Feb. 16, 2001

The Catholic News & Herald 1

February 16, 2001

February 16, 2001 Volume 10 t Number 23

Inside Diocese continues quake relief ...Page 7

Priest’s efforts for tigers praised

...Page 8

Local News Youth find downhill approach to faith

...Page 5

Diocese sets plans for France pilgrimage

...Page 15

Permanent diaconate links service and church ...Page 16

Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 10-11

Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13

The Lord has been my strength; He has led me into freedom. He saved me because He loves me.

Psalms 18: 19-20

S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

By Alesha M. Price Staff Writer HICKORY — Katie Sullivan says that she has grown in her faith since becoming involved in a group chosen to help lead diocesan youth in the practice and realization of their faith as they grow and mature into adults of the church. She became involved in the group of dedicated teens because as a member of St. Margaret Church in Maggie Valley, an area with few Catholics, she wanted to meet other young Catholics. Sullivan and other youth across the diocese are members of the Diocesan Youth Council (DYC).

The council conducted one of their monthly meetings at the St. Francis House at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory on Feb. 10 and had a visit from Bishop Curlin who lent words of encouragement and support and celebrated Mass with the group.

“This year, we have nine of the 10 vicariates represented with 17 teens on the council,” explained Paul Kotlowski, diocesan director of youth ministry and the DYC advisor. “They are the voice of the youth for the diocesan office of youth ministry and are a means by which we can remain in direct contact with the needs, concerns and opinions of diocesan youth.”

Council member elections are held every year with much of the input about the choices coming from the teens who help to conduct the interviews of the new junior and senior recruits. Many of the council members are elected to two-year terms during which time they are encouraged to attend the Faithful Servant Leadership Conference, a weeklong program focusing on leadership roles, communication and diversity issues.

“We try to be objective and balanced in the selection of DYC members. We have developed a point system which takes in various factors like age, gender, ethnicity, references, vicariate, parish and other factors,” said Kotlowski. “The DYC are advisory to the diocesan youth office, and their decisions are honored and respected. The environment is one of shared leadership and collaboration.”

With the help of Jen Rupp, DYC coordinator and the diocesan program coordinator for youth and young adult ministry; Carl and Leslie Brown, adult mentors, and Andrea Logan, consultant, the youth gather for 10 meetings a year at different host parishes and at the St. Francis House. The meeting agenda usually includes prayer services, community building exercises, speakers and discussions of upcoming events.

The idea is that these youth can

Cheers for peers

Photos

by

Alesha M. Price

Above, from left to right, DYC members Andrew McCoy, Sacred Heart in Salisbury; Erin Morrison, St. Dorothy in Lincolnton; Lucy Dillard, Our Lady of Mercy in Winston-Salem and Katie Sullivan, St. Margaret in Maggie Valley discuss ideas for the upcoming diocesan youth conference at their monthly meeting on Feb. 10 in Hickory. Below left, Sullivan reads from Scripture, and below right, McCoy, Carl Brown, DYC adult mentor from Good Shepherd Church in King and Morrison, pray during Mass celebrated by Bishop Curlin. share what they learn and discuss the findings with their churches. Through dialogue with youth from other parts of the diocese, they will be able to gain knowledge that may help their own parishes with youth ministry.

The teens add their own insight about diocesan-sponsored youth events and volunteer their time and talents in assisting with the various events.

“I think that learning and growing together with such a large and diverse

group of youth helps me to grow spiritually,” said Sullivan, 17, who has been a part of DYC for two years. “I have grown as a person being in the role of leadership, and the youth of our parish have gotten so much more involved and active within the diocese.”

The main project of the DYC members is the planning and preparation of the largest diocesan youth

See PEERS, page 9

2 The Catholic News & Herald among the major funders of Catholics for a Free Choice, according to a Catholic foundation specialist. CFFC describes itself as an independent nonprofit Catholic organization “working in the Catholic social justice tradition.” It is most noted for efforts to promote wide access to abortion, contraception and voluntary sterilization and to support dissent from official church teachings in those areas. Francis J. Butler, president of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, wrote about CFFC’s reliance on secular foundations in the January-February issue of Philanthropy, bimonthly magazine of the Philanthropy Roundtable. He said a review of recent CFFC grants recorded in the Foundation Center’s grant index “shows an organization without a single major supporter whose program focus is Catholic philanthropy.”

Morality in Media asks L.A. County not to abolish porn commission NEW YORK (CNS) — Morality in Media, a New York-based group founded by a Jesuit priest, is urging clergy in the Los Angeles area to mobilize against a move to abolish the Los Angeles County Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. In a Feb. 5 open letter to members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to vote on abolishing the commission Feb. 20, Morality in Media president Bob Peters said an East Coast organization had good reason to be involved in a Los Angeles County matter. “We are a national organization with members in every state, and L.A. County is a primary source of the illegal and destructive hard-core pornography pouring into communities, homes and children’s minds nationwide,” Peters wrote.

Sierra Leonean church launches support program for war orphans FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (CNS) — The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone has launched a program to help children orphaned during the country’s civil war.

Since the outbreak of the war in 1991, the number of war orphans has risen to at least 6,000. The program, Operation Christmas Child, donated a consign-

CNS photo by Marco Longari

Rwandan church marks centennial year Altar servers ring bells during the consecration at a Mass marking the 100th year of the Catholic Church in Rwanda. Catholics gathered for the celebration Feb. 8 at a sports stadium in Kigali, capital of the central African nation.

Building a church: Views on architecture aired at meeting WORCESTER, Mass (CNS) — What should a Catholic church look like? Views are sharply divided. Behind the disagreement is the bigger question: How does what you believe about God, people and worship affect your choice of church design? Catholics with differing views gathered Jan 26-28 at Holy Cross College in Worcester. They included bishops, theologians, architects and liturgists. The gathering was the second of a two-part meeting sponsored by the Catholic Common Ground Initiative, said organizer Paul Covino.

Covino is a Common Ground committee member and associate chaplain and director of liturgy at the Jesuit-run college.

Major funders of Catholics for a Free Choice not Catholic WASHINGTON (CNS) — No foundations that have Catholic philanthropy as a focus appear in public records

Episcopal February 16, 2001 Volume 10 • Number 23

Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Associate Editor: Jimmy Rostar Staff Writer: Alesha M. Price Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Jane Glodowski 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $18 per year for all other subscribers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

February 16, 2001

The World in

c a l e n-

Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: February 18 — 11 a.m.

Mass St. Patrick, Charlotte February 19 — 10 a.m.

Diocesan finance council meeting, Charlotte February 22 — 3 p.m.

Installation of Bishop Edward Braxton Lake Charles, La. February 23 — 10:30 a.m.

Mass Sacred Heart School, Salisbury February 24 — 7 p.m.

Charlotte Catholic High School Benefit, Charlotte

on the U.N. initiative called “Dialogue Among Civilizations,” he said, “Diversity is both the basis for the dialogue among nations and also the reality that makes dialogue necessary.” Annan said the idea of a global civilization is one “that we are called on to defend and promote as we embark on a new century.”

Church expert says Israeli voters were upset with Barak tactics VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon’s lopsided victory was not a vote against peace, but an expression of dissatisfaction with the tactics of Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a church expert on Israel said. “The Israelis have not voted against the peace policy carried forward by the government of Barak and that of Rabin before him.

They have voted more against Barak’s poor management and communication,” Franciscan Father David Jaeger told the Vatican missionary news agency, Fides, Feb. 7. Father Jaeger is a member of the Holy See’s Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land office in Jerusalem and was instrumental in negotiating the VaticanIsraeli agreement that led to diplomatic relations.

ment of school items to 4,000 children in orphanages in Freetown, the country’s capital. “The essence of establishing this program is not only to motivate the children to learn, but also to instill love into children,” said Father Theophillus Momoh of the cathedral in Freetown in presenting the items to the program in late January. The assorted donated items were mostly books, pens, shoes and bags.

Head of U.N. says nations must address what links them together SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (CNS) — Nations should not wait until they “are in the thick of conflict” to address what links them together as part of a global civilization, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Feb. 5. In a talk at Seton Hall University in South Orange, he said history continually proves that even in the world’s “infinite diversity of cultures, there does exist one global civilization based on shared values of tolerance and freedom.” In what was his first address

Diocesan 5

plan -

CHARLOTTE — The widowed support group for those grieving the loss of a spouse meets from 6-7 p.m. tonight and March 19 in the family room at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. For further details, call the church office at (704) 364-5431.

CHARLOTTE — Christians in Career Transition is a ministry of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., devoted to helping people in career crises. The meeting takes place tonight and March 19 from 7-9 p.m. in the office area of the parish center’s conference room. For more information, call Rev. Mr. Jim Hamrlik at (704) 542-6459.

CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., is celebrating a charismatic Mass tonight at 7:30 p.m. with Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor.

The sacrament of reconciliation is be-

ing given at 7 p.m., and the laying on of hands is taking place after Mass.

The next mass takes place on April 7 with Father John Putnam, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. For more information, call the church office at (336) 778-0600 or Jim Passero at (336) 998-7503.

CHARLOTTE — Churches in the Charlotte area are having their regularly scheduled cancer support group meetings for survivors, family and friends on the following days: St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., today at 10 a.m. in the parish center room 104 and at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., March 12 at 7 p.m. in the conference room of the ministry center and For more information, call: St. Matthew - Marilyn Borrelli at (704) 542-2283 and St. Gabriel - Eileen Cordell at (704) 352-5047, Ext. 217. For further information, call Bob Poffenbarger, Sr., coordinator, at (704) 553-7000.

Please submit notices of events for the

February 16, 2001

The World in

The Catholic News & Herald 3

Bishop William G. Curlin joyfully announces the incardination into the Diocese of Charlotte of Father James Hawker and Father Mark Lamprich.

Father Hawker continues as Vicar for Catholic Education and Father Lamprich as pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro.

Vatican, Lutheran, Reformed churches discuss indulgences ROME (CNS) — The abuse of indulgences contributed to the Reformation, and questions about the Catholic practice continued to raise ecumenical concerns during the Holy Year 2000. Representatives of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches met in Rome Feb. 9-10 to discuss the questions. “The purpose was to clarify historical, theological and pastoral issues related to indulgences in order to come to a better understanding of each other’s traditions,” said a statement from meeting participants.

Pope thanks Vatican Radio on its 70th anniversary VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On the

tonight and March 15 in Conference Room A at 7:30 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. Call the church office at (336) 7240561 for details.

2 ARDEN — St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Dr., hosts Eucharistic adoration on the following days: Friday mornings immediately following the 9 a.m. Mass until noon, Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:15 p.m. and today and every first Friday from 9:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. For more information, call the church at (828) 684-6098.

HICKORY — The Annual World Day of Prayer ecumenical worship service is being held tonight at 7 p.m. in the chapel of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The theme is “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action” and is drawn from the biblical wisdom of Esther. Men and women of all denominations are invited, and childcare will be provided. Refreshments are also being served. Contact Carole Marmorato at (828) 256-8956 for further details.

all its debts paid off. The number of Catholics has more than tripled since the end of 1986, when the diocesan boundaries were last redrawn. In 1997 the diocese publicly said it was considering bankruptcy after a jury ordered it to pay a record $119 million to the victims of a priest convicted of sexual abuse of minors. Under court mediation that judgment was reduced to a settlement of $30 million, of which the diocese paid about one-third and its insurance carriers paid the remainder. This January the Texas Catholic, Dallas diocesan newspaper, reported the diocese’s debts were paid off at the end of December. The bulk of the debt, $11.3 million at its peak, was incurred to settle the lawsuit.

Sexual behavior increases on TV, study shows WASHINGTON (CNS) — A new study has found that sexual behavior on television has increased from levels of two years ago. The study, “Sex on TV,” found that 68 percent — more than two-thirds — of programs surveyed during the 1999-2000 TV season contained sexual content, up from 56 percent during the 1997-98 season. “This study confirms that sexual messages are an increasingly frequent part of the television landscape,” the study said. Commissioned by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the study was released Feb. 6.

The foundation also had issued a similar report two years ago, and plans to do a third report two years from now.

The study looked at a week’s worth of programming on 10 different channels: the Los Angeles affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS and WB, February 22 BELMONT — The Abbey Players/ Belmont Community Theatre is presenting Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” tonight through March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Haid Theatre on the campus of Belmont Abbey College, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd. Auditions for Alfred Uhry’s “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” a play about a World War II-era GermanJewish family trying to fit into Atlanta society, take place Feb. 26-27 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and other information, call (704) 825-6786 or (704) 825-6787.

23 CHARLOTTE — The Franciscan Mystery Players are presenting “Jesus, the Healer,” a dramatic, multi-media, mystery-play presentation of the Passion, death and healing events in Jesus’ life at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., at 7:30 p.m. The players are a group of young people who travel around the country during Lent and are sponsored by the New York

CNS photo from Reutes

Palestinian woman confronts Israeli bulldozer Sobhiya Al-Amur, 50, confronts an Israeli bulldozer as it destroys two Palestinian houses Feb. 12 near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon was looking to forge a unity government. plus the HBO, Lifetime, TNT and USA cable channels.

Catholic official expresses surprise, hope after Israeli election JERUSALEM (CNS) — A Catholic Church official expressed surprise at the overwhelming victory of Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon and said he hoped he would be committed to the peace process. Father Majdi al-Siryani, legal director of the Latin-rite Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said it was “alarming” that Sharon garnered 60 percent of the vote to defeat Labor Prime Minister Ehud Barak Feb. 6. “I wasn’t shocked that Sharon was elected, but by the percentage with which he was elected,” said Father al-Siryani. He added that while Barak and Sharon were military men, perhaps Sharon’s extensive experience in the political arena would allow him to

70th anniversary of Vatican Radio, Pope John Paul II thanked the radio’s directors and employees for their service to the universal church. “The pope counts greatly on your help in carry out his Petrine ministry and he asks you to daily make yourselves diffusers of the truth that sets one free,” he said Feb. 13, meeting with about 450 radio staff members. He said Vatican Radio faced two great challenges: to keep up with new communications technologies and to adequately render the “richness” of the church’s message in radio content.

Rapidly growing Dallas Diocese clears lawsuit debt DALLAS (CNS) — The Dallas Diocese, which four years ago faced the prospect of bankruptcy over a $119-million court judgment, is today a rapidly growing, bustling diocese with

Franciscan Friars. For further details about this free event, call the church office at (704) 549-1607.

24 CHARLOTTE — A Catechist Recognition Process Workshop for catechist training and certification is being held today at St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd. Registration takes place from 8:30-9 a.m. followed by Mass at 9:15 a.m. Five Phase 1 modules are being offered during two sessions from 10:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and from 1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m. with a new Phase II module offered in the afternoon. Any adult involved in parish ministry or seeking personal enrichment is invited to come. For more information or to register, contact Marylin Kravatz, Southern Regional Coordinator for Faith Formation, at (704) 370-3247.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Secular Franciscans are having an inquirers’ meeting at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, located at the corner of Cherry and 3rd Sts., this morning at 9:30 a.m. and on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. For

details, call (336) 723-8481 or (336) 591-3151.

25 HENDERSONVILLE — The St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order meets today from 3-5 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. West, in the office wing. Visitors and inquirers are welcome, and for more information, call Pat Cowan at (828) 884-4246.

March 1 MAGGIE VALLEY — The 55th Men’s Weekend Ultreya is taking place at Living Waters Reflection Center, 103 Living Waters Lane, today through March 4. The 57th Women’s Weekend Ultreya will take place at St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St., in Greensboro from March 29-April 1. For details, call Dan Hines at (704) 544-6665 or Aliceann Coon at (704) 540-8696.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Healing Companions, a grief support group for the bereaved, is meeting

4 The Catholic News & Herald

By KATHY SCHMUGGE for The Miscellany LEXINGTON, S.C. — By winning the SAFE KIDS music contest for the SC Buckle up Campaign 2000, Josh Goering, a parishioner at Corpus Christi Church, will serenade his peers to safety with an original musical score he wrote and performed.

His piece which he describes as “rock’n roll with a punky edge” is currently being aired now through March 3 by the Columbia, Florence, Greenville, Spartanburg, Golden Strip and Charleston Cable Systems on popular TV stations such as FOX, MTV, and USA as part of an initiative to get youth to buckle up. The contest sponsored by SAFE KIDS and the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), was open to all middle and high school students in the state.

Goering, now a freshman at the University of South Carolina in Columbia majoring in music composition/theory, entered the competition last year as a senior at Lexington High School. His band teacher who knew that Goering wrote music urged him to compete. Even though there was no monetary reward, Goering entered the contest, seeing the project as a worthy cause.

In June of last year, Goering and another teen were told that they tied for first place and both their songs would be aired as public service announcements (PSA) some time in the coming year. Kevin Fischer from Fischer Communications, Inc., a local advertising firm hired to help with production, was so impressed when he heard the winning selections that he suggested SAFE KIDS turn the PSA’s into short commercials. The once small project grew and found public and private support from SCDPS, Duke Endowment and AnMED Health Systems in Anderson, organizations who donated money towards the commercials’ production and the purchase of significant airtime.

Ree Mallison, director of SAFE KIDS was especially impressed with Goering, describing him as a very mature youth with great talent. “When I spoke to him I could have just as well been speaking to someone in their 40’s. He was so unassuming, yet such a genius,” she said.

When Mallison asked him why he chose the rock style of music for the contest, he said that he wanted to use a style that was popular with youth in South Carolina. Goering has some knowledge of what works since he plays lead guitar for Columbia band called “Sinator” and is a volunteer disc jockey at WUSC, the university’s radio station.

His parents, Daniel and Lorelei Goering, also members at Corpus Christi

February 16, 2001

Around the Re-

Josh Goering, performer and composer

Photo courtesy of The Miscellany

Church, have been very supportive in Josh’s musical pursuits. They recalled how Josh, their youngest of 10 children, showed early signs of talent. While attending a small Catholic middle school in Nevada, Josh decided to try playing the music he loved. His parents suggested guitar since there was one in the house. Lorelei remembered how Josh amazed the family and teacher with his almost immediate proficiency with guitar and his ease in grasping musical theory.

“For the first three or four years, I felt as if I was the only kid in the world that played and listened to guitar music,” said

Josh recalling how it wasn’t until high school that he found others his age who shared his passion.

His extraordinary skill as a musician did not go unnoticed. While in high school, he was selected and attended a 5-week program at Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Upon graduation he was offered a full fouryear scholarship to Berklee but turned it down in order to attend USC, where he received several small scholarships and some free instruction. At the university, Goering plays classical guitar, bass guitar, electronic drums and percussion, and the rare instru-

ment called the “thermin” (an electronic box with two antennas responding to hand motions.)

When he completes his bachelor’s degree, Josh said he might continue on with his education and possibly become a music professor. He is well on his way as a teacher, presently giving guitar lessons to 26 students at Music Supply in Lexington. Because he is young, he is especially popular with his younger students because he knows how to play and teach the music they love.

For Josh, the recognition by the state contest could lead him in the direction of composing more commercial spots and eventually writing musical scores for movies which is one of his goals. Although he said he did not see himself writing church music, he conveyed how his faith still impacted his work. For example he tries to write music that has meaning and a positive message likes his song, “Buckle-Up.” Winning this contest has been a way for Josh to do profound good with his musical talent. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in S.C and of the 121 youth who died in car accidents in 1999, 81 were not wearing seat belts. His refrain, “Buckle-up before you drive. Buckle-up, and stay alive,” hopefully will save some young lives.

February 16, 2001

Youth take downhill

By JIMMY ROSTAR Associate Editor MAGGIE VALLEY — For people seeking a place for spiritual renewal in the westernmost region of the Charlotte Diocese, Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center may come to mind. For folks looking for excitement on the slopes, a jaunt down Cataloochee Ski Area may just be the (lift) ticket.

The youth of Asheville’s three Catholic churches had renewal and thrills in mind Feb. 3-4 when they traveled to Maggie Valley for a ski retreat. The gathering was a celebration of faith, community and nature for the teens.

“With this event, we wanted to provide a religious experience for our youth where they could pray as well as have fun,” said Elizabeth Girton, youth minister at the Basilica of St. Lawrence. “The kids really enjoyed that; they really saw a connection between their faith life and their fun life.”

Around the Di-

In addition to St. Lawrence, the other parishes represented were St. Joan of Arc and St. Eugene.

Before listening to a ski instructor give a lesson on the slopes, the youth heard from Scripture during a Liturgy of the Word at the reflection center. Augustinian Father Terry Hyland, director at the retreat center and priest in residence at St. Margaret Church in Maggie Valley, was on hand to celebrate Mass, facilitate a question-and-answer session about the faith and lead Benediction and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Father Hyland and Augustinian Father Chris Nowak, who serves at St. John Church in Waynesville, celebrated the sacrament of penance with the youth.

The opportunity for reconciliation meant a lot to Trevor Israel, a 15-year-old who attends St. Joan of

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Courtesy photo

Father Terry Hyland leads a question-and-answer session about the faith during the ski retreat in Maggie Valley.

Arc Church. “I liked the confession — the feeling that the priest was willing to listen to me (speaking to God),” he said. “I liked the question-and-answer, too. It gave us a lot of good information to use when people ask us about our faith.”

Living up to its namesake, the Living Waters Center gave the youth an opportunity for personal reflection near the creek that runs through the property. Back in the center, the retreatants discussed Scripture and made rosaries.

“I learned a lot,” said Vincent Navarro, a 14-year-old parishioner from St. Eugene Church. “I wanted to enlighten myself because I felt like I needed to become more active in my faith.”

Navarro said that while the skiing itself was a highlight, there were many other special moments as well.

“We did a Bible study, and that taught me a lot about the books of the Bible

and what they mean,” he said.

Novice to experienced skiers have hit the slopes at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley for 40 years. The resort offers night skiing, snowboarding and 10 trails.

Don Frank, youth minister at St. Joan of Arc Church, said the mountain setting was perfect for this type of gathering. “This was a celebration of faith and a celebration of youth,” he said. “It’s a rite of passage to build confidence, and skiing was certainly part of that.

To have a retreat surrounding that was great, because adventure education in nature has so many avenues to God.” The Living Waters director said teen-agers make special retreatants.

“They were so enthusiastic,” said Father Hyland, noting the center is available for a variety of retreats for various groups. “It’s a discovery for them that their faith can be life-giving and adventurous — that it’s not just for older people.”

6 The Catholic News & Herald Scholar, author to head Georgetown’s new social justice center WASHINGTON (CNS) — Kathleen Maas Weigert, a justice and peace scholar and author, has been named the first director of the new Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service at Georgetown University in Washington.

The appointment of Weigert, who comes to the Jesuit-run university after a 30-year career in experiential and service learning education, was announced by Georgetown in January. Most recently, she was associate director of academic affairs and research at Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns and associate professor of American studies and a fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies there. At Georgetown, Weigert will consolidate community outreach.

Retired bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph dead at 80 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS) — Bishop John J. Sullivan, who led the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from 1977 to 1993, died Feb. 11 at the Jeanne Jugan Center, a care facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. His funeral Mass was scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, followed by burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Bishop Sullivan, who was 80, retired in 1993 because of the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease. He had a lifelong history of involving lay people in church ministry and service to the poor.

In Kansas City, he established the Center for Pastoral Life and Ministry to provide training for parish ministry to laity, priests and religious.

No significant changes in church-

February 16, 2001

People in the

CNS photo from Reuters

Aristide sworn in as president of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide is sworn in as president of Haiti Feb. 7 in Port-au-Prince. Aristide, a former Catholic priest known to champion Haiti’s poor, stands with former President Rene Preval, left, and Senate President Yvon Neptune. state ties, says Cuban cardinal HAVANA, Cuba (CNS) — Many Cubans have had a spiritual rebirth since Pope John Paul II’s 1998 Cuban visit, but there has been no significant change in church-state relations, said Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana. Interest in Catholicism has been especially strong among young people, but Cuba has a severe priest shortage which remains unsolved because of communist government restrictions, he said. Car-

dinal Ortega made the comments in an interview in Havana Jan. 24 with a visiting journalist from The Peace Times Weekly, a Korean-language Catholic newspaper published in Flushing, N.Y. Another major problem the cardinal cited is lack of funds to renovate dilapidated church buildings and to purchase medical supplies for church programs.

Italian priest hopes to celebrate Masses at North, South poles ROME (CNS) — An Italian priest says he hopes to make history this year

by celebrating Mass at the North Pole on Easter and at the South Pole on Christmas. Msgr. Liberio Andreatta, who runs a pilgrimage tour organization in Rome, told the Italian news agency ANSA Feb. 7 that he planned to join two polar expeditions after undergoing special training in Italy.

“This is a very emotional undertaking, one of those experiences that pushes an individual to make a wager that involves all his skills, will power, determination, persistence and faith,” he said. The two Italian expeditions call for arrival at the North Pole April 15, Easter Sunday, and at the South Pole Christmas Day. Haitian bishop calls on Aristide to address poverty, corruption PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) — The president of the Haitian bishops’ conference called on newly inaugurated Haitian President JeanBertrand Aristide to improve the lot of the country’s poor majority, to fight violence and corruption, and to promote dialogue to end political crisis.

“Dialogue is necessary to build reconciliation,” Bishop Hubert Constant of Fort-Liberte said at a Feb. 7 Thanksgiving Mass attended by the new president and concelebrated by almost all members of Haiti’s bishops’ conference as well as about 60 priests. The Mass was held following the presidential swearing-in ceremony earlier that day. The Caribbean island nation has had a deepening political crisis since parliamentary and local elections in May.

February 16, 2001

Second quake rumbles through El Salvador; Charlotte Diocese continues to EL SALVADOR — One month to the day after El Salvador experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake, on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at approximately 8:30 a.m., the entire country experienced another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 to 6.9.

The epicenter has been reported to be in the town of San Pedro Nonualco, Department of La Paz, about 45 miles southeast of San Salvador.

Most of the major damage has been reported in the town of San Vicente and its outlying communities, located in the Department of San Vicente and in Cojutepeque, Department of Cuscatlán. In San Vicente, all phone lines, electricity and water are down.

These affected areas are actually areas that were less affected by the first earthquake. Therefore, this second quake has spread the destruction throughout the country and means that relief efforts will have to expand their focus to many more communities.

In the urban area of the municipality of San Vicente, unofficial preliminary figures report that 50 percent to 80 percent of houses have been completely destroyed, and three local churches and the city offices destroyed.

The only hospital in town has been receiving the wounded.

In the other severely hit area, the municipality of Cojutepeque, Department of Cuscatlán, a Catholic school was totally destroyed and unofficial reports indicate that as many as 5 children between the ages of 4 and 6 may have been killed.

Wednesday’s estimates for the en-

The Catholic News & Herald 7

From the

tire country after this second quake are around 200 dead.

Several Catholic Relief Services staff were traveling in the San Vicente area at the time of the earthquake.

They immediately mobilized and reached San Vicente to collect information on the damage, and initiated coordination activities between CRS, Caritas and local priests.

In addition, CRS staff were accompanying two truckloads of food donated by the World Food Program (WFP) when the second earthquake hit. CRS immediately redirected the approximately 12 metric tons of rice, beans, and cooking oil to affected families in San Vicente.

Catholic Relief Services had already been developing plans for temporary housing reconstruction in response to the January 13 quake. The hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by the two quakes will need temporary shelter before the rainy season begins in May. Catholic Relief Services and Caritas/El Salvador will now incorporate the communities affected by the second earthquake into its immediate emergency response and long-term interventions.

Specifically, beyond the immediate distributions of food, household items, and temporary shelter materials needed to save lives, CRS will focus on restoring the livelihoods of those affected by these two natural disasters, addressing the mental health needs of the population, and coordinating with the Catholic Church in El Salvador to

strengthen civil society.

Want to help?

The Diocese of Charlotte, through Catholic Relief Ser vices (CRS), is responding to the immediate human needs of the people of El Salvador for food, plastic sheeting, blankets, tents, mats and other non-food items. CRS is the U.S. Catholic Church’s international development and relief organization and is committed to helping the people of El Salvador recover from this tragedy and rebuild their communities.

This call for your generous response to the needs of the people in El Salvador follows upon the Diocese of Charlotte’s recent appeals for assistance to aid the

people of India and El Salvador, who experienced two quakes within the past month.

If you wish to donate funds to support the earthquake relief efforts of CRS in El Salvador and/or India, please send a contribution to your parish office. Make your checks out to your parish marked clearly for CRS Relief: El Salvador or CRS Relief: India. Alternately, you may make your donation check out to the Diocese of Charlotte, mailing your check to the following address: Diocese of Charlotte, CRS Earthquake Relief, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

Contributions will be forwarded to CRS. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

CNS photo from Reuters

A young man recovers belongings, including a statue of Christ, from his ruined home in the village of San Vicente in El Salvador Feb. 13. A second earthquake in the country in a month’s time killed at least 170 people and flattened homes, businesses, schools and churches.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

In the

Indian officials praise priest’s effort to save tigers

By Catholic News Service VALMIKINAGAR, India (CNS) — A priest in eastern India has won admirers even among Hindu government officials for persuading tribals not to illegally hunt tigers.

“The priest has done what we could not do with state power and resources,” said Ashok Prasad, a senior forest conservator in Valmikinagar, Bihar state, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand.

Father Hilarius Kujur of Bettiah Diocese has persuaded Tharu and Oraon tribals not to poach tigers and to become the wild animals’ guardians instead, the officer said.

Prasad told UCA News that they received no reports of tigers being killed after the 65-year-old priest launched his “save the tiger” campaign among tribals who live near the forests on the Indo-Nepal border, a traditional habitat of Royal Bengal tigers.

Two decades ago, the forest housed some 1,000 tigers, but their number came down to 20 just before the priest’s campaign.

Since then, the tiger population has gone up to 32, and Prasad predicts it will hit 200 in a decade if the trend continues.

Father Kujur, an Oraon tribal priest, told UCA News that he wanted to save the tigers because many of his parishioners lost their crops to wild grazing animals.

According to agronomist Ramakant Mishra, tigers are the “the most reliable guards” since they prowl around fields for wild animals that destroy the crops.

Sitaram Mishra, a forest ranger, said that until the priest intervened, the government spent some 500 million rupees (about US$10.8 million) for tiger conservation in the area — without results.

In 1990, the government declared the forests a protected sanctuary for tigers and made poaching them a crime.

However, poaching was not brought to the attention of authorities since it involved big money, Father Kujur said.

Lakshman Kazi, 70, chief of Domath Tharu tribal village, told UCA News he saw tigers roam like ordinary cats during his childhood.

He said he went with his father and uncles on tiger safaris as a bravery sport.

He later regretted killing tigers indiscriminately as a commercial venture.

Father Kujur said he taught some 200,000 Tharu and Oraon that poaching tigers went against their respect for nature and harmed the forests they revered.

He also convinced an assembly of elected headmen and village tribal clan chiefs that they could save their crops if they let tigers live.

On the priest’s proposal, the elders met at Valmikinagar, some 600 miles east of New Delhi, and pledged not to kill tigers, a vow that bound all tribals in the area.

The priest said the chiefs formed a tiger protection force comprising 10 people for every village.

Sister Prasana, 56, who tours villages to carry out literacy and health programs, helped with Father Kujur’s campaign. The Daughters of St. Anne nun said people obeyed the elders readily since they were suffering from an ecological imbalance created by poaching.

According to a study by the non-

February 16, 2001

February 16, 2001

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Around the Dio-

PEERS,

from page 1

gathering — the Diocesan Youth Conference. They also help with the middle school Spring Fling, the Lenten retreat, vicariate retreats and other youth events. The Diocesan Youth Conference is a weekend of faith sharing, activities and fellowship for the younger members of the diocese. The DYC teens help to make the weekend a rewarding and spiritually stimulating experience for all.

“Helping to plan the conference, coming up with ideas and planning something this big has been rewarding for me,” said Sullivan.

Seventeen-year-old Erin Morrison, a parishioner at St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton, said that being on the DYC for the past two years has helped her to become a part of a history-making event with last year’s World Youth Day. Kotlowski led a group of youth to Rome to witness the festivities first-hand. “DYC has opened my eyes to a lot of things and has given me a chance to meet Catholics just like me, not only here, but all over the world. I think youth can bring life, energy and new perspectives to the church.”

Kotlowski agreed that through the DYC and youth ministry that diocesan youth are provided with a continuous means of evangelization and catechization. “Providing diocesan-wise youth events is crucial for young people growing up in the Diocese of Charlotte who make up only three percent of the diocese. The diocesan youth office with its programs and opportunities for ministry for youth and adults is an ongoing means of providing opportunities for fellowship, worship and growth in Je-

Community Mass Held in Elkin ELKIN — A community Mass was recently held at the Elkin armory.

St. Stephen Church of Elkin joined with Cristo Rey of Yadkinville and Sagrado Corazon de Jesus of Dobson in a bi-lingual Mass attended by over 450 people.

The celebrants of the Mass were Father Michael T. Kottar and Father Ricardo Sanchez.

The three parishes came together in prayer and fellowship in anticipation of a united future parish in Boonville.

Each parish provided an array of lively music for the Mass. After the Mass, tables laden with bountiful amounts of a variety of food provided an ample feast for all.

This is the first co-operative effort for the Surry and Yadkin county parishes.

It was a wonderful spirit of togetherness and the promise of many more festivities in the future.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald Book Review

Book by Bernardin brings bounty of personal reflections

Reviewed by Lou Panarale Catholic News Service In August 1996 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago was told the pancreatic cancer doctors removed a year earlier was recurring in his liver and was inoperable.

After learning he likely had only a few months to live, he corresponded, visited and prayed with ailing people and their families from around the country.

“Many people have asked me why I’m at peace, or how I can be at peace,” the cardinal remarked.

“First, you have to put yourself totally

The editors say “The Journey to Peace” was designed to help readers understand the relevance of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection to their own lives, inviting all to join the journey that leads to peace. The book was in the making for nearly four years.

Father Spilly and Langford point out that while Cardinal Bernardin did not preach and write precisely about the Stations themselves, his words often illuminated aspects of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection in new and timely ways.

The editors invite readers of “The

“The Journey to Peace: Reflections on Faith, Embracing Suffering and Finding New Life,” by Cardinal Joseph

Bernardin; edited by Father Alphonse P. Spilly and Jeremy Langford. Doubleday (New York, 2001). 151 pp. $26.95.

in the hands of the Lord. Secondly, you have to begin seeing death not so much as an enemy but as a friend. And thirdly, you have to begin letting go. And if you can do those three things, then you experience peace.”

The cardinal was asked by friends to consider compiling some of his major texts for future publication. The subject came up again and again before he died in November of that year.

“Al, you’ll have to do that for me,” he told Precious Blood Father Alphonse Spilly, who had been the cardinal’s special assistant for 12 years. Father Spilly described the cardinal’s request as “a very emotional thing for me.”

In the final months before he died, Cardinal Bernardin shared his personal reflections with Father Spilly on faith, suffering and facing death. Those meetings resulted in “The Gift of Peace,” which made The New York Times best-seller list.

Now comes the newly released followup, “Journey to Peace,” a collection of Cardinal Bernardin’s previously unpublished reflections, again compiled and edited by Father Spilly and Jeremy Langford. Using the Stations of the Cross as a framework, the book reveals Cardinal Bernardin’s extraordinary faith, wisdom and compassion.

February 16, 2001

Read-

Journey to Peace” to stop and meditate at each Station on “all that it tells you about Jesus and about yourself as one of his followers.”

“Our prayer and hope is that as you read this book in portions throughout the year, you will accept Cardinal Bernardin’s invitation to enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus’ passion and resurrection and find yourself further along the road on your journey to peace.”

Panarale is book review editor at Catholic News Service.

Word to Life

February 18, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle B Readings: 1) 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13 2) 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 3) Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

By BEVERLY CORZINE Catholic News Service Each morning across the country experts abound to help us determine how to lose weight, fight cancer, raise our children and invest wisely before we race out the door.

I confess my own morning drill is not unique. Coffee in hand, I spend time praying with the Scriptures and my journal before I get ready for work.

Once groomed, I pour that second cup of coffee and eat my instant oatmeal while I catch news, traffic and weather reports. Occasionally I have time to watch an interview with an authority on some noteworthy societal or health issue before I enter the I-30 Grand Prix once again.

On one such morning not long ago, the lead-in for a segment on the problems of adult children of aging parents caught my attention. Not only do these people have the burden of care for their infirm parents, they also have children and sometimes grandchildren who depend on them for both financial and emotional support.

During the conversation between news anchor and expert, I learned that this is one of the challenges presented

to us by an aging population. But the intriguing part of the interview was watching two people talk about lifeand-death issues without mentioning the words “old age” and “dying.”

Finally, the news anchor asked the expert, in the most politically correct manner, how one discusses the topic with one’s own parent of moving into an assisted living facility, nursing home or hospice. At this point in the conversation, the anchor seemed to be looking for a formula; the expert tried valiantly to provide one.

Initially, it sounded as if they were discussing trapping an unsuspecting animal. Then the most amazing thing happened. The expert leaned forward and spoke simply from her heart. “The best advice I can give,” she said, “is to think about how you would feel if the circumstances were reversed. How would you wish to be treated?”

I smiled, clicked the remote and thought, “Now there’s an expert who really does use an expert’s advice!”

QUESTION: Beverly indicates she wears two hats as she faces our busy world, one as a consumer of useful information and one as a Christian who must screen that information carefully to see how it lines up with her Christian view of the world.

Do you wear two such hats?

Weekly Scripture

Readings for the week of Feb. 18 - 24, 2001 Sunday, 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:2738; Monday, Sirach 1:1-10, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday, Sirach 2:1-11, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (St. Peter Damian), Sirach 4:11-19, Mark 9:38-40; Thursday (The Chair of St. Peter), 1 Peter 5:1-4. Matthew 16:13-19; Friday (St. Polycarp), Sirach 6:5-17, Mark 10:1-12; Saturday, Sirach 17:1-15, Mark 10:13-16 Readings for the week of Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2001 Sunday, Sirach 27:4-7, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, Luke 6:39-45; Monday, Sirach 17:19-27, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday, Sirach 35:1-12, Mark 10:28-31; Ash Wednesday (Fast & Abstinence), Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday, Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday (St. Katherine Drexel), Isaiah 58:9-14, Luke 5:27-32

February 16, 2001

Entertain-

Actor Cromwell plays another kind of shepherd

Actor Cromwell playes bishop in ‘ER’ series

CNS photo from NBC

Actor James Cromwell stars as Bishop Stewart in an episode of NBC-TV’s popular prime-time drama “ER.” Cromwell’s character counsels a tormented Dr. Luka Kovac (right), played by Goran Visnjic.

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — In five years, actor James Cromwell’s career has gone from playing a sheep herder to playing a shepherd.

Cromwell received an Oscar nomination for his role as Farmer Hoggett in the 1995 movie “Babe,” the story of a pig who wanted to be a sheepdog.

This winter, Cromwell has been a guest star on the NBC drama “ER,” portraying Bishop Stewart, a revered but fictitious Catholic bishop in Chicago who shepherds souls — in this case the brooding Dr. Luka Kovac (Goran Visnjic) — while dealing with his own mortality. The guest appearances end with the Feb. 22 episode.

In a Feb. 6 conference call with TV writers, Cromwell noted he was aware of the highly public struggle of Chicago Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin with the cancer that ultimately claimed his life in 1996, but said he did not base the Bishop Stewart character on Cardinal Bernardin.

Cromwell said “ER” executive producer John Wells, himself the son of an Episcopal priest, sought the actor’s input in shaping the character.

Cromwell said he thought it would be interesting if a man of such religious stature had a crisis of faith — “not in his church, but in himself” — as death seemed near.

“None of us knows what happens at that instant (of death),” Cromwell said. “When you die, will your faith and will your self-control sustain you, or will you fall to pieces?”

He likened it to author C.S. Lewis’ experiences as recounted in the movie “Shadowlands,” in which Lewis had well-established notions of religious faith, belief and practice, and how his subsequent marriage challenged and transformed those long-held views.

In the midst of Bishop Stewart’s own battle for health and serenity, he ministers to other patients in the emergency room.

He also has taken an interest in Kovac,

a Croatian native who lost his family in the secession war with Yugoslavia, and who more recently beat to death a mugger who had attacked him and tried to take girlfriend Abby Lockhart’s (Maura Tierney) purse. Kovac’s sullen demeanor has thus far posed a hard nut for the bishop to crack.

Cromwell said TV is a more intimate medium than film.

“You come home from a long day at work, and you’re very vulnerable,” he added.

“ER,” which he called “a very provocative, engaging and very thoughtful” show, “forces people to confront things,” yet not in a “doctrinaire, good-bad, right-wrong” way, he said. “It has a lot of subtleties.”

Instead, Cromwell said, viewers can see what’s happening in a fictional character’s life on the show and then ask themselves, “How would I handle that if it happened to me?”

“That’s the way we move forward as a culture,” he added.

Cromwell, who is not a Catholic, said he got help with the religious nuances of his role from Jesuit Fathers John LeVecke and Jim Epps at Blessed Sacrament Church in Los Angeles, where taping of some scenes occurred for his “ER” role. He also had help from Deacon Jack Coplen and layman Peter Thompson at St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks, Calif., near his home.

In one scene, the script had Bishop Stewart saying, “In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.”

“It all sounded very nice,” Cromwell noted, except “they don’t say that anymore,” with sacraments today celebrated in the vernacular.

The dialogue was changed.

At another point, Cromwell as the bishop was saying his prayers and realized he had forgotten to make the sign of the cross.

When the actor related this to Thompson afterward, he said he was told: “Don’t sweat the small stuff. The form isn’t what matters. It’s what’s in your heart that counts.”

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February 16, 2001

Editorials & Col-

The Pope Speaks

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Forgiveness is only way to peace, pope says in Lenten message

By John Norton Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II asked Christians to radically embrace the Gospel command to love one’s enemy, saying forgiveness was the only way to peace between peoples and nations.

“In our times, forgiveness appears more and more as a necessary dimension for an authentic social renewal and for the strengthening of peace in the world,” he said in his annual message for Lent.

The 1,600-word message, centering on the scriptural phrase, “Love is not resentful,” was presented at a Vatican press conference Feb. 9.

The pope said Lent, a traditional time of reconciling with God, should prompt believers to re-examine whether their lives conform to Christ’s command to “love your enemies (and) do good to those who hate you.”

“They are words that, if taken seriously, demand a radical conversion,” he said.

In addition to asking forgiveness for wrongs committed, “the Christian must make peace even when feeling as the victim of one who has unjustly offended and struck,” he said.

He said only interior conversion and “humble obedience to the command of Jesus” could enable believers to resist “the psychological mechanisms of self-pity and revenge.”

He particularly emphasized the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation, saying the experience of receiving God’s forgiveness “encourages us to live in love, considering the other not as enemy but as a brother.”

In addition to its spiritual fruits, forgiveness brings peace between peoples and opens individuals to the material needs of others, he said.

Especially in places where conflict has left enduring animosity among peoples, accepting and offering forgiveness interrupts “the spiral of hatred and revenge, and breaks the chains of evil which bind the hearts of rivals,” he said.

“For nations in search of reconciliation and for those hoping for peaceful coexistence among individuals and peoples, there is no other way than forgiveness received and offered,” he said.

He said spiritual reconciliation also predisposes individuals to see and respond to the material needs of others, because “a heart reconciled with God and with neighbor is a generous heart.”

When done with a reconciled heart, the traditional Lenten practice of almsgiving “assumes a deeper meaning, because it is not just giving something from the surplus to relieve one’s conscience, but to truly take upon one’s self the misery present in the world,” he said.

At the press conference, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Vatican aid agency “Cor Unum,” unveiled a new papal charity project to assist AIDS orphans in Uganda over the next two years.

Funded by a gift to the pope of about $500,000 from the northern Italian city of Milan, local Ugandan Catholic organizations hope to care for some 2,000 children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS in and around the capital, Kampala.

Mary of history, mother of faith I had to smile once when a Catholic teen-ager referred to the mother of Jesus as “Mary Superstar.”

Actually I thought that was a good description of this amazing woman who has been given more titles than, I wager, most of us could recount.

Not surprising to me was my immediate curiosity when I picked up a new book called “Your One-Step Guide to Mary” (Charis, Servant Publications), that opened with this question: “Is there any other woman in the history of Western civilization who has had as great an impact as Mary, the mother of Jesus?”

Then, based on detailed research, we get this answer: “The Virgin Mary has been more of an inspiration to more people than any other woman who has ever lived. And she remains so as we enter the 21st century, despite its being conventionally regarded as secularistic by contrast with previous so called ages of faith.”

With this introduction, author Mitch Finley puts a magnifying glass on Mary’s story, from her introduction to us in the Bible to the present day. He ends as he began, with a question: “How might devotion to Mary fits into Catholic spirituality for a new millennium?”

In all honesty, I’ve read so much about Mary that I didn’t think I would find much that would be new to me. Nor did I think it would affect my own personal devotion to this woman who has been my inspiring guide as I journeyed through a difficult life as a Catholic mother raising children alone and outliving sons.

I was wrong on both counts. I didn’t know, for example, that the first Marian hymn dates back to Christian worship services during the second century.

Nor did I know that the earliest portrayal of Mary was in A.D. 150 — a fresco painted in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome.

Most of us have no doubt wondered about Mary’s early life, her parents, the turmoil in the family when it was discovered that this unmarried Jewish maiden was pregnant. Finley relates the stories about Mary’s

Economy of Faith GLENMARY FATHER JOHN S. RAUSCH Guest Columnist

Looking at the major causes of crime, the bishops recognize the link with poverty for spawning gangs, violence and substance addiction. In their words: “Fighting poverty, educating children, and supporting families are essential anti-crime strategies.” Drug-related crimes account for at least one third of all convictions, but treatment programs in prisons have been diminishing. Yet, a finding by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs indicates that every dollar spent on treating substance abuse problems saves seven dollars through reductions in crime and hospitalization. Simply put, society will need fewer prisons with more crime prevention, addiction treatment programs and poverty reduction.

Prophetically, the bishops encourage the spiritual healing of both victim and perpetrator of crime through restorative justice. The process calls the offender to face the victims and the community for his crime. When a criminal meets the person he robbed, the offender begins to realize the consequences of his actions, accept responsibility, make reparation and finally rebuild his life. The victim most times experiences a greater sense of peace and closure to the personal violation. Restorative justice heals by putting a human face on the process.

The bishops want the $35 billion spent annually on corrections to be reconsidered. Rather than building prisons to warehouse more people, the bishops ask to address the root causes of crime and build a healthier society.

The Bottom Line ANTOINNETTE BOSCO CNS Columnist

childhood told in the apocryphal “Protoevangelium Jacobi” (“Gospel of James”). This may be an apocryphal document, but it is plausible fiction, filling a void in the Gospels when it comes to information about Mary.

No doubt these legends about Mary proliferated in the centuries that followed, when, Finley says, “the Christian imagination, it seems, could not get enough of Mary.”

Finley presents a smorgasbord of facts to show Mary’s increasing importance, starting with the early decades of the Christian era. Hundreds of legends about Mary developed during the Middle Ages, all depicting her as kind, a helper of the poor, the oppressed and sinners.

This merciful mother never holds back on love for us earthly ones. No wonder she remains supreme in our hearts.

Above all, Mary is our model for faith — faith that “abandons the self in complete trust that, whatever happens, God’s loving kindness will be there. It is this faith that Mary teaches us yesterday, today and forever.”

Crime and justice When the Catholic chaplain brings Communion to an inmate at a supermax prison in southwest Virginia, he leaves the Eucharist on a chair, exits the room, then waits for the prisoner to enter and receive Holy Communion by himself. The rules deny any physical contact. Religious services appear an imposition on prison order. Located in a rural area at the extreme end of the state, the prison routinely uses isolation of inmates for up to 23 hours a day in a cell measuring 6 by 12 feet. Although sweeping vistas with crenulated mountain ranges surround the facility, inmates never glimpse the beauty — another calculated punishment by sensory privation.

Across the state line in Kentucky, an inmate serving one year for a parole violation contracted tuberculosis in a crowded jail cell. The regional jail represents a source of revenue for the county by housing state prisoners with more temporary county offenders. The prison has no exercise yard, few amenities and a library consisting of a roll-around book cart.

In November 2000, the U.S. Catholic bishops issued a pastoral letter about a Catholic perspective on crime and criminal justice, “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration.” The pastoral addresses the state of criminal justice in the U.S. today and offers directions for reform based on Church teaching. “How can we protect and rebuild communities, confront crime without vengeance, and defend life without taking life?” it asks. It sees crime not simply as a violation of law, but a threat to community. It rejects punishment for its own sake, emphasizing rather its constructive and redemptive purpose.

By affirming the principles of human dignity and community the pastoral bucks the fashionable political trends in corrections. It dismisses “three strikes and you’re out” and “zero-tolerance” for drug offenders as too simplistic and a major cause for the rapid growth of the U.S. prison population, now at two million. It rejects trying a juvenile as an adult, and it deplores the expanded use of isolation units. It calls for the sensible regulation of handguns and the abolition of the death penalty for the violence it inflicts on society.

Ultimately, the bishops seek a criminal justice system that tempers justice with mercy.

February 16, 2001

Editorials & Col-

Light One Candle MSGR. JAMES P. LISANTE Guest Columnist cover our drinking)? * Was it our silly acts of rebellion when we rejected all authority (including our parents) as outdated and stupid and out of touch? * Was it the vacation they didn’t take because there were too many bills to cover? * Was it all of those awful parent-teacher meetings, when teachers chided her children for unrealized “potential,” but only Mom really believed that promise was there? * Was it the times when her brothers and parents died, but there was so little time to grieve because we were children who needed to be raised? * Was it going without so that we would have more? * Was it the struggle to juggle the vocation of being a mother with the vocation of being a spouse? * Was it the pain of letting go when we grew up, the challenge of loving us enough to let us be free?

Our parents give us so much, and it costs them.

Our appreciation of our moms should not be limited to one day, Mother’s Day. Our mothers are givers and, from time to time, we need to let them know that in a world sometimes devoid of heroes they continue to give heroic witness.

other examples.)

Very gradually, in somewhat different ways in the East and West, the church began to explore the connections between the Trinity’s life and actions “ad intra” as they are sometimes called, God’s inner life, and God’s actions “ad extra,” what God does outside himself, in creation.

This brings us closer to the answer to your question, insofar as we can have one. While they relate in some mysterious ways with each other as “persons,” the Father, the begotten Son and the Spirit who proceeds from both share equally the one divine nature.

Each is distinct, but each is truly God. From this perspective, every action of God that involves creation, including creation itself, is coequally the action of all three persons. Since there is only one God-substance, none of the three act independently. Whatever is done outside of their coexistent relationship, all do.

Thus, it is proper and necessary to say that the Father, Son and Spirit are involved in the work of creation and in all that sustains and affects that creation.

At the same time, as God reveals himself in the Scriptures, specific divine actions are attributed to one or another of the three persons. External actions of God are seen as appropriate (thus the term appropriation) to a particular person in view of that person’s “place” in the inner life of the Trinity.

The Son is seen as the Word generated from eternity, not as a creature, but as sharing the Godnature with the Father. To him is attributed qualities such as orderliness and filial love of the Father. In him, as the Word made flesh, the kingdom of God is revealed as present in our human existence.

While only the Son took on our human nature and entered eternal glory through the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection, all three persons were, and are, involved and active in the entire saving life and work of Jesus.

It is impossible here to give extensive biblical references to all these truths. But a little serious looking up of passages

Happy (Early) Mother’s Day! A few years ago, my mother underwent heart surgery. It was a tough operation. After they rolled her into the operating room, a sensible old doctor came out and told us to go home. He’d call us when she came out of surgery. My father insisted on staying at the hospital. But my sisters and I decided to listen to the doctor.

When you’re waiting for someone you love to come through major surgery, time seems endless.

With nothing to do but worry, my sisters and I started paging through old photo albums. And there, dating back to the 1940s and 1950s, were pictures of our parents. They looked great. My mother was beautiful and in terrific shape. We don’t usually think of our parents as good-looking because they are, after all, our moms and dads. But in page after page of the albums, we saw people of youth and zest and beauty.

Hours later, the phone rang. Mom was out of surgery, and we could go to Intensive Care to visit with her for a few moments. When I saw her, she looked awful, really beaten up. And the sound of the respirator drawing her breath in and out ran right through me. As I stood by her bedside, my mind was drawn back to those earlier photographs. And I wondered: what had happened to that young and lovely woman? * Was it the burden of having children? * Was it staying up all night with those children through measles, mumps, fevers, chicken pox, and all the other assorted ailments which plague youngsters? * Was it the thousands of wash loads in an age before disposable diapers? * Was it waiting for us to come home from dates, when our curfew was midnight but excuses always brought us in after 1 a.m.? * Was it the people we dated who sometimes turned out to be every bit as bad as our parents had predicted? * Was it the glassy eyes we averted or the alcohol on our breath (no matter how many mints we used to

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

The Holy Trinity: Who is Creator?

Q. I’ve read your column for years and now have a question about the Holy Trinity. Which person in the Trinity is the Creator?

St. Paul writes about Jesus, “In him were created all things in heaven and on earth” (Col 1:16). Yet in the creed we say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

Then in the hymn to the Holy Spirit we sing, “Come Holy Ghost, creator blest.” Are they all “creators”? How do we explain this?

A. We must realize first of all that we do not have — and as limited creatures, could not possibly have — a thorough “explanation” of the nature or the works of the Holy Trinity. The reason, of course, is that we are dealing here with the greatest, and central, mystery of the Christian faith.

Practically everything we know of the Trinity has come from the church’s theological and spiritual reflection on two sources: how Jesus talked about the interrelationships between himself and the Father and the Holy Spirit; and how Christians, individually and collectively, experience the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in their lives.

Jesus, for example, speaks of sending the Spirit.

In numerous passages we read how the very early Christians are quite conscious that their actions are undertaken under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 10:44, 11:12, 13:2 among many

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Coming of Age AMY WELBORN CNS Columnist Who is really smart?

This is a message to all the smart kids: Watch out. You’re nowhere near as smart as you think you are.

Take it from a former so-called smart kid who, as a teacher, hung out around plenty of smart kids: If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that smart kids have the most uncanny habit of making the dumbest choices and biggest mistakes.

Let me explain. You probably already understand that there are lots of ways of being “smart.” There’s book smart and street smart.

There are also people who are very diligent workers, spend hours hitting the books and get no grades less than an A, but who, when you get down to it, aren’t that intelligent at all. Sure, they’re smart enough to figure out what they have to do to succeed, but beyond that they’re really just good memorizers rather than good thinkers, right?

No, when I talk about the smart kids, I’m not necessarily talking about the honor roll. I’m talking about the kids, no matter what grades they pull or how engaged they are in school, who are just intelligent: No matter what their specific strengths, they have a quick understanding, they’re able to see the connections between details, and they can analyze.

You’re probably pretty smart yourself. I’m tempted to declare that if you’re reading this, you’re a proven genius, but I won’t. We’ll just acknowledge that you know you’re not stupid, and you probably think you’re smarter than some of the people around you, particularly the adults.

As I said, watch out. Here’s why.

I can’t tell you how many smart kids I’ve known who’ve ended up their late teens dependent on alcohol. Or how many were involved in pregnancies before marriage, both boys and girls. Or how many got involved in truly idiotic acts of vandalism, harassment or theft. Or how many smart kids were just plain mean.

How can anyone with even the least bit of intelligence be brought down by such selfdestructive activities?

Here’s how it works: If you are a generally intelligent person and are constantly told as much, you’re at risk of forgetting one important reality: You are still human, you can still be blinded by emotion and need, and you can make huge mistakes.

You know how to make good grades. You know how to balance school and extracurriculars. You have a pretty good understanding of the world. Surely any personal decision you make will be bathed in the same glow of success as your report card, right?

Not exactly.

So sure, thank God for whatever gifts you have, but beware all the same. After all, scour the Gospels for days, and one thing you won’t find is Jesus declaring, “Blessed are the honor students ...” He seems to indicate that there’s something beyond intelligence that brings peace.

So put that brain to good use. Try to figure out what that “something” might be.

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

February 16, 2001

Around the Dio-

In Brief . . .

Summer religion camp ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Oratory Religion Camp will hold two separate one-week sessions at Camp York in Kings Mountain State Park during the weeks of July 8-14 and July 15-21. Boys and girls under 12, entering grades 2-6 in Sept., can apply for consideration.

Those 16 and older wishing to volunteer as counselors can write for a staff application. Application deadline is June 11. For further information and application, write to: Oratorian Father William F. Pentis, camp coordinator; the Oratory Religion Camp, P.O. Box 11586, Rock Hill, S.C., 29731-1586; or call (803) 327-2097.

Catholic praise musician to give concert CHARLOTTE — Popular contemporary praise musician Greg Walton will perform live in concert for youth and adults Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., in Charlotte. Walton, a Catholic, is a former high school music teacher who worked in suburban Chicago.

He began his music career by spending two years on the road with Christian group, Polarboy. He then formed his own band and now performs as a solo artist.

Based in Nashville, he tours throughout the United States and abroad, playing at Christian music concerts, festivals and worship events. He also leads worship music for conferences and retreats. The concert is free, and free-will offerings will be accepted.

For further information, contact Scott Walters at (704) 519-0786 or e-mail carolinaevents@e3mil.com.

OLG adult education program GREENSBORO — The Adult Education Program at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 W. Market St., continues on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the activ-

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Account Representatives: Providence House/e3mil.com, a nationwide, Catholic direct sales, marketing and Internet corporation is seeking Account Representatives at its Fort Mill, SC location (10 miles south of Charlotte, NC). Qualified candidates will have had some general sales experience. Send resume to: Tony Gagliardo, Director of Advertising, Providence House/ e3mil.com, PO Box 1589, Fort Mill, SC 29716. Fax: (803)802-4367; Tgagliardo@Providencehouse.net.

Administrative Assistant: Fulltime. Oversees church statistics/ database, supports pastor and staff, prepares and manages church calendar, assists prospective parishioners, and other duties as assigned. BA/BS and 2-4 years business/administrative experience required. Must have knowledge of Catholic terminology,

St. Peter Catholic Church and through uptown to 5th St. After the parade, there will be a separate Irish festival at the First Union Atrium on Tryon St. For more information or to join in the parade, call Tim Lawson at (704) 522-9728 or NCAOH@ aol.com.

Courtesy Photo

“Lift High the Cross” From left, Bishop Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn, supreme chaplain; Robert J. Singer, state deputy for North Carolina; and Carl A. Anderson, newly elected Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus celebrate the Knights’ theme for 2001: “Lift High the Cross.” The Knights of Columbus is a family service organization and is nationally headquartered in New Haven, Conn. ity center. Wanda Smith, a recent convert to the Catholic faith, is presenting “What Do I Say,” a session concerning how to answer questions from Protestants about the Catholic faith. Join the group for a potluck at 5:45 p.m. in the cafeteria. For further details, call the parish religious education office at (336) 274-0415.

Belmont Abbey play season continues BELMONT — The Abbey Players/ Belmont Community Theatre’s production of the Kander and Ebb musical revue “The World Goes ‘Round” takes place March 15-23 at 7:30 p.m. The play; taking place in the Haid Theatre on the campus of Belmont Abbey College, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd.; features songs from Broadway hits such as “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and others. For tickets and other information, call (704) 825-6786 or (704) 825-6787. excellent customer service skills and be a self-motivator who works well with others. Proficiency in MS Office, Excel, and Powerpoint required.

Excellent diocesan benefits provided.

Submit resume, salary history, and references by December 1 to: Search Committee, Holy Infant Catholic Church, 5000 Southpark Drive, Durham, NC 27713-9470.

Adult Faith Formation: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a parish community of 500 families, seeks a Pastoral Associate to be responsible for RCIA/ RCIC, sacramental preparation, adult faith formation, and act as a resource person to staff, youth and teen ministers, and parish committees. M.A. in religious Education/Theology required. Send resume, references and salary requirements to: Search Committee, 700 Carnegie St., Fayetteville, NC 28311.

Child Care Provider: Room At the Inn, a Catholic maternity home for single, pregnant mothers located in Charlotte, needs a full-time Child Care Provider. Experience preferred. Call Trish for more information: (704)5254673.

Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade CHARLOTTE — The Mecklenburg County Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America in cooperation with Dyer-Hart Productions is presenting Charlotte’s 5th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The parade steps off at noon on March 17 from the corner of Tryon and Stonewall Sts. The parade travels down Tryon past

St. Peter Church 150th anniversary CHARLOTTE — The sesquicentennial celebration of St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., starts on March 18 and continues through Jan. 29, 2002. The church history committee is still looking for former parishioners who would like to share stories or facts about the church’s history. This information is being used for the ongoing celebration and possibly for a published church history. Contact the parish office at (704) 332-2901, Ext. 12, with your name, phone number and time to call.

“Light Weigh” weight-loss program CHARLOTTE — The Light Weigh is a 12-week Catholic spiritual growth weight-loss program designed to help deepen your relationship with Jesus while learning to eat the foods you enjoy in moderation. An orientation will be offered at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., beginning on March 7 at 7 p.m. in the parish center in Room 102. The classes will run for the following 12 Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

For details, call Connie Tobey at (704) 541-

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Payment: Ads may be pre-paid or billed. For information, call (704) 370-3332.

Director of Music Ministry: Holy Infant Catholic Church is in search of a full-time Director of Music. Located in Durham, North Carolina, a dynamic and growing area of the country near Research Triangle Park, this Vatican II parish consists of 900 households that are committed to ongoing liturgical renewal. Holy Infant Parish embraces its call to be hospitable, inclusive and Christ-centered. This position works closely with the Pastor and a collaborative and supportive staff.

Requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field although a master’s degree is preferred. Must have music performance skill (e.g. piano, voice); choral directing; cantor training; knowledge of Catholic rites and rituals. Available no later than November 1, 2000. Salary commensurate with education and experience. Benefits package included. Send resume to: DOMM Search Committee, Holy

Infant Catholic Church, 5000 Southpark Dr., Durham, NC 27713. Fax 919/544-1799. References required at time of application for consideration for this position.

Music Minister: Rapidly growing parish of 700 families near Raleigh, North Carolina is building new church and desires qualified person knowledgeable in Roman Catholic liturgy. Candidate will have a BA in music and keyboard proficiency. Full-time salary of 35K with benefits. Job description on request.

Send inquiries/resume by February 28 to: Search Committee, St. Ann Church, 113 N. 7th St., Smithfield, NC 27577.

Principal, Elementary: Catholic Elementary School, north Atlanta.

Candidate must be Catholic with M. Ed. in Administration. Seeking enthusiastic, spiritual and progres-

February 16, 2001

Around the Dio-

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Pilgrimage plans set for Marian Shrines of France the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette.

By Joann S. Keane At the age of 13, Bernadette SoubiEditor rous of Lourdes received 18 visions CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of from the Blessed Mother.

Charlotte has announced plans for an In Lourdes, ample time is allocated October pilgrimage to France and for collective and individual prayer. extends an invitation to join together The group will join on this journey to pilgrims from around Marian shrines. the world to pray the This is an 11rosary during the day pilgrimage with candlelight procesan itinerary includsion. ing Lisieux, Rouen, Departing Chartres, Nevers and from the Southwest Lourdes. Participants village of Lourdes, will also spend time travelers will board on the beach at Nora high speed train mandy, along with to Paris. For the reseveral days in Parmaining three days, is before returning pilgrims will have stateside. an opportunity to Rev. Mr. Curtiss visit some of the Todd, vice chancellor t r u e h i g h l i g h t s, and vicar for Afriwhich make Paris, can American Affairs, the City of Lights. along with Msg r.

In Notre Dame, pilWilliam Pharr, pastor grims will have an of St. Vincent de Paul opportunity to see parish in Charlotte, precious relics from will accompany pilthe Crown of Thorns grims on this fascinatand the True Cross. ing trip, going off the While in Paris, beaten pilgrimagethe group will visit track to visit signifithe Shrine of the cant but not always Miraculous Medal visited locales in on Rue du Bac, where France. A stop in Ars Our Lady appeared will see the incorto Catherine Laboure rupt body of St. John in 1830. From this Vianny, patron of apparition, came the parish priests. A side Miraculous Medal. trip to Normandy will The incorrupt body take participants to of St. Catherine is the Military Cemwithin this church. etery at Omaha Beach The trip includes and the Museum of Every year, more than five million a guided museum tour the D-Day Invasion. pilgrims — from around the of the Louvre Gallery.

Beginning with a world — visit the sanctuary Built as a medieval stop in Rouen, travelers will visit the mod- of Our Lady of Lourdes. The fortress in 1546, it ern church of St. Joan church was built above the became a residence of Arc, built on the grotto of Massabielle where to the royal family. site where the Brit- Bernadette heard the Blessed Under the French ish burned her at the Mother proclaim, “I am the Republic, it became stake. It will be on to Immaculate Conception.” From t h e m u s e u m a n d Lisieux, home of the the grotto flow healing waters home to a massive art Carmelite Convent attributed to 65 miracles with collection, and now containing the relics nearly five thousand additional contains artifacts and of St. Therese of the inexplicable miracles have works dating from also occurred. Pilgrims from the beginning of civiLittle Flower.

A visit to the the Diocese of Charlotte will lization up to the 19th magnificent cathedral spend two days in Lourdes century.

At a price of in Chartre will pro- during the October pilgrimage $2,399 per person, vide a breathtaking to shrines of France. the pilgrimage includes round-trip view of one of France’s most beautiful airfare from Charlotte to Paris via cathedrals. Stained glass dates from the direct flight on US Airways. Nine 12th and 13th centuries and is considbreakfasts and eight dinners are ered one of the greatest collections of included, as are all tips, taxes and preserved stained glass. gratuities. Pilgrims will travel via In Nevers, the Convent of St. motorcoach and the French rail sysGildard where St. Bernadette spent tem. An English-speaking guide will the last 13 years of her life will reveal accompany the group for the duration

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

Pope encourages Catholics to welcome nonBy Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholics are called to share the Gospel with non-Christians both in what were traditionally considered missionary territories as well as in their own neighborhoods, Pope John Paul II said.

The growing presence of non-Christian immigrants in predominantly Christian countries calls the church to be welcoming, to provide concrete assistance and to open avenues of dialogue, the pope said in his message for World Migration Day. The Vatican released the pope’s message Feb. 13. World Migration Day is observed on different dates in different countries.

In many countries, the pope said, the church’s attitude toward non-Christian newcomers already resembles church workers’ activity in mission lands: “They take care of the sick, the poor, the illiterate.”

Christians, he said, must respond to the physical and material needs of the poor, but motivated by the Gospel they do so in a way that ultimately aims at sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ.

“Some people fear that doing charity in view of evangelization could expose them to the accusation of proselytism,” the pope said.

However, he said, Catholics must remember, “the mission of the church today is exactly that of giving every human being, regardless of culture or race, the concrete possibility of meeting Christ.”

Pope John Paul said another essential element of the church’s mission is to defend the dignity and the human rights of all people, including their rights to preserve their heritage and to practice their religion.

People also have a right to leave their own country and enter another nation, although the right must be regulated to protect the common good of the people in the receiving country, he said.

The increased mobility of the world’s people offers possibilities for dialogue among members of different races and cultures, the pope said. At the same time, it may increase a “sense of temporariness” and relativism, leading to a decreased practice of the faith and a relaxing of moral values.

However, in the church’s pastoral care of Catholic migrants, the primary concern is not that their faith may be in danger, he said.

Living the

February 16, 2001

Permanent diaconate links service and the church

By Alesha M. Price Staff Writer CHARLOTTE — Rev. Mr. Ben Wenning has a grocery list of appointments and meetings scheduled every day usually from morning until evening. He is a part of many people’s lives from their own personal sunrises to sunsets; births, marriages, spiritual awakenings, deaths and other major events become incorporated into his world. Such is the life of a man of the permanent diaconate, a ministry that walks the line between the laity and consecrated life.

Permanent deacons are ordained ministers of the church; they can perform most of the sacramental duties of the church except consecration of the Eucharist, anointing of the sick and hearing confessions. One may find these servants of the church performing baptisms, marriages, assisting on the altar at Mass, serving as RCIA and marriage preparation teachers, serving on parish councils and in various other parish and diocesan duties.

Pope Paul VI led the Second Vatican Council to re-establish the permanent diaconate within the hierarchy of the Latin Church. Originally, the diaconate was the stage before men became priests, which is what the transitional diaconate is today. However, the permanent diaconate became a vocation all its own.

Rev. Mr. Wenning’s schedule is an example of the myriad of ministries that a deacon performs. Over two days in one week, he assisted at morning and weekend Masses at St. Gabriel Church, his home parish; visited a hospital patient; presided at two wake services, had meetings, discussed marriage preparation with two couples and left for Hickory to assist with the formation of men who will

the diocesan diaconate adminstator,” said Rev. Mr. Wenning, who has served as a deacon for 13 years. “This diocese and those around the country have come a long way with permanent deacons. We have gained respect.”

Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. Price by calling (704) 370-3354 or email amprice@charlottediocese.org.

become deacons for the diocese.

There are 65 permanent deacons in the Diocese of Charlotte with eight that will be ordained this summer. Of the 13,000 deacons in the United States, over 85 percent are married and have families, including Rev. Mr. Wenning, who has been married to his wife Dot — his high school sweetheart — for 44 years.

Together, they have five children and 12 grandchildren, all of whom live in Charlotte, and Rev. Mr. Wenning must craftily divide his time between family and his ministry. He also serves as the diocesan diaconate administrator, along with Rev. Mr. Louis Pais, and as the business manager of St. Gabriel Church.

“You have to be absolutely willing to be very supportive, and you really don’t know how it will be until they actually get into the job of the permanent diaconate,” said Dot Wenning. “It has a huge impact; for example, you never sit together in church again. It [a solid marriage] doesn’t come easily; you just have to work together.” Mrs. Wenning is periodically reminded that it was she who introduced her husband to volunteerism and ministerial and community work. “So, I guess I have myself to blame,” she added with a laugh.

The position does not come without its sacrifices. Even though a deacon is the only ordained man allowed to be married, if a deacon’s wife passes away, he is not allowed to remarry. Also, if a man is single, he is not allowed to marry after ordination. In this diocese, the men must go though approximately six-and-a-half years of diaconate formation, including academic work, spiritual formation, and lay ministry.

“It [the diaconate] became a second career for me. I had no idea I would be St. Gabriel’s business manager or

Up, Up and Away Airports and planes have always fascinated Rev. Mr. Wenning. Throughout his life, he has found ways to incorporate aeronautics in some way into his career.

He first learned about planes while serving in the Navy, which led him to a career as an air traffic controller and later, an airport tower deputy chief. While working, he was approached about becoming a permanent deacon and dove nose first into his ministry, which led him to becoming an airport chaplain.

“I thought I would be a retired deacon who simply hung out in the airport,” joked Rev. Mr. Wenning, who has served as the chaplain at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport for 13 years. The airport chaplaincy was established while he was in diaconate formation and still working as the deputy chief of the airport tower. He was asked to be the associate chaplain, and later, chaplain.

Airport chaplains were originally military chaplains who came back from World War II with no parish homes to which they could return. So, bishops created these positions for them. Rev. Mr. Wenning’s position is an ecumenical one in that he ministers to airport employees and passengers of various denominations and faiths. He supervises his 12 volunteers and maintains the office and chapel open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

“You are a kind of public servant,” he said. “You help people deal with emergencies, deaths, lost luggage, illnesses, baby showers, anything you can think of.”

The airport chaplaincy and the permanent diaconate keep Rev. Mr. Wenning in touch with the public, something that he has always loved. “This makes me feel good because it allows me to work with people in a more intense way.

As a deacon, you have the opportunity to work with people on an emotional and spiritual level. You see facets of people’s lives that you normally don’t see. Doors open for me and for them.”

—Alesha M. Price