Feb. 20, 2004

February 20, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Parish Profile: St. Elizabeth Church | Page 16

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI FEBRUARY 20, 2004

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Growing spirits

Youth garden receives national award

Out of the shadows

CSS, others work to help victims of human trafficking by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — Catholic organizations such as Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte are working to bring the hidden problem of human trafficking out of the shadows.

An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 victims of human trafficking — most of them women and children — enter the United States each year. The number of people brought across international borders worldwide for the sex trade or other forced labor is placed at anywhere from 400,000 to a million or more annually.

See TRAFFICKING, page 7

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Students at St. Patrick School in Charlotte work in their award-winning garden Feb. 17. said Robinson. “The students are able to plant, harvest and give back to the community.”

“National Garden Association is proud to support this terrific kids’ garden,” said Joan White, education program director for the National Gardening Association. “This program was selected because of a demonstrated commitment to actively and creatively engaging youth in the gardening process and to improving the community.”

The school is hoping to transform the garden into a national wildlife aviary, and add other sections in the future.

by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick School was selected from more than 500 youth gardening programs nationwide to receive a 2004 Youth Garden Grant from the National Gardening Association.

In recognition of this achievement, the school’s youth gardening program will receive an assortment of garden products donated by leading companies in the lawn and garden industry.

“The students really take pride in coming out here,” said Patty Dickson, a fifth-grade teacher. “They’ve worked hard to keep this alive. They’re ex-

cited to see their project grow.”

The garden is divided into sections and features plants and vegetables, a natural shelter area, an 18th-century herb garden, a biblical garden, an outdoor classroom area and a statue of Mary.

“It’s a beautiful place for the students to gather and learn,” said art teacher Bess Robinson.

Older students, who have been tending the garden for several years, are eager to help the younger students, said Dickson.

“We harvest the food and take it to the local soup kitchen or to Mother Teresa’s nuns (the Missionaries of Charity, who have a convent in Charlotte),”

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Bishop Jugis to address protection of children at Mass CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will deliver an Ash Wednesday message at St. Patrick Cathedral Feb. 25.

The bishop’s pastoral message will call Catholics to prayer during Lent and will discuss sexual abuse of children by clergy. At the Mass, Bishop Jugis will distribute ashes.

The theme for this year’s Lenten season as declared by Pope John Paul II is, “Whoever receives one child is my name receives me.” (Mt. 18:15) It invites people to reflect on the condition of children, especially those abused at the hands of adults.

Want to Go? The Mass will be at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road

Primetime passion Discussing the contrversy

CNS photo from Reuters

Broadcaster Diane Sawyer speaks with actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson during an exclusive interview for “Primetime” aired Feb. 16 on ABC television. Gibson’s controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ,” is set to open across the country on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25. Look for expanded coverage on pages 8-9.

Human cloning

Answering the call

Lenten Season

Criticizing South Korea’s efforts

Lay ministry guides Catholics

11 guidelines for Lent

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2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

February 20, 2004

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyard

Bush uses visit to Catholic schools to promote voucher plan WASHINGTON (CNS) — President George W. Bush visited a Washington Catholic high school Feb. 13 and praised the school’s success in sending students to college. He held it up as an example of why he supports voucher programs.

In what the White House billed as a “conversation on parental options and school choice,” the president and Education Secretary Rod Paige joined three Washington parents and the president of Archbishop Carroll High School in a panel setting to talk about a newly passed voucher program for Washington and other programs aimed at improving the nation’s schools.

Bush praised Catholic schools in general for taking “the so-called hard-to-educate” and helping them to excel. Archbishop Carroll in particular deserves praise, the president said, for its record of sending 98 percent of its

Extending a hand

Diocesan planner ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

CNS photo from Reuters

Pope John Paul II extends his hand to a girl during Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica for World Day of the Sick Feb. 11. The pontiff said that the faith shown by those who are sick and suffering is a precious gift.

Pope says faith shown by sick, suffering is precious gift

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The example of Catholics who, despite sickness and suffering, continue to express faith in the saving power of Christ is a precious gift for the church, Pope John Paul II said.

Marking the Feb. 11 celebration of the World Day of the Sick, the pope said: “Human existence is always a gift of God, even when it is marked by physical suffering of any kind. It is a gift which the church and the world must value.”

The Catholic Church’s main celebration of the day was held at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, which was connected by satellite with Pope John Paul’s weekly general audience from the Vatican.

In his talk, Pope John Paul said that from a human point of view, “suffering and sickness can appear to be absurd realities.”

But, he said, when suffering is seen in the light of the Gospel, “one is able to gather its deep salvific meaning.”

The Gospel message is that Christ suffers for and with all people, taking their pain and making it part of the path to salvation and new life, the pope said.

“Those who suffer must never be left alone,” the pope said, and he thanked family members, medical professionals

and chaplains who dedicate their lives to caring for the sick.

“It is a great act of love to take care of one who suffers,” he said.

The pope prayed Our Lady of Lourdes would watch over all who are sick, who are old or who are left alone.

“Soothe their suffering, dry their tears and obtain for each one of them the strength needed to accomplish God’s will,” the pope prayed.

After an evening Mass Feb. 11, Pope John Paul joined hundreds of sick people and their caregivers in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The pope thanked the sick “for the prayers and sacrifices you generously have offered for me” and promised they were in his prayers, too.

Pope John Paul said the 2004 World Day of the Sick not only focused on the healings and spiritual blessings thousands of people have found during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, but on the fact that Mary is honored at Lourdes under the title of “the Immaculate Conception.”

Later this year, the church will mark the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s proclamation of the dogma that Mary was conceived without sin.

HENDERSONVILLE — The St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order meets the fourth Sunday of each month 3-5 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. West. Visitors and inquirers are welcome. For more information, call Helen Gillogly, SFO, at (828) 883-9645.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE HUNTERSVILLE — The Life Teen program of St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd., will sponsor a free seminar, “Let’s Talk Money” Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. The seminar will address what parent and teens need to know about financial stewardship, including establishing good credit, avoiding financial pitfalls and financial independence. For more information, contact Debra Lemmon at (704) 948-1306.

CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., will host an Ultreya Feb. 29 at 1:30 p.m. School of Leaders and family potluck lunch will follow. Childcare is available. For more information, contact Dan Hines at (704) 544-6665 or visit www. charlottecursillo.org. To receive Cursillo information via, email bmayer@altell.net.

MINT HILL — Looking for a way to get closer to God this year? Put your new year’s resolution into practice by taking the Alpha Course. Alpha is a video lecture series and supper club that meets Friday nights through March 19. Register by calling (704) 573-7021 or e-mail mcnuccie1@bellsout.net.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — Queen of Apostles Catholic

graduates on to college.

He said that level of success was “dashing false expectations” of how poorly schools in Washington do.

School president John T. Butler described the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarships as “a breath of fresh air” for D.C. students. The program, which had to be passed by Congress and signed by the president, will give eligible students up to $7,500 to use toward tuition, fees and transportation expenses to attend nonpublic schools beginning with the 2004-05 academic year.

No questions were taken from the audience of invited guests and Archbishop Carroll students, although several met briefly with Bush when he arrived. Instead, Bush guided a 40-minute discussion among the panelists.

Church, 503 N. Main St., will have a Lenten Supper-Study Wednesday evenings during Lent — March 3, 10, 17 and 24. All are welcome.

Community dinner is at 6 p.m., with Catechesis 6:45-7:30 p.m. Topic this year is “Vatican II: 40 Years Later.” No pre-registration or fee required, no need to bring food, all is provided by the parish. For more information, please contact Dennis Teall-Fleming, Director of Faith Formation, at teallfleming@yahoo.com or (704) 825-9600, ext. 26.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St., will host a Lenten reflection series, “The Purpose-Driven Life,” Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8 p.m. March 3-April 7. This series is based on Rick Warren’s book, which is a journey to answer life’s most important question: “What on earth am I here for?” To register, call the parish office at (336) 272-4681.

GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap will meet Tuesdays in February at “Anton’s” on Battleground Ave. 7 p.m. Contact greensborotot@ yahoo.com for more information.

GUILFORD COUNTY — The Ancient Order of Hibernians Guilford County Division, the oldest and largest order of Irish Catholic men, is looking for more Irish Catholic men to join them for meetings, educational seminars and social events. Contact Michael Slane at (336) 665-9264 for time and location.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — The annual World Day of Prayer ecumenical worship service will be held at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church March 5 at 7 p.m. This bilingual service was written by Christian Women of Panama. The theme is “In Faith, Women Shape the Future.” The guest speaker will be Xiomara Palma. A native of

february 20, 2 0 0 4 Volume 13 • Number 21 Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Sherill Beason 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 $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

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.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

February 20, 2004

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican announces Eucharist as theme of 2005 Synod of Bishops

The worldwide meetings generally are held every three or four years.

The last synod, focusing on the ministry of the bishop, was held at the Vatican in 2001.

The Eucharist was the topic of the pope’s latest encyclical, issued in April 2003. It emphasized the importance of the Eucharist as the greatest gift God left to his church.

The encyclical also reaffirmed the traditional teaching of the church on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, on the need for validly ordained ministers for its celebration, and on the importance of following the church’s liturgical norms.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II called for the continued commitment to the protection of

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The next world Synod of Bishops will meet in October 2005 to discuss the theme, “The Eucharist: Source and Culmination of the Life and Mission of the Church,” the Vatican announced.

The theme was chosen by Pope John Paul II on the suggestions of bishops. The 2005 assembly will take place at the Vatican Oct. 2-29.

The announcement came the day after the pope named Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, a Croatian with long experience in Vatican diplomacy, as secretarygeneral of the Synod of Bishops.

The synod on the Eucharist will be the 11th general assembly of the synod since Pope Paul VI reinstituted the structure after the Second Vatican Council.

Nicaragua, she is active in lay ministry at St. Joseph Church in Newton. For more information, contact Carole Marmorato at (828) 256-8956.

HICKORY — A Charismatic Mass is celebrated the first Thursday of each month in Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, at 7 p.m. For further information, contact Joan Moran (828)-327-0487.

Salisbury VICARIATE

and hopeful expectancy. For more information, contact (336) 998-7503.

CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., offers Eucharistic Adoration every Thursday. Exposition begins at 6 p.m. and benediction is at 9 p.m.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Healing Companions is a grief support group for the bereaved that meets the first and third Thursdays of the month in conference room B at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. For further details, call Joanne Parcel at (336) 924-9478.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Fraternity of St. Clare of the Secular Franciscan Order invites you to a Peace Meal for the Poor March 7. The fraternity will serve a simple meal consisting of soup, bread and water. A love basket will be available during the meal and the proceeds will be used to stock the food pantry at Catholic Social Services. The meal will be served 12-1 p.m. in the cafeteria of Our Lady of Mercy School, 1730 Link Road.

Please join us and help to feed the hungry in our area. For more information, contact Sharon Jackson, SFO Minister, at (336) 722-7001.

WINSTON-SALEM — Learn Natural Family Planning taught by the Couple to Couple League. This four-part series will meet Sundays at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 15-March 7, at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. For registration and information, call Stephanie and Todd Brown at (336) 765-2909.

MT. AIRY — Holy Angels Church, 1208 N. Main St., offers Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday, 6:30-7:30 p.m., and every Thursday, 10-11 a.m. Adoration concludes with Benediction.

SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., will host a Cursillo School of Leaders, 9-10:30 a.m., Feb. 28 followed by a Secretariat 10:30-12 p.m. For more information, contact Dan Hines at (704) 544-6665 or visit www. charlottecursillo.org. To receive Cursillo information via, email bmayer@altell.net.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE SYLVA — St. Mary Church is in the initial stage of forming a court of the Catholic Daughters of America. Women from neighboring parishes, ages 18 and older, are welcome to join. For more information, contact Angie Erst at (828) 488-6560 or Pat Pickering at (828) 497-4999.

WAYNESVILLE— St. John the Evangelist Church, 234 Church St., offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament the first Friday of every month following the 9 a.m. Mass until 4:15 p.m.

For information, call the church office at (828) 456-6707 or Christine Ryan at (828) 926-1331.

SYLVA — St. Mary Church offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament the first Saturday of every month following the 9 a.m. Mass until 3 p.m.

For information, call (828) 586-9496.

FRANKLIN — The Women’s Guild of St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St., meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The meetings feature guest speakers and special events periodically.

For more information, call Claire Barnable at (828) 369-1565.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., will celebrate a Healing Mass March 1 at 7:30 p.m. with Msgr. Mauricio W. West as celebrant. Reconciliation will be offered at 7 p.m. Sacramental laying on of hands will follow the Mass. Please join us for singing

Episcopal

calendar

human rights in Iran as well as to promoting greater understanding between peoples of different religious and cultural identities.

The pope made his remarks Feb. 12 to Kamal Kharrazi, foreign minister of the Islamic republic of Iran. The visit came on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Iran and the Holy See. “Your presence here is a sign of the cooperation that, for more than 50 years now, has marked the official relations between the Holy See and your country,” the pope said.

“I am confident that this spirit of collaboration will continue to grow ever stronger as we address issues of mutual concern to us,” he said.

The pope highlighted the importance of working on “the ongoing commitment to safeguard the inalienable rights and dignity of the human person, especially in efforts aimed at promoting greater understanding among peoples of different religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.”

With a rapidly growing population of more than 68 million, Iran has about 120,000 Christians and, of those, around 16,000 people are

Catholic. Eighty-nine percent of the population is Shiite Muslim and 10 percent are Sunni. The remaining minority includes people of Zoroastrian, Jewish and Bahai traditions.

Although Iran’s official religion is Islam, the constitution has made provisions to respect the rights of religious minorities.

Several church and Vatican officials familiar with the situation of Christians in Iran have praised the country’s recent efforts in securing greater religious freedoms for religious minorities.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin NavarroValls said after meeting with the pope, Kharrazi met with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and Msgr. Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for relations with states.

Navarro-Valls said the leaders discussed the situation of the Catholic Church in Iran as well as collaborative efforts between the two countries concerning “interreligious dialogue, the promotion of peace and other international issues.”

Vatican doves sometimes turn chicken

CNS Photo by Reuters

Is your parish or school having an event?

Please submit notices for the Diocesan Planner at least 15 days prior to the event date in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events:

Feb. 25 — 12:10 p.m.

Ash Wednesday Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte Feb. 29 — 4 p.m.

Pope calls for commitment to safeguarding human rights in Iran

Rite of Election Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville

VATICAN (CNS) — The noble white dove has come to symbolize peace, fidelity, fraternity and hope, but the Vatican seems to have seen more than its fair share of doves suffering from a fear of flying.

Some might even say those doves are really just chicken. What’s meant to be an impressive launch from the fifth-story window of the pope’s studio instead turns into a feathery fiasco.

In 1998, both doves recoiled from their release and turned tail back inside the apostolic palace. Delighted, Pope John Paul II said, “It is clear this is a house of peace, because the doves don’t want to leave.”

This scene of one or both doves diving for papal cover has been repeated over the years.

Most recently, on Jan. 25, call it stage-fright, call it premonition: One dove refused to leave the pope’s windowsill while the more gutsy of the two flew off to a grisly fate.

One Italian newspaper reported the bird of peace was later found injured from a seagull attack.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

February 20, 2004

around the diocese

Vatican official, U.S. cardinal criticize South Korean human

Pro-life group takes on Georgetown University over aborted fetal cell lines

Mining of stem cells “full of illicit acts”

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — The first successful cloning of human embryos to provide stem cells marks a dangerous step toward the unregulated commercialization of human life, said a leading Vatican official.

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said Feb. 12 that the mining of stem cells from embryos, which are then discarded, was a procedure “full of illicit acts.”

In the United States, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore said the creation and destruction of human embryos “is a sign of moral regress.”

“Seldom have researchers done so much harm to so many fellow humans, with so little justification,” he said.

The church leaders were reacting to news that scientists in South Korea had cloned 30 human embryos and grown them to the stage where they produce stem cells. The stem cells, which have the ability to turn into any cell in the body, were then extracted and the embryos destroyed.

The scientists said they were trying to patent their technique and the stem cells produced. It was considered a major step toward so-called “therapeutic” cloning, which is undertaken not to create a human being but to produce stem cells that can be used to grow replacement tissue in treating disease.

The church teaches that human cloning is wrong and that any destruction of human embryos violates the right to life of the weakest human beings.

Bishop Sgreccia said that ethically, so-called therapeutic cloning is even worse than reproductive cloning

CNS graphic by Anthony De Feo

Scientists believe that stem cells could repair diseased or injured tissues in humans. at some levels because it involves the planned creation, exploitation and destruction of human life.

“From not only a Catholic point of view, this is a procedure full of illicit acts,” he said.

“It’s part of a much larger battle: whether economic profit should prevail absolutely over fundamental moral arguments, whether the survival of a human being should come first or the profits of the strongest — the industries and the multinationals that do business in this sector,” he said.

Bishop Sgreccia said people should be asking whether the commercialization of a human embryo at the level of blastocyst — an early stage of about 100 cells — could help open the door to wider forms of exploitation, particularly in commercialization of organs from children and others in the Third World.

Bishop Sgreccia said the supposed therapeutic benefits of embryonic stem

cells are far from proven. He said adult stem cells, taken from umbilical cords and other organs, have proven to be of equal or greater effectiveness in therapy.

“It has been fairly well shown that it is not necessary to extract embryonic stem cells to try to cure diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s,” he said.

“Our impression is that this is an effort to have human embryos at one’s disposal and to remove every ban against their use, as if they were merely merchandise or material,” he said.

Cardinal Keeler, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, said creating the embryos “solely to destroy them is the ultimate violation of research ethics.”

He called for a worldwide effort to ban human cloning.

The cardinal also criticized the use of fertility drugs on the 16 Korean women who produced the 242 eggs used in the stem-cell experiment.

“These women were used as egg factories while their embryonic offspring were treated as nothing more than objects of research, their human dignity ignored in the process,” he said.

Contributing to this story was Stephen Steele in Washington.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — A Florida pro-life group has pledged to continue its efforts to stop research at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington that uses cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.

“It is an outrage and a scandal that any Catholic facility could condone the use of aborted fetal cell lines, regardless of how long ago the abortions occurred,” says a petition addressed to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington on the Web site www.cogforlife.org, which is the site of the organization Children of God for Life.

The petition asks the cardinal to “use your authority and put an end to the unnecessary use of aborted fetal cell lines, which actually diverts important funding and hinders other noble and morally responsible research.”

Debra Vinnedge, a member of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Clearwater, Fla., who is president and executive director of Children of God for Life, said petition received 2,000 online signatures in less than a week.

Cardinal McCarrick had asked Jesuit-run Georgetown last summer to look into “the origin of cell lines used in some of our research,” according to a statement from Amy DeMaria, executive director of communications for the medical center.

“Our review revealed that 18 GUMC researchers were conducting long-term research using four different cell lines that had been derived decades ago from tissue that came from terminated pregnancies,” DeMaria said. “These cell lines were not created at Georgetown University.”

Jesuit Father Kevin T. FitzGerald, who holds the David Lauer chair for Catholic health care ethics at Georgetown and serves as research associate professor in the oncology department at the medical center, said the potential benefits of the research outweighed any harm from using the cells, since no abortions were performed specifically to provide cell lines for research.

February 20, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 5

around the diocese

Answering the call

Lay ministry guides Catholics to deeper spirituality by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — “God pushed me into it,” said Marie Cordero of the lay ministry program.

Now in her second year of the program in the Diocese of Charlotte, Cordero thought about enrolling for four years before she committed to it.

Cordero said the lay ministry program has increased her spiritual life tremendously.

“I have a thirst for more knowledge,” she said. “There is not enough adult education — the more you get, the more you want.”

“Lay ministry isn’t just learning about your faith,” said Frank Villaronga, director of the diocesan evangelization and ministry formation office. “It is a formational program, and the idea behind lay ministry is that participants are in the program in order to answer their baptismal call to ministry more fully.”

Because the mission of the Catholic Church is one of evangelization, this answer includes not only learning about the Catholic faith, but also integrating that learning into one’s personal life, because the faith response is one that requires action.

Janet and Jim Corrigan are in the second year of the program in Arden. She is a volunteer and substitute teacher at Immaculata School in Hendersonville; he is the secretary of the pastoral council at Immaculate Conception Church.

Lay ministry is a good program for converts to the Catholic faith, said

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Frank Villaronga, director of the diocesan evangelization and ministry formation office, teaches lay ministry at the pastoral center in Charlotte. Lay ministry teaches participants to answer their baptismal calls to ministry.

Janet Corrigan. She said she feels more confident in discussing religious issues with students since enrolling in the lay ministry program.

“It’s also good for anyone who thinks they know everything they need to know about the church,” she

said.

Most participants in the lay ministry program are trying to figure out what it means to be a minister, Villaronga said. The program is comprised of people who might already be involved in some kind of activity

or formal ministry in their parish — prison ministry, catechesis, feeding the homeless — and those who are exploring various ministries.

Villaronga tells participants in the first class of the program, “If you are in this program hoping to become lay ministers, I’ve got news for you: You already are ministers. By virtue of your baptism, you already are part of the mission of the church.”

“The vision of Vatican II was that the laity are called to live out their faith in an active way in their own lives,” he said.

Villaronga also pointed out the value of this “marketplace ministry” — the ministry that takes place in our day-to-day lives.

Secondarily, lay ministers contribute much-needed help to the sacramental ministers.

“Bishops, priests and deacons can’t do it all,” said Villaronga. Lay ministers can serve as counselors, spiritual companions, eucharistic ministers, catechists and in many other areas of the parish.

“It is important to empower the laity in many specific ministries in the name of the church,” he said. “Primarily, people are called to live out their ministry in their everyday lives.”

The office of evangelization and ministry formation is budgeted to receive $72,848 from the 2004 Diocesan Support Appeal, part of which assists participants in the lay ministry program by keeping tuition costs low.

Villaronga considers the lay ministry program an important prerequisite to the permanent diaconate program.

The program provides diaconate candidates with primary formation and gives them an opportunity to explore their formation as laypeople.

Villaronga recommends the lay ministry program for all interested in learning more about their faith, growing in their faith, and learning how to live out their faith in a more active way.

The two-year program is comprised of 12 classes each year, covering such topics as Scripture, Christology, theology and history of the Catholic Church, Vatican II, liturgy and sacrament, morality, social ministry and the “nuts and bolts” of ministry. Classes meet in Charlotte, Greensboro and Arden.

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

Lay ministry is one of 36 ministries funded by contributions to the Diocesan Support Appeal.

Want more information?

The lay ministry program is now accepting applications for 2004-05.

For more information on the lay min-

6 The Catholic News & Herald

Guidelines for

stock soups or gravies. The rule of abstinence binds all Catholics 14 years old and older.

5) The substantial observance of the laws of fast and abstinence is a serious obligation. Those whose work or health would be impaired are excused from fasting and abstaining. The individual conscience can decide if there is a proper cause to excuse. A more serious reason should be present to excuse from Ash Wednesday and Good Friday penance.

6) Self-imposed fasting on the other weekdays of Lent is recommended. Abstinence on all Fridays of the year is also highly recommended. The Peace Pastoral of the American Bishops, stating that prayer is incomplete without penance, urges Friday abstinences as something all American Catholics should offer up for the sake of world peace.

7) Parents and teachers should see to it that even those who are not bound by the laws of fasting and abstinence because of age are brought up in an atmosphere that is conducive to a sense of penance.

8) The faithful should be clearly and positively encouraged to receive the sacrament of reconciliation during Lent.

There should be adequate time scheduled for confessions before Easter. Group reconciliation services should not be scheduled for the last days of the Holy Week.

At no time is it permitted to schedule a group reconciliation service for the purpose of giving general absolution without individual confessions.

9) The liturgical directions of the Sacramentary and the Lectionary must be faithfully observed regarding all the special Holy Week rites.

10) Funeral Masses are not allowed on Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday. The funeral rite outside of Mass can be held either in church or at the chapel on those days, with a funeral Mass later.

11) The RCIA is incorporated into the liturgy during Lent. The Rite of Election is celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. On the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, the Scrutinies take place during Mass.

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Lent is the season the Catholic Church gives us to take stock and review our lives, to root out all that is not good and true and replace it with the faithful and the holy. In these 40 days, the Catholic Church turns to the ancient penitential practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. These practices remain as rich and life-giving in the year 2004 as they were when practiced by the early Christians and by our Jewish forbearers.

Fasting reminds us of our hunger for God, which no worldly thing can satisfy.

Almsgiving reminds us that love of God and love of neighbor are inextricably intertwined, and that we bear responsibility for each other. Prayer reminds us to center our lives on God who alone gives meaning to all we do.

Lent is a most special time. The liturgies and devotions of Lent call us to a kind of spiritual “spring cleaning,” identifying relationships that are disordered and sins that imprison and then seeking forgiveness and healing. We root out the darkness of sin so as to enter the Easter mysteries with a clean heart bathed in the healing, life-giving light of Christ.

Guidelines for Lent 1) The time of Lent is to be observed by Catholics as a special season of prayer, penance and works of charity.

2) Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, and Good Friday, April 9, in particular, are the most important penitential days of the liturgical year. They are days of both fast and abstinence. All Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence.

3) The rule of fasting states that only one full meal a day can be taken.

Two small meals, “sufficient to maintain strength,” are allowed, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals breaks the fast, but drinking liquids does not.

The rule of fasting binds all Catholics from age 18 to 59.

4) Abstinence refers to the eating of meat. Under the present law, it does not include egg or milk products, meat

February 20, 2004

Good food and friends

Courtesy Photo

Parishioners of St. James Church in Hamlet enjoy good food at the parish’s 17th annual barbecue Jan. 6. Proceeds from the event went toward the parish building and maintenance fund. Previous earnings from the barbecue have helped pay off the church’s mortgage.

DON’T PROCRASTINATE! CALL NOW!!

February 20, 2004

CSS fights TRAFFICKING, from page

“In almost all cases, language barriers, lack of contacts in the new land, beatings and fear of reprisals on family members left behind combine to keep the victims silent and unable to flee to safety,” said Joe Purello, director of the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace of Catholic Social Services.

In April, Catholic Social Services will conduct a staff training day in Hickory that will include a workshop on how to identify the signs and symptoms of human trafficking and how to assist victims. Leading this workshop with be Laurie Latuda, a grants and program administrator with the Office of Refugee Programs in the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services.

These victims “often believe they are coming here to find the American dream,” said Latuda.

Instead, many victims find forced labor, sexual exploitation or other contemporary forms of slavery, she said.

Because of the lack of legal immigration options, they sometimes pay people to smuggle them into the United States “and sometimes (the smugglers) turn out to be traffickers who enslave them,” she said.

“There are networks of people who traffic in people, just like there are networks of drug traffickers or arms traffickers,” said Latuda.

But those who profit from the trade of human beings often keep their victims under such close watch that finding those who need assistance is a huge challenge. Attending weekly Mass might be the only activity that the trafficker allows them to do alone.

“Oftentimes the only contact that people who have been trafficked have

In the news

with the outside world is through religious ministers,” said Latuda.

Uniting forces Migration and Refugee Services provides administrative support to the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking, whose members meet four times a year to share information, educate themselves about particular aspects of the trafficking problem and have a dialogue with government leaders.

Coalition members gathered at the headquarters of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Jan. 29 for: — A presentation by and discussion with Dan Bryant, assistant attorney general for legal policy in the U.S. Department of Justice.

— An update on reauthorization of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

— A look at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement’s public awareness campaign on human trafficking, with an eye toward how coalition members can be involved.

“We need strong action today, at both the national and international level, to attack the evil of human trafficking,” said Purello.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, a U.S. law reauthorized in 2003, defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as “sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion” or involves a minor or “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud or coercion.”

Purello said the passage of this law was a “start in the right direction toward tackling this menace.”

The Catholic News & Herald 7

“Under this law, nations that are shown to support or turn a blind eye to human trafficking are to be denied U.S. aid; convicted traffickers are to receive harsher sentences; and victims of trafficking can receive special immigration status,” he said.

Purello said voters must “let our legislators know we want this law strictly enforced. Nations that tolerate the victimization of their own people through human trafficking should receive no assistance from the American people.”

Identifying victims Coalition members each approach the problem from a different angle, according to Latuda.

The Catholic Health Association, for example, is offering posters for use in emergency rooms, doctors’ offices or clinics to help health care providers identify those who have been subjected to trafficking. The poster also gives information on how to assist victims.

Patients who show signs of agitation, isolation, malnourishment, physical or sexual abuse and similar conditions and those who rely on “a companion” to tell their story may be victims of trafficking, the poster says.

If victims can be identified and certified by the federal government’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, they become eligible under the law for the same benefits and services available to a refugee. The benefits may include food stamps, Medicaid, social services such as job preparation and Englishlanguage classes, and Social Security and welfare payments.

But in the three years since passage of the law, only 500 trafficking victims have been certified. Ninety percent of those were identified through Catholic ministers or social service agencies, said Latuda.

“We must do all we can to fight our culture’s overwhelming trend to turn sexual activity into a commodity to be bought and sold,” said Purello, adding that, “the trend to turn sex into a commodity (on TV, in movies, in popular music) often involves packaging sex with violence.”

“We are also called to be much more conscious of the working conditions of laborers who make and provide the goods we buy,” he said.

“If a serious dent can be made in the

Photo by Catholic News Service

The Catholic Health Association is offering copies of this poster to hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics to help health care providers identify those who have been subjected to trafficking. It also gives information on how to assist victims.

demand side of the human trafficking business, then we will also see a significant fall in the numbers of people being trapped and exploited.”

How to help Anyone who suspects a trafficking situation that has not yet been reported or investigated should start by calling the Justice Department’s “trafficking in persons and worker exploitation task force complaint line” at (888) 428-7581, advised Latuda. That will initiate a federal investigation into the matter.

People also can help the trafficked person obtain free or low-cost legal services from an attorney familiar with the provisions of the federal law.

Sometimes, traffickers will provide attorneys for victims to get them released back into the traffickers’ custody.

Latuda and others like her at MRS, who can be reached at (202) 541-3385, can help the trafficked person connect with local social service agencies that will help them before and after they

8 The Catholic News & Herald

‘Passion’ spotlight

Faith, hope — not blame — at ‘Passion’ core

CNS photo from Icon

Actor Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus on the cross in a scene from “The Passion of the Christ.”

Director addresses controversy of film

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus is not the point of “The Passion of the Christ,” said its director, Mel Gibson, in a Feb. 16 interview on ABC’s “Primetime.”

“It’s not about pointing the fingers.

It’s not about playing the blame game,” Gibson told Diane Sawyer. “It’s about faith, hope, love and forgiveness. ... It is reality for me. ... I believe that.”

When Sawyer asked him who killed Christ, Gibson replied: “The big answer is, we all did. I’ll be first in the culpability stakes.”

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, also interviewed, said he did not believe either Gibson or his film were anti-Semitic, but “this movie has the potential to fuel anti-Semitism, to reinforce it.”

Gibson said to be anti-Semitic “goes against the tenets of my faith,

to be racist in any form. To be antiSemitic is a sin. It’s been condemned by one papal council after another.

There’s encyclicals on it ... to be antiSemitic is to be un-Christian, and I’m not.”

In the interview, Gibson acknowledged his film was “very violent, and if you don’t like it, don’t go ... If you want to leave halfway through, go ahead. You know, there’s nothing that says you have to stay there.”

The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R rating for its sequences of graphic violence. The rating means “restricted, under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.”

Gibson added he wanted the violence to be “shocking” and “extreme.”

“I wanted it to push the viewer over the edge,” he said. “I think it pushes one over the edge ... so that they see the enormity of that sacrifice; to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness,

even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule.”

“I wanted the full savagery of it to jump out of the screen and move people,” he said. Still, “I’ve stopped way short of what I think happened.”

“I don’t think anybody under the age of 12 should go see it,” he added.

Gibson said his film is “my version of what happened, according to the Gospels and ... the aspects of it I wanted to show.”

“This is his vision, his faith,” said Foxman. “He’s a true believer, and I respect that. But there are times that there are unintended consequences.”

“I hope that most people see it, Diane, as a passion of love,” Foxman told Sawyer with regard to the movie’s impact.

“Maybe when it’s all over, in a sobering manner, we’ll be able to come back and look each other in the face and say, ‘We have to deal with this hatred that’s still out there.’”

Without specifically identifying anybody or anything, Gibson told EWTN, “There were dark forces that did not want us to make the film.”

In the Feb. 12 The A.D. Times, his diocesan newspaper, Bishop Edward P. Cullen of Allentown, Pa., noted some of the “Passion” controversy “has been about just who crucified Jesus.”

“This placing of blame is one of the oldest and most foolish of human games,” going back to Genesis, when Adam and Eve started pointing fingers elsewhere when God confronted them with their sin, the bishop said.

“What caused the death of Jesus was sin,” he said.

Bishop Cullen said, “It is ridiculous for any of us to think we can shift the blame to anyone else, whether past or present. If we use the crucifixion of Jesus as our excuse to look down on or to persecute others, we must also admit that in doing so we are not following the Lord, who forgave those who brought about his death. He forgave us!”

February 20, 2004

Criteria for dramatization of Passion based on Vatican II principles WASHINGTON (CNS) — A 1988 statement by the U.S. bishops containing criteria on how to treat dramatizations of Christ’s passion follows Vatican principles enunciated since the Second Vatican Council.

Church teaching on how Jews should and should not be depicted in retelling the Passion story is a matter of “going back to the way the church interprets the Scriptures,” said Eugene Fisher of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The bishops’ “Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion” said “any presentations that explicitly or implicitly seek to shift responsibility from human sin onto this or that historical group, such as the Jews, can only be said to obscure a core Gospel truth.”

Mixing the four Gospel Passion accounts and “extrabiblical records,” it says, “leaves the widest possible latitude for artistic creativity and insight, but also for abuses and prejudices.”

The document lists many things to avoid when writing a dramatic account of the Passion. Among them: — “Jesus must not be depicted as opposed to the law (Torah).”

— “Jesus and the disciples must not be set dramatically in opposition to his people, the Jews.”

— “Jews should not be portrayed as avaricious (e.g., in Temple money-changer scenes); bloodthirsty (e.g., in certain depictions of Jesus’ appearances before the Temple priesthood or before Pilate); or implacable enemies of Christ (e.g., by changing the small ‘crowd’ at the governor’s palace into a teeming mob).”

The document was based in part on “Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration ‘Nostra Aetate,’ No. 4,” issued in 1974 by the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews.

In “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council said the church “deplores all hatreds, persecutions, displays of anti-

February 20, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 9

‘Passion’ spotlight

In advancing nun’s cause, Vatican ignores her writings on the Passion Sister Emmerich’s visions inspire Gibson film

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — When Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” opens Ash Wednesday, a spotlight will turn on a little known but influential figure in the movie’s genesis: German Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich.

Sister Emmerich, a mystic and stigmatic who died in 1824, is drawing attention for several reasons.

Gibson said he was inspired to make the movie in part by her book of visions, “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” which added detailed episodes to the Gospel account of Christ’s suffering and death. Whether she actually wrote the book, however, has been questioned by Vatican experts.

Other scholars, Jewish and Catholic, have said Sister Emmerich’s writings reflect the anti-Semitism of her time, particularly in her depiction of the Jews’ role in Christ’s death.

Pope John Paul II, meanwhile, is said to take an intense interest in Sister Emmerich and her life. Under his papacy, her sainthood cause has advanced to the point where she is expected to be beatified, probably sometime early next year.

In an interview with The New Yorker last fall, Gibson said Sister Emmerich’s writings supplied him with “amazing images” and “stuff I never would have thought of.”

In prerelease screenings attended by church officials in Rome, one rec-

ognizable scene from Sister Emmerich stood out: After Christ is scourged, Pilate’s wife takes towels to a griefstricken Mary so she can wipe up the blood.

Sister Emmerich also envisioned Satan as physically present among the crowd as it called for Jesus’ death and witnessed his suffering. Gibson ended up casting a woman as Satan, which raised questions at the Vatican.

“The introduction of the figure of the devil does not seem in accordance with what is in Scripture,” said U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, the Vatican’s top communications official, who has praised Gibson’s film.

Throughout Sister Emmerich’s narratives on the Passion, Jews are portrayed negatively and repeatedly called “wicked,” “cruel” and “hardhearted.”

Yet that is not seen as a big problem among the Vatican’s saint makers, who have downplayed her writings.

In fact, the very thing that is catapulting Sister Emmerich to wider fame — her mystical account of the Passion — was ultimately given no weight by the Vatican experts who have prepared the way for her beatification.

One official explained Sister Emmerich was practically illiterate, and her visions were written down by a popular romantic poet of the time, Clemens Brentano. Brentano published them after her death, and there’s no way to tell how much liberty he took.

“Since it was impossible to distinguish what derives from Sister Emmerich and what is embroidery or addi-

CNS photo courtesy the Augustinians

Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich is depicted in a holy card image from the Augustinian order.

The German nun, a mystic and stigmatic, died in 1824 at age 49. Mel Gibson has said he was inspired to make his movie about Christ’s passion in part by the book “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” which is attributed to Sister Emmerich.

tions, we could not take these writings as a criteria. Therefore, they were simply discarded completely from all the work for the cause,” said Jesuit Father Peter Gumpel, who helped study the issue for the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

In fact, Vatican officials said a common misperception is that in approving a sainthood cause, the church is giving a stamp of approval to everything the person may have written.

“When writings are approved, it’s in a negative sense: that there’s nothing in them against faith and morals.

That’s not the same as a positive ap-

proval,” said one official of the Vatican’s sainthood congregation.

So what has promoted Sister Emmerich “venerable” and worthy of beatification?

“She’s being judged ... not on the basis of what she’s written but on the basis of her virtues,” Father Gumpel said.

Anne Catherine Emmerich entered an Augustinian convent in 1802 at age 28 and became known for her ecstasies, visions of the supernatural and “conversations” with Jesus.

She became bedridden in 1813 and developed the stigmata — bleeding wounds corresponding to those of the crucified Christ. A church investigation pronounced the wounds genuine.

Ill for years until her death at age 49, she offered up her suffering for the souls in purgatory.

With the release of Gibson’s movie, Sister Emmerich’s written works are being promoted with new energy. Web sites citing “the book that inspired Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion’ project” offer her writings on the passion, as well as her other volumes on the life of Christ, on Mary and on biblical revelations.

Yet in spite pf all this new attention, the Vatican has not set a date for Sister Emmerich’s beatification.

The ceremony could occur any time, since last year the Vatican approved a miracle attributed to her intercession.

Is the Vatican trying to avoid the impression of a “tie-in” with Gibson’s movie?

Ambrosi said the reason is something more practical. It seems Sister Emmerich’s native Archdiocese of Munster would like her to be beatified along with Cardinal Clemens Van Galen, an outspoken opponent of Hitler, whose cause is still waiting approval of a miracle.

In promotional terms, the church’s agenda is clearly not Hollywood’s agenda.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

February 20, 2004

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Book collects Vatican II teaching on church’s CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs has published a compilation of Catholic teaching since the Second Vatican Council on the church’s relationship with Jews and Judaism.

Titled “The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus: A Collection of Catholic Documents,” the book includes excerpts from the Vatican by

II document on relations with nonChristian religions, “Nostra Aetate,” which condemned all forms of antiSemitism and affirms the continuing validity of God’s covenant with the Jews.

It also contains “Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion,” a 1988 document from the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The book, announced Feb. 11, was scheduled to be officially released Feb. 23, two days before the Ash Wednesday theatrical premiere of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” which some Catholic scholars and U.S. Jewish leaders have said could foster anti-Semitism.

Other documents in the book include “Notes on the Correct Way to Present the Jews and Judaism in the Preaching and Catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church,” which was a 1985 document by the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, and “God’s Mercy Endures Forever: Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching,” a 1988 docu-

ment by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy.

“Behind all of these statements lies the determination of the church to oppose anti-Semitism and to understand more fully the salvation of all humanity in Christ while affirming the unique place of Jews and Judaism in the unfolding of the mysteries of salvation universally proclaimed by the church,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

He made the comments in a statement accompanying the announcement of the book’s publication.

“The documents included develop Catholic teaching on the interpretation of Scripture, Catholic understanding and proper presentation of the passion and death of Christ, and the church’s ongoing condemnation of the sin of anti-Semitism,” he added.

Bishop Blaire credited Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore, episcopal moderator for Catholic-Jewish relations, with the idea of publishing an anthology of Catholic teaching on Jews and Judaism.

In his statement, Bishop Blaire quoted Cardinal Keeler: “Any Christians involved in the presentation of the events of Jesus’ death must hold, in the words of the 1974 guidelines of the Holy See to implement ‘Nostra Aetate’ No. 4, an ‘overriding preoccupation’ not only to avoid portrayals of Jews that might lead to collective guilt, but also to replace them with positive ones.” These guidelines are also included in “The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus.”

“Nostra Aetate” repudiated all forms of anti-Semitism and called on Catholics to build mutual respect and understanding with Jews.

Editor’s Note: “The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus: A Collection of Catholic Documents” can be ordered for $11.95 per copy by calling: (800) 2358722.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: FEB. 29, 2004

Feb. 29, First Sunday of Lent Cycle C Readings: 1) Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 2) Romans 10:8-13 3) Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

by JEAN DENTON catholic news service

Outmann, Maria and their six children, a Kurdish refugee family, have worked hard to make a life in the United States although struggling financially since coming here four years ago.

I visit Maria in their small apartment almost weekly, and I usually bring extra household items, clothing or a few groceries. At Thanksgiving each year, I take them a turkey.

But on my third Thanksgiving turkey delivery my conscience started nagging me: Why are you taking them a turkey? They can use the food, plus I want to let them in on our American tradition. Thanksgiving is about celebrating family and God’s providence. Why don’t you invite them to Thanksgiving dinner in your home? (Gasp!)

My brother and his family are coming.

So? Haven’t you had more than one family before?

I want it to be just us, cozy and comfortable.

The nagging didn’t let up.

When finally I invited Maria and her family for Thanksgiving dinner, she squealed and clapped her hands. (She never did that at the arrival of a frozen turkey.) The celebration itself was wild with dishes, food and people everywhere.

Conversation spilled into every room of the house, loud, animated and punctuated with laughter. My sister-in-law said what we all thought: It was the best Thanksgiving ever!

That Thanksgiving story speaks to this weekend’s Lenten readings that remind us: We are not God. What we have in this life is a result of our loving God’s generosity, not something we somehow deserve.

For me, the temptation is to think it’s all mine to be selfishly hoarded, consumed or parsimoniously doled out to whomever I deem worthy. (How good of me to pick up an extra $10 turkey.) But the Old Testament passage explains “first fruits,” the concept that we give back to our generous God the first and best — not the leftovers or extra — of the gifts bestowed on us.

God has provided me a lifetime of security in a comfortable home with a loving family — all available to be shared.

What are home, family and celebration for if not simply to show me the nature of God’s love? If I’m going to return that love, it can be no less.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of February 22 - February 28 Sunday (Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time), 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38; Monday (St. Polycarp), James 3:13-18, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday, James 4:1-10, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (Thursday After Ash Wednesday), Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday (Friday After Ash Wednesday), Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday (Saturday After Ash Wednesday), Isaiah 58:9-14, Luke 5:27-32 Scripture for the week of February 29 - March 6 Sunday (First Sunday of Lent), Deuteronomy 26:4-10, Romans 10:8-13, Luke 4:1-13; Monday (Lenten Weekday), Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46; Tuesday (Lenten Weekday), Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:7-15; Wednesday (Lenten Weekday), Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 11:29-32; Thursday (Lenten Weekday), Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 or 4:17 (Esther’s prayer), Matthew 7:712; Friday (Lenten Weekday), Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:20-26; Saturday (Lenten Weekday), Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48

The Catholic News & Herald 11

February 20, 2004

Making ‘Judas’ TV film a ‘personal responsibility,’ director says

The Little Tramp strikes again

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

CNS file photo

Charlie Chaplin, with his familiar moustache and derby, is pictured in a scene from one of his classic comedies.

Richard Schickel’s fascinating documentary, “Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin,” illuminates the genius of a man who, for an entire generation, entertained audiences the world over. And even today, actors, directors and Hollywood craftspeople try to imitate Chaplin’s astonishing energy and brilliance in the hopes of achieving even a sliver of Chaplain’s success in entertaining the masses.

Although Schickel’s documentary will hold its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, the program will debut on the TCM cable channel Wednesday, March 3, 8-10 p.m. EST. In fact, TCM will feature Chaplin films and shorts each Wednesday night in March (check local listings for details).

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The film is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

WASHINGTON — Directing the ABC made-for-TV movie “Judas” was “not just a job, but a personal obligation, a personal responsibility to the faith I take very seriously,” said Charles Robert Carner, a Catholic with a long line of successes in the madefor-TV movie genre.

“Obviously, as a Catholic, it was important to me” to be able to tell the story of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, the apostle who betrayed him, Carner told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

“Judas,” which was originally titled “Judas & Jesus,” will air Monday, March 8, 9-11 p.m. EST on ABC. Carner got the directing job through his Catholic connections. “I know Father Frank,” he said, referring to Father Frank Desiderio, head of Paulist Productions and one of the executive producers of the movie. “He was familiar with my work. We’re both in Catholics in Media (Associates),” he said. “He asked me to make this, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Although the Gospels focus on Jesus, there are many characters surrounding his life and ministry about whom much is unknown. Carner acknowledged the need to walk a fine line between the excesses of past filmed accounts of Jesus’ life.

“If you look at ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told,’ it’s respectful to the point of being tedious,” Carner told CNS about the George Stevens’ film that presented the traditional view of Christ as God incarnate.

“But ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ was so self-conscious (about) shattering myths, it’s like (director Martin) Scorsese was making a cold movie,” Carner said. “And I don’t want to trivialize people’s religion, which is what screwed up Monty Python’s ‘Life

of Brian.’”

Scorsese’s film tried to present Christ as tempted by Satan to give up his role as Messiah for the life of an ordinary man. The Monty Python satire was about a contemporary of Jesus who is mistaken for him and eventually crucified by the Romans.

Carner believes he navigated those treacherous waters successfully, with the help of a solid cast.

Johnathon Schaech, who plays Judas, has “a marvelous intensity,” he said. Jonathan Scarfe, who plays Jesus, projects “those intangible qualities of Jesus, a holistic sense of care and confidence and loving and values. I felt it was important the viewers get a sense of joy from him.”

Fiona Glasscott, who plays Pontius Pilate’s wife, Claudia, was “almost Machiavellian in the way she was able to influence Pilate.”

He also lauded the script from Tom Fontana, best known for the series “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Oz.” “You could make a whole other movie just on the interplay between Caiaphas and Pilate,” Carner said.

The movie features scenes between the Roman governor of Judea (Tim Matheson) and the Temple high priest (Bob Gunton) as they seek to maintain a fragile political equilibrium amid the growth of interest in Jesus.

“Judas” was filmed over 23 days in Morocco in 2001, according to Carner, a former member of the U.S. bishops’ communications committee.

“We were in the mixing studio when Sept. 11 happened,” Carner said, referring to the 2001 terror attacks that day in the United States.

“I went to work that day in a state of shock. Everyone was (in shock),” he added. “I called everyone together, and we said a prayer for the victims of these terrible attacks.

“People came up to me in tears and said, ‘Thank you for making this move at this time.’ It made them feel as if their work mattered,” Carner said.

“Judas” stayed on the shelf for two years after it was completed.

“There have been reasons put forth at various times” for the delay in it being aired, Carner said. “ABC was waiting for the right moment. And, with the release of Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion’ and all the attendant publicity, this was the right time. I can’t say I blame them. If I were ABC, I’d try to find a good time to show this.”

Since making “Judas,” Carner directed “Red Water,” the highest-rated original movie to be shown on basic cable, and “Crossfire Trail,” the highest-rated Western feature to debut on basic cable, both on TNT.

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

Local band strikes chord with Abbey Gaston Symphonic Band, Hamilton perform in Guest Artist BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College continues its Guest Artist Series with a special concert by some of the best local artists in the Charlotte metro area.

The Gaston Symphonic Band will perform a free concert for the public in the Abbey Basilica at the college Feb. 22.

The concert will feature Suite No. 1 by Gustav Holst, Suite of Old American Dances by Bennett, Amparito Roca by Jaime Texidor, and Broadway one-step march and “Saint Thomas”

by Sonny Rollins, arranged by Aubrey Winter.

The Gaston County Community Band was founded in 1993 by Seth Kirby, band director at Mount Holly Junior High. During Kirby’s tenure, the Gaston County Community Band continued to grow into a full symphonic band of more than 60 members playing a variety of music.

To reflect this growth, the volunteer band eventually became known as

February 20, 2004

around the diocese

the Gaston Symphonic Band.

Tim Hamilton was appointed interim director in 2000, when the group’s founder became ill, and permanent director in 2001.

Hamilton is a graduate of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, where he performed as an orchestral trumpeter with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. He began his music teaching career in South Carolina. In 1996, he was named director of bands at Ashbrook Senior High School.

Currently, Hamilton is the director of bands at Belmont Middle School in Belmont.

The Guest Artist Series at Belmont Abbey College is made possible in part by the Associated Foundation of Belmont, with additional assistance from Sam Stowe III, Benedictine Father Kenneth Geyer and Abbot Placid D. Solari. Karen Hite Jacob is the series’ coordinator.

Want to Go?

The Gaston Symphonic Band performs in the Abbey Basilica at 3 p.m. Feb. 22. The concert is free and open to the public.

Catholic students make top honors Second quarter honor roll announced GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace School announced its middle school students who have been named to the school’s “All-A” or “A/B” honor rolls for the second quarter grading period.

The students earning recognition on the “All-A” honor roll: — sixth-graders Olivia Campbell and Monika Chao; — seventh-graders Tommy Saintsing and Elanor Shingledecker; — eighth-graders Leslee Flores, Tyler Frankenberg, Heather Hofmann, Ben Kirby, Elle Merrill, Will Scott and Conner Sherwood.

The students earning recognition on the “A/B” honor roll: — sixth-graders Emily Byerly, Nicole Curnes, Kevin DePopas, Jenny

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVES: J.S. Paluch Co. (est. 1913), the nation’s oldest Catholic publisher, is now interviewing for the position of Sales Representatives for parish church bulletins.

Realistic earning potential of $40K+ health insurance, paid vacation, 401K & training salary.

Some travel required. Self motivation a must. To arrange an interview call Les Black 1-800-4323240. EOE PRINCIPAL: St. Anthony of Padua Catholic grade school located in Southern Pines, NC, is now accepting curriculum vitae for the position of principal. The school’s curriculum is faithful to the Magesterium of the Church. Applicants

Hodgin, Ivy Kolosieke, Kate McMullen, Ellis Murray, Rose O’Shea, Teresa Pincus, Andrew Pratt, Hilding Reich, Garret Roth, Mark Sowinski, Aaron Toomey, Austin Tritt, Michael Ware and Mary Kate Young; — seventh-graders Vanessa Abbott, Kim Anile, Kevin Englar, Jenna Macksood, Lauren Martiere, Helen McNamara, Josh Merrill, Cissy Nitz, Claire O’Keeffe and Logan Payne; — eighth-graders Trey Cheek, Brenna Currie, Lauren Hill, Andrew Justice, Alle Leonard, Jonathan Leonard, Kelly Lynn McGee, Mary Margaret Mooney, Jordan Nunez, Rocky Pagliei, Jose Ruiz, Mariamme Sadri and Corinne Smith.

must have a Master’s degree and be state certified in education. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Since the school is expanding, an applicant should be a visionary and have fundraising capabilities. Curriculum vitae will be received through 3/31/04. The Very Reverend Jeffrey Ingham, V.F., St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 175 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387.

FOR SALE INSURANCE: Best Health Insurance plans at best rates! Call Mike Wilkinson (704) 845-1416.

PRAYERS & PETITIONS Thank you, St. Jude, for prayers answered. AS

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Rates: $.60/word per issue ($12 minimum per issue) Deadline: 12 noon Wednesday, 9 days before publication How to order: Ads may be E-mailed to ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org, faxed to (704) 370-3382 or mailed to: Cindi Feerick, The Catholic News & Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Payment: For information, call (704) 370-3332.

February 20, 2004

Father W. Robert Graves, former Hispanic minister, dies BETHEL PARK, Pa. — Holy Ghost Father W. Robert Graves, a former director of Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte, died in Florida of leukemia Feb. 4, 2004.

Father Graves was born in Worchester, Mass., on Nov. 20, 1923.

He made his vows to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit on July 16, 1944 and was ordained to the priesthood in Norwalk, Conn., on Feb. 17, 1950.

Following his ordination, his first assignment took him to Puerto Rico where he worked in a number of missions for 42 years.

In August 1992, he was assigned to the Diocese of Charlotte as chaplain for the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry. He also worked with Hispanics at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe until 1996.

His retirement years found him at the Spiritans retirement home in Sarasota, Fla., where he continued to assist in replacement ministry until his death.

Burial took place in St. Mary’s

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around the diocese

Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

In memory of Father Graves, donations may be made to the Spiritans, designated for retirement or for the education of future Holy Ghost priests, at 6230 Brush Run Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102.

Ministering the future of

Brother of Msgr.

Showfety dies GREENSBORO — Michael Show-

fety, brother of Msgr. Joseph Showfety, died in Greensboro Feb. 15. He was 83 years old.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 19 at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

Notes of condolences may be sent to Msgr. Showfety at: Msgr. Joseph S. Showfety 7-A Fountain Manor Drive Greensboro, N.C. 27405

CORRECTION

Rev. Mr. Gerard LaPointe, permanent deacon at St. Margaret Church in Maggie Valley, was unintentionally omitted from the staff box in the Parish Profile.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Ricardo Veloz, diocesan director of Hispanic youth and young adult ministry, displays the certificate he received in recognition of his completion of the “Adult Counselors For Youth Ministry” course at the Southeast Pastoral Institute. by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Ricardo Veloz, director of diocesan Hispanic youth and young adult ministry, recently completed 150 hours of study, “Adult Counselors For Youth Ministry,” at the Southeast Pastoral Institute in Miami, Fla. Veloz considered the most important focus of the program to be psychology for adolescents, where he learned how to help young people cope with their problems.

Other courses included methodology, Christology and sociology.

Adolescents may the most important

people in the Catholic Church today, he said. The sociology course taught him how society integrates adolescents into it.

“The courses helped me to better understand the realities youth and young adults, especially Hispanics, face everyday,” he said. “And also to understand the Catholic Church’s position on youth and young adults.”

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

THIS MONTH IN —1992 Queen of the Apostles gets new facilities Then-Bishop John F. Donoghue blessed a new parish family center and education building at Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont Feb. 16, 1992. The new facilities were built to encourage family life and social gatherings for the growing parish.

The 7,000-square-foot parish center features a spacious hall, a large kitchen, nursery, meeting room and storage space. A brick exterior matched the church and adjoining rectory. The educational building, a separate structure, featured six carpeted classrooms.

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February 20, 2004

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Pope says Letter to Ephesians tells of salvation plan, God’s love

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

Attractive concept of enough. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not smart enough.”

And I can’t imagine how awful that would feel.

There is happiness in the future, in the things that we will all eventually see and do and experience. But there’s also happiness right here — right now — even though we are imperfect people, even though we don’t always win first prize, get the guy or look our best all the time.

And happiness starts with knowing what’s “enough” for us right here, right now.

It took practice to eliminate “never enough” from my life, but I’m quite contented with the results so far. After all — “I am pretty,” “I am smart,” “I am good.”

Don’t they sound great?

Coming of Age KAREN DIETLEIN CNS Columnist to keep them close — and in perspective.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my experience with the word “enough” it’s that people don’t have to wait for it to be truly happy.

Even if waited for “enough” and became richer than Midas, with the body of Helen of Troy and the writing talent of Shakespeare in my pinkie toe I still could wake up one morning, face myself in the mirror and say bleakly: “I’m not good

VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II, continuing a series of talks on prayer, said St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians offers a powerful summary of God’s plan for salvation and his love for humanity.

At the beginning of the letter, St. Paul’s canticle — recited every Monday at evening prayer — touches upon the purpose of creation, the meaning of the sacrifice of Christ and the importance of the gift of grace, the pope said at his weekly general audience Feb. 18.

The pope, seated on his mobile throne on the stage of the Vatican’s audience hall, read less than half his prepared talk, and his voice was weak.

He said St. Paul’s meditation at the beginning of his Letter to the Ephesians reflects on the fullness of God’s plan for humanity.

“The canticle is a hymn to the saving power of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

In his infinite goodness God planned before the creation of the world to bring all things into one through his beloved Son,” he said in the English summary of his talk.

“This mysterious plan of salvation culminates in the mystery of Christ and the church. Through Christ’s blood shed on the cross we have received redemption and the forgiveness of our sins,” he said.

“By grace we were predestined in love to become children of God and to share in the fullness of God’s own life,” he said.

The audience was enlivened by the songs and chants of groups of international visitors, who cheered as their

“If only I were thin enough. Then I’d be happy.”

Those words came to me out of nowhere as I twisted and twirled in front of a department store mirror last week. I was trying on a cocktail dress, watching as the material bunched and stretched in all the wrong places. I looked terrible.

In an instant I flashed back to high school and saw myself standing in the corner of the girls’ locker room feeling that I just wasn’t pretty enough, that I just wasn’t smart enough, that I just wasn’t thin enough and that I could never be really happy until I was.

Then something occurred to me as I readjusted that too-tight skirt. I’d never thought of it back in school when I was busy trying to avoid showing off my flabby arms after dodge ball.

“Enough,” I muttered, picking at the dress with my left hand. How much weight loss was enough? At first I mused 10 pounds — but wouldn’t 30 be better? Or 40? Was I looking to fit into this particular frock or was I trying to be as skinny as Gwyneth Paltrow? Did I actually ever have a weight-loss goal that I

The Pope Speaks POPE JOHN PAUL II

names were read by papal aides. The pope was serenaded by choirs, small bands and a group of harmonica-playing pilgrims from Germany.

Near the end of the audience, the pope greeted some 100 bishops who sat behind him on the stage. They were attending a conference on holiness in modern society, sponsored by the worldwide Focolare movement, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Focolare, also called the Work of Mary, is a Catholic lay movement seeking world unity through the living witness of Christian love and holiness in the family and small community.

In brief remarks to the delegation, the pope said Mary was the “sublime model” of holiness for the whole church.

Among the bishops in the group was Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, whose brief marriage to a Korean follower of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 2001 caused the Vatican deep embarrassment. Archbishop Milingo reconciled with the pope and the Vatican and currently leads faith-healing prayer services at a spirituality center outside Rome.

was going to stick to and be happy with or was I just trying to pour water into a bottomless cup, mistakenly expecting it to overflow with blessings?

“Enough” is an attractive concept. Society implies that once we get “enough” we can coast through life much as Gwyneth glides gently across the red carpet at the Oscars.

But without a clear, definitive goal “enough” becomes a lie — a false promise of happiness, an undefined and often unattainable high point. It becomes the carrot forever dangling just out of reach.

It becomes the treat that’s forever in the future, the Christmas morning that never comes.

At what point does “enough” become — well, enough?

I didn’t want to sacrifice my own personal happiness on the altar of “never enough.” I wanted to play the violin, feel the music flow through me and enjoy it.

So what if I’m not as good as Itzhak Perlman? I wanted to write, to place words together in order and consonance. So what if I don’t have a Pulitzer Prize yet?

Big dreams and great ambitions are necessary. I have quite a few myself. I try

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February 20, 2004

For Lent: Lessons in love February is the time of year when it seems appropriate to talk about love.

Clearly, St. Valentine’s Day has become associated with people expressing warm affection, even undying devotion.

And if it makes folks feel closer and fonder of one another to send cards and flowers or share a box of chocolates, I say, more power to them. However, the occasion I’m really thinking of is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.

Love is far more than an emotion: it is a force of heaven. God’s love for his people is what propels us from the despair of death to the hope of eternity; from the mortality we contemplate on Ash Wednesday through the ultimate sacrifice of God’s son on Good Friday to his glorious resurrection of Easter morning.

Whatever love we have for ourselves, for others and for God exists because God first loved us, not with simple sentiment, but with a miraculous power.

I believe he expects our love to reflect his own, with words and actions that express our belief in the transforming potential of love.

So, this Lenten season I have a suggestion for what to give up. Give up apathy and ambivalence. Embrace God’s love for your own. Think about ways to

Light One Candle MSGR. JIM LISANTE Guest Columnist

put love into practice in all the little and large moments of everyday life. Think about what love really means.

— Love is pleasant when it would be easy to be irritable; — Love listens even when it’s not convenient; — Love speaks kindly of those whom others belittle; — Love draws out the best from those who often fail; — Love delights in giving attention rather than in attracting it; — Love respects the other’s point of view without necessarily accepting it; — Love knows how to disagree without becoming disagreeable; — Love rejoices at the success of others instead of being envious;

The Assumption of Q. As a Catholic I believe what the church teaches about the Assumption of Mary. But I never learned any facts upon which this teaching is based. How can we have such an important feast and belief when there are no facts to back them up?

Or have I missed something? (Indiana)

A. I’m not sure what you mean by facts. For many of our Catholic and Christian beliefs there are no physical “facts,” if that’s what you mean, to support them. What such facts do we have to bolster our faith in the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, for example? Or our belief that the Bible is the word of God? These are mysteries in the formal religious sense; we cannot know or comprehend them with our human faculties alone, without some direct revelation from God. What Pope Pius XII wrote when proclaiming the dogma of the assumption (1950) applies to all divine mysteries. The virgin Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven, he said, is a truth “which surely no faculty of the human mind could know by its own natural powers” (“Munificentissimus Deus,” No. 14).

We believe that some authentic facts, realities, are not certifiable by physical evidence or purely natural processes of logic. Among these is the promise of Jesus Christ that he would be with and guide his community of believers, his church, until the end of time (Mt 28:20).

He assured the disciples that the Father would send the Spirit of truth, who “will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you” and “will

guide you to all truth” (Jn 14:26 and 16:13).

The Spirit of Jesus will keep it safe from any direction or teaching that could get it seriously off track and endanger its mission to be a sure instrument and channel of God’s saving grace for the human family. This is an essential “fact” of Catholic, and indeed all Christian, faith.

This leads to the further fact that, while the church speaks sometimes through the pope or the collective body of bishops, the official teachers in the church, the Holy Spirit also inspires, and speaks to and in, the whole body of the faithful on earth, bringing about what is known in theology as the “sensus fidelium,” the consensus of believers.

Pius XII’s declaration of the doctrine of the assumption is a perfect example. Before the operative words proclaiming the dogma, he devotes pages to explaining carefully exactly what is being done and especially establishing the extensive, centuriesold belief of Catholics worldwide that this teaching regarding Mary was revealed by God. He reviews evidence of this belief in devotions and liturgy, in the dedication of churches, religious orders and every sort of religious institution and activity to our Lady under the title of her assumption.

He explains how the teaching accords with Scripture and other great Christian traditions, and why, for more than 1,000 years, theologians, including St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas, witnessed in its

— Love puts up with others’ idiosyncrasies without being self-righteous; — Love strives to make a bad situation better instead of just complaining; — Love avoids causing unnecessary pain even when it’s difficult; — Love helps those in trouble without expecting the favor to be returned; Cardinal John Henry Newman said, “One little deed, done against natural inclinations for God’s sake, though in itself of a passive character, to brook an insult, to face danger, or to resign an advantage, has in it power outbalancing all the dust and chaff of mere profession.”

How small and insignificant love seems when put in these terms — until we try to live it. There’s nothing easy about pouring out love through patient perseverance. Denying your own desires for the welfare of another and returning good for evil are considered weak by those who don’t have the strength to do them.

So, when your thoughts this month turn to hearts, that’s fine — as long as you treasure all love for the one heart pierced for love of you.

For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, “Works of Mercy, Gifts of Love,” write: The Christophers, 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY 10017; or email: mail@christophers.org.

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

favor. (If you want to read the whole document, Google search “Munifcentissimus Deus” on the Internet.)

Finally, four years before the declaration, he wrote to all bishops, inquiring whether the assumption could be proposed and defined as a dogma of faith. “Do you, with your clergy and people, desire that it should be (defined)?” he asked. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

Perhaps, especially dealing with things of God, “facts” are where you find them. As with love, God, beauty and nearly all other truly important facts of life, we do not understand. We just know.

A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about Mary, the mother of Jesus, is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 325, Peoria, IL 61651.

Questions may be sent to Father Dietzen at the same address, or e-mail: jjdietzen@aol.com.

Parents aging Our Turn THERESE J. BORCHARD CNS Columnist I hate seeing people age, especially parents. I want to color the gray out of their hair and buy them a lifetime prescription for aging cream so as to erase, along with their wrinkles, my fear of being left alone in this world.

Young adults are entering that chapter in their lives when they must decide what to do if their parents are no longer able to meet their own needs.

The young adults remember with nostalgia when Dad didn’t suffer from prostate cancer and when Mom’s eyes were still good.

Each generation has had to care for the one before it, of course. But since many young adults are prolonging the decision to start a family of their own, a growing number of 30-somethings are faced with the double responsibility of changing diapers and Depends.

“I thought the grandparents were supposed to be of help to us when we were raising babies,” a disgruntled and exhausted friend said the other night as he flung himself on our couch after a full day of work, grocery shopping and helping his mom with a water leak.

Some of our parents are 60 going on 90, with many physical ailments and complaints. Some are as active and as mentally alert as they were in their prime. They still swim or walk or play tennis every morning. Some work at their health; others live on cocktails and smokes.

“Old age and the passage of time teach us everything,” writes the ancient Greek Sophocles. People either age gracefully or awkwardly; they embrace life and its seasons of joy and sorrow, or they defy it and resist the rhythm of its days, shutting down all vitality before its time.

We young adults can learn a great deal from our parents on how to age, which so often reflects how to live.

Research shows that those who stay physically and mentally active throughout their later years can successfully avert and overcome many diseases and cancers that plague their inactive friends.

I am inspired by those in their 70s, 80s and beyond who engage in life as fully as they did in their 20s and are uninhibited by their age to try new things.

They have taught me to embrace life as a young lover, and to appreciate each and every day.

Eventually, however, there is no escaping death and aging and gray hair and wrinkles. I fear the day I won’t be able to worry about my mom and to hear her voice on the other end of the phone. Until then, I try to learn as much as I can from her lived experience.

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February 20, 2004

PARISH PROFILE

St. Elizabeth Church serves parishioners, St. Elizabeth Church 259 Pilgrims Way Boone, N.C. 28607 (828) 264-8338 or 264-6347 Vicariate: Boone Pastor: Father John Schneider Deacon: Rev. Mr. Alexander Lyerly Number of Households: 465

Father John Schneider

Photo by George K. Cobb

St. Elizabeth Church in Boone was dedicated in 1988 after a fire destroyed the original church building. ticipation in the faith formation program, the Knights of Columbus and campus ministry at Appalachian State. The parish is also involved in Hispanic outreach, and offers a weekly Spanish Mass.

In 1993, the parish received the Mustard Seed Award from the National Catholic Education Association in recognition of their high level of involvement and participation.

pastor from 1993 until 1995, when Father Anthony Marcaccio administered until Father Conrad Hoover became pastor in 1996. Father John Schneider, the current pastor, came to the church in July 2000.

In November 2002, St. Elizabeth Church became part of WeCAN, the Watauga Crisis Assitance Network, a faith-bases ministry of churches working together to help the Watauga County residents in need.

Ministry life within the parish continues to thrive, including active par-

BOONE — St. Elizabeth Church has its beginnings in the few Catholic families and several Catholic students at Appalachian State College (now University) who were present in Boone in the 1940s.

At that time, visiting priests from Lenoir and North Wilkesboro celebrated Mass in the homes of private residents or the movie theater in Blowing Rock. One of those priests was Father William Wellein, who in 1953 set up the “Madonna of the Highways Motor Chapel” in Boone. It was often parked beside the Carolina Pharmacy and served a largely tourist population.

Father Wellein later began celebrating weekly Masses at the old American Legion “hut” and was commissioned to purchase land for a new church. Fundraising began by 1957, and the first Mass was celebrated in the new church in November 1958.

St. Elizabeth Church had no resident pastor until the Glenmary Home Missioners assumed pastoral responsibility in 1963. Glenmary Father Edward Smith convinced a few Glenmary brothers to come and erect an adjacent Newman Center office complex and living quarters for the priest in 1965.

During the Glenmary administration of the parish, the Catholic population, both around Boone and at Appalachian State, continued to grow. The first parish advisory board was established in 1964. When Father Smith was assigned to South America in 1969, Glenmary Father Robert Cameron became acting pastor. He was followed by Glenmary Father Robert Bond, who helped St. Elizabeth to become financially stable and have a functioning parish council.

A Ladies Guild was soon organized, and in 1972, the Diocese of Charlotte was established and pastoral responsibilities were returned to the diocese with Father George Kloster as pastor. At the time, St. Elizabeth Church’s rolls showed 303 members.

In 1974, Dominican Sister Ann Griggin arrived as Catholic campus minister and to serve the parish. In 1976 St. Elizabeth Church became covenanted with St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

In 1979, Father Frank Connolly became pastor. Outreach programs for the poor and disabled were accelerated, as well as efforts to reach Catholics not attending church. Birth Choice and Peace and Justice groups were organized also.

By 1982, there were 414 registered parishioners and weekend Mass attendance during the summer months averaged 600 people. The June-throughSeptember staffing of the Church of the Epiphany in Blowing Rock was a response to the influx of vacationing Floridians escaping the summer heat.

By 1984, the parish family had outgrown the original 140-seat church building when a disastrous fire destroyed the structure. During the next four years, business was conducted at the rectory and Masses were celebrated in an Appalachian State auditorium and Boone United Methodist Church.

The office complex, which survived the fire, was moved across the street and rebuilt in 1985 as the Catholic Campus Ministry Center. Land was purchased for the new church building, complete with religious education space, socializing facilities and offices.

The new structure opened in the spring of 1988 and was dedicated by thenBishop John F. Donoghue on July 17 of that year. Continued parish growth necessitated the addition of two education wings, which were completed in 1993 under Jesuit Father H. Cornell Bradley’s pastorate.

Father Damion Lynch served as