The 1
2d
6T6S
511
1 13 1 0-SVC ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ ¥¥¥¥V¥¥¥^:¥¥f¥¥¥¥ ¥¥¥¥¥¥ fPfVVf ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥
August
^
!
3,
Volume 10
41
Serving Catholics
fill
f]
|^
NEWS
2001
Number
*J
*
1
j
tl lv/llv
HERALD
&
Western North Carolina
in
I
in
the Diocese of Charlotte
Inside Pope asks Bush to reject
stem-cell
funding ...
Page 7
Maryfield
announces
$50 million expansion ...
Page
11
Local News Enthronement equals evangelization for Sacred
Heart devotee ...
Page
18
Women of color, women of faith
Deacon fulfills lifelong call to
Photos by Alesha M. Price
serve
By ...
Page
ALESHA M. PRICE
20
CHARLOTTE ter of Mary
Every Week "
Entertainment
& Columns ...
it
Franciscan Sis-
has been a long
The
been a
woman religious for 55 of her 77 years
and
a founding
is
member of the
Sisters'
based in Washington lived
Pages 12-13
"I
see other black Catholic
Catholic
in
and
religious,
was a
and
its,
Gathering of Black
areas of the country
I
think
we
and the new, and the present some donned in their hab-
fusion of the old
gathered in Charlotte
Women, was a dream come true for and coundess others who traveled from
from St Paul Church
religious, the past
who
and beyond. This gathering, held the weekend ofJuly 27, was the culmination of 10 years of planning, praying and perseverance on the part of the NBSC to bring African-American
all
It
I
hands to wave
not be excited about
diis,
togedier,
black
life.
need to address that in die corning years."
laity
can
many
my This is my child about,"
tell
'How
needed to
when black women, black women of faith, get
age are leaving the church, and
Women religious,
Catholic
can
of gospel and Christian
Dance Troupe from the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky, wrested shouts of joy and caused participants' outstretched
I
New Bern, N.C "A lot of young adults my
walks of life and from
for the first-ever National
her
I
all
from
over 85 dioceses,
laity
this
before in
dieir interpretations
songs, liturgical dancers, the Nia
that are like
women
never seen
said Stephanie Fisher
study to become a nurse. So, to be a witness to
over 800 African-American women,
I've
women
something that all
as a people united in
wanted to attend because
me, and
vows segregated from the sisters in her community and being denied entry in her hometown hospital to
of sisterhood
other, discuss the
their Catholicism to enact change.
33-year-old
through racism from
spirit
meet each
and church, and bond
Conference (NBSC),
DC.
together in the
solidarity to
major issues that concern the community
"double-digit" sister, as she calls herself, has
sides including professing
Clockwise from left, Jacquiline Johnson from St. Edward Church in Baltimore, Md., sheds tears. Daughters of the Heart of Mary Sister Anita Baird, one of the plenary speakers, told the crowd that prayer is the most powerful weapon against problems. Ella Pitre from Seattle, Wash., prays intently.
— For
Antona Ebo,
She has Editorials
and
time coming but well-worth the wait
National Black
Pages 10-11
women
Staff Wrtter
seemed to float through die gathering rooms, while women wearing African-inspired garb and headdresses in remembrance of Africa, the Caribbean and other countries of origin reconnected with old friends and met new ones during the weekend. Spirituals and songs of praise, both spontaneous and planned, fell from the lips of women in celebration of the event Through
we
almost intuitively
another's stories.
My
story
else's story," said Sister
is
know one
like
someone
of the Blessed Sacra-
ment Mary Roland Lagarde from Chicago, one ofthe most vocal women
at the event
and
member of the NBSC. 'This reminds me so much of 1968 when we (the NBSC) first came together. We have brought a founding
in
800
women
to join us to get tiiem to tap
into their untapped treasures
and to continue
to magnify the Lord."
Sponsored by die NBSC, an organization
which includes African-American
women
and lay male and female from across the United States, and supported and hosted by die Diocese of Charlotte, the National Gathering consisted religious
associates
See Women, page
8