Jan. 17, 2025

At a glance

JANUARY 17, 2025

VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 7 1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@rcdoc.org

704-370-3333

PUBLISHER

The Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte

INDEX

Contact us 2

Español 16-19

Our Diocese 4-14

Our Faith 3

TCATHOLIC ALL WEEK Timely tips for blending faith & life

he Bible – already the best-selling book of all time with more than 5 billion copies estimated sold – is seeing a huge increase in interest. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Bible sales rose 22% in the U.S. through October 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. Among Catholics, some of that increase can be attributed to the popularity of Minnesota priest Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast, the release of beautiful new editions from Ignatius Press and the prevalence of study editions that help readers better connect the dots between the Old and New Testaments. If reading more of the Bible was on your New Year’s resolution list, here is some advice on where to start and some ideas to make it easier.

STAFF

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WHICH VERSION DO I CHOOSE?

There are many versions of the Bible, but not all of them are approved by the Catholic Church. Since 1983, Church law has given the authority to approve translations of sacred Scriptures to the Apostolic See (the Church’s central government, led by the pope) and local bishops’ conferences. Prior to 1983, translations could be approved by the Apostolic See or by a local ordinary, usually a bishop or vicar general. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops maintains a comprehensive list of translations that have been approved since 1983. These include well-known versions such as the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, as well as some you may not be as familiar with, such as The Grail Psalter (Inclusive Language Version).

Diocesan calendar of events

EVENTS

WHAT BOOKS ARE IN THE BIBLE?

One reason why selecting a Catholic edition of the Bible is crucial is ensuring that it contains the proper translations of the right books. There are differences between Protestant and Catholic Bibles that are as foundational as what is in them. While almost all versions agree on the 27 books in the New Testament, the Old Testament varies. Protestant Bibles have only 39 books, while Catholic Bibles add seven more: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch. Additionally, there are sections of the books of Esther and Daniel that are only found in Catholic Bibles. These books are called the deuterocanonical books. The Catholic Church believes these books are inspired by the Holy Spirit and includes them.

‘FUTURE OF A LISTENING CHURCH’ KENNEDY LECTURE: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. Featuring Jesuit Father Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, dean and professor at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, California, who will speak on “Women are the Teachers of Synodality. What Does the Bible Say About That?” Details at www.stpeterscatholic.org.

LOPEZ TABOR DUO IN CONCERT: 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3. The Lopez Tabor Duo (Alfonso Lopez, violin, and Michelle Tabor, piano), hailing from Venezuela, returns to the Arts at the Abbey series to perform music by Brahms, Albeniz, William Grant Still and South American composers. Belmont Abbey Basilica, 419 Monastery Lane, Belmont. Details at www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/campus-life/arts-at-the-abbey. OTHER

MARRIAGE SAVING WEEKEND: Couples experiencing difficulty in their marriage are invited to a Retrouvaille weekend Jan. 24-26 in Charlotte. Experience a welcoming, loving space that offers hope of a different and better marriage through opportunities to listen, forgive, be reconciled and move forward. Details and registration: email 3062ac@helpourmarriage.org or call 727-343-6701, or visit www.helpourmarriage.org.

PRAYER SERVICES

IGBO MASS

HOW DO I READ IT?

Reading the Bible should be approached differently than reading any other book. Theologians suggest beginning your Bible study with a prayer to open your heart to God’s Word and ending with another asking God to allow what you read to impact the way you live. They also suggest not rushing through the passages, but taking the time to prayerfully meditate on the words you are reading to understand how they relate to our time and your life. Finally, you don’t need to read the Bible alone. Join a Catholic Bible study group in your parish or community, find an app you like to read along with friends, or even take a quiz through the USCCB site for a playful twist on learning.

JAN. 18 – 11 A.M.

Scroll Mass for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

JAN. 21-24

Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., will participate in the following events:

Priests for an Apostolic Age Conference San Antonio, Texas JAN. 27 – 9

— Trish Stukbauer. Catholic News Agency and USCCB contributed.

Our faith

Pope Francis

Divest from companies that exploit children

People and institutions can protect children by changing what they buy and what they invest in, Pope Francis said.

“Fighting exploitation, particularly child exploitation, is the high road to building a better future for all of society,” the pope said Jan. 15, speaking about child exploitation during his audience for the second consecutive week.

Hundreds of thousands of children are subjected to dangerous working conditions, sex trafficking, pornography or forced marriages, the pope said, but “child abuse, in whatever form it may be, is a despicable and heinous act. It is a most serious violation of God’s commandments.”

Pope Francis urged all people to consider what they can do as individuals to respond to the societal problem of child exploitation.

“First of all, we must recognize that, if we want to eradicate child labor, we cannot be complicit in it,” he said, explaining that people support child labor “when we buy products that employ child labor.”

“How can I eat and dress myself knowing that behind that food or those clothes, there are exploited children who work instead of going to school?” he said. “The knowledge about what we buy is the first act in not being complicit. Look at where those products come from.” Likewise, institutions, including church bodies, have a “responsibility” to act against the exploitation of children “by shifting their investments to companies that do not use and do not allow child labor,” he said.

The pope spoke about the many factors that lead to the exploitation of children, such as widespread poverty, lack of social support for families and rising unemployment and job insecurity.

As a result, children in cities, where social divides and moral degradation are most present, become active in dealing drugs and other illicit activities, he said, to the point of becoming “executioners of their peers.”

Pope Francis said it is difficult for most people to recognize the social injustices that drive two children toward different paths, creating an “unacceptable human and social divide between those who can dream and those who must succumb.”

“But Jesus wants us all free and happy; and if he loves every man and woman as his son and daughter, he loves the little ones with all the tenderness of his heart,” he said. “Therefore, he asks us to stop and listen to the suffering of the voiceless.”

Why are Catholics obliged to go to Mass?

DEACON MATTHEW NEWSOME manewsome@rcdoc.org

How often should we go to Mass? Practicing Catholics know that it’s important to attend Mass on Sundays, but every now and then a “holy day of obligation” may sneak up on us if we aren’t paying attention to the liturgical calendar. These are days that usually carry the same obligation to participate at Mass as a Sunday. Coming out of the holiday season, we just had two of them: The Nativity of the Lord on December 25 and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1. It seems fitting to mark both the end and beginning of the year with special days of worship.

In addition to those, there are four other days in the United States when the faithful are obliged to worship at Mass. Those are the solemnities of the Ascension of the Lord on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter (which is transferred to Sunday in many provinces), the Assumption of Mary on August 15, All Saints Day on November 1, and the Immaculate Conception on December 8. These are the days, in addition to Sundays, that the Church has decided also carry a special obligation due to the importance of the mysteries they commemorate. According to Canon Law, our obligation on Sundays and these certain other holy days is to participate in the Mass and “to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body” (CIC 1247). This is how Christians observe the divine command to “remember the sabbath and keep it holy” (Ex 20:8). We refrain from servile work so that we may be free to worship, but also to celebrate and relax. The joy and rest of the Lord’s Day should be something of a foretaste of the joy and rest of heaven.

A BLESSING OR A BURDEN?

That the Church obliges us to set aside certain days for worship and rest sounds like a blessing – and it is – but the sad reality is that many Catholics receive it as more of a burden. According to the Pew Research Center, only 28% of Catholics surveyed in the United States say they attend Mass weekly,

Daily Scripture readings

JAN. 19-25

Sunday: Is 62:1-5, Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10, 1 Cor 12:4-11, Jn 2:1-11; Monday: Heb 5:1-10, Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4, Mk 2:18-22; Tuesday (St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr): Heb 6:10-20, Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c, Mk 2:23-28; Wednesday (Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children): Heb 7:1-3, 15-17, Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4, Mk 3:1-6; Thursday: Heb 7:25-8:6, Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17, Mk 3:7-12; Friday (St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church): Heb 8:6-13, Ps 85:8, 10, 11-12, 13-14, Mk 3:13-19; Saturday (Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle): Acts 22:316 or Acts 9:1-22, Ps 117:1bc, 2, Mk 16:15-18

and at most parishes, the pews are emptier on other holy days than they are on Sundays, Christmas being the lone exception.

To be fair, the obligation to worship on Sundays and holy days is not an absolute obligation. If it were, there would never be a valid reason to miss Mass. But it is a serious obligation, which means Mass should only be missed for serious reasons. The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions illness or the care of infants as examples (CCC 2181). Dangerous travel conditions would be another. It is no sin if you cannot get to Mass due to circumstances beyond your control.

A MATTER OF JUSTICE

But many who can come to Mass simply don’t. The reasons are many, but one is a modern tendency to eschew the notion of obligation. We don’t like having expectations forced upon us or being told what to do. This is why some have taken to speaking of “holy days of opportunity” in an attempt to make worship sound like more of a gift than a chore.

To be able to worship the Almighty God in the Eucharistic sacrifice is indeed a great gift. But it is also something we are bound to do as a matter of justice, which is why the Church rightly speaks of an obligation to

JAN. 26-FEB. 1 Sunday: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10, Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15, 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 1 Cor 12:12-14, 27, Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21; Monday: Heb 9:15, 24-28, Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6, Mk 3:22-30; Tuesday (St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church): Heb 10:1-10, Ps 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11, Mk 3:31-35; Wednesday: Heb 10:11-18, Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4, Mk 4:1-20; Thursday: Heb 10:19-25, Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6, Mk 4:21-25; Friday (St. John Bosco, Priest): Heb 10:32-39, Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40, Mk 4:26-34; Saturday: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19, Lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75, Mk 4:35-41

participate at Mass. Justice imposes obligations on us in many arenas. Justice obliges us to obey laws as members of a society. It obliges us to care for our home as members of a family. If obliges us to perform our job duties well.

The virtue of charity also comes with obligations. It may sound loving to say, “I cook dinner for my family not because I have to but because I want to,” but it is more reflective of charity to say, “I cook dinner for my family even when I don’t want to because I love them.” Being dutiful in our obligations even when it’s inconvenient is an important way we show our love for others. Perhaps we don’t appreciate our obligation to worship because we have forgotten that it is not principally for ourselves.

FOR THE GOOD OF ALL

People today often speak about what they “get out of” going to Mass – and indeed, the spiritual benefits are great! But the priests of ancient Israel chiefly offered sacrifice to God on behalf of others. They understood their work of worship to be for the good of the people. This is why Israel adopted the Greek word “leitourgia” (a public work) to describe their sacred worship. It is from this term that we derive the word “liturgy.” Liturgical worship is not a matter of private piety but a work done for the good of the people.

Christ offered himself as the perfect sacrificial offering to the Father once and for all. By virtue of our baptism, Christians are made part of His Body and part of His offering. That means we have a part to play in Christ’s sacrifice. The Eucharist is how we participate sacramentally in that offering. The liturgy is the work of the whole Body of Christ, and when part of the Body is missing, it affects the whole. This is why the Church obliges us to participate in Mass on certain days; not out of an authoritarian need for control, but because our presence matters. You matter – and when you are not there, you are missed! See you at Mass!

DEACON MATTHEW NEWSOME is the Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University and the author of “The Devout Life: A Modern Guide to Practical Holiness with St. Francis de Sales,” available from Sophia Institute Press.

FEB. 2-8 Sunday (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord): Mal 3:1-4, Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10, Heb 2:14-18, Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32; Monday: Heb 11:32-40, Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, Mk 5:1-20; Tuesday: Heb 12:1-4, Ps 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32, Mk 5:21-43; Wednesday (St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr): Heb 12:4-7, 11-15, Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a, Mk 6:1-6; Thursday (St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs): Heb 12:18-19, 21-24, Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 9, 10-11, Mk 6:7-13; Friday: Heb 13:1-8, Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc, Mk 6:14-29; Saturday: Heb 13:15-17, 20-21, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Mk 6:30-34

PHOTO PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

More than 1,000 people attended the Opening Mass for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope at St. Mark Church in Huntersville on Dec. 29. Attending Mass is not just a matter of private piety, but it is also essential for our faith journey as a community.

Our diocese

‘WE WANT HEARTS TO CHANGE’

March for Life goes on despite wintry weather, promoting a message of hope

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Under stark winter skies, more than 200 people braved the frigid cold and threat of ice and snow Jan. 10 to make a public witness of support for all human life at the 19th annual March for Life Charlotte.

Attendees said the cold didn’t deter them from spreading the pro-life message of hope.

“It’s more important than ever to have a witness in the local community for respect for life at all stages,” said Tanja Akerblom, a member of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte, who came bundled up for the weather like many people: in a thick coat and comfortable walking shoes.

The annual event in January is sponsored by an independent nonprofit group and generally coincides with the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions – Roe

v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton – that legalized abortion nationwide. In 2022, the Supreme Court reversed that, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson, and left abortion restrictions up to individual states. Since then, the battle has been ongoing to work to end abortion at the state level.

The day started with a 10 a.m. Mass for the Unborn at St. Patrick Cathedral celebrated by Father Peter Ascik, director of the diocese’s Family Life Office. About 80 people prayed, sang and listened to Father Ascik’s homily, which focused on promoting a message of hope amid the despair so prevalent in today’s culture.

Father Ascik said the importance of life is instinctive in humanity, as evidenced by

the massive search efforts conducted when a hiker is lost or when people disappear after a natural disaster like Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina. That instinct can, however, sometimes waver, he said.

“Sometimes people falter – they recognize the goodness of life but they see suffering, burdens and limitations that people deal with and they start to doubt life is always a good,” he said.

He recalled one moment when he was doing sidewalk counseling outside an abortion facility in the Charlotte area and met a man there with his girlfriend who said,

“I’ve been here before, and I’ll probably be here again.” That kind of hopelessness and resignation is what drives people to deny the beauty of all life, he said.

“His words haunt me to this day,” Father Ascik said.

Spreading the Gospel message and

the truth of the sanctity of all life from conception to death is the only way to fight against that despair, he emphasized. He also encouraged those in the movement to focus on helping people in difficult situations, such as single mothers facing unplanned pregnancies or those dealing with an illness.

“The mission of the pro-life movement is to look difficulties in the face and restore hope by testifying to the fact that there is goodness in every human life,” he said. He said “pro-life faith without pro-life works” is not a vibrant faith, and he encouraged the congregation to find a true witness to life and hope.

Participants then gathered outside the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center to pray before starting on the mile-long march to Center City. Many then falling to their knees, they prayed the Angelus and St. Michael

TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

More than 200 participants witnessed for life by joining the March for Life in Charlotte on Jan. 10. The day began with a 10 a.m. Mass for the Unborn at St. Patrick Cathedral celebrated by Father Peter Ascik, director of the diocese’s Family Life Office, and continued with the march to Independence Square in Uptown Charlotte where participants heard from Father Peter Rusciolelli, parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem.

Ascik

‘QUEREMOS QUE LOS CORAZONES CAMBIEN’

La Marcha por la Vida siguió a pesar del clima invernal promoviendo un mensaje de esperanza

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Bajo un cielo invernal, más de 200 personas enfrentaron el frío intenso y la amenaza de hielo y nieve el 10 de enero para dar un testimonio público de apoyo a toda la vida humana en la 19 Marcha Anual por la Vida en Charlotte.

Los asistentes dijeron que el frío no los desanimó a difundir el mensaje pro-vida de esperanza.

“Es más importante que nunca tener un testimonio en la comunidad local por el respeto por la vida en todas sus etapas”, dijo Tanja Akerblom, miembro de la parroquia Santa Ana en Charlotte, quien llegó abrigada como muchas personas: con una chaqueta gruesa y zapatos cómodos para caminar.

El evento anual en enero es patrocinado por un grupo sin fines de lucro y generalmente coincide con el aniversario de las decisiones de la Corte Suprema de 1973, Roe vs. Wade y Doe vs. Bolton, que legalizaron el aborto en todo el país. En 2022, la Corte Suprema revocó esa decisión en el caso Dobbs vs. Jackson, dejando las restricciones sobre el aborto en manos de los estados. Desde entonces, la batalla ha continuado para trabajar por terminar con el aborto a nivel estatal.

El día comenzó con una Misa por los No Nacidos a las 10 de la mañana en la Catedral San Patricio, celebrada por el Padre Peter Ascik, director de la Oficina de Vida Familiar de la diócesis. Unas 80 personas rezaron, cantaron himnos y escucharon la homilía del Padre Ascik, quien centró su mensaje en promover la esperanza en medio de la desesperación tan prevalente en la cultura actual.

El Padre Ascik dijo que la importancia de la vida es instintiva en la humanidad, como lo demuestran los esfuerzos de búsqueda masiva cuando se pierde a un excursionista o cuando desaparecen personas después de un desastre natural, como la tormenta tropical Helene en el oeste de Carolina del Norte. Sin embargo, dijo que ese instinto a veces puede vacilar.

“A veces las personas flaquean: reconocen la bondad de la vida, pero ven el sufrimiento, las cargas y las limitaciones con las que las personas lidian, y comienzan a dudar de que la vida sea siempre algo bueno”, dijo. Recordó un momento cuando estaba ofreciendo consejería en la acera frente a una clínica de abortos en el área de Charlotte y conoció a un hombre allí con su novia que le dijo: “He estado aquí antes y probablemente estaré aquí de nuevo”. Ese tipo de desesperanza y resignación es lo que impulsa a las personas a negar la belleza de toda vida, dijo.

“Sus palabras me persiguen hasta el día de hoy”, dijo el Padre Ascik.

LUCHANDO CONTRA LA DESESPERACIÓN

Difundir el mensaje del Evangelio y la verdad de la santidad de toda vida desde la concepción hasta la muerte es la única manera de luchar contra esa desesperación, enfatizó. También animó a los participantes del movimiento a enfocarse en ayudar a las personas en situaciones difíciles, como las madres solteras que enfrentan embarazos no planificados o aquellas que lidian con una enfermedad.

“La misión del movimiento provida es mirar las dificultades cara a cara y restaurar

Más de 200 participantes desafiaron las bajas temperaturas y la amenaza de hielo y nieve para dar testimonio por la vida

10 de enero. El

con

la esperanza al testificar el hecho de que hay bondad en cada vida humana”, dijo. Agregó que “la fe provida sin obras provida” no es una fe vibrante y alentó a la congregación a encontrar un verdadero testimonio de vida y esperanza a través de su fe católica.

Luego, los participantes se reunieron frente al Centro Pastoral de la Diócesis de Charlotte para rezar antes de comenzar la marcha de una milla hacia el centro de la ciudad. Muchos, luego de arrodillarse, rezaron el Ángelus y la Oración a San Miguel, y luego dijeron el Juramento a la Bandera.

La marcha comenzó al mediodía con una procesión hacia Independence Square en la intersección de las calles Trade y Tryon.

El Padre Peter Rusciolelli, vicario parroquial en la Iglesia San Leo Magno en Winston-Salem, fue el orador invitado.

Su madre, Debbie Rusciolelli, viajó desde la casa familiar en Waxhaw y participó en la marcha llevando a su hija Celeste, la más joven de sus nueve hijos, en un cochecito. Dijo que ver a su hijo ofrecer el discurso principal fue una experiencia especial.

“Obviamente estoy muy emocionada porque siempre veníamos a la marcha cuando él era más joven, y ahora tenerlo como sacerdote y hablando en el evento hace que todo se cierre de manera completa”, dijo.

El discurso del Padre Rusciolelli se centró en el propósito de la marcha y se apoyó en referencias bíblicas a los israelitas que marcharon hacia la Batalla de Jericó.

“¿Por qué marchamos?”, preguntó. “¿Qué

tipo de victoria buscamos obtener?”

“Porque nuestro enemigo en este concurso no es ningún hombre ni institución humana, sino el pecado. …Queremos que los corazones cambien… Nuestra misión es contra el pecado, y nuestra victoria no es solo la vida en este mundo, sino la vida eterna”.

LA ORACIÓN ES UN ARMA PODEROSA

Dijo que la oración es un arma poderosa en la batalla por una cultura de la vida e invitó a la multitud a rezar por las personas que trabajan en la industria del aborto, por aquellas que están considerando abortar y por las que ya lo han hecho. También les pidió que rezaran para que Cristo entrara en sus propios corazones.

“Marchamos llevando no ira ni odio al mundo, sino esperanza para aquellos que están perdidos”, dijo.

El segundo orador fue el Dr. Stephen Blaha, quien dirige la clínica de Planificación Familiar Natural del Centro de Salud de Atrium, ubicada en Indian Trail, en el condado Union, al este de Charlotte. Blaha animó a la multitud a promover el mensaje de la vida al llegar a las mujeres que enfrentan embarazos no planificados y ayudarlas a lo largo de su viaje, mostrándoles la belleza de la vida.

La marcha atrajo a una multitud diversa, que incluía desde adolescentes y personas mayores hasta familias que llevaban a sus pequeños hijos y los empujaban en cochecitos. Muchas personas llevaban

pancartas provida y algunas sostenían rosarios y rezaban mientras caminaban. Neil Schunke, miembro de la Misión Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles en Marion, dijo que ha asistido a muchas de las marchas anuales en Charlotte y también a la Marcha Nacional por la Vida en Washington, D.C. “Nuestra sociedad carece de respeto por la profunda dignidad de toda la vida, y espero cambiar corazones y mentes estando aquí”, dijo. Jennifer Arroso, que asiste a San Leo Magno en Winston-Salem, hizo el viaje a Charlotte con sus hijos Luis, de 12 años, e Isaac, de 9, y dijo que el frío no fue un impedimento para estar presentes.

“Esta es la primera vez para todos nosotros porque solo queríamos experimentar esto y ser parte del movimiento”, dijo Arroso. “La oración y la conciencia son importantes”.

Mary Richardson, feligresa de Santa Ana en Charlotte, asistió tanto a la Misa como a la marcha con sus cinco hijos: dos hijas y tres hijos que tienen edades entre 1 y 10 años.

“He estado involucrada en el movimiento provida durante muchos años y esto es simplemente lo correcto”, dijo Richardson. “Tener a mi familia me ha hecho más comprometida. Ellos son mi testimonio de vida”.

Más online

En www.catholicnewsherald.com Vea fotos y escuche los sermones de la Marcha por la Vida Charlotte.

TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

al unirse a la Marcha por la Vida en Charlotte el

día comenzó

una Misa a las 10 de la mañana por los no nacidos en la Catedral San Patricio.

In Brief

Group operating but not recognized by diocese

BURNSVILLE — Some confusion has arisen regarding a group of men in western North Carolina who, despite their claims, are not an officially recognized Catholic religious community and are not affiliated with the Diocese of Charlotte. Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., issued the following statement on Jan. 13 regarding the group:

“Recently, a small group of men referring to themselves as the ‘Marian Friars Minor’ have taken up residence in the Diocese of Charlotte, in particular in the Burnsville area. This group, having difficulties with officials of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, have moved to our diocese and are functioning without the permission of the Diocese of Charlotte. Their website declares them to be a religious community that is seeking vocations as well as donations, in particular to open a retreat center in the area.

“Please be advised that this group is not an officially recognized religious community neither in the Latin nor Eastern code and in no way represents the Roman Catholic Church (regardless of what they may claim). Its members are not to be offered the ability to speak publicly or serve in any of the ministry sites of the Diocese of Charlotte.”

Father Jones appointed to Swannanoa parish

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., announces the appointment of Father Brandon Jones as parochial administrator of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa, effective Jan. 2. Father Jones succeeds Father Peter Ireorji, MSP, who has received an assignment outside the Diocese of Charlotte from his religious order, the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria. Since 2020, Father Jones has served as parochial vicar at St. Ann Parish in Charlotte. He previously served at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro and Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews. A native North Carolinian and Catholic convert, he was ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte by Bishop Peter Jugis in 2008. He holds licentiate degrees from The Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., and he has an identical twin who is an Anglican bishop.

Living Waters Reflection Center to close

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD STAFF catholicnews@rcdoc.org

MAGGIE VALLEY — The Diocese of Charlotte announced Jan. 16 it will close its Living Waters Reflection Center in coming months after an analysis of its investment needs and financial demands elsewhere in the diocese.

Officials said the diocese will consolidate its retreat ministry at its much larger Catholic Conference Center in Hickory. They are working with Living Waters director Deacon William Shaw to wind down operations by early March and assist four other staff and scheduled retreat visitors through the transition. Bishop Michael Martin made the decision in consultation with the diocese’s Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors and finance officials.

“Living Waters served as a mountain getaway for renewal and reflection for 42 years, and Deacon Shaw did an extraordinary job with an aging property and a tight budget,” said Chief Financial Officer Matt Ferrante. “Unfortunately, as we assessed the operational and capital needs of Living Waters and of the diocese, it became clear we could no longer sustain a second retreat center.”

By consolidating its retreat funding in one location, Ferrante said, the diocese will have more to invest and can better meet the needs of the Catholic community. The Catholic Conference Center is more centrally located in the diocese, on 178 acres, with facilities for 250 visitors in small groups or large, and has lodging accommodations for 113.

Officials are developing a timeline to ensure a smooth transition for Living Waters and aren’t sure yet whether the diocese will sell or continue to hold the three-acre site for other purposes. The site includes a 25-room converted hotel with a chapel inside and a small family cottage out back.

Living Waters is situated near Jonathan Creek and adjacent to St. Margaret of Scotland Church, a vibrant parish pastored by Dominican Father Becket Soule. Countless priests, religious sisters and brothers, missionaries and laypeople have sought comfort in its natural beauty, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains.

sought, while skiing and tubing directly off the property created family memories that would transcend time.

“The diocese is grateful for your many years of thoughtful leadership and dedicated service to Living Waters and our community of faith,” Bishop Martin said in a letter to Deacon Shaw. “You have provided a welcoming and spiritually enriching environment, and your work has offered respite and helped countless people deepen their relationship with God.”

Living Waters has humble beginnings,

formerly owned by a wealthy Detroit businessman, William Murphy, who moved South to build churches and drew national attention in 1972, when he became a priest at age 80.

Father Murphy built the motel on the site, which he called “Falling Waters,” and later converted it into the present retreat center. Living Waters was dedicated by Bishop Michael Begley, the first Bishop of Charlotte, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 1982.

Priest named to Charlotte parish

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., announces the appointment of Vincentian Father Diógenes D. Araúz González as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, effective Jan. 1. Father González is professed with the Philadelphia-based Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission (known as the Vincentians), which staffs the Charlotte parish.

Kennedy Lecture to focus on Synod, women in the Church

CHARLOTTE — St. Peter will host its 25th annual Kennedy Lecture Saturday, Jan. 25, Jones

Under Deacon Shaw’s leadership, Living Waters offered sabbaticals ranging from a week to a year. He encouraged individuals and groups of more than 50 to take a break from their urban lifestyles and chaotic jobs to walk in the stillness of the Lord. Walking paths through the peaceful setting helped people experience the solace

Special collection dates for 2025 announced

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has announced the dates for nine special collections for 2025. These annual collections fund vital ministries and help support our priests and religious who give generously of their lives in service to the Church. The 2025 special collections and their dates are:

n JAN. 18-19: Combined Mission Collection to benefit the Church in Latin America, the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, the United States Mission Appeal (Black & Indian Missions), Catholic Home Missions, and the Church in Africa

n APRIL 19-20: Seminarian Education Collection (first of two collections)

n MAY 17-18: International/National Combined Collection to benefit Catholic Relief Services, Collection for the Holy Land, Collection for the Works of the Holy Father (Peter’s Pence), Catholic University of America, and Catholic Communications Campaign

n AUG. 30-31: Archdiocese of Military Services

n SEPT. 20-21: Priests’ Retirement Benefits

n OCT. 18-19: World Mission Sunday (Propagation of the Faith)

n NOV. 1-2: Seminarian Education Collection (second of two collections)

n NOV. 22-23: Catholic Campaign for Human Development

n DEC. 13-14: Religious Retirement

On the Diocese of Charlotte’s website, www.charlottediocese.org, learn more about these special collections as well as other ways to financially support the various ministries of the Church in the Diocese of Charlotte, including the Diocesan Support Appeal and the Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte.

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Living Waters Reflection Center in Maggie Valley served as a place of renewal and for 42 years.

HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS

Catholic Charities provides long-term relief to Helene victims

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — The young woman in her 20s didn’t know where to turn.

A resident of Asheville, she – along with hundreds of others – saw her job in the service and tourism industry wash away when the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Helene rushed through in late September.

Three months later, she still had not been able to find a new job. Her utilities were set to be turned off on Dec. 31, and she was facing eviction the same day because she couldn’t pay the rent.

A phone call to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte gave her a lifeline – funds to keep the lights on and keep her in her home.

That young woman is just one of hundreds currently being helped by the agency as storm relief efforts have pivoted to addressing long-term needs, according to Executive Director and CEO Gerry Carter.

As of early January, Catholic Charities has raised more than $9 million for Helene relief efforts, with more than $1 million from Catholic Charities USA and donations coming from all 50 states and countries on three continents, Carter said. Thanks to donations and a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, the agency has been able to hire additional help. They currently have five disaster case workers as well as six additional staff doing disaster case management. They plan to hire two to three more case managers and a parish and community engagement resource coordinator.

Initially the agency’s staff and volunteers swung into action and provided muchneeded supplies such as bottled water, nonperishable food, diapers and other items. In November, the focus shifted to long-term relief, Carter said.

“While on the surface in a lot of places there appears to be some return to normalcy, we’re spending a lot of time on longer-term recovery issues which are going to take months, if not years,” Carter said. “People have lost everything – from their furniture to their children’s toys. What has made it even more difficult for thousands is that their employment was

also washed away, so their income has been lost or reduced. They got behind on rent and utilities. They’re dealing with trying to get homes back into livable condition.”

During the last six weeks of 2024, the

agency provided financial assistance to more than 900 households, and many others have been placed in long-term case management.

The agency is currently taking a six-prong approach to addressing the needs in western North Carolina.

Care for the storm survivors comes first. So far, households have received financial assistance for rent and mortgage payments, campers for temporary housing, utilities, hotel stays, building supplies and replacement of essentials such as contact lenses, glasses and clothing.

Students have been able to continue their education through help with tuition, and several families who lost their cars have received donated used vehicles. Funds have also gone toward bridge reconstruction to help individuals regain access to homes.

Funds are also going to help small businesses that suffered physical and financial damage so the owners and employees can get back to work, Carter said.

Caseworkers are also helping survivors rebuild homes damaged by the storm. Whenever possible, the agency is trying to purchase furniture and other items locally, so funds are also pumped back into the region’s struggling economy.

“You want to buy in the local area because Asheville, Blowing Rock and other areas that rely heavily on tourism didn’t see that revenue this fall and Christmas,” Carter said. “There are furniture stores in the Swannanoa area we are working with as well because we want to generate money for the local economy.”

Some clients need help finding employment because their jobs in the service or tourism industry were lost or hours were severely reduced.

Estimates show that up to 1,000 jobs were lost in the Biltmore Village district and hundreds of others were affected by severe damage to Asheville’s River Arts District.

Several mobile home parks in the Swannanoa area and other communities are being rebuilt thanks to building materials funded by the agency.

“Most recently, we paid for the physical lifting of individual trailers in a mobile home park community so they would be above flood waters, and we have committed an additional $100,000 to purchase HVAC systems,” Carter said.

The agency is working in tandem with the Catholic Schools Office to provide funds for Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville and Asheville Catholic Schools to help defray expenses.

Catholic Charities is using websites, social media and other forms of communication to help survivors register with FEMA and connect with other resources offering assistance in western North Carolina.

Sister Parish Program enters new phase

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s Sister Parish Program to help parishes in western North Carolina has reached a milestone.

Launched by Bishop Michael Martin in October, the program partners parishes and missions affected by Tropical Storm Helene with those in other parts of the diocese. Thirty-five “sister parishes” in the Charlotte diocese and beyond have been raising money and providing material and spiritual support to 20 parishes hit hard by the storm.

Through special collections, the sister parishes contributed to help affected parishes recoup lost offertory funds. Recently, the immediate fundraising goals were met, according to Matt Ferrante, the diocese’s chief financial officer.

“Based on the offertory trends from the impacted parishes and the remarkable contributions made by our sister parishes, we are pleased to report that we have raised sufficient funds to meet the needs of those parishes

in the coming months,” Ferrante wrote in a December email to priests across the diocese. “In light of this, we will be pausing the second collections for the storm relief effective immediately.”

Despite the change, new relationships between parishes, forged through trauma, continue to grow as sister parishes plan new ways to remain engaged with on-theground and spiritual support.

“This is what Catholics do – we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and part of the same body, and when one of the members of the body is hurt, we kick into gear and help,” says Father Aaron Huber, who has played a key role in St. Mark’s partnership with St. John the Evangelist in Waynesville, near where he grew up.

He was heartbroken in October to see the destruction around his hometown: “The whole landscape was different…Houses I remember seeing while I was growing up had just washed away.”

Father Huber and St. Mark parish in Huntersville went into high gear to help, delivering supplies, offering Masses and sending up prayers for its new sister church – a spirit that continues today.

“We’re turning our focus back to the basic necessity of human dignity as given by God,” Huber says. “This partnership has been a beautiful witness. The Church has served as an instrument of God’s peace reaching out to people in need.”

Ferrante says the Sister Parish Program is a testament to the care and concern Catholics in the diocese have for each other.

It has enabled parishes at opposite ends of the diocese to develop strong ties. The assistance has taken on all forms, from prayers and special Masses said for the western parishes to volunteers trucking in material help and offering labor to those affected by the storm.

A church in one of the hardest hit areas has seen both the material and spiritual benefits of the program. St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa was partnered with St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. While funds were helpful, other gestures meant a lot as well, says Claudia Graham, parish secretary.

ANTONIO GARCIA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Catholic Charities and Knights of Columbus volunteers work with residents to rebuild neighborhoods in Swannanoa.

Prison ministry rebuilds after Helene

LISA

GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

HENDERSONVILLE — Interim Prison

Ministry Coordinator David Coe is still in the mountains scrambling to find 50 prisoners who registered for the Residents Encounter Christ Retreat, which should have occurred three months ago.

Tropical Storm Helene interrupted the scheduled retreat and forced over 2,000 inmates from five correctional institutions to evacuate to other prisons scattered throughout the state.

Coe came out of retirement after he was offered the interim position just weeks before the storm hit and remains excited about his new role.

“I’m 78 years old, but Moses was 80 when God called him,” Coe said. “I wanted

to see us flourish, because we have such a great opportunity to bring the love of Christ to families.”

Increasing prisoner interest and a crew of active volunteers were growing the ministry in the mountains by “leaps and bounds,” he said. Helene brought that progress to a standstill.

Coe, who lives in Hendersonville, has a special connection to these mountains, and after 35 years of involvement, he has a passion for the prisoners, too.

“I have an ulterior motive; the reason I go to prison is to see Jesus, and I do. I see Him there all the time. I’ve seen more miracles behind bars than I have anywhere else,” Coe stated.

One of those miracles might be the retreat. Inmates, along with over 40 volunteers, typically gathered twice a year at the Mountain View Correctional gymnasium to celebrate Mass, receive reconciliation and break bread. Many of the prisoners are so uplifted they decide to continue in the Catholic faith by

joining the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, with the goal of eventually receiving the sacraments and devoting their lives to Jesus.

“We take a prison gymnasium and turn it into holy ground,” Coe said. “It is incredibly beautiful to witness an inmate walking into confession.”

Coe and his team of 11 also visited prisons and jails across the diocese and brought needed rosaries and donated Bibles from TAN Books. That activity is slowly resuming as prison occupants return.

Displaced inmates recently repopulated Craggy Correctional, Western Correctional Center for Women and the Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women in mid-November. The delay was due to the lack of drinkable water in most of Buncombe County.

Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution and Mountain View Correctional Institution neighbor each other and were not so lucky. They remain vacant due to

water issues and are continuing repairs.

Some of the displaced prisoners will never find their way back to their prestorm cells. Craggy Correctional, for example, is replacing all the minimumcustody, or low-risk, inmates with slightly elevated, medium-custody prisoners.

Coe and his crew’s most recent visit to Craggy Correctional was in Advent 2024. In the prison chapel, he had 15 new faces stare back at him as he read the Gospel and dissected Psalm 103. The only familiar face was an incarcerated man he ministered to in a different prison months before. Coe plans to go back weekly to see if any of the previous detainees return and to work with the new ones. If retreat participants are not moved into one of the reopened institutions, Coe is still determined to reach them.

“We can try to track them down. If the need is there, we have the methods to do it,” Coe said. “I will go to any prison, anywhere and anytime. Please pray for us and the families of those who are incarcerated.”

RCIA is now OCIA: What’s behind the name change?

CHARLOTTE — The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the process for people to learn about the Catholic faith and

join the Church, has been a staple in Catholic life and lingo for years. Now, the process is getting renamed and revamped.

In 2021, the U.S. bishops changed the name of one of the Church’s best-known acronyms, reorienting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults into the new Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA for short. The name change and the new approach that it represents are now in the process of being implemented in the Diocese of Charlotte and across the country. (The Spanish-language version will retain its acronym of RICA, for Ritual de la Iniciacion Cristiana de Adultos.)

Spirit in the World

The changes took effect Dec. 1, 2024, with parishes shifting to their mandatory use by

worldwide effort to improve the Church’s translation of English prayers and liturgical

world, including in the United States, the Latin word “ordo” is being retranslated from

reflects a deeper meaning, explains Father

More than a word change, the move reflects a deeper

Catholicism encompasses a spiritual journey liturgical actions or prayers (that is, a rite), he said. “The focus shifts to less upon what they know and more on their ability to conform their lives to the teachings of the Church.”

“The order contains the rites, but it is word “order” reflects the more profound spirituality and sacramental nature of the activity, similar to “Order of Matrimony”

The new structure of OCIA goes further

It is meant to invite candidates and catechumens into a continuous process of spiritual formation as opposed to emphasizing fixed checkpoints on a path to joining the Church and receiving the sacraments of baptism, first Holy Communion and confirmation.

That is reflected in a change to the length, breadth and timing of the process by which someone is initiated into the Church, he said.

“It’s no longer allowed that catechumens can come into the process and be baptized and receive the sacrament at next Easter Vigil – it will be a longer process,” he said. “Some parishes practice an academic year program in which from September through June, they’ll have, say, Tuesday night classes, and if you joined early enough, you would be initiated at the Easter Vigil. Now, it will be a year-round process (with more flexibility for entering the Church at different times). All of those who are seeking initiation are meeting on a regular basis, studying the Word of God as proclaimed in Scripture and learning the teachings of the Church.”

The revised order also emphasizes the practice of corporal and spiritual works of mercy throughout the formation process.

Aside from the name change and clarification of the names given to groups of people going through the process, Father Carter said, “the biggest changes that the ordinary member of the congregation will see are different prayers,” based on the new English translations.

Bishop Michael Martin promulgated local norms for the statutes on Dec. 10, 2024, and parishes are in the process of implementing the changes in coordination with the Divine Worship Office, Father Carter said.

— Catholic News Herald. Catholic News Service and OSV contributed.

HELENE

Coe

Keynote Speakers

Michael T Martin, OFM Conv

Hosted By Catholic Charities & Sisters of Mercy

Carter

Priests edge out seminarians for historic first victory

CHARLOTTE — Parishioners from across the Diocese of Charlotte made the trek to Charlotte Catholic High School for the inaugural priests vs. seminarians basketball game on Dec. 22. The game was competitive and featured a special referee: Bishop Michael Martin. Priests from several parishes teamed up to take on seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Joseph College Seminary in Belmont. The priests had help early on from former NBA player Gordon Haywood. Fans enjoyed a showdown that changed leads several times in the closing minutes. Father Christian Goduti of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem had the game-winning bucket to give the priests a 54-52 victory.

PHOTOS BY TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Endowment from late Greensboro mayor provides tuition aid for 60 students

GREENSBORO — The charitable legacy of the late Vic Nussbaum Jr., former Greensboro mayor and long-time member of St. Pius X Parish, continues to impact students at two Greensboro Catholic schools.

Thanks to an endowment of $1.5 million for tuition assistance for St. Pius X and Our Lady of Grace schools, 60 students have been given the opportunity to receive a Catholic education for the 2024-2025 school year. Each school received $30,990, which they allocated as needed.

Antonette Barilla Aguilera, principal of St. Pius X School, said the grant provided tuition assistance for 25 students this academic year.

“This opportunity to assist students through the generosity of Mr. Nussbaum helps us by reducing financial barriers and

creating opportunities for academic and spiritual growth,” Aguilera said. “At St. Pius X, as is the case with our other diocesan schools, teachers practice and teach students to love our faith, fostering spiritual growth alongside academic excellence.”

Thirty-five students at Our Lady of Grace School received assistance, according to Principal Catherine Rusch.

“At Our Lady of Grace, the gift of endowment funds for financial assistance means so much to our students and families,” Rusch said. “It allows us to welcome children into our community where they can grow as saints and scholars –regardless of financial circumstances.”

The late Nussbaum – a self-proclaimed “Catholic Yankee in Dixie” who became one of Greensboro’s biggest boosters and its mayor for three terms, from 1987 to 1993 – was focused on expanding libraries, providing low-income housing and improving the quality of public education.

He was a devout Catholic, attending Mass

every day at 6 a.m., and was a friend to the downtrodden, said Jim Melvin, who was mayor when Nussbaum was first elected to the Greensboro City Council in 1973.

He attended Our Lady of Grace Church and sent his children to Our Lady of Grace School, and after a cross-town move later attended St. Pius X. He believed Catholic schools not only provide a great education but are crucial to carrying on the faith.

Donors like Nussbaum across the diocese have given one-time gifts of cash or stock, pledged to capital campaigns or projects, or left gifts in their estate plans. Such gifts have benefitted parishes, Catholic schools, the diocese, the diocese’s foundation and St. Joseph College Seminary.

“We receive gifts of every amount – and all of them make a difference,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director. “There have been some individuals with significant resources who have had so much confidence in the Church’s leadership and commitment to their faith that they have given a million dollars

or more. I invite more people to be a part of our mission in this kind of significant way to help build up the Church across western North Carolina. Gifts given to establish endowments in particular help change people’s lives because they keep on growing and providing returns year after year.”

— Courtney McLoughlin

Fund an endowment

Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit your parish or Catholic school? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities. For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704370-3364 or gmrhodes@rcdoc.org.

Nussbaum

Three Charlotte seminarians instituted as lectors

ROME — Three Charlotte seminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College have been instituted as lectors, part of their ongoing formation toward the priesthood. Archbishop John Kennedy, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, conferred the ministry during a special Mass Jan. 12 at the college, which serves as the American seminary in Rome. John Harrison (St. Mark Parish, Huntersville), Gabriel Lugo (Immaculate Conception Parish, Forest City) and Ronan Ostendorf (St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Gastonia) were among 34 seminarians instituted as lectors. The ministry of lector is one of three important steps toward the priesthood: candidacy, acolyte and lector. This installation typically occurs after a man has completed his first year of theology.

Creation Care Conference on Feb. 8 to explore call to protect earth, help poor

CHARLOTTE — Ten years after Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si: Care for Our Common Home” placed the topic of the environment squarely within Church teachings, we are still called to positive change. Thus, Catholic Charities and the Sisters of Mercy are sponsoring a one-day conference on Saturday, Feb. 8, responding to the cry of the poor and the Earth. “Walking With the Spirit in the World” will explore ways to connect the call of Laudato Si to your life through listening, reflecting and sharing.

Pope Francis was not the first pope to stress the importance of care for our Earth. In the 2007 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men.”

Laudato Si uses the term “integral ecology,” which includes human ecology. This comprehensive approach includes moving our political and economic systems to policies and practices which protect the Earth, our common home. The call to an ecological conversion is “not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (“Laudato Si,” 217).

Furthermore, Laudato Si recognizes that those most harmed by environmental degradation are the poor and marginalized. As the encyclical states, “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (LS 139).

To that end, keynote conference speakers Bishop Michael Martin and eco-theologian Dr. Catherine Wright will bookend three workshops designed to inspire you to make meaningful impacts in your home, parish and community to address poverty, climate change and environmental justice.

The conference is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Belmont and includes lunch. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation is included. For details or to register, visit https://bit.ly/3VxgNx7.

— Sister Rose Marie Tresp and Catholic News Herald

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE

Harambee Mass returns to Our Lady of Consolation, connecting African roots through Catholicism

LISA GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — A vibrant melting pot of Black Catholics from Cameroon, the United States, Congo, Togo, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia and the Caribbean filled Our Lady of Consolation Church in harmony to resume the Harambee Mass after a five-year hiatus.

On Dec. 29, Our Lady of Consolation’s Black Catholics celebrated the feast of the Holy Family Harambee style – together as one big, connected African family. “Harambee” means “pulling together” in Swahili and is a celebration many Black Catholics have practiced since the late 1970s.

Liturgical Commission Chair Tony Barnett, who helped organize the Mass, explained, “At OLC we are fortunate to have such a variety of members that represent not only continental Africa but the Caribbean, and it is important to us to incorporate their values and cultures and that we put that in the context of Catholic worship. Harambee is one way to blend the cultures together.” Harambee is a call for unity and solidarity. The Mass shares the cultural traditions born out of African American worship experiences and later incorporated into Catholic worship.

During the entrance procession, Cameroonian parishioners danced behind Father James Kueh Kang, Father Yves Ilapi Kennedy and Deacon Curtiss P. Todd, moving to the beat of West African djembe drums and wearing black felt tunics woven with patterns of gold, green and red.

Father Kang, who presided over the Harambee Mass and is a native of Cameroon, intentionally set the Mass right before the New Year to begin a season of togetherness for the upcoming Jubilee Year.

In the past, Our Lady of Consolation Parish celebrated a Harambee Mass every fifth Sunday of the month, essentially quarterly, but COVID-19 put Harambee in remission. Recently installed Father Kang and parishioners believed now is the time to reinstate this important custom. The formal entrance of dancing, chanting and rattling Shekere instruments is commonplace in traditional African Masses.

Similarly, the offertory procession delivered more than wine and bread in preparation for consecration. There were more than 20 minutes of praise, with people from many countries and traditions presenting their own offerings – monetary gifts, paper supplies, water and other food supplies – in baskets decorated in flagcolored fabric symbolizing each country.

Members of three different Our Lady of Consolation choirs, Perpetual Hope,

The Cameroonians and the Francophones, sang “The Presence of the Lord” in one harmonized voice. While the nations presented their gifts, they proudly waved their flags, dancing and tapping metal gongs to produce traditional sounds that brought them memories of home.

“The pride and joy that came out of all the groups while making their offering was just delightful,” said Toni Tupponce, chair of the parish’s Black Culture Commission.

Bliloh Mabwe, wearing a blue and white head wrap indicating she hails from Liberia, stated, “It reminds me of back home. It takes my mind back home. It makes me want to go there.”

Father Kang, in honor of the feast day, reflected in his homily on the day’s readings, which were all about family. He did not solely focus on the Holy Family, or the family of African brothers and sisters, but about the nuclear family.

Father Kang presented a question to the congregation: “Would husbands remarry their wives if they could? Would wives remarry their husbands? Would children choose their parents if given the option? If the answer is ‘no,’ there is something wrong. Love has been lost. There are problems that need to be discussed.”

Father Kang added some practical advice for parents: “Parents, never talk badly about each other in front of your children,” he said. “Never put down your partner. Talk to them in a quiet place, or you will destroy your family. … We are coming together to celebrate our family. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide your family.”

For the communion hymn, the choirs joined together singing “Kumbaya, Come

SEE PAGE 24

PHOTOS BY TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Father Yves Ilapi Kennedy dances to the Afrocentric music of Harambee Mass with his fellow parishioners. Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte has resumed the joyful celebration of cultures and worship after a five-year hiatus.

HARAMBEE,

elcome to the Jubilee Year of Hope! Called for by Pope Francis, a Jubilee Year comes in the Church only once every 25 years. “This sacred time is a profound gift, inviting us to renew our faith, seek reconciliation, and rediscover the boundless mercy of God,” Bishop Michael Martin has shared.

As part of the celebration, people can receive indulgences and are encouraged to perform acts of charity and to make pilgrimages to Rome, Jerusalem, shrines and other sacred places. Three local pilgrimage sites are here in the Diocese of Charlotte: St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, Mary, Help of Christians Basilica at Belmont Abbey in Belmont and St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

No matter what you choose to do, make this Jubilee Year a time to deepen your commitment to living and proclaiming the Gospel with hope.

‘Tangible signs of hope’

Jubilee Year opens across diocese

clknauss@rcdoc.org

Prayer,song and words of hope and joy welcomed the Jubilee Year to the Diocese of Charlotte Dec. 28 and 29 as standing-room-only crowds attended Opening Masses in three locations.

The Jubilee Year 2025: “Pilgrims of Hope” was formally inaugurated by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve as he opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The tradition of a holy year – or jubilee – is based on the Old Testament concept of a year of rest, forgiveness and renewal. During holy years, Catholics make pilgrimages to designated churches and shrines, recite special prayers, go to confession and receive Holy Communion to receive a plenary indulgence, which is a remission of the temporal punishment due for one’s sins.

Bishop Michael Martin was originally scheduled to celebrate the diocese’s three

Jubilee Masses but could not because of illness. Priests stepped in to take his place and called on the faithful to embark on the Jubilee Year with hearts focused on trusting and loving God.

The liturgies coincided with the Feast of the Holy Family, and the theme of God’s Church as a family carried through much of the weekend.

At St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, Monsignor Roger Arnsparger reminded the congregation that they are not only members of their own families but are part of the larger family of the Diocese of Charlotte and the worldwide Church.

Father Arnsparger said jubilee years offer Catholics a special chance to commit not only to their own spiritual growth but to sharing God’s love.

“Let’s thank the Lord for the wonderful privilege to be able to assist each other in this great gift of building up our family and inviting others on the way to show them there’s a plan and a purpose” he said. “The joy of the Gospel, which is the

W Jubilee 2025 Jubileo

joy of our lives, calls us to this wonderful pilgrimage.”

Father David McCanless, chaplain at Wake Forest University, opened the Jubilee Year with a full house at St. Pius X in Greensboro on Dec. 29.

“I reminded people that this is a chance for us to perceive a new relationship with Jesus,” he said. “Part of what we’ll focus on is renewing our own hope, whether we need God’s mercy or confession, and on the other side of the coin, we will be giving hope to others through acts such as feeding the hungry and visiting the lonely.”

Close to 1,000 people attended the 5 p.m. Jubilee Mass at St. Mark in Huntersville on Dec. 29. They gathered outside to listen to prayers read by celebrant Father Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu, parochial vicar.

Father Nnebe-Agumadu’s homily offered the Holy Family as an example of how people can embrace the year’s theme.

“The Holy Family we celebrate today are pilgrims of hope … travelers throughout their lives clinging on to God’s promise,” he said.

He reminded the congregation that the Jubilee Year offers a chance and a duty for people to share their jubilee message as “tangible signs of hope to the prisoner, to the sick, to migrants, to the elderly.”

More online

Learn more about pilgrimages, how to obtain an indulgence and check out upcoming events and celebrations on our Jubilee website, www. charlottediocese.org/jubilee-2025

Father Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu leads people in prayer outside of St. Mark Church in Huntersville during the Jubilee Mass on Dec. 29. TROY C. HULL |

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS

Monsignor Roger Arnsparger opened the Jubilee Year 2025 in the diocese at a Mass at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville en la Basílica de San Lorenzo en Asheville el 28 de diciembre.

Laoración, el canto y palabras de esperanza y alegría dieron la bienvenida al Año Jubilar en la Diócesis de Charlotte el 28 y 29 de diciembre, con multitudes que no cabían en tres celebraciones de Misa de Apertura en distintos lugares.

El Año Jubilar 2025: “Peregrinos de la Esperanza” fue inaugurado formalmente por el Papa Francisco en la víspera de Navidad, cuando abrió la Puerta Santa en la Basílica San Pedro en Roma. La tradición de un Año Santo, o jubileo,

ienvenidos al Año Jubilar de la Esperanza! Convocado por el Papa Francisco, un Año Jubilar solo ocurre una vez cada 25 años en la Iglesia. “Este tiempo sagrado es un profundo regalo, que nos invita a renovar nuestra fe, buscar la reconciliación y redescubrir la inmensa misericordia de Dios,” ha compartido el Obispo Michael Martin. Como parte de la celebración, las personas pueden recibir indulgencias y se les anima a realizar actos de caridad y a hacer peregrinaciones a Roma, Jerusalén, santuarios y otros lugares sagrados. Tres sitios locales de peregrinación están aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte: la Basílica de San Lorenzo en Asheville, la Basílica de María, Ayuda de los Cristianos en la Abadía de Belmont en Belmont y la Catedral de San Patricio en Charlotte. No importa lo que elijas hacer, haz de este Año Jubilar un tiempo para profundizar tu compromiso de vivir y proclamar el Evangelio con esperanza.

‘Signos tangibles de esperanza’

El Año Jubilar se inaugura en toda la diócesis

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

está basada en el concepto del Antiguo Testamento de un año de descanso, perdón y renovación. Durante los años santos, los católicos hacen peregrinaciones a iglesias y santuarios designados, rezan oraciones especiales, se confiesan y reciben la Santa Comunión para obtener una indulgencia plenaria, que es una remisión de la pena temporal causada por los pecados.

El Obispo Michael Martin iba a celebrar las tres Misas jubilares de la diócesis, pero no pudo debido a una enfermedad. Los sacerdotes asumieron su lugar e invitaron a los fieles a emprender el Año Jubilar con sus corazones enfocados en confiar y amar a Dios. Las liturgias coincidieron con la Fiesta de la Sagrada Familia, y el tema de la Iglesia de Dios como una familia estuvo presente a lo largo de todo el fin de semana.

En la Basílica San Lorenzo en Asheville, aproximadamente 450 personas asistieron a la Misa Jubilar del 28 de diciembre en el espléndido santuario de la histórica iglesia, decorado con flores de pascua rojas y blancas. Monseñor Roger Arnsparger comenzó la Misa con una oración en la puerta principal de la basílica y luego bendijo a la congregación con agua bendita. Les recordó que no solo son miembros de sus propias familias, sino que también forman parte de la familia más grande de la Diócesis de Charlotte y de la Iglesia mundial.

El Padre David McCanless, capellán de la Universidad Wake Forest, abrió el Año Jubilar con una iglesia llena en San Pío X en Greensboro el 29 de diciembre.

Casi mil personas asistieron a la Misa

Jubilar de las 5 de la tarde en San Marcos en Huntersville el 29 de diciembre. Se reunieron afuera del templo antes de la Misa para escuchar las oraciones leídas por el celebrante, Padre Chinonso NnebeAgumadu, vicario parroquial.

La homilía del Padre Nnebe-Agumadu

presentó a la Sagrada Familia como ejemplo de como las personas pueden abrazar el tema del año.

“La Sagrada Familia que celebramos hoy son peregrinos de esperanza...viajeros a lo largo de sus vidas aferrándose a la promesa de Dios”, dijo. “Hoy buscamos la intercesión de la Sagrada Familia, para que, a través del dolor que ellos sufrieron en su propio viaje, nos acompañen en el camino de esperanza, de fe, de amor, y finalmente, nos acompañen en el viaje que estamos haciendo hacia la eternidad”. Recordó a la congregación que el Año Jubilar ofrece una oportunidad y un deber de compartir el mensaje jubilar como “signos tangibles de esperanza para los prisioneros, los enfermos, los migrantes, los ancianos”.

Más en línea

Aprende más sobre las peregrinaciones, cómo obtener una indulgencia y consulta los próximos eventos y celebraciones en nuestro sitio web del Jubileo, www.charlottediocese.org/jubileo-2025.

El Padre David McCanless, capellán de la Universidad Wake Forest, inauguró el Año Jubilar en la Iglesia de San Pío X en Greensboro el 29 de diciembre.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARYANN LUEDTKE

GABRIEL P. SWINNEY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Asheville on Dec. 28. Monseñor Roger Arnsparger inauguró el Año Jubilar 2025 en la diócesis en una Misa con lleno total

Mercy Sister Ray Maria McNamara passes away

BELMONT — Mercy Sister Ray Maria McNamara, gifted ministry leader and former principal of St. Patrick Catholic School in Charlotte, died Dec. 22, 2024, in Athens, Georgia, aged 76.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Jan. 6, 2025, at Sacred Heart Convent, and interment followed at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.

She was born on April 3, 1948, in Greenville, South Carolina, the daughter of James Patrick McNamara and Catherine Fewell McNamara. She was the oldest of six siblings, three of whom –William Fewell, James Patrick and Michael Joseph – still live in or near Greenville. She grew up in a family that valued

education and excellence in whatever endeavors she and her brothers and sister pursued. She loved classical music, played several instruments and had a beautiful singing voice. In her teen years, she was a competitive swimmer. Both she and her sister Katie were state champions in swimming. She often spoke of how much at home she felt in the water. She developed an interest in science which remained important to her throughout her life – no matter what education or ministry she pursued.

She attended Holy Rosary Elementary School and Greenville High School, before matriculating at Clemson University to study biology. She earned a Bachelor of Science at Clemson University in 1970. Shortly after graduation, she entered the Monastery of the Poor Clares in Greenville. After several years she recognized that she did not have a vocation to cloistered

life. She taught at St. Mary’s School in Greenville for several years and still felt a call to live religious community life. She was drawn to the community of the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont, where she entered in July of 1977. She made perpetual profession as a Sister of Mercy in 1981.

She often talked about her years as an elementary and middle school teacher in Florida and in Charlotte. Even without formal training in education, she enjoyed awakening interest in the sciences for her students. In 1992, she became principal of St. Patrick Catholic School in Charlotte. She was invited by her community to study theology, and in 1997 she began a program leading to a Masters in Theology and ultimately to a Doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. In 2005 she earned a Doctorate in Christian Spirituality. Her area of interest combined spirituality and ecology, drawing on the scientific background she loved. She taught theology at the University of Portland until 2010, when the Sisters of Mercy asked her to assume responsibility for Mission Advancement for her community. She later worked in staff

formation for her community. She was a deeply spiritual woman who had great confidence in God, and a love of beauty and joy in living.

Most recently she ministered at St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens, where she worked with the administration to assist in living out the spiritual mission of the hospital. She combined patient contact and conversation with staff members throughout the system. Her many interests and the scope of her work allowed her to interact with the youngest infants and the most sophisticated hospital staff. These final years of ministry were very happy ones for her, as she felt she could draw on her many life experiences and her best talents.

She is survived by family members William Fewell and Linda McNamara, James Patrick and Beth McNamara, and Michael Joseph McNamara, as well as several nieces and nephews and extended family members. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Katie and brother Tim. McLean Funeral Directors of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

Mercy Sister Mary Robert Williams, educator and longtime ministry leader, dies at 92

BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Robert Williams peacefully passed away on Dec. 26, 2024, aged 92. A beloved Sister, educator and spiritual leader, Sister Mary Robert dedicated her life to serving others, embodying the values of compassion and kindness throughout her many years of ministry.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, followed by interment at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.

Margaret Catherine Williams was born on Oct. 24, 1932, to Robert Williams of Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, and Bernadette Nixon of Triangle, North Carolina.

Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, she attended St. Patrick Catholic School, previously known as O’Donoghue School, where she nurtured her passion for education.

On Aug. 5, 1950, she entered the Sisters of Mercy and began a remarkable career that spanned decades. Her commitment to teaching and leadership saw her serve as a supervisor at Nazareth Orphanage, principal at St. Mary’s School in Wilmington, North Carolina, and later as principal at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in Charlotte for 13 years. During this time, she also dedicated herself to training the next generation of Sisters as a novice director for the Sisters of Mercy.

After retiring from her formal education career, Sister Mary Robert continued to share her gifts at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Salisbury, where she became a

cherished pastoral associate and patient advisor. She was instrumental in starting Rowan Helping Ministries’ homeless shelter, and she also worked with a local women’s shelter and Operation Suitcase, which provides supplies for children in foster care.

Sister Mary Robert provided support and guidance to people in need for 31 years at Sacred Heart Parish, until her retirement in 2014 at the age of 81. An outreach program based out of the parish was later named for her in gratitude for her service.

Upon returning to Belmont, Sister Mary Robert dedicated herself to the community, volunteering at Holy Angels and House of Mercy, where she uplifted and visited children and young women, offering prayer and encouragement to those facing challenges.

Known for her joyful spirit, gentleness and unwavering love for others, Sister Mary Robert was also a talented storyteller who created lasting connections with everyone she encountered. Her presence brought peace and light to all who were fortunate enough to know her.

Sister Mary Robert will be profoundly missed by her family, the Sisters of Mercy, friends, and the countless lives she touched throughout her ministry.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sister Mary Robert’s memory may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont, N.C. 28012; or to a charity of one’s choice, reflecting her lifelong commitment to service and love for others.

McLean Funeral Directors of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

Our schools

2025 ‘United in Faith and Community’ Catholic Schools Week is almost here

LISA GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Students, teachers and parents are marking their calendars and getting pumped for the most festive school days of the year, Catholic Schools Week.

This year will greet the largest turnout the Diocese of Charlotte has ever seen, with enrollment numbers soaring to 8,350 students spread across 20 schools spanning from the mountains to the Piedmont. This year’s theme is “United in Faith and Community,” and it is set for Jan. 26 to Feb. 1. The week will be packed with a fun-filled schedule of faith, service and fellowship.

Catholic schools across the nation have participated in this event since 1974, joining together as one united Catholic student body to spread a message of unity and hope.

“Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the impact Catholic education has on the formation of not only our students, but those in Catholic schools across the nation,” said Tara Hackman, advancement director for the diocese’s Catholic schools.

Students will have opportunities to dress silly, play games and sports, go on service field trips, pray and celebrate

Mass and give back to the community.

While every school has unique events, here are some of the highlights: Starting off the week, Christ the King High School is hosting eighth-graders from Our Lady of the Assumption School, St. Mark School and Sacred Heart School to give them a glimpse of what high school is like, while Bishop Michael Martin will deliver a special prayer.

On Wednesday and Thursday, students will venture off-campus to serve people

suffering from brain injuries at the Hinds Feet Farm in Huntersville.

On the other side of Mecklenburg County, Charlotte Catholic High School will have its annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The last teams standing will test their skills in the gym on Friday against faculty.

On Thursday, a special Mass will be celebrated in honor of vocations. Father Brian Becker, alumnus and diocesan vocations promoter, will preside, and afterward, local seminarians and sisters will share their vocation stories.

Service drives and projects are also planned throughout the week.

St. Patrick School kindergartners will travel to Dilworth Soup Kitchen, while the upper grades will bus over to Catholic Charities’ Charlotte food pantry for a service project. Community speakers such as Anne Gildea from Dilworth Soup Kitchen, Martin Jackson from Charlotte Rescue Mission and Joe Hamby from Roof Above will inspire and inform.

On Friday, parents are invited to attend Mass, visit classrooms and watch a basketball game between faculty and fifthgraders.

Over at St. Ann School, alumni will come back as “Mystery Readers,” teachers and students will face off in a volleyball

game, and parents are invited to talk about their vocations with different classrooms.

Our Lady of the Assumption School will start the week with Mass at the parish church on Sunday morning, featuring the OLA Band. Students are encouraged to don their spirit wear.

On Tuesday, a school-wide bingo game will be held in the gym, and students will show off their talents on Friday at a talent show.

St. Gabriel School will host a breakfast for volunteers on Monday, a luncheon for teachers on Tuesday, and on Friday play games such as “Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader” and “Where is Bishop Martin?”.

St. Leo School in Winston-Salem starts off the week by having students serve and speak at Sunday Masses. On Monday, they’ll hear from local religious organizations and nonprofits about their roles in the community.

Superintendent Dr. Greg Monroe, who will be visiting schools all week to share in the fun, is excited. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate the very best of our schools and our communities. It has always been a joyful opportunity to find the true meaning of what makes Catholic schools, Catholic schools,” he said.

Padre Julio Domínguez

Entre luces y sombras

Saludos mis queridos hermanos de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Espero en Dios que todos ustedes estén bien y que hayan comenzado este año con gran alegría y entusiasmo. Quise escribir este pequeño artículo para hacerles llegar mis más sinceros deseos de paz, de esperanza y de mucha fe en nuestro buen Dios.

Como muchos de ustedes saben, yo he venido lidiando con la situación de salud de mi padre, que lo ha llevado por dos veces a las puertas de la muerte y que, por voluntad de Dios ha regresado y aunque actualmente se encuentra delicado, podemos decir que está estable. Los médicos nos dicen que es una bacteria que causa infección en su organismo, pero no han podido acabar con ella. No quiero que esto suene a que quiero la atención a mi caso y créanme que de verdad aprecio todas las oraciones que han hecho por mi padre y mi familia; sino más bien, valerme de esta situación para poner mis pies en la tierra y hablarles desde allí, pues se que muchos de ustedes viven situaciones fuertes en sus vidas.

Yo le comenté a mi mamá y a mi hermano que de nosotros dependía volver esa situación de dolor y sufrimiento en algo muy positivo, en vez de ver solo lo negativo (que a simple vista todo era negativo).

Les dije que no tenemos que desesperar sino esperar. No tenemos que renegar sino confiar en Dios y necesitamos sobre todo planear el futuro cercano y el futuro lejano.

Como en Navidad nos dijeron que mi padre ya agonizaba, tuvimos que preparar todo lo del cementerio y eso nos causó bastante dolor. Ahorita estamos arreglando algunas propiedades que están a su nombre para evitar problemas en el futuro. Y el cuarto de huéspedes de mis papás lo estamos acondicionando a que quede como el de un hospital.

La luz de la fe nos ilumina en este tiempo de sombras y la esperanza no nos ha dejado. Hace unos días, una hermana de la iglesia me mando un mensaje diciendo que ellos habían pasado por lo mismo y que ya habían transcurrido cuatro años y su papá seguía entre ellos.

Queridos hermanos, sé que en nuestro mundo estamos viviendo realidades que presentan un futuro incierto e inquietante, pero quiero decirles lo mismo que le dije a mi familia: entre más difícil y complicado se presente la situación, mayor fe, amor y esperanza debemos pedir nosotros para afrontar el reto.

Se oye todo lo que viene de las leyes de migración, se oye el descenso de trabajo, se oyen las calamidades naturales y el contagio de tantos virus que existen hoy en día.

Necesitamos aferrarnos a la idea de que nuestro buen Dios no nos deja de su mano y que estará de nuestro lado en todo momento.

Decía San Juan Pablo II que no basta rezar, hace faltan muchas cosas para el mundo mejorar, y es lo que tenemos que hacer. Los planes deben estar hechos y tomar decisiones en caso que llegue a pasar algo. Ustedes verán que al organizar las cosas y poner todo en su lugar estarán mejor preparados para afrontar el futuro que a veces se presenta incierto.

No está mal el tener un plan B, que a veces suena tan duro, como hacer la fosa para tu familiar enfermo o cambiar el nombre a las propiedades. Son cosas necesarias que se tienen que ir haciendo para prepararnos al peor de los casos.

Este año jubilar es el año de caminar en la esperanza. Dejémonos guiar por Dios, poner lo mejor de nosotros en responder a su divina voluntad y no dejarnos en ningún momento de sus manos.

En ningún momento dejemos de orar a Dios pidiendo la protección divina de sus manos y sabiduría para entender su voluntad. Y hagamos lo necesario para poder poner en acción lo que Él nos diga. Bendiciones para todos.

EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ

Sacerdote panameño se integra a parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Todavía adaptándose al clima, y con solo dos días en la ciudad de Charlotte, el nuevo vicario parroquial de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe celebró su primera Misa el pasado domingo 12 de enero a las dos de la tarde.

Ante un templo completamente repleto, el Padre Diógenes Araúz, C.M. recibió el caluroso y cariñoso

dijo, y añadió que por nuestra fe, “el cristiano reconoce a Dios en todo momento y lugar, y confía que Él camina con nosotros”.

MISIONERO VICENTINO

El Padre Diógenes nació el 19 de septiembre de 1977, el menor de ocho hermanos de un hogar que define como “católico de fe y compromiso”. Su niñez y juventud transcurrieron en Puerto Armuelles, una zona campesina y rural cercana a la frontera con Costa Rica, territorio de misión de la congregación Vicentina.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El flamante vicario parroquial de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, Padre Diógenes Araúz C.M., ofreció su primera Misa el pasado domingo a las 2 de la tarde ante una multitud que deseaba conocerlo y estrechar sus manos. El Padre Araúz llegó proveniente de su natal Panamá.

saludo de la congregación y, durante su homilía, dijo que esta realidad, “muy diferente a la que vivía en Panamá”, lo impresiona. “Todas las Misas están llenas de gente… Hay una fe grande que mueve a la gente a venir aquí. Hay una certeza, y está fundada en la Palabra de Dios. Por eso estamos aquí. Por eso lo buscamos y hacemos su voluntad”. “Venimos a buscar a un Dios que cumple sus promesas. Un Dios que es completamente diferente a nosotros, que nos olvidamos de lo que prometemos”,

Los sacerdotes misioneros vicentinos requerían de la ayuda de guías locales que los acompañaran en sus viajes a caballo, por caminos difíciles y cruzando ríos.

“Todo empezó por una invitación de los sacerdotes a acompañarlos, pues no sabían mucho de estos menesteres. Ahí empecé. Un día alguien me hizo la pregunta de si no me gustaría entrar al Seminario. Honestamente no lo había pensado. Le puse peros, el estudio, la edad y qué sé yo”, nos confesó. Pero pasados dos años, en 2002, dio el paso e ingresó al seminario. El camino era difícil, el joven Diógenes no había estudiado el bachillerato y debió realizarlo en el seminario. Luego, tras graduarse de la escuela, estudió Filosofía en Panamá, después un año en Colombia y posteriormente cuatro más en México. Fue ordenado sacerdote el 23 de enero de 2016 en su parroquia natal, San Antonio en Puerto Armuelles, por Monseñor Alfonso Cabeza, un obispo vicentino.

Tras su ordenación ha trabajado a tiempo completo en Panamá, que considera un territorio de misión. Inició sus labores sacerdotales en Puerto Armuelles, luego fue asignado a una zona totalmente indígena por 3 años y posteriormente retornó a su parroquia San Antonio por 3 años más. “Finalmente, por dos años y medio, estuve acompañando la pastoral penitenciaría y la zona campesina cercana al area del Canal de Panamá, en Colón, zona Atlántica”, precisó. Cuando le hicieron el llamado para Charlotte, el Padre Diógenes pensó en el trascendental cambio de una zona de misión a una parroquia. “Nunca he estado en una parroquia, pero cuando se me habló dije, sí, sí puedo. Estoy dispuesto porque cuando se nos ordena, se nos consagra para un servicio y un servicio donde se necesite”.

Respecto a su nueva parroquia, dijo que aquí, “hay mucha gente que busca, que sirve, que está presente. Se siente una comunidad, se siente esa hermandad, esa alegría del cristiano”. “Dios es muy bueno conmigo y me ha traído hasta aquí. Estoy en una felicidad inmensa de haber llegado y me pongo en manos de Dios y en las oraciones de la gente, porque bueno, hay trámites legales que hay que cumplir. Y esperamos que todo se dé a favor y poder quedarnos a servir a la comunidad”, finalizó.

es Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Más de mil familias ya son parte de la Misión del Santo Rosario

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@rcdoc.org

BOONVILLE — Con una consagración de numerosas familias a la Virgen María realizada el pasado mes de diciembre en la parroquia Divino Redentor, la Misión del Santo Rosario con base en Newton cerró un año especialmente provechoso, con numerosas actividades y extendiéndose a otras parroquias del área. Fueron 33 días de preparación que iniciaron el 5 de noviembre y concluyeron el 8 de diciembre, fecha en que tradicionalmente se celebra la Fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción de María, y que este año por coincidir con el Segundo Domingo de Adviento, se celebró el lunes 9. El Diácono Darío García, director espiritual de los movimientos marianos del ministerio hispano de la diócesis, comentó que en 2024 se consagraron casi un centenar de familias de las mil ya consagradas en la Misión del Santo Rosario a lo largo de su historia. La misión, dijo, inició en la parroquia San José en Newton, “y en este momento tenemos ya cuatro parroquias, y el año entrante estamos esperando la quinta que es Divino Redentor”, aseguró. La idea, comentó, es que que los misioneros del Rosario no se dediquen solo a a rezar el Rosario, sino que participen de las muchas actividades que tienen las parroquias. Por ejemplo, citó, ellos se encargan de rezar los rosarios antes de las misas, se encargan de rezar los rosarios cuando fallece alguien y la familia necesita que se le acompañe en el duelo. Además, explicó, en algunas parroquias se promueve ‘La Virgen Peregrina’, cuya imagen se llevan los parroquianos inscritos los domingos a sus casas y las retornan el sábado para que otra familia pueda llevarla el domingo siguiente.

Reconoció que la emoción por el rezo del Rosario se incrementa durante los meses de mayo y octubre, porque ser el mes de mayo el de la virgen, y octubre el mes del santo Rosario, por la fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario que se celebra el 7 de ese mes.

IMAGEN PROPORCIONADA

“La Misión del Santo Rosario no consagra únicamente personas, sino familias completas”, dijo el Diácono Darío García, coordinador del ministerio hispano de la Vicaría de Hickory y consejero espiritual de los movimientos marianos del ministerio hispano de la diócesis, quien espera que el apostolado se extienda a otras parroquias durante el año en curso.

consagrados y la consagración de las familias nuevas en este momento”, dijo García.

¿ABURRIDO O FASCINANTE?

Respecto a la repetición de oraciones en el rezo del Santo Rosario, el Diácono García explicó que no se trata de simplemente repetir Padrenuestros y Avemarías ‘como loritos y una cantaleta”. Asegura que rezar el Rosario, “es una oportunidad para meditar los misterios grandes de toda la vida pasión y muerte de nuestro Señor Jesucristo”, y que no sea la devoción, “simplemente por cumplir y por rezar, sino para meditar para reflexionar”. Muchos, dice, “lo han entendido y ya no se duermen ni les resulta tedioso”. Ahora, explica, las familias rezan el Rosario juntas y buscan ocasiones especiales para hacerlo. La fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del 12 de diciembre comentó, por ejemplo, ya no es solo por la comida, los tamales y la música. “Ahora rezan la Novena, y en los Rosarios Guadalupanos dan gracias a Dios por intermedio de la Virgen por todos los beneficios recibidos. ¡Y luego, siguen con la Novena de Navidad! Esto no se acaba”. “Usted puede rezar conduciendo su coche, en su ‘break’, o ahí mismo al frente de su máquina, mientras hace su trabajo, en una iglesia o una capilla, en la noche cuando ya regrese junto con su familia. Todo momento es propicio para rezar el Rosario”, añadió.

UN SUEÑO HACIÉNDOSE REALIDAD

El sueño del Diácono García es que más parroquias se vinculen a la Misión y que, “mañana o pasado mañana, con la aprobación de nuestro obispo, se convierta en un apostolado diocesano, que se concrete nuestro manual escrito con todo para que la gente tenga la información precisa, y que más familias se beneficien de los resultados concretos que entrega la Virgen cuando le ofrecen un Rosario”.

“En esos dos meses se hacen los dos encuentros o retiros y se invita a todas las parroquias a que participen”, comentó el Diácono García. Lo interesante, dijo, es que al participar migrantes de todo Latinoamérica, la consagración se extiende a los familiares de los integrantes del retiro en otros países como México, El Salvador, Honduras, Perú, Colombia y más. “Y no solo en el exterior, sino que personas con familia en Nueva York, Miami, y otras tantas ciudades en Estados Unidos extienden el alcance del programa a otras latitudes”.

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@rcdoc.org

La parte neurálgica del proceso es la consagración. Y una de las misiones de los consagrados es buscar más familias para que se consagren. “En los eventos que hacemos, realizamos la renovación de los que están

Si su grupo, comunidad o parroquia desea obtener mayor información sobre la Misión del Santo Rosario, comuníquese al correo electrónico del Diácono García: dgarcia@rcdoc.org o dejando un mensaje de texto al WhatsApp 828-228-6622.

“Hagan sus preguntas y, cuando quieran iniciar, acá estaremos para ofrecerles capacitación y acompañamiento”, concluyó diciendo el diácono.

Guatemaltecos celebraron al Señor de Esquipulas

CHARLOTTE — Un numeroso grupo de fieles se encontraron el miércoles 15 en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe para celebrar la fiesta del Señor de Esquipulas, un Cristo negro que es venerado en la pequeña ciudad de Esquipulas, localizada al sureste de Guatemala, cerca al Departamento de Ocotepeque, república de Honduras.

La celebración inició con en procesión que recorrió los terrenos de la parroquia al oeste de Charlotte, para luego dar paso a una Misa, una hora cultural que incluyó danzas, música y la lectura de la historia de la devoción, para finalmente concluir con un compartir en el que se sirvieron deliciosos platillos típicos guatemaltecos.

Este es el segundo año consecutivo que se celebra esta devoción en la parroquia. Otto García, organizador originario de Guatemala y feligrés por muchos años de la parroquia guadalupana, dijo que pocos días después del arribo del nuevo párroco, Reverendo Marvin Navas, C.M., éste le manifestó su interés por incluir dentro de las actividades de la parroquia el mayor número de fiestas religiosas trascendentes para los feligreses. “Nos organizamos rápidamente y pudimos festejar a tiempo al Señor de Esquipulas. Celebramos aquí fechas importantes para los mexicanos, peruanos, dominicanos, colombianos, hondureños y parroquianos de otras nacionalidades”, señaló.

ANTIGUA DEVOCIÓN

La historia del Señor de Esquipulas comenzó en el siglo XVI, cuando los habitantes de la región, enfrentados a enfermedades y conflictos, buscaban consuelo y esperanza. En 1594, el escultor portugués Quirio Cataño fue encargado de tallar una imagen de Cristo crucificado para la iglesia local. Utilizando madera de color oscuro, Cataño creó una

IMAGEN PROPORCIONADA

Con procesión y Misa, la comunidad guatemalteca celebró junto a cientos de feligreses originarios de toda Latinoamérica, la fiesta del milagroso Señor de Esquipulas, una devoción de más de 400 años que se festeja cada 15 de enero en Esquipulas, una ciudad de Guatemala, localizada cerca a la frontera con Honduras.

figura que, con el tiempo, se convertiría en un ícono de la fe católica en Centroamérica.

La imagen pronto comenzó a ser conocida por sus milagros. Se decía que aquellos que oraban ante el Cristo Negro encontraban alivio a sus penas y curación a sus

enfermedades. La fama se extendió rápidamente y atrajo peregrinos no solo de Guatemala, sino también de otros países.

Uno de los milagros más famosos ocurrió en el siglo XVIII, cuando una epidemia de viruela azotó la región. Desesperados, los habitantes de Esquipulas organizaron una procesión con la imagen del Cristo negro, rogando por su intervención. Según la leyenda, la epidemia se extinguió poco después, y la ciudad fue salvada.

En 1759, la pequeña iglesia, que se había convertido en santuario, dio paso a la construcción de una hermosa basílica de arquitectura barroca que cada año, el 15 de enero, recibe a miles de fieles de todo el mundo que se reúnen para celebrar la fiesta del Señor de Esquipulas, en una muestra de fe y devoción que ha perdurado a lo largo de los siglos.

TESTIGO DE LA FE

García dijo ser testigo de excepción de la muestra de la poderosa fe que se manifiesta durante las festividades del Señor de Esquipulas en Guatemala. “Viajé, estuve allí y pude ver como los peregrinos se hincaban de rodillas para subir de esa manera las gradas por las que se llega hasta la basílica. Escuché testimonios de gente que había recibido sanación física y regresaba cada año para agradecer con su presencia las gracias recibidas”. También, añadió que pudo ver las hermosas artesanías que elaboraban personas con severas discapacidades físicas. “Pero, lo que más me impresionó, fue ver la alegría en sus rostros, la amabilidad con la que trataban a la gente. Me hizo pensar que muchas veces nosotros aquí, en Estados Unidos, nos quejamos todos los días por pequeñas cosas, por nada, y, a veces, renegamos a Dios porque no nos ayuda. Y estas personas todo lo agradecían, hasta lo más pequeño”.

La devoción al Señor de Esquipulas no se limita solo a Guatemala. En países como México, El Salvador y Honduras,

Misa ‘Harambee’ regresa a Nuestra Señora de la Consolación

LISA GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Un vibrante crisol de católicos negros procedentes de Camerún, Estados Unidos, Congo, Togo, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia y el Caribe llenó la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, reanudando la celebración de la Misa ‘Harambee’, después de una pausa de cinco años.

La mañana del domingo 29 de diciembre, los católicos negros de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación celebraron la Fiesta de la Sagrada Familia, al estilo ‘Harambee’, juntos como una gran familia africana conectada. ‘Harambee’ significa ‘todos juntos’ en swahili.

El Padre James Kueh Kang, quien presidió la Misa y es nativo de Camerún, intencionalmente la programó justo antes de Año Nuevo para comenzar una temporada de unión en el próximo año jubilar. Anteriormente, Nuestra Señora de la Consolación celebraba esta Misa cada quinto domingo del mes, pero durante la pandemia de COVID-19 se suspendió. El Padre Kang y los feligreses creen que es el momento de restablecer esta costumbre.

Tony Barnett, presidente de la Comisión Litúrgica, quien ayudó a organizar la Misa, dijo que la gran variedad de miembros “representan no solo a África continental sino también al Caribe, y es importante para nosotros incorporar sus valores y culturas y que pongamos eso en el contexto del culto católico. ‘Harambee’ es una forma de mezclar las culturas”. Durante la procesión de entrada, los feligreses cameruneses bailaron detrás de los Padres James Kueh Kang, Yves Ilapi Kennedy y el Diácono Curtiss P. Todd, al ritmo de tambores y vistiendo túnicas de fieltro negro tejidas con patrones de oro, verde y rojo.

La procesión del ofertorio entregó más que vino y pan. Hubo más de 20 minutos de alabanza, y todos los países presentaron sus propias ofrendas monetarias, suministros de papel, agua y alimentos en cestas decoradas con telas con el color de la bandera que representaban a cada país. “El orgullo y la alegría que surgieron de todos los grupos mientras hacían su ofrenda fue simplemente encantador”, dijo Toni Tupponce, presidente de la Comisión de Cultura Negra de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación.

Bliloh Mabwe, con un pañuelo azul y blanco en la cabeza, signo que es de Liberia, dijo: “Me recuerda a mi país. Me lleva la mente a casa. Me dan ganas de estar allí”.

Irene Musongong, de Camerún, quien llegó desde Carolina del Sur, dijo: “Hoy es el Día del Domingo de la Familia, así que lo celebramos como una familia. Todas las diferentes tribus de África se están uniendo. Esta Misa es muy buena.

de la Consolación en Charlotte, recibe el Libro de los Evangelios de manos de un grupo de parroquianos nativos de Africa. Los miembros de la parroquia vistieron sus trajes tradicionales en la celebración de la Misa Harambee, palabra swahili que significa “todos juntos”.

Tenemos una cultura diversa y esto nos une”.

Las Misas en francés ofrecidas por el Padre Kennedy y el Padre Kang cada tercer domingo atraen a muchos católicos africanos de países francófonos a Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, eliminando la barrera del idioma y creando un sentido de comunidad. Muchos feligreses han encontrado un nuevo hogar en la parroquia, viajando desde diferentes condados e incluso cruzando la frontera estatal para estar presentes.

Una vez concluida la Misa, los feligreses sirvieron platos tradicionales afroamericanos, de África continental y el Caribe, elaborados con recetas familiares. Mientras comían, los miembros de la iglesia compartieron algo que todos tenían en común: sus historias de inmigración.

“Todos los dones que recibimos y que ofrecemos a Dios provienen de nuestros antepasados que provienen

de África continental, pero aquí en los Estados Unidos nuestros antepasados provienen de la esclavitud. Todos estamos conectados desde la misma raíz, y eso es lo que estamos tratando de decir a través de ‘Harambee’, dijo Tupponce, quien, junto con su madre, eran los únicos afroamericanos en una iglesia mayoritariamente católica polaca. Hoy disfruta de la capacidad de ser auténticamente negra y católica en Nuestra Señora de la Consolación. Cindy Gardin, que se vistió con los colores afroamericanos de la liberación: el rojo, que representa la sangre de sus antepasados; negra, que representa a su pueblo; y verde, que representa el potencial de todos los afroamericanos, en honor a la Misa, señalo: “’Harambee’ significa ‘unirse’, los cameruneses tienen su propia Misa y los francófonos tienen su propia Misa, ahora estamos todos aquí juntos, y prefiero que sea así”.

TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El Padre James K. Kang, párroco de Nuestra Señora

Papa Francisco

Desinvierta en empresas que explotan a los niños

Las personas y las instituciones pueden proteger a los niños cambiando lo que compran y en lo que invierten, dijo el Papa Francisco.

“Luchar contra la explotación, especialmente la infantil, es la manera principal de construir un futuro mejor para toda la sociedad”, dijo el Papa el 15 de enero, hablando sobre la explotación infantil durante su audiencia general por segunda semana consecutiva.

Cientos de miles de niños son sometidos a condiciones de trabajo peligrosas, tráfico sexual, pornografía o matrimonios forzados, dijo el Papa, pero “el maltrato infantil, sea cual sea su naturaleza, es un acto despreciable, es un acto atroz. ¡No es simplemente una lacra de la sociedad, no, es un crimen! Es una gravísima violación de los mandamientos de Dios”.

El Papa Francisco instó a todas las personas a considerar lo que pueden hacer como individuos para responder al problema social de la explotación infantil.

“En primer lugar, deberíamos reconocer que, si queremos erradicar el trabajo infantil, no podemos ser sus cómplices”, dijo, explicando que la gente apoya el trabajo infantil “cuando compramos productos que emplean mano de obra infantil”.

“¿Cómo puedo comer y vestirme sabiendo que detrás de esa comida o de esa ropa hay niños explotados, que trabajan en vez de ir a la escuela?”, dijo. “Tomar conciencia de lo que compramos es un primer acto para no ser cómplices. Ver de dónde proceden esos productos”.

Asimismo, las instituciones, incluidos los organismos eclesiásticos, tienen la “responsabilidad” de actuar contra la explotación infantil “dirigiendo sus inversiones a empresas que no utilicen ni permitan el trabajo infantil”, afirmó.

Tras su discurso principal, un circo realizó trucos para entretener a los peregrinos reunidos en el Aula de Audiencias San Pablo VI. El Papa Francisco se unió a la actuación lanzando una pelota para que la atrapara un perro. El Papa habló de los muchos factores que conducen a la explotación de los niños, como la pobreza generalizada, la falta de apoyo social a las familias y el aumento del desempleo y la inseguridad laboral. Como resultado, los niños de las ciudades, donde las divisiones sociales y la degradación moral están más presentes, se vuelven activos en el tráfico de drogas y otras actividades ilícitas, dijo, hasta el punto de convertirse en “’verdugos’ de otros compañeros”.

El Papa Francisco, volviendo a su texto, dijo que es difícil para la mayoría de la gente reconocer las injusticias sociales que empujan a dos niños hacia caminos diferentes, creando una “fractura humana y social inaceptable: entre los que pueden soñar y los que deben sucumbir”. “Pero Jesús nos quiere a todos libres y felices; y si ama a cada hombre y a cada mujer como a su hijo y a su hija, ama a los más pequeños con toda la ternura de su corazón”, dijo. “Por eso nos pide que nos detengamos a escuchar el sufrimiento de los que no tienen voz”.

San Sebastián: Defensor de la religión

IMAGEN CORTESÍA MUSEO DEL PRADO, MADRID

‘San Sebastián’, óleo sobre lienzo (1610-1614) de El Greco (Candía, Creta, 1541-Toledo, 1614). La obra muestra la figura de cuerpo entero del santo, que aparece de pie y desnudo, cubierto tan sólo por un paño de pureza. Siete flechas asaetean al joven. Una octava flecha se ha clavado en el tronco.

Lecturas Diarias

ENERO 19-25

Domingo: Isaías 62:1-5, Salmo 95:1-2a. 2b-3. 7-8a. 9-10a y c., 1 Corintios 12:4-11, Juan 2:1-11; Lunes: Hebreos 5:1-10, Salmo 109:1.2. 3. 4, Marcos 2:18-22; Martes (Memoria de Santa Inés, virgen y mártir): Hebreos 6:10-20, Salmo 110:1. 2. 4-5. 9 y 10c, Marcos 2:2328; Miércoles (Día de oración por la protección legal de los niños no nacidos): Hebreos 7:1-3. 15-17, Salmo 109:1.2. 3. 4, Marcos 3:1-6; Jueves: Hebreos 7:23–8:6, Salmo 39:7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 17, Marcos 3:712; Viernes (Memoria de San Francisco de Sales, obispo y doctor de la Iglesia): Hebreos 8:6-13, Salmo 84:8 y 10. 11-12. 13-14, Marcos 3:13-19; Sábado (Fiesta de la Conversión de San Pablo, Apóstol): Hechos 22:3-16 , Salmo 116:1bc. 2, Marcos 16:15-18

ENERO 26-FEBRERO 1

Domingo: Nehemías 8:2-4a. 5-6. 8-10, Salmo 18, 8. 9. 10. 15, 1 Corintios 12:12-30, Lucas 1:1-4. 4, 14-21; Lunes: Hebreos 9:15. 24-28, Salmo 97:1. 2-3ab. 3cd-4. 5-6, Marcos 3:22-30; Martes (Memoria de Santo Tomás de Aquino, presbítero y doctor de la Iglesia):Hebreos 10:1-10, Salmo 39:2 y 4ab. 7-8a. 10. 11, Marcos 3:31-35; Miércoles: Hebreos 10:11-18, Salmo 109:1.2. 3. 4, Marcos 4:1-20; Jueves: Hebreos 10:19-25, Salmo 23:1-2. 3-4ab. 5-6, Marcos

Sebastián, hijo de familia militar y noble, era oriundo de Narbona, pero se había educado en Milán. Llegó a ser capitán de la primera corte de la guardia pretoriana. Era respetado por todos y apreciado por el emperador, que desconocía su cualidad de cristiano.

Cumplía con la disciplina militar, pero no participaba en los sacrificios idolátricos. Además, como buen cristiano, ejercitaba el apostolado entre sus compañeros, visitaba y alentaba a los cristianos encarcelados por causa de Cristo. Esta situación no podía durar mucho, y fue denunciado al emperador Maximino quien lo obligó a escoger entre ser su soldado o seguir a Jesucristo.

El santo escogió la milicia de Cristo. Desairado el Emperador, lo amenazó de muerte, pero San Sebastián, convertido en soldado de Cristo por la confirmación, se mantuvo firme en su fe. Enfurecido Maximino, lo condenó a morir asaeteado: los soldados del emperador lo llevaron al estadio, lo desnudaron, lo ataron a un poste y lanzaron sobre él una lluvia de saetas, dándolo por muerto. Sin embargo, sus amigos que estaban al acecho, se acercaron, y al verlo todavía con vida, lo llevaron a casa de una noble cristiana romana, llamada Irene, que lo mantuvo escondido en su casa y le curó las heridas hasta que quedó restablecido.

Sus amigos le aconsejaron que se ausentara de Roma, pero el santo se negó rotundamente pues su corazón ardoroso del amor de Cristo, impedía que él no continuase anunciando a su Señor. Se presentó con valentía ante el Emperador, desconcertado porque lo daba por muerto, y el santo le reprochó con energía su conducta por perseguir a los cristianos. Maximino mandó que lo azotaran hasta morir, y los soldados cumplieron esta vez sin errores la misión y tiraron su cuerpo en un lodazal. Los cristianos lo recogieron y lo enterraron en la Vía Apia, en la célebre catacumba que lleva el nombre de San Sebastián. El culto a San Sebastián es muy antiguo, es invocado contra la peste y contra los enemigos de la religión, y además es llamado además el Apolo cristiano ya que es uno de los santos más reproducidos por el arte en general.

— Condensado de ACI Prensa

Oración a San Sebastián

Glorioso san Sebastián que alcanzaste de Dios tanta fe y caridad, que llegaste a sacrificar tu vida por obedecer a Dios y socorrer fielmente a tus hermanos cristianos.

Ahora que vives junto a Dios escucha las plegarias y súplicas de los que te invocan con gratitud, fe y devoción, y acuden a ti desde los campos, pueblos y ciudades.

Mártir de Cristo, alcánzanos de Dios que, confesando nuestra fe, acojamos el Reino anunciado por Jesucristo con verdadero espíritu de penitencia y vivamos como hijos de Dios. San Sebastián mártir glorioso, lleva nuestros ruegos ante Dios y concédenos tu especial intercesión para que podamos obtener lo que te pedimos. Amén.

4:21-25; Viernes (Memoria de San Juan Bosco, presbítero): Hebreos 10:32-39, Salmo 36:3-4. 5-6. 23-24. 39-40, Marcos 4:2634; Sábado: Hebreos 11:1-2, 8-19, Lucas 1:69-70. 71-71. 73-75, Marcos 4:35-41

FEBRERO 2-8

Domingo (Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor): Malaquías 3:1-4, Salmo 23:7. 8. 9. 10, Hebreos 2:14-18, Lucas 2:22-40; Lunes: Hebreos 11:32-40, Salmo 30:20. 21.22. 23. 24, Marcos 5:1-20; Martes: Hebreos 12:1-4, Salmo 21:26b-27. 28 y 30. 31-32, Marcos 5:21-43; Miércoles (Memoria de Santa Águeda, virgen y mártir): Hebreos 12:4-7. 11-15, Salmo 102:1-2. 13-14. 17-18a, Marcos 6:1-6; Jueves (Memoria de San Pablo Miki, presbítero y mártir, y compañeros, mártires): Hebreos 12:18-19. 21-24, Salmo 47:2-3a. 3b-4. 9. 10-11, Marcos 6:7-13; Viernes: Hebreos 13:1-8, Salmo 26:1. 3. 5. 8b-9abc, Marcos 6:14-29; Sábado: Hebreos 13:15-17. 20-21, Salmo 22:1-3a. 3b-4. 5. 6, Marcos 6:30-34

Our nation

Catholics rally to aid LA wildfire victims

LOS ANGELES — As deadly wildfires ravage Los Angeles, Catholics are mobilizing to help those impacted.

Catholic Charities USA – the official domestic relief agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S. and a member of Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s global network of humanitarian organizations – is now accepting donations to its Los Angeles Wildfire Relief initiative, which can be accessed through the agency’s website at catholiccharitiesusa. org.

“As usual, 100% of the funds raised go directly to our local agencies in the affected areas who are offering emergency and long-term relief to those who have been displaced or are suffering as a result of the wildfires,” Kevin Brennan, CCUSA’s vice president for media relations and executive communications, told OSV News in a Jan. 9 email.

At least 25 people have died and more than 150,000 people have been evacuated amid at least five named wildfires. The two largest blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, together consumed more than 59 square miles and remained uncontained as of Jan. 13.

Thousands of homes and other structures have been destroyed. At least 300,000 properties remain without power.

Corpus Christi Catholic Church in the Pacific Palisades sector of Los Angeles has been destroyed and 65 Catholic schools have been closed, archdiocesan officials said.

The blazes, which broke out Jan. 7, have been fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds reaching more than 60 mph, as well as extremely dry conditions that have rendered vegetation quick to burn.

“Our local agency staff are focusing on the safety of their communities and cooperating with emergency management guidance,” Brennan said. “As soon as it’s safe to do so, they’ll start assessing the damage. Of course, CCUSA stands ready and is preparing to assist with teams of people and financial support.”

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has also created a dedicated relief fund in response to the fires, which the archdiocese said have “deeply affected our schools, parishes, and beloved community members.

“In times of trial, our faith calls us to come together in solidarity to provide hope and healing for those who are struggling,” said the archdiocese on the fund’s website, which can be accessed at https:// lacatholics.org/california-fires.

“Our schools and parishes have always been cornerstones of education, faith and togetherness. Now, they and countless

families in our community need your help to recover and rebuild,” said the archdiocese. “Our community is resilient, but together, we can make the road to

recovery shorter and brighter. Let us come together to restore hope and offer a helping hand to our neighbors in their time of need.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles has urged prayers for all those affected, saying, “My heart goes out to our neighbors who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Let’s pray for them and let’s pray for our firefighters and first responders.”

The archbishop presided at three Masses last week for first responders and wildfire victims, with two liturgies taking place Jan. 9, one at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles and one at Mission San Gabriel; a third was to be celebrated Jan. 10 at Incarnation Church in Glendale, California. A media advisory issued by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles noted that “locations are subject to change due to the movement of the fires and possible evacuation orders.”

Parishes in the archdiocese have opened their doors to those displaced by the wildfires.

According to Angelus, the archdiocesan media outlet, St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica welcomed evacuees, providing snacks, rest facilities and device charging.

“We have dozens and dozens of parishioners and school families who have lost everything,” said St. Monica parish life director Merrick Siebenaler.

By the morning of Jan. 8, the parish campus closed after fire officials designated it as part of a fire “warning zone.”

Pastor Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson hosted one older couple at the parish rectory, and prayed with another family who had lost their home to the wildfires.

Los Angeles city officials opened a shelter at Sacred Heart Church in Los Angeles, with members of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society handing out supplies, including children’s clothing and diapers, to displaced persons.

“We’re here to help out,” Sacred Heart pastor Father Tesfaldet Asghedom told Angelus.

— OSV News and Associated Press

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

OSV

At age 116, Brazilian sister is the oldest person on the planet

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas from Brazil has made history as the world’s oldest living person, reaching 116 years and 210 days on Jan. 4. She topped the list of oldest living people following the death of Japan’s Tomiko Itooka on Dec. 29.

Born June 8, 1908, in Sao Francisco de Assis, Brazil, Sister Inah was considered too frail to survive childhood. She attributes her longevity to the rosary she holds in photos that have gone viral since her record-breaking announcement. Sister Inah lives a quiet routine at a convent in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where she recently recovered from a hospitalization. She has difficulty speaking, seeing and hearing but remains attentive to the world around her.

Sister Inah began her religious journey at 16, studying and later becoming a nun in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1934. She taught for years before working at the Provincial House in Porto Alegre. She received a blessing from Pope Francis on her 110th birthday and is the second-oldest documented nun, after French Sister André, who died in 2023 at 118 years. Sister Inah is known for her love of soccer.

Pope Francis names first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery

CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has appointed Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla to be the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery (an administrative department of the Church), naming her prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The 59-year-old Italian sister had served as secretary of the dicastery since October 2023.

The announcement of her appointment Jan. 6 also said Pope Francis named as pro-prefect of the dicastery Spanish Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, 64, the former rector general of the Salesians.

The Vatican press office did not reply to requests to explain why the cardinal was given the title pro-prefect or how his role would be different from that of a dicastery secretary.

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Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla, newly named secretary of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, speaks during a news conference at the Vatican March 14, 2024, about study groups authorized by Pope Francis to examine issues raised at the Synod on Synodality. In Brief

Last major Gaza hospital in ruins

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza is facing a devastating health crisis after Israeli forces destroyed the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan, on Dec. 28. Anton Asfar, head of Caritas Jerusalem, says the situation is beyond dire, with basic medical supplies running out and deadly diseases spreading fast.

“It’s a slow death, one way or another,” Asfar said. With hospitals in ruins and resources scarce, Gaza’s people are being forced to flee south for any chance of treatment.

The international community has responded, with the United Nations and Pope Francis condemning the attacks: “No more striking schools, hospitals; no more hitting workplaces!” the pope said. Caritas Jerusalem continues to provide health care in southern Gaza but can’t access the north as it’s simply too dangerous.

Poland’s Three Kings Parades break attendance records

KRAKÓW, Poland — On Jan. 6, Poland set a new record for its annual Three Kings Parades, with 2 million people marching across 905 cities and towns. This joyful event celebrates the biblical story of the Magi’s visit to the newborn Jesus, and it has grown tremendously since its humble beginnings in 2009 as a school initiative in Warsaw.

The parades now span beyond Poland, with international locations including Ukraine, Chicago, Rome and New York. Piotr Giertych, one of the founders, shared his excitement about this milestone, noting that the event’s authenticity, focusing on faith rather than politics, has led to its success. The parades are a blend of Polish traditions, including theatrical Nativity performances and carol singing. This year, even Pope Francis sent a special message, praising the event’s joyful testimony of faith.

Mercy Sister Sharon Euart, a Church lawyer and executive director of the Resource Center for Religious Institutes in Silver Spring, Maryland, said, “The appointment of the pro-prefect recognizes that there may be situations that call for the exercise of (holy) orders such as liturgical functions with members of the dicastery and the Curia as well as individual situations involving the internal forum and the sacrament of reconciliation.”

“I do not think the appointment of the pro-prefect diminishes the role or authority of the prefect in carrying out the responsibilities” entrusted to the dicastery, she said in an email response to questions.

The dicastery, according to the apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, is called “to promote, encourage and regulate the practice of the evangelical counsels, how they are lived out in the approved forms of consecrated life and all matters concerning the life and activity of Societies of Apostolic Life throughout the Latin Church.”

According to Vatican statistics, there are close to 600,000 professed women religious in the Catholic Church. The number of religiousorder priests is about 128,500 and the number of religious brothers is close to 50,000.

When a vowed member of a religious order asks to leave or is asked by the community to leave, the decision must be approved by the dicastery. It approves the establishment of new religious orders, approves the drafting or updating of the orders’ constitutions, oversees the merger or suppression of religious orders and the formation of unions of superiors general.

Sister Brambilla succeeds 77-year-old Brazilian Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz, who has led the dicastery since 2011.

She is one of two women Pope Francis appointed in early December to be members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the committee that oversees the implementation of the most recent synod and prepares the next assembly.

Born in Monza, Italy, March 27, 1965, she earned a nursing degree before entering the Consolata order in 1988. She studied psychology at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, and in 1999, after professing final vows, she went to Mozambique to do youth ministry before returning to Rome in

2002, earning her doctorate in psychology from the Gregorian University in 2008. She served two terms as superior of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, leading the congregation from 2011 to May 2023.

Cardinal Fernández Artime has been awaiting an assignment from the pope since August when his term as superior of the Salesians ended. Born Aug. 21, 1960, in Gozón-Luanco, Spain, he entered the Salesians at the age of 18 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1987. He holds a degree in pastoral theology, a licentiate in philosophy and pedagogy, and, as a priest, he worked in Salesian schools both in teaching and administration.

After serving in Spain, he was appointed provincial superior of southern Argentina in 2009. Working in Buenos Aires, Cardinaldesignate Fernández Artime got to know and work personally with then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, who would become Pope Francis four years later. In 2014, he was elected rector major of the Salesians and the 10th successor of St. John Bosco; he was re-elected in 2020. The pope made him a cardinal in 2023 and allowed him to continue as the Salesian superior until a chapter meeting and election could be held.

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Colleen Arnold

Our prayer posture affects our mindset at Mass

Recently, a non-Catholic friend accompanied me to Mass. “I was so confused!” she exclaimed afterward. “How do you know when to sit or stand or kneel? And all those secret gestures!”

For most Catholics, that knowledge has been developed by participation in many Masses over the years. It’s so ingrained that even if we’re not paying close attention, the movement of the assembly gives us a split-second clue. We automatically change positions as our muscle memory takes over.

“But what does it all mean?” she continued. “Why not just sit, like we do at our church services?”

What a great question. We Catholics pray with our hearts, minds and bodies. The motions and postures we use have meaning and subtly change our mindset throughout each part of the Mass.

SITTING: A TIME TO LISTEN

Sitting is the posture we use to listen and learn and the position we take when we come into the church for Mass. We get comfortable, quiet our thoughts and prepare to absorb what we’ll hear. We give ourselves time to clear our heads of distractions, and like Martha’s sister, Mary, we put aside our schedules and to-do lists so we can listen to the Lord (Lk 10:38-42).

As we sit for the readings and the homily, we are attentive to what God wants to share.

We also sit for the presentation and preparation of the gifts and briefly before the dismissal. In each case, we listen and reflect, like 12-year-old Jesus in the synagogue and students in any classroom.

KNEELING: A TIME FOR REVERENCE

Kneeling is a posture of devotion and adoration; imagine a young man proposing to his bride. It’s a posture of humility, as Jesus demonstrated when he knelt and washed the apostles’ feet. The knee is a symbol of power, so to bend it is to bend our strength in submission. Kneeling brings us down to a child’s level and makes us small and vulnerable.

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and submitted to His father’s will, He knelt (Lk 22:41). That prayer in the garden was not only one of submission but one of worship. The same is true for us. As we kneel and submit to God’s will, we recognize His power and glory. We worship Him. We kneel at Mass when Jesus is most profoundly present: during the Eucharistic prayer as the bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood, before we receive the Eucharist as we invite God to come into our hearts, and after Communion to thank Him for the gift of the Eucharist we just received.

STANDING: A TIME FOR READINESS

Standing is a posture of respect and readiness. We stand when someone we love enters the room. We stand to bestow honor

as a dignitary arrives or a judge enters a courtroom. At the first Passover, the Israelites were told to eat their meal standing, with staff in hand, prepared for the coming of the Lord. Similarly, our standing at the beginning of Mass is in honor of God’s presence and in anticipation of the events that will follow. We stand during the Gospel out of respect for the words we hear about Jesus. We stand for most of the prayers the assembly recites together: the creed, the prayer of the faithful, the Lord’s Prayer, and when we greet each other in the sign of peace. We stand at the dismissal to reflect our readiness as we head out into the world.

WHAT ABOUT PRAYING ALONE?

Just as at Mass, our private prayer should involve our entire bodies. Multiple studies have shown that posture affect our emotions and vice versa. How we position ourselves in prayer affects how we feel about God. Sitting is appropriate for reading Scripture or writing in your prayer journal. These are times when we are learning and thinking. We sit comfortably as we open ourselves to God, and he shares himself with us.

Standing is practically an automatic response when we find ourselves in awe of God’s majesty. Consider how we jump to our feet when our team scores, jubilant with praise and enthusiasm. So it is with our standing prayer, as excitement and respect compel us.

And when we throw ourselves at God’s mercy, beg Him for some need or are profoundly grateful, we kneel. We submit our will to God and admit our weakness.

THE MEANING BEHIND GESTURES

“And what about all those other little gestures and actions?” my friend asked. Gestures are an essential part of our Catholic life. They have rich meanings.

When we come into a church, we make the sign of the cross with the holy water we find near the entrance. The cross reminds us of the Trinity, and the water reminds us of our Baptism in Christ.

As we reach our desired pew or row, we genuflect, kneeling briefly on one knee. This symbolism goes back to medieval days when commoners genuflected in front of kings and nobles. Christians gradually absorbed the practice to honor our almighty King.

Before the Gospel is read, we use one of our thumbs to make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart. We are praying, “May the word of the Lord be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”

God came to us in the soul and body of Jesus Christ, so we come to God at Mass with our own bodies and souls. This week, let’s pay attention to all those movements and remember what we are saying to God with them.

Pope calls for ‘firm commitment’ to life –

what’s yours?

The birth of Jesus shows us that God’s love is not an abstract idea. It is a relationship with a real person.

This was Pope Francis’ message as he reflected on the motherhood of Mary in a homily kicking off the New Year.

“God is tangible, he is human, he was born of a woman; he has a face and a name, and calls us to have a relationship with him,” the pope said.

We relate to God by seeing his face and saying his name – just as we relate to any human being.

And the love we see in the face of Jesus should inspire us to look with love on the faces of our neighbors.

The pope pointed to Mary as a model of how to love Jesus – and how to love others.

“May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.”

For the pope, caring for “every child” begins with the child in the womb.

Too often the tangible humanity of unborn children is ignored.

AN EMPHASIS ON DIGNITY

But Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized their concrete dignity.

In 2013 he said: “Every child who, rather than being born, is condemned unjustly to being aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ.”

Like Jesus, unborn children in our society often experience the world’s rejection.

In 2022, legal abortion killed almost 40,000 children in the womb in North Carolina alone, a 23% increase from the year before.

This terrible attack on human life is often defended using abstract language that obscures the humanity of its victims.

Advocates for legal abortion prefer to speak of “terminating a pregnancy” rather than recognizing the life that is lost.

They speak of a need for “abortion care.” But for whom does abortion express “care?”

Not for the unborn child, a human being whose body is torn from the mother’s womb.

Not for the mother, whose life may be treated like an abstraction as well.

The loss of her child, which far too often comes amid personal tragedy and difficult circumstances, is sometimes celebrated by activists as an achievement for “autonomy” or “freedom.”

RECOGNIZING HUMANITY

Pope Francis’ reflections on the concreteness and humanity of the unborn child help us overcome these abstractions and recognize the humanity of the mother and child at risk of abortion.

In his Jan. 1 homily, he exhorted us to take action to defend human life in the womb.

“I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death,” he said, “so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future.”

Making a firm commitment isn’t just a matter of believing the right thing but of taking action to love and protect unborn children and their mothers. It must be as tangible and concrete as the mothers and children to whom we commit ourselves.

What firm commitment will you make to protect human life – from the moment of conception – this year?

How to help protect children

n Sign up online to receive Respect Life Prayer and Action Alerts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

n Call and write your elected representatives to urge them to vote to protect life.

n Start or get involved in the Walking With Moms in Need ministry at your parish.

n Spend one day a month peacefully praying at a local abortion facility with your parish group or organizations such as 40 Days for Life and Sidewalk Advocates for Life.

n Attend the March for Life in Washington on Jan. 24 or in Raleigh this May.

n Volunteer or support a local pregnancy support center such as Mira Via, Room at the Inn, or Birthright of Charlotte.

FATHER PETER ASCIK is director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Family Life Office and pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby.

COLLEEN ARNOLD has spent 30 years as a physician in emergency medicine. This piece is condensed from an article in St. Anthony Messenger, a publication of Franciscan Media.

Father Peter Ascik

Father Benjamin A. Roberts

Our Lady, Pilgrim of Hope

In my confessional, the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help hangs on the wall across from my chair. This image has always been one of my favorites, and my seminary class chose this title and image of Our Lady as our class patroness.

Almost sixteen years ago, a few months before I was ordained to the priesthood, I went on a pilgrimage to Rome with several classmates. One evening, two of us decided to try to find the church where the original image of Our of Perpetual Help is located. We knew which street it was on, but not exactly where. Now there are many churches in Rome and there are many, many churches on the street we were looking for. We walked for about two hours, I think, and we stopped in about sixty churches looking for the image. Finally, we decided that it was time to give up. We had lost hope of finding the image of Our Lady. My classmate sat down on the steps in front of one building, and prayed in frustration, “We love you, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We have looked for you and we cannot find you. Please accept our search for you as our gift to you.” I shared in his prayer and in his frustration. And then I looked up.

We were on the steps in front of a Church and above the door of the Church was the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We had finally found her. We went into the Church and we were allowed to get very close to the original image. I asked her to obtain for me a few graces from her Son. What I asked for is a story for another day and the reason why this image hangs in my confessional. We prayed and then we went back to our residence.

Our pilgrimage to Our Lady was over. Our pilgrimage from Our Lady was just beginning.

When we had lost hope, Our Lady found us. When we were lost, Our Lady found us. When we were frustrated in prayer and as pilgrims and even as followers of the Lord Jesus, Our Lady found us. Our Lady is the sign of hope for the pilgrim.

But more than that, Our Lady is the pilgrim of hope. In hope, she went to meet Elizabeth. In hope, she went to Bethlehem. In hope, she went to Egypt. In hope, she went to Calvary. In hope, she went to the Upper Room to pray with the disciples. Mary is the pilgrim of hope.

And our Holy Father Francis has declared this year as a year of Jubilee. He invites each of us to become Pilgrims of Hope. To be a pilgrim of Hope, I suggest, means three things. First, we are pilgrims of Hope seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Second, we are pilgrims of Hope, walking with Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. We walk with her and with each other. And third, we are Pilgrims of Hope and every single step of the journey is important. Every step matters and every pilgrim matters. We will walk together and we will carry each other when we need to.

And at the pilgrim feast, Jesus Christ our Lord who made the pilgrimage from heaven to earth and from death to life, will nourish us with the pilgrim food and send us as pilgrims of hope.

FATHER BENJAMIN A. ROBERTS is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe. This is adapted from his homily for Jan. 1, 2025.

Nuestra Señora, Peregrina de la Esperanza

En mi confesionario, la imagen de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro cuelga en la pared frente a mi silla. Esta imagen siempre ha sido una de mis favoritas, y mi clase de seminario eligió este título e imagen de Nuestra Señora como patrona de nuestra clase.

Hace casi dieciséis años, unos meses antes de ser ordenado sacerdote, fui en peregrinación a Roma con varios compañeros de clase. Una tarde, dos de nosotros decidimos tratar de encontrar la iglesia donde se encuentra la imagen original de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro. Sabíamos en qué calle estaba, pero no exactamente dónde. Ahora hay muchas iglesias en Roma y hay muchas, muchas iglesias en la calle que estábamos buscando. Caminamos durante unas dos horas, creo, y nos detuvimos en unas sesenta iglesias buscando la imagen. Finalmente, decidimos que era hora de rendirnos. Habíamos perdido la esperanza de encontrar la imagen de Nuestra Señora. Mi compañero de clase se sentó en los escalones frente a un edificio y rezó con frustración: “Te amamos, Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro. Te hemos buscado y no te podemos encontrar. Por favor, acepta nuestra búsqueda como nuestro regalo para ti”. Compartí su oración y su frustración. Y luego miré hacia arriba.

Estábamos en las escaleras frente a una iglesia y sobre la puerta de la iglesia estaba la imagen de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro. Finalmente la habíamos encontrado. Entramos en la iglesia y nos permitimos acercarnos mucho a la imagen original. Le pedí que me obtuviera algunas gracias de su Hijo. Lo que pedí es una historia para contarla otro día y la razón por la que esta imagen cuelga en mi confesionario. Oramos y luego regresamos a nuestra residencia.

Nuestra peregrinación hacia Nuestra Señora

había terminado. Nuestra peregrinación desde Nuestra Señora apenas estaba comenzando. Cuando habíamos perdido la esperanza, Nuestra Señora nos encontró. Cuando estábamos perdidos, Nuestra Señora nos encontró. Cuando estábamos frustrados en la oración y como peregrinos e incluso como seguidores del Señor Jesús, Nuestra Señora nos encontró. Nuestra Señora es el signo de esperanza para el peregrino. Pero más que eso, Nuestra Señora es la peregrina de la esperanza. En la esperanza, fue al encuentro de Isabel. Con esperanza, fue a Belén. Con esperanza, fue a Egipto. Con esperanza, fue al Calvario. Con esperanza, fue al Cenáculo para orar con los discípulos. María es la peregrina de la esperanza. Y nuestro Santo Padre Francisco ha declarado este año como un año de Jubileo. Él invita a cada uno de nosotros a convertirnos en peregrinos de la esperanza. Ser un peregrino de la esperanza, creo, significa tres cosas. Primero, somos peregrinos de la esperanza que buscan una relación más profunda con Jesucristo. Segundo, somos peregrinos de la esperanza, que caminamos con María, la Madre de Dios y la Madre de la Iglesia. Caminamos con ella y unos con otros. Y tercero, somos peregrinos de la esperanza y cada paso del viaje es importante. Cada paso importa y cada peregrino importa. Caminaremos juntos y nos llevaremos unos a otros cuando sea necesario.

Y en la fiesta de los peregrinos, Jesucristo nuestro Señor, que hizo la peregrinación del cielo a la tierra y de la muerte a la vida, nos alimentará con el alimento de los peregrinos y nos enviará como peregrinos de la esperanza.

EL PADRE

BENJAMIN A. ROBERTS es el párroco de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes en Monroe. Esta es una adaptación de su homilía del 1 de enero de 2025.

Letter to the editor

Hickory woman embodied Mother Teresa’s quote

The quote “If you want world peace, then go home and love your family,” is often attributed to Mother Teresa, and no one embodied a love of family changing the world more than recently passed Hickory Catholic Karen Miller (1945-2024).

Karen and her husband raised their 12 children in Hickory with love and affection, as well as instilling a deep faith in them. Miller’s adult children are now a business franchise owner and employer, pastor and priest, social advocates, musicians and artists, and parents of their own. When my mother first moved to Hickory, she immediately noticed Karen, the loving matron of 12, at St. Aloysius Church. Karen graciously brought my mom into her family’s circle, making my mom family as well.

As I remember and pray for Karen in her passing, I feel like I finally understand Mother Teresa’s directive to treat those closest to us with love and how that changes the world for the better. I thank Karen for helping me see that.

AARON KOHRS is a former member of St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory.

The Catholic News Herald reached the Facebook and Instagram feeds of more than 669,000 people in English and Spanish last month. The most talked about post? Coverage of the seminarians vs. priests basketball game. Join the conversation: www.facebook.com/ CatholicNewsHerald.

On YouTube in January so far, videos produced by the Catholic News Herald have been viewed more than 13,000 times. The most popular video? Bishop Michael Martin’s Christmas homily.

So far this month, 12,500 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 19,000 pages.

The top trending headlines of 2024 are:

n Longtime Charlotte bishop retires after 20 years of leading growing diocese

n Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio passes away, leaving ‘living legacy

n 2024 priest assignments announced

n Plan ahead for 2024 holy days, solemnities

n Growing diocese to build new cathedral as ‘mother church’

31,635 13,148 12,354 5,579 4,329

IN BRIEF

featuring a conversation with Jesuit Father Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, dean and professor at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, California. The annual event is free, and all are welcome.

Father Orobator will speak on “Women are the Teachers of Synodality. What Does the Bible Say About That?”

The internationally acclaimed theologian and author will also talk about the Synod in Rome, the role of women in the changing Church, and the growth of Catholicism in Africa.

After his remarks, Father Orobator will be interviewed by parishioner and former religion reporter Tim Funk and Toni Tupponce, a writer and speaker on social justice and cultural equity and an Our Lady of Consolation parishioner.

The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and

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a book signing in Biss Hall, followed by the lecture from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the church. The Kennedy Lecture is funded through Thomas and Richard Kennedy in memory of their parents, Keith and Joan Kennedy. Begun in 2000, the Kennedy Lecture series takes a deeper look at Catholic teachings and aims to stimulate thinking by engaging prominent people in the field of religion and ethics.

For details, go to www.stpeterscatholic.org.

January is Poverty Awareness Month in the United States

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has designated January as “Poverty Awareness Month,” focusing on poverty in the nation. According to the U.S. Census, 12.8% of North Carolinians live in poverty. The national poverty line for a family of four in America is $31,200.

Resources to learn more about the problem of poverty and how to address it are online at www.povertyusa.org.

— Joseph T. Purello, Catholic Charities

MARCH

Prayer, then said the Pledge of Allegiance.

The march kicked off at noon with a procession to Independence Square at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets.

Father Peter Rusciolelli, parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, was the guest speaker.

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of January:

Rev. Anselm Biggs, OSB – 2001

Rev. Maurus Buchheit, OSB – 1975

Rev. Francis T. Connolly – 2008

Rev. Vincent Erb – 2005

Rev. Msgr. Eugene H. Livelsberger – 1987

Rev. Paul Milde, OSB – 1979

Rev. Msgr. Lawrence Newman – 1981

Rev. Arthur J. Racette – 1975

Rev. Tom Stott – 2005

Rev. Edward J. Vilkauskas, C.S.Sp. – 2021

Rev. Conrad C. Hoover – 2022

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus www.kofcnc.org

His mother, Debbie Rusciolelli, traveled from the family home in Waxhaw and made the march pushing daughter Celeste, the youngest of her nine children, in a stroller. She said seeing her son speak was a special experience.

“I’m obviously very excited because we always came to the march when he was younger, and now having him as a priest speaking at the event brings everything full circle,” she said.

Father Rusciolelli’s talk focused on the purpose of the march and drew on scriptural references to the Israelites who marched into

HARAMBEE

by Here, Lord.” The different versions combined harmoniously, and just like all the hymns sung, it did not have a fixed ending point. Voices gradually subsided, making it feel more like authentic prayer than a scripted hymn.

“A moment came when it turned from two groups singing a song to one group making music, and we all felt it,” Tupponce said. “Two similar but unique musical arrangements came together seamlessly, and that is what I hope we will be able to do in our community.”

Irene Musongong, from Cameroon, who visited from South Carolina, said, “Today is Family Sunday Day, so we celebrate like a family. All the different tribes of Africa are coming together. This Mass is so good. We have a diverse culture, and this brings us together.”

SISTER

FROM PAGE 7

“The pastor of St. Gabriel, Father Richard Sutter, came and celebrated Mass with us in the early days after the storm,” Graham says, “and we’ve received cards and notes of support from the parishioners at St. Pius X that have also been very heartwarming.”

St. Gabriel parishioners not only donated through financial collections, but also traveled to Swannanoa to help with home repairs, supplies and other efforts.

The Church ran a special Christmas Outreach for families in Swannanoa and Boone, assembling and distributing 60 gift baskets, delivering live Christmas trees and collecting more than 150 toys and gifts for children.

That outreach will continue, Father Sutter says: “Beyond the financial side and the prayers, “it’s been important to actually be there and offer hands, hearts and smiles.”

ESQUIPULAS

VIENE

DE LA PÁGINA 17

también se rinde homenaje al Cristo Negro. En muchas comunidades, se han erigido réplicas de la imagen, y se celebran festividades en su honor. Hoy en día, el Señor de Esquipulas, sigue siendo un símbolo de esperanza y fe en tiempos de dificultad para millones de personas. Es también un ícono de la identidad cultural guatemalteca que fomenta la unidad y solidaridad de todos los pueblos centroamericanos. El Papa Juan Pablo II, en su viaje apostólico a Guatemala en febrero de 1996, concluyó su homilía ofrecida en la Misa celebrada en la explanada ‘Valle de María’ de Esquipulas con estas palabras: “El Santuario de Esquipulas nos invita a la adoración de la Cruz de Cristo como signo de nuestra salvación, en la cual el hombre, junto a Cristo, alcanza la victoria sobre el pecado, sobre Satanás y sobre la muerte, para participar, junto con Él, del amor del Padre eterno”.

the Battle of Jericho.

“Why do we march?” he asked. “What kind of victory are we looking to gain?”

“Because our enemy in this contest is not any man or human institution, but sin. … We want hearts to change. … Our mission is against sin, and our victory is not solely life in this world, but eternal life.”

He said prayer is a powerful weapon in the battle for a culture of life and encouraged the crowd to pray for people who work in the abortion industry, those considering abortion and those who have had them. “Let us march forth bringing not anger and hatred into the world, but hope for those who are lost,” he said.

The second speaker was Dr. Stephen Blaha, who runs Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN clinic, in Indian Trail in Union County, east of Charlotte. Blaha encouraged the crowd to promote the message of life by reaching out to women facing unplanned pregnancies and helping them through their journey while showing them the beauty of life.

The march drew a diverse crowd ranging from teenagers and senior citizens to families carrying small children and pushing them in strollers. Many carried pro-life signs and some held rosaries and prayed as they walked.

French Masses offered by Father Kennedy and Father Kang every third Sunday draw many African Catholics from French-speaking countries to Our Lady of Consolation Church, removing the language barrier and creating a sense of community.

Many congregants have found a new home in the parish, traveling from different counties and even crossing the state line to attend.

After Mass, parishioners served traditional African American dishes as well as those out of continental Africa and the Caribbean made from treasured family recipes. Goat meat from Nigeria called Anu-Ewu, Ko-ki corn from Cameroon, and curry chicken from Jamaica combined with traditional macaroni and cheese and collard greens to create a broad buffet of foods familiar to the international community.

While everyone ate, church members shared something they all had in common: their immigration stories.

Neil Schunke, a member of Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion, has attended many of the marches in Charlotte and the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. “Our society has a lack of respect for the profound dignity of all life, and I hope to change hearts and minds by being here,” he said.

Jennifer Arroso, who attends St. Leo the Great in Winston-Salem, made the trip to Charlotte with sons Luis, 12, and Isaac, 9, and said the cold weather wasn’t a deterrent.

“This is the first time here for all of us because we just wanted to experience this and be part of the movement,” Arroso said. “Prayer and awareness are important.”

Mary Richardson, a parishioner at St. Ann in Charlotte, attended both the Mass and the march with her five children: two daughters and three sons ranging in age from 1 to 10.

“I’ve been involved in the pro-life movement for many years, and this is just the right thing to do,” Richardson said. “Having my family has made me more committed. They are my witness to life.”

More online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : See more photos and hear the full speeches from the 2025 March for Life Charlotte

“All the gifts that we get and that we offer to God come from our ancestors, who come out of continental Africa, but here in the U.S. our ancestors come out of enslavement. We all are connected from the same root, and that is what we are trying to say through Harambee,” said Tupponce. She and her mother once were the only African Americans in a majority Polish Catholic church they attended. Today she enjoys the ability to be authentically Black and Catholic at Our Lady of Consolation Parish.

Cindy Gardin, who attended the Mass dressed in the African American colors of liberation – red, representing the blood of her ancestors; black, representing her people; and green, representing the potential of all African Americans –reflected, “‘Harambee’ means ‘pulling together.’ The Cameroonians have their own Mass and the Francophones have their own Mass. Now we are all here together, and I prefer it that way.”

Orobator

Rusciolelli