Sept. 23, 2011

September 23, 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

Powerful witness

Joyful adoration, silence mark historic St. John the Baptist Church’s centennial procession through downtown Tryon, 14-15

70 years of faithfulness St. Joseph Church in Bryson City celebrates 70th anniversary, FUNDED by the parishioners of the diocese of charlotte

12-13

Respect Life Month

THANK YOU!

40 Days for Life begins on Sept. 28,

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‘Life Chain’ vigils set for Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 2,

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IN OTHER NEWS: Bishops issue alert on HHS regulations, 3 Voters to go to polls on marriage vote, 5 New pastor installed in Maggie Valley, 3 RCIA programs begin across the diocese, 5

DE CERCA: Los jóvenes rumbo a la Pascua Juvenil 2012, 16 Calendar 4 Diocese 3-9

FAITH 2

mix 20-21

nation & World 22-25 Schools 18-19

Viewpoints 26-27

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

Our faith

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Blessed Elena Aiello is pictured on her sickbed, with blood flowing from stigmatic wounds on her forehead.

Photo courtesy of www. mysticsofthechurch. com

Italian mystic who predicted fall of Mussolini beatified ROME — Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, recently beatified Elena Aiello, an Italian religious woman who was a mystic and bore the stigmata just as St. Pio did.

The beatification Mass took place Sept.

14 in Calabria, Italy, her hometown.

According to L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Amato noted that Sister Elena, who died in 1961 at the age of 66, taught Catholics that “it is possible to live the Gospel to a heroic degree, it is possible then to be saints … because this land needs the spiritual beauty of the saints.”

He recalled that Sister Elena founded the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ with her philosophy of the “little way” toward holiness and her mystical participation in the Paschal mystery, with “her eyes always fixed on the crucifix.”

To those who said her charity toward the needy and the handicapped was “exaggerated,” Sister Elena said, “The poor, the handicapped and the suffering are the best friends of Jesus, and in doing good to them, we are specifically loving the Lord.”

In March of 1922, while she was practicing the devotion of the “13 Fridays” of St. Francis of Paula in private, she received the stigmata. From then on her stigmata bled every Friday in March, especially on Good Friday. She also experienced great pain and the gift of prophecy.

In 1928, together with Gina Mazza, she founded the Little Sisters of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, to honor the passion of the Lord and to offer spiritual and material help to the poor.

Among her many prophecies, Sister Elena foretold the tragic end of Mussolini, the Italian dictator who was executed in 1945.

Speaking to pilgrims on Sept. 14 after his weekly general audience, Pope Benedict XVI said “the Church in Italy rejoices at the elevation to the altars of such an eminently Eucharistic soul.”

“May the example and intercession of the new blessed increase everyone’s love for the Sacrament of the altar,” he added.

— CNA/EWTN News

Padre Pio, ‘a man of prayer and suffering’ Feast day: Sept. 23 On Sept. 23, the Catholic Church remembers the Italian Franciscan priest St. Pio of Petrelcina, better known as “Padre Pio” and known for his suffering, humility and miracles.

The man later known by these names was originally named Francesco Forgione, born to his parents Grazio and Maria in 1887. His parents had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. They taught the five surviving children to live their faith through daily Mass, family prayer of the rosary, and regular acts of penance.

Francesco had already decided at a young age to dedicate his entire life to God. At age 10, he felt inspired by the example of a young Capuchin Franciscan, and told his parents: “I want to be a friar – with a beard.” Francesco’s father spent time in America, working to finance his son’s education so he could enter the religious life.

On Jan. 22, 1903, Francesco donned the Franciscan habit for the first time. He took the new name Pio, a modernized Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Pope St. Pius V. He made his solemn vows four years later, and received priestly ordination in the summer of 1910.

Shortly after, he first received the stigmata – Christ’s wounds, present in his own flesh.

Along with these mystical but real wounds, Padre Pio also suffered health problems that forced him to live apart from his Franciscan community for the first six years of his priesthood. By 1916 he managed to re-enter community life at the Friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he lived until his death. He handled many duties as a spiritual director and teacher, covering for brothers drafted into World War I. During 1917 and 1918, Padre Pio himself briefly served in a medical unit of the Italian army. He later offered himself as a spiritual “victim” for an end to the war, accepting suffering as a form of prayer for peace. Once

A saintly life

again, he received the wounds of Christ on his body. They would remain with him for 50 years, through a succession of global conflicts.

Against his own wishes, the friar’s reputation for holiness, and attending miracles, began to attract huge crowds.

Some Church officials, however, denounced the priest and had him banned from public ministry in 1931. Pope Pius XI ended the ban two years later, and his successor Pius XII encouraged pilgrimages to Padre Pio’s friary.

Known for patient suffering, fervent prayer and compassionate spiritual guidance, Padre Pio also lent his efforts to the establishment of a major hospital, the “Home to Relieve Suffering.”

Padre Pio died in 1968, and was declared a saint in 2002.

— CNA/EWTN News

What are the stigmata?

Visible stigmata are the spontaneous manifestation of bloody wounds on a person’s hands, feet, forehead or back – similar to the wounds of the crucified Jesus. Others have only the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata.

Either way, stigmata always involve intense suffering and pain – the essential element of stigmatization. The substance of this grace consists of compassion for the crucified Christ and participation in His sufferings and sorrows for one purpose: expiation of the sins unceasingly committed in the world.

Stigmata are often accompanied by other bodily phenomena such as pain, blood, sweat, levitations, or even lameness or blindness, and they often occur in people who are already ill. Sometimes their wounds emit a perfumed “odor of sanctity.” Stigmatics often receive visions of Christ and various saints, repeatedly “reliving” parts of Christ’s Passion. The timing of their wounds can correspond to the time of Christ’s Passion – on Fridays, or Good Friday in particular – or the wounds can bleed continually.

In every case the wounds persist – sometimes for decades – and the blood flow cannot be stopped or healed by doctors. In the case of Padre Pio, his hands bled lightly but almost continually, soaking the gloves he wore, and the wound in his chest produced a cup of blood each day.

The physical pain is not all that a stigmatic endures: “The life of stigmatics,” wrote Dr. Antoine Imbert-Gourbeyre in a 1894 medical study of stigmatics, “La Stigmatisation,” “is but a long series of sorrows which arise from the Divine malady of the stigmata and end only in death... .

It seems historically certain that ecstatics alone bear the stigmata; moreover, they have visions which correspond to their role of co-sufferers, beholding from time to time the blood-stained scenes of the Passion.”

More than 500 stigmatics have been recorded over the Church’s history, including nearly 30 in the 19th century alone. There are more than 60 saints or blesseds who have been stigmatics, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Rita of Cassia, St. John of God, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Catherine de Ricci, St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Anna Maria Taïgi and Therese Neumann.

— Sources: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Columbia Encyclopedia, Oxford Companion to the Body, Padre Pio Foundation of America

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 25 - OCT. 1

Sunday, Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:111, Matthew 21:28-32; Monday (Sts. Cosmas and Damian), Zechariah 8:1-8, Luke 9:46-50; Tuesday (St. Vincent de Paul), Zechariah 8:2023, Luke 9:51-56; Wednesday (St. Wenceslaus, St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions), Nehemiah 2:1-8, Luke 9:57-62; Thursday (Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels), Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, John 1:47-51; Friday (St. Jerome), Baruch 1:15-22, Luke 10:13-16; Saturday, Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29, Luke 10:17-24

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 2 - OCT. 8

Sunday, Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43; Monday, Jonah 1;1-2:2, Jonah 2:3-5, 8, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (St. Francis of Assisi), Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday, Jonah 4:1-11, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday (St. Bruno, Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher), Malachi 3:13-20, Luke 11:5-13; Friday (Our Lady of the Rosary), Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2, Luke 11:15-26; Saturday, Joel 4:12-21, Luke 11:27-28

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 9 - OCT. 15

Sunday, Isaiah 25:6-10, Philippians 4:1214, 19-20; Monday, Romans 1:1-7, Luke 11:2932; Tuesday, Romans 1:16-25, Luke 11:37-41; Wednesday, Romans 2:1-11, Luke 11:42-46; Thursday, Romans 3:21-30, Luke 11:47-54; Friday (St. Callistus I), Romans 4:1-8, Luke 12:1-7; Saturday (St. Teresa of Jesus), Romans 4:13, 16-18, Luke 12:8-12

Our parishes

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com Bishop Peter Jugis celebrates the Mass installing Father Richard R. Benonis as pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley.

Jubilarian marks 55 years of faithful service CHARLOTTE — Father Joseph Waters is pictured with Bishop Peter Jugis after the Sept. 13 “Jubilee Mass” the diocese has each year to celebrate local priests’ anniversaries of ordination. Father Waters was ordained in 1956. More than 20 priests and Bishop Emeritus William Curlin joined Bishop Jugis for the Mass and dinner that followed at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Also honored but unable to attend were Father James Cahill and Father Joseph Ayathupadam, who have celebrated 50 years of priestly ordination.

— David Hains

Diocese launches employee wellness plan CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has developed a wellness plan – “Wellness Works” – that will be implemented for employees this fiscal year. Wellness plans have proven to be successful in improving the health of participants and in reducing the cost of health care over the long term.

The plan incorporates incentives and activities to help create a culture of wellness throughout the diocese.

— SueAnn Howell

Wils named youth minister at St. Pius X Church GREENSBORO — Dave Wils, a native of New Bern who converted to the Catholic faith in 2009, has been appointed youth minister at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. “I love being Catholic and ministering to youth,” said Wils in the September parish newsletter. He can be reached at davespxyouth@gmail.com.

Photos by Paul Viau | Catholic News Herald

Priest called back to active duty to serve Maggie Valley Paul Viau Correspondent

MAGGIE — It’s a familiar story today: a retired priest called back into service by the Church to fill a need. And it often rewards the growing family of Catholics with truly experienced pastors.

Such is the case with Father Richard R. Benonis, who was installed as pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley during a prayerful Mass on Sept. 17, celebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis.

Father Benonis was “called back to active duty” after more than 50 years of service as a priest, including 21 years in the U.S. Army as a chaplain.

That service to God and country took Father Benonis on two tours of duty in FR. BENONIS Vietnam and two assignments to Germany.

Along the way, Father Benonis also earned a masters degree in counseling from Long Island University, trained at the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota, and became actively involved in drug and alcohol counseling, family therapy and the Church’s international Marriage Encounter program.

Father Benonis retired from the Diocese of Philadelphia in 2009 and moved to San Antonio, Texas.

In 2010, he relocated to Flat Rock. It was then, Father Benonis said, that he had an epiphany:

“A priest is not what I do (or used to do). It’s what I am.”

He promptly contacted the Diocese of Charlotte and began helping out whenever he could. In January of 2011, Father Benonis substituted as celebrant at two consecutive Sunday Masses at St. Margaret of Scotland, and reported to Bishop Jugis’ assistant, Nancy Weber, “I could take a place like this,” he said.

Father Benonis was assigned to St. Margaret of Scotland starting Aug. 15, and on Sept. 17 at his installation Mass, he took an oath of fidelity to the Church and to the bishop, and he publicly signed documents officially taking over as pastor of the parish.

As part of Father Benonis’ installation, after his homily, Bishop Jugis walked with Father Benonis around the church, pointing out the places where the new pastor would exercise his duties to administer the sacraments and teach the faithful: the front door – providing generous access to the faithful to come and pray; the baptismal font and the confessional – administering the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation, enabling the faithful to receive new life in Christ and restore their relationship to God; the tabernacle and the altar – celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to nourish the faithful with the Body and Blood of Christ; and the presidential chair – symbolizing Father Benonis’ role as leader and teacher for the parish.

After the installation, the congregation honored their new pastor and Bishop Jugis with a luncheon in the Parish Hall.

catholic news heraldI

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Bishops issue alert on HHS regulations David Hains Diocesan Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — As the Sept. 30 deadline for comments draws near, North Carolina’s two bishops have issued an alert through Catholic Voice NC asking Catholics to oppose regulations that could become part of the new health care law.

The proposed regulations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set up new preventative health care coverage that all employers must cover specifically for women at no cost starting on Aug. 1, 2012. That coverage includes services such as mammograms, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings, but it also mandates free contraception, sterilizations and drugs considered by the Church to be abortifacients – all of which are contrary to Catholic teaching.

Religious organizations have typically been exempt from regulations that conflict with their beliefs, but in this case, the contraception mandate is accompanied by a stricter definition of which religious employers may be exempt.

For a religious employer that does not want to offer such services, the regulation sets out a narrow exemption: An exempt religious employer is one that “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization” under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code. The exact language of the exemption was announced Aug. 1 by HHS. In a statement earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said, “This poses an unprecedented threat to individual and institutional religious freedom.” The USCCB has urged HSS to remove the contraception mandate and revise the religious exemption definition, bringing it more into line with what 28 states – including North Carolina – already use.

Terri Wilhelm, diocesan human resources director, said the Charlotte diocese – like all Catholic employers, including Catholic universities and schools, Catholic hospitals, and Catholic social ministries – may be forced to choose from three bad options: offer contraception coverage, limit its ministries to serving Catholics only, or stop offering insurance to its employees altogether.

Right now, North Carolina includes contraception coverage for employers, HHs, SEE page 9

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA, 97 Haywood ST. — Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians will meet at the Basilica Sept. 24 and 25. Contact Janice Donahue at bannastrand01@gmail.com.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks: Sept. 23-24 Eucharistic Congress Charlotte Convention Center

BELMONT BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road — Arts at the Abbey: Carolina Pro Musica-The Life Robin Hood, 8 p.m. Oct. 3. Visit www.carolinapromusica.org.

— Conversations: “Living Bread, Saving Meal,” Reflections on the Eucharist, 1:30-3:30 p.m. or 7:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 17 and 31.

BOONE

Sept. 29 – 6 p.m.

Red Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

— Documentary: “Race to Nowhere,” 7-9 p.m. Sept. 27. Visit www.racetonowhere.com.

— Cenacles of Divine Mercy Day of Healing, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 8.

Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St.

Sept. 28 – 12:10 p.m.

Mass for Charlotte area Home Schoolers St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY.

st. elizabeth of the hill country, 259 Pilgrims way — “Religion and Conspiracy Theories: Fact or Fiction,” youth room, 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 27

ST. patrick cathedral, 1621 dilworth road east — “The Fatima Story of Hope,” presented by Sister Angela Coehlo of Fatima, Family Life Center, 7 p.m. Sept. 27 — Fall Scripture Study: Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, 10-11 a.m. Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 23, and Nov. 6 and 20.

Contact Margaret at jmgusto@bellsouth.net.

— Fall Scripture Study: St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Jan. 3. Childcare provided.

Contact Margaret at jmgusto@bellsouth.net.

ST. thomas aquinas church, 1400 Suther Road — Taize Prayer Service, 6:45 p.m. Oct. 1 — The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, 7 p.m. Oct. 3

Oct. 1 – 5:30 p.m.

Mass for Rosary Congress Concord Convention Center, Concord

— “Translation of Sacred Text: History of the Word,” youth room, 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 6 — “Judaism and Christianity: Sacramental Parallels,” Pat Jones Hall, 9:15-10:45 a.m. Oct. 9

Oct. 2-7 Priests’ Retreat Maggie Valley

CHARLOTTE

Oct. 8 – 4:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Brevard

catholic campus ministry, 9408 Sandburg Road — Wednesday Dinners, open to college students, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesdays. Visit www.sco.uncc.edu/catholic.

Oct. 10 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville

charlotte catholic high school, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road — “The Fatima Story of Hope,” presented by Sister Angela Coehlo of Fatima, Chapel, 7 p.m. Sept. 28 ST. gabriel CHURCH, 3016 providence road — “God isn’t laughing AT you, He’s laughing WITH you!” presented by Jesuit Father James Martin, parish center cafeteria, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Contact Cathy Esposito at cesposito@stgabrielchurch.org or 704-362-5047, ext.

276.

ST. john neumann CHURCH, 8451 idlewild road — “Living Your Strengths for Teens,” 6:15-8 p.m. Sept. 25 and Oct. 2

— Feast of St. Francis of Assisi Mass and Reception, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 — “Circle of Friends” Grief Support Group, office conference room, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Contact Robyn Magyar at 704-707-5070.

ST. vincent de paul church, 6828 old reid road — La hermana Angela Coelho, de la Congregación de la Alianza de Santa María, dictará una conferencia acerca del mensaje de Fátima, 12:45 p.m. Sept. 25.

— “The Fatima Story of Hope,” presented by Sister Angela Coehlo of Fatima, Activity Center, 10 a.m. Sept. 26 — Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) Reflection: “Things I Have ‘Learned’ the Hard Way in My Faith Journey,” 9 a.m. Oct. 3. Contact Mary Catherine Surface at mcsurface@gmail.com or 704-651-5860.

— Catholics Returning Home Program, Faith Formation Center, 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24, and Nov. 8 and 14.

Register at 704-554-7088.

— The Marian Movement of Priests, with Father Francis Germia, C.S., 7 p.m. Oct. 7. Contact Carolyn Franks at 704-942-4390.

— Musical Lecture on the Gloria, 7:45 p.m. Sept. 28

September 23, 2011 Volume 20 • Number 33

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: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS: Carlos Castañeda 704-370-3375, cmcastaneda@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 28 times a year.

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. 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.

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the CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY, 3500 SHAMROCK DR. — “SINGGALOT: The Ties That Bind,” the story, culture and contemporary issues of Filipino Americans, Free Family Days sponsored by the Philippine Cultural Legacy Project: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 1.

DENVER HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH, 537 N. HWY. 16 — Cancer Support Group, Parish Activity Center, noon Sept.

27, Oct. 4, 11 and 18. Contact Barb Hissom at 704-483-6448.

GREENSBORO our lady of grace CHURCH, 2205 w. market st.

— “The Catholic Faith and Jehovah’s Witnesses,” cafeteria, 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 29 — “The Catholic Faith and Seventh-Day Adventists,” cafeteria, 7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 6 st. pius x CHURCH, 2210 n. elm st.

— “Learn to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours,” Kloster Center, 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Contact Elliott Suttle at spiusx. lothclass@gmail.com.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Avenue West — Celebrate the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi through prayer, singing, reading and reflection, 7 p.m. Oct. 3.

Contact Randy Hair, S.F.O., at 828-698-6466.

— St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan order invites you to a “Come and See.” They meet 1-3:30 p.m. fourth Sundays. Contact Randy Hair, S.F.O., at 828-698-6466 or Tim Gibson, S.F.O., at 828-6061728.

MOORESVILLE St. Thérèse of Lisieux church, 217 Brawley School Road — Jesuit Father James Martin will discuss themes in his latest book, “Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life,” 7 p.m. Sept. 30 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 704-370-3282.

contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@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.

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facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD Diocese of Charlotte

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Marriage amendment approved by state legislature Issue now goes before voters David Hains Diocesan Director of Commiunication

CHARLOTTE — North Carolina voters will have the opportunity to enshrine traditional marriage in the state constitution in a referendum that is set for a vote in the spring of 2012.

The General Assembly passed a measure allowing for the referendum during a short session on Sept. 13.

According to the bill, traditional marriage is defined as being “between one man and one woman.”

The amendment had the support of North Carolina’s two Catholic bishops.

Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte and Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh supported the measure through their non-partisan public policy Web site, Catholic Voice North Carolina.

The bishops issued two appeals to 4,000 registered participants of Catholic Voice NC, urging them to contact their elected representatives by telephone or in person.

The e-mail from the bishops explained that the position of the bishops was a matter of Church teaching. “Our Lord and our Catholic faith have clearly defined marriage. It is at risk of being redefined if we do not preserve it in our state Constitution. Without this, a judge can declare our present statute defining traditional marriage as unconstitutional,” they warned in their letter.

Published reports indicated that supporters of the amendment originally wanted the referendum to take place in the fall to coincide with the 2012 presidential election. In a compromise, it was moved to the spring’s party primary date.

Although traditional marriage is already defined in state law, supporters of the amendment vote sought the measure to put it out of the reach of court interference. Similar state laws in in Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut have been declared unconstitutional, leading to legalization of homosexual “marriages” in those states.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures web site, 30 states have placed the traditional language of marriage in their state constitutions. Ten states allow homosexual “marriage.”

OUR PARISHESI

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RCIA programs begin throughout diocese; Recent convert touts its effectiveness SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Nationwide, more than 150,000 people came into the Church after going through the Rite of Initiation of Adults (RCIA) last year. In the Diocese of Charlotte alone, more than 800 adults were welcomed into the faith.

RCIA is a formal program with specific steps to help adults grow in their relationship with God, become familiar with Catholic teachings and practices, get acquainted with people in a parish, and get involved in service within the parish or the wider community.

Most parishes in the diocese offer RCIA in the fall each year, with the culmination of the program at the Easter Vigil, when the elect are accepted into the Church.

Tim Brown Tim Brown Recent Catholic convert has worked with Catholics for the past 13 years, and finally became one himself this past July. His decision to join the Church was greatly influenced by the people he has met and worked alongside throughout the Diocese of Charlotte – people who have inspired him over the years.

“One of the reasons that I became Catholic

‘I can’t wait to go to church on Sunday.

It’s such a spiritual thing for me now.’

is that there were three people who inspired me, three great men that led me down the path of becoming Catholic: Bishop (Emeritus) William Curlin, Monsignor (Mauricio) West and Deacon Guy Piche,” Brown said.

Brown has developed close friendships with all three men over the years he has worked in the properties office at the diocese. All three have been instrumental in answering his questions about the faith and demonstrating true Christian principles by being supportive of him and his family through some very difficult times.

“My family had bad times – these three guys were there. My wife was in a really bad accident, Bishop Curlin was there. Guy was there. When I almost died with an aneurism, my family told me ‘These people never left your side, Daddy.’ If I could model my life around anyone, it would be these guys.”

Brown decided to go through RCIA at St. Helen Mission near his home in Belmont, where Deacon Guy Piche is assigned and where Monsignor West regularly celebrates Mass.

“As I went through RCIA, the Catholic faith taught me more and gave me a better understanding of Jesus Christ than any other church I’d ever been to,” Brown said.

“The Stations of the Cross are one of the most passionate things I have gone through.

We went through that in RCIA. To see the walk that Jesus Christ took about brought me to tears.”

Brown’s wife of 27 years, Patti, also came into the Church with him at Mass at St. Helen Mission on July 23. The two spend a lot of time volunteering at the parish and have signed up to help with the faith formation program this year. Brown has even been asked to carry St. Helen’s banner in the Eucharistic procession at the diocese’s 2011 Eucharistic Congress on Sept. 24.

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Tim Brown, a recent convert to the Catholic faith and long-time diocesan employee, gives credit for his conversion to the witness of many of his co-workers and clergy of the diocese with whom he has worked over the past 13 years.

“I can’t tell you the last time we missed Mass. I can’t wait to go to church on Sunday.

It’s such a spiritual thing for me now,” Brown said.

For more information about RCIA in the Diocese of Charlotte, go to www. education.charlottediocese.net or www. charlottediocese.org to find the parish nearest you.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 OUR PARISHES

40 Days for Life campaign begins Sept. 28 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

Photo courtesy of Barbara Edwards

Homeschooled Catholic teenagers from the Asheville area (members of CAFE: Catholic Association of Family Educators, the local Catholic homeschool organization) gathered to pray the rosary at the FemCare abortion facility in Asheville on Sept. 3. They go every first Saturday of the month. Catholics across the diocese have the opportunity similarly to pray for an end to abortion with the start of Respect Life Month in October, including Life Chain events on Oct. 2 and continuing through the month with the fall 40 Days for Life campaign.

Parishioners at St. Ann Church in Charlotte kicked off their “40 Days for Life” prayer campaign Sept. 18. The 60 attendees watched the trailer of an upcoming pro-life movie “Discovering Matt Ryan,” viewed the full-length prolife documentary “Blood Money,” and visited booths of local pro-life ministries such as pregnancy care centers.

The 40 Days for Life campaign begins at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at “A Preferred Women’s Health” at 3220 Latrobe Dr., Charlotte, and will run daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine, until Nov. 6. Prayer campaigns will also take place at the Planned Parenthood in Winston-Salem and FemCare in Asheville.

For more information, go to www.40daysforlife.com.

— Mary B. Worthington

CHARLOTTE — This fall the pro-life advocacy group 40 Days for Life will launch its biggest effort ever to save the lives of the unborn in the Diocese of Charlotte and around the world. From Sept. 28 to Nov. 6, more than 300 locations worldwide will host peaceful prayer vigils outside abortion facilities, with 70 of those sites being new to the campaign.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, the campaign will be held in Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

In all, more than 48 states will host vigils staffed by volunteers.

“It is exciting to know that Charlotte will continue to be part of this international effort of peaceful, prayerful vigil outside of abortion clinics for the purpose of ending abortion,” says Andrea Hines, coordinator of 40 Days for Life in the Charlotte diocese.

Since the beginning of the national campaign in 2007, more than 4,000 unborn

Get out and show your support Faithful across the diocese are invited to participate in the following “Life Chain” events on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 2. (Editor’s note: This list is updated as of press time Sept. 21. Call your parish office to confirm times and locations.)

Belmont Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 North Main St.: 2:45-4 p.m. Signs provided. Contact George Burazer at georgedburazer@bellsouth.net.

Charlotte

babies have been spared from abortion and 53 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the industry. Seventeen abortion clinics where vigils have been held have also shut down, according to Shawn Carney, founder of 40 Days for Life.

Over the past four years, more than 400,000 have joined to pray and fast for an end to abortion and more than 13,000 church congregations have participated in 40 Days for Life campaigns.

“The theme for the Charlotte campaign is ‘Mission – Shutdown!’” says Hines.

“Through prayer, hearts will change.

Abortion will end because nobody will want to be involved in it anymore. Due to the 40 Days for Life campaigns across America, abortion clinic employees have been walking away from their jobs and clinics have been closing. We will be praying for all four of the abortion clinics in Charlotte to close due to change of hearts. With God, all things are possible!”

For details, visit www.40daysforlife.com.

— Catholic News Agency contributed to this article.

2-3:30 p.m.

- Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point, will join the Greensboro event.

Hendersonville Immaculate Conception Church: Meet along U.S. 25, at the entrance to Patton Park by Clairmont Avenue and at the Hendersonville High School football field, 2-3 p.m. Contact Sharon Asbury at sasbury@morrisbb.net.

HUNTERSVILLE St. Mark Church: Stumptown at Ranson Road, 2-3 p.m.

- Our Lady of the Assumption Church: Shamrock at Cresmont Drive, 12:45-2 p.m.

- St. Ann Church: Meet at Park Road and Hillside Ave., 2-3 p.m. Contact Danielle Mathis at tmathis3@carolina.rr.com.

- St. Gabriel Church: Providence at Sharon Road, 2-3 p.m.

- St. John Neumann Church: Idlewild Road at Valley Grove Road, 2-3 p.m.

- St. Matthew Church: Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. at Rea Road, 2-3 p.m.

- St. Patrick Cathedral: Meet at Kings Drive and Morehead St., 2-3 p.m. Parking available at The Map Shop (1500 E. Morehead St.) - St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road: 1-2 p.m.

- St. Vincent de Paul Church: Old Reid Road at Park Road, 12:45-2 p.m.

Mocksville

Franklin/Macon County

St. Mary, Mother of God Church: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Meet on Main Street.

All parishes: 3-4 p.m. Meet at Big Bear Park, Franklin.

Greensboro - St. Pius X Church: Activities kick off with a ‘Rosary 4 Life’ at 10:15 a.m. For the Life Chain, line Battleground Ave. from Cornwallis to Westridge,

St. Francis of Assisi Church, 862 Yadkinville Road: Pick up a sign at the parish hall at 1:30 p.m. and stand along U.S. 601 beside the church.

Mint Hill St. Luke Church: 13700 Lawyers Road, noon-1 p.m.

Salisbury Sacred Heart Church: Meet at the downtown Salisbury square, Innes and Main streets. Signs provided, 2-3 p.m.

Shelby St. Mary Church, 818 McGowan Road: 2:303:30 p.m.

Sylva

WAYNESVILLE - St. John the Evangelist Church, 2-3 p.m., SUPPORT, SEE page 28

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

‘Father Ed,’ beloved friar with WinstonSalem ties, dies WINSTON-SALEM — Father Edgar Holden, OFM Conv., better known as “Father Ed” to a generation of Our Lady of Fatima parishioners and Winston-Salem Journal readers, died Sept. 15, 2011, in New York. He was 93.

Following a funeral Mass at the St. Francis Friary Chapel in New York, he was interred Sept.

19, 2011, at the Friars’ Plot at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery in Trenton, N.J. Father Holden published a column in the Journal for many Holden years. He left Winston-Salem in 1993 but is remembered fondly as a humble, funny and charismatic man of God. “He could make anybody feel warm and accepted, and he just did it all the time,” said Jeff Brown, a parishioner and friend.

“He took that little chapel downtown, which had very few parishioners, and turned it into a packed house, overflow downstairs,” Brown said.

Father Holden was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from St. Anthony’s High School before he was professed as a Conventual Franciscan friar in 1939. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1945 in Springfield, Mass., after spending time in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he served as a professor of theology at St. Anthonyof-Hudson Seminary.

In 1960, he was named director of the Franciscan Mission Association in Rensselaer.

In 1970, he returned to Washington, D.C., and five years later, while living in Newark, founded and ‘Father ed’, SEE page 28

Vincentian Father Kolinsky passes away CHARLOTTE — Vincentian Father Arthur Kolinsky, C.M., passed away Sept. 20, 2011.

He was 67.

A funeral Mass was held Sept. 21, 2011, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte.

Other arrangements were not finalized as of press time Sept. 21.

Father Kolinsky served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte, and appointed parochial vicar in 2008. He was part of the Vincentian’s Congregation of the Mission – Eastern Province USA. Father Kolinsky was a key component in the formation of the Hispanic ministry in the Charlotte diocese.

He was born on Dec. 6, 1943, in Maspeth, N.Y. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1971. Father Kolinsky was a well-known Vincentian missioner to Hispanics and helped train his confreres in Hispanic ministry outreach. He was a fluent speaker of Spanish, having many years of experience behind him as a missioner in Central and South America, according to the Vincentians’ web site.

A MILESTONE IN THEIR FAITH JOURNEY

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Bishop Peter J. Jugis (right) receives the first promises, or temporary vows, from six of the members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Charlotte at Mass at St. Ann Church on Sept. 10.

Six make first promises as lay Carmelites at St. Ann SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites Our Lady of Mount Carmel Group welcomed Bishop Peter Jugis at a special Mass at St. Ann Church on Sept. 10. Bishop Jugis presided at the Mass, during which six of the members – including Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church – made their first, or temporary, promises.

The first promise takes place upon completion of a two-year formation period with the approval of the local council. Each candidate makes a temporary promise for a period of three years.

At the end of that time, the definitive promise is made.

On Sept. 10, each of the six members recited their promise individually in the presence of the bishop, vowing to live the Teresian spirituality in evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience and through the beatitudes.

Frances Martini, a fully professed lay Carmelite and leader of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel group in Charlotte, also witnessed the first promises on behalf of the group.

“I remember reading an article about Bishop Jugis when he was first named as the bishop of the diocese,” recalls Martini. “He was asked what he was currently reading and he said, ‘the works of St. John of the Cross.’ That put in my mind

Related news Two join Dominican lay group. See page 8. that he would be a great friend of Carmel. To have him with us, then, for our ceremony was a great joy and blessing.

“The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Group is a relatively new foundation of the Secular Discalced Carmelites, and so having our bishop receive the temporary promises of six of our members was an encouragement to us as we commit ourselves to persevere in the way of Carmel for the good of Christ’s Church and our sanctification.”

The six members of the group who made their temporary promises are (followed by their avowed names): Father Timothy Reid (Brother Joseph Elijah of the Assumption); Aida Tamayo (Sister Teresa of the Sacred Heart); Audrey Spiecha (Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face); Sharon Kauth (Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity); Gerri Hillis (Sister Teresa of the Cross); and Cheryl Hadley (Sister Joseph of the Immaculate Heart).

For more information about the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites in the Washington Province, which oversees groups and communities in the Diocese of Charlotte, go to www.ocdswashprov.org.

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Rosary Congress coming to Concord Sept. 30-Oct. 1 CONCORD — Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin are expected to attend the upcoming Carolina Marian Rosary Congress Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord.

The Rosary Congress begins at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, with prayer and a Marianbased presentation.

At 7 p.m., a sacred music concert by the Lake Norman Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Eduardo Cedeno will be performed. The Span Choir will also perform, playing music from Latin America honoring Our Lady.

Speakers from around the world and the diocese will be featured throughout the two-day event.

Presenters include: Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew, scientist and Marian author; Padre Rafael Chávez of Venezuela; Redemptorist Father Alvaro A. Riquelme, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis; Redemptorist Father Joseph Dionne, pastor of St. James the Greater Church in Concord; Redemptorist Father Oscar E. Rojas of Honduras; Father C. Paul Bergeron of New Orleans; Aida Laguitao Gamolo of New York; and Dr. Rosalie A. Turton of New Jersey.

For more information and to register, go to www. carolinarosarycongress. org.

— SueAnn Howell

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 OUR PARISHES contemplation. The lay group is part of the Dominican Order of the Southern Province of St. Martin De Porres, based in New Orleans.

— Mary Snow

Learning about using social media

Mother, daughters perform 9/11 song at St. John Neumann Remembering 9/11 by reaching out Parishioners collect donations CHARLOTTE — On Sept. 11, Our Lady of for Wounded Warrior Fund Consolation Church in Charlotte remembered the terrorist attacks of 10 years ago with a “reaching out day” that included a food drive with a van which parishioners filled with groceries. The parish also had a stewardship expo challenging people to put their gifts to use in building up the Kingdom of God here on earth.

— Father Martin Schratz, OFM Cap.

Faith formation students remember 9/11 with prayer

CHARLOTTE — Dan Merwin (left) and Joe Clorite were among the Knights of Columbus from Council 7343 at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte who distributed “9/11” stickers and key chains following all the Masses on the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They also accepted donations to the Wounded Warrior Fund and are pictured with parishioner Francesca Stevens.

— Al Tinson

KING — Sept. 11 was the first day of faith formation classes at Good Shepherd Church in King. Before going to their classrooms, children, parents and catechists met in the church for remembrance and prayer led by Barb Robless, faith formation director.

— Annette Tenny

‘Blue Mass’ celebrated in Asheville for police, fire fighters ASHEVILLE — On Sept. 3 St. Joan of Arc Church in Asheville celebrated a “Blue Mass” to honor police officers, fire fighters, emergency service personnel and their families in our community, and all of those who serve throughout the world. Attendees included Bill Morrisey, Chief Don Reavis, Cindy Doughit, James Allen, Kelli Tinsley and her mother Bobbie Tinsley. Members of the Women’s Spirituality Group and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas helped at the celebration.

— Carol Wald

Boy Scouts feed Mint Hill fire fighters in honor of 9/11 MINT HILL — To mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Troop 198 of St. Luke Church in Mint Hill brought dinner to the Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department on Sept. 11. The troop wanted to recognize the sacrifices their local fire department makes to keep residents safe.

Each Scout brought different parts of the meal, then delivered it and set it up for the firefighters on duty. The Scouts, aged about 14, barely remember 9/11, so the troop felt it was important to talk about the anniversary as a group and do something to show their appreciation to emergency services personnel.

— Chris Greene

Celebrate the feast of St. Francis CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church, served by the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of the Stigmata of St. Francis, will have three events in early October to mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order. At 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 1, the parish will have a Taize prayer service. At 7 p.m. on Oct. 3, join Father Remo DiSalvatore and Father Stephen Hoyt and the St. Maximilian Kolbe Secular Franciscans to celebrate the “Transitus,” a solemn service recalling the passing of St. Francis from this life to God. At 7 p.m. on Oct. 4, the parish will celebrate the Solemnity of St. Francis of Assisi with a Mass followed by a reception in Aquinas Hall.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church is located at 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. For more information, contact the parish office at 704-549-1607 or go online to www.stacharlotte.com.

CHARLOTTE — David Hains, diocesan director of communication, spoke about social media and online communication during the Southern Region PCPL Planning Meeting Aug. 18 at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center that included more than 20 parish leaders. Hains underscored the effectiveness of using social media and following new diocesan guidelines to spread the Gospel and engage in the “New Evangelization.”

— Dr. Cris Villapando

CHARLOTTE — Anna Swic and her daughters Isabella, 12, and Gabriela, 11, performed a song during the Vigil Mass Sept. 10 at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte that Anna wrote to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Pictured with them is parish music director Peppie Calvar.

— Al Tinson

Pregnancy Resource Center hosts Celebrate Life event CHARLOTTE — The Pregnancy Resource Center in Charlotte will host the annual Celebrate Life event at 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotels, 2800 Coliseum Centre Dr. This yearly fundraiser will feature speaker Sol Pitchon, president and CEO of New Life Solutions, a Jewish Christian with an amazing testimony. He will be accompanied by his 90-plus-year-old mother, a Holocaust survivor.

Pitchon sees a lot of similarities between the Holocaust and abortion. To reserve seats, go to www.friendsofprc.org or call Teresa at 704-3725981. There is no charge to attend but a financial appeal will be made after the program.

Knights build ramp LEXINGTON — The Knights of Columbus Council 12481 of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington recently worked in the pouring rain to build a handicap ramp for a little boy. Nicholas Scott Jennings and his sister live with their grandmother, and they needed a ramp for him.

Pictured above – after working a full day on Aug. 13 to build the ramp – are Knights John Benton, Ed Carlson, Oliver Lark, Andrew Buckland, Chris Joss, Frank Greco and Jim Day, with Nicholas, his sister and his grandmother.

— Jack Youngblood and Linda McAdam

Come meet ‘Colbert Report’ chaplain and have a laugh

Two join Dominican lay group

CHARLOTTE — Jesuit Father James Martin – author, columnist, commentator and chaplain for the popular news satire show “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central – is coming to St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 2, to give a free program entitled, “God isn’t laughing AT you. He’s laughing WITH you!”

Father Martin will explain how to have a rich relationship with God and a sense of humor. The program will start at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Center cafeteria, 3016 Providence Road.

Contact Cathy Esposito at 704-362-5047, ext.

276, or cesposito@stgabrielchurch.org to reserve your seat at this entertaining and enriching event.

For more information, go to www.stgabrielchurch. org.

Father Martin will also speak at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Mooresville, at 7 p.m. Sept. 30.

The church is located at 217 Brawley School Road.

CHARLOTTE — A special Mass was celebrated

by Father Robert Conway Sept. 10 for the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Dominican Laity Group at St. Matthew Church. Pictured with Father Conway are Tom Mathis of St. Ann Church in Charlotte (left) and John Walker of St. Gabriel Church (right), the first formation members to profess their temporary promises for three years according to the Rule and Directory of the Dominican Laity in Charlotte. After making their first promises, a small white scapular was placed on each candidate to be worn as a symbol of his dedication and commitment.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Group, a lay organization of the Dominican Order, was formed three years ago at St. Matthew Church. The Dominican Order was founded nearly 800 years ago by St. Dominic for the purpose of preaching the Truth and giving others the fruit of their

Cub Scouts earn medals HENDERSONVILLE — Seven Cub Scouts from Pack 628 at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville recently earned Emblems of Faith medals after working for several weeks to deepen their knowledge and understanding about God and our Catholic faith. Pictured above are: (back row, from left) Keith Bargar, Jordan Jakubielski and Andrew Okpych; (front row, from left) Rylee Becher, Matthew Canning, Nicolas Okpych and Tristin Becher.

— Annamarie Jakubielski and Jim Mosakowski

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Sister who served in Charlotte, Asheville during ’70s dies at 82 ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Providence Sister Anne Scott, who served at the parishes of Our Lady of Consolation in Charlotte and St. Joan of Arc in Asheville during the 1970s, passed away Sept. 5, 2011.

She was 82.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated

by Father Daniel R. Hopcus Sept. 8, 2011.

Interment was at the Sisters of Providence cemetery in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. Anne Spottswood Scott was born March 2, 1929, in Newport News, Va., the daughter of Randolph and Bessie Upshur Scott. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, and she earned a master’s degree in education from Duke University.

She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence on July 22, 1947, and was given the name Sister Anne Loyola.

She professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1955. In her 64 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered for 29 years in education in North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, California and

HHS: FROM PAGE 3

but the Charlotte and Raleigh dioceses are exempt as religious organizations.

Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh issued an alert this week on the matter through Catholic Voice North Carolina, the non-partisan public

Maryland.

While in North Carolina, Sister Anne served in the Diocese of Charlotte at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte (1972-1973), and at St. Joan of Arc Church in Asheville (1973-1977).

She retired from teaching in 1984 and moved to the motherhouse, where she served as director of volunteers for seven years, manager of Mary Goodwin Guest House at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College for three years, and staff person for the central business office for 12 years. Beginning in 2006, she dedicated herself totally to the ministry of prayer.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Betsy Savage, and a brother, Graham Scott.

She is survived by a sister, Ranny Waddill of Newport News.

Callahan-DeBaun Funeral Home in Terre Haute, Ind., was in charge of the arrangements.

— Sister Martha Wessel

policy Web site, www.CatholicVoiceNC.org.

The alert was sent to 4,000 participants.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, bulletin inserts explaining the problem were also scheduled to be inserted into parish bulletins over the weekend of Sept. 24-25. The bulletin inserts were also to be distributed at the 2011 Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte.

The bishops are urging supporters to contact HHS via e-mail at womensguidelines@hrsa.gov by Sept. 30, when the public comment period ends.

OUR PARISHESI

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Come learn about the revised Gloria, set to music CHARLOTTE — The St. John Neumann Parish Choir will collaborate with the Northwest School of the Arts Chamber Choir and the Hispanic Choir of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte to present a musical lecture on the revised setting of the Gloria, which will be used starting this Advent. Through music, attendees will discover how the revised English translation is a much truer representation of the original Latin, and draws us closer to our Hispanic brothers and sisters in Christ.

The existing English text will be examined using the “Do This In Memory of Me” setting by David Haas against a famous classical Latin setting (Vivaldi’s Gloria), a current Spanishlanguage setting, and Gerald Custer’s “Mass in Festive Style,” which is set using the revised English translation.

The free presentation will take place at 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the parish hall at St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte.

— Al Tinson

Introduction of revised missal going smoothly in English-speaking nations Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bit by bit, the third edition of the Roman Missal is being introduced in parishes throughout the English-speaking world.

From Canada to southern Africa to New Zealand, Catholics have seen parts of the revised missal introduced at various times – most since January, but some earlier – so that by the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, the transition to a new set of prayers and liturgical music will be as seamless as possible for the faithful.

As the implementation moves forward, the liturgists charged with overseeing the missal’s introduction in seven of the 10 English-speaking countries and regions outside of the U.S. making the transition said their efforts have eased concerns that the translation is a step back from the Second Vatican Council’s vision for liturgy.

“The bishops here took the view that there should be an incremental approach to implementation,” explained Father Peter Wiliams, executive secretary of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy in Australia.

The process began with the introduction of new musical settings in January, followed by the spoken parts of the Mass at Pentecost in June, Father Williams said. The Eucharistic prayers and other parts of the missal will be introduced Nov. 1 so that by Advent the transition will be completed.

The pace of each phase was left to local pastors, with some parishes moving more quickly and others more slowly depending on how well congregations welcomed them, Father Williams said.

The introduction of the English translation of the missal – under development since 2002 – is occurring in countries represented by the 11 bishops’ conference members of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. Member conferences include the U.S., Canada, Ireland, England and Wales, Scotland, southern Africa (South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana), India, Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand and Australia.

The most recent translation of the Roman Missal is the third since Vatican II’s call for the “full, conscious and active participation” of all Catholics in the liturgy.

In introducing the third Latin translation in 2002, Pope John Paul II said it more closely matched the vivid language used throughout Church history.

The English translation took nearly seven years as representatives to ICEL debated the proper words that reflected the sacred language found in the latest Latin edition of the missal. The Vatican approved the English translation in 2009.

Disagreements emerged among U.S. bishops as the final translation was reviewed before it was sent to Rome for approval. Some bishops deemed it as elitist or remote from everyday speech. Despite the concerns, the American bishops overwhelmingly approved the translation.

In Ireland, the Association of Catholic Priests, which represents about 10 percent of the country’s clergy,

continued to object to the translation into 2011. In a March 28 statement, the association charged that the translation was “too complex and too cumbersome” and included sexist language. It also questioned its “theological veracity” and described the translation process as flawed.

Such challenges have not delayed implementation, however.

In New Zealand, where the introduction of the missal began last Advent and was to take one year, the attitude among the country’s 560,000 Catholics largely has been to “just go on with the business,” said Father Trevor Murray, director of the National Liturgy Office for the country’s bishops.

“There are some people who are really happy about it and others not so happy,” Father Murray said.

“That’s true of the priests as well as the people. But the majority of people are pragmatic about it.”

Around the world the implementation has been boosted through workshops and meetings with key Church leaders aimed at explaining what the changes entail and their significance. Each bishops’ conference has developed its own resources, including laminated cards in pews for worshippers, seminars and Web sites.

Perhaps the most widely used resource has been “Become One Body, One Spirit in Christ,” an interactive DVD developed by ICEL. It explores the richness of the liturgy, explains the changes and examines why the changes are being made.

In Canada, Father William Burke, director of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Liturgy Office, has found people accepting of the changes – once the reasoning behind them is explained.

Father Burke has visited 27 Canadian dioceses to explain the changes and said he has found some anxiety and animosity over the revised text at each stop. As he reviews the translation and offers the reasoning behind them, he said he has seen the uncertainty wither.

“By and large,” he said, I hear people saying, ‘What’s all the fuss about?’ People realize this is not the devastation (of the liturgy) we heard.”

Patrick Jones, director of the National Center for Liturgy in Ireland, said preparation for the revised missal began in early 2011 with workshops for priests followed by the introduction of the changes to diocesan and parish liturgy committees, parish council members and music ministers.

Parts of the Mass that directly involve the Irish faithful were to be introduced Sept. 11.

“This will enable Massgoers on Sundays and weekdays to be familiar with those changed parts” prior to the full implementation in Advent, Jones explained.

In the United Kingdom, which includes the bishops’ conferences of Scotland and England and Wales, the implementation was to begin Sept. 4.

For Father Andrew McKenzie, secretary of the National Liturgy Commission in Scotland, the success won’t be measured for quite some time.

“The real result will be seen after a couple of years on how well it is accepted,” he said.

Educating the educators on the revised missal Vicariate in-service training highlights changes SueAnn Howell Staff writer

HICKORY — Father Ken Whittington, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, had his work cut out for him on Sept. 15. He was charged with communicating the changes in the revised English missal to a large group of diocesan educators from churches, schools and agencies from across western North Carolina at a vicariate in-service training at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory.

“The Mass is not changing,” stated Father Whittington, “only (some of) the words are changing.”

At the beginning of the session, he shared that priests, educators and promoters of the faith all have the shared goal of making the English liturgy come alive. He explained that in the revised translation of the Mass, a more exact trnslation from the Latin, in language more elevated to God, will do just that.

For instance, in the Gloria, Father Whittington shared that the revised translation “restores it to its more pristine form. It’s a very beautiful text.”

A particular word, “consubstantial,” which will be used in the Nicene Creed, is a very important change which some may not understand. Father Whittington urged the educators to “make a big deal out of this word” by taking the opportunity to teach about why the Nicene Council met in 325 AD. “The bishops found a word that would mean one thing – God and Son are one – of the same substance. Jesus is God.” He encouraged, “Make what could be a weakness (lack of understanding) into a strength.”

Resources to help parishes through the transition are plentiful.

“Go for something clear and not too complicated,” he said.

His parish of St. Charles Borromeo is using weekly programs to assist parishioners in learning the revised Mass parts and responses.

For more information about the revised missal, go to www.usccb.org.

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

catholic news heraldI

11

Father Matthew Buettner

T

The Consecration: ‘This Is My Body’

he Eucharistic Prayer has three parts: the Preface, the Sanctus and the Consecration. As soon as the Sanctus comes to completion, the faithful assume the posture of kneeling in humble adoration, awaiting the King of Kings, before whom “every knee must bend.” Then, with the simplicity of one lone voice breaking the silence of the Upper Room at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ, the High Priest, utters the sacred words through His priest, the words that He donated to His Church on Holy Thursday. Through this divine mystery, bread and wine actually change into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, leaving behind only the appearances of bread and wine.

We could admittedly spend months studying and contemplating this divine mystery that lies at the heart of the Mass.

But for the sake of brevity and clarity, let us focus our attention only on what pertains to this mystery of faith: the words and actions that accomplish this sacrament. To investigate how this is accomplished, we must now turn to the next two parts of the Eucharistic Prayer: the epiclesis and the institution narrative and consecration.

The word “epiclesis” is a Greek composite of two words: kaleo, meaning “to call, summon or invite,” and when preceded by the preposition “epi,” the word means, “to call down.” During this third part of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest “calls down” the Holy Spirit and signifies this activity by placing his hands over the gifts that are to be sacrificed. Sanctuary bells may be rung at this time.

Why? Monsignor Ronald Knox mentions that, “…it says in the books that the bell is rung at Mass to excite the attention and devotion of the faithful.” Then he adds whimsically that, “…I should think it’s all part of this business about the holy Angels, and the priest feeling that he’s just arrived at the door of Heaven and can look through the key-hole. Having arrived at the door, we ring the bell.”

The epiclesis gesture has at least two main spiritual meanings: 1) In the Old Testament Temple sacrifices, the priest would place his hands on the lamb of sacrifice, dedicating it for sacrifice; 2) also, the epiclesis recalls

the mystery of the Incarnation, in which the Holy Spirit descended upon and overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary so that the Word became flesh. Indeed, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass unites these two mysteries together as Jesus Christ becomes both Priest and Victim of the sacrifice and again comes to us sacramentally in the flesh, which now brings us to the fourth part of the Eucharistic Prayer.

During the institution narrative and the consecration, the familiar voice of Jesus Christ is heard as the High Priest of every sacrifice of the Mass: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, For this is My Body Which will be given up for you.”

Each priest lends himself to the service of Christ, so that Our Lord can once again re-present His sacrifice. It is not simply the priest who speaks, “This is my Body,” since it is not his body, per se, but rather it is Christ who speaks, “This is my Body… this is my Blood.” That is why Dom Prosper Gueranger explains that, “…it is not man who speaks at this solemn moment of the Consecration, it is rather Christ Himself Who makes use of man for the purpose.”

These words actually effect the change from bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Just as Christ took bread and wine at the Last Supper, blessed it, and gave it to His apostles after He consecrated it into His Body and Blood, He continues to offer them for our salvation. This change from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is known as transubstantiation, meaning a “change in substance.” The whole substance of bread and wine is changed into the substance of Christ’s Body and Blood. The accidents, or the appearances, of bread and wine remain the same.

Therefore, when we receive the Holy Eucharist, we do not receive bread and wine with the Body and Blood of Christ (“consubstantiation”); we do not receive bread and wine that merely signifies the Body and Blood of Christ (“transignification” or “transfinalization”); on the contrary, we do receive the Body and

Learn more This is part 27 of a year-long series featuring the revised translation of the Third Missal.

Previous articles in this series are archived online at www.catholicnewsherald.com. For more resources, check out the U.S. bishops’ link at www. usccb.org/romanmissal.

Blood of Christ, the same crucified, risen, and glorified body of Christ, under the appearances of bread and wine.

Christ said, “This is my body.” We have no reason to doubt Him, who is incapable of deceiving us. The consecration actually occurs in two distinct consecrations: first the Body, then the Blood – signifying the death of Christ, whose precious blood was separated from His body on the cross.

After each consecration is a moment of adoration signified by the sanctuary bells, a sacred moment in which the Body and Blood of Christ may be incensed (the fourth and final incensation), a sacred moment which prepares us for that moment of divine intimacy whereby God desires to enter divine communion with us.

With the improved English renderings of the Latin text, it is important to note the newly translated formula for the consecration of the wine into the Precious Blood: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, For this is the chalice of my blood, The blood of the new and eternal covenant, Which will be poured out for you and for many For the forgiveness of sins.

Do this in memory of Me.” We can quickly recognize not only a more accurate rendition of the Latin, but the more faithful traditional formula, “…for you and for many…,” in place of the former, “… for you and for all….” The use of the more ancient formula should not be confused with any change in theology or teaching, but rather a more authentic adherence to Sacred Scripture, which states that, Christ came to “serve and to give His life as a ransom for many,” as well the more traditional liturgical language that employed these terms of Sacred Scripture.

Father Matthew Buettner is the pastor of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton. This is excerpted from “Understanding the Mystery of the Mass – Revisited.” Previous columns are online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 FROM THE COVER

Important dates

1930s

Father Ambrose Rohrbacher, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville, begins offering Mass in Bryson City in private homes and at the Fryemont Inn. He purchases a lot on Main Street on which to build a church.

1940

Father Rohrbacher begins construction of the church, using native wood and stone whenever possible.

70 years of faithfulness

August 1941

Church construction is completed. Cost to build: $11,567.95.

Sept. 10, 1941

Bishop Eugene McGuinness, bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, dedicates St. Joseph as a mission of St. John the Evangelist Church.

June 22, 1955

St. Joseph becomes a mission of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin.

Sept. 8, 1972

St. Joseph becomes a parish in its own right, with Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Cherokee as its mission.

1975

Glenmary Father Don Levernier, pastor, purchases property on Schoolhouse Hill as the site for a rectory.

May 13, 1983

Property adjoining the church is purchased.

During the next several years, a fast-food restaurant on the property is converted into a thrift shop to serve the Bryson City community.

1981-1987

Parish doubles in size, necessitating the renovation of the church basement to provide more space for parish activities.

Sept. 11, 2011

Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrates Mass commemorating the 70th anniversary of the church’s dedication on Sept. 10, 1941.

Photos by Joanita M. Nellenbach | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter Jugis greets St. Joseph parishioners after Mass on Sept. 11.

FROM THE COVERI

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

13

‘May we have people worshipping under these ‘naughty pine boards’ 70 times 70 years from now.’

Father Shawn O’Neal

Pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City, about the parish’s 70th anniversary and a curious memento hanging on a wall at the rear of the church

Bishop Jugis accepts the offertory gifts from David Spears and daughter Kelly, with Jim Thomason presenting the collection basket, during St. Joseph Church’s 70th anniversary Mass on Sept. 11.

St. Joseph Church in Bryson City celebrates 70th anniversary Joanita M. Nellenbach Correspondent

BRYSON CITY — Seventy years ago, on Sept. 10, 1941, two parishes began their lives.

Bishop Eugene McGuinness, bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, left Waynesville, where he’d dedicated St. John the Evangelist Church that morning, to travel to Bryson City to dedicate St. Joseph Church as a mission of St. John.

There were less than two dozen parishioners at St. Joseph then.

Now, Father Shawn O’Neal, the pastor, lists 85 families registered at St. Joseph and 20 families at its mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cherokee.

In his homily Sept. 11 during the 70th anniversary Mass commemorating St. Joseph Church’s dedication, Bishop Peter J. Jugis said that at one time he considered becoming a missionary.

“In traveling three hours from Charlotte to come here to be with you, I’ve certainly fulfilled my wish to be a missionary,” he said, “and it was certainly worth it to be with you.”

This is, he said, “a good day to rededicate yourselves to service to this church.”

Deacon Carlos A. Medina Sr. from St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte and altar server Michael Oroz of St. Joseph Church assisted at the Mass.

In the day’s Gospel reading, Matthew 18:21–35, Jesus tells Peter he

must forgive, “not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

Noting that this was the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bishop Jugis said the most important line in that Gospel reading is the king’s statement to the unforgiving servant: “I forgave you your entire debt.”

“We must forgive because in lack of forgiveness our hearts become hardened,” Bishop Jugis said. “When we can forgive, our hearts become free.” He added that, from the cross Jesus asked, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”

“We must share with others the love that God has lavished on us,” the bishop quoted from Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est.” “On this anniversary of the dedication of this church,” Bishop Jugis said, “renew your own missionary spirit at this altar to serve Christ and others.”

Father O’Neal spoke at the end of Mass, mentioning a framed memento hanging on a wall at the rear of the church. A description of the church’s construction, it contains “one of the funniest misprints ever,” he noted. The church’s interior walls and ceiling are of knotty pine – the description refers to the “naughty pine boards.”

“May we have people,” Father O’Neal said, “worshipping under these ‘naughty pine boards’ 70 times 70 years from now.”

A picnic in the Morgan Pavilion at Swain County Recreation Park followed the Mass. Smoky Mountain Strings Dulcimer Club accompanied the potluck, hamburger and hot dog lunch.

“We’re just so blessed with such great people who are willing to step up,” said Joe Holt, parish council chair. “We’re a small parish in a rural area. If everybody didn’t step up, nothing would get done.

Even new parishioners get involved. A lot of people come here to retire. They were active in their previous parishes, and we benefit from their experience.”

Pastors of St. Joseph Church 1941-1951

Father Ambrose Rohrbacher

1951-1955

Father Lawrence Newman

1955-1959

Glenmary Father Robert Healy

1959-1960

Glenmary Father John Loftus

1960-1962

Glenmary Father James Wilmes

1962-1966

Glenmary Father John Barry

1966-1968

Glenmary Father Frank Korzinek

1968

Glenmary Father John Brockman

1968-1981

Glenmary Father Donald Levernier

1981-1991

Glenmary Father Frank Gardner

1991

Glenmary Father Charles Hughes

1991-2000

Glenmary Father Tom Field

2000-2002

Father Ray Williams

2002-2003

Father Frank Seabo

2003-present Father Shawn O’Neal

14

iiiSeptember 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Important dates

Oct. 22, 1911

Dedication is held for the original, Gothic-style church which cost $2,225.

It is the first Catholic church built in the new ecclesiastical jurisdiction west of Charlotte. It becomes a mission of Belmont Abbey and is operated by the Benedictines until 1944.

FROM TH

Powerful witness

1923

First rectory is completed. It is designed by renowned Belmont Abbey architect, Benedictine Father Michael McInerney. Cost: about $3,700.

1944

Parish jurisdiction is moved from Belmont Abbey to the Raleigh Diocese.

June 25, 1959

Fire destroys the first church building, so the rectory is used for all church activities and Masses.

Sept. 24, 1961

Groundbreaking is held for the new church.

Aug. 2, 1962

Present church is dedicated by Bishop Vincent S. Waters of the Diocese of Raleigh. Cost of the new church: $60,000.

1967

New rectory is purchased and the old rectory is taken down.

1972

Parish is assigned to the new Diocese of Charlotte, which has been carved from the Raleigh Diocese.

June 15, 1986

Church’s 75th anniversary is celebrated, and a bell is donated and dedicated for the church’s existing bell tower.

2007

A new marble altar is installed in the sanctuary.

Oct. 22, 2010

The church’s centennial year begins with Mass celebrated by Father Kieran Neilson of Belmont Abbey.

Sept. 9-10, 2011

Eucharistic procession and Italian Feast Day centennial celebration is held.

Oct. 22, 2011

The church’s centennial year will conclude with Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

photos by caroline Skellie and patricia roshaven

Above and Next Page: In a historic first, a relic and statue of St. John the Baptist were processed through the streets of downtown Tryon on Sept.

9 by Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church and more than 200 parishioners from the parish to mark the church’s centennial anniversary.

HE COVER

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

15

‘As we walked down the main street we caught people by surprise ... so much so that even the bars downtown emptied out to watch us.’

Father Patrick Winslow

Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, about the parish’s Eucharistic procession Sept. 9 through downtown Tryon for its centennial anniversary.

Joyful adoration, silence mark historic St. John the Baptist’s centennial SueAnn Howell Staff writer

TRYON — Catholics have been a part of this small, Southern town nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains for more than a century now. But never before have they given such a powerful witness to the faith the way they did on the evening of Sept. 9.

For the first time in the city’s history, Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, processed in candlelight at dusk through the streets of downtown with a relic of St. John the Baptist accompanied by altar servers, choir members, Knights of Columbus and parishioners.

More than 200 people participated in the mile-long procession, which also featured a five-foot statue of St. John the Baptist on a cart bedecked with fresh flowers and ribbons, reminiscent of Old Worldstyle celebrations for patron saints’ feast days.

“I instructed my parishioners from the ‘Roman Rituale,’ a sacramental book of the Church, which speaks about solemn processions and informed them that such processions are symbolic of the Church as the bride going to meet Christ her Bridegroom,” said Father Winslow. “The people then appropriately brought a spiritual dimension to the procession.”

The choir sang, and throughout the entire procession the refrain of ‘Ave Maria’ was repeated by those participating.

“As we walked down the main street we caught people by surprise ... so much so that even the bars downtown emptied out to watch us.

They were very respectful, very reverent,” Father Winslow added.

“We had one gentleman that lived on the procession route who heard something going on outside, turned off his TV and came outside to watch. He is not Catholic. He told one of our parishioners that it moved him to tears.”

The mayor of Tryon, J. Alan Peoples, was also present for the centennial procession and echoed the sentiments of many nonCatholics who witnessed the parish’s expression of faith.

“I saw more than one tear shed on the faces of the people in the candlelight,” Peoples said.

Jane Sciacca, director of the Chamber of Commerce in Tryon and parishioner of St. John the Baptist for the past four years, helped plan the centennial celebration. She had been away from the Church for 32 years before meeting with Father Winslow.

“I can’t tell you how big of an impact this parish has had on my life, and coming back to the Church,” said Sciacca, who now sings in the schola choir at the church.

She also witnessed the power of the Eucharistic procession on the local community, stating, “I know of one fellow, a former Catholic, who told me that he was brought to tears, and is thinking of coming back to the Church!”

Long-time parishioner Grace McMahon, who has been a member for 25 years and remembers the 75th anniversary festivities, participated in the procession and conducted tours of the church during the centennial celebration Sept. 10.

“I have seen incredible growth (at St. John the Baptist Church).

The church is just so transformed,” said McMahon, referring to the recent renovations of the church itself and liturgical changes that have taken place under Father Winslow’s direction.

It was also Father Winslow’s vision to host an Italian feast over the weekend as part of the parish’s centennial celebration.

“I come from the Northeast, from New York. In New York a lot of the immigrant communities, especially Italian communities, have big feasts every year. It’s part and parcel of the Catholic culture and the larger culture. People come out from all religious backgrounds. It becomes a real opportunity to invite people who wouldn’t otherwise experience Catholic culture onto our grounds and into our church.”

More than 1,000 people from both North and South Carolina enjoyed the Italian feast on Sept. 10, which was run by more than 100 volunteers from the church.

“I knew from the outset that this generation had to do something to mark 100 years. We took a leap of faith and prayed for the resources to come (for the celebrations),” Father Winslow said. “And they came in ways unimaginable!”

Donations poured in from the more than 600 parishioners to create a centennial pavilion, park and memorial wall at the church to mark the 100th anniversary of the parish.

But perhaps the most edifying result of St. John the Baptist Church’s evangelization efforts is that the RCIA program there now includes 12 people – 10 more than they had before the Sept. 9-10 centennial celebration.

“The effect of the celebrations is that they were truly evangelical,” Father Winslow said. That certainly echoes the parish’s motto, which is inscribed in the cornerstone of the church: “Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus” – “That in all things God may be glorified.”

What about the next 100 years for St. John the Baptist Church?

“If the past 100 years is any indication, then in the next 100 years the church will be in marvelous shape,” Father Winslow concluded.

The parish’s centennial year celebrations will draw to a close with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis on Oct. 22 at the church.

Pastors of St. John the Baptist Church 1911-1913

Father Mark Cassidy, OSB

1913-1915

Father Matthew Thompson, OSB

1915-1924

Father James Manley

1924-1929

Father Michael McInerney, OSB

1929-1944

Father Florian Checkhart, OSB

1944-1947

Father Vincent Mahoney

1947-1955

Father Francis Scheurich

1955-1959

Father Francis J. McCourt

1959-1960

Father Robert F. Shea

1960-1966

Father Joseph A. Kerin

1966-1968

Monsignor Peter McNerney

1968-1973

Father Vincent Stokes

1973-1975

Monsignor John F. Roueche

1975-1982

Father James J. Noonan

1982-1985

Father Guy E. Morse

1985-1989

Father Patrick Gavigan

1989-1990

Father Guy E. Morse

1990-1991

Father Mark Traenkle, SA

1991-1994

Father John Pagel

1994-1995

Father Pius F. Keating, SA

1995-1998

Father Lawrence Heiney

1998-2001

Father Gregory Littleton

2001-2006

Father Dean Cesa

2006-Present Father Patrick Winslow

catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 16

De

Cerca Antonio García, coordinador de la Vicaría de Asheville, junto a la delegación de jóvenes de la diócesis de Charlotte, da la bienvenida a todos los jovenes de las diócesis del sureste.

Jóvenes de las diócesis del sureste de los Estados Unidos celebrando y cantando juntos. El tema de la Pascua Juvenil del 2012 es “La tecnología y sus usos.”

FOTOS: carlos castañeda | Catholic News Herald-español

Más de doscientos cincuenta jovenes de las diócesis del sureste de los Estados Unidos se reunieron el 10 y 11 de septiembre pasados, en la escuela Holy Trinity, en Charlotte.

Rumbo a la Pascua Juvenil 2012 carlos castañeda Catholic news herald-español

CHARLOTTE — El pasado 10 y 11 de septiembre, más de 250 jóvenes de los estados pertenecientes a la región sureste, se reunieron en la escuela media “Holy Trinity” de Charlotte, para dar inicio a las sesiones de creación de un libro para la Pascua Juvenil del prómiximo año, 2012.

El proyecto, que está dirigido por SEPI (Southeast Pastoral Institute), es el número 31 en la historia de la organización reconocida y apoyada por la Conferencia de Obispos de los Estados Unidos y que agrupa a todos los estados de la región sureste de la unión americana.

Entre los jóvenes que participaron de la reunión se encuentran los de las diócesis de San Agustín, Orlando, Miami, y Tampa, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Mobile, Ala.; New Orleans, La.; y Raleigh y Charlotte. Todos ellos viajaron hasta por más de doce horas, con el fin de unirse como región y, alentados por el tema “La tecnología y sus usos,” se dieron a la labor de dividir los contenidos del libro que dará un tema específico a la Pascua Juvenil del próximo año.

Juan José Rodríguez es el Coordinador Regional del

SEPI y estuvo a cargo de facilitar los grupos de trabajo, dinamizando las ideas y dirigiendo el proceso de creatividad y búsqueda de los jovenes. “Yo llevo ya más de 15 años, facilitando este proyecto de la creación del libro de la Pascua.

En realidad se trata de encontrar un tema actual, por el cual los jovenes puedan encontrar una forma de expresar su voz, romper con lo que lleva al pecado y a la muerte, y resucitar a una nueva vida, abundante y con un mejor sentido,” anotó Rodríguez. Por su parte, el Padre Rafael Capó, Sch.P., flamante nuevo director del instituto, manifestó que esta es una magnífica oportunidad para que los jóvenes tomen acción directa en un cambio de vida, concreto y real. “Invito además a cada uno de los jóvenes, que aún no se hayan unido o participado en este proyecto, a que formen parte, que sea parte activa del cambio que esperamos se genere a partir de estas reuniones,” acotó.

La ciudad de Charlotte fue la encargada de recibir y hospedar a los jovenes participantes. Esto movilizó a un buen grupo de jovenes y lideres, quienes a través de la Vicaría hispana de Charlotte, lanzaron un pedido de ayuda para que familias abrieran sus puertas y acogieran a los jóvenes, lográndose el objetivo y sobrepasando las expectativas. Los

jóvenes recibieron calor de hogar, comida y todo lo necesario para hacer que este encuentro fuera realmente fructífero.

Antonio García, coordinador del vicariato hispano de Asheville y quien estuvo encabezando las coordinaciones con el SEPI y todas las regiones de nuestra diócesis, destacó la organización a la que como equipo, llegó la diócesis entera.

“Hemos recibido comentarios muy positivos de las diócesis participantes, así como del SEPI, por la extraordinaria labor de organización, alojamiento y bienvenida que ofrecimos como diócesis anfitriona. Estamos muy orgullosos de saber que gracias al trabajo fraterno y en equipo, los objetivos no sólo se consiguen, sino que se superan ampliamente,” anotó García. “Aprovechamos este medio para invitar a tantos jóvenes que desean aplicar y conocer más de nuestra fe y cómo interactúa con las nuevas tecnologías. Hoy más que nunca es un tema que merece la pena que sea reflexionado, a la luz de la Resurrección de Jesús, en la Pascua. Les invitamos a unirse, a través de sus grupos juveniles. No sólo van a aprender, sino que además lo van a disfrutar muchísimo,” puntualizó García.

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Desde Madrid por el Dia Mundial de la Juventud 2011 Mi nombre es Dayenin Arellano y es para mi un placer proveer un breve resumen sobre la experiencia que tuvimos en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud, Madrid 2011. A este viaje fueron cuatro jóvenes: Widnelia Garcia, Joseph Blanco, Kimberly Gonzales y Jorge Saavedra, además de esta servidora, como lider del grupo.

Nuestro viaje se llevó a cabo gracias a la coordinación de la orden Franciscana en Syracuse, N.Y. El viaje comenzó el 9 de agosto con un pre-peregrinaje por la ciudad de Barcelona. Allí visitamos varias iglesias, como la Sagrada Familia, diseñada por el gran arquitecto Gaudi y la iglesia gótica Santa María. Visitamos la iglesia de la Virgen de Monserrat (Patrona de Catalunya). El 14 de agosto nos dirigimos a Zaragoza, donde los frailes Franciscanos nos recibieron en su convento; finalmente nos dirigimos a Madrid el 15 de agosto y nos hospedamos en el colegio San Bonaventura. Allí estuvimos una semana (del 15 al 23). Estuvimos asistiendo al catecismo y a misa todos los dias. El catecismo era dirigido por los obispos y sacerdotes. Al finalizar las clases, los jóvenes tenían la oportunidad de hacer preguntas sobre la fe.

Estuvimos luego presentes en el Via Crucis, en el cual el Papa tambien estuvo presente.

Un momento muy emocionante fue la vigilia, pues fue cuando recibimos al Papa. Soportamos el sol en temperaturas muy altas y después estuvimos bajo la lluvia.

Pasamos la noche entera en vigilia, pasando frio y en medio de una preparación espiritual para la Santa Misa, al dia siguiente. A pesar

Conociendo

nuestra

catholic news heraldI

17

Fe Padre Julio Domínguez

¿Qué es una indulgencia?

Foto: dayenin arellano

Esta es parte de la delegación de jóvenes de la diócesis de Charlotte que participó en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud, en Madrid, España, el pasado 16 al 21 de agosto. de las inclemencias del tiempo sentimos que el Espiritu Santo estuvo presente. Los jóvenes se mantuvieron firmes, como el lema de esta Jornada: “Firmes en la Fe y Arraigados en Cristo.”

En Madrid, miles de jóvenes fueron testigos de la palabra de Dios. En lo personal y como líder, me motivó muchísimo ver tantos jóvenes que, a pesar de sufrir hambre, calor o frio, siempre mantenían una sonrisa en el rostro. Para todos nosotros fue una bendición tener la oportunidad de conocer a jovenes de todo el mundo y orar tan cerca al Santo Padre.

Quiera Dios que podamos también participar de la proxima Jornada Mundial de la Juventud, que será en Rio de Janeiro, dentro de dos años.

Aqui

estamos!

Congreso Mariano del Rosario 2011

Charla sobre el mensaje de Fátima

CONCORD — Conozca más del Rosario y de Nuestra Santísima Madre, a través de reconocidos conferencistas internacionales y regionales. Tambien disfrute de música contemporánea católica con cantantes locales. El Congreso Mariano del Rosario se llevará a cabo el viernes 30 de setiembre y 1 de octubre, en el Cabarrus Arena & Events Center. Mayores informes y venta de entradas al 704-706-3369.

CHARLOTTE — El domingo 25 de septiembre, la hermana Angela Coelho dictará una conferencia acerca del mensaje de Fátima, a las 12:45 p.m. en la parroquia San Vicente de Paul, en Charlotte. La charla es gratuita y en Español. La Hermana Coelho también ofrecerá conferencias en inglés los siguientes dias y horas: Sept. 26, San Vicente de Paul, 10 a. m.; Sept. 27, Catedral de San Patricio, 7 p.m. y Sept.

28, Charlotte Catholic High School, 7 p.m.

La doctrina y la práctica de las indulgencias en la Iglesia están estrechamente ligadas a los efectos del sacramento de la penitencia: “La indulgencia es la remisión ante Dios de la pena temporal por los pecados, ya perdonados, en cuanto a la culpa, que un fiel dispuesto y cumpliendo determinadas condiciones consigue por mediación de la Iglesia, la cual, como administradora de la Redención, distribuye y aplica con autoridad el tesoro de las satisfacciones de Cristo y de los santos” (Cfr. Catecismo de la Ig. Catolica 1471).

La indulgencia puede ser parcial o plenaria, según que libre en parte o en todo de la pena temporal debida por los pecados. Nadie que gane indulgencias puede aplicarlas a otras personas que aún viven, pero las indulgencias pueden aplicarse a los difuntos a manera de sufragio. “Puesto que los fieles difuntos en vía de purificación son también miembros de la misma comunión de los santos, podemos ayudarles, entre otras formas, obteniendo para ellos indulgencias, de manera que se vean libres de las penas temporales debidas por sus pecados” (CIC 1479).

Al fiel cristiano que, por lo menos arrepentido interiormente, realiza una obra enriquecida con indulgencia parcial, se le concede, por medio de la Iglesia, una remisión de la pena temporal del mismo valor que la que él mismo con su acción ya recibe. No se pueden separan las indulgencias del resto de la vida cristiana. La indulgencia no es un procedimiento fácil para que sean perdonados los pecados evitando la penitencia, sino una asistencia que presta toda la Iglesia a los fieles para que su conversión, invitándoles a que realicen buenas obras y ayudándoles a expiar la pena debida por los pecados. Es conveniente recordar que el medio ordinario para que el individuo se reconcilio con Dios y con la Iglesia es la confesión individual y completa de los pecados graves, seguida de la absolución.

“Las indulgencias se obtienen por la Iglesia que,

en virtud del poder de atar y desatar que le fue concedido por Cristo Jesús, interviene en favor de un cristiano y le abre el tesoro de los méritos de Cristo y de los santos para obtener del Padre de la misericordia la remisión de las penas temporales debidas por sus pecados. Por eso la Iglesia no quiere solamente acudir en ayuda de este cristiano, sino también impulsarlo a hacer obras de piedad, de penitencia y de caridad” (CIC 1478).

“Para entender esta doctrina y esta práctica de la Iglesia es preciso recordar que el pecado tiene una doble consecuencia. El pecado grave nos priva de la comunión con Dios y por ello nos hace incapaces de la vida eterna, cuya privación se llama la ‘pena eterna’ del pecado. Por otra parte, todo pecado, incluso venial, entraña apego desordenado a las creaturas que tienen necesidad de purificación, sea aquí abajo, sea después de la muerte, en el estado que se llama Purgatorio. Esta purificación libera de la que se llama la ‘pena temporal’ del pecado.

Estas dos penas no deben ser concebidas como una especie de venganza, infligida por Dios desde el exterior, sino como algo que brota de la naturaleza misma del pecado. Una conversión que procede de una ferviente caridad puede llegar a la total purificación del pecado, de modo que no subsistirá ninguna pena” (CIC 1472).

El cristiano que quiere purificarse de su pecado y santificarse con ayuda de la gracia de Dios no se encuentra solo, tiene la ventaja y la ayuda de ser miembro de la Iglesia. “La vida de cada uno de los hijos de Dios está ligada de una manera admirable, en Cristo y por Cristo, con la vida de todos los otros hermanos cristianos, en la unidad sobrenatural del Cuerpo místico de Cristo, como en una persona mística” (Pablo VI, Const.Ap. Indulgentarium Doctrina No.5).

El Padre Julio Domínguez es Párroco de la Iglesia San Francisco, en Lenoir, y miembro del Comité Organizador del Congreso Eucarístico Diocesano.

Falleció el Padre Arturo Kolinsky CHARLOTTE — El padre vicentino Arturo Kolinsky, C.M. falleció el pasado 21 de septiembre del 2011, en Charlotte, a la edad de 67 años. El padre Arturo sirvió como vicario en la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, en Charlotte. Nacido el 6 de diciembre de 1943 en Maspeth, N.Y., el padre Arturo fue ordenado sacerdote el 29 de mayo de 1971

y pertenecía a la región este de la Congregaci®ón de los Vicentinos, en los Estados Unidos. El padre Arturo fue un misionero incansable en varios países de Centro y Sudamérica, así como una pieza clave en la historia y formación del ministerio hispano de nuestra diócesis. Descansa en paz, querido padre Arturo.

Our schools

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Eagle Scout completes project at Holy Trinity Middle CHARLOTTE — Alexander Sheldon, a student at Charlotte Catholic High School, recently completed his Eagle Scout project by giving back to his former middle school, Holy Trinity in Charlotte. Sheldon installed a set of outdoor Stations of the Cross beside the school’s chapel windows and the student fish pond, which fellow CCHS student John Nolan reconstructed for his Eagle Scout last spring. Above, Sheldon is pictured with Principal Kevin Parks next to one of the outdoor Stations.

— Kevin Parks

Bishop McGuinness High receives Wells Fargo Cup, again KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness High School Athletic Director Jeff Stoller (right) received the NCHSAA 1A Wells Fargo Cup on behalf of the school during the University of North Carolina vs. Rutgers football game halftime program in Chapel Hill Sept. 10. Pictured with him are NCHSAA Commissioner David Whitfield (left) and John Anderson of Wells Fargo (middle). The Wells Fargo Cup is awarded for best overall interscholastic sports program in the state. This is the fourth win in five years for Bishop McGuinness.

— George L. Repass

First Mass of the new year at St. Matthew School CHARLOTTE — The first Mass of the new school year for St. Matthew School students was celebrated at St. Matthew Church Sept. 7. The school is proud to have four new teams of altar servers to assist in the celebration of the Mass this year. Pictured are Father Robert Conway, parochial vicar, with the “Luke Team” that assisted him during the Mass.

Celebrating Grandparents Day at Our Lady of Mercy School WINSTON-SALEM — Our Lady of Mercy School had a special liturgy Sept. 9 to commemorate both Grandparents’ Day and the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. After the Mass, grandparents and parents, like those pictured above, attended a reception and visited their grandchildren in their classrooms.

— Casey Corser and Suzanne Buck

— Lara Davenport

Happy birthday, Father Rossi WINSTON-SALEM — Students and faculty at St. Leo School in Winston-Salem recently surprised Father Lucas Rossi, parochial vicar at St. Leo Church, on his 30th birthday with a special party in the school’s gymnasium, birthday cards and popcorn snacks (one of his favorites). They also joined in to offer him a special blessing.

— Donna Birkel

Learning through exercises at St. Leo School WINSTON-SALEM — Fifth-graders participated in a physical and spiritual wellness exercise, “Walking the Slack Line,” with their teachers, Patti Eiffe and Allison Goodson, on Sept. 2 to underscore the importance of trust, balance and teamwork.

— Donna Birkel

See ‘Race to Nowhere’ CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School is sponsoring a free showing of the documentary “Race to Nowhere,” which depicts the stress and anxiety that our children experience in every aspect of their lives, from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. After the screening will be a community discussion – an open dialogue with parents, students, teachers and administrators to promote awareness. More information is at www. racetonowhere.com.

— Jennifer Johnson

‘Sir Leo’ stands guard in St. Leo’s library WINSTON-SALEM — The library at St. Leo School has a new “staff member” this school year: “Sir Leo of Leolot.” “Sir Leo” serves as the official guard of the library and also reads – a lot.

Pictured with him are librarian Christine Hurley and the students who selected the winning name: Caroline Deal, David Spencer and Elizabeth Ampolini.

— Donna Birkel

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Christ the King High School welcomes Bishop Peter Jugis Students from the founding class of Christ the King High School present the gifts to Bishop Peter J. Jugis during the first Mass celebrated by him at the new high school in Mooresville Sept. 9.

Students, faculty and staff posed for a photo with Bishop Jugis (far left) following the Mass. Also pictured is Father Roger K. Arnsparger (near far right), diocesan vicar of education.

Classified Love St. Francis of Assisi? Enjoy retreats, workshops and pilgrimages focused on Franciscan writings. Please visit www.franciscanpassages.org for more information.

A classified ad in the Catholic News Herald can help you when you have vacation property to rent – items for sale – special announcements – business opportunities.

Call Kevin Eagan, Advertising Manager, today at 704-370-3332 to see how affordable a classified ad in the Catholic News Herald can be for you.

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Mix

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV n Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Most Unusual Man.” The life of Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, told by show business personalities, with clips and photos from his Family Theater productions on radio and TV.

In theaters

‘Contagion’ Director Steven Soderbergh reimagines the all-star disaster movie genre with a compelling tale of a deadly virus’ uncontrolled march across the planet. Beth Emhoff returns from a business trip to Hong Kong and drops dead, and soon everyone she encountered along the way meets their maker. Disturbing images of dying people.

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

‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ Sarah Jessica Parker stars in this sentimental goo about a wife and mother struggling to succeed in high finance while juggling the needs of her husband and two young children. A fleeting reference to abortion, frequent crude and crass language and fleeting profane language.

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

Photo courtesy of Catholic News Service

Jennifer Willits, left center, and Katherine Barron prepare to act out a scene in Jennifer’s kitchen as Catholic TV production crewmen Dave Wilkinson, camera man, Peter Kaminski, director, and Adam Stone, audio boom operator, make the necessary adjustments before filming in late June in Conyers, Ga. Last year Greg and Jennifer Willits, who host “The Catholics Next Door” on SiriusXM satellite radio, approached Father Robert Reed, president of CatholicTV, with an idea for a new program: a humorous Catholic situation comedy reflecting family life and its rewards and struggles.

Pilot for Catholic sitcom filmed in Atlanta Archdiocese Stephen O’Kane Catholic News Service

CONYERS, Ga. — The kitchen table where the Willits family usually eats was covered on a recent summer morning with cables, batteries, audio and recording paraphernalia – equipment to start filming a possible Catholic sitcom.

A crew of six and Father Robert Reed, president of CatholicTV, had flown in from Boston, turning the Willits’ home into a set for the pilot of the show tentatively titled “Mass Confusion.” What began as a casual idea turned into a full-fledged effort to create Catholic, family-friendly entertainment and hopefully inspire others to get involved.

Last year, Greg and Jennifer Willits, who host “The Catholics Next Door” on SiriusXM satellite radio, approached Father Reed with an idea for a new program: a humorous Catholic situation comedy reflecting family life and its rewards and struggles.

Greg Willits said that like many turns in the road that his family has already experienced, this was an idea he pitched expecting to be turned down. But their steps in faith seem to lead to more doors opening.

It began with the Rosary Army, a rosary-making apostolate they started in 2003, and then “That Catholic Show,” an educational video series they produced, and then a podcast, which was picked up by the Catholic Channel and turned into their current radio show, “The Catholics Next Door.” Now it may be a Catholic family show inspired by their lives as parents with five children.

“We’re excited and scared about this, but that’s pretty much been the case with every new endeavor

we’ve taken on,” Greg wrote by e-mail to the Georgia Bulletin, Atlanta archdiocesan newspaper.

“When we started Rosary Army, we felt the same way. When we started podcasting, we felt the same way. When we went to radio, we felt the same way. It makes no sense that we, without any experience in this area whatsoever, should be doing this, but it seems with the doors open, God wants us to at least give it a try.”

After getting a green light from Father Reed and CatholicTV, the Willits began writing a script with their friends Mac and Katherine Barron, another Georgia-based couple involved in new media with their podcast “Catholic in a Small Town.” The Barrons are the parents of three.

The two couples ran through their lines as the CatholicTV crew checked audio levels and framed shots. Director Robert Kaminski called “action,” and the group dived headfirst into an experience that was mostly new to all of them.

Filmed in a style similar to primetime shows like “The Office” and “Modern Family,” the show focuses on the two Catholic couples and their families. Greg Willits said the idea for this venture isn’t to teach Catholic doctrine but to be entertaining.

“There is a lot of Catholic catechesis out there but not a lot of Catholic entertainment. We want to prove that it can be done,” he said. “This is going to be a pilot, simply a proof of concept to hopefully inspire others in Catholic and secular media to push the envelope a bit creatively.”

The pilot will premiere on the CatholicTV Network Thursday, Nov. 24 at 8:30 p.m. and will be available online at www.catholictv.com.

n Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 a.m. (TCM) "Quo Vadis" (1951). After a Roman general falls in love with a Christian maid, the situation is complicated by the loony emperor deciding to burn Rome and blame the Christians. n Friday, Sept. 23, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Sacred Craft.” In this lecture on Eastern iconography, Father Brendan McAnerny explains the theology of icons and examines the distinct characteristics and traits of this ancient genre of sacred art. n Sunday, Sept. 25, 2 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30, 10 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 1, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Fifty Years of Thorns and Roses.” A stirring account of the life of St. Pio who bore the wounds of Christ for 50 years. n Sunday, Sept. 25, 5 a.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Feasts and Seasons Summertime.” Host Joanna Bogle shows the meals and customs of Michaelmas: the traditional feast of the harvest in the Catholic Church. n Sunday, Sept. 25, 1:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Dana Sings: Ireland’s Classic Melodies.” Dana blends the breathtaking scenery of her homeland, the Emerald Isle, with beloved melodies that celebrate Ireland.

September 23, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

On TV n Sunday, Sept. 25, 10 p.m., Tue., Sept. 27, 1 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 29, 5 a.m. (EWTN) “EWTN On Location: Love and Life in the Divine Plan Family Conference.” Dr. Brad Wilcox of UVA discusses cohabitation as a true threat to marriage. n Monday, Sept. 26, 3 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Heart Speaks to Heart From Heaven: The Newman Miracle Story.” The life and miraculous intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, and the recent Newman conference in which the testimony of Deacon Jack Sullivan, who was healed by Newman’s intercession, was showcased. n Tuesday, Sept. 27, 3 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “South Pole Padre.” A documentary look at the first (and only) priest to go to the South Pole. n Wednesday, Sept. 28, 3 a.m and 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “A Link in the Chain.” James Cagney stars in the role of a retiring college professor who, wondering whether or not he’s made a difference in the lives of his students, begins to reflect on his relationship with them. n Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Miracle of Saint Thérèse.” This acclaimed feature film made in France in 1959 follows the life of Carmelite nun St. Thérèse of Lisieux from her childhood through her death and explores her unique spirituality, known as the Little Way.

n Thursday, Sept. 29, 3 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Restoration of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.” Many of the magnificent frescos, which took years and years to etch and paint on the ceilings and walls of the majestic basilica, were destroyed in just minutes during the earthquakes that earthquakes that jolted central Italy on Sept.

26, 1997. n Thursday, Sept. 29, 1 p.m.(EWTN) “St. Michael Claims A Cave, Mountain and Grotto.” Travel with Bob and Penny Lord to St. Michael’s Cave in Garano, Italy, Mont St. Michel in Normandy, France, and San Miguel del Milagro in Mexico. n Thursday, Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Surprises of God: Encounters with the Angel Gabriel.” Father Raymond De Souza explores three historic encounters humans have had with the Angel Gabriel: Zechariah’s, the Virgin Mary’s, and St. Joseph’s, explaining how these encounters teach us about being open to the suprises of God. n Friday, Sept. 30, 3 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Le Celle: A Franciscan Sanctuary.” A compelling chronicle of the famous Franciscan hermitage, Le Celle from its simple origins with St. Francis, to its expansion by his successor Elias and its further construction by the Capuchins during the 1500s. n Saturday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “The Little Flower in Africa.” This special follows the first tour of the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in South Africa and the African continent.

catholic news heraldI

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Our nation

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Cross always present in late nuncio’s life, USCCB head says at memorial Mark Pattison and Richard Szczepanowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the late Vatican nuncio to the U.S., “viewed his diplomatic vocation as an ambassador of the vicar of the crucified one, as an extension of the invitation to mercy, reconciliation, unity, peace and life inherent in the Triumph of the Cross,” Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York said Sept. 14. Archbishop Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was the principal celebrant and homilist at a memorial Mass for the Italian prelate at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., that drew more than 2,000 people.

The nuncio, who Sambi died July 27 at age 73, “saw the cross in his varied diplomatic missions, in the poverty and oppression of peoples, in religious acrimony and war,” said Archbishop Dolan.

Sept. 14 is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, which Archbishop Dolan used as a theme in his homily.

While Archbishop Sambi’s service in the Vatican’s diplomatic corps was important, Archbishop Dolan said, “what is of far more profound meaning and of everlasting consequence in his life was that the cross of Christ, triumphant over sin, Satan, and death, was on his heart.”

CNS | Carolyn Cole, pool via Reuters

Vasantha Velamuri mourns at the sight of the name of her husband, Sankara Sastry Velamuri, who died in the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks, during the dedication ceremony for the 9/11 National Memorial at the site of the World Trade Center in New York Sept. 11. That day marked the 10th anniversary of the terrorists attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people in New York City and Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon.

Prayers, commemorations mark 9/11 anniversary Bruce Tomaselli, Becky Aubut and Ed Wilkinson Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Churchgoers around the U.S. Sept. 11 shared in moments of silence, special prayers, homilies and other ways of observing the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Official ceremonies at the sites in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania where four hijacked planes were crashed were restricted to family members and invited dignitaries.

But smaller events around the country and normal Sunday Masses and church services were devoted to prayers for the victims and for the healing of the United States.

In New York, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan told the congregation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for morning Mass that 10 years ago it might have seemed that “the side of darkness had conquered, as innocent people perished, as valiant rescuers rushed to their aid, as families were fractured, and as a nation seemed on the ground.”

But, he went on to say that “as a matter of fact the side of light actually triumphed, as temptations to despair, fearful panic, revenge and dread gave way to such things as rescue, recovery, rebuilding, outreach and

resilience. The side of the angels, not of the demons, conquered. Good Friday became Easter Sunday. And once again God has the last word.”

Archbishop Dolan cited the example of the aspirations of many children to follow in the footsteps of their parents: firefighters and rescue workers who were killed as they worked at the World Trade Center.

Earlier that morning at the official ceremony at the World Trade Center site, President Barack Obama read Psalm 46.

It reads, in part, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear ..., Come behold the works of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bough and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in fire. Be still and know that I am God.” In Washington, D.C., retired Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick reread his homily from an impromptu Mass celebrated on Sept. 11, 2001, and told a contemporary congregation of more than 2,500 people at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that they must continue to look forward, relying upon

“our values as Americans and our faith and trust in God. If we stop believing, if we stop forgiving, we stop living.”

In Shanksville, Pa., The Catholic Register, newspaper of the Diocese of AltoonaJohnstown, reported on a dedication ceremony Sept. 10 for a memorial at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 was forced to the ground by passengers who took control of the plane from terrorists who intended to crash it in Washington, D.C. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden spoke.

“You are an inspiration for these people (more than 10,000) gathered here today and to those watching on television,” Biden said to the families of the passengers and crew who sat before him. “By watching you they know that there is hope.”

Biden said that “their example defines America. None of them asked for what happened. They knew it was the opening shot in a new war. They stood up and they stood their ground.”

“I never failed to be astonished by the courage they exhibited,” he added. “That heroism is who we are and that courage beats deep in the heart of the nation.”

September 23, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Phila. Catholic high schools reopen after two-week strike PHILADELPHIA — Students at 17 Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia returned to their classrooms Sept. 20 after lay teachers ratified a three-year contract and ended a two-week strike. The 711 lay teachers had objected to several proposals by the archdiocese, including one that would have allowed anonymous student complaints against a teacher. During the strike students missed five school days, which will be made up by attending school on some holy days and taking back some holiday time.

New Orleans Catholic Charities gets $15M for oil spill victims NEW ORLEANS — Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans has received the largest single grant in its history – $15 million from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation – to oversee a collaborative of nonprofit organizations that will provide direct assistance, counseling and job force training to coastal Louisiana fishing families affected by the 2010 BP oil spill. The grant, announced Sept. 7, was part of the original $100 million in funding that BP gave to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation in 2010 to establish a fund targeted to help oil rig workers and oil rig supply companies affected by the spill.

Cardinal urges theologians to teach faith to ‘famished’ youths WASHINGTON, D.C. — While acknowledging that their primary job is not catechesis, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo urged young theologians to help educate their fellow young adults who are “hungry, starving for the word of God.” The archbishop of Galveston-Houston was the opening keynote speaker for a Sept.

15-17 symposium in Washington, D.C., on “The Intellectual Tasks of the New Evangelization.

“The new evangelization is what they want, and you have the expertise to unpack it for them,” he said. “I beg you as a pastor not to lose sight of these young people who are famished.”

Manchester bishop resigns, successor named WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop John B. McCormack of Manchester, N.H., and has named Auxiliary Bishop Peter A. Libasci of Rockville Centre, N.Y., as his successor. Bishop McCormack, who has headed the Diocese of Manchester since 1998, is 76 years old.

Bishops are required by canon law to turn in their resignation when they turn 75. Bishop Libasci, 59, will be installed as Manchester’s new bishop Dec. 8.

— Catholic News Service

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Pavone’s pro-life activities halted Priests for Life head is needed for work in Texas, his bishop says

Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, remains a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, said Msgr. Harold Waldow, vicar for clergy in the diocese. Bishop Patrick J. Zurek suspended Father Pavone’s ministry outside of the diocese only because the well-known pro-life priest is needed for work in Amarillo, Msgr. Waldow said.

Bishop Zurek in a decree Pavone Sept. 6 ordered the 52-yearold New York-born priest to return to Amarillo and announced it in a Sept. 9 letter to his fellow bishops. He pointed to “persistent questions and concerns” from clergy and laity about how the millions of dollars donated to Priests for Life are used as the reason for suspending Father Pavone’s ministry outside the diocese.

“He’s here to be obedient to the bishop and try to work with the bishop,” Msgr. Waldow said. “He’s going to have assignments, and he will be put on our payroll and given health care and other benefits like any other priest of the diocese.”

For his part, Father Pavone returned to Amarillo the evening of Sept. 13 from Birmingham, Ala., where he had been taping programs for EWTN. Both Msgr. Waldow and Father Pavone said no meeting has been scheduled with Bishop Zurek, who left the diocese Sept. 13 for two weeks.

Msgr. Waldow later clarified Bishop Zurek’s concerns, saying there is a “dispute” about the audits of two of Priests for Life’s affiliated agencies, Rachel’s Vineyard, an abortion healing ministry, and Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, a lay Catholic association.

“Because there is a dispute ... (it) does not mean that Father Pavone is being charged with any malfeasance or being accused of any wrong doing with the financial matters of Priests for Life,” the statement said.

Father Pavone said he is exploring the possibility of being incardinated in another diocese so he could resume full-time ministry with Priests for Life. “I fully expect that my time in Amarillo, both in terms of this immediate trip and in terms of my affiliation with that diocese is going to be temporary,” he said.

Father Pavone added that he has appealed the suspension to the Congregation of the Clergy at the Vatican.

In his own letter to the bishops Sept. 12, Father Pavone questioned the reason for the suspension of his ministry outside of Amarillo and said Bishop Zurek’s claim that Priests for Life has operated with no financial transparency was unfounded.

He cited 41 documents detailing the organization’s finances given to Bishop Zurek since 2005, when he was incardinated in the Amarillo diocese. He also noted

that he has never received a salary from Priests for Life nor is he on the payroll of the diocese. He said Priests for Life covers the cost of a small residence – about $2,000 a month – and his expenses associated with the ministry, which he called “very small.”

Tax records show Priest for Life’s income topped $10.8 million in 2008, the latest year available. In 2007, Priests for Life showed income of $9.2 million. They also show Father Pavone received no income from the organization during those years.

Our world

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope says German trip will focus on rediscovering God’s presence John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI said his Sept. 22-25 trip to Germany would focus on restoring God’s place in individual and social life – as creator, spiritual guide and force for good. The pope made the remarks in a videotaped message broadcast Sept. 17 by the German state television network. A transcript was made public by the Vatican.

Saying he was very much looking forward to his third visit to his homeland as pope, he previewed some of the main events, including his address to the German Parliament, Mass in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, visits to the Catholic enclave of Eichsfeld and a youth vigil with young people in Freiburg.

“All this is not religious tourism and even less a ‘spectacle.’ The meaning is explained in the theme of the visit: ‘Where there is God, there is a future,’” the pope said.

“This means that God should return to our horizon, this God who is often completely absent, and yet whom we need so much.”

The pope said that although God cannot be scientifically proven to exist, nevertheless people can develop a capacity to perceive God in a number of ways: in the beauty of creation, in the “great rationality” of the world, in the words of Scripture and by meeting people – both famous and lesserknown – who have been touched by God. He said one very important event would be his encounter with Lutheran leaders

at a monastery where Martin Luther once studied. He cautioned, however, against expecting any “sensational” ecumenical developments.

“In fact, the true greatness of this event is that we can come together to think, listen to the Word of God and pray together. In this way we will be very close and demonstrate a true ecumenism,” he said.

The pope’s words echoed the comments of the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, who told reporters Sept. 16 that the pontiff would focus on the fundamentals of the faith during his visit rather than wade into specific controversies and debates that have simmered among German Catholics.

“It’s a misunderstanding to think that the future of the Church depends on the question of priestly celibacy, for example. It depends on whether people believe in God,” Father Lombardi said.

About 100 of Germany’s 620 parliamentarians have said they plan to boycott the pope’s speech to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament. They say the papal event violates the principle of the separation of church and state.

At his briefing with reporters, Father Lombardi said the Vatican was not overly disturbed about the planned boycott. He said the pope was going at the invitation of the president of the parliament, and would address “those who want to hear him, and are ready to listen to this message with respect.”

CNS | Arnd Wiegmann, Reuters

People walk past posters showing a portrait of Pope Benedict XVI in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Sept. 14. The pope will visit his homeland Sept. 22-25. The poster reads “Welcome Pope Benedict XVI.”

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Abuse victims seek investigation of pope, top Vatican officials THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Several victims of clerical sexual abuse, a U.S.-based organization for survivors and a U.S.-based human rights organization formally asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict XVI and other top Vatican officials on charges they bear a responsibility for the abuse of children by Catholic priests around the world. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and their New York-based attorneys presented their petition to the court Sept. 13. The petition alleges that “Vatican officials tolerate and enable the systematic and widespread concealing of rape and child sex crimes throughout the world.”

On Sept. 20, SNAP and a human rights’ organization called on all current and past

Vatican and Church employees to send any information about the clerical abuse of minors to the ICC. The groups are calling on the world court to conduct an investigation, charging Pope Benedict XVI and three other top Vatican officials with the “systematic and widespread practice of enabling, concealing and tolerating ongoing rape and other forms of sexual violence by clerics across the globe,” the groups said in a Sept. 20 press release.

The petitioners said the fact that the court does not have jurisdiction over the Vatican is not an issue since the court does have “jurisdiction over individuals who are nationals of countries that have ratified the (ICC) treaty or if the crimes occurred in countries that ratified the treaty.”

The groups’ representatives said they filed the complaint with the world court because they believe the Church has not done enough to deter or punish perpetrators.

In 2010, the Vatican revised its procedures for handling priestly sex abuse cases, streamlining disciplinary measures, and extending the statute of limitations. Vatican officials said the changes allow the Church to deal with abuse cases more rapidly and effectively, often by dismissing the offending cleric from the priesthood.

Pope transfers nuncio from Ireland to Czech Republic VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict has named Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza to be the new nuncio to the Czech Republic, transferring him from his post as ambassador to Ireland.

Archbishop Leanza had been nuncio to Ireland since February 2008 and was temporarily called back to the Vatican in late July after Irish government officials publicly criticized the Vatican and accused it of being unhelpful to Irish bishops who wanted to enact stronger measures to protect children in the midst of the clerical sexual abuse crisis. The diplomatic incident erupted after the publication July 13 of the government’s Cloyne Report, examining how the Diocese of Cloyne mishandled accusations of clerical sexual abuse.

Pope: Bishops must help Catholics use gifts for good of Church VATICAN CITY — A bishop must help Catholics in his diocese learn to recognize the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them and place them at the service of the entire Church, Pope Benedict XVI told new bishops. Addressing about 120 Latin-

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and Eastern-rite bishops ordained in the past year, the pope focused on the role of a bishop in educating Catholics to take responsibility for the Church’s life, evaluating and coordinating their gifts in a way that builds up the whole Church.

The pope met the new bishops Sept. 15 at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo near the end of a 10-day course designed to give them both theoretical and practical information about their role and their new relationship to the Vatican and its congregations and councils.

Pope meets with astronauts VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI, who spoke to a group of astronauts when they were in outer space, had a close encounter with them back on Earth. The pope welcomed crew members from the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour to the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo Sept. 19. The crew members, who included two Italians, are on a speaking tour of Italy. During their visit with the pope, the astronauts gave back to him a silver medallion that he had given them to carry to the space station orbiting the earth. Pope Benedict had spoken to the astronauts May 21 during a video hookup with the space station.

— Catholic News Service

ViewPoints

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Reader poll

The Poor Clares

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Let us lead lives of sacrifice for the love of God

he year 2011 marks a year of great celebration for the Franciscan order. It is the 800th anniversary of the radical decision of a young noblewoman, on Palm Sunday 1211, to do the unthinkable :leave behind wealth and worldly prospects to follow a wandering “holy beggar” with a burning vision of the renewal of the Church through lives patterned, most literally, on the Gospel. The message of St. Francis of Assisi and his little band of friars had captured the heart of the Lady Clare di Faverone.

If Clare wanted to be a nun, there were plenty of well-established and revered monasteries where she could have lived out her days in prayer. Instead, she escaped from her home in the dead of night and went to meet St. Francis and his brothers in the woods for a clandestine ceremony to make her break with the world and embrace the Gospel life. Having defied all the accepted views of religious life for women of her time, one would think that Clare was of a mind to live the life of the friars as well. These first Franciscans truly lived as did Jesus and His Apostles, “without even a place to lay their heads,” traveling through the hills of Umbria proclaiming the Gospel and begging for their daily bread.

Clare’s sense of identity and her purpose was – from the beginning – firm and sure, and vastly different. She perceived her role in the Franciscan family to be complementary to that of St. Francis, not the same. The cloistered contemplative life she immediately adopted was intended to water the seeds planted by the friars’ ministry throughout the world by the nuns’ hidden lives of prayer and sacrifice.

Though the Poor Clares would not go out personally to spread the Gospel, they were to be on the “front lines,” keeping vigil before Our Lord to beg for the spiritual fuel needed to sustain the friars in their lives of selfless sacrifice among the people of God. Clare understood the support and encouragement needed by Francis and his brothers to keep the fire of their lives of service to God and His Church burning brightly. St. Francis himself struggled with conflicting desires for a hidden life of contemplation and that of missionary activity among the people.

During the uncertain days following his death, it was to Clare and the Poor Ladies that the friars instinctively turned for guidance. Divided and confused over interpretations of the Rule and Francis’ ideals, Clare was an unwavering pillar because of her deep union with Our Lord and her solid grasp of the essential elements of Francis’ Rule and charism. A parallel can be found to the days after the Ascension, when the infant Church surely turned to Our Blessed Mother who knew Her Son and His teaching as no one else did.

Clare never wavered in her certainty of the mission God had entrusted to her. It was, and is, most simply stated as the call to spiritual motherhood.

As daughters of our Holy Mother Clare, the Poor Clares continue her charism in the world today – supporting our friars and all priests, indeed the whole Church, through spiritual motherhood. But it is a vocation not limited to nuns!

Our priests, “other Christs” in the world today, are desperately in need of the support that can only come from lives of deep commitment to prayer and sacrifice on their behalf. The unseen and unsung heroes are those who unite their ordinary lives, whether in the midst of the world or hidden in the cloister, to the life and mission of Jesus Christ, who is still at work today through and in each of His priests. Without having to accomplish any spectacular tasks, spiritual mothers can imitate Moses, who in Exodus is portrayed with his arms lifted high, interceding before God for the armies of Israel at battle. The Church is at battle today with the forces of darkness, as she will be until the end of time, and her soldiers must rely on and be nourished by the fruits of prayer and sacrifice of all the faithful. Even the most insignificant life (according to the eyes of the world) can have the force of nuclear power when united in this way to the mystery of redemption. Our priests are essential for the life of the Church and the sacramental life of the faithful, and spiritual motherhood is essential for the life of priests.

Clare knew this and felt strongly enough to stake her whole life on its importance. For her, it was no waste to spend her days within the same four walls of an enclosed monastery. For her, it was a privilege to offer a hidden, yet potent, sacrifice on behalf of the holy men whose fervor and zeal for the Gospel had so inflamed her own heart with love for God. In this anniversary year of St. Clare’s vocation, may we come to a deeper awareness of the tremendous need for spiritual motherhood in our world today. Let us rediscover this vocation which so transformed the life and captured the heart of the great St. Clare.

For information on the indulgences that may be obtained during this Centenary Year, check out www. stjosephmonastery.com.

Sister Marie Thérèse of the divine child jesus is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. This is part of a monthly commentary by the Poor Clares to focus on topics of faith and to address questions about religious life.

Learn more about the community and subscribe to their newsletter by going online to www.stjosephmonastery.com.

“Do this in memory of Me”: Jesus’ words during the Last Supper still echo 2,000 years later in the hearts of the faithful, as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated every hour of every day somewhere across the world. And His words are the theme of the 2011 Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress, Sept. 23-24. This month we’re asking readers:

How many times a week do you receive the Eucharist? n Once n 2-4 n 5-7 So far, readers have responded:

Go online to www.catholicnewsherald.com to respond.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

Most-read stories on the web From Sept. 1 to 21 at press time, 351 page titles www.catholicnewsherald.com were viewed a total of 5,364 times.

The top 10 local headlines in September have been: n Safe at last: Bhutanese refugees find new homes with help from CSS...... 1,325 n Dioceses object to contraception coverage mandate in new health law ....1,212 n Christ the King: First exciting day for new Catholic high school.....................1,165 n Deacon candidates get bishop’s blessing as they enter formation..............1,044 n St. Matthew Church celebrates 25 years of diversity, spirit, faith.................1,027 n Centuries of service: Retired priests still serving................................................ 834 n North Carolina Catholic bishops promote protecting marriage.......................704 n Charlotte’s WYD pilgrims excited to see Pope Benedict....................................633 n Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Order honors two during ‘Scroll Mass’ .........566 n St. Matthew Knights of Columbus Council elects Elgin Grand Knight............526

September 23, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

catholic news heraldI 27

Letter to editor

Confusion over gluten intolerance and receiving Holy Communion

Deacon James H. Toner

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We Catholics must be enemies of ‘the world’

here is a story that Helen Gurley Brown, the former publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine, found herself seated next to the editor of a well-known and orthodox Catholic magazine while attending a luncheon in Washington, D.C. Upon discovering the identity of the Catholic, Brown frowned at him and said: “So, you’re the enemy.” The Catholic editor’s response to that pleasant greeting is nowhere recorded.

I hope, though, that he was pleased.

Any Catholic should be. Jesus tells us that “Everyone will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17 GNB). Similarly, Our Lord is very plain that “I have not come to bring peace but a sword” (Mt 10:34). This division will set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And, very sadly, our foes may sometimes even be those of our own household (Mt 10:35-36; cf. Micah 7:6).

Those of us whose families are divided into different religions know the sometimes painful truth of this. My late mother-in-law was raised in an anti-Catholic family, and she never fully overcame her antipathy toward

my faith. One day, I made a reference to praying to Our Lady. “Why would anyone pray to a dead lady?” she scoffed. She practiced a kind of non-denominational Christianity, and she is buried under a headstone with Psalm 100 inscribed on it. She was a very kind woman, and I am afraid that I didn’t always give her sufficient reason to see beyond her bias toward the Church. But her Protestant Christian background put her at odds with my Catholic Christian background.

There was a sad division.

But some divisions can be “happy.” If we decide to be Catholic; if we declare that we and our actions are governed by Christ’s Church; and then if we do what we have decided and declared, well, we are going to be somebody’s enemy. But is there any greater consolation than the words of Christ Himself: “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Mt 5:11 RSV)?

We are all called to be martyrs (witnesses) for Christ and the Church. That sentence is easily written or read; the practice of it,

though, around the water cooler, in the locker room, in the classroom, over the neighbor’s fence, or at the family dinner table – well, it’s not so easy there. Confirmation “gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross” (CCC 1303). That strength is available to us if we call upon it and seek to employ it wisely and well (cf. Philippians 4:13).

Catholics today are called upon – as always – to know, to love and to serve God. Catholics today, more so, I think, than in previous decades, are also called upon to know, to love and to serve Church teaching, which comes to us through the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26 and 16:13; Luke 10:16).

We believe, for instance, in our duty to honor our country, but that we must never place it above our primary commitment to Christ; we believe in the value of stem-cell research, but not in killing embryos, who are small human beings; we believe that homosexuals should be treated always with respect, but not that homosexual practice is morally acceptable; we believe that sex is a divine gift, but that sex is sinful outside of holy matrimony; we believe that the marital act should be open to life and that contraception wrongly separates the unitive from the procreative meaning of conjugal love (that is, that love, sex and normal willingness to have children are all joined in holy matrimony); we believe that, although other religions can be instruments of grace and salvation, the Catholic Church alone has the fullness of the means of salvation and that we should evangelize on that account; we believe that while there is much that is good in human nature, all of us are sinners called to repentance. Professing these teachings will not win us the world’s acclaim, but it will make us enemies (see Mt 5:44), precisely as Jesus told us. As G.K. Chesterton put it: “The trouble with Christians today is that not enough people hate us.”

When I baptize, I have the honor to call those present to the renunciation of sin and the profession of faith, ending by saying, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rite of Baptism, 59). Amen!

Deacon James H. Toner serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

The Sept. 9 articles in the Catholic News Herald about the Eucharist were informative and inspiring. I do wish all extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are as well informed about this sacrament. When my wife and I travel, we attend other than our home parish. My wife suffers from a gluten intolerance because of Celiac Sprue Disease and she is able to receive Holy Communion only from the chalice. Occasionally – thankfully, only occasionally – an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion will quite strongly question allowing her to receive only the Precious Blood.

This was resolved at the time, but the questioning interrupts and takes away some of the holiness from this most sacred part of the Mass.

Roger Kenney is a resident of Warne, N.C. Editor’s note: Whoever receives Holy Communion only under the form of bread or only under the form of wine still receives the whole Christ, in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. To learn more about receiving Holy Communion despite celiac disease, go online to www.usccb.org/prayerand-worship/resources-for-the-eucharist/ distribution-of-communion/celiac-spruedisease.cfm.

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.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 23, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘FATHER ED’: FROM PAGE 7

directed the Ministry for Divorced Catholics for the Archdiocese of Newark.

His work in the Catholic Church took him to 86 countries on five continents. He came to Winston-Salem in 1987, joining Our Lady of Fatima Church.

When Father Holden’s death was announced Sunday during at Mass at Fatima, there was “a big sigh, and a few tears,” said Father Joe Angelini, parochial vicar.

“He could really hustle, he could really do things,” said Angelini, who came to Fatima after Father Holden but had known him for many years before.

“Lot of charisma,” Angelini said. “Very dynamic. Very friendly.”

Father Holden helped boost downtown Winston-Salem as the church grew, parishioners said. He started the Blessing of the Animals, which became an annual tradition for the city.

He was a strong fundraiser who would call and write donors to thank them for their contributions. He had a wonderful laugh and always had time for people who had a problem, whether they were Catholic or not, his friends said. He was also a big Washington Redskins fan.

“He was just grace-filled,” said Rev. Ron Rinn, whose Augsburg Lutheran Church

developed a partnership with Lady of Fatima under Father Holden.

“Cherubic,” Rinn said.

Father Holden left Winston-Salem for Charlotte in 1993 and eventually moved to Staten Island, N.Y. But he continued publishing his “Bits and Pieces” column in the Journal as well as in the Staten Island Advance.

Father Holden and some of his readers paid advertising rates to make sure the column had space in the Journal.

“Every time I read Father Ed’s column, there was something in there that I could relate to,” said Nan Griswold, founder of the Second Harvest Food Bank. “He was so down to earth. I think he was a man – a priest – before his time.”

In 1988, the Journal wrote a short feature story about All Souls Day, the day Catholics set aside to pray for those in purgatory.

Father Holden predicted that he would end up in purgatory himself – on hold to be purified before advancing into Heaven.

“I’m a pretty good guy,” Father Holden told the Journal. “I love the priesthood, Christianity and being a friar. But I think I could be much better to God and my neighbor than I have been. I’m not going to complain if God puts me on hold.”

Those wishing to make a donation in Father Holden’s memory may do so to the Franciscan Retirement Fund, P.O. Box 629, Rensselaer, N.Y. — Travis Fain, Winston-Salem Journal, with some information courtesy of the Staten Island Advance

SUPPORT FROM PAGE 6

will be part of the Haywood County Life Chain.

- St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley, will join the Waynesville event.

Winston-Salem All parishes: 2:30-3:30 p.m. Meet on Hanes Mall Boulevard, west of Stratford Road.

Other events n Sacred Heart Church, 375 Lumen Christi Lane, Salisbury: Public prayer, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 5 at Preferred Women’s Center (3220 Latrobe Dr., Charlotte) n St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte: Infant Loss and Remembrance Mass, 7 p.m. Oct. 14; 40 Days for Life kickoff and documentary “Blood Money,” 2:30 p.m. Sept. 28 n St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road E.: 40 Day Vigil, Oct. 15 at Preferred Women’s Center (3220 Latrobe Dr., Charlotte)