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jnews rving Catholics in
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panish Colonial Art Exhibit Opens...
St.
Number 22 • February
1
Resumes
Gabriel Settles Suit;
Construction Of
1992
7,
New Parish Center
HAZARD
By CAROL
Associate Editor
CHARLOTTE has resolved
its
—
St.
Gabriel Church
ever,
differences with neighbors
by buying two houses on adjoining prop-
tion granted in
community
be heard again
erty in order to build a parish center.
of Jan.
Construction crews have resumed work
on a 79,000-square-foot building
that will
increase enrollment at the church school
from 369 to 543 students. Some neighbors had objected to the expansion, fearing it would lower property values.
The church paid $323,000 to
settle
the
law suit, after losing a legal battle in December that could have delayed the project indefinitely.
The community
pected to open Oct.
1
,
after the
center
is
ex-
beginning of
the 1992-93 school year.
The school
will
be unable to accept as
many new students as it could have if the new building opened in September as originally planned.
However, two new kindergarten classes will
students.
Temporary
class-
:
story
on Page 6).
New World" exhibit of Spanish colonial art at Charlotte's Mint Museum. Painting courtesy New Orleans Museum of Art
Have Duty To
lare For Poor, Defend
Human
VATICAN CITY (CNS)
— Caring
society's poorest citizens, defending
lan rights
and protecting family
ryone's duty,
Pope John Paul
Speaking Feb. 3 to
officials
life is
U said. of Italy's
government, which includes pope said the Church and private |icies will help meet social needs, but the imment must not expect them to do io regional ne, the
ything.
The mission of the Church, he )read Christ's
said, is
message. Tied to that task
e defense of "the value of
life,
of the
Jy and of the human person."
The church
is
culty faced to
it
is
interested in every
by individuals or groups;
it
educate young people to be good
aims "to recover those who at the margins of society,' the pope said.
ens;
and
it
'
'To do
all
of
but also a
this is, yes,
human
incurred by the contractor. However,
would have been more expensive had
it
the
parish continued the battle in court, said
Father
Ed
Sheridan, pastor of
"We came out Sheridan. "We went
St. Gabriel.
alright," said Father
through a
of pain
lot
and agony but people have been supportive ... and we got what we were planning on." Under the terms of the agreement with neighbors,
St.
Gabriel will add more trees to
the property border
and assure
that noise
from air conditioning meets regulations. No changes were made in the building size or placement. Also, no other neighbors will be able to
sue on the
same grounds, since all members
ing next
fall
of a
fifth
elementary school in
Southeast Charlotte.
"According to
initial
projections,
we
Dr. Skube.
sorb
The expansion at St. Gabriel will absome of the demand, although not as
early as anticipated. St.
do
up their right
so.
As
part of the negotiations, the church
more than the tax value of the two homes after refusing to pay damages. One paid
house
will
and the
probably be used as a convent
other, a rectory.
"The purchase
fit
into our long-term
The diocese would eventually need more housing for
plans," says Father Sheridan.
nuns and
priests,
although the additional
space wasn't required at
this time,
he
seek solutions in cooperation with private
legal approval
and Church organizations known for their 'competence, honesty, morality and a strong sense of service to the community." Pope John Paul said he was not promoting the idea of a welfare state that would take total and exclusive responsibility for that lessens meeting every social need the sense of responsibility citizens feel, leads to a "loss of human energy" and
proceeded with construction
city
of Charlotte,
last fall.
How-
said.
"Now, it looks like I'll be a neighbor in a neighborhood that was against us," said Father Sheridan.
The money used
for the purchase
arranged through the diocese at a low
Gabriel, operating at all times under
from the
to
est rate.
To expedite payment,
the parish
dipping into emergency funds. using any
money from
was
inter-
It
is
is
not
the building fund.
'
—
creates a "bureaucratic logic" that replaces
human concern. The Church, he
said,
wants to cooper-
ate with the government in providing needed
with society's poorest
weakest citizens;
Rights
13.
tion signed a statement giving
students trying to get
would have been full at the start of the 1 9941995 school year, and we're full now," said
[ope Says All Citizens
December. The case was to in Superior Court the week
the building opens.
,
ie"Splendors of the
in
of the Greentree Neighborhoood Associa-
into the Catholic school system in Mecklenburg County is at an all-time high, said Diocesan School Superintendent Michael Skube. Some 1,000 new students have applied for next year. There's only room for 67 1 however, even with the openpart
week
rooms will be set up in church facilities until
The number of
is
for a
The delay was costly, although the exact amount hasn't been determined, since the church had to assume some of the losses
be added for a total of three, opening the
way for 50 new
:hangel with a Matchlock Gun, Salamiel Paxdei," a late 17th Century Bolivian Painting,
work was stopped
October 1991 and then again by an injunc-
a Christian
requirement," he
Even though the basic aims of the and government are different, their
rch
are intertwined, the pope said. The problems facing the region's soservice, health care and school systems
services in the region.
The pope highlighted
"disorder" in the regional government's provision of services and in programs for
immigrants.
"No one can flee the problems" created by recent waves of immigration into Italy, and particularly to Lazio, he said. Justice and human solidarity must mark the government's response to newcomers, he said, and "every form of racial discrimination" must be denounced.
s
"beyond the capability of single indials and private organizations" to solve, aid.
Local governments, as the interme-
y between citizens and the
state,
must
Scout Planning Session
HICKORY
—
Camporee Committee
The will
Catholic meet Sun.,
Feb. 9 at 2:30 p.m. at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory to plan the Boy
Scout Camporee scheduled for April 3-5.
After weeks of delays, construction resumed on a
following settlement of a suit filed by neighbors
expansion.
new parish center at St. Gabriel in Charlotte who objected to use of the center for school Photo by
JOANN KEANE