March 14, 2008

March 14, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives The multi-faceted challenges of poverty; Are children punished for parents’ wickendess? | Pages 14-15

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI March 14, 2008

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

To focus on Jesus with a humble heart Youths, young adults gather for prayer, reflection at Abbey by

vOLUME 17

no. 20

Keeping the cold at bay

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

BELMONT — Humility is an essential part of eucharistic adoration and Lent is an ideal time to focus on the Lord, said Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

“It is wonderful to have this opportunity with the Lord,” said Bishop Jugis to young Catholics from across the Diocese of Charlotte.

The bishop was one of the speakers during the diocese’s fourth annual Lenten spiritual pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey for youths and young adults March 9.

The approximately 300 participants included youths from middle and high schools and colleges across the diocese, as well as youth ministers, other adults, diocesan priests and deacons, women religious See PILGRIMS, page 9

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee, blesses the church’s new furnace March 9. The new heating system allows wintertime Masses to be celebrated in the church for the first time in 20 years.

For the story, see page 5.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis incenses a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament in the Abbey Basilica in Belmont during the Lenten spiritual pilgrimage for youths and young adults March 9. Also pictured: Deacon Art Kingsley and Father John Putnam.

Catholicism, charity and camaraderie

Catholic Daughters Court Charlotte celebrates 75 years by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

Photo By Katie Moore

Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Msgr. Mauricio W. West are pictured with members of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas at the 75th anniversary celebration of Court Charlotte at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Charlotte March 8.

CHARLOTTE — The Court Charlotte chapter of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas gathered to celebrate the court’s 75th anniversary at the diocesan Pastoral Center March 8.

Mass was celebrated by

Protecting God’s Children

National abuse audit and survey find soaring costs, fewer allegations Diocese of Charlotte costs remain low

by PATRICIA ZAPOR catholic news service

Court Charlotte chaplain, Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, followed by a reception and the induction of five new members.

Representatives from courts

WASHINGTON — The costs to the national Catholic Church for legal settlements in abuse cases, therapy for victims of sexual abuse, support for offenders and legal fees soared to more than $600 million in 2007, the fourth year of reporting on the handling of

See COURT, page 8

See SURVEY, page 13

‘Becoming disciples’

Culture Watch

Little girl, big gift

Catechists explore new curriculum for students

Church fights Mass card abuse; Sheen honored

Generosity benefits women, children

| Page 4

| Pages 10-11

| Page 16

March 14, 2008

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Britain repeals act criminalizing blasphemy against Christianity LONDON (CNS) — The criminal offense of blasphemy against Christianity has been abolished in England and Wales.

The House of Lords voted to support a government amendment to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill to scrap the act, which dates back more than 300 years.

Baroness Andrews, communities minister, told Britain’s House of Lords, where the bill is in its final stages, that the 1697 Blasphemy Act was anachronistic and had “fallen into disuse.”

She said legal protections guaranteed to religious believers by the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 meant that the law could be “safely repealed.”

“As long as this law remains on the statute book, it hinders the U.K.’s ability to challenge oppressive blasphemy laws in other jurisdictions, including those used to persecute vulnerable Christian minorities,” she said during the March 5 debate. “It is not an attack on

A little mistake

Diocesan planner CNS photo by Frank J. Methe, Clarion Herald

Uriel Little, a former member of St. Louise de Marillac Parish in Arabi, La., stands next to a Katrina memorial in Shell Beach, La., dedicated to the 137 residents of St. Bernard Parish, a civil entity, who perished during the 2005 storm. Little, who was evacuated to Texas two days before the storm, was presumed dead and his name is inscribed on the memorial.

Man thought to have perished in Katrina is alive and kicking NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — First, the good news. Uriel Little, 76, is alive and kicking.

What has Little scratching his head these days — two and a half years after he was evacuated from St. Bernard Manor before Hurricane Katrina hit — is a stately stone monument erected Aug. 29, 2007, by St. Bernard Parish, a civil entity, to honor the 137 St. Bernard residents who perished during the storm.

The name “URIEL LITTLE” is chiseled into the stone.

Displaying his wry sense o f h u m o r, L i t t l e s a i d i t j u s t isn’t so.

Little, a former member of St. Louise de Marillac Church in Arabi, was evacuated to Texas two days before the storm.

He spent many months at apartments operated by Christopher Homes, the New Orleans archdiocesan housing agency, and is now living in an assisted living apartment at St. Margaret’s Daughters Nursing Home in New Orleans.

How did Little feel when relatives told him about his being memorialized on the stone monument on the banks of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet at Shell Beach?

“I didn’t think it was too good — but as long as it wasn’t true, that’s the main thing,” Little said, smiling.

Little’s sister, Sylvia Little Costanza, said she knew something was amiss many months after the storm when her brother’s name continued to show up in local newspaper stories chronicling who had died during the storm.

She called the newspaper and even the St. Bernard Parish coroner’s office to make sure they knew her brother was still alive.

“Then lo and behold, we got a call from someone that his name was on the monument,” she said.

Ricky Melerine, St. Bernard councilman at large, was the councilman for the district that pushed for the erection of the monument along with a striking 13-foot-by-7-foot stainless steel cross set into the waters of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Melerine said he was “pretty sure” the list of the deceased came from the coroner’s office, and he was surprised the mistake is only now coming to light.

“As far as taking his name off, it won’t be hard. I think we can go in there — with filler material — and polish it up,” said Melerine.

Costanza drove Little to the monument for the first time recently, and he kept his spirits high.

“I guess I’m going to get arrested for false advertising,” he said.

“You look pretty good,” Costanza told her brother.

For more events taking place in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese.org/ calendarofevents-cn.

ALBEMARLE VICARIATE

MONROE — A holy hour is held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 725 Deese St., until December 2008 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes. The holy hour consists of evening prayer, recitation of the rosary and Benediction. The celebration is open to all. For more information, contact the parish office at (704) 289-2773.

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

ARDEN — The St. Martin de Porres Dominican Laity Chapter meets the fourth Monday of every month at Debra Mattison’s house, 4 Brook Meadows Lane, 7 p.m. Inquirers are welcome.

For more information contact Joe Kraft at (828) 648-1036 or jebkraft@juno.com.

BOONE VICARIATE

NORTH WILKESBORO — A Catholic Scripture Study group meets at St. John Baptiste de La Salle Church, 275 CC Wright School Rd. Visit www. catholicscripturestudy.com for more information.

Classes meet Wednesdays, 12-1:30 p.m. and 6:458:15 p.m. Please call Rob Hicks at (336) 957-7193 for more information or if you plan to attend.

SPRUCE PINE — A rosary of intercession for priests is recited each Friday at St. Lucien Church, 695 Summit St., before the 9 a.m. Mass. Prayers are offered for bishops, priests and deacons, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood.

For more information, call the church office at (828) 765-2224.

the sacred in our society.”

However, Baroness O’Cathain, a Conservative Party member, said that “abolishing the blasphemy law does not demonstrate neutrality; rather it contributes to a wider campaign for the adoption of a secular constitution, which ... would actually be hostile to religion.”

She said the amendment “proposes to legalize the most intense and abusive attacks on Christ.”

The Church of England announced earlier this year that it was not opposed to repeal of the blasphemy laws.

But in a Feb. 29 letter to Hazel Blears, secretary of state for communities and local government, the two most senior Anglican prelates, Archbishops Rowan Williams of Canterbury and John Sentamu of York, sought assurances that the amendment “should not be capable of interpretation as a secularizing move, or as a general license to attack or insult religious beliefs and believers.”

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE

CHARLOTTE — The U.S. Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. will offer a free performance at Charlotte Catholic High School March 31 at 7 p.m.

The Field Band’s concert in Charlotte is sponsored by the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Educational Foundation and the Charlotte Catholic High School Band Parents Association. To obtain free tickets or for more information, call Stanley Michalski at (704) 541-8016.

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Community Blood Drive will be held at the diocesan Pastoral Center, 1123 South Church St., March 26. The blood drive will take place in the first floor conference room 11a.m.-2 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, please contact Terri Wilhelm at (704) 370-6299 or e-mail mswilhelm@charlottediocese.org.

CHARLOTTE — The Compassionate Friends of Charlotte meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Parkway. The organization is a support group for parents who have lost a child, regardless of cause of death or age of the child. The group meets at 7 p.m. in room 234. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact Donna or Ralph Goodrich at (804) 882-4503 or e-mail iluvu2lauren@earthlink.net.

CHARLOTTE — The St. Matthew Columbiettes will be awarding the 4th annual Gene Marie Alfaro scholarship in memory of their sister, Gene Marie, to a graduating high school senior who will be pursuing a career in the nursing or health care field. This year, in addition to the $1,000 scholarship, two additional $500 awards will be given. The application needs to be submitted no later than April 7, 2008. If interested, please call Diana Congdon at (704) 814-0624.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

DENVER — The Blanketeers of Holy Spirit Church, 537 N. Hwy. 16, hold periodic workshops to make security blankets for seriously ill and traumatized children through Project Linus, a nonprofit organization. For more information, call the church office at (704) 483-6448 or visit www.projectlinus.org.

March 14, 2 008 Volume 17 • Number 20

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray STAFF WRITER: Katie Moore Graphic DESIGNER: Tim Faragher Advertising MANAGER: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 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.

March 14, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican official: Social effects of sin greater than ever VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In today’s globalized culture, the social effects of sin are greater than ever before and deserve the church’s urgent attention, a Vatican official said.

New forms of sin have arisen in the area of biotechnology, economics and ecology, and many involve questions of individual rights and wider social effects, said Bishop Gianfranco Girotti.

Bishop Girotti is an official of the Apostolic Penitentiary, an office that deals with questions relating to penance and indulgences. He made the comments in an interview March 8.

Bishop Girotti said the sense of sin in today’s world should be even more acute than before, since the effects of sin are often widespread.

“If yesterday’s sin had a rather individualistic dimension, today it has an impact and resonance that is above all social, because of the great phenomenon of globalization,” he said.

“In effect, attention to sin is a more urgent task today, precisely because its

consequences are more abundant and more destructive.”

Among the “new sins” he said were genetic experiments and manipulation that violate fundamental human rights and produce effects difficult to foresee and control.

Other areas where sin has a social impact include drug abuse; economic injustice, which has left the poor even poorer and the rich richer; and environmental irresponsibility.

Bishop Girotti was asked about sin among the church’s own members, a reference to priestly sex abuse.

“One cannot underrate the objective seriousness of a series of acts that have recently been reported and that carry with them the signs of the church’s human and institutional fragility,” he said. But he said it should also be recognized that the church reacted to these reports and is continuing to do so, with “rigorous interventions and initiatives” aimed at protecting the church’s good name and the people of God.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE

Opportunity will sponsor a Financial Fitness Fair at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville March 17. The workshop’s focus will be on retirement. Stop by to receive information on restoring credit, debt reduction and filing taxes.

The event will run 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call Claudie Burchfield at (828) 835-3535.

MAGGIE VALLEY — Let the “Why Catholic?” program deepen your understanding of the Mass and sacraments though small group meetings weekly during Lent — 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. on Sundays — at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr. To register, call Dick or Sharon Foy at (828) 926-9968.

SYLVA — Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated 3-4 p.m. at St. Mary Mother of God Church, 22 Bartlett St. March 30. All are invited to come for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, communal prayer and song. For more information, call (828) 586-9496.

GREENSBORO — A solemn celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday will be held at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St. on March 30. All are invited to come for a Divine Mercy holy hour and Benediction at 3:30 p.m. For more information, please call Melissa Miller at (336) 274-6520, ext. 310.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — Father Robert Ferris leads a Lectionary Bible Study at St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St., Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Mary, Mother of God room. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

This study prepares participants for the following Sunday’s Mass by reading and studying the liturgical readings for the next week. For more information on this study, contact Kathy Succop at (828) 327-2341 or stalscoordinator@charter.net.

HICKORY — A Catholic Scripture Study facilitated

by Dr. Peter Miller is held at St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. on Wednesday nights from 6:45–8:45 p.m. in the lower level. This Bible study program consists of small group discussions followed by a lecture on a particular segment of the Scriptures. This is an adult program; however high school youth are welcome and encouraged to join. This year, the group is studying the Acts of the Apostles. For more information, call the church office at (828) 327-2341 or e-mail stalscss@charter.net.

SALISBURY VICARIATE

SALISBURY — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer ministry comprised of Sacred Heart Church parishioners who have lost babies before or shortly after birth.

Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. For details, call Renee Washington at (704) 637-0472 or Sharon Burges at (704) 633-0591.

SALISBURY — Our Lady Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., are making cord rosaries for the missions and the military. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month in the church office conference room, 10-11 a.m. For more information, call Cathy Yochim at (704) 636-6857 or Joan Kaczmarezyk at (704) 797-8405.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

HAYESVILLE — The diocesan Office of Economic

Episcopal

calendar

Vatican official concerned about CatholicOrthodox document on church VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said he had concerns about a recent CatholicOrthodox document on the nature of the church.

Archbishop Angelo Amato said the document of the international Catholic-Orthodox dialogue commission appeared to rely too heavily on Orthodox terminology and did not give enough emphasis to the Catholic position that the jurisdictional primacy of the pope is an essential part of the structure and nature of the church.

“One cannot give a precise theological identity of the universal church without referring to the pope’s primacy of jurisdiction,” the archbishop said March 8. “Primacy is not an optional addition, but is an essential element.”

The document, “Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority,” was finalized by the dialogue commission when it met in October in Ravenna, Italy.

When it was published, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, coordinator of the Catholic side of the dialogue, said, “The document represents the outcome of the work of a commission and should not be understood as an official declaration of

the church’s teaching.”

Joint statements from the ecumenical dialogues in which the Catholic Church engages routinely are sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for review and comment.

Addressing the statements made

by Archbishop Amato, Msgr. Eleuterio Fortino, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said the document itself explained that it was just “the first document on the subject” and that the question of papal primacy would be studied in the next round of Catholic-Orthodox talks.

And, the monsignor said, the archbishop’s assertion that the language used in the document was “closer to the Orthodox ecclesiological tradition than to the Catholic” was “not exact.”

Archbishop Amato said he saw an overreliance on Orthodox terms “where, for example, it speaks of synodality instead of collegiality.” But, Msgr.

Fortino said the document begins by explaining that “the two terms are synonymous.”

Seeking agreement that would lead to full unity between Catholics and Orthodox, the dialogue commission’s document tried to explain how communion and authority are expressed and exercised on local, regional and universal levels within the one church of Christ.

Mass on the mountaintop

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

CLEMMONS — A Charismatic Prayer Group meets Mondays at 7:15 p.m. in the eucharistic chapel of Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd. All are invited to come for praise music, witness, teaching, prayers and petition. For more details, call Jim Passero at (336) 998-7503.

CLEMMONS — In recognition of Divine Mercy Sunday, Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., will hold a number of prayer events on Sunday, March 30. Eucharistic adoration will be held at 1:30 p.m. followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 p.m. and Benediction at 4:45 p.m. All are welcome to attend any or all of the events. For more information, call Donna at (336) 940-2558.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to kmmoore@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

March 20 (7:30 p.m.)

Holy Thursday Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

March 22 (7:45 p.m.)

Easter Vigil Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

March 21 (7:30 p.m.)

Good Friday veneration of the cross St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

March 23 (11 a.m.)

Easter Sunday Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

CNS photo by Nikola Solic, Reuters

Roman Catholic priests lead pilgrims in prayer during a Lenten pilgrimage to the summit of Srdj Mountain near Croatia’s popular Adriatic destination of Dubrovnik March 9.

Pope establishes new diocese in Puerto Rico VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has established the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao, Puerto Rico, and named Father Eusebio Ramos Morales to be its first bishop.

The new diocese, the sixth in Puerto Rico, was announced March 11 with territory taken from the Archdiocese of San Juan and the Diocese of Caguas..

Bishop-designate Ramos was born in Maunabo Dec. 15, 1952. He studied philosophy and theology at Bayamon Central University in Puerto Rico and at

St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla. He also earned a degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

According to the Vatican, 293,000 people live in the new diocese and almost 98,000 of them are Catholic. There are 21 parishes in the diocese, served by 17 diocesan priests and five priests belonging to religious orders. There are three seminarians, 21 permanent deacons and religious women from five different orders working in the new diocese.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

March 14, 2008

around the diocese

‘Becoming disciples’

Confirmation chefs

Catechists explore new curriculum for youths HICKORY — Parish catechetical leaders recently learned about nurturing disciples during a curriculum development workshop.

Approximately 35 people attended “Becoming Disciples: A Curriculum for Elementary and Middle School Catechesis” at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory March 6.

The workshop was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

“The idea behind the workshop was to present and explain a curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade based on the six tasks of catechesis contained in the General Directory for Catechesis issued by the Vatican,” said Dr. Cris Villapando, director of diocesan faith formation programs.

The six tasks are knowledge of the faith, liturgical education, moral formation, teaching to pray, education for community life and missionary initiation.

Attendees reviewed information from “Becoming Disciples,” a curriculum utilized for elementary and middle school catechesis in the Diocese of

Wilmington, Del. The presenters were Sister Sally Russell, a Sister of St. Joseph, and Sister Elaine McCarron, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth.

Sister Russell is assistant director of religious education for the Diocese of Wilmington. Sister McCarron has served as a representative for catechesis and multicultural concerns in the U.S. Catholic Conference’s Department of Education.

“In this current presentation of our ancient, ever-new faith, Sister Sally and Sister Elaine reinforced the words of the General Directory of Catechesis,” said Villapando.

Courtesy Photo

Confirmation class students at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem and their teacher, Jerry Galiger (center) are pictured while making dinner for residents of Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem Feb. 9.

The faith formation office is a ministry supported by contributions to the Diocesan Support Appeal.

The class, which includes teenagers from Mexico, El Salvador, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, made a Latin-American-themed dinner for the families of pediatric patients staying at the facility. Galiger’s previous classes also have made dinners for Ronald McDonald House residents.

Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation, along with baptism and the Eucharist, in the Catholic Church.

Courtesy Photo

Doni Juarez (left), a parish catechetical leader at Good Shepherd Church in King, and Marie Kinney, a parish catechetical leader at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, consult with Sister Elaine McCarron and ds, chair Sister Sally Russell during a curriculum development workshop at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory March 26.

Running and raising funds

Sponsored by CSS Elder Ministries

Two dates and locations to choose from!

Thurs., April 24th - Catholic Conference Center, Hickory 9 am to 3:30 pm: Closing Mass with Father Ed Sheridan Registration deadline: April 15th Thurs., May 1st – St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte 9:30 am to 3:45 pm: Closing Mass with Father Frank O’Rourke Registration deadline: April 22nd

Courtesy Photo

Runners take part in the 20th annual Shamrock Run, Walk & Tots Trot sponsored by St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville March 8. More than 300 runners from throughout North Carolina participated in the event, which featured a 5K run and fitness walk, a 10K run (pictured above) and a “Tots Trot” for children. A portion of the funds raised was donated to Davie County Domestic Violence Services & Rape Crisis Center.

Your day will be filled with live entertainment, fellowship, Mass, lunch with friends, chair massages, yoga, crafts, bingo, door prizes and more!

Call Sandra Breakfield (704) 370-3220 or Sherill Beason (704) 370-3228 at Catholic Social Services.

Cost: $12 includes lunch.

Limited space available. Register NOW!

March 14, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 5

around the diocese

Keeping the cold at bay New furnace warms Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission for winter Masses by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

CHEROKEE — For the first time in some 20 winters, parishioners and visitors to Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee are enjoying Sunday Mass — in the church.

Thanks to benefactors’ generosity that resulted in a new furnace, Mass can be celebrated in the church year-round instead of just during warm weather.

Parishioners and visitors watched as Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor, stood in the doorway of the furnace room and blessed the new heating system March 9. Then everyone marched into the church to begin Mass in the pleasantly warm building.

If not for the new furnace, they would have been gathering in the parish’s Kateri Center, named for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian who is the first Native American to be considered for sainthood.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission seats 200, but cold weather froze people out.

Parishioner Jane Powers recalled that if more than 35 people were present for

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“It’s wonderful. I’ve been coming here for 27 years and have been a parishioner for six years. I’ve been waiting for this.� — Jane Powell Mass in the winter, the crowd overflowed the Kateri Center, with worshipers standing in the narrow hall that separates the center from the church. “It’s wonderful,� Powers said of the new heating system. “I’ve been coming here for 27 years and have been a parishioner for six years.

I’ve been waiting for this,� she said. “We tried to have a Christmas vigil Mass here four years ago and it was just too cold. It was Christmas Eve and people were huddled in the hallway,�

Powell said.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission is built in the shape of a seven-sided Cherokee council house, such as were common in Cherokee villages prior to the forced removal of the Cherokee people in 1838.

The ceiling slopes down from a height of 40 feet at its center to 15-18 feet around the church’s sides.

The church’s previous inefficient system couldn’t produce enough heat to warm the church, even after ceiling fans were installed a few years ago to pull heat back down from the ceiling in winter and to cool the church in the summer.

During summers, the church is often packed with parishioners and tourists.

In earlier years, the Kateri Center could hold the small number of people who attended Sunday Mass in winter.

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Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Altar server Harmer Weichel and Father Shawn O’Neal process out at the end of the first wintertime Mass in Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission March 9, the first in more than 20 years. “We have only about 30 families who are parishioners, and 10 of them are seasonal,� Father O’Neal said. “This is fewer than 15 to 20 years ago when more parishioners worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.�

However, with the casino and with more tourists visiting Cherokee in cold weather, the Kateri Center’s capacity couldn’t always handle increased Mass attendance.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission’s parish council decided it was time for better heating. “We started getting bids from different companies,� Father O’Neal said. “I just happened to mention to a friend of mine (Janet Coffey) in Mint Hill that we were looking for a new heating system. She said, ‘Oh, you ought to talk to my stepdad; he’s involved with that.’�

Coffey’s stepdad, Frank Ciucevich, a parishioner at St. Luke Church in Mint Hill, has considerable experience in analyzing bids in his work with a general and mechanical contractor company.

Ciucevich recommended several firms in the Cherokee area that would give the parish what it needed and at the best price.

Ciucevich “looked at the bids and talked to the companies involved, and parishioners did too, so that everyone stayed involved and informed,� Father O’Neal said.

As the March 9 Mass concluded, Father O’Neal gave thanks for everyone’s generosity — parishioners, other members of the local community and seasonal visitors.

Many of the benefactors were relatives of one parishioner, 88-yearold Myrtle LaShomb, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee who died last December.

Contributions totaled about $7,300, of which $6,500 paid for the furnace, installation, electrical work and modifications to the propane system.

Contact Correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or e-mail jnell@dnet.net.

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6 The Catholic News & Herald

March 14, 2008

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Cries of hunger I

n the steep, remote mountains of Guatemala, hunger is all too common.

Subsistence farmers have been devastated by drought, poor harvests and other factors beyond their control. Sadly, the widespread hunger’s greatest toll is on children.

For many little ones, malnutrition has become a chilling adversary that threatens their young lives.

They currently exist on a meager diet consisting mainly of corn, but this is not enough to sustain their frail bodies.

Many of these young ones are in danger of starvation.

Guatemala has the highest child malnutrition rate in Latin America. Almost half of the children under age 5 are chronically malnourished, and many young ones in remote areas have died from starvation. Local doctors in the region worry that even more children will die if they don’t receive food.

“I’m frustrated because I want to help, but I have no food to give them. We don’t have the resources,” said Dr. Marco Gutiérrez, director of a Guatemalan health program.

“ h children “…the hild beg b for bread, but no one gives it to them.”

(Lamentations 4:4b, NIV)

Throughout Guatemala, starvation threatens the lives of thousands of innocent children.

These children are in critical need of your help.

Even though the situation is grim, one mother’s steadfast faith sustains her — even after she helplessly watched her son perish from starvation. Santos Gutiérrez’ 6-year-old son died from malnutrition. Guillermo fought bravely until the very end and kept saying that he did not want to leave his little brother. As they buried the young boy, his mother begged her pastor, “Please help us; we do not want this to happen to our other children.”

Despite such a tragedy, Guillermo’s mother still has hope in God’s goodness.

Santos has faith that Guillermo’s siblings — Carmen, 4, and Edelce, 3 — will live.

If she finds food, Santos gives it to her children and goes hungry herself. “But there are times when there is no food for anyone,” she says.

“We know God is the one who leads us, and this is why we’re still alive. I ask God to give me patience and to give me something for the children.”

Santos Gutiérrez clutches her son weeks before his death, caused by complications of chronic malnutrition.

March 14, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 7

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in Guatemala At Food For The Poor, we reach out to help desperate mothers like Santos by sending food to feed their hungry little ones. We are an interdenominational ministry that works in Guatemala and other countries to provide desperately needed food and other lifesaving aid to poverty-stricken families. But we rely on the compassion and generosity of people like you to make this possible.

Founded in 1982, Food For The Poor works to end the suffering of the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America.

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Help save a child’s life

8 The Catholic News & Herald

March 14, 2008

from the cover

Catholic Daughters court celebrates 75 years COURT, from page 1

in Durham, Jacksonville, Greensboro and Statesville attended the event.

Essie Walker, Court Charlotte regent, said one of the best parts of being a Catholic Daughter is the camaraderie with other members. “I’ve learned from the older members in the court. I’ve become more spiritual and I’ve learned more about my Catholic faith by being a Catholic Daughter,� said Walker.

The organization is open to Catholic lay and religious women, 18 years or older, who love and support the church.

Ruth Carlisle, longtime member and past national director, was presented with an apostolic blessing in honor of her commitment to the Catholic Daughters.

Carlisle spoke fondly of her years as a Catholic Daughter, and credited unity and charity as the values that bond the group. “We reach out to one another,� she said.

They also reach out to the community.

Court Charlotte’s most significant charitable contribution is their support of A Child’s Place, a collaborative effort between the Charlotte community and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools that aims to provide stable and appropriate education to homeless students.

The Catholic Daughters donate food and school supplies to the organization.

They also contribute to national Catholic Daughter charities.

“I’ve become more spiritual ... by being a Catholic Daughter.� — Essie Walker “We’re a very giving group,� said Walker.

Founded in 1903 by the Knights of Columbus in Utica, N.Y., the Catholic Daughters of the Americas is one of the largest organizations of Catholic women in the world. It is made up of Catholic lay and religious women who show their love and support of the church through participation in social and charitable activities.

Court Charlotte was instituted on March 29, 1933. Over the past 75 years, they have been instrumental in supporting the church. Some of their most notable efforts include hosting ordination receptions; contributing to the seminarian fund; supporting Holy Angels, a facility for adults and children with mental retardation in Belmont; and assisting the Knights of Columbus in their various ministries.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis, who attended the event, thanked them for their years of service and called the organization “a witness to Christ and to the faith.� “As the current bishop of Charlotte, I am very grateful for the long history that you’ve had in helping the church to grow in North Carolina,� he told them.

Contact Staff Writer Katie Moore by calling (704) 370-3354, or e-mail kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

Photo By Katie Moore

Ruth Carlisle (center) receives her apostolic blessing from Pope Benedict XVI during the 75th anniversary celebration of the Court Charlotte Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Also pictured are Essie Walker, Court Charlotte regent, and Msgr. Mauricio W. West, Court Charlotte chaplain.

The Very Rev. Paul Gary Rector

Rev. Robert Conway Parochial Vicar

Rev. Mr. Nicholas Fadero Deacon

Rev. Mr. Carlos Medina Deacon

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE Easter Sunday Masses 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., Bishop Peter Jugis, celebrant 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday of Holy Week, March 18, 10 a.m.

Chrism Mass: Blessing of the Holy Oils Bishop Peter Jugis, celebrant Holy Thursday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.

Mass of the Lord’s Supper Bishop Peter Jugis, celebrant Good Friday, March 21, 3 p.m.

Stations of the Cross for children Good Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m.

Veneration of the Cross Bishop Peter Jugis, celebrant

1621 Dilworth Road East Charlotte, NC 28203 (704) 334-2283 Visit our Web site at www.stpatricks.org

Easter Vigil Mass, March 22, 7:45 p.m.

Bishop Peter Jugis, celebrant

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March 14, 2008

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari talks to the approximately 300 youths and young adults at the Lenten spiritual pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey College March 9.

Youths, young adults gather for prayer, reflection PILGRIMS, from page 1

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis carries a monstrance in a eucharistic procession during a Lenten spiritual pilgrimage for youths and young adults at Belmont Abbey College March 9.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Participants applaud the student musicians performing during a Lenten spiritual pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey College March 9.

and monks from Belmont Abbey.

“The world of today teaches us to adore ourselves, our own egos, what we want to be fulfilled,” said Bishop Jugis.

“But we know by faith that we are to adore Jesus. In eucharistic adoration, we are adoring Jesus, and adoration of Jesus is healthy for the soul,” he said.

“Humility is essential for adoration.

To adore Jesus properly, it must come from a humble heart,” said the bishop.

The pilgrimage, a day of prayer and reflection, was part of the diocese’s preparation for the fourth diocesan Eucharistic Congress, themed “It Is Jesus Whom We Proclaim,” to be held at the Charlotte Convention Center Oct. 3-4.

The theme, said Bishop Jugis, was inspired by St. Paul, as the fourth Eucharistic Congress will fall during a special Pauline year convoked by Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the 2,000th year of St. Paul’s birth.

“We picked a theme that relates to St. Paul and what he lived and stood for — to proclaim Christ,” said Bishop Jugis.

“You, as Catholic Christians, also should proclaim Christ in your lives.

Everything we do should be permeated

by Christ — our actions, behavior, speech,” the bishop told the youths.

But the only way to truly proclaim Christ is to know and love him, said Bishop Jugis.

“You have to open your heart to Jesus and let him guide you. Then all you do will proclaim Christ,” he said.

Bishop Jugis said the pilgrimage should be seen as an opportunity to spend personal time with Jesus.

With a young person’s commitments of school, homework and after-school activities, “it’s a privilege you don’t often get. Today is Jesus’ time,” said Bishop Jugis.

“In today’s busy world, it (the pilgrimage) is a moment for young people to reflect on what Lent is really about,” said Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College.

“It’s a time to reflect on, ‘Are we

doing as much as we’re capable of doing?’” he said.

Thierfelder challenged the youths to recommit themselves during Lent to bring Christ’s Word to others.

Adam Trufant, a Belmont Abbey College sophomore who recently spent a month in China, told the youths that their ability to openly practice their religion and adore Jesus is a blessing.

“The Catholics in China don’t have the grace of adoration chapels … their religion is regulated by the government,” he said.

“I heard about villagers sneaking out in the middle of the night to visit adoration chapels … and when they did, it was their time with Jesus, regardless of the law,” said Trufant. “I realized how blessed we are to have adoration in our churches. We are so, so blessed.”

Carlos Lopez, 18, and Steven Suarez, 15, both parishioners of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton, said they attended the pilgrimage to deepen their faith.

“In school, my (non-Catholic) friends have questions about the rosary, priests, confession,” said Steven. “I want to be able to stand up and explain it.”

“This is the most influential time for young people, when they will be making choices that will direct their lives,” said Jenny Ryan, director of Catholic campus ministry at Belmont Abbey College.

“This is a time to praise God, and events like this give them a good foundation for the future,” she said.

“They need proper balance in their lives, between school, work and prayer,” said Thierfelder. “This helps give them some of the balance they need.”

“There are times when we don’t always understand the miracle of Jesus before us,” said Trufant to his peers.

“Don’t doubt in darkness. Ask Jesus for confidence in the Eucharist to bring about a more beautiful world.”

WANT MORE INFO? More details about the upcoming diocesan Eucharistic Congress are available online at www.goeucharist.com.

More pilgrimage photos online at www.charlottediocese.org.

March 14, 2008

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Irish church officials step up campaign against abuse of Mass cards

by MICHAEL KELLY catholic news service

DUBLIN, Ireland — Catholic Church officials in Ireland are stepping up the campaign against so-called “Mass traffickers,” people who make money from the commercial abuse of the Mass.

Bishop Colm O’Reilly of Ardagh said church officials are “extremely concerned about the sale of presigned Mass cards in shops for commercial gain.”

“It’s an enormous industry and there’s a huge amount of money to be made out of it; it’s deplorable,” he said.

The Mass cards in question are on sale in hundreds of newsstands around Ireland and have a preprinted signature purporting to be that of a missionary priest. The cost is supposed to be the offering for the Mass.

However, church authorities believe that as much as 70 percent of the offering stays with the local shop while the remaining 30 percent is pocketed by the distributor, who makes unspecified contributions — if any — to the priest.

Missionary orders are concerned that unsuspecting members of the public may be buying these Mass cards in the hope that they are contributing to the missions.

“The public are being duped into believing that they are supporting charitable work in the Third World,” said Father Fachtna O’Driscoll, Irish provincial of the Society of African Missions.

“There is no transparency or accountability in this trade, and it diminishes the trust and confidence of the public in charities,” he said.

Father Patrick Courtney, provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, warned that “a new feature of the trade

“It’s an enormous industry and there’s a huge amount of money to be made out of it.”

— Bishop Colm O’Reilly is the printing of signatures ... that are illegible, and therefore cannot be traced by the church authorities.”

“The kernel of the problem is that commercial interests — who are not charities, nor do they state that they are charities — are mimicking the normal administration of Mass cards,” he said.

The missionary orders are calling on the government to tackle the problem in the Charities Bill, which currently is going through the legislature.

Pat Carey, the minister of state responsible for the legislation, has told church officials that when the bill is enacted the “purchase of signed Mass cards would be regarded as making a charitable gift for the advancement of religion and would necessitate registration of the beneficiary.”

“In the future, if Mass cards sold in such a manner did not have a statement that the beneficiary is registered as a charity in Ireland, the public would be right to have concerns about the organization producing them,” he said.

However, Carey refused to say whether the government intended to make this a criminal offense. The minister said he was seeking the advice of the attorney general before bringing the legislation back to the committee stage in the legislature.

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WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: mar. 23, 2008

March 23, Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord Cycle A Readings: 1) Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 2) Colossians 3:1-4 Gospel: John 20:1-9

Our focus should be on Jesus, not material things

by JEFF HEDGLEN catholic news service

I walked into the house to a familiar sight, the light blinking on the answering machine.

Who could it be this time? Maybe it’s another recorded message from Senator McCain asking for my support in the upcoming election, or a friend who I haven’t heard from in a while, or maybe some well-deserving cause asking for support?

As it turns out, it was a “Happy Anniversary” message from the dealership where I purchased my truck.

Needless to say, I was a bit surprised.

It sent my mind back two years to when, at the age of 40, I purchased my first brand new vehicle.

I remember being so proud and joyous at finally owning the truck I had been dreaming about since I first moved to Texas 25 years earlier.

My happy trip down memory lane came to an abrupt halt when I sat down to prepare this column.

I ran smack dab into St. Paul saying, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”

Paul’s words brought back another memory from two years ago: I remember driving home from the truck dealership with mixed feelings. Sure, I was very happy, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if I was a bit too happy with my new toy.

All of us can fall under the spell of materialism. I suppose the first-century Christians may have been having similar problems that prompted Paul to challenge them to seek what is above, not what is on the earth.

The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important event in human history. Without it our faith is useless and our hope is for naught. It redefines everything for us.

Yes, the things of this earth can tempt us to focus on the here and now, but Easter is the great day that shifts our gaze from here to the hereafter.

Questions: What are the things of earth that hold your attention? What are some things you can do to refocus on what is above?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of March 16-22 Sunday (Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion), Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:14--27:66; Monday (Monday of Holy Week), Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:111; Tuesday (Tuesday of Holy Week), Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-33, 36-38; Wednesday (Wednesday of Holy Week), Isaiah 50:4-9, Matthew 26:14-25; Thursday (Holy Thursday), Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15; Friday (Good Friday), Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1--19:42;Saturday (Holy Saturday), Exodus 14:15-15:1, Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18, Romans 6:3-11, Matthew 18:1-10.

Scripture for the week of March 23-29 Sunday (The Resurrection of the Lord), Acts 10:34, 37-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9; Monday (Easter Monday), Acts 2:14, 22-33, Matthew 28:8-15; Tuesday (Easter Tuesday), Acts 2:36-41, John 20:11-18; Wednesday (Easter Wednesday), Acts 3:1-10, Luke 24:13-35; Thursday (Easter Thursday), Acts 3:11-26, Luke 24:35-48; Friday (Easter Friday), Acts 4:1-12, John 21:1-14; Saturday (Easter Saturday), Acts 4:13-21, Mark 16:9-15.

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The Catholic News & Herald 11

March 14, 2008

Martin Sheen named recipient of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal

Catholic actor, activist honored for illustrating ‘ideals of the church’

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) — Actor Martin Sheen, whose human rights activism may be as well known these days as his acting credits, has been named the 2008 recipient of the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, the school’s oldest and most prestigious honor.

The award was established in 1883 as an annual honor for a Catholic “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”

The award will be presented to Sheen during the university’s 163rd commencement exercises May 18.

“As one of our nation’s most

recognizable and accomplished screen actors, Martin Sheen has achieved a level of celebrity that few Americans enjoy,” said Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president.

“He has used that celebrity to draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for redress, such as the plight of immigrant workers and homeless people, the waging of unjust war, the killing of the unborn and capital punishment,” the priest said in a statement.

“We welcome the opportunity to lift up his example for our church, our country and our students,” Father Jenkins said.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Sheen was born Aug. 3, 1940, one of 10 children of a Spanish-born father and an Irishborn mother.

His legal and baptismal name is Ramon Gerardo Antonio Estevez, but he later took his stage surname from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, whose style on his popular national television broadcasts the actor really admired.

Sheen once said he considers the archbishop “the first televangelist.”

After his graduation from Marianist-run Chaminade High School in Dayton, Sheen claims to have intentionally failed his entrance examination for the University of

Dayton, also a Marianist school, so he could pursue an acting career of which his father disapproved.

Borrowing money from a priest friend, he went to New York City, where he worked with Julian Beck’s Living Theatre and eventually landed a widely acclaimed role in the 1964 Broadway play “The Subject Was Roses.”

During this period, he learned about Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, visiting and volunteering at the Catholic Worker’s houses on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Sheen has played numerous award-winning television and film roles, most notably an amoral young murderer in the 1973 film “Badlands,” a disillusioned Army captain in the 1979 film “Apocalypse Now,” a bemused journalist in the 1982 biopic “Gandhi,” and the itinerant French co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, Peter Maurin, in the 1996 film “Entertaining Angels.”

From 1999 to 2006, on NBC’s widely acclaimed television series “The West Wing,” he played U.S. President Josiah Bartlet, who was a Notre Dame graduate.

A self-described Catholic peace activist, opponent of abortion and student of Catholic social teaching, Sheen often says he owes a spiritual debt to Day, St. Francis of Assisi, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan and the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.

He often has been arrested as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against various U.S. military policies, including protests at Fort Benning, Ga., where the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation is located.

He also donates money, time and his celebrity to help alleviate poverty and homelessness, and to promote human rights for migrant workers and environmental protection.

In a 1999 interview with Catholic News Service, he credited his activism to the Holy Spirit.

“I didn’t start being active until I was in my 40s,” Sheen said. “I came back to Catholicism when I was 41. I had abandoned it for many years.”

He returned to his Catholic faith and put his activism in high gear, he said, after recovering from an emotional breakdown following what had been a grueling production schedule for “Apocalypse Now,” Francis Ford Coppola’s epic about the Vietnam War. That activism “comes from my faith and my humanity,” Sheen told CNS. “I believe that Jesus was nonviolent and he calls us to a nonviolent discipleship. And I think we are either going to embrace nonviolence or nonexistence. Those are the rules. Sorry, I didn’t make them up.”

The Laetare Medal is so named because its recipient is announced each year in celebration of Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent on the church calendar.

Recipients include Civil War Gen. William Rosecrans, operatic tenor John McCormack, President John F. Kennedy, Catholic Worker co-founder Dorothy Day, novelist Walker Percy, Chicago Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin, and death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

March 14, 2008

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Qualifications--practicing Catholic withtodynamic valid to a developing housing candy bouquet shop) and assist in community group homes (some live-in required). Req: BA/BS he Catholic Diocese Charlotte Housing Corporation is seeking a full-time director provide leadership vision and skills, leadership degree, minimum 2 yrs’ MR/DD experience, valid NC driver’s license educational certification, master's degree in educational administration or equivalent, and evidence of inistry. A complete job description for this position is posted at www.cdchousingcorp.org. Position includes competitive salary and an extensive successful teaching experience. Prior experience in school administration and Catholic school marketing PREP CHEF enefits package. preferred. St. Anne School is PK-8 with 300 students. Visit our web site -www.stanneschool.com FT, includes every Sat. -- Coordinates prep and serving of food orders, working w/adults with Send letter of interest, resume and statement of philosophy on education to: mental retardation. Req. 2 yr degree in culinary arts with min. 2 yrs’ exp. in food handling, catering and supervision in a restaurant setting; and valid NC driver’s license Principal Search Committee, David Grider, School Board President, 1698 Bird o be considered for this position, submit aStreet,Rock resume and salary history postmarked by August 25, 2006 to: Hill, SC 29730 CERTIFIED DIETARY MANAGER

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March 14, 2008

from the cover

National abuse audit: Soaring costs, fewer allegations SURVEY, from page 1

abuse cases by U.S. dioceses and religious orders.

The 2007 Survey of Allegations and Costs released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops March 7 also reported a continued decrease in the number of new credible allegations of abuse: 599 new allegations were made in 2007, compared with 635 in 2006, 695 in 2005 and 898 in 2004, the first year of the survey.

Only five of the new allegations involved abuse that occurred in 2007. As in past years, most allegations involved abuse that took place before 1985.

According to the survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, dioceses and religious institutes paid $615

million for legal settlements, therapy, support for offenders, attorneys’ fees and other costs. In the four previous years of the survey, the highest amount paid out was $466 million in 2005. Of the $615 million, dioceses spent $499 million and religious orders paid $116 million.

Figures for the Diocese of Charlotte were reported in the diocesan annual report, released in October 2997. During the 2007 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2007, the diocese paid $13,650 for victims’ counseling. None of the funds used came from either the Diocesan Support Appeal or from church savings.

Teresa Kettelkamp, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection, said the annual costs may continue to be high in coming years, as dioceses pay off settlements to victims of abuse.

In 2007 several dioceses and religious

orders announced large settlements, including $660 million for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, covering more than 500 claimants, and a settlement of $50 million for more than 100 claimants by the Oregon-based Jesuit province whose members served in Alaska.

A portion of those settlements is being paid by insurers and is not included in the figures for what dioceses and religious orders have spent.

Kettelkamp said it’s difficult to predict whether the number of allegations of abuse will continue to decrease, partly because victims of sexual abuse often wait decades to report what happened to them.

Meanwhile, U.S. schools, parishes and dioceses have put nearly all of the targeted 8.5 million children and adults through training programs meant to teach people at all levels of the church how to prevent abuse from occurring, to spot the signs of abuse and to ensure that it is reported.

An annual audit of compliance with the bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” released at the same time as the CARA survey found

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The Catholic News & Herald 13

that more than 99 percent of the 37,000 U.S. priests have participated in what is called “safe environment” training.

The training had also been completed by more than 99 percent of deacons and educators, more than 98 percent of 4,918 candidates for ordination, 98 percent of 229,000 church employees, 98 percent of 1.4 million volunteers, and more than 96 percent of the 5.9 million children involved in church programs.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, 2,600 church workers and volunteers attended “Protecting God’s Children” workshops in 2007. To date, 15,700 employees and volunteers have attended the training.

The cost for the 2007 workshops and 2,400 background checks was $63,537.

The audit found 178 of the 190 dioceses that participated to be in full compliance with every article of the charter. The Diocese of Charlotte was found in full compliance.

Twelve others were in compliance except for one or two of its 17 articles.

Nearly all those fell short on Article 12, the one requiring “safe environment” programs, and almost all gaps were in getting all children through the programs, it said.

“The difficulty has to do with a number of factors,” said the audit report, “the sheer number of individuals in each category ...; the fluctuation of those numbers; the need to develop and maintain concise record keeping ... and the time-consuming process of selecting safe environment programs that are ageappropriate and in accord with Catholic moral principles.”

Kettelkamp said it has proven especially difficult to track one category of people designated in the charter for the training — parents — so it’s unclear how many have participated. Many parents have received training because they are volunteers or employees of the church, and so are counted in those numbers.

Others are encouraged to participate in sessions offered for various groups.

Five of the new reports received in 2007 related to abuse involving a minor that occurred that same year. Of the 599 new credible reports, only five cases among religious orders and 38 involving diocesan clergy were reported to have occurred since 1990.

Five of the 491 church employees implicated in new reports of abuse were deacons and the rest were priests; 374 of these men had already died, been removed from ministry or been laicized, or were missing. Previous allegations had been made against 287 of the men accused.

In October 2007, an allegation of sexual abuse was made against Oblate Father Albert Gondek, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, N.C., involving an incident that allegedly took place in Maryland nearly 50 years ago.

After an investigation by the diocesan review board and Father Gondek’s order, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, the allegation was found not credible.

Father Gondek was returned to pastoral ministry by Bishop Peter J. Jugis Dec. 23. The allegation was made after the 2007 audit was conducted.

In June 2002, the U.S. bishops adopted the charter and its mandates for an annual audit and survey and also adopted the “Essential Norms” to assure that all dioceses adhere to the charter.

Contributing was David Hains.

March 14, 2008

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

Vatican statement on baptism underscores need Sacrifices to the gun, our for caution Sacred language cannot be changed, negotiated leading idol A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Today’s violence raises questions about needs, uses of guns The five little crosses placed in the snow outside Northern Illinois University recently stirred thoughts contrasting sacrifice and crucifixion, a Lenten meditation so to speak.

On Valentine’s Day, a man with three pistols and a shotgun walked into a lecture hall, killed five students and wounded 16 others.

It seemed a modern-day crucifixion, but I rejected it on second thought. The paradigm, set by the crucifixion of Christ, requires a victim obedient to God’s will dying for the redemption of others.

The death of the students here was more akin to the sacrifice of a primitive civilization to an idol: tragic and senseless. The idol here is the insistence on the dubious Second Amendment right to own and carry arms.

Seeing the bright, intelligent faces and reading the capsule biographies of the four young women and young man whose dreams were cut short made me grieve for them and for their families.

I was especially struck by that of the youngest one, 20-year-old Catalina Garcia, from Cicero, Ill., who wanted to become a teacher. “She wanted to become somebody in life; that is why she was going to school,” her father told a Spanish-language radio station.

Perhaps her story was the most touching because my own granddaughter, Kathryn Sandoval, begins college next fall, and she, too, wants to become a teacher. I pray that God will protect her, for schools and colleges are not the havens they once were.

Last year there were shootings at Virginia Tech, a few years earlier at Columbine High School in a Denver suburb, more recently at Louisiana Technical College, and an Oxnard junior high school in California. There have been many others.

Half a century ago when I was in college, I had only one searing experience involving guns, when as a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps I was handed my Army rifle. I shrank from the thought that I might someday have to use it to kill other human beings.

That Rubicon has long been crossed;

Seeking Life MOISES SANDOVAL cns columnist

today it is thought we cannot be secure unless we have guns at hand and the disposition to use them. Then we would have never imagined that going to class could be a life-threatening experience.

Reports of people who die needlessly from gunfire gain my attention because several members of my extended family have died that way.

One was my cousin Danny Suazo, 37, killed on April 28, 1995, at the large supermarket he managed in the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo.

A 36-year-old auto mechanic armed with a .50-caliber rifle, a second rifle with a detachable 30-round magazine and a 9mm pistol similar to those issued to the police, burst into the store in pursuit of his wife, Terry, the deli manager.

He had already wounded the woman who drove her to work.

As Suazo tried to help Terry hide behind the service counter, the gunman shot him three times. He then killed the woman and Sheriff Sgt. Timothy Mossbrucker, 36, whose wife was expecting their sixth child.

Suazo left four children, all under the age of 14. The gunman told police he went crazy for a while.

In the Illinois shootings, everyone was shocked upon learning the assailant, who committed suicide, was an outstanding 27-year-old graduate student, “engaging, polite and industrious,” with a bright future.

H e h ad a f ir ear ms o w ner ’s identification card issued by the state police after he passed a criminal background check.

But the problem is no one can tell when a gun owner will go crazy enough to kill.

Not to worry. If you were married on February 28, you were still married on February 29.

That disclaimer comes in the wake of a Vatican statement regarding the validity of baptisms.

The statement issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith underscores the need for caution in two areas: knee-jerk reaction over statements from the Vatican and the danger of arbitrarily changing sacred language — despite good intentions.

The brief statement from the congregation — simply one-word answers to questions posed — said a baptism administered “in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer and of the Sanctifier” is not a valid baptism.

Neither is one administered in the name of the “Creator, Liberator and Sustainer.”

And, yes, the congregation said, persons who underwent that rite would need to be baptized correctly “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

There they go again, was the reaction of some who visualize the congregation as a group of theological nitpickers who randomly issue rules and regulations for no other reason than taking some perverse pleasure in rulemaking.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in matters such as this acts somewhat like a civil court when asked to render a summary judgment. In some instances, a judge will agree to issue a clarifying opinion on a point of law.

Such was the case here as the congregation was asked three specific questions by bishops about the practice recently initiated in North America.

The alternate wording was intended to avoid referring to the Trinity with masculine names.

Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what’s the difference, especially if it was done with a good intention of not giving offense?

The problem, as noted by Msgr.

Antonio Miralles in a commentary commissioned by the congregation, is that it “subverts faith in the Trinity.”

The substituted words dilute the distinction among the three persons of the Trinity, all of whom are involved together in the divine action of creation, redemption and sanctification, he said.

These are not the “what happens if I

Extra!

Extra!

STEPHEN D. KENT cns columnist

don’t say my penance before leaving the church and I’m struck and killed by a car on the way home?” questions so familiar from the fourth-grade moral theologians of days of yore.

The words —the nouns for each person of the Trinity —are foundational to our faith. There is no little irony in the invalidating of a rite that is meant to be the profession of faith.

One aspect of the congregation’s answer did cause some concern. In another commentary commissioned by the congregation, Cardinal Urbano Navarrete said the most serious practical consequence would be in the case of marriage where there would not be a sacrament if both spouses had been baptized with an invalid formula.

Few Americans should have much concern.

“If you are not validly baptized, a person needs to get rebaptized and remarried,” said Father Tom Weinandy, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Doctrine.

But the assumption is that all is well unless there was a witness to the baptism who knew the incorrect formula was used.

“The presumption is the obvious truth that the baptism is valid,” said Father Weinandy.

Persons over the age of 50 should have little concern, he said, and those younger shouldn’t either.

Lesson learned? The risk of treading into dangerous theological ground in a well-meaning, if ill-advised attempt at popularizing language to meet a social trend.

And on a positive note, this demonstrates the importance of baptism.

It is not an enlistment oath or contract where words can be negotiated.

It is, after all, not a club we join, but a fundamental action incorporating us into Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

Write a Letter to the Editor

CNS photo by Kamil Krzaczynski, Reuters

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

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

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

Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

March 14, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Are children punished for parents’ wickedness?

Q. I am a teacher in our parish religious education program. My subject is not the Bible, but I receive many questions about the Scriptures.

One of my students pointed out the passage in the Book of Exodus, “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their father’s wickedness on the children of those who hate me down to the third and fourth generation.”

Does this mean our children will be punished for what we do? (Ohio) A. No, it doesn’t mean that.

Obviously, what our parents and others close to us do in their lives significantly influences our attitudes, values and character. But God does not hold us guilty for the sins of others.

One fascinating phenomenon in the Bible, particularly as we go through the Old Testament, is the gradual development and purification of humanity’s understanding of and relationship to God. This is true among the Jewish people from Abraham to Jesus Christ. More than once, for example, we read how Hebrew armies at times annihilated their enemies — men, women and children, even animals. This was said to be done with the blessing, even the command, of God himself.

Today every Christian and probably most of the rest of the world would

find such slaughter appalling, at odds with every principle of human and Christian morality.

Even in later centuries during the period before the coming of Christ this attitude toward one’s enemies was increasingly recognized as incompatible with a proper understanding of God and his love for all people.

A similar development happened in the subject you mention. In many cultures, including that of ancient Jews, a theory prevailed that guilt and innocence, holiness and sin were connected to the entire tribe or community.

If the patriarch sins, all the tribe are considered enemies of God or the gods.

If the patriarch is good and just, the entire tribe shares his holiness.

More and more frequently as time went on in Hebrew culture, we find this understanding of vicarious guilt and holiness rejected by God. Perhaps the most dramatic instance is in Ezekiel, whose awareness and reverence before the majesty and infinite holiness of God is surpassed by no other prophet.

At one point (Chapter 18) he rejects an erroneous understanding of God expressed in a popular adage, “Fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children’s teeth are on edge.”

So ingrained was the tribal concept of inherited guilt that Ezekiel had to defend himself and God against the accusation that judging people individually on their

The multi-faceted challenges of poverty Realizing its causes and fighting them are essential They came out in droves to hear and award a simple Dominican pastor and theologian who has helped change the way Catholic theology views the poor.

In November 2007, Peruvian Father Gustavo Gutierrez received the prestigious Sophia Award at Washington Theological Union in Washington, which educates seminarians and lay people for leadership.

Father Gutierrez was born June 8, 1928, in Lima. He is regarded as the founder of liberation theology, which holds that Christian poverty is an act of loving solidarity with the poor as well as a protest against poverty.

Like many before him who have championed the liberation of the poor, Father Gutierrez was criticized and even questioned by Rome about his orthodoxy.

Like a true champion, he was exonerated and continues his mission.

“Poverty is very complex,” Father Gutierrez told his audience. Usually it is envisioned in economic terms. It is not only about people deprived of material

goods; it is also about people living in cultures other than their own and not being accepted.

It is about being a female living in a culture that degrades females. It is about lacking an education. It is about being on the margins of society, experiencing sadness and death.

Interestingly, Father Gutierrez pointed out that even tax collectors during Christ’s time can be considered poor because they were outcasts. He also pointed out that poverty doesn’t exist only in poor ghettos or barrios; a rich person afflicted with depression ranks among the poor.

Poverty is universal. It is found everywhere. It is sadness, the direct antithesis of joy.

Father Gutierrez considered people who see poverty as their fate. He spoke of a woman who felt women were born into suffering. She accepted this as natural and felt it to be the will of God. To this he said, “Poverty has causes.

Question Corner FATHER JAMES DIETZEN cns columnist

own merits was unfair.

The Lord is forced to say, “Is it my way that is not fair, or rather is it not that your ways are unfair.” Each person is responsible for his or her own actions; he or she cannot lay the blame or credit on someone else.

Before we too quickly judge these ancient beliefs harshly, we might ask how often we have heard others or perhaps ourselves remark in the face of tragedy, “What have I done to deserve this? Why am I being punished for something I didn’t do?”

Unfortunately, we still tend to make God in our own image and likeness, assuming that our understanding, our vision of reality must be God’s vision, our sense of justice his sense.

A free brochure on ecumenism, including questions on intercommunion and other ways of sharing worship, is available by sending a stamped, selfaddressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 3315, Peoria, IL 61612.

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

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

We make poverty, and that which we make we can unmake.”

It is our God-given duty to stand against philosophies and theologies that accept poverty without raising essential and ultimate questions about its causes.

Fighting poverty isn’t only about donations; it involves speaking out against its causes.

“Poverty ultimately means death,” Gutierrez said. “Too many poor people are dying before their time. Just look at Africa! As Christians it is our duty to always champion life over death.”

How do we best fight poverty?

One way is to read the Bible and the life of Christ from the viewpoint of the poor — to cultivate a biblical spirituality of the poor. A great power of the prophets in the Old Testament was their ability to read the times and speak to the people in down-to-earth terms through the eyes of God. Father Gustavo Gutierrez did this the night of his award at Washington Theological Union.

Pope: Even in facing torture, happiness is possible with hope in God The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Even in the face of terrible misfortune and suffering, true happiness is possible as long as one continues to have hope in God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

When personal disaster strikes, only true friends stick around, and one of those true friends is God, he said.

At his March 12 general audience at the Vatican, Pope Benedict discussed two early Christian writers, Boethius and Cassiodorus.

The pope called Boethius, who was imprisoned, tortured and executed, a “symbol of a huge number of detainees unjustly” imprisoned throughout history and the world today. The pope said Cassiodorus promoted the monastic movement and believed monks were the best people to salvage, preserve and pass down the cultural heritage of classical Christian culture.

Here is the Vatican text of the pope’s remarks in English: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to speak to you about two great Christian writers from the Italian peninsula during the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West: Boethius and Cassiodorus.

Both were anxious to preserve the heritage of Greek and Roman learning, handed down through generations of Christian believers, in the context of the Gothic culture that dominated Italy at the time. Boethius, born in Rome in 480, entered public life and became a senator, though he continued his philosophical and religious studies alongside his public responsibilities.

Unjustly imprisoned and later executed by King Theodoric, he wrote his greatest philosophical work in prison.

Reflecting on the injustice of his situation, in the light of biblical wisdom literature and Classical authors, he concluded that true happiness lies in continuing to hope in God, despite adversity.

Indeed, harsh fortune helps us to distinguish true friends from false ones, and there can be few greater consolations than that of true friendship.

His contemporary, Cassiodorus, devoted much time and energy to promoting the monastic movement in the belief that monks were the people best placed to preserve and hand on the heritage of classical Christian culture.

We would do well to take note of his advice to them: “Meditate day and night on the law of the Lord and always focus your attention upon Christ.”

March 14, 2008

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 16

“She is setting a wonderful example for other young people.”

Little girl gives big gift Generosity benefits ministry for women, children in need

by Katie Moore staff writer

Courtesy Photo

Mercy Sister Carmelita Hagan of Catherine’s House in Belmont accepts an envelope filled with gift cards from 8-year-old Jackie Flynn Feb. 27.

The Diocese of Charlotte

invites you, your family and friends to join Fr. Mo West as we experience the

Lake Country and Treasures of Northern Italy!

September 14 -24, 2008

Your 11-day excursion with full-time escort includes these highlights: * Full tour of the treasures of Rome and the Vatican – plus a public audience with the Pope, if available * A visit to Umbria’s picturesque hillside town of Assisi – peace-filled home of St. Francis and St. Clare * Tuscany’s Florence awaits us, the birthplace of the Renaissance with Michelangelo’s works and the Uffizi Gallery just part of our visit * Italy’s famous resort area of Lake Garda where we’ll soak up the culture as we relax; a cable car ride up Mt. Baldo will open up amazing views of the Dolomite mountain peaks and surrounding meadows * Art, color and the romance of Venice await us – St. Mark’s Square, famous glassblowers, gondola rides, shopping – it’s all there and so much more!

And those are just some of the highlights! The price is $2,999 before June 13 ($3,099 after that) and includes: air fare from Charlotte, first-class hotels, all tours and admission fees to sites, plus most meals. (Airport taxes/fees, tips and travel insurance are extra.)

For a brochure or questions, call Cindi Feerick at the diocese (704) 370-3332 — or email: ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org.

BELMONT — It is not often an 8-year-old forgoes an opportunity to receive presents. However, this year on her birthday, that is exactly what Jackie Flynn did.

In lieu of presents, Jackie, asked family and friends to buy gift cards for Catherine’s House, a ministry sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy that provides transitional housing for women and children who are homeless.

Courtesy Photo Jackie learned about Catherine’s Jackie Flynn, 8, is pictured with Karen Andrews, House from her mother, Carolanne president and CEO of Catherine’s House Feb. 27.

Flynn, who took a tour of the facility last December.

When the Flynns, who attend Mass Jackie presented Catherine’s House with at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, a donation of gift cards totaling $345. began making preparations for Jackie’s Karen Andrews, president and CEO Feb. 9 birthday, they decided the party of Catherine’s House, attributes the itself was a big enough gift. Jackie’s contribution to Jackie’s ‘giving heart.’ mom suggested that, instead of presents, “I think it is unique to have that level invites you, yourawareness family and tosaid. join Fr. M she consider collecting donations of social at herfriends age,” she for a charity.

Sister of Mercy Carmelita Hagan, “I planted the seed, but ultimately it volunteer coordinator at Catherine’s was her choice,” said Carolanne Flynn.

House, was also impressed by She said Jackie, a second-grader Jackie’s kindness. at Charlotte Preparatory School, was “She is setting a wonderful example touched by the fact that Catherine’s for other young people,” she said.

House was helping homeless children.

Sister Hagan also commended September 14-24, 2008 Located on the grounds of the Jackie’s parents for instilling the value of former Sacred Heart College in Belmont, generosity in their child.

Catherine’s House provides a safe and “They helped her to grow as a young caring environment as well as supportive person and to understand a little bit about programs and services for women and with Your 11-day excursion full-time escort includes these helping other people at such a highlights: young children in need. * Full tour of the treasures age,” she and said.the Vatican – plus a public audien of Rome “I wanted toavailable do something to help Catherine’s House is designed to the homeless people so they could buy help * A visit to Umbria’s picturesquewomen hillsideand townfamilies of Assisiovercome – peace-filled hom something for their children and for homelessness and return to a selfSt. Clare themselves,” Jackie said. sufficient lifestyle in the community. * Tuscany’s Florence awaits us,The the birthplace of the Renaissance The response from friends and organization relies heavily with Mi family was overwhelming.

On Gallery Feb. 27,just on and the Uffizi partin-kind of our visit donations and volunteer “Volunteers invaluable to culture * Italy’s famous resort areasupport. of Lake Garda whereare we’ll soak up the our program,” said Sister Hagan. car ride up Mt. Baldo will open up amazing views of the Dolomite mount Last year, more than 3,400 hours surrounding meadows of assistance came from volunteers, * Art, color and the romance of Venice await us – St. Mark’s Square, famo according to Andrews. gondola rides, shopping – it’s all much more!

Giftthere cardsand areso especially appreciated because they allow the facilitators to go out and buy the things the residents need.

And those are just some of the highlights! The price is $2,999 before June 13 ($3,099 Women and families admitted to air fare from Charlotte, first-class hotels, all tours and admission fees to sites, plus Catherine’s House are typically required taxes/fees, tips and travel insurance are extra.) to stay a minimum of 90 days. During that time a case manager sets goals according to the individual’s needs.

For a brochure or questions, call Cindi Feerick at the “ We t r y t o h e l p t h em help – (704) 370-3332. themselves. To make them aware of their own power, to return to the community in a dignified way so they can contribute back to that community,” said Andrews.

The Diocese of Charlotte

Lake Country and Treasures of Northern Ita

WANT MORE INFO? For more information about Catherine’s House, contact Mercy Sister Carmelita Hagan at (704) 825 9599 or visit www.catherineshouseinc.org.