Feb. 25, 2011

February 25, 2011

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

CONFRONTED BY FAITH First Catholic men’s conference calls men to lead, 3

FUNDED by the parishioners of the diocese of charlotte THANK YOU!

Making a pilgrimage Deacon Joseph Schumacher of Winston-Salem

Join in solidarity with the poor

In honor of the late Father Connolly New Hospitality House in Boone features ‘Reflection

writes about finishing the 500-mile ‘Way of

Operation Rice Bowl, the official Lenten program

Room’ thanks to St. Elizabeth

St. James,’ or ‘El Camino de Santiago,’ to

of Catholic Relief Services, kicks off with the start

of the Hill Country

Santiago de Compostela, 8-10 Calendar 4 Diocese 3-10

FAITH 2

mix 14-15

of Lent next week, 3 and 19 nation & World 16-17 Schools 12-13

Viewpoints 18-19

parishioners, 5 Call us: 704-370-3333 E-mail us: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

Our faith

2

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Katharine Drexel Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer is abandoning self to God’s will, word

P

rayer is not a reflection on one’s self, but a complete abandonment to the word and will of God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Every person’s actions and life must be inspired by prayer and the Gospel, by living simply and helping others, not accumulating wealth, the pope said Feb. 23 at his weekly general audience.

The pope highlighted the life and writings of St. Robert Bellarmine, a Jesuit theologian who lived from 1542-1621. The pope’s catechesis was a continuation of a series of talks dedicated to the “doctors of the church,” men and women who made important contributions to Catholic theological understanding.

St. Bellarmine offered an important model for prayer, which should be the inspiration for every action, the pope said. A person in prayer “listens to the word of God, is satisfied with contemplating grandeur, isn’t wrapped up in oneself, but is happy to abandon oneself to God.” A unique feature of St. Bellarmine’s spirituality was his deeply felt perception of God’s immense goodness; he felt like a true child of God, whose love was a source of great joy. The saint also taught that “who finds God finds everything, who loses God, loses everything,” the pope said.

People must remember that the purpose of life on Earth is God, who continually calls people to be in communion with him. “We recall the importance of confiding in the Lord, of spending our lives in fidelity to the Gospel, and of accepting and enlightening every circumstance and action in our lives with faith and prayer.”

The saint reminded people to think often and seriously about how they are accountable to God in the way they live their lives, the pope said. People should not be trying to acquire wealth, but should be living simply and with charity toward others. Clergy and the faithful need to engage in concrete, personal reform by letting their lives be guided by Scripture and the saints, he said.

A local connection St. Katharine Drexel played a critical role in the creation of Belmont Abbey in Belmont.

In 1892, Abbot Leo Haid, the founding abbot of Mary Help of Christians Basilica (better known as Belmont Abbey) set out to build a cathedral. In the summer of 1893, however, the project ran out of money. With the help of Father Francis Meyer, then pastor of St. Peter Church in Charlotte, Abbot Haid was able to secure a gracious donor. That donor was Mother Katharine Drexel, and her donation to Belmont Abbey came with one stipulation: the new church had to have an appropriate number of pews for the sole use of African Americans.

Abbot Leo Haid also recognized the importance of breaking “down the ugly prejudices against Colored people.” So, he wrote Mother Drexel and told her that he saw “no reason why I should not gratefully accept your generous offer.” In 1904, when she visited Belmont Abbey, she found an entire row of pews running the length of the church exclusively for African Americans.

To learn more, check out “My Lord Of Belmont: A Biography of Leo Haid” by Paschal Baumstein.

Feast day: March 3 On March 3, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who abandoned her family’s fortune to found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the impoverished African American and Native American populations of the United States.

St. Katharine Drexel was born Nov. 26, 1858, into the affluent Philadelphia Drexel family.

Despite their wealth, the family was very pious and Katharine was taught charity at an early age. Her mother opened up the family house three times a week to feed and care for the poor, and her father had a deep personal prayer life. During the summer months, Katharine and her sisters taught catechism classes to the children of the workers on her family’s summer estate.

The young heiress was considering a vocation to the contemplative life when she was given the opportunity to travel to Europe and have an audience with the pope. During the audience, she asked Pope Leo XIII to send missionaries to Wyoming. He replied by asking her why she didn’t found an order to do exactly that.

Upon her return home, Katharine began working as a layperson for the improvement of the conditions and education of African Americans and Native Americans.

Eventually, her work led her to found the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who are dedicated to sharing the message of the Gospel and the Life of the Eucharist with African Americans and Native Americans.

During her lifetime, she oversaw the opening and maintenance of almost 60 schools and missions, most of which were located in the western and southwestern United States.

From the age of 33 until her death in 1955, she dedicated her life and a fortune of $20 million to this work. In 1894, she took part in opening the first mission school for Native Americans, in Santa Fe, N.M. Other schools quickly followed – for Native Americans west of the Mississippi River, and for blacks in the South. In 1915 she also founded Xavier University in New Orleans. At her death there were more than 500 sisters teaching in 63 schools throughout the country.

She was forced into retirement for the last

A saintly life

— Christopher Lux

Learn more

catholic news agency

20 years of her life after she was debilitated by a severe heart attack. Though she was not able to actively lead the order, she left the sisters with her charism of love and concern for the missions.

She died on March 3, 1955, and she was canonized by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 1, 2000.

The St. Katharine Drexel Mission Center and National Shrine in Bensalem, Pa., offers retreat programs, historic site tours, days of prayer, presentations and lectures about her legacy. Her tomb lies under the main altar in St. Elizabeth Chapel. For more about this American saint, check out her official Web site, KatharineDrexel.org.

Did you know?

A second-class relic of St. KathArine can be found inside the altar of the Mary chapel at St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Raleigh.

— Sources: Catholic News Agency, Catholic.org, KatharineDrexel.org

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 27 - MARCH 5

Sunday, Isaiah 49:14-15, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 6:24-34; Monday, Sirach 17:20-24, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday, Sirach 35:1-12, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday, Sirach 36:1, 4-5, 10-17, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday (St. Katharine Drexel), Sirach 42:15-25, Mark 10:46-52; Friday (St. Casimir), Sirach 44:1, 9-13, Mark 11:11-26; Saturday, Sirach 51:12-20, Mark 11:27-33

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 6 - MARCH 12

Sunday, Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32, Romans 3:21-25, 28, Matthew 7:21-27; Monday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity), Tobit 1:3, 2:1-8, Mark 12:1-12; Tuesday (St. John of God), Tobit 2:9-14, Mark 12:13-17; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, Thursday, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday, Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday, Isaiah 58:9-14, Luke 5:27-32

Our parishes

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

catholic news heraldI

3

Operation Rice Bowl kicks off next week photos by David Hains | Catholic News Herald

Men from all over the diocese kneel in adoration of the Eucharist at Charlotte Catholic High School Feb. 19.

More than 650 men gathered for the first one-day Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference. Organizers plan to make it an annual event.

Father Larry Richards vigorously waves his Bible at the Feb. 19 Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference. Father Richards, from Erie, Pa., challenged the men to be spiritual leaders in their families and in the Church.

Confronted by faith: First men’s conference calls men to lead David Hains Diocesan Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — Catholic men are spiritual wimps.

That was the message confronting the 650 men who attended the first Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference held Feb. 19 at Charlotte Catholic High School.

If that wasn’t enough to get the men’s attention, repeated statements from clergy at the conference emphasized the Church is being run, wrongly, by women.

Father Larry Richards, a parish priest from Erie, Pa., author of the best-selling book “Be a Man!,” and the featured speaker at the conference, was forceful in describing what he and others called “the feminization of the Church.”

“The problem with the Church in the last 40 years is that the women have been running it. You know, the women have sat there and they have all these songs that we can’t sing… I am sick and tired of being effeminized by the Church. That is not what we (men) are called to be,” Father Richards said.

The point, while caustic in its delivery, apparently was not intended to insult women as much as it was to challenge the men attending the conference.

Said Father Richards, “We are male and

Learn more Learn more about the roles of men and women as prescribed by Scripture and the teachings of the Church: n St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians n “Theology of the Body,” John Paul II’s integrated vision of the human person: body, soul and spirit n Pope John Paul II’s 1995 Letter to Women, available on the Vatican’s Web site, vatican.va

female, we are different on purpose. We’re not better than women.... The Church would have been dead without women. The problem has been that the men have stepped aside and become spiritual wimps.”

Speakers at the conference referred to Scripture when stating that men today are not living up to their spiritual potential. The Biblical basis for the concept that a man is the spiritual head of a household comes from the fifth chapter of Ephesians, which is often read at weddings. It describes a husband as the servant-leader of his family.

The men’s conference also placed a strong emphasis on the sacrament of reconciliation, and nearly a dozen priests were available throughout the day to hear confessions.

During a Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Father Richards and priests of the diocese, the bishop emphasized the role of grace in men’s lives.

“I ask you during this day to be open to God’s inspiration. And like St. Joseph, listen to God and follow his instruction so that you can be effective in leading others who are dependent on you,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily.

During a break between speakers, Michael Grady, a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte who attended with his three adult sons, talked about men not stepping up as spiritual leaders. He recalled being the only male catechist at a church in New York where his sons were raised.

“Boys need to have the role model that fathers care about the Church, care about their families and want to be spiritual leaders, because it is the most important thing in their lives,” Grady said.

The conference, titled “Being a True Catholic Man,” was organized by the CONFERENCE, SEE page 10

Christopher Lux Intern

With the start of Lent begins Operation Rice Bowl, the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services.

Operation Rice Bowl began in 1975 in the Diocese of Allentown, Penn. Since then, the program has invited Catholics “to pray with our families and faith communities; fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn more about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas; and give sacrificial contributions to those in need.”

CRS provides Deacon Edward A. materials Konarski comments designed to that Operation Rice Bowl enrich the Lenten is a call to discipleship. observance. The See page 19.

Operation Rice Bowl program offers a Lenten calendar that consists of prayers, Scripture and opportunities to learn about people and issues in our global community. Also included are recipes for simple, meatless meals from featured countries. The hope of CRS is that participants will make financial contributions with the money they save by eating simpler meals. CRS also provides a cardboard rice bowl, which serves as a symbol representing the hunger of the poor and holds the contributions participants collect during Lent.

Those contributions help fund development programs that promote human dignity and encourage self-reliance. Seventy-five percent of donations goes to projects aimed at increasing food security around the world. These projects include education programs, small enterprise development and agricultural training. Twenty-five percent of the donations supports efforts to alleviate poverty in the Diocese of Charlotte.

There is still time to order the free 2011 Operation Rice Bowl materials, in either English or Spanish. Call 1-800-222-0025 or go to the Operation Rice Bowl Web site, orb.crs.org.

Read more

4

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar

Bishop Peter J. Jugis

ASHEVILLE

GREENSBORO

ST. EUGENE CHURCH, 72 culvern st.

ST. mary church, 812 duke st.

— Healing Prayer, 9:45-10:45 a.m. Feb. 27 — The Islam Religion and Culture, Social Hall, 7 p.m. Feb. 28

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following event over the next week: March 3 – 10 a.m.

Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

BELMONT queen of the apostles church, 503 n. main st.

— Women’s Bible Study, 9:30-11 a.m. or 7:30-9 p.m. weekly March 9-26. Contact Kelly Munsee at qoaformation@aol. com or 704-825-9600.

CHARLOTTE new creation monastery, 1309 Duncan gardens dr.

— Christ’s Sacred Mysteries: Contemplating Basic Christian Beliefs and the Sacraments, 9 a.m. Feb. 27, March 6 and 13. RSVP to Father John Vianney Hoover at 704-3440934.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — “Symposium on the Laity: Answering the Call to be a Bearer of Christ to All the World,” Banquet Room, presented by Father Robert Conway, 7:30 p.m. March 3 ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, 1621 Dilworth Road E. — “Fertile Ground for God’s Work,” Family Life Center, sponsored by Catholics United for the Faith, with speakers Father Christopher Roux and Billie Mobley, 7 p.m. March 10. Contact Elizabeth Keating at ewkeating4@aol.com. st. peter church, 507 s. tryon st.

— Church Women United prayer breakfast, 9:30 a.m.-noon March 5 ST. PIUS X church, 2210 N. ELM ST. — “Seasons of Hope: A Support Group for the Bereaved,” 1:45-4 p.m. March 6-April 10. Register no later than Feb. 27 at 336-272-4681.

HICKORY

This week’s spotlight: Lenten retreats ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden

ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, 921 second st. n.e.

— “World Day of Ecumenical Worship: How Many Loaves Have You?,” 7 p.m. March 4. Child care available.

Contact Carole Marmorato at 828-256-8956.

— Women’s Lenten Program, “The Book of Judith: The Courage to Rise to the Occasion.” Teen and Spanish tracks available, 9 a.m.-1:45 p.m. March 26. RSVP by March 23 to Marcia Torres at johnandmarciatorres@ yahoo.com or 828-697-1235.

HIGH POINT

st. benedict the MOOR CHURCH, 1625 E. 12th St., Winston-Salem, in the Franciscan Center.

immaculate heart of mary church, 4145 johnson st.

— Catholics Come Home, 7 p.m. March 10, will meet for six weeks. Register with Jan Hitch at 336-884-5097 or the church office at 336-869-7739.

HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD — Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians meeting, Room 203, open to women who are Catholic and Irish by birth or descent, or who are the wives of members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mothers of Junior members, 7 p.m. first Thursday of each month. Contact Bernadette Brady at mcbernie@msn.com or 704-2108060.

— “Cup of Life and Love,” retreat for couples, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 19 — “I Am Somebody,” retreat for youth aged 12-18, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 9 — “Refilling the Cup of Life,” bring your favorite mug, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 16 ST. MATTHEW church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte, five-week guided Ignatian retreat.

Registration required to Eileen Crusan at 704543-7677 ext. 1179 by March 3. Individual retreats available, or choose from one of the group retreats below:

— Jesuit Heritage Series, Biss Hall, 6:30 p.m. March 3 ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 OLD REID ROAD — Catholics Returning Home Program, Faith Formation Center, 7:30-9 p.m. March 1 and 7. Register at 704-5547088.

— Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) Reflection, with Father Patrick Toole, 10 a.m. March 7. Membership not required to attend. Contact Linda Granzow at jlgranzow@windstream.net or 704-847-7872.

DENVER holy spirit church, 537 N. Hwy. 16 — Healing Mass, 7 p.m. March 2 — Cancer Support Group, PAC Room 8, 2-3 p.m. first Thursday of each month

February 25, 2011 Volume 20 • Number 13

1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org 704-370-3333 PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cindi Feerick 704-370-3332, ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

RALEIGH st. francis of assisi church, 11401 LEESVILLE ROAD — Come and See Weekend with the Franciscans, March 18-20, sponsored by the Franciscan Vocation Ministry, Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province, for men, aged 21 to 40 discerning a call to the Franciscan way of life.

Registration required by March 11 to vocation@hnp.org or 800-677-7788.

— 9:45-11 a.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m. March 8, 15, 22 and 29, and April 5 and 12 — 9-10:15 a.m. March 9, 16, 23, and 30, and April 6 and 13 — 9:45-11 a.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m. March 10, 17, 24 and 31, and April 7 and 14

WINSTON-SALEM holy family church, 4820 kiNnamon road — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 5. RSVP required to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-3703230.

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 35 times a year.

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photographs for publication in our print and online PDF editions.

Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

Is your PARISH OR SCHOOL hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Calendar is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or fax to 704-370-3382.

ADVERTISING: For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Cindi Feerick at 704-370-3332 or ckfeerick@ charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Kelley

‘One of the great joys of my job is that I work both with people who want to give their treasure as well as the people who want to give of their time in ministries in their parishes, schools and agencies in the diocese. It’s been great.’

— Jim Kelley

Diocesan director of development

Following God’s plan for stewardship Development director marks 25 years amid explosive growth in diocese SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — A quarter of a century ago, Jim Kelley gave his “fiat,” agreeing to follow God’s plan for his career when he accepted the position of director of development with the Diocese of Charlotte. Now, 25 years later, he marvels at what God has done for him, the Diocese of Charlotte and the cause of stewardship in the hearts of Christians around the world.

“My plan wasn’t to work for the Church or to work in the stewardship and development office. I always got involved in the Church, but I never saw myself working for the Church,” Kelley said.

“Monsignor McSweeney (pastor of St. Matthew Church and vicar general of the diocese at that time) approached me in 1985 and through several conversations asked me to come and help develop this office. It wasn’t my plan, but obviously it was God’s plan.”

Kelley has been instrumental in developing stewardship initiatives in the diocese and the myriad of programs that have been instituted through charitable giving.

He has also brought the message of stewardship to 110 other dioceses around the country. He will speak about stewardship to more than 500 people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Feb. 25.

Kelley also has served as the chairman of the board of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, traveling to countries such as Guam and Australia. He completes his four-year term as chairman in May. “We never planned to do anything outside our own diocese, but God used our office to take the message to other parts of our country and to other parts of the world,” Kelley said.

Lane Cook, vice president of development for the

Foundation for the Carolinas, has relied on Kelley as a mentor for more than 12 years.

“He is always a reliable source of inspiration and positive feedback. He truly is one of the main reasons I am still in the development field today,” Cook said.

Barbara Gaddy, associate director of development for the diocese, has worked with Kelley for 16 years.

“I have witnessed the incredible impact that Jim has had on the parishes here in our own diocese as well as the national Church and in dioceses throughout the world,” Gaddy said.

During Kelley’s 25-year leadership, the diocese has raised a total of $324 million for the diocese, diocesan schools and agencies. He has facilitated 154 capital campaigns and 193 endowments in the diocesan foundation. Funds raised in the annual DSA campaign have grown from $800,000 in 1985 to $4.8 million brought in during the 2010 DSA campaign.

Kelley attributes his success to a variety of things.

“I’ve had a chance to work under six great leaders (the past three bishops and three vicars general of the Diocese of Charlotte) and with great staff. You’re only as good as the staff you have, and my staff is very strong. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

He also relies on his Catholic faith, which is bolstered by daily prayer, reception of the sacraments, and his weekly men’s Cursillo group meetings. He also has a devoted wife, Joan, and family who have been very supportive of him, particularly since his job entails being away from home two or three nights a week.

“One of the great joys of my job is that I work both with people who want to give their treasure as well as the people who want to give of their time in ministries in their parishes, schools and agencies in the diocese,” he said. “It’s been great.”

OUR PARISHESI

5

New homeless shelter features Reflection Room, thanks to parishioners Christopher Lux Intern

BOONE — A new homeless shelter that serves Watauga County and six surrounding counties is opening March 1, and parishioners at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone have played a part in its setup.

The new 18,500-square-foot shelter is the latest effort of the Hospitality House, a crisis intervention agency for homeless adults and families. It is the only agency that serves the homeless in a seven-county area, and consists of three structures in downtown Boone along with this new shelter in the Bamboo area. The Hospitality House was founded in 1985 by the Boone Area Coalition of Churches, comprised of six local churches and their pastors. The agency provides food, shelter, safety, supportive services and an environment in which residents can begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

The new facility is designed to create a comfortable atmosphere for the homeless adults and families who seek help there. Parishioners from St. Elizabeth Church collected donations Connolly to create a “Reflection Room” at the shelter, and they have named it in honor of their former pastor, Father Francis “Frank” Connolly.

Hospitality House Director of Development Jill Kuykendall said the room “was designed to meet the need of having a quiet place for our residents and guests to get away from the everyday events of their lives.” It features a commemorative plaque recognizing Father Connolly, who was one of the founders of the Hospitality House.

Father Connolly accelerated outreach programs for the poor and disabled in the community. He served on the board of Catholic Social Services, was president of the Yokefellow Prison Ministries, served with the Pastoral Ministry Task Force on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and was the campus minister at Duke University. He was also involved in ecumenical activities and was one of the founders of the Coalition of Churches and the Hospitality House.

The dedication ceremony for the new facility was held Feb. 4 and the targeted move-in date is March 1.

At the dedication ceremony, former Hospitality House resident Nicki Hawetchi spoke of the positive impact of the shelter: “I found a lot more than a place to sleep,” she said. “What I found was a new life and a new me.”

Hawetchi now lives in her own apartment, has a parttime job and has been sober for more than three years.

“I don’t know where I would be right now without the Hospitality House,” she said.

The parishioners of St. Elizabeth Church collectively pledged $41,000. Additionally, an anonymous donor from the parish pledged $9,000. Kuykendall praises the efforts made by the parishioners of St. Elizabeth Church, who are “dedicated to serving Hospitality House through volunteerism, financial contributions and serving on committees and the Board of Directors. We are very fortunate to have the involvement of this faith community in our mission of helping people rebuild their lives.”

— Some material included from the High Country Press, Feb. 10 edition

6

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Bishop Jugis profiled in new book about Pope John Paul II David Hains diocesan Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis is among 14 clergy and religious men profiled in a newly-released book chronicling Pope John Paul II’s lasting influence on Church culture – “Living Miracles: The Spiritual Sons of John Paul the Great,” by Randall J. Meissen.

The chapter on Bishop Jugis, “Upon this Rock,” begins with a description of his years as an excellent but discontented accounting student at the University of North CarolinaCharlotte. “I sat myself down and said, ‘Well, I’m smart enough to make good grades and succeed intellectually, but this cannot be my life’s work. I cannot do that.’” A “coincidental” encounter with then Father, now Monsignor, John McSweeney of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte led him to enter the seminary. He went on to be both ordained a priest and appointed bishop by

Pope John Paul II. At the time of his appointment as Charlotte bishop in 2003, Bishop Jugis was only 46 – among the world’s youngest bishops at the time. At first, the book states, Bishop Jugis wondered if he was too young for this high office. But in a 2004 meeting with John Paul in Rome, Bishop Jugis recalls, the pope calmed his nerves: “When I was named bishop,” the visibly ailing pontiff told him, “I was 38. I was much younger.”

The section on Bishop Jugis concludes with a comment by the author about the Diocese of Charlotte and Pope John Paul II: “Stories of such success are heartening to hear. The Church is alive in Charlotte!

No doubt, the love of Christ impels this energetic bishop and his flourishing diocese.

From heaven, John Paul II must smile to see that he chose a good shepherd!”

“Living Miracles” is available online through Amazon books.

CNH | Archives

Bishop Peter J. Jugis talks with the late Pope John Paul II during the U.S. bishops’ ad limina visits in 2004.

Former Estonian ambassador visits Belmont Abbey College Morgan Castillo Correspondent

BELMONT — Dr. Aldona Wos – former ambassador to Estonia, daughter of Holocaust survivors and member of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro – spoke to a packed theater of students, faculty and others at Belmont Abbey College Feb. 7 about the experience of the Polish people during World War II. Born in Warsaw, Wos earned her medical degree at the Warsaw Medical Academy, and completed her internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine in New York. She served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Estonia from 2004 to 2006. There she concentrated on HIV/AIDS prevention in Estonia and the preservation of Estonian culture in the wake of its new-found independence from the former Soviet Union.

Wos is the daughter of Paul Wos, a survivor of Flossenburg concentration camp and a recipient of the “Righteous Among the Nations” medal from Yad Vashem. This award is given to “a righteous gentile – a non-Jew – who risks their life to save Jews during the Holocaust,” Wos said. About 22,000 people around the world have been awarded this medal, with the highest percentage coming from Poland. In German-occupied Poland during the

war, there was a law imposed that inflicted instant death upon any person found to be helping Jews.

“Only in Poland was this law enforced, so it’s important to know that anyone from Poland who tried to save Jews had an immediate death sentence on them,” Wos noted in her lecture, Wos entitled “The Polish Christian Experience of World War II.” Wos frequently lectures around the country, and she remains passionate about teaching others the full story of Poland and its people during World War II. “I truly hope that by remembering the terrors that the Polish nation faced, together we will be able to influence our communities and our governments to seek peace in trying times. And yet, if needed, to be prepared to engage and defend a principled foreign policy,” she said.

Wos reviewed the tragic history of the Polish people’s involvement and sufferings during the war, Jews and Christians alike.

“All of you are very aware that six million Jews lost their lives during the Holocaust, but I am sure that most of you are not familiar with the tragic fate of the Polish nation, and the millions of Polish

Christians during that same time period,” she said. According to Wos, approximately five million Polish citizens were killed, of which three million were Jews, and two million were Christians.

Additionally, some 1.7 million Polish citizens were deported to Siberia, and two million Polish citizens transported for slave labor, including Wos’ mother at the age of 14. Of her family, many of whom were sent to concentration camps, Wos said, “By the grace of God, they all survived.”

The heart of her lecture at Belmont Abbey College was in the importance of historical education and truth. “If you do not know history, how can you possibly interpret the present correctly?” she asked. “And how can you possibly make the right decisions in the future?”

Wos also stressed to the audience that “freedom and democracy are gifts, bestowed by sacrifices of previous generations. We must cherish and preserve these gifts for the next generations.”

At St. Pius X Church, Wos assists with the refugee community in Greensboro, which is serving a large community of refugees from war-torn regions of Africa. She also organizes and coordinates events such as parish dinners and volunteers at the senior living center. Last year, she was also invested as a dame in the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, better known as the Knights of Malta.

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

OUR PARISHESI

7

A service of remembrance Above, Shulena Curry and 1-year-old daughter Addison attended a “Service of Remembrance and Light” Jan. 29 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville to remember Addison’s twin sister Layla Grace, who died prenatally from complications associated with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

Grieving parents and extended family members found solace together for the ecumenical prayer service in remembrance of their lost babies, hosted by Be Not Afraid - Charlotte.

Be Not Afraid is a network of concerned parents and professionals who have experienced or worked closely with issues surrounding poor prenatal diagnosis. Founded by Tracy Winsor and Sandy Buck, the Charlotte ministry provides free practical guidance and comprehensive care for parents carrying to term following a poor prenatal diagnosis.

Approximately 5 percent of pregnancies are complicated by a prenatal diagnosis and 80 percent of parents who are advised that their unborn children have lethal or disabling conditions choose to abort.

This special service of remembrance and light was focused on the sense of community that can help grieving families move through their loss. BNA volunteers welcomed friends and family, prayed and read from Scripture. Parents and loved ones lit candles for their lost babies. Intentions were also offered by those in attendance, including prayers for two families Be Not Afraid is assisting whose babies’ births are imminent.

Afterwards, families found communion with each other at a reception. Each BNA family served in the past year received a personalized etched candleholder to honor precious sons and daughters whose lives were often counted in minutes or, at most, days.

Curry said, “During the hardest walk of my life, Be Not Afraid was here for me. The women who supported me through this ministry held my hands the whole way and were at my daughter’s birth. We’ve forged a friendship based on the care they gave me and I look forward to volunteering with them.”

Be Not Afraid provides parents carrying to term with resource materials, assistance writing birth plans, birth support and referrals to other community-based services and ministries. Volunteers offer unique insight and sensitivity regarding such difficult issues as mourning the loss of the anticipated baby, maintaining hope when a prognosis is poor, medical decision-making during pregnancy and beyond, stillbirth and neonatal critical care.

To learn more about Be Not Afraid, contact Sandy Buck at 704-948-4587 or benotafraidnc@live.com.

Photo provided by Tracy Winsor and Valerie Samuels

— Katherine T. Lauer

8

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Deacon makes 500-mile pilgrimage Susan deGuzman Correspondent

WINSTON-SALEM — Shirley Shaw’s eighthgrade Spanish classes at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem recently had a special visitor. While the students have come to know him well over the years, they learned that last fall, at 82 years old, Deacon Joseph Schumacher began a 500-mile journey by foot across northern Spain.

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is one of three major pilgrimages recognized in most of Christendom from medieval times.

(The others are Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.) El Camino translates to “the way” in English, and the pilgrimage is also known as “The Way of St. James.”

It is believed that the body of the Apostle James was moved from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela, a city in northwestern Spain. This discovery was made in the ninth century and marked the beginning of a pilgrimage tradition that peaked about the 12th century. It has had a resurgence in popularity since the 1980s. Approximately 150,000 people traveled the route in 2010, according to Deacon Schumacher.

El Camino de Santiago is comprised not of a single route, but a collection of routes across Europe. One of the more popular and lengthier routes, and the one Schumacher chose, is Camino Frances.

Schumacher is proud of finishing the entire 500-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, particularly as one of the oldest pilgrims on the camino. Interestingly, any person who completes at least 100 kilometers (62 miles) is eligible to be certified, which Schumacher brought to the class’ attention as perhaps seeming not quite fair.

But Deacon Schumacher likened this to the parable in Matthew 20:1-16, in which the master goes to town and hires people at varying hours of the day to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day they all receive equal pay. Both of these situations, Schumacher explained to the classes, show that “you can’t always know what your brother is giving,” and so we should leave judgment of others to God. Joining him on this journey were Deacon Schumacher’s daughter and son-in-law.

“It was great to have them with me. I couldn’t have done it without them … There were a couple of days where my back was hurting so much and my son-in-law carried my backpack for me,” he said.

Along the way the three pilgrims met many people from different countries and sometimes would see them again along the path or at a stopping point.

Deacon Schumacher’s daughter Cathie Schumacher noted, “Many people were very impressed with my dad.”

Photos provided by Deacon Joseph Schumacher

Deacon Joseph Schumacher of Winston-Salem (second from right) poses in front of a church and converted monastery in the hamlet of San Juan de Ortego in Spain, about one-third of the way into the journey. He is with his daughter Cathie Schumacher (right), son-in-law K.C. Kaltenborn (second from left), and Gerard (left), a Frenchman whom they met along the way. The bell tower atop the monastery is a familiar feature found on many of the churches along the camino.

Making a pilgrimage: El Camino de Santiago Deacon Joseph Schumacher Special to the Catholic News Herald

The Christmas before last, my daughter Cathie, who lives in Alaska, sent me a book titled “Hiking the Camino: 500 miles with Jesus” by Father Dave Pivonka, a priest of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

One-third of the way into reading it, I said to myself, “I want to do this.” I called Cathie to tell her, and she said, “I want to do it, too.” So we began to make plans and to train. Cathie soon enlisted her husband K.C. With loaded backpacks we flew to Paris Aug. 29 and the next day took a train to our starting point, St. Jean Pied de Port, a city on the French side of the Pyrenees. We registered at the pilgrims’ office, got our credentials stamped and stayed overnight in an albergue (hostel) where we enjoyed a good meal but got little sleep.

The next morning we started our walk (I

need to mention here that I was recovering from Plantar Fasciitis in my right foot).

It was exciting, though, getting started.

We had to cross the Pyrenees at the very beginning. The elevation was about 4,000 feet so we traveled only about 19 miles the first two days.

After a few days I questioned myself, “Did I take on too much?” The end seemed so far away. However, I quickly saw it as a challenge and focused on taking it one day at a time. Some days, though, I was so tired I could not walk up straight, but I always recovered quickly the next day.

We would set a goal each day, which was usually about 13.5 miles. The paths of the camino, marked with yellow arrows, varied from concrete to blacktop, gravel, dirt and rock.

We passed through cities and towns of varying sizes, including Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Ponferrada and Santiago. Some of the smaller towns had

populations of fewer than 100, and one town had a population of one.

Arriving at our destination each evening we found a place to stay in either an albergue (hostel) or a pension (bed and breakfast). Sometimes we had private rooms, sometimes not.

Spain is beautiful and mountainous.

Sheep and cattle graze on the hillsides.

We hiked through wheat fields, vineyards, corn fields and many sunflower fields. We also hiked along roads and highways with traffic.

K.C. summed up the walk in four words: long, beautiful, difficult and rewarding.

It was also educational, for there were lessons to be learned. First, our camino could be likened to our journey of life – with its ups and downs, good and bad, joy and suffering. Second, it taught us how we PILGRIMAGE, SEE page 10

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

OUR PARISHESI

Classified FOR SALE CONDO HOME: Charlotte/Cotswold. 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 baths. Approx.

1,000 square feet. Convenient to shopping, medical, hospitals, restaurants and churches.

Excellent for retired/single. Beautiful Cotswold setting. $145,000. Call for appointment to see: 704/225-8188. Leave message.

Many crosses appear along the camino. The inscription “Je suis le chemin” is French for “I am the way,” or “Yo soy el camino” in Spanish. The rocks at the base and on top of the cross are placed there by pilgrims who, after bearing them a distance, unload them as symbols of their burdens.

Tim Faragher | Catholic News Herald

Source: 30daystoSantiago.com

9

10

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 OUR PARISHES

PILGRIMAGE FROM PAGE 8

need other people in our lives. We could not have reached our goal without the help of others providing us with places to stay, places to buy food, and support from many volunteers. Third, it was a testament to how people of different ethnic backgrounds and languages can get along. We met many people, helped and supported one another, and made new friends.

We completed our walk of 500 miles in 38

days, which included one day of rest.

Why did I want to do this? I saw it as a personal and physical challenge. It was also an opportunity for spiritual growth, a “spiritual walk.” Each person walks for his or her own personal reasons. I made it my “pilgrimage of Thanksgiving” to God for His many blessings – a good life, a long and happy marriage, a wonderful family, a good career, a long and fruitful ministry, good health, and probably most importantly, the gift of faith.

Bien Camino!

Deacon Joseph Schumacher is retired from service at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem.

David Hains | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter J. Jugis was homilist and principal celebrant of the Mass at the first Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference. He urged the conference participants to pray, saying, “When you pray, you see miracles happen.”

CONFERENCE FROM PAGE 3

Knights of Columbus Council of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte and cosponsored by the Knights’ “Fathers For Good” initiative.

Dan Trapini of the council spent six months organizing the conference. He agreed with Father Richards’ sentiment that men aren’t doing enough to meet their spiritual responsibilities.

“I have encountered many women who have expressed to me desperation for their husbands to take on a more active spiritual

role in the family. We want them to aspire to be better husbands and fathers, which will inspire them to be better Catholics,” Trapini wrote in an e-mail.

Thomas Hooker, a parishioner of Good Shepherd Mission in King, said the conference gave him a lot to think about and that he wants to be a different husband and father to his two young children. “We’ll have more dinners together as a family, and we’ll pray more rosaries together.”

Conference attendees also heard inspiring testimonies from Cory Flemings, a father of 13 children including nine boys, and Fred Beretta, a survivor of the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane crash.

What does the Church teach?

Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church teach that men and women are equal as persons of God, but their genders complement each other and together reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: “Man and women have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman. ‘Being man’ or ‘being woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and woman possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God their Creator (Gen. 2:7, 22). Man and woman are both with one and the same dignity ‘in the image of God.’ In their ‘being-man’ and ‘being-woman,’ they reflect the Creator’s wisdom and goodness.” — CCC 369

“God created man and women together and willed each for the other.... Man discovers woman as another ‘I,’ sharing the same humanity.” — CCC 371 “Man and woman were made ‘for each other’ – not that God left them half-made and incomplete; He created them to be a communion of persons, in which each can be ‘helpmate’ to the other, for they are equal as persons (‘bone of my bones...’) and complementary as masculine and feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that, by forming ‘one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24), they can transmit human life.... By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator’s work (from “Gaudium et spes,” 50).” — CCC 372

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Louie Verrecchio Following the Introductory Rites, the next revised text in the people’s parts of the Holy Mass occurs during the Penitential Act at the Confiteor, where three changes can be found.

In the previous version of the Missal, we prayed, “I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words ... .”

In the revised translation, however, we will pray, “I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words...” The key difference here is that we are adding the adjective “greatly” and moving the phrase “through my own fault.”

Then we will now continue, “... in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault,” while striking our breast at least once.

The significance of these particular changes should be relatively apparent.

Remember, the ultimate purpose of the revised translation is not always a matter of replacing text that was plainly incorrect in its substance, as is the case of the phrase “And also with you.” Sometimes the faithful translation states essentially the same thing but in a way that speaks the truth more clearly, while also more effectively pointing to the deeper underlying reality of the Mass (that is, it draws our hearts and minds into the sacred mystery made present in our midst).

Such is the case when we publicly profess “I have greatly sinned,” as well as when we pray the threefold proclamation “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”

The corrected translation represents much more than just needless repetition or a dramatic attempt to add emphasis. Indeed, the repetition does add emphasis to the fact of our culpability, but it also reflects the reality of sin in a particularly meaningful way.

When we sin, by definition, we turn as an act of the will against the Lord by asserting our own disordered desires over and against the will of Him whom we will proclaim later in the Mass to be “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Therefore, when we acknowledge our sin

catholic news heraldI

11

The Penitential Act – New wording better expresses our contrite hearts ‘This sense of true repentance is absolutely crucial. That is why we call this the Penitential Act. It is not enough to simply confess with our lips, we must also cry out from the depths of a contrite heart to truly repent.’ against the Thrice Holy God, it is fitting that we should say, “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”

It is also fitting in light of our belief in the Trinity. God is Thrice Holy because He is three Divine Persons in One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our every sin, therefore, is an offense against all three Persons of the Godhead, distinct in personhood, yet ever united as one in holiness.

Continuing in the Confiteor, where once we prayed, “and I ask Blessed Mary...,” we will now pray, “therefore I ask Blessed Mary Ever Virgin ... .” Not a big deal, right? Well, yes!

The use of “therefore” instead of “and” is more important than it may initially seem.

It better reflects the polarity that exists between two separate actions or statements.

On the one hand are the sins that we just confessed, on the other hand are the prayers of forgiveness that we now offer and seek.

Consider this: When we profess as in the past, “I sin and I pray,” our words fail to adequately reflect the degree to which prayer and sin are entirely incompatible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes our friend St. John Chrysostom as saying, “For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin” (CCC 2744).

Think about that! There is a chasm that exists between the person engaged in earnest prayer and the person engaged in an act of sin. That great divide is somewhat obscured when we say, almost cavalierly, “I have sinned and I pray.”

When we say “therefore” instead of “and” in the Confiteor, the disconnect between sin and prayer is more clearly expressed. It also

somehow connects the true contrition that we must feel for our failings with our prayer for forgiveness.

Our repentance and contrition is strongly suggested in the word “therefore” in a way that it is not when we simply say “and.”

Our heartfelt sorrow for having sinned, in other words, is the reason we now seek forgiveness.

This sense of true repentance is absolutely crucial. That is why we call this the Penitential Act. It is not enough to simply confess with our lips, we must also cry out from the depths of a contrite heart to truly repent.

In summary, we are essentially saying in the Confiteor, “I know that I have sinned – greatly – against the Thrice Holy God. Therefore I seek forgiveness, and I do so by turning not just to God alone, but to all who have been wounded by my actions. I know that my sins not only affect my relationship with the Lord, but also with every member of His Body. Therefore I turn to His Most Holy Mother. I turn to those beyond this world – the angels and saints. And I turn as well to my brothers and sisters, begging prayers of forgiveness of all concerned.”

The Penitential Act can also take place in what is called “Form B,” in which the priest would formerly pray, “Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.” And the people would respond, “Lord, have mercy.”

The priest would then continue, “Lord, show us your mercy and love.” And the people would reply, “And grant us your salvation.”

In the revised translation, Form B will now be prayed as follows: Priest: “Have mercy on us, O Lord.”

People: “For we have sinned against you.”

Learn more This is part 8 of a year-long series featuring the revised translation of the Third Missal. Our series will be compiled online at catholicnewsherald.com.

For even more resources, check out the U.S. bishops’ extensive material online at usccb.org/romanmissal.

Notice the shift in accountability that has been affected by this change. Now it is not just the priest, but all of the people who say “we have sinned.”

This is important. The Penitential Act is a personal admission of sin. It’s not enough for the priest – who stands in the Person of Christ – to see our sin. Of course, the Lord sees our faults, but we need to see them, we must admit to them personally, and we must seek forgiveness for us to be considered truly penitent.

Following the Penitential Act is the Kyrie, (“Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy”), after which the priest prays the absolution, “May Almighty God have mercy on us ... .”

Louie Verrecchio is a Catholic speaker and Catholic News Agency columnist. For more information, go to harvestingthefruit.com. This series is excerpted from the book “And with Your Spirit – Recovering a sense of the sacred in the English translation of the Roman Missal – 3rd Edition.”

Workshops planned St. Matthew Church in Charlotte is offering a series of workshops on adult faith formation using the U.S. bishops’ materials on the revised Missal. The next workshop will be held 7-9:30 p.m. March 15. Contact Michael Burck at mburck@stmatthewcatholic.org or 704-541-8362, ext. 4.

Our schools

12

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

In Brief

MACS ACADEMIC GAMES 2011

44 students compete for national team SueAnn Howell Staff writer

OLG students go pink GREENSBORO — Students at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro recently collected nearly $700 to fund mammograms for low-income women in their community, during an annual week-long “Panthers for Pink” fund raiser. Above, Olivia Kennedy was the winner of the cake raffle, and she is pictured with OLG’s mascot, the panther, who even turned pink for the day. Students who donated to the fund raiser could ditch their school uniforms for casual wear for a day – pink, of course. Even the basketball teams and cheerleaders donned pink, and played with pink basketballs for the occasion.

“Panthers for Pink” was organized by parent Teresa Prendergast two years ago in memory of a relative who died from breast cancer.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

Charlotte Catholic students excel in musical theater competition CHARLOTTE — Ten Charlotte Catholic High School students attended the Musical Theater Competition of America held in Los Angeles Feb. 11-12, competing against 50 other schools from 23 states in the fields of solo, duet and musical revue. This was a first for Charlotte Catholic and yet the students placed in each of the categories they entered. Sophomore Jenna Newman placed fourth in solo competition with her performance of “Good Morning Baltimore” from “Hairspray.” Colin Wilson and Natalie Myrick came in third in duet competition, performing “Hangin’ Around With You” from “Strike Up the Band.” The entire group placed second in the musical revue category, performing four songs by Stephen Sondheim.

Also attending the competition were: Grace Cahill, Zeke Edmonds, Katie Gallagher, Anna Gallucci, Grant Hedrick, Joe Mankowski and Matt Walters. The group is directed by Lonnie Billard with choreography by Jennifer Schexnyder, both instructors at Charlotte Catholic.

— Jennifer B. Johnson

CHARLOTTE — Forty-four students competed in the 2011 Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Academic Games Feb. 12 at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte. The Academic Games are held annually for students in two divisions – grades 4-6 and grades 7-8 – who compete in games of equations, presidents, propaganda, on-sets, world events and linguistics.

The Academic Games Leagues of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing “Thinking Kids” of character, excellence and integrity.

Competitions are held throughout the nation, culminating in a national championship tournament.

The 2011 MACS Academic Games National Team will be comprised of: (Grades 4-6) Uwa Akhere (Holy Trinity Middle School), Luke Dorrian (Holy Trinity), Tori Pratt (St. Patrick School), Sydney Roux (OLA), Luke Santschi (Holy Trinity), Jake Sheridan (Holy Trinity), Troy Smith (Holy Trinity), Melanie Vandenburg (Holy Trinity) and Christe Westbrook (OLA); (Grades 7-8) Anthony Charlonis (Holy Trinity), Kitty Cona (Holy Trinity), Matt Curry (Holy Trinity), Michael Marcoux (Holy Trinity),

Photo provided by Annette Morales

Above are the 2011 MACS Academic Games Regional Team participants with Linda Cherry, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Angeline-Marie Morales (Holy Trinity), Vincent Pham (Holy Trinity), Adam Phan (Holy Trinity), Meghan Santschi (Holy Trinity) and Jonathan Wilson (Holy Trinity). Alternates are Erin Lisi (Holy

Trinity) and Shannon O’Grady (Holy Trinity).

The team will travel to Kissimmee, Fla., April 29-May 2, to compete in the Academic Games National Tournament.

Observing Black History Month St. Michael School in Gastonia was recently chosen by the LINKS Piedmont Chapter to be a part of its traveling performance program. LINKS is a women’s service organization that addresses issues affecting people of African heritage.

Director and dancer Elsie Mufuka, along with two other dancers from the Mufuka Works Dance Company, visited the school Feb. 9 and used different types of dance – including ballet, modern jazz and African dances – to tell stories about how African cultures have become part of American culture. The message they brought to students was, “We are all one culture.” Pictured with the dancers is Madeline Trn, fifth-grader. photo provided by Pat Burr

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

catholic news heraldI

13

Spelling bee winners Students at Our Lady of Mercy School in WinstonSalem recently competed in the annual schoolwide spelling bee. Fifth-grader Hayden Davenport was the overall winner. Davenport, second-place winner Ian Gatland, an eighth-grader, and thirdplace winner Jack Thomas, also an eighth-grader, will all compete at the Non Public Schools Spelling Bee, hosted by Our Lady of Mercy School Feb. 24. The winners of that contest will go on to the Regional Spelling Bee sponsored by the WinstonSalem Journal March 13. Pictured are the three winners with Sister Geri Rogers, principal. photo provided by Lara Davenport

Photo provided by Leila Goddard

Book fair held to honor murdered child photo provided by Pat Burr

Beta Club members inducted at St. Michael School The Junior National Beta Club recently inducted new members (pictured sitting) at St. Michael School in Gastonia, and the club attended the state convention in Greensboro Feb. 7-8. The National Beta Club promotes character, develops leadership skills, encourages service involvement. It also recognizes achievement and provides technological advantages to students in grades 5 through 12. Students are selected for the club if they are on the honor roll and are good citizens at their schools and in their communities. Students must complete 10 hours of service projects per quarter. Pictured with them is Greg Davidowitz, middle school teacher and club sponsor.

Students at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem recently collected more than 300 books for the Isaiah DeJohn Brooks Memorial Book Fair. The 13-year-old boy, who loved to read, was murdered Feb. 9, 2006, near the corner of 25th and Machine streets in Winston-Salem. His murder remains unsolved. The book fair honors his memory and supports all Forsyth County children, who deserve to live in safety – to read, to dream, to grow up.

Brooks attended Ashley Elementary and East Forsyth Middle schools, and his favorite book was “Salt in His Shoes”

by Delores Jordan.

Mix 14

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Must-see Web sites

In theaters

Thank a priest for all he does

n Post thank you letters to priests online at letterstopriests.com.

The site’s purpose is to “promote positive public relations of Catholic priests” and publishes stories written by anyone who wants to thank the priests who have affected their lives in positive ways. The stories range from a heroic, civil rights activist priest, to a priest who expressed tremendous joy even after being imprisoned and tortured in a Nazi concentration camp.

Promote Catholic social teaching on college campuses n

‘I Am Number Four’ Occasionally moving teen drama about a human-looking alien (Alex Pettyfer) who has come to Earth to prevent its colonization by the race of evil creatures (led by Kevin Durand) who took over his home planet, slaughtering the native population in the process. Perpetually on the run, he’s protected by a guardian (Timothy Olyphant) from his own world, but his love for a fellow high school student (Dianna Agron) in his latest hometown proves a potentially dangerous distraction. Much intense but largely gore-free combat, a few uses of profanity, a bit of vaguely scatological humor, crude language.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

WYD on his mind: Pope Benedict XVI receives a commemorative World Youth Day Madrid cap.

Make plans for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid n

Registration to participate in World Youth Day Madrid 2011 is now open at WYDUSA.org. The site includes links to important information regarding the event.

World Youth Day, a faith-filled encounter of young people from around the world with Pope Benedict XVI to pray, learn, celebrate and strengthen one another in faith, will be held Aug. 16-21. The week will include Mass with the pope and numerous catechetical and other cultural activities.

Though entry to the main events is free, participants have payment options regarding meals, accommodations and transportation to Madrid. They also pay on a fee scale according to the country.

A dozen Catholic organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have introduced USCCB. org/campus to help college students and campus ministers promote Catholic social teaching. Under the banner “Transforming Our World: Our Catholic Faith in Action,” the site includes podcasts, videos, prayer materials, small-group resources and basic information on the social doctrine of the Church.

The site was developed in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s World Youth Day 2010 message in which he identified several challenges facing the world, such as respect for the environment, the just division of goods, solidarity with poor countries, promotion of dignity in labor, building a culture of life and promoting peace.

Visitors to the site can submit resources and features for possible use by others.

Learn about U.S. immigration issues

n The U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services has partnered with Catholic University of America on an educational Web site that highlights the role the U.S. bishops and the Church have played in immigrationrelated issues, especially since the early 20th century.

“U.S. Catholic Bishops and Immigration” can be found at libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/packets.html.

The site features access to primary documents that help to highlight U.S. bishops’ efforts. There are also educational tools for students, faculty and researchers to use, as well as diocesan and parish directors of religious education and social concerns.

Technology at the touch of a button Father Michael Gaitley, a priest of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, uses his iTouch to read from the autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux during his homily for the closing Mass of the “Consoling the Heart of Jesus” women’s retreat at St. Mark Feb. 6. During the homily, he asked, “Anybody have a copy of ‘Story of a Soul’ with them? Oh, wait – I do. There’s an app for that!” Father Gaitley, director of the Association of Marian Helpers and author of “Consoling the Heart of Jesus,” recently announced the creation of a free Divine Mercy app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Photo provided by Jeannie DeSena

On TV n Sunday, Feb. 27, 10-11 p.m. (EWTN) “Hill Number One.” The Korean War, and the battles that ensue, are correlated to Christ’s crucifixion on Golgotha in this vintage drama mixing Biblical and historical elements and featuring an early performance by future movie star James Dean. n Monday, Feb. 28, 6:30-7 p.m.

(EWTN) “Let Me Walk This Path.” The first episode of a seven-part series recounting the history of Catholicism in Japan from the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1549, through the persecution and 200-yearlong suppression of the Church until its reemergence in the 19th century. The initial program explores the state of Japan’s class system and religious influences at the time of St. Francis’ visit, and the results of his early efforts to evangelize the country.

The series continues 6:30-7 p.m. each weeknight through Tuesday, March 8. n Monday, Feb. 28, 9-10 p.m.

(PBS) “Triangle Fire.” This episode of the series “American Experience” examines one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history: the fire that broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York’s Greenwich Village March 25, 1911. The landmark legislation that followed this tragic event gave New Yorkers the most comprehensive workplace safety laws in the country. TV14 – parents strongly cautioned. n Thursday, March 3, 10 p.m.12:30 a.m. (TCM) “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1935). Classic sea adventure aboard the HMS “Bounty” on a voyage to Tahiti in 1787 under cruel Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) whose savage mistreatment of the crew finally drives chief officer Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) to take command of the ship. Director Frank Lloyd gives a rousing account of life at sea under the strict discipline and harsh conditions of the era, but does even better with the human drama propelling this fact-based yarn of duty, comradeship and divided loyalties in the face of injustice. CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents), MPAA: not rated.

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

In Brief

On TV

World Day of Prayer program set for March 4 HICKORY — St. Aloysius Church in Hickory will host the annual World Day of Prayer bilingual ecumenical worship service starting at 7 p.m. Friday, March 4. The program – prepared by the World Day of Prayer Committee of Chile, sponsored by Church Women United and encompassing 15 local churches – is entitled “How many loaves have you?”

The guest speaker is Francisco Risso, director of the Western North Carolina Worker’s Center in Morganton.

The worship service is designed to draw the faithful into the Bible and understand the context of the suffering of the Chilean people over the past year. News of the collapsed mine and devastating earthquake remind us to respond to what we have and how we can share it with others.

St. Aloysius Church is located at 921 Second St. N.E., Hickory. Child care will be provided, and refreshments will be served.

For details, contact Carole Marmorato at 828-256-8956.

Learn about saving Catholic schools CHARLOTTE — Nationally known speaker and author Father Ronald Nuzzi of the University of Notre Dame will give a free public lecture entitled “Who Will Save Catholic Schools?” at 7 p.m.

March 1 at the Charlotte Catholic High School chapel. Father Nuzzi will address the challenges facing many Catholic schools, such as dropping enrollments; financial shortfalls; and weakening community, parish and civic support.

The senior director of Notre Dame’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, Father Nuzzi will describe the nationwide effort under way to revitalize Catholic education.

RSVP to Zack Budzichowski at NDLecture@carolina.rr.com.

Father Nuzzi has written extensively about the multiple intelligence theory in Catholic education, the spirituality of leadership, and inclusion in Catholic schools. Co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Charlotte and Charlotte Catholic High School, the lecture is a presentation of the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s annual Hesburgh Lecture Series.

Adult education seminar under way CHARLOTTE — New Creation Monastery, 1309 Duncan Gardens Drive, Charlotte, will host a free adult education seminar entitled “Christ’s Sacred Mysteries: Contemplating Basic Christian Beliefs and the Sacraments,” starting at 9 a.m. March 6 and 13. RSVP to Father John Vianney Hoover at 704-344-0934.

n Saturday, March 5, 8-10:15 p.m. (TCM) “Cool Hand Luke” (1967). Nonconformist loner (Paul Newman), sentenced to a brutal Southern prison farm, gains the respect of his fellow inmates for standing up to the guards’ degrading treatment.

Newman’s memorable performance transforms Luke from a pathetic victim of an unjust system into a symbol of the rebellious spirit that refuses to accept the legitimacy of power. CNS: L (limited adult audience), MPAA: R.

In theaters ‘Unknown’ Injured in a taxi accident while visiting Berlin for a biotechnology conference, an American botanist (Liam Neeson) awakens to find that his wife (January Jones) doesn’t recognize him and that a stranger (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. His efforts to unravel the mystery are aided by the cab driver who saved his life in the smashup and by an ex-East German secret police official now working as a private investigator.

Based on Didier van Cauwelaert’s novel, this reasonably diverting thriller benefits from Neeson’s strong presence. A late-reel conversion story aside, though, there is little on offer beyond surface entertainment. Brief semi-graphic marital lovemaking, hand-to-hand violence, a suicide, fleeting sexual humor, profanity and crude language.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

‘Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son’ Warm but somewhat bland third installment in the “Big Momma” franchise, with Martin Lawrence again in the title role. Momma is put through her paces as a housemother at an Atlanta girls school while Lawrence’s real persona, an FBI agent, searches for a flash drive that will convict a group of mobsters. Some gun violence, fleeting crude language.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

catholic news heraldI

15

Our nation

16

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

In Brief Archbishop: Hard times don’t justify restricting workers’ rights MILWAUKEE — Quoting Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki issued a statement Feb. 16 that came down squarely in favor of workers’ rights in the face of efforts by Wisconsin’s new governor to restrict those rights.

“Hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers,” Archbishop Listecki said. “Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities. However, it is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth.”

He was responding to efforts by new Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, to push through measures restricting the rights of unions in a special session of the legislature.

The bill would strip most government workers – at the state, county and local levels – of nearly all collective bargaining rights. The only exceptions would be for police, firefighters and the state patrol. The legislation would also require union members to vote every year on whether they wanted to continue to be represented by their union, and would forbid unions from forcing employees to pay dues.”

Vatican rulings mixed on closed churches appeals WASHINGTON, D.C. — In mixed rulings on parishioners’ appeals of parish closings in three U.S. dioceses, the Vatican Congregation for Clergy upheld parish mergers, but said in some cases the closed churches must be reopened and “used in some manner as determined by the bishop.” The congregation’s rulings affected churches in the dioceses of Springfield, Mass., Buffalo, N.Y., and Allentown, Pa. — Catholic News Service

USCCB official has mixed reaction to HHS conscience rule revision Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON — Although the U.S. bishops’ pro-life spokeswoman expressed disappointment at President Barack Obama’s administration’s partial rescission of a federal regulation protecting the conscience rights of health care workers, she said there are “reasons for hope” in the new education and outreach effort announced by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, was commenting Feb. 18 on the final rule issued earlier that day by HHS to rescind elements of a December 2008 rule on conscience protection. The 2008 rule came down in the final days of the Bush administration.

“It is very disappointing that the (Obama) administration has chosen to eliminate much of the existing regulation on conscience issued in December 2008,” McQuade said.

“Among other things, the final rule issued today eliminates important clarifications that would have helped in interpreting and enforcing longstanding federal statutes protecting the conscience rights of health care providers,” she said. “It also eliminates a regulatory requirement that recipients of federal funds certify compliance with those statutes.

“However, it is welcome news that the administration says it will take initiatives to increase awareness of the

conscience statutes, work to ensure compliance with them, and require that all government grants make clear that compliance is required,” she added.

In its announcement of the final rule, HHS officials stressed that the partial rescission has no effect on existing laws protecting the conscience rights of health care providers.

“Strong conscience laws make it clear that health care providers cannot be compelled to perform or assist in an abortion,” it said. “The rule being issued today builds on these laws by providing a clear enforcement process.”

HHS said parts of the 2008 regulation had “caused confusion and could be taken as overly broad.”

The 41-page final rule summarized and responded to the major themes of the more than 300,000 comments received by HHS to the proposed rescission.

More than 97,000 individuals and organizations supported the move to rescind, with most saying the 2008 rule “unacceptably impacted patient rights and restricted access to health care and conflicted with federal law, state law and other guidelines addressing informed consent,” HHS said.

Nearly 187,000 comments opposed the proposal to rescind, expressing the conviction that “health care workers should not be required to perform procedures that violate their religious or moral convictions” or that rescission “would violate the First Amendment religious freedom rights of providers or the tenets of the Hippocratic Oath, and would impact the ethical integrity of the medical profession.”

House committee’s vote on Protect Life Act draws USCCB praise WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS) — The U.S. bishops’ prolife spokeswoman praised a House committee Feb. 17 for its recent bipartisan vote in favor of a bill that would apply long-standing federal policies on abortion funding and conscience rights to the health reform law. Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said the 33-19 vote by the House Energy and Commerce

Committee Feb. 15 to send the Protect Life Act to the full House “is an important step toward authentic health care reform that respects the dignity of all.” She also thanked the committee for rejecting three amendments that would have weakened the bill. “I now urge all representatives to support the Protect Life Act and oppose all weakening amendments when it comes before them,” McQuade said.

Former prosecutor to re-examine sex abuse claims against 37 priests Matthew Gambino Catholic News Service

PHILADELPHIA — The Catholic Church in Philadelphia has pledged a re-examination of the cases of 37 priests who a grand jury report says remain in active ministry despite credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

Three priests named in the report were immediately prohibited from publicly exercising their priestly ministry until the latest review is complete.

“Change begins with action,” the Philadelphia Archdiocese said in a Feb. 16 statement. “The grand jury report makes it clear that for as much as the archdiocese has done to address child sexual abuse, there is still much to do.”

The archdiocese also placed Monsignor William J. Lynn on administrative leave from his assignment as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown, Pa. He was arrested on two charges of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with his role as the former archdiocesan secretary for clergy. He remains free on bail until his trial date, which has not been set.

Monsignor Lynn remains pastor of the parish but Monsignor Joseph C. McLoone, pastor of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Chester, assumes the duties of parochial administrator.

The re-examination of the 37 cases will be led for the archdiocese by Gina Maisto Smith, a former city assistant district attorney with long experience prosecuting child sexual assault cases who now practices law privately.

As she reviews the 37 cases mentioned in the grand jury report, she “will also re-examine the procedures that were used in those cases,” she said. “I will then make recommendations from that examination and other evidence that emerges in that process.”

Smith is a civil lawyer. But because priests and Church policy are involved, canon or Church law is certain to become a consideration in the cases she reviews.

She said she would work closely on such issues with Philadelphia Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, a canon law expert and a civil lawyer.

Philadelphia Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Thomas also discussed the fallout of the grand jury report Feb. 17.

“The first reality is, victims are suffering,” Bishop Thomas said. “As a result of that (Cardinal Justin Rigali) made mention in his letter (to all parishioners on Feb. 12) from St. Paul, ‘when one member of the body suffers, all suffer.’”

“It’s incumbent (on the Church) to get to the root of the issue,” he said, “and to put in place those actions that are going to address any of the behaviors which are both sinful and criminal.”

e

Our world

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

In Brief Pope prays for victims of deadly N.Z. quake VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of a devastating earthquake in New Zealand and encouraged those involved in rescue efforts. During his weekly general audience Feb. 23, he expressed concern for the loss of life and the number of people still missing. “Let us ask God to relieve their suffering and to support all who are involved in the rescue operations,” he said, asking people to join him in praying for the people who lost their lives. At least 75 people were killed during a magnitude 6.3 tremor that struck Christchurch, New Zealand, Feb. 22 around midday.

Irish archbishop repents for clergy abuse

DUBLIN — Repenting for the crimes of priestly sex abuse does not mean that the Irish Catholic Church can return to business as usual, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told abuse survivors during a Feb. 20 prayer service joined by an American cardinal.

However, seeking forgiveness can be an important step toward healing and overcoming the pain that survivors feel, he added as Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston listened during the “Liturgy of Lament and Repentance” at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral. Both prelates offered apologies for the Church’s failure to respond to reports of abuse during the afternoon service attended by 1,000 l survivors and their families and supporters. Many in attendance were visibly moved when Archbishop Martin and Cardinal O’Malley prostrated themselves before the altar and washed the feet of eight survivors as signs of humility. Cardinal O’Malley was in Dublin conducting an apostolic visitation of the archdiocese in the wake of a scandal that found Church leaders doing little n to investigate abuse claims and working to keep abuse reports under wraps to protect the clergy involved and the church’s reputation.

Caritas’ head denied 2nd term

VATICAN CITY — Vatican officials have prevented the secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis from seeking a second four-year term. Lesley-Anne Knight, a British citizen born in Zimbabwe, did not receive the necessary approval, or “nihil obstat” (“nothing stands in the way”), in January when she submitted her name as a candidate to continue in the position with the Church’s worldwide aid and development organization. “The Holy See wants a change in the way it works with Caritas and says this requires a change in the person of the secretary-general,” said a statement released late Feb. 18 t by Caritas Internationalis in Rome. It stated the Vatican had acknowledged “the professional work done and achievements of Mrs. Knight.” Elections for the position of secretary-general and international president, which is held by Cardinal Oscar s Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, are set for late May in Rome during Caritas Internationalis’ quadrennial general assembly. Submitting the names of candidates for the two positions is normally considered routine within the Vatican.

Catholic bishops lead sit-in BANGALORE, India — Nineteen Catholic and Protestant bishops staged a sit-in to protest the findings of a report that cleared Hindu fundamentalists of a series of attacks on Christian targets in southern Karnataka state in September 2008. The clerics, including 13 Catholic bishops, were joined by nearly 500 Church leaders in Bangalore, where they again criticized a commission’s findings that do not identify the attackers in 57 incidents involving Christian churches and other sites. Demonstrators gathered in central Bangalore, with the bishops sitting in their clerical garb under a midday sun.

— Catholic News Service

Conforti

Guanella

Castro

Pope to create three new saints, including founder of Xaverian order Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI will create three new saints Oct. 23, including the founder of the Xaverian missionaries, Blessed Guido Maria Conforti.

The pope announced the date for the canonization ceremony at the end of what is known as an ordinary public consistory, a formal ceremony opened and closed with prayer, during which cardinals present in Rome express their support for the pope’s decision to create new saints.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, read brief biographies of the three in Latin Feb. 21.

Blessed Conforti, founder of the Xaverian Foreign Missionary Society, was born in 1865 in Italy.

Vice rector of a seminary even before his priestly ordination, he was said to have filled seminarians with an awareness of their obligation to be missionaries.

In 1895, seven years after becoming a priest, he founded a congregation of consecrated men dedicated to the evangelization of non-Christians.

Named bishop of Ravenna in 1902, he was plagued by ill health and decided to resign. But five years later, he came out of retirement to become bishop of the Diocese of Parma. He visited the Xaverian missionaries in China a few years before his death in 1931. Pope John Paul II declared him “blessed” in 1996.

The Xaverian missionaries today include 793 priests and brothers, and 183 Xaverian sisters; they have a strong presence in Europe and the Americas.

The others to be canonized Oct. 23, World Mission Sunday, are: n Blessed Louis Guanella, an Italian priest who lived 18421915. He founded the Servants of Charity, the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, and the Confraternity of St. Joseph, whose members pledge to pray for the sick and dying. n Blessed Bonifacia Rodriguez Castro, who lived 1837-1905.

The Spanish founded the Servants of St. Joseph, a congregation originally dedicated to providing a religious and technical education to poor women.

catholic news heraldI

17

Vatican announces JPII beatification events Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has released a three-day schedule of events for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, and warned against people selling counterfeit tickets to the beatification liturgy, which is free and open to all.

Pope Benedict XVI will preside over the beatification Mass at 10 a.m. May 1 in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said.

Immediately after Mass, the faithful can pray before Pope John Paul’s mortal remains, which will be set in front of the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the deceased pope’s remains will be in the Pope John Paul II casket in which he originally was buried in 2005 and will not be visible.

The casket will be reinterred in the Chapel of St. Sebastian on the main level of St. Peter’s Basilica in a “private” ceremony, which will occur only after the large crowds have stopped coming to pay their respects, Father Lombardi said.

The night before the beatification, a prayer vigil will be held in the grassy open space that was the ancient Circus Maximus in Rome, the Vatican said.

“It will be organized by the Diocese of Rome, which had the venerable servant of God as its bishop,” the note said. Cardinal Agostino Vallini, papal vicar for Rome, will lead the celebration and Pope Benedict is expected to watch through a video hookup.

The morning after the beatification, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said.

U.S. Archbishop James M. Harvey, prefect of the papal household, which organizes the non-liturgical side of papal events, emphasized that tickets will not be required to attend the beatification. His statement said he had been “informed of the existence of unauthorized offers by some tour operators, especially on the Internet,” claiming that for a fee they could help people get tickets to papal events, particularly the beatification Mass.

“For the beatification Mass of Pope John Paul II, as made clear from the outset, no tickets are required,” the statement said.

For events that require tickets, such as the pope’s weekly general audience, the tickets “are always issued free of charge and no person or organization can request any kind of payment,” it said.

ViewPoints

18

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

By the numbers

A message to all returning Catholics If you left the Catholic faith because of divorce and remarriage and would like to return, the Church is ready to help you. Each parish in this diocese has a trained advocate who meets with people just like you to guide them through the annulment process.

Whatever you may have heard about annulments, give yourself the gift of learning the truth. Your parish office can direct you to its advocate or you may contact the diocesan tribunal directly and confidentially at jmbarnes@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3343.

An annulment is a determination by the Church that the consent exchanged between the parties at the wedding was fatally flawed. It does not mean that the marriage never happened or that any children of the marriage are impacted in any way.

An annulment is a purely religious matter that affects only the parties to the marriage and has no impact in civil law.

People who need annulments include: a divorced Catholic who has married again or wants to marry again, a divorced non-Catholic who is remarried to a Catholic, a divorced non-Catholic who wants to marry a Catholic, a divorced non-Catholic who is currently married and wants to become a Catholic, and a divorced non-Catholic spouse of someone who wants to become a Catholic.

Whatever your situation, the advocates and the tribunal staff will be glad to discuss it with you and help you to resolve anything that may be keeping you from the sacraments.

Joy Barnes serves with the Diocese of Charlotte Tribunal in Charlotte.

VICTIMS OF BULLYING Victims of Bullying

One-third of teens say they have One third of teens say they have been bullied while at school. been bullied while at school.

Percentage who reported being: 20%

made fun of

18%

rumored or gossiped about

11% physically bullied 6% threatened

5% excluded from activities Source: www.bullyingstatistics.org

CNS | Emily Thompson

©2011 CNS

Anti-bullying focus at schools tries to keep up with growing problem Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although bullying is nothing new, efforts to curb it are still in unchartered territory, especially in today’s digital age when the scope of bullying expands far beyond school hallways or playgrounds.

Bullying is often a topic of discussion at school meetings and educational seminars and has also come under federal government’s umbrella with guidelines it released last fall calling certain acts of bullying potential civil rights violations.

But despite all the talk, destructive and harassing behavior is still rampant and able to cause almost instant damage with a simple text message, Facebook update or e-mail.

A new study published in the February edition of the American Sociological Review says today’s bullies aren’t necessarily the most popular students but tend to be those who want to be popular.

“By and large, status increases aggression, until you get to the very top,” said the study’s lead author, Robert Faris, an assistant sociology professor at the University of California-Davis. “When kids become more popular, later on they become more aggressive.”

The study questioned nearly 4,000 North Carolina high school and middle school students asking them to list their best friends, people they had picked on and people who had picked on them.

The study’s main finding reinforces what bullying-prevention groups are currently advocating, mainly that the old stereotypes of bullies no longer hold true. Today, especially with online tools, anyone can be a bully and more people can be victimized.

With the rise in this kind of harassment and its often dire consequences, antibullying programs are becoming more prevalent. One major effort, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, is now used in more than 7,000 schools nationwide.

The program, based at Clemson University in South Carolina, is named after a Norwegian researcher who began studying bullying more than 40 years ago.

Marlene Snyder, the program’s director of development, told Catholic News Service Feb. 10 that a number of Catholic schools across the country have “really embraced the program” and that religious-affiliated schools “seem to get to the heart of the matter a lot quicker” examining roles people play in a bullying situation as part of their religion classes.

Snyder said the Olweus program is not a one-shot deal where schools learn about bullies and then continue on their way. Instead, the comprehensive program is meant to develop long-term changes.

Bullying has been a hot topic at recent National Catholic Educational Association conventions, and this year during the April 26-28 convention in New Orleans several speakers plan to address it.

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for

purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to the Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

Mail: Letters to the Editor

Catholic News Herald

1123 S. Church St.

Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

February 25, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Rico De Silva

W

Rico de Silva is a member of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

19

Deacon Edward A. Konarski

The silence of the lambs hile attending Saturday morning Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte last month, Father Frank Pavone, the director of Priests for Life who visited Charlotte for our local March for Life, showed me how indifferent I have become to the sad reality of widespread abortion in our contemporary society. Father Pavone led us in a novena for an end to abortion at the conclusion of the Mass. There was a part of that prayer that really resonated deep in my heart: “Today, I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, never to be forgetful of the unborn.”

Jesus’ words, “To whom much is given, much is required,” have kept echoing in my mind ever since that cold January morning at St. Vincent de Paul Church.

For the average Catholic in the pew, the topic of abortion is very delicate and difficult to speak about – an almost taboo subject. Nobody wants to rock the boat, myself included.

After all, the woman sitting next to you during Sunday Mass might have made a desperate decision to abort a baby earlier in her life, or she might be married to a man who fathered an aborted child.

There are three things we can do as practicing Catholics to get more involved in the pro-life movement. First and foremost, we should pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the pro-life movement. When Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in the 16th century, the locals were sacrificing close to 9,000 people a year to appease their gods. Our Lady of Guadalupe put an end to that human sacrifice within just a few years. Saying a rosary on Saturdays for the unborn and their mothers is a good starting point. Father Pavone stated that most women have abortions out of despair; they lose hope and fear they will not be able to take care of their unborn child.

St. Ignatius of Loyola said, “We should pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on us.” The bottom line is, abortion is big business – a billion-dollar industry. Planned Parenthood is the biggest abortion provider in the country, and a staunch advocate of the incorrectly defined “reproductive rights.” It also receives federal funding every year. I feel we as Catholics are not vocal enough in the political arena concerning this issue.

More of our legislative representatives need to hear of our disapproval of tax money going to Planned Parenthood.

Finally, let us be conscious of the women and men, Catholic or not, in need of healing and forgiveness caused by the sin of abortion. They are also tragic victims, as are the aborted children. As part of the of the wounded Body of Christ, they need the hope of God’s infinite mercy and healing in the Person of the Divine Healer, Jesus Christ. An organization called Rachel’s Vineyard facilitates this type of healing and forgiveness with women and men affected by abortion through weekend retreats nationwide. In Charlotte, the folks at Room at the Inn and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity provide rays of hope to pregnant women in need of help.

The time to be silent is long past. Let’s pray to Our Lord and ask Him how He wants us to help put an end to the scourge of abortion, which has silently ended the lives of more than 50 million unborn babies since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion on demand in a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued on a cold January day in 1973.

catholic news heraldI

C

Operation Rice Bowl – A call to discipleship

atholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. Catholic bishops to assist the millions of poor and hungry people in war-torn Europe, CRS has since expanded to alleviate suffering, provide assistance and promote economic development in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.

I believe strongly in the work of CRS. Since 1997, I have worked as a volunteer with our diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, a component of Catholic Social Services, on the diocesan CRS Advisory Committee.

This committee, which I currently chair, is composed of volunteers from the eastern, central and western regions of our diocese. We promote the work of CRS and encourage participation in Operation Rice Bowl, a CRS educational and fundraising program that takes place during Lent.

With Lent just around the corner, parishes nationwide are preparing for the 2011 Operation Rice Bowl. Besides my work on the diocesan CRS Advisory Committee, I am pleased to coordinate Operation Rice Bowl at my parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton, where I serve as deacon.

The fundamental motivating force in all CRS activities is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Working closely with the U.S. bishops, CRS promotes a vision of human dignity, human development and peace building consistent with the moral vision espoused by the Roman Catholic Church.

Ninety-five percent of each dollar donated to CRS goes directly to programs. CRS has consistently received recognition as an exemplary non-profit, and in 2010 it received an A rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog group that evaluates the largest U.S. non-profits to help donors make informed giving decisions.

Operation Rice Bowl calls us to pray as a community, fast in solidarity with those who are hungry, give assistance to those who are in need, and learn about the lives of our brothers and sisters in countries overseas.

This year’s theme is “We are disciples for all nations.”

This theme echoes our Holy Father’s call for the faithful to be exemplars of charity in response to God’s tremendous love for us. “As the objects of God’s love, men and women become subjects of charity, they are called to

make themselves instruments of grace, so as to pour forth God’s charity and to weave networks of charity” (Pope Benedict XVI, “Caritas in Veritate,” 5, 2009).

With the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 9, more than 50 parishes and schools of our diocese will participate in the 2011 Operation Rice Bowl program.

If your Catholic parish or school has not yet planned to participate, there is still time to do so. By calling CRS toll free at 1-800-222-0025, an order can be placed for ORB materials and it will be sent within five to seven business days. You can also order additional supplies if needed.

While most of the funds raised by Operation Rice Bowl support international development projects, some funds are reserved for use in our diocese to support hunger alleviation and poverty reduction activities sponsored by diocesan parishes. Last fall, 14 parishes received funding totaling $12,100 from Operation rice Bowl mini-grants.

Thank you for your support of Catholic Relief Services and your Operation Rice Bowl efforts. Let our charity be joined with our prayers for all people who suffer from a lack of life’s most basic necessities.

Deacon Edward A. Konarski serves at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton and chairs the diocesan Catholic Relief Services Advisory Committee.

20

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | February 25, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

In Brief

widowers of the parish Feb. 13. With the help of 16 parish volunteers, participants were treated to a special Valentine’s dinner in the parish family life center. More than 20 widows and widowers enjoyed the special evening, which was described as a fun, happy evening for all involved. Father Duong and the volunteers plan to make the dinner an annual event for the parish. At left, Father Duong presents Natalie Bucki with a carnation.

— Kristen Karcher

Bone marrow drive planned

A special Valentine’s Day dinner FRANKLIN — Father Tien Duong of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin hosted “A Dinner Presented with Love” for the widows and

CHARLOTTE — A bone marrow drive will be held at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 5, in an effort to find a match for 6-year-old Jordan Jemsek, who is suffering from leukemia.

Donors must be aged 18-55, and donations for the lab processing fees will be accepted. For details, go online to firstgiving.com/fundraiser/ jordanjemsek/dkms-Americas.