions of trying to repeat get the best of them, and now they find themselves as back-to-back state champions.”

Previously, the Villains won nine straight state championship titles from 2006 to 2014. After their wins in 2022 and 2023, the team has an 11-0 record in NCHSAA championship appearances, all with Robinson at the helm. This year, sophomore Adelaide Jernigan earned the MVP award after scoring a game-high 21 points.

— Annie Ferguson

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PHOTO PROVIDED

St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrates all things Irish

CHARLOTTE — Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but more than ever this year as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade returned to Charlotte on March 11. The day’s festivities were the first held since the pandemic, and thousands of people came out to celebrate everything Irish.

Students from St. Patrick, St. Ann and Our Lady of the Assumption schools, plus members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Knights of Columbus, Irish dancers, pipe and drum bands, alumni from Belmont Abbey College and other Catholic entities took part.

— Catholic News Herald

Hundreds of people filled the streets of Charlotte on March 11, clad in festive green to celebrate the return of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

PHOTOS BY MIKE FITZGERALD AND LIZ CHANDLER | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Catholic schools from the Diocese of Charlotte and the Knights of Columbus marched in this year’s parade.

Bishop announces dispensation from ‘meatless Friday’ – with conditions

Enjoy corned beef on St. Paddy’s Day, but add a prayer

CHARLOTTE — Bishop

Peter Jugis has announced a dispensation for Roman Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte to abstain from eating meat on Friday, March 17, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, so everyone can get into the spirit of the holiday and enjoy the traditional Irish meal of corned beef if desired.

To receive the dispensation, you must transfer your “meatless Friday” to another day that week, as part of your ongoing Lenten practices of abstinence, prayer and almsgiving, the bishop said in his announcement March 7.

Alternatively, the bishop said, people can:

n Assist at Mass at any church, chapel or oratory on March 17,

n Pray the Breastplate of St. Patrick (also known as the Lorica of St. Patrick) on March 17, or

n Engage in prayer such as the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, Stations of the Cross or a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

The dispensation was shared at all Masses in diocesan churches over the weekend of March 11-12.

Roman Catholics aged 14 or older (unless they are ill or pregnant or nursing mothers) must normally abstain from meat and meat products on all the Fridays of Lent, as well as on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Meat includes beef, pork, lamb, chicken, venison and other land-based animals. Eggs, butter and cheese are permitted. Fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are also permitted.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops notes that in all cases, common sense should prevail. Ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting, and indulging in a lavish seafood buffet misses the point since abstaining from meat and other indulgences during Lent is a penitential practice.

— Catholic News Herald

A mitad de Cuaresma

Me pidieron que escribiera una reflexión cuaresmal. Creo que no soy la mejor candidata para esta tarea pues ni siquiera me gusta que me pongan la ceniza en la frente. Sinceramente, el Miércoles de Ceniza estuve deseando quitármelas. Nunca he profundizado en el por qué de esto. Simplemente no me gusta la ceniza en la frente. Estamos a la mitad de esta poderosa temporada de Cuaresma ¿Qué tengo para ofrecer como reflexión? Este es el momento en el que muchos de nosotros miramos hacia atrás, hacia nuestros sacrificios “fallidos”, y hacia la semana más apasionante de nuestro año eclesiástico. Yo ni siquiera puedo mantener durante 40 días mis sacrificios de “renuncia”. ¿Cómo voy a caminar estas próximas semanas sincera e intencionalmente junto a Jesús mientras se acerca a Jerusalén?

Cuando era una monja joven, siempre abordaba la Cuaresma con entusiasmo. Hacía una lista de los sacrificios a los que renunciaría. Hacía también una segunda lista de las acciones que emprendería durante la Cuaresma para ayudar a los demás. Me encantaba la Cuaresma. Vivir en un convento con otras monjas que hacían el mismo tipo de sacrificios y buenas obras lo hacía mucho más fácil. Ahora soy una monja vieja, muy feliz, pero vieja. Quisiera pasar este tiempo santo en conversión y arrepentimiento, pero las cosas han cambiado en estos años. La vida se ha vuelto mucho más compleja, incluso para una monja feliz.

Yo he cambiado. He perdido a mis queridos padres y a varios amigos íntimos. Mi corazón se rompe mucho más fácilmente estos días, especialmente cuando la gente comparte su tristeza, sus penas en la vida, sus preocupaciones por sus hijos, sus temores por lo que el futuro depara a sus nietos y muchas cosas más.

Las lágrimas brotan mucho más libremente a medida que escucho con más corazón. He luchado contra el cáncer, no tan gloriosamente, y tengo una lucha diaria y permanente con la linfedema (Nota de redacción: Linfedema es la hinchazón que causa la acumulación de líquido linfático en el cuerpo. Generalmente ocurren en brazos o piernas). Soy fuerte y débil al mismo tiempo. Soy más consciente de las abundantes bendiciones que Dios me da cada día, de las buenas personas que ha puesto en mi vida y, sobre todo, de su tierno cuidado de mí.

Deseo de todo corazón terminar la Cuaresma en buena forma. Pero hay veces que siento que me aferro al pie de la cruz y me arrastro hacia la Pascua en lugar de mantenerme valientemente erguida acompañando a Jesús en su camino hacia la cruz.

A estas alturas de la Cuaresma, mis sacrificios y mis buenas obras se determinan ahora sobre todo a diario, y responden a las necesidades de las personas a las que sirvo cada día. Me doy cuenta que dedico más tiempo de mi oración diaria a pedir a Dios que me guíe ese día hacia donde sea más útil para sus propósitos.

Sí, como tantos, voy a terminar esta Cuaresma por la gracia de Dios. Tal vez de rodillas y con lágrimas en la cara, pero cojeando agradecida hacia la Pascua con un corazón más blando, con un poco menos de ego y una pasión para la misión renovada y convertida. Todo por la gracia de Dios. Y tú, ¿cómo vas a terminar la Cuaresma?

LA HERMANA JUANA PEARSON es asistente del Director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

La peregrinación visitará los más importantes lugares de Tierra Santa. Los asistentes, entre muchas otras actividades, recorrerán el camino de la Vía Dolorosa a través de las calles de la Antigua Jerusalén hasta la Puerta del Juicio y la Tumba de Jesús en la Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro.

Invitan a peregrinación juvenil a Tierra Santa

CÉSAR HURTADO

rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Del 8 al 17 de diciembre, el Padre Julio Domínguez, vicario episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte, conducirá una peregrinación a Tierra Santa especialmente dirigida a contar con la participación de jóvenes provenientes de la totalidad de parroquias y misiones de la diócesis.

“Este año he creído conveniente invitar a los jóvenes mayores de 18 años a realizar una peregrinación conmigo a Tierra Santa. Quiero inspirar a todos esos jóvenes en la fe, y qué mejor manera de llevar a estos jóvenes a los lugares santos que les darán espacio a la reflexión”. dijo el Padre Domínguez.

VISITA COMPLETA

La peregrinación iniciará siguiendo los pasos de Jesús en el Mar de Galilea. Durante el primer día realizarán una travesía por el Mar de Galilea, visitarán el Monte de las Bienaventuranzas, escenario del Sermón de la Montaña, donde el Padre Domínguez celebrará Misa. Proseguirá hasta Cafarnaúm, donde visitarán los restos de la antigua sinagoga del Siglo IV y la Casa de San Pedro. Luego, se dirigirán a Tabgha, hasta la Capilla del Primado de Pedro, donde Jesús apareció ante los discípulos tras la Resurrección. La jornada concluirá con la visita de Magdala, lugar de Nacimiento de María Magdalena.

TIERRA SANTA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 24

Hermana Joan Pearson, SSJ

FOTOS CORTESÍA PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ

Integrantes de la pastoral familiar del Vicariato de Charlotte junto a las parejas participantes en una de las sesiones de preparación matrimonial realizada en la parroquia San John Neumann en Charlotte. Si usted y su pareja están interesados en contraer el sacramento del matrimonio, aún cuentan con tres sesiones en 2023: 20 de mayo, 19 de agosto y 18 de noviembre.

Monseñor Romero, símbolo de la justicia social

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

Oscar Arnulfo Romero, nacido en agosto de 1917 en el seno de una familia humilde en El Salvador, fue ordenado sacerdote en Roma el 4 de abril de 1942 y en agosto de 1943 regresó a su país natal, donde lo nombraron párroco.

Después de ocupar importantes cargos, en 1977 fue nombrado arzobispo de San Salvador por el Papa Pablo VI, iniciando su defensa de los derechos humanos en medio de una naciente guerra civil, denunciando y condenando los ataques contra la Iglesia y los salvadoreños.

CÉSAR HURTADO

rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Las parejas de la Diócesis Católica de Charlotte que deseen contraer el sacramento del matrimonio, aún cuentan con tres diferentes sesiones de preparación durante 2023, requisito indispensable para procesar su solicitud de matrimonio en cualquier parroquia diocesana o incluso fuera de nuestras fronteras.

Gonzalo Pulgarín, coordinador del equipo de Pastoral Familiar del Vicariato de Charlotte, dijo que ya se realizó una fecha en febrero, pero aún están disponibles espacios para el 20 de mayo, 19 de agosto y 18 de noviembre. La primera sesión se llevará a cabo en la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y las dos siguientes en la Parroquia San Gabriel, ambas localizadas en Charlotte.

“Estas charlas de preparación son para las parejas que quieren santificar su relación con el sacramento del matrimonio”, dijo Pulgarían. “Los sacerdotes nos refieren a las parejas que se han presentado ante ellos para casarse, y es nuestra responsabilidad ofrecerles una fecha en la que recibirán las bases del sacramento y los ayudarán a discernir sobre la posibilidad de una vida juntos”, añadió.

La mayoría de las parejas, precisó, son personas que ya han convivido por muchos años, tienen hijos, y se acercan voluntariamente porque, en muchos casos, sus hijos los cuestionan ante la imposibilidad de que puedan acercarse a recibir la comunión. Por ejemplo, explicó que los hijos reciben la Primera Comunión, y tras ello quedan desconcertados al ver que su papá y mamá no pueden acompañarlos al altar para recibir el Cuerpo de Cristo.

“Por lo general, el católico no comprometido está enamorado de los sacramentos para sus hijos, pero no quiere involucrarse más en la Iglesia. Ahora, frente a los hijos, les toca el corazón el pedido de ellos, y luego de casarse se dan cuenta de

las bendiciones que reciben en el hogar”, añadió.

TEMARIO

Pulgarín dijo que se abordan diferentes temas como el Sacramento del Matrimonio, generalmente proporcionado por un sacerdote o diácono; Dios en el centro del hogar; Misión en la Familia; Sexualidad y Paternidad responsable; Comunicación y Finanzas.

“Entregamos no solo formación espiritual sino también formación práctica que les va a servir a las parejas en su vida juntos. Es importante que las parejas pongan los pies en la Tierra y entiendan que el sacramento del matrimonio es una vocación”.

CERTIFICACIÓN

Tras concluir la jornada de preparación, las parejas reciben un certificado otorgado por la Diócesis de Charlotte que es válido en el territorio diocesano, al igual que en cualquier parte del mundo.

Pulgarín hace notar que, en algunos casos, hay parejas que se casan en Latinoamérica, pero tienen pocos días para realizar el matrimonio entre sus familiares y amigos en sus países de orígen. En estas ocasiones, el poder contar con el certificado de preparación matrimonial que emite la diócesis es muy importante, porque su validez es reconocida internacionalmente y así se facilita el cumplir con los requisitos.

Para participar en las sesiones de preparación es requisito indispensable ser referidos por su párroco, diácono o encargado de las charlas de preparación para el sacramento del matrimonio. La pareja solo necesita atender uno los días programados. El costo de la capacitación, que es enteramente presencial, de 9 de la mañana a 5 de la tarde, es de $50.00 por pareja e incluye desayuno ligero, almuerzo y materiales.

Para registrarse debe llamar a la Sra. Adriana Plata al 980-339 2049, o al Diácono Eduardo Bernal al 704-770 8342, o por email a hispmincharlotte@gmail.com

Esto lo hizo blanco de una campaña en su contra por parte de los sectores poderosos del país, del gobierno y organizaciones político militares. Fue calumniado, insultado y amenazado. Varios de sus amigos sacerdotes fueron asesinados.

El 24 de marzo de 1980, mientras celebraba Misa, un francotirador cegó la vida de Monseñor Romero. La noche anterior a su muerte había hecho un llamado al ejército y la guardia nacional, expresando que ante una orden de matar, que es dada por un hombre, debe prevalecer la ley de Dios que dice ‘¡No matarás!’. “Por tanto, en nombre de Dios, y en nombre de este pueblo sufrido, cuyos lamentos suben al cielo cada día más tumultuosos, ¡os ruego, os suplico, os mando! En nombre de Dios: ‘¡Cese la represión!’”, dijo.

Fue canonizado en 2018 por el Papa Francisco, quien reconociendo su martirio lo había beatificado en febrero de 2015.

INSPIRACIÓN

Para el Padre Hugo Medellín, vicario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, “el tiempo de Óscar Romero fue un tiempo muy difícil”, por la violencia desatada debido a conflictos socioeconómicos. “Y dentro de tanta violencia salió una voz profética que imploraba la paz, buscaba la concordia y denunciaba la injusticia”.

De Óscar Romero, señala, se esperaba que “dirigiera una Iglesia que no interfiriera con la política de su país”, pero él no se contuvo en expresar la verdad. “Óscar Romero, fue ‘la voz de los sin voz’. Por eso, en momentos de mayor dificultad, cuando tratamos de ser solidarios con los pobres y fieles a la doctrina social de la Iglesia podemos siempre ir a nuestros ejemplos de fe. Podemos ofrecer nuestros esfuerzos por aliviar los muchos males que agobian a los pobres, pidiendo a Dios que esta sea una ofrenda digna a su presencia. Y pedir a San Romero de América, como la

tradición de dos mil años nos lo enseña, San Óscar Romero, Mártir de la Justicia Social, ruega por nosotros”.

Moisés Cisneros, católico salvadoreño residente en Charlotte, recuerda los tiempos de convulsión social que vivió en su país natal cuando era un niño de 14 años. “Íbamos a la iglesia con miedo pues habían asesinado catequistas, y mi papá lo era. Sentíamos el ‘calorcito’ de la voz de Monseñor Romero, que era una voz de esperanza que resonaba en los momentos

tan graves y dolorosos que estábamos viviendo”.

Pero el día que lo asesinaron, refiere, “fue un golpe muy grande, porque la voz que sonaba fuerte y nos defendía estaba desapareciendo”.

“Nosotros contábamos con muy poco, y entre las pocas cosas teníamos una radio pequeña. Mi papá, después del asesinato de Monseñor Romero, no prendió la radio por un mes en señal de duelo”.

Inspirado por Monseñor Romero, Moisés Cisneros es hoy activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes más débiles y desprotegidos, además de un activo colaborador de su parroquia local, San John Neumann, donde dirige el coro hispano.

El Papa Francisco, durante la audiencia del 15 de octubre de 2018, dijo que “San Óscar Romero supo encarnar con perfección la imagen del buen Pastor que da la vida por sus ovejas” y recordó, citando la homilía que pronunció el Santo el Primer Domingo de Adviento de 1977, que “mártir quiere decir testigo, es decir, testigo del mensaje de Dios a los hombres. Dios quiere hacerse presente en nuestras vidas, y nos llama a anunciar su mensaje de libertad a toda la humanidad. Sólo en Él podemos ser libres: libres del pecado, libres del mal, libres del odio en nuestros corazones, libres totalmente para amar y acoger al Señor y a los hermanos”.

El martirio de San Oscar Romero será recordado durante la homilía de la Misa que celebrará la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte el viernes 24 de marzo a las 12 del mediodía. Todos están invitados a asistir.

— Colaboró ACI Prensa

¿Quiere contraer el sacramento del matrimonio?

Tres oportunidades para asistir a sesiones de preparación en 2023

FOTO CORTESÍA GONZALO PULGARÍN

FOTO CNS/OCTAVIO DURÁN Oscar Arnulfo Romero, arzobispo de El Salvador, posa con mujeres y niños en una foto sin fecha determinada. El Arzobispo Romero, víctima de la guerra civil en su país, fue asesinado el 24 de marzo de 1980, mientras celebraba Misa en la capilla de un hospital.

SERGIO LÓPEZ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La Legión de María celebró su cuarto año de apostolado en la parroquia Divino Redentor, sirviendo a los condados Surry, Yadkin, Forsyth y Stokes, en su misión del rezo del Santo Rosario en los domicilios de sus integrantes. El movimiento tiene como propósito enseñar a las personas a rezar el rosario, visitar enfermos en casas y hospitales, visitar a personas que se encuentran enfrentando crisis personales, siempre con el propósito de acompañarlos, darles ánimo y palabras de aliento.

Cuatro años de la Legión de María en Divino Redentor

SERGIO LÓPEZ

selopezgutierrez@charlottediocese.org

BOONVILLE — La Legión de María celebró su cuarto año de apostolado en la parroquia Divino Redentor, sirviendo a los condados Surry, Yadkin, Forsyth y Stokes, en su misión del rezo del Santo Rosario en los domicilios de sus integrantes.

La Legión de María, que está cumpliendo 101 años de fundación a nivel nacional, es uno de los movimientos apostólicos más antiguos del país, a la par con el movimiento de los Caballeros de Colón.

Cesar Morales, presidente del movimiento en Divino Redentor, dijo que uno de los carismas de este movimiento es principalmente enseñar a las personas a rezar el rosario en sus casas, visitar a los enfermos en casas y hospitales, visitar a personas que se encuentran enfrentando crisis personales, con el propósito de acompañarlos, darles ánimo y palabras de aliento. También, señaló, enfocan su atención en adultos mayores, especialmente en aquellos que viven en soledad, para brindarles compañía y apoyo.

Respecto al festejo, que se llevó a cabo en el salón parroquial Joseph Waters a fines del mes pasado, dijo que se prepararon con algunos meses de anticipación, “diseñando la decoración, pensando en lo que se serviría de cena y el programa”.

Para la celebración involucraron a los demás movimientos de la parroquia. “Creo que fue una buena idea el haber incluido la participación de todos los hermanos para vivir nuestro aniversario”, dijo, reconociendo la asistencia de la Renovación Carismática que ayudó con su Ministerio de música y sirviendo la cena; el Grupo

Lecturas Diarias

MARZO 19-25

Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo

Toribio era graduado en derecho, y había sido nombrado Presidente del Tribunal de Granada, España, cuando el emperador Felipe II al conocer sus grandes cualidades le propuso al Sumo Pontífice para que lo nombrara Arzobispo de Lima. Roma aceptó y envió el nombramiento.

En 1581 llegó Toribio a Lima como arzobispo. Su arquidiócesis tenía dominio sobre Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile y parte de Argentina. Medía cinco mil kilómetros de longitud y abarcaba más de seis millones de kilómetros cuadrados.

Al llegar a Lima, Toribio tenía 42 años y se dedicó con todas sus energías a lograr el progreso espiritual de sus súbditos. Los conquistadores cometían muchos abusos y los sacerdotes no se atrevían a corregirlos. El arzobispo empezó a atacar fuertemente todos los vicios y escándalos. A los pecadores públicos los reprendía fuertemente, aunque estuvieran en altísimos puestos.

Fundó el primer seminario de América. Casi duplicó el número de parroquias o centros de evangelización en su arquidiócesis. Cuando él llegó había 150 y cuando murió ya existían 250 en su territorio.

Cuando llegó una terrible epidemia gastó sus bienes en socorrer a los enfermos, y él mismo recorrió las calles acompañado de una gran multitud llevando en sus manos un gran crucifijo y rezándole con los ojos fijos en la cruz, pidiendo

Juvenil, que asistió con algunas dinámicas; el Movimiento Familiar Cristiano, la Adoración Nocturna, los Jóvenes Adultos para Cristo, y otros ministerios, “que ayudaron distribuyendo la cena, el servicio y compartiendo con la diferente gente de la parroquia”.

La iniciativa de involucrar a los demás movimientos surgió de uno de los miembros de la Legión, y fue apoyada por el párroco, Padre Jean Pierre Uswumanu Lluposo, que siempre ha tenido la iniciativa de involucrar a todos los movimientos como un solo cuerpo del Divino Redentor.

Hace algunos días, el Padre Julio Domínguez, dirigiéndose a los fieles de la parroquia, señaló que entendiendo que cada quien tiene su misión, su carisma, “dentro de la parroquia cada quien tiene su apostolado, diferentes actividades, pero cuando estamos en Divino Redentor debemos de ponernos la camiseta de Divino Redentor, y ser eso”.

Respecto a la Legión de María, su presidente explicó que en la Diócesis de Charlotte existen cuatro Presidiums (comunidades) en español y ocho en inglés. Cada Presidium se estructura en dos grupos: activos y auxiliares.

Los Legionarios activos son los que se encargan del apostolado, la misión en casas, familias, hospitales, asilos y fuera de la iglesia, en el caso, por ejemplo, si alguna persona les requiere aprender a rezar el rosario se comunica con ellos y así la visitan para ayudarla.

Los Legionarios auxiliares se encargan de la oración, rezar el rosario y las oraciones de la Tesera, es decir las oraciones de la Legión de María. “La oración es el apostolado y compromiso de los Auxiliares, por medio de la oración fortalecen nuestro apostolado y ellos son parte importante de la misión que hacemos en la Legión de María”, aclaró Morales.

Domingo (Cuarto Domingo de Cuaresma): 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Efesios 5:8-14, Juan 9:1-41; Lunes (Solemnidad de San José, esposo de la Bienaventurada Virgen María): 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16, Romanos 4:13, 16-18, 22, Mateo 1:16, 18-21, 24; Martes: Ezequiel 47:1-9, 12, Juan 5:1-16; Miércoles: Isaías 49:8-15, Juan 5:17-30; Jueves (Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo): Éxodo

32:7-14, Juan 5:31-47; Viernes: Sabiduría 2:1, 12-22, Juan 7:1-2, 10, 25-30; Sábado (Solemnidad de la Anunciación del Señor): Isaías 7:10-14, Hebreos 10:4-10, Lucas 1:26-38

MARZO 26-ABRIL 1

Las medidas enérgicas que tomó contra los abusos que se cometían, le atrajeron muchos persecuciones y atroces calumnias. Él callaba y ofrecía todo por amor a Dios, exclamando, “Al único que es necesario siempre tener contento es a Nuestro Señor”.

Tres veces visitó completamente su inmensa arquidiócesis de Lima. En la primera vez gastó siete años recorriéndola. En la segunda vez duró cinco años y en la tercera empleó cuatro años. La mayor parte del recorrido era a pie. A veces en mula, por caminos casi intransitables. Eran viajes para destruir la salud del más fuerte. Muchísimas noches tuvo que pasar a la intemperie o durmiendo en el suelo. Los preferidos de sus visitas eran los indígenas y los negros, especialmente los más pobres, los más ignorantes y los enfermos. Logró la conversión de un enorme número de indígenas. Cuando iba de visita pastoral viajaba siempre rezando. Al llegar a cualquier sitio su primera visita era al templo. Reunía al pueblo y les hablaba por horas y horas en el idioma de ellos que se había preocupado por aprender muy bien. En cada pueblo se quedaba varios días instruyendo a los nativos, bautizando y confirmando.

Santo Toribio recorrió unos 40,000 kilómetros visitando y ayudando a sus fieles. Al final de su vida envió una relación al rey contándole que había administrado el sacramento de la confirmación a más de 800,000 personas.

Domingo (Quinto Domingo de Cuaresma): Ezequiel 37:12-14, Romanos 8:8-11, Juan 11:1-45; Lunes: Deuteronomio 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, Juan 8:1-11; Martes: Números 21:4-9, Juan 8:21-30; Miércoles: Deuteronomio 3:14-20, 49-50, 91-92, 95, Juan 8:31-42; Jueves: Génesis 17:3-9, Juan 8:51-59; Viernes: Jeremías 20:10-13, Juan 10:31-42; Sábado: Ezequiel 37:21-28, Juan 11:45-56

FOTO DOMINIO PÚBLICO ‘Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo’, óleo sobre tela de autor anónimo (Segunda mitad del Siglo XVII). Colección del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes en Buenos Aires, Argentina.

a Dios misericordia y salud para todos.

El 23 de marzo de 1606, un Jueves Santo, murió en una capillita, en una lejana región, donde estaba predicando y confirmando a los indígenas. Ya moribundo pidió a los que rodeaban su lecho que entonaran el salmo que dice: “De gozo se llenó mi corazón cuando escuché una voz: iremos a la Casa del Señor. Que alegría cuando me dijeron: vamos a la Casa del Señor”. Las últimas palabras que dijo antes de morir fueron las del Salmo 30: “En tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”.

Su cuerpo, cuando fue llevado a Lima, un año después de su muerte, todavía se hallaba incorrupto, como si estuviera recién muerto. Después de su muerte se consiguieron muchos milagros por su intercesión. Santo Toribio tuvo el gusto de administrarle el sacramento de la confirmación a tres santos:

Santa Rosa de Lima, San Francisco Solano y San Martín de Porres. El Papa Benedicto XIII lo declaró santo en 1726.

— Condensado de ACI Prensa

ABRIL 2-8

Domingo (Domingo de Ramos): Mateo 21:1-11, Isaías 50:4-7, Filipenses 2:6-11, Mateo 26:14–27, 66; Lunes: Isaías 42:1-7, Juan 12:1-11; Martes: Isaías 49:1-6, Juan 13:21-33, 36-38; Miércoles: Isaías 50:4-9, Mateo 26:14-25; Jueves Santo: Éxodo 12:1-8, 1 Corintios 11:23-26, Juan 13:1-15; Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor: Ismael 52:13–53, Hebreos 4:14-16, 5:7-9, Juan 18:1-19, 42; Sábado (Vigilia Pascual): Génesis 1:1–2, 2, Génesis 22:1-18, Éxodo 14:15-15:1, Isaías 54:5-14, Isaías 55:1-11, Baruc 3:9-15, 32-4, 4, Ezequiel 36:16-17a, 18-28, Romanos 6:3-11, Mateo 28:1-10

The life you save might be your own

March 25 marks the 98th birthday of the late Flannery O’Connor

Reading Flannery O’Connor requires a stout heart and a strong stomach.

In her short life before she died of lupus, she wrote two novels and roughly two dozen short stories that continue to shock and unsettle us. With a wicked pen, she gleefully maims and kills off her characters in a million disturbing ways: They get drowned, hanged, run over by cars (twice in a row), wrapped in barbed wire and beaten to death. Her characters are prostitutes, pedophiles, arsonists, murderers, nihilists, and (worst of all for O’Connor), salesmen. But if you read her biography, she’s practically the patron saint of Catholic fiction: a devout, daily Mass Catholic who read St. Thomas Aquinas in her spare time and made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

As readers, we wonder, “Is there something I’m missing?” How should we read O’Connor’s writing, and where is her faith in the pages of such brutal fiction?

Readers of O’Connor will notice that most of her stories follow one basic biblical narrative: St. Paul on the road to Damascus. Again and again, she depicts an event of searing violence in which divine grace shocks a hard-hearted, wicked or selfish person into a moment of recognition. In this terrible moment O’Connor offers her characters a choice, a flash of self-knowledge and an encounter with God that utterly burns away their illusions.

O’Connor does this best in one of my favorite tales, “Good Country People,” where she tells the story of Hulga, a nihilist with a Ph.D. in philosophy and a wooden leg. Convinced of the meaninglessness of life and that morality means nothing, the atheist Hulga lives consumed by pride and anger until she meets a traveling Bible salesman who seduces her and steals her wooden leg, leaving her stranded and legless in the loft of a barn.

On his way down the ladder, the salesman sneers, “You ain’t so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!” Horrified to find a man who actually lives out the philosophy she claims to believe, Hulga now faces a pivotal choice as the story ends. And indeed the choice is ours as well: Do we accept this painful revelation of the truth, or do we return to a life of emptiness and sin? O’Connor’s tales do not always reveal what her characters decide: sometimes she leaves it to us to choose.

What O’Connor does in “Good Country People” is to reveal to Hulga (and to us) the true face of evil. O’Connor knew as she wrote her fiction that in an age of relativism we have lost a proper sense of right and wrong. Dulled by our own sins and by the de-Christianization of Western culture, we have lost the will and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. As she once wrote in an essay:

“When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs as you do, you can relax a little and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock – to

the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures.”

In a Western culture that accepts sin as personal preference and dismisses moral truth-claims as ideology or bigotry, modern man needs an arresting, visceral depiction of evil that can shock everyone into agreeing, “This is wrong.” For O’Connor, the logical extreme of godlessness is a pervert with a fetish for artificial body parts. As the Misfit, a serial killer in her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” says: “It’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can – by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness….”

But we can see a deeper truth behind O’Connor’s terrific fictional violence: she wants to show us the way that Divine Providence can bring good even out of terrible evil. To many of us, the problem of evil remains perhaps the most compelling argument against the existence of a loving and all-powerful God. O’Connor answers this by showing how God incorporates the violent sins of men into His plan. In O’Connor’s novel “Wise Blood,” Hazel Motes, an atheist preacher of the “Church without Christ” runs over a rival prophet named Solace Layfield with his car. Although Layfield was only pretending to be a prophet to make money on street corners, he is forced to confront the ultimate things when he gets murdered by Motes. In his last moments, he confesses his sins and calls out the name of Jesus. Just minutes after working as a false prophet for three dollars a night, Layfield receives one of O’Connor’s famous wakeup calls and finally responds to grace. Little wonder, then, that she named him “Solace.”

In O’Connor’s fiction, God allows acts of violence to bring about spiritual healing in wounded and sinful characters because she believes that violent encounters strip away the nonessential and make us confront the Truth of things. “It is the extreme situation that best reveals what we are essentially,” O’Connor told an audience once. “The man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable to his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to take into eternity with him;

and since the characters in this story are all on the verge of eternity, it is appropriate to think of what they take with them.”

There’s nothing like being about to die to help you reassess your priorities.

Finally, the events in O’Connor’s fiction should remind us that God brought about the redemption of all human beings

precisely through permitting an act of unspeakable violence: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. If God can bring cosmic victory out of the apparently senseless, spiteful torture and execution of His innocent Son, then He can, as St. Paul says in Romans 8:28, make “all things work together unto good.”

The truth is that the strange art of Flannery O’Connor will continue to puzzle and provoke us. As she once wrote, “We Catholics are very much given to the Instant Answer. Fiction doesn’t have any. It leaves us, like Job, with a renewed sense of mystery.” In her brief but fierce career as an American Catholic writer, O’Connor left us a vivid, challenging collection of works, her stark characters and plots standing out in sharp relief from the pages of her books. It’s a body of work not easy to encounter, but it’s one that is impossible to forget. So buckle up: If you read O’Connor’s stories of grace, the life you save may be your own.

DR. KELLY SCOTT FRANKLIN is a writer and associate professor of English at Hillsdale College. This article first appeared in Catholic World Report. rockhilloratory.org oratorycenter@gmail.com

Power, Passion, Darkness, Dawn

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How

Flannery O’Connor is seen in this undated photo.

CNS | COURTESY 11TH STREET LOT

Our nation

Catholic, labor leaders raise concerns over changes to child labor laws

KIMBERLEY HEATHERINGTON OSV News

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a legislative development that has drawn concern from both Catholic and labor leaders, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., signed into law March 8 the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, which eliminates state age verification for children younger than 16 seeking a job.

The legislation comes despite federal investigations in multiple states of hundreds of cases of children as young as 12 working in meat-packing plants or automotive factories. And multiple states are set to follow Arkansas’ example. Arkansas law previously stipulated the Arkansas Department of Labor issue an official employment certificate for minors under 16 seeking to work, which included parental or guardian permission, a job description and schedule –considered deterrents to potential child labor law violators. Sanders’ office noted that all existing Arkansas child labor laws still apply, and businesses are expected to observe them. However, prior to the signing of the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, Arkansas was one of eight states where the U.S. Department of Labor discovered children as young as 13 working at two meat-packing plants: George’s Inc. in Batesville, Ark., and Tyson in Green Forest, Ark.

“The Diocese of Little Rock is concerned about the exploitation of children and youth under the age of 16 to perform dangerous jobs, often in hazardous work conditions,” Dennis Lee, the diocesan chancellor for administrative affairs, told OSV News. The diocese encompasses the entire state of Arkansas and is led by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor.

and safety,” Lee concluded.

Benjamin Smith, senior child labor specialist at the International Labor Organization, agreed. “Age verification and keeping records of children who are allowed to work is critical to prevent underage children from child labor, and to prevent children above the minimum age from being exposed to hazardous working conditions.”

Smith added, “Removing such protections only heightens the risk that children will become involved in child labor.”

The ILO is a Geneva, Switzerland-based specialized agency of the United Nations founded in 1919 that sets international labor standards, and advises the U.S. government concerning policy. The Vatican delegates a permanent observer to the U.N. and its agencies, and Pope Francis has offered messages to ILO gatherings.

Employers frequently mention an ongoing worker shortage among their challenges, which has motivated some state legislators to introduce bills that would weaken child labor age regulations and safety protections.

Lawmakers in Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have put forward legislation proposing modifications to child labor laws including lowered working ages and longer hours, as well as the elimination of work permits, limited employer liability and granting exceptions for previously prohibited industries.

The Ohio Senate passed a bill March 8 that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year with their legal guardian’s permission; current state law requires workers to be at least 16.

parents who are not authorized to be in the U.S. will no longer face having their consent to their children working on file with the state.

The U.S. Labor Department reports it has 600 ongoing child labor investigations, while witnessing a 69% increase in children illegally employed since 2018. In the last fiscal year, the department said Feb. 27, it found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws. The Labor Department called for Congress to take action, noting Feb. 27 “the challenge of child labor exploitation – particularly of migrant children – increases nationwide.”

“Arkansas had a reasonable, non-burdensome law on its books that required employers to first procure and keep on file a work certificate before permitting a minor under the age of 16 to work,” Lee said. “The work certificate provided some safeguards for these minors by requiring proof of age; a description of the work and work schedule; and written consent of the parent or guardian.”

“Now that these safeguards will no longer be in place, we must trust that Arkansas’ other child labor laws and federal employment laws and their enforcement will protect our state’s children and youth from exploitation and harm by employers who would otherwise disregard their well-being

Mary Leary, professor and senior associate dean for academic affairs at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, told OSV News that globally companies resort to child labor to cut costs rather than make changes that would make these jobs “more attractive to the workforce.”

But Leary pointed out that one recent change to the U.S. “is this influx of extra-vulnerable migrant children.”

“These are children whose vulnerability is compounded. They are also driven by such severe poverty that they feel a desperate need to send money back home to keep their own families alive,” Leary said.

According to a 2020 American Immigration Council report, 55,000 immigrants living in Arkansas were “undocumented,” 44% of the state’s total immigrant population.

Under Arkansas’ new child labor regulations, migrant

On March 3, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., introduced the Child Labor Prevention Act, which intends to increase maximum fines and establish new criminal penalties. “In no world is it acceptable for employers to be making money off child labor and our laws must reflect that by cracking down on the exploitation of children,” Sen. Baldwin said in a statement. In one of the largest child labor cases in its history, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division discovered 102 children aged 13 to 17 employed by Kieler, Wisconsinbased Packers Sanitation Services Inc., at its client facilities in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. A Reuters investigation in December 2022 discovered migrant children as young as 12 working in Alabama factories that produce parts for Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned such practices, commenting last May to the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor that “the way

relate to

As states eye changes to labor laws, the U.S. Labor Department reports it has 600 ongoing child labor probes, and a 69% increase in children illegally employed since 2018.

we

children, the extent to which we respect their innate human dignity and fundamental rights, expresses what kind of adults we are and want to be, and what kind of society we want to build.”

OSV NEWS | SHANSHAN CHEN, REUTERS

A file photo shows a mural depicting child labor. Citing “burdensome and obsolete” state child labor laws, Arkansas passed legislation March 8 eliminating age verification for children younger than 16 seeking a job, drawing concern from Catholic and labor advocates. Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin have also proposed or scaled back child labor laws.

Delaware bill would break seal of confession, require priest to report what penitent says

WILMINGTON, Del. — The Delaware General Assembly is taking aim at a basic tenet of the Catholic Church and wants to break the seal of confession between a priest and penitent. House Bill 74 would do away with the privilege between priest and penitent in a sacramental confession by requiring priests to report information relating to child abuse and neglect that is shared in a confessional. The Diocese of Wilmington said priests are prohibited from breaking the seal of confession and are bound to keep the confidence of penitents in the sacrament of reconciliation. “The sacrament of confession and its seal of confession is a fundamental aspect of the Church’s sacramental theology and practice. It is non-negotiable,” the diocese said in a prepared statement March 6. In Vermont and Utah, state lawmakers introduced similar legislation, although in Utah, the proposal did not get a public hearing before the Legislature ended its 45-day session March 3. Two other states, Washington and Kansas, are advancing measures to require clergy be listed as mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect. They are among a handful of states in the U.S. that do not already require this. However, the Kansas measure, introduced by Sen. Tom Holland, does

not include protections for religious confessions.

Supreme Court to consider whether employers who make Christians work Sunday violate religious liberty

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a case April 18 that could have broad implications for employees seeking religious accommodations from their employers. The high court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Groff v. DeJoy, a case concerning Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian and former U.S. Postal Service worker, who was denied an accommodation to observe his Sunday Sabbath by not taking Sunday shifts. Federal law prohibits employers from firing employees who request religious accommodations unless the employer can show that the worker’s religious practice cannot be “reasonably” accommodated without “undue hardship.” The Supreme Court issued a 1977 decision in Trans World Airlines v. Hardison finding that the “undue hardship” standard is met even at a minimal cost. Randy Wenger, chief counsel of the Independence Law Center, a group representing Groff, told OSV News that Groff “has a very strong conviction about Sunday being the Lord’s Day,” which caused him to seek employment at a place that was closed on Sundays. He said, “In a pluralistic society, it’s really important to be able to find those ways to accommodate so that we can all work together effectively.” Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, a religious liberty law firm that has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, told OSV News he is optimistic the Supreme Court will revise its previous ruling.

Iconography Retreat

Monday, April 17 – Friday, April 21

This year’s icon workshop will be using St. Brigid of Kildare (Ireland) as our model. This retreat is open to all, regardless of artistic background or skills. It is an opportunity to pray, study and learn the traditional method of icon writing/painting. All materials are included in the tuition. Students will be asked to be present at all sessions and follow the schedule provided.

The completion of an icon requires that participants be on time and in attendance for every session.

Enrollment is limited!

Registration deadline: Monday, April 3

$450 – Tuition | $200 – Room & Board (4 nights)

$50 – Meals for Commuters

How to Register

www.rockhilloratory.org – go to Center for Spirituality/Events page By email: oratorycenter@gmail.com – please include Iconography

Retreat in the subject line

We hope you will be able to join us!

“People at parishes I attend know I’m a trusted advisor, thanks to my advertising in the Catholic News Herald. It is a good investment and I am happy with how many folks it reaches.”

– David Fuller, Southern Homes of the Carolinas

Our world

‘Fraternity, tears, smiles’: Pope shares hopes for the future

CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

Attacks on Nicaragua’s Catholic, civil society entities must stop, says Human Rights Watch head

UNITED NATIONS — Nicaragua’s assaults on Catholic and other educational institutions, its stripping political opponents of citizenship, and its arrest of political opponents must stop, said Human Rights Watch’s acting executive director, Tirana Hassan. “The situation in Nicaragua has been getting progressively worse. What we have been seeing is there has been an attack on political opposition, on civil society, on Catholic institutions and the Church itself,” Hassan, told OSV News March 9. She was speaking two days after Nicaragua’s government-run newspaper, La Gaceta, announced the cancellation of the legal status of the country’s Universidad Juan Pablo II and Universidad Cristiana Autónoma de Nicaragua “for being in breach of their obligations under the laws that regulate them.” Hassan said HRW has seen “attacks all across the board on civil society, freedom of religion, and...on political participation,” by Nicaragua’s government. Asked about the cancellation of the universities’ legal status and the reported widespread abuses, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said, “We’ve been following this closely.” He told OSV News March 10, “It is another example of the shrinking space for civil society that we are seeing in Nicaragua.”

Letters from pope entered into evidence at Vatican trial

VATICAN CITY — In interviews focused on the 10th anniversary of his election, Pope Francis insisted it is not his task to make an accounting of what he has or has not accomplished since March 13, 2013.

“The Lord will do the appraisal when He sees fit,” the pope told the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

However, he said he was certain the criteria for judgment would be from Matthew 25: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting prisoners.

But he did have three words for what he hopes for the future: “Fraternity, tears, smiles.”

As Pope Francis marked his anniversary celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of his residence, Vatican News released a short “popecast” that included the pope’s three-word response to a question about his dreams for the Church, the world and humanity.

“We are all brothers and sisters,” he explained, and more efforts must be made to live like it.

“And to learn not to be afraid to weep and to smile,” he said. “When a person knows how to cry and how to smile, he or she has their feet on the ground and their gaze on the horizon of the future.”

“If a person has forgotten how to cry, something is wrong,” Pope Francis said. “And if that person has forgotten how to smile, it’s even worse.”

The 86-year-old pope also asked the Vatican News interviewer, “What’s a podcast?”

of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, a process the pope launched in October 2021 and that will culminate with synodal assemblies in 2023 and 2024.

In the context of explaining how he has tried to revitalize the synods, which were reinstated by St. Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council, the pope told La Nacion that including more voices is an ongoing process.

During the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, he said, “the question was asked: Why can’t women vote? Are they second-class Christians?”

The Vatican’s answer always had been that while the input of many was essential to a synod, it was the role of bishops to discern and vote. However, 10 priests – and occasionally a religious brother – traditionally were elected by the men’s Union of Superiors General of religious orders as full voting members of the synod alongside bishops.

In February 2021, Pope Francis named Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart one of the undersecretaries of the synod general secretariat, a post that would make her an automatic voting member of the assembly.

So, La Nacion asked the pope if only one woman would have a vote at the next synod assembly.

would send a person to hell.

“God only sets aside the proud, the rest of us sinners are all in line,” he said, and God always is reaching out to save sinners who seek his help.

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who is on trial at the Vatican for financial malfeasance, tried to get Pope Francis to sign statements saying the cardinal acted with the pope’s approval when he used Vatican money to invest in a property in London and when he paid a woman who claimed she could help secure the release of a kidnapped nun. “I regret to inform you that I cannot comply with your request,” Pope Francis wrote in a letter to the cardinal dated July 26, 2021.

Alessandro

Diddi,

In the handful of interviews Pope Francis granted in connection with his anniversary, several topics kept coming up: the war in Ukraine and wars around the world, women in the Church, outreach to LGBTQ Catholics, handling criticism and even whether he thinks about death.

He does, he told the Argentinean website Perfil. He said he thinks about death often and “very peacefully” because “it is necessary to remember” that no one lives forever.

The Argentinean newspaper La Nacion asked Pope Francis about the importance

“Everyone who participates in the synod will vote. Those who are guests or observers will not vote,” he said, but whoever participates in a synod as a member “has the right to vote. Whether male or female. Everyone, everyone. That word everyone for me is key.”

On the question of LGBTQ Catholics, Pope Francis insisted to the Perfil interviewer that “everyone is a child of God and each one seeks and finds God by whatever path he or she can.”

While the pope insisted matrimony can only be between one man and one woman, he also repeated his support for the legal rights guaranteed by civil unions for gay couples and others who share a life. And he said, as he told the Associated Press in January, homosexuality should not be criminalized.

As for Catholic teaching that homosexual acts are sinful, like any sexual activity outside of marriage, Pope Francis said he did not think those sins

In the interviews with both La Nacion and Perfil, Pope Francis insisted there is a difference between a pastoral outreach to LGBTQ Catholics and accepting “gender ideology,” which, he said, “is one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations.”

“Why is it dangerous? Because it dilutes differences, and the richness of men and women and of all humanity is the tension of differences. It is to grow through the tension of differences,” the pope said.

A gender theory that sees being male or female as a social construct or choice rather than a fact related to biological identity “is diluting the differences and making the world the same, all blunt, all equal,” the pope said. “And that goes against the human vocation.”

In each of the interviews, he spoke of the horror of war and his concern for the continued fighting in Ukraine.

Asked by Vatican News what he would want as a gift for his 10th anniversary, Pope Francis responded: “Peace. We need peace.”

CNS | VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Francis walks through the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica as he visits the tombs of deceased popes at the Vatican on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2020. In a 2023 interview marking the 10th anniversary of his election, the 86-year-old pope said he thinks about death often, but it is a good thing to remember one will not live forever.

the Vatican prosecutor, entered correspondence between the pope and Cardinal Becciu into evidence March 9 during the 50th session of the trial, which began one day after the pope declined to sign the statements that could have absolved the cardinal. The prosecutor read the correspondence out loud to the court and projected copies of the letters on the wall of the makeshift courtroom set up in the Vatican Museums to accommodate the 10 defendants and their lawyers. Diddi told the court that he secured copies of the letters from the pope and had the pope’s authorization to enter them into evidence.

American lay missionaries fan embers of Catholic faith in Ireland

DUBLIN — American Catholic lay missionaries are sharing the faith in Ireland, and are seeing the seeds of revival even now starting to blossom despite a challenging environment in St. Patrick’s Emerald Isle. Claire Guernsey, an English Literature major in her senior year at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, who has served two stints with NET Ministries in Ireland, said she and her colleagues approached their evangelization with a mix of realism and optimism. NET Ireland recruits and trains young adults to evangelize more than 20,000 youth in churches, schools, and parishes across Ireland. “We’re facilitating an encounter with Christ. And if they’re ever going to get on the same page

with embracing the life of the Catholic Church, it’s going to have to start with an encounter with Christ,” she said. Sean Flack, another American Catholic missionary, currently serves in Ireland with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), said it takes a lot of trust building to reach the Irish today who have a lot of fear of the Church and being labeled religious. But again – like Guernsey – Flack has witnessed sparks among the embers. “There is a nucleus of faith growing. The faithful really love Jesus Christ and His Church. They have to. It is so crazy to be Catholic in Ireland today that you must choose to stay close to Our Lord.” — OSV News

Regional Director

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte seeks Regional Director to lead Charlotte, NC office.

The Regional Director is responsible for:

• Providing strategic direction and leadership to the regional office

• Developing and maintaining engagement between Catholic Charities and a variety of critical constituencies (e.g., Catholic clergy, parishioners, volunteers, donors/ benefactors, corporations, foundations, funders, people of good will, and the public at large)

• Securing resources needed to maintain and expand office and agency services and operations

• Directing the delivery of programs and services and implementing community outreach in keeping with the mission of Catholic Charities

• Interpreting and implementing agency policy in the provision of programs and services

Must possess strong desire to be part of the mission of Catholic Charities and ability to work closely with Catholic clergy, parishioners, and diocesan groups.

Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of combined supervisory and direct human services experience required.

Cover letter and resume (2-page maximum) must be submitted electronically to ccdocjobs@ccdoc.org.

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

No phone calls, please.

Giving appreciated stock to your parish, Catholic school, agency, the diocese or the Foundation creates a gift that will benefit your desired beneficiary and provide you tax benefits.

Silence before the holy

I’ve recently returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What makes a pilgrimage different from travel for tourism is, of course, that it’s undertaken for religious purposes. Of all the holy places, the places where Jesus was born, ministered, died and rose from the dead are the most holy. You therefore see a lot of pilgrims there. They come from all over the world. They come alone or with groups. They come in thanksgiving. They come with their petitions. They come primarily for that tangible connection with Our Lord; to walk where He walked and to stand in the places where He performed such wonders.

As I walked those places myself – from the grotto where Jesus was born to the tomb where He conquered death – I saw many people praying: a group of Catholics praying the rosary, an evangelical couple asking God to bless and protect their family, Orthodox pilgrims prostrating themselves in reverence. I, myself, did many of those same things. But I mainly stood in those holy places in silence.

‘LORD, IT IS GOOD TO BE HERE’

I would see others around me praying and think, “I should be praying, too.” I felt at times negligent, but any words I might say to God seemed … not insufficient, but unnecessary. I found myself walking that hallowed ground with an interior quietude, recalling the events of Christ’s life that happened there and resting in that awareness like a ship floating on the water. The only words to sometimes enter my mind were Peter’s words to Christ at the Transfiguration: “Lord, it is good to be here” (Mt 17:4). We frequently conceive of prayer in terms of words spoken to God, either out loud or in the silence of our hearts. The English word “pray” means “to ask,” so this makes sense. But prayer takes many forms, petition being only one of them. St. John of Damascene defines prayer as that which raises our minds and hearts to God. Words are not always necessary. Being in the presence of holy things does this quite nicely without them. Various authorities have categorized prayer in different ways depending on form, method and intent. The Catechism describes five forms of prayer: adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise (CCC 2626-2643). It also identifies three expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative and contemplative (CCC 2700-2719). Of these, contemplative prayer is considered the highest.

The mystical language frequently used to describe contemplation can make it seem out of reach for most Christians. Consider this passage from the Catechism: “Entering into contemplative prayer [we] … recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of Him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to offer ourselves over to Him as an offering to be purified and transformed” (CCC 2711). It goes on to describe contemplation as “a gift, a grace” (2713), “the pre-eminently intense time of prayer” (2714), “a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus” (2715) and “a communion of love” that “consents to abide in the night of faith” (2719).

Those are beautiful and poetic words, but I am sure I’m not alone in reading them and thinking I’m not there yet. This sounds like the prayer of a cloistered Carmelite, not a working parent or even a busy parish priest. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Contemplation is not a goal attainable only by a privileged few spiritual masters. If you peel back the mystical language, it’s the simplest thing in the world.

FINDING JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

There is a story told of a conversation between St. John Vianney and an elderly farmer who would spend time silently sitting before the tabernacle in his parish. When the priest asked the farmer what he was doing, the old man replied, “I look at Him and He looks at me.” It really can be as simple as that.

Contemplation is about fostering an awareness of being in the presence of God. If the goal of prayer is relationship with God, then simply being present to Him is the most important thing we can do. Even in our human relationships we find this to be true. Silence is only awkward between strangers. A comfortable silence can exist between close friends. It’s a joy simply to be in their presence. This is what heaven will be like. While the scriptures show angels bringing the petitions of the saints before God (Rev 5:8), those closest to His throne simply proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy” (Rev 4:8). Our life’s goal is to share in their song.

Words in prayer come easier at some times in our lives than at others, and sometimes words won’t come at all. Then it is good to remember that “we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Rom 8:26). Whether we find ourselves standing in the Holy Sepulchre, kneeling at the altar in our parish, or sitting quietly in the inner room of our heart, the most important prayer we can offer to God is to simply be present with an attitude of holy reverence, a silent saying with Peter, “It is good, Lord, to be here.”

Should

there be a place in our pews for people who are transgender?

At this year’s Grammy Awards, singers Sam Smith and Kim Petras generated headlines with a performance of their hit song, the title of which – “Unholy” –perfectly describes their performance. The sensational headlines that followed were unsurprising. Kim Petras, a 30-yearold transgender singer-songwriter, has made waves for years, offering songs that are highly sexual in content and sometimes intentionally trolling Christian groups. Garnering less attention, however, was a post-awards interview where the provocateur professed a youthful desire to be a part of religion, describing how that desire was met with rejection, and how that rejection eventually inspired “Unholy.”

When I heard that, I thought about the current bishops’ Synod on Synodality, which has become a subject of endless debate in the Church, especially as it moves ahead, continent by continent. What emerges from it will deeply impact how the Church understands and lives with the world –and living with the Kim Petrases of the world will be a part of that consideration. Is there a place for transgender people in our pews? Pope Francis, it seems, is saying yes – though as a Church we know it’s a complicated question.

ACCOMPANIMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

Over the past 10 years, Pope Francis’ writings have addressed two ideas of the Christian life, both essential to his idea of synodality and inseparable from each other: “accompaniment” paired with “responsibility” for the people on the edges.

While many Catholics support Francis’ ideas of accompaniment, especially with regard to the poor, the mentally challenged, the irregularly married and the LGBTQ community, they seem to miss that Francis calls us, in that accompaniment, to not simply affirm their human dignity, but to offer loving guidance onto the path of Christ and the Church – for them to be united to the Church with the ultimate goal of pursuing holiness.

Pope Francis has denounced gender ideology, especially its being taught in schools, telling journalists during a 2016 inflight press conference on his return from Georgia and Azerbaijan, “It is one thing if a person has this tendency … some people even change sex. But it is another thing to teach this in schools, in order to change people’s way of thinking.”

Yet his instruction remains directed toward accompaniment. Relating a 2016 encounter with a transgender individual who had been rejected by a priest with a curt “Go to hell,” the pontiff said, “Tendencies or hormonal imbalances create many problems, and we have to take care not to say: ‘It doesn’t make any difference, let’s live it up.’ No, not at all. But for every case … accompany it, look into it,

discern and integrate it. This is what Jesus would do today.” He concluded, “It is a human problem. And it must be resolved as best we can, always with the mercy of God, with the truth.”

In Pope Francis’ view, patient accompaniment can bring people into a relationship with Christ without compromising the substance of Church teaching. This is about more than simple tolerance of others. It is being “present” to them as Christ was present to sinners, and requires the participation of the whole Church: “An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others” (“Evangelii Gaudium,” 24).

This is a tall order. People like Kim Petras are growing in number around the globe. They struggle with faith, feel rejected when they voice their struggles, and leave the churches. They join groups that make just as many demands upon them but offer a sense of “community” that promises to be with them no matter what.

Our Church has struggled to offer the same. For too many, it is easier to simply repeat the Church’s teaching and then leave the marginalized to continue struggling alone. For too many of us, also, it is easier to simply denounce our teachings and call for revolution in the Christian life.

THE WAY OF COMMUNITY

Pope Francis has denounced both paths as “spiritual worldliness” (“Evangelii Gaudium,” 94) and proposed an oftenignored third way: the way of community within the Church that is “supportive, standing by people at every step of the way” on the path to Christ, “no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be” (“Evangelii Gaudium,” 24).

Despite the confusion and arguments over synodality, this is a path we must pursue. Our questions and concerns surrounding this third way need addressing, but – to my own view – the task of accompaniment and responsibility is crucial to the question of synodality. It is urgent that the divided faithful get on the same page and, in a more united way, reach out to a world that is longing for God. That will mean accompanying and taking responsibility for each other already in the Church as much as for those in the world. Despite all the side-taking, we are family. If synodality is not the path that leads to working together, there may not be an alternative.

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

KYRIL WOLFE is an aspiring scholar of theology and a teacher who currently lives in Minnesota. This column was written for OSV News.

Deacon Matthew Newsome Kyril Wolfe

Dr. Christopher Kaczor

The story of the Chinese farmer: A lesson in withholding judgment

Long ago, there was a widowed Chinese farmer. The farmer and his only son labored through the cold winds of winter and scorching rays of summer with their last remaining horse. One day, the son didn’t lock the gate of the stable properly, and the horse bolted away.

When neighbors learned what happened, they came to the farmer and said, “What a sadness this is! Without your horse, you’ll be unable to maintain the farm. What a failure that your son did not lock the gate properly! This is a great tragedy!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

The next day, the missing horse returned to the farmer’s stable, bringing along with it six wild horses. The farmer’s son locked the gate of the stable firmly behind all seven horses.

When neighbors learned what happened, they came to the farmer and said, “What happiness this brings! With seven horses, you’ll be able to maintain the farm with three of them and sell the rest for huge profits. What a blessing!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

The next day the farmer’s son was breaking in one of the wild horses. The son got thrown from the horse, fell hard on rocks, and broke his leg.

When neighbors learned what happened, they came to the farmer and said, “What a great sadness this is! Now, you’ll be unable to count on your son’s help. What a failure to break in the horse properly! What a tragedy!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

The next day a general from the Imperial Chinese Army arrived to conscript all the young men of the village into the army. Their assignment was to fight on the front lines of a battle against a terrifying enemy of overwhelming force. The farmer’s son, because of his broken leg, was not taken.

When neighbors learned what happened, they came to the farmer and said, “What a great joy! Your son avoided facing certain death on the front lines of the battle. What a blessing!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

What does this story mean?

Perhaps the story of the Chinese farmer teaches us about a suspension of judgment

regarding what actually is a tragedy or a triumph. Can we really always tell what is fortunate and what is unlucky? Might the wiser course of action often be to withhold judgment rather than definitively declare what happens as good or bad? Maybe the story teaches us a radical skepticism because it is impossible to tell whether anything that happens is good or bad. On the other hand, a Stoic philosopher like Epictetus might see the story as the farmer’s rightful detachment from what is not in his control – matters about which he should be indifferent. In his “Enchiridion,” Epictetus taught: “There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in one word, whatever are not properly our own affairs.”

Losing his horse, gaining new horses, his son’s broken leg, and his son’s avoiding deadly combat are all matters that were not within the farmer’s power to control. On this Stoic view, the farmer is wise in not letting these external matters disturb him.

As the first First Lady Martha Washington once said, “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”

The farmer seems to have what is asked for in the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Or maybe the story teaches us about how what appears to be bad initially may ultimately be a blessing. Short-term thinking is not always 20/20. How often has something that seemed like a major setback, or even a tragedy at first, become the beginning of something great? I know this from experience. Do we not often see only in hindsight that a difficulty was just what we needed to grow and flourish in the long term? Painful and challenging experiences often lead to development, especially when reframed as opportunities to learn to grow in skills, in virtues, and in bonds.

The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus said, “He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.” Terrible suffering is a medicine so dangerous that it may only be rightfully employed by the Divine Physician.

DR. CHRISTOPHER KACZOR is chair of the philosophy department at Loyola Marymount University and the St. Thomas Aquinas Fellow for the Renewal of Catholic Intellectual Life at the Word on Fire Institute. He has written several books, and his research on issues of ethics, philosophy and religion has been featured on many print, broadcast and online news outlets.

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‘Jesus is always attentive to the need, but above all to the person in their entirety.’

‘Can we really always tell what is fortunate and what is unlucky?’

Monroe, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte. “I look forward to seeing his leadership in action as he works to enhance Christ the King’s academics, faculty development, student life and extracurriculars.”

Current principal Dr. Carl Semmler will move to serve as president of Christ the King, as part of a new high school leadership model that will allow high school principals to handle academic oversight and daily operations, while presidents focus on shaping the mission and vision of the school, community relationships, financial management and fundraising.

“I am very excited to join the Christ the King Catholic family and look forward to partnering with Carl to continue to foster the strong community, Catholic identity, academics and extracurricular programs established at the school,” said Tolcher, who lives in Atlanta with his wife Kelly and five children.

Tolcher holds master’s degrees in theology from Holy Spirit College and in educational leadership from the University of Dayton. He has a bachelor’s degree in public and urban affairs from Georgia State University. He also completed the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s principal formation program.

Among other achievements, Tolcher brought the “Virtue = Strength” program to Blessed Trinity, an initiative that engages the hearts and minds of students to meet life’s challenges with resilience, prudence and passion.

Tolcher was selected by a committee of parents, pastors and education leaders that was guided by a national search firm.

Families, faculty, staff and alumni provided input about what qualities they sought in a new leader.

— Catholic News Herald

Los siguientes días visitarán Caná, donde Jesús realizó su primer milagro, transformando el agua en vino; Nazareth, lugar de la Encarnación y donde Jesús creció junto a María y José; la Basílica de la Anunciación; el Monte Tabor, donde se ubica la Iglesia de la Transfiguración; el Santuario Stella Maris, primer y principal santuario de la Virgen del Carmen en el mundo; Cesarea Marítima; Ein Karem, la “ciudad de Judá”, lugar de nacimiento de Juan el Bautista donde se encuentra la Iglesia de la Visitación.

También recorrerán Belén, el Campo de los Pastores y la Gruta; la Iglesia de la Natividad; la Iglesia de Santa Catalina construida sobre la tumba de San Jerónimo; la aldea cristiana de Bet Sahur; el Sitio Bautismal Bet Arabah; Jericó y el Monasterio del Tentaciones; Masada con el Palacio de Herodes; el Mar Muerto; el Monte de los Olivos; el huerto de Getsemaní; la Basílica de la Agonía, donde Jesús sudó sangre; Monte Sión; la Sala de la Última Cena; el Museo de Israel.

Los jóvenes podrán realizar el camino de la Vía Dolorosa, el Vía Crucis va desde la Capilla de la

Abundant amenities and a unique way of life

The Pennybyrn lifestyle is packed with amenities. Living here, you’ll swim laps in a stunning, indoor heated saltwater pool, stay fit in a well-equipped facility and power walk, bike or stroll along scenic walking trails. Even membership at Jamestown Park Golf Course is included!

There’s also the Pennybyrn difference… and this is

what truly setsus apart. You’ll find a lovely Peace Chapel, a not-for-profit mission to serve all faiths, a smaller population for personalized service and inclusiveness that means your voice will always be heard.

A thoughtfully designed home

Your private residence at Pennybyrn—chosen from among a variety of floor plans and prices—

“El objetivo principal de esta peregrinación juvenil es inyectar a los jóvenes un fuerte amor a Cristo Eucaristía para que ellos, a su regreso, inspiren a otros jóvenes”, dijo el Padre Julio Domínguez. Sin embargo, precisó que todos, jóvenes y adultos, están invitados.

Flagelación y el Sión, a través de las calles de la Antigua Jerusalén hasta la Puerta del Juicio y la Tumba de Jesús en la Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro, entre otras muchas otras visitas y actividades.

CUPO LIMITADO

La peregrinación tiene un costo de $3.500 que incluye el transporte aéreo desde Carolina del Norte (Charlotte o Greensboro), asistencia en el aeropuerto, hospedaje, traslados en bus, guía en español, entradas a los lugares indicados, almuerzos, propinas y seguro.

El cupo es limitado y, hasta el momento, dijo el Padre Domínguez, se han ocupado más de la mitad de las reservas. Respecto a la participación de personas adultas, el Padre Domínguez aseguró que, “todos son bienvenidos a participar”, siempre que sean tolerantes con la energía que normalmente expresan los jóvenes.

“Mi objetivo principal es inyectar a los jóvenes un fuerte amor a Cristo Eucaristía para que ellos, a su regreso, inspiren a otros jóvenes y podamos hacer de esta una tradición que periódicamente los traslade a Tierra Santa para que contemplen los misterios de Cristo Nuestro Señor”, finalizó el Padre Domínguez.

Para mayores informes, por favor envíe un mensaje de texto al Padre Julio C. Domínguez al 704-798-5215, o la Hermana Joan Pearson al 336-309-3399.

will feature a bright, open design with plenty of natural light, a well equipped, modern kitchen, washer and dryer, nine-foot ceilings and a private porch, balcony or patio.

Most cottages include an attached garage or carport, and many offer a cozy fireplace.

Inspiring lifestyle choices

In a friendly neighborhood, and among sociable friends, you’ll explore a wealth of programs that are planned and shaped by fellow residents. Quiet times will find you gathering in beautiful outdoor areas and inviting indoor spaces—including worldclass dining choices and a true Irish Pub.

A secure future

Our purpose at Pennybyrn is to make sure that your vibrant lifestyle is enjoyed with the lifelong support, assurance and benefits of a Life Plan Community.

FOTOS PROPORCIONADAS POR EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ