Aug 3, 2001

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August

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Volume 10

41

Serving Catholics

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NEWS

2001

Number

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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


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