April 2, 2010

April 2, 2010

APRIL 2, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

vOLUME 19

Holy week Follow in Our Lord’s footsteps pages 8-9

no. 20

April 2, 2010

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

DIOCESAN NEWS IN BRIEF

Deacon assignments and retirements announced

CHARLOTTE ― The Diocese of Charlotte announces the following assignment changes for deacons: ― Deacon John J. Barone, assigned to Holy Redeemer Church, Andrews, effective Dec. 14, 2009 ― Deacon Sidney E. Huff, retired from Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Monroe, effective Dec. 31, 2009 ― Deacon Edwin Rodriguez, assigned to St. Mark Church, Huntersville, effective March 25

Easter holiday coverage, office closing planned

CNS photo by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters

A supporter of Pope Benedict XVI holds a sign as other demonstrators call for the pope’s resignation during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral in London March 28. After a series of media reports criticizing the pope for alleged inaction on clerical sex abuse cases, Vatican authorities emphasized that it was the pope who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pushed for harsher measures against abusers and made it easier for the Church to defrock them.

Vatican intensifies defense of pope on sex abuse decisions

The same day, the newspaper ran a front-page commentary by British Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster that had appeared in the Times of London, expressing shame over priestly sex abuse but strongly defending the pope’s efforts to curb it.

“What of the role of Pope Benedict? When he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he led important changes made in Church law: the inclusion in canon law of Internet offenses against children, the extension of child abuse offenses to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, the case by case waiving of the statute of limitations and ALSO INSIDE the establishment of a fast-track Archbishop Timothy dolan of new york responds dismissal from the clerical state for to the latest news about the sex abuse crisis in offenders,” Archbishop Nichols the Church. See page 14. wrote.

“He is not an idle observer.

His actions speak as well as his words,” On March 27, the Vatican newspaper, he said.

L’Osservatore Romano, ran the full texts Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, of two landmark documents that in 2001 the Vatican spokesman, said the placed the sexual abuse of minors by recent media focus on the sex abuse priests among the most grave sins, and established that allegations be handled by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the See ABUSE, page 16 Faith, then headed by Cardinal Ratzinger.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― The Vatican and other Church officials have amplified their defense of Pope Benedict XVI and his decisions regarding priestly sex abuse, and rejected accusations of a continued cover-up of such crimes.

After a series of reports in the New York Times and other media criticizing the pope for alleged “inaction” on sex abuse cases, Vatican authorities emphasized that it was the pope who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pushed for harsher measures against abusers and made it easier for the Church to defrock them.

APRIL 2, 2010 Volume 19 • Number 20

1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org PHONE: 704-370-3333 FAX: 704-370-3382 MAIL: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237

PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle, 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Denise Onativia, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cindi Feerick, 704-370-3332, ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher, 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE ― The Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center and the office of The Charlotte News & Herald will be closed Friday, April 2, to Monday, April 5, for Easter. Offices will reopen Tuesday, April 6.

Readers, please note The Catholic News & Herald will not publish

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

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, 503 N. Main St. — Pizza & Prayer! MAK Center, 1 to 4 p.m. April 25. Opportunity for middle school youth to eat, watch movies and pray together. For more information or to RSVP, contact Dennis Teall-Fleming at 704-825-9600 or teallfleming@ yahoo.com.

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY, 9408 Sandburg Road — Dinner, 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday during the semester. Open to college students. For more information, contact Peg Ruble at ccmpeg@aol. com or visit the Campus Ministry Web site at www.sco.uncc.edu/catholic.

— Discussion Group, 8 p.m. the second and fourth Mondays during the semester. Open to college students.

ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road — “Industry Perspective from Accenture – Where the Jobs Are!” Ministry Center, 7 to 9 p.m. April 15. Presentation will be followed by open networking and one-on-one coaching sessions. RSVP in person at the Ministry Center, or online at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/ WEB22AEFJVMBMJ. — Adult Day Respite Caregivers Support Group, Ministry Center room E, 10 to 11:30 a.m. the last

The Catholic News & Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 44 times a year, weekly except Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others. For all circulation inquiries and orders, contact Denise Onativia at 704-370-3333.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237.

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

Friday, April 9.

If you have an idea for our Easter coverage, please send an e-mail to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org. Put “Easter Coverage” in the subject line.

CSS golf tournament coming April 19 LAKE WYLIE ― Catholic Social Services’ Charlotte office will host its seventh annual golf tournament and auction fundraiser at Palisades Country Club April 19. The fee of $125 per player includes a Captain’s Choice 18-hole round of golf with cart, box lunch and dinner. An auction will also be held, with advance bidding at www.cssnc. org/crogolfauction or 704-370-3232.

Sponsorships are also still available.

Proceeds will benefit Catholic Social Services, which helps people of all faiths and is part of Catholic Charities USA.

Farmworker awareness promoted this week

This week marks the 11th

Monday of each month. For more information, call Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253.

ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, 8451 Idlewild Road — The Catholic Mass … Revealed, Parish Hall, 7 to 9 p.m. April 15, 22 and 29, May 6. A foursession study about the Catholic Mass. For more information, contact the religious education office at 704-535-4197.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.

— Divine Mercy Celebration, 3 p.m. April 11.

— Spiritual Conversations, NLC 234-235, 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 13, May 4, June 1. A form of group prayer using Scripture.

— Prayer Service, Chapel, 7 p.m. April 15. Service to honor and remember babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. Reception will follow in the narthex. For more information, contact Meghan Wong at 980-213-1391.

— Creed Level 1, NLC 125/132, 7 to 9 p.m. April 15. Module teaching the basic tenets of the Catholic faith.

— Welcome Home for Returning Catholics, support and friendship to guide the returning individual to full communion with the Body of Christ, ministry tailored to meet individual needs and schedules. For more information, contact Deacon Jim Hamrlik at 704-543-7677 or jhmrlik@stmatthewcatholic.org or Julie Jahn at 704-560-9202 or urblessed@carolina. rr.com.

— Support Group: Coping with Economic Stress.

If you would be interested in joining with others traveling this difficult journey, sharing experiences, identifying resources and finding healthy ways to weather the storm, call the parish office at 704543-7677.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — Catechist Recruitment Fair, after every Mass April 11. Catechists and assistants are needed for the 2010-’11 year.

— Catholics Returning Home, Faith Formation

editions. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. Deadline is 10 days before requested publication date. We do not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. All submitted items become the property of The Catholic News & Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. For inquiries, contact Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at 704-370-3334 or plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

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

April 2, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 3

National Farmworker Awareness Week coordinated by Student Action with Farmworkers. According to the organization’s release, Farmworker Awareness Week highlights the fact that farm work is the third most dangerous job in the U.S., yet the people who plant and harvest fruits and vegetables lack many basic worker protections.

Things like overtime, unemployment insurance, even protection when joining a union are not guaranteed under federal law, the release stated. For details, go to www.farmworkerawareness.org. ― Submitted by Nadeen Bir of Student Action with Farmworkers

Stewardship training set for May 1

Sign up by April 16 for the ninth Regional Stewardship Conference in Savannah, May 1 at the Savannah DeSoto Hilton.

The conference, sponsored by the dioceses of Charlotte, Charleston, Raleigh, Savannah and the Archdiocese

Center, 7:30 to 9 p.m. six-week program starting April 12. Program is an outreach for non-practicing Catholics. To register, call 704-554-7088.

— Vacation Bible School will be the week of July 19. To volunteer, contact Judy Townsend at jtownsend1993@msn.com. There will be a volunteer meeting in April, after Easter.

GREENSBORO OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH, 2205 W. Market St. — Divine Mercy Holy Hour, 4 p.m. April 11.

— Chastity Talk by Jason Evert, 1 p.m. April 13.

Open to seventh- and eighth- grade students. For more information, call David Foppe at 336-5104218.

ST. PIUS X CHURCH, 2210 N. Elm St. — Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Meeting, Kloster Center, 7 p.m. April 8.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Ave. West — Widows Support Group, room 2, 10 a.m. third Tuesday of each month. For more information, call Jane Lombardo at 828693-9014. For widowers interested in an informal gathering of men who have suffered the loss of a loved one, call Greg Savold at 828-702-0129 or Bob Grady at 828-697-2900.

of Atlanta, will help bring the stewardship message alive with keynote speaker Bishop Sylvester Ryan, bishop emeritus of Monterrey, Calif.

Sessions will feature St. Pius X Church of Greensboro’s stewardship successes and St. Matthew Church of Charlotte’s “Living Your Strengths” program. Barbara Gaddy, associate director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte, will also speak about recruiting and training the stewardship lay witness. Joe Citro, executive director of The Catholic Community Foundation, Diocese of Venice, will talk about the call to stewardship in the Hispanic Catholic community.

For additional information or to register, contact Jim Kelley at 704-3703301 or jkkelley@charlottediocese.org, or Barbara Gaddy at 704-370-3302 or bagaddy@charlottediocese.org.

We welcome your parish’s news.

E-mail items to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

call Jan Hitch at 336-884-5097 or the parish office at 336-869-7739.

HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 Stumptown Road — The Networking Event, Parish Hall, 7 to 9 p.m.

April 6, opportunity to share your interests with people in similar situations. Bring business cards and resumes. RSVP to workinghands@stmarknc. org.

— Divine Mercy Holy Hour, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

April 11.

— Small Business Group Monthly Networking Meeting, Parish Hall, 7 to 8:30 a.m. April 13. For more information, contact Matt Burkinshaw at 704-399-8708 or mburkinshaw@carolina.rr.com.

— Chastity Talk by Jason Evert, 7 p.m. April 13. Open to eighth - through twelfth - grade students. For more information, call Tim Flynn at 704-938-1306.

KERNERSVILLE HOLY CROSS CHURCH, 616 S. Cherry St. — Triad Students for Life, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. April 9. Guest speaker will speak about the pro-life movement.

HICKORY ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, 921 Second St. N.E. — Charismatic Mass in Spanish, Sebastian Chapel, 7 p.m. April 8. For more information, call Joan Moran at 828-994-0880.

WINSTON-SALEM HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 Kinnamon Road — Eucharistic Adoration, Curlin Center, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday.

— English as a Second Language, Family Center, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, for ages 18 and over, basic and advanced classes available.

HIGH POINT IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 4145 Johnson St. — Hope of Seeing Everyone Again (HOSEA), 7:15 p.m. beginning March 3, meeting weekly. Opportunity for bonding and discussion. For more information or to register,

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

Episcopal

calendar

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

April 11 – 12:15 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Albemarle

April 13 – 6 p.m.

Friend to Seminarians Dinner Graylyn International Conference Center, Winston-Salem

April 12 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Catholic Church, Asheboro

April 15 – 10:30 a.m.

Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group Carmel Country Club

WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

CNS photo by Debbie Hill

People carry palm fronds and olive branches as they walk the path of Jesus Christ marking Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem March 28. Pilgrims and local Christians traced the route Jesus took as He entered Jerusalem before His crucifixion.

Pope: Christ’s passion example for pilgrimage VAT I C A N C I T Y ( C N S ) ― Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass for 50,000 people at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI said the passion of Christ is a model for every Christian’s spiritual pilgrimage through life. Following Christ is not easy, the pope said March 28. It’s an uphill path that often goes against contemporary trends. “People can choose the easy way and avoid every hardship. They can descend toward the bottom, the vulgar. They can sink in the swamp of lies and dishonesty. Jesus walks ahead of us, and goes toward the heights,” he said.

The papal liturgy, celebrated in St. Peter’s Square on a beautiful spring day, began with a procession led by an international group of young people, who carried palm and olive branches in commemoration of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few days before his passion and death.

It was the first of nine Holy Week events for the 82-year-old pontiff and it came as he and other Church officials faced questions and criticism from some quarters for their handling of the priestly sex abuse crisis.

Dolan: Coverage of abuse needed, but must be fair NEW YORK (CNS) ― Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York told Catholics March 28 that the “tidal wave of headlines” about the sexual abuse of minors in Europe and new stories about an old case in Wisconsin have “knocked us to our knees once again.”

“Anytime this horror, vicious sin and nauseating crime is reported, as it needs to be, victims and their families are wounded again, the vast majority of faithful priests bow their heads in shame anew, and sincere Catholics experience another dose of shock, sorrow and even anger,” he said at the end of Palm Sunday Mass. “What deepens the sadness now is the unrelenting insinuations against the Holy Father himself, as certain sources seem frenzied to implicate the man who, perhaps more than anyone else has been the leader in purification, reform and renewal that the Church so needs.”

After a series of reports in the New York Times and other media criticizing the pope for alleged “inaction” on sex abuse cases, Vatican authorities emphasized that it was Pope Benedict XVI, who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pushed for harsher measures against abusers and made it easier for the Church to defrock them.

Pope: John Paul II was model of untiring love

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― Pope John Paul II was a model of untiring love for God and for all men and women, Pope Benedict XVI said as he celebrated a memorial Mass March 29 for his predecessor.

“The entire life of the venerable John Paul II unfolded under the sign of this love, this ability to give himself generously without reserve, without measure and without calculation,” Pope Benedict said.

The Mass was celebrated in advance of the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul’s death April 2, because the date fell on Good Friday this year.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

This week’s design to celebrate Holy Week and the approach of Easter is different from our usual style. Does it hit the mark, or miss it completely? We want to know what you think!

E-mail Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

CORRECTION

The Catholic News & Herald’s March 26 article “Prayer uplifts Immaculata school’s staff and parish” had an incorrect byline. The correct author was Kathleen Schmeider, special to The Catholic News & Herald. We apologize for the error.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 2, 2010

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Year for Priests

Faithful gather at Chrism Mass

Interviews with priests around the diocese

photo by SueAnn

Howell

Bishop Peter Jugis (center) and priests from around the Diocese of Charlotte concelebrate the annual Chrism Mass March 30 at St. Patrick Cathedral. The Mass to bless the holy oils used throughout the diocese for the year is a Holy Week tradition.

FATHER MATTHEW KAUTH AND HIS GRANDMOTHER

FATHER MATTHEW KAUTH On Sabbatical Studying Moral Theology at Santa Croce, Rome Place of Birth & Home Parish – Born in Peoria, Ill.; St. Edward Parish High School – Peoria Notre Dame High School College/University/Seminary – St. Charles Borromeo; Catholic University Theological College Date of Ordination – June 3, 2000

What assignments have you had since ordination?

Parochial vicar, St. Matthew Church, Charlotte; pastoral administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir; pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That there is little surprising. Or perhaps that I play the violin … very poorly.

What are some of your hobbies?

Sports of any kind, reading, cooking What are some of your favorite books/ spiritual reading/magazines?

Books: The Cantata of Love by Arminjon, the works of David Bentley Hart, lives of the saints, all the spiritual classics; magazines: Nova et Vetera, First Things and Touchstone Who is a hero to you?

St. Philip Neri, St. John Vianney, St. Catherine of Siena

What are some ways that we can help all people/families understand their roles in promoting and supporting vocations?

What have been some of the greatest Pray, pray, pray for specifically joys for you as a priest? priestly vocations with the family Above all, the sacraments. The and do not speak ill of priests, even if spiritual fatherhood that I have the they deserve it. As Our Lord says to blessing to exercise in both going to St. Catherine of Siena, “They are mine.

God in private/public prayer and then Leave them to me.” In other words, we distributing the fruits of His grace to the need not be blind to the failings of a man, faithful in the sacraments and in teaching and certainly these years have taught us has been an immense joy for me. the danger of pretending otherwise, but nevertheless they are His and it is an act of faith to believe that Also inside in that sacrament He comes to Father Kauth has written a special column about His flock personally, despite the awaiting the Risen Christ. See page 14. man’s weaknesses.

Who influenced you most to consider the vocation to priesthood?

Priests I knew as I was growing up, and above all, the chaplain to the high school What was your background before you entered seminary?

I went to seminary after high school instead of going to the U.S. Naval Academy.

What advice would you give a young man who is contemplating a vocation to the priesthood?

Develop true devotion for the Sacred Liturgy, for it is the heart of a priest’s life. Draw close to Our Lord in daily meditation, make generous offering of yourself and life to Him through the hands of Our Lady, and allow Him to create the desire in you for the priesthood and manifest it in you. A man need never fear giving Himself to the Lord, for it is the purpose for which he was created.

Bishop, priests renew promises, bless holy oils during annual rite SUEANN HOWELL Special to The Catholic News & Herald

Elaborating on this recommitment, Father Christopher Roux, rector of the cathedral and master of ceremonies for the Chrism Mass, said, “It is truly a blessing to recommit along with my older brother priests as well as the younger ones to (the) service of God and His people.”

The annual Chrism Mass for the diocese, held on Tuesday of Holy Week, also gives the priests, religious and laity the opportunity to participate in ancient rituals that reaffirm their faith and strengthen their communion in the Church.

CHARLOTTE ― St. Patrick Cathedral was filled with the aroma of incense and chrism at the annual Chrism Mass March 30. Sweet, earthy aromas wafted through the standingroom only congregation as Bishop Peter J. Jugis gathered more than 90 priests from around the diocese to renew their priestly promises and bless the sacramental oils to be used in all parishes around the Diocese of Charlotte for the Listen to Bishop Peter Jugis' Homily coming liturgical year.

Bishop Jugis addressed SEE MORE the priests during his homily, A slideshow of the Chrism Mass is online at saying, “We priests are the www.charlottediocese.org. ones to whom our parishioners look to for hope - to reveal to them the face of Christ. We serve as a During the two-hour Mass, they vital link to the Lord for our parishioners witnessed the ritual blessing of the three during these stressful times.”

Following the homily, the priests oils – the oil of catechumens, the oil of renewed their commitment to priestly the infirm and sacred chrism – by the service to the people of the diocese, bishop.

Scripture is laden with references of vowing “to celebrate the Eucharist and other liturgical services with sincere the spiritual symbolism of oil, and each devotion” and to “imitate Jesus Christ, oil has a specific purpose. The oil of the the head and shepherd of the Church, by catechumens is used in the sacrament of teaching the Christian faith … solely for the well-being of the people (they) were See CHRISM, page 16 sent to serve.”

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PORTRAITS  Serving the diocese for over 4 years  

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 Weddings Family Portraits Babies Children

April 2, 2010

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Palm Sunday procession through Lexington

photo provided by Linda

McAdam

Father Albert Gondek, O.S.F.S., (far right) along with the choir, altar servers and parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington processed down Main Street, joining with all other churches along Main Street, to mark Palm Sunday March 28. The procession ended at the steps of the courthouse, where there was a ceremony in honor of Palm Sunday – a beautiful sign of unity among the town’s residents.

St. Pius X lays three cornerstones at new church in Greensboro Mary B. Worthington Special to The Catholic News & Herald

photo by

Mary Beth Worthington

Past, present and future: Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, poses with Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin after the dedication and installation of three cornerstones for the new church building.

GREENSBORO ― As construction winds to a close on St. Pius X’s new church, parishioners gathered last Sunday to put in place three special cornerstones celebrating the parish’s history.

Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin joined St. Pius X’s pastor, Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, to bless and install the cornerstones March 28.

A booming parish in the Diocese of Charlotte, St. Pius X demolished the church it had used for 25 years just after Christmas 2008 because it had outgrown its 350-seat capacity. While building progressed on the new 1,100seat church, people worshiped in the school gym.

“We expected Mass attendance and the offering to decrease because of the gym, but the growth continued,” said Tom Martin, chairman of the building committee.

Monsignor Marcaccio intends to maintain four weekend Masses in the new church after it is dedicated April 17. It’s all part of St. Pius X’s campaign to build up its faith community, not just build a church, called “Making a Place at the Table.”

“We are blessing these cornerstones which are building blocks of the church, but are also bridges to the universal Church,” Monsignor Marcaccio said Sunday. “As we’ve reached out to (our sister parish), our outreach goes beyond the confines of these walls.”

Flanked by stones from Peru and Italy, the cornerstone from the original church built in the mid-1980s now reads “2010 St. Pius X Church Founded 1960.”

The Peruvian stone comes from a parish they have supported in Mañazo, Peru, through scholarships for students and meals for seniors. Noting the importance of staying grounded in tradition, the third cornerstone comes from Riese, Italy, the hometown of Giuseppe Sarto, who later became Pope St. Pius X. After a typical standing-room only Mass in the gym on the far side of the campus, the stones were carried in a procession along the sprawling parking lot to the cloister surrounding the front doors of the new church.

“How can it be heavy?” 7-year-old Olivia Moyer, a second-grader at St. Pius X School, exclaimed as she helped carry the Italian stone. “It’s just a little rock!”

The stones were ceremoniously blessed by Bishop Curlin, who also spread the first slab of mortar on top before they were installed in the wall of the nearly-completed church.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

AROUND THE DIOCESE

“There is much joy in serving the poor!”

April 2, 2010

― Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church

St. Matthew delivers charity

photo provided

John Granzow, a Charlotte Catholic High School senior (right), plays with a boy who is a resident at one of the Missionaries of the Poor centers in Kingston, Jamaica, during a mission trip there in February.

Parishioners perform corporal works of mercy in Jamaica SueAnn Howell Special to The Catholic News & Herald CHARLOTTE ― There are only two things that may get you out of bed at 5 a.m. – love and money. When you’re in Jamaica working with the Missionaries of the Poor, it’s obviously love that motivates you.

Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church, took five parishioners (including two teenagers) on the annual mission trip to Kingston in late February.

They got up every morning at 5 a.m. to pray and spend time in Adoration before starting the day’s work.

The six men served for six days alongside the monastic brothers of the Missionaries of the Poor in Kingston.

The brothers’ international mission is to serve the poorest of the poor in seven countries. Centers are located in Haiti, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Uganda, the Philippines, and the United States. The only U.S. center is located in the Diocese of Charlotte in Monroe.

Kingston is the main MOP location that has six centers serving the poor.

Father Richard Ho Lung, founder of the missionaries, and the brothers and volunteers spend their days attending to the needs of the residents in each one.

“Before becoming a priest, I spent five years working in refugee resettlement, which gave me a great love for the poor and vulnerable,” Father Reid says. “These trips always help me get my priorities straight. They remind me of what is truly important in this world.”

John Granzow, a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School, accompanied Father Reid on the mission trip. While there he helped feed, wash, clothe and dress wounds for residents.

“The experience you gain from helping people less fortunate is unlike

anything else,” Granzow says. “It truly humbles you and allows you to fully understand how lucky we are to be able to be the caregivers and not the care receivers.”

ONLINE

For more information about the Missionaries of the Poor, go to www. missionariesofthepoor.org.

As for his faith, Granzow shares, “The trip helped me pray much more than I normally do. Before the trip, I was struggling with my faith, but my faith has been revived.”

Another man making the trip with Father Reid this year was Aaron Blais.

“God calls us to have faith-filled lives and to seek opportunities to perform good works,” Blais says. “Not only was the MOP trip a perfect platform to begin a life of service, but it was also a chance to begin seeing Jesus in all people, something I have only recently attempted to do.”

Father Reid sums up his motivation for the annual trip to Jamaica: “My goal each year is to help restore some of the dignity that a life of poverty strips away from them and to help them know they are loved.”

photo by SueAnn

Parishioners from St. Matthew Church in Charlotte unload 100 “Easter baskets” filled with a week’s supply of food for needy families to Catholic Social Services at the Pastoral Center March 29. St. Matthew C h u rc h a l s o g e n e ro u s l y donated vouchers to a local grocery store with each basket.

The Easter baskets are an annual tradition for the church, and the items were (on their way) to needy families even before the end of that day.

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The Catholic News & Herald 7

AROUND THE DIOCESE

On a mission to the DR

St. Vincent de Paul takes trip to Peru

celebration in Yarinacocha, visited the mission of Masisea along the Ucayali River, and saw a chapel in Neshuya that had been constructed with donations from St. Vincent de Paul.

On one day of the trip, Father Lawlor and Father Gregorio Chisholm, local pastor and chancellor, baptized approximately 70 children.

Over the past three years, parishioners from St. Vincent de Paul have donated approximately $100,000 to help fund construction and catechetical projects in the mission territory.

Father Mark Lawlor and three parishioners of the parish of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte recently spent one week in the Apostolic Vicariate of Pucallpa in the jungle region of Peru.

This trip was a follow-up to two previous trips to the region by Father Lawlor. Kevin and Peggy Roche of the parish community outreach commission and Luis Lecaros joined the trip.

Among the highlights, the Charlotte contingent met with missionary priests and sisters, participated in a parish church dedication and 50th anniversary

photo provided by Cindy Platko

St. Luke parishioners recently returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where they worked in a Haitian community called Batey Lecheria. They have been going down there yearly, working on projects including constructing a latrine building, jewelry making, sewing and sock doll making. This year they began a project of teaching hand washing and building hand-washing stations out of gallon jugs called “tippy taps.” They also began working with young men, teaching them to carve beads and make rosaries. Pictured above, one of the residents in the

photo provided by father mark lawlor

Father Mark Lawlor is pictured performing one of many baptisms at the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Yarinacocha, Peru.

Batey uses his tippy tap for the first time. For more photos and news from their mission trip, go to www.domrepadventure.blogspot.com.

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8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 2, 2010

THE WAy OF

STATION 1

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH “Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, ‘You will not speak to me?

Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power at all over me unless it has been given you from above…’” (Jn. 19:9-11)

STATION 2

Jesus receives the cross Jesus is made to bear his Cross to the bitter end of his grim pilgrimage to Golgotha, falling three times under its weight. Weak from his torture, exhausted by his ordeal, he is compelled by a cruel soldiery, with kicks and blows, to aid them in his crucifixion.

All this he knew would happen.

STATION 3

Jesus falls the first time There is no shame in human weakness; there is only shame before God in the refusal of his will. The strength of this world is weak, for it refuses the good inheritance of God’s power. It can only lash out and destroy, and drive the purposes of God (and his very Self!) into the dust.

STATION 7

Jesus falls the second time Pilate was not the only person complicit in Jesus’ condemnation.

The chief priests had stirred up the crowds to accuse Jesus.

In response, and to show his contempt of these people, Pilate writes a sign to be posted above the Cross, a blasphemy: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. ... The saying happens to be true, and none of Jesus’ accusers know he is also the true King of Heaven.

STATION 10

Jesus is stripped of his garments

STATION 9

Jesus falls a third time

“I put on righteousness and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” (Job 29:14) To fulfill all righteousness, Jesus is subjected to the humiliation of nakedness. His tormentors cannot know, however, that in removing his earthly clothes, they are preparing him for his glorification, his heavenly triumph, and an everlasting exaltation: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Is. 61:10)

Jesus fell three times. The third time for us, that we might not fall.

Or, that falling, we might love him whose battered brow and eyes cast the look of love our way – and who picks us up because he fell bearing a Cross of Love.

Editor’s Note: To mark Holy Week and our journey toward Easter, The Catholic News & Herald is showcasing these excerpts from “Meditations on the Stations of the Cross,” written by Belmont Abbey College theology professor Dr. Ronald Thomas and featuring the 114-year-old, hand-crafted

STATION 11

Jesus is nailed to the cross Sometimes the crucifixion of our will comes through other people whom we must bear, or whom we must serve, or whom we must obey.

Sometimes the crucifixion of our will comes through sickness and disease, past our ability to do anything about it.

Stations that grace the nave of the Abbey Basilica in Belmont. We thank the college and the author for their permission to reprint this work. A 28-minute audio recording of “Meditations on the Stations of the Cross,” recorded in the Abbey Basilica by the author and several Belmont Abbey

students, is also available. To order a CD copy of “Meditations on the Stations of the Cross,” plus the companion booklet, go to www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/stations/cnh.aspx. Type in “CN&H” at checkout to receive a $9 discount on both.

The Catholic News & Herald 9

April 2, 2010

F the Cross

STATION 6

St. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus Veronica, so history has named her, wipes Jesus’ face, his bloody sweat imprinting upon her cloth the true image of his suffering and sacrifice. The face of Jesus is ultimately inseparable from the image of his crown of thorns and the injury inflicted by the blows of his tormentors. It was as the prophet Isaiah foretold of him: “As many were astonished at him – his appearance so marred, beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the sons of men – so shall he startle many nations.” (Is. 52:14)

STATION 5 STATION 4

Jesus meets his Blessed Mother Mary was not only bound to Jesus as his Mother, but also bound to him by her commitment to God. Moreover, consenting to bear the God-child, she consents to having all of her prerogative as a mother given over to God; it is a pilgrimage of sacrifice. But there is another mystery here: the intimacy between Jesus and his Mother. Each maternal action assumed for the sake of Jesus was a direct service of the eternal and all-glorious God.

The cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus with his Cross for a little while, but Jesus must take it up again, alone, and fall beneath it. Still, Simon of Cyrene is our forefather in the faith. We learn to love the Cross by embracing it, kissing it, as on Good Friday, in the form of the difficulties inherent in other people, in our unfulfilled longings and yearnings, and in every pain and agony.

STATION 8

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem “But Jesus turning to them said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’”

(Lk. 23:28) Jesus predicts the harsh future that his people will have because of their rejection of God’s works of mercy and grace.

STATION 13

Jesus is taken down from the cross “I have stilled my soul, hushed it like a weaned child.

Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.”

(Ps. 131:2)... Those who love Jesus stay with him in stillness; those who hate, betray, or deny him separate themselves from him, not least, with many words and motions.

STATION 12

Jesus dies upon the cross In Dorothy Sayers’ play, “The Man Born to be King,” Mary says this: “When he was small, I washed and fed him; I dressed him in his little garments and combed the rings of his hair. When he cried, I comforted him; when he hurt, I kissed away the pain; and when the darkness fell, I sang him to sleep. Now he goes faint and fasting in the dust, and his hair is tangled with thorns; they will strip him naked to the sun, and hammer nails into his living flesh, and the great darkness will cover him. And there is nothing I can do. Nothing at all.”

STATION 14

Jesus is laid in the Sepulcher “Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.” (Lam. 3:19) That is, the bitterness of death, however it affects us. Human life consists of two parts: living and dying.

And after we have spread ourselves in achievement, after we have grown and flourished like the flower of the field, death indeed does come. Then the only remaining question is not “How well do I live?” but rather “How well do I die?”

April 2, 2010

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Children’s book helps kids hear God’s call to priesthood Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― At the Vatican, the Year for Priests is being marked with serious academic conferences and solemn liturgies, leading up to a huge gathering of priests from around the world in June.

Father Jeffrey F. Kirby, 34, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, has participated in some of the big Vatican events, but he really marked the Year for Priests by co-authoring a children’s book.

“Becoming Father Bob” was written by Father Kirby and Marguerite B. Wirtz, principal of St. Mary Help of Christians School in Aiken, S.C. The book is illustrated by Alice Judd, a member of the parish, and was released Feb. 1.

Because the book is aimed at children in grades 4-7, the tone obviously is not as ponderous as the Year for Priests’ conferences on the theology of the priesthood and on the history, theology and spirituality of celibacy held in Rome in early March.

The fictional Father Bob’s vocation story also does not include lightning bolts, strange voices or miraculous signs.

As a boy and as a teen, the character has a puppy and is involved in Boy Scouts. His palms sweat the first time he asks a girl out. He goes to school dances, to university, to parties and to Mass. He gets a job and continues questioning what life is meant to be.

“Bobby is just living a normal life,” Father Kirby said in an interview in Rome. The boy in the story is following basic advice for Christian children: “Just try to be a good kid, don’t lie, treat your mom and dad well, don’t harass your brothers and sisters, pray, take care of your dog.”

“All he was doing was trying to be a good kid and through that he hears God’s call,” Father Kirby said.

The point, he said, is that “normal people are called to the priesthood.”

“Most of us, I think, just live day in and day out and most conversions happen slowly and quietly,” he said.

Standing in the sunny garden courtyard of the Casa Santa Maria, a residence for U.S. priests studying in Rome, Father Kirby insisted he’s one of those “normal people” and that studying in Rome and attending or serving at papal liturgies was a blessing, not a goal.

“That could almost be a sequel,” he said. “When we say ‘yes’ to God, we don’t know where He’s going to take us or what He’ll ask of us.”

“I would never have imagined this for my life and my formation for the priesthood. All I did was say, ‘yes,’ and here I am,” he said.

Father Kirby finished his seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained in 2007. His first assignment was at St. Mary Help of Christians parish and school.

But he was sent back to Rome in

Providing help. Creating hope. Changing lives.

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CNS photo by Paul Haring

Father Jeff Kirby, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, poses with “Becoming Father Bob,” a children’s book he co-authored. During an interview in Rome March 16, Father Kirby said the boy in the book “was trying to be a good kid and through that he hears God’s call” to the priesthood.

September to finish his graduate degree in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, so he and Wirtz wrote the book together using e-mails, faxes and phone calls.

Large swatches of Father Bob’s story come from the life of Charleston Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone, and the puppy in the book is totally based on the bishop’s dog, Mickey.

But Father Kirby said the character also includes bits and pieces of other priests’ stories, including his own.

In fact, the book’s “Father Stan,” who is preparing seventh-graders for confirmation and tells them God has “a plan for them, a vocation,” is illustrated

with a drawing of Father Kirby teaching at St. Mary Help of Christians.

At that point, the book says, “Bobby hoped that God’s plan for him included baseball and girls.”

Wirtz came up with the idea of writing the book after the school received a grant to buy children’s books on vocations for the school library and couldn’t find much.

Father Kirby said they plan to write at least two more children’s vocations books: one on religious life for women, to be published in February 2011, and then one on “holy matrimony – I’d like to retrieve that term to underline that it is a sacrament.”

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 2, 2010

Five iPhone apps to check out during Holy Week Father Stephen Cuyos Special to The Catholic News & Herald If you plan to make good use of your iPhone or iPod Touch this Holy Week, you might want to install these applications: 1. Way of the Cross – contains colorful images and the traditional text of the 14 Stations of the Cross.

2. Via Crucis – similar to the application above, except that the prayers and meditations used in this app are from the Vatican Web site.

3. iConfess – a guidebook to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Catholics. It covers such important topics as the Ten Commandments, Examination of Conscience and the basics of confession (what, why, how).

4. Cards for Easter – a collection of

11 Easter cards that users can send out through e-mail directly from the iPhone or iPod Touch.

5. iMissal – the first and so far the only Catholic Missal/Missalette app for iPhone and iPod Touch. It features a full calendar of the liturgical seasons, the Mass readings for the whole liturgical cycle, more than 50 of the most popular Catholic prayers and, of course, the Order of Mass.

Fr. Stephen Cuyos is a Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priest who blogs about his faith and ministry, about the use of new technologies and social media for evangelization, as well as his advocacy for Linux and free/open source software. He earned a master’s degree in social communications at the Università Pontificia Salesiana in Rome. He blogs at stephencuyos.com.

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TV program notes

‘Anne Frank,’ ‘Lost Stories from the Holocaust’ set to air on PBS John Mulderig Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) ― Here are some television program notes for the week of April 11 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting. ― Sunday, April 11, 1-3:30 p.m.

EDT (EWTN) “Mass and Celebration of Divine Mercy From Stockbridge, Mass.

(Live).� The celebration of the solemn liturgy of Divine Mercy Sunday, live from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. ― Sunday, April 11, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “The Diary of Anne Frank.� This “Masterpiece Classic� adaptation of Anne Frank’s moving account of life hiding from the Nazis stars newcomer Ellie Kendrick as a maturing teenager who undergoes an extraordinary ordeal.

Laura Linney hosts (TV-PG – parental guidance suggested). ― Monday, April 12, 10-11 p.m.

EDT (PBS) “Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust in Arab Lands.� This special recounts how Robert Satloff, head of a Washington policy center, set off in the wake of Sept.

11 on what would become an eight-year journey to find an Arab hero whose story would change the way Arabs view Jews, themselves and their own history. Along the way, Satloff found not only the Arab heroes whom he sought, but a vast, lost history of what happened to the halfmillion Jews of the Arab lands of North Africa under Nazi, Vichy and Fascist rule (TV-PG – parental guidance suggested). ― Wednesday, April 14, 6:30-7 p.m.

EDT (EWTN) “Road to Rome: Training Priests for the Third Millennium.� This inside look at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and its method for training the priests of the new millennium includes interviews with various international seminarians and priests who have attended the institution. ― Wednesday, April 14, 8-9 p.m.

EDT (PBS) “When Families Grieve.�

Katie Couric and the “Sesame Street�

Muppets present families’ personal stories about coping with the death of a parent and strategies that are both childappropriate and that have helped these families as a whole move forward (TV-G – general audience).

Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Miles Christi

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PARAPLANNER – Charlotte Paraplanner needed for independent, personal financial planning practice near Charlotte Catholic High School in the Carmel Road/Hwy 51 area of Charlotte. Analytical self-starter with established proficiency in MS Excel and Word as well as the ability to quickly learn financial planning specific software. Requires the ability to understand financial statements, insurance policies and to effectively communicate with both clients and vendors. Flexible scheduling; 15 hours per week. Securities or insurance licensing helpful but not required. Fax resume to 704-540-7763 or email Cindy@AndersonFinancialPlanning.com.

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St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville, North Carolina is seeking a Director of Operations who will be responsible for the overall management of the business operations of the church. This includes financial matters, facilities management, information technology, communications and human resources.

Candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree and extensive business management experience that would assist in the performance of this position.

Strong organizational, interpersonal and leadership skills are critical.

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ELEMENTARY TEACHER Garden City, SC

Seeking teacher for Catholic elementary school in Garden City, SC, for 2010 2011 school year. Qualifications: practicing Catholic, Bachelor’s Degree in Education, state teacher certification, five years teaching experience preferred.

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by April 9, 2010

12 The Catholic News & Herald

April 2, 2010

in our schools

Living Stations at St. Matthew School

‘Battle of the Books’ at ACS

photo provided by Patricia Cole

photo provided by Kevin

O’Herron

As a Lenten project, Trish Wendover’s fourth-graders at St. Matthew School in Charlotte studied and prayed the Stations of the Cross to become more familiar with the amazing sacrifice Jesus made for us. After weeks of praying, studying and practicing, they led younger students and parents in a reverent Living Stations prayer service this week. It is a favorite Lenten activity for many teachers, who bring their younger students to watch.

Parents were truly amazed at the serious and prayerful journey resulting from the students’ presentation.

A sign of spring

Eleven Asheville Catholic middle school students, led by school librarian and media specialist Shonra McManus, placed second in the Region 9 Independent Schools Battle of the Books tournament hosted by Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville March 8. The Battle of the Books is a statewide reading competition sponsored by the N.C. School Library Media Association. Middle school students at participating schools read books from a list established by a state committee. This year’s list featured 27 books ranging from classics like Jack London’s “Wild Fang” to contemporary action-adventure books like Anthony Horowitz’s “Stormbreaker.” Students then competed in a quiz bowl tournament to test their knowledge of these books.

Members of the team (pictured above) are sixth-graders Melissa Cavignani, Claire Cole and Sarah Michalets; seventh-graders Clare Ende, Hannah Frisch, Emma Lenderman, Raquelle LeBlanc, Bailey Marshall and Olivia Ostlund; and eighth-grader Reid Scothorn (team captain).

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY APRIL 11, 2010 3 p.m.

We invite you to participate in the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.

There will be a traditional Solemn Benediction and recitation of the Divine Mercy chaplet.

Please note: The sacrament of Reconciliation will not be offered prior to the celebration at St. Matthew.

Please check your own parish bulletin for Reconciliation times offered.

St. Matthew Catholic Church 8015 Ballantyne Commons Parkway Charlotte photo provided by Cynthia

Weaver

Kelsey Ritz, Isabel Weaver and Keegan O’Boyle, all fifth-graders at St. Gabriel School in Charlotte, ran a lemonade stand March 20, the first day of spring. In two hours, the girls raised nearly $40 that they donated to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library System.

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

April 2, 2010

in our schools

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Winning science students

Sacred Heart School in Salisbury held its science fair Feb. 8, with 28 participants ranging from the third to eighth grade. Teacher Crystal Cornelison headed the fair and judges sent five winning projects to compete in the Rowan County Science Fair Feb. 23. Three of the five students advanced to compete in the 6A Regional Science Fair: Erin Ansbro, Bess Bryan and Meghan Hedgepeth. On Feb. 27, all three won gold medals for their projects at the regional fair. Erin and Bess moved on to participate in the N.C. Science and Engineering Fair at Meredith College in Raleigh March 26-27, where Bess won a plaque for having an exemplary project in the elementary division. Pictured are (back, from left) Meghan Hedgepeth (grade 7) and Erin Ansbro (grade 7); (front, from left) Bess Bryan (grade 4), Gavin Fleming (grade 3) and Elly Burks (grade 4). photo provided by

“Just living here is..

inspirational .”

Nanette Dillon

Handmade baskets

~ Nancy Gates, Pennybyrn resident since 2008. ~

For author, painter Nancy Gates, Pennybyrn retirement living is a wonderful muse.

“This is truly worry-free retirement living, with everything I need, from delicious dining to wonderful programs. No yard work, no chores. I’m free to indulge in my favorite pastimes. And I love my view of the lake and woods. Pennybyrn is the friendliest neighborhood I’ve ever lived in…there’s a very special spirit.”

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Donna Gilson

Katie Wilson’s fourth-grade class at Asheville Catholic School participated March 8 in a basket-weaving workshop led by Carla and Greg Filippelli from Handmade in America. The workshop included all the dyed reeds and materials for the class.

Each student, including Emily Leiter (above), made a simple garlic basket.

April 2, 2010

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Church welcomes criticism – just make sure it’s accurate

In some ways, Holy Week is hardly the time I would choose to make the following comments. Still, the matter is so pressing that I feel compelled to address it.

Last week I asked for some fairness in the seemingly unappeasable criticism of the Church over the catastrophe of clergy sexual abuse. If anything, it has only gotten worse, especially in the interminable headlines about the pope himself.

The Church needs criticism; we want it; we welcome it; we do a good bit of it ourselves; we do not expect any special treatment … so bring it on. All we ask is that it be fair and accurate.

The reporting on Pope Benedict XVI has not been so.

The first reports were about a shameful priest in Germany three decades ago. The second story, sprayed all over the New York Times last week, and predictably copied by the world’s press, is groundless.

The latest report accuses Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of preventing a priest whose sins and crimes can only be described as diabolical, one Lawrence Murphy of Milwaukee, Wis., from facing proper penalties in the Church for the serial abuse of deaf minors.

While the report on the nauseating abuse is bitterly true, the insinuation against Cardinal Ratzinger is not, and gives every indication of being part of a well-oiled campaign against the pope.

Here’s a summary of the key points: ― The New York Times relied on tort lawyers who currently have civil suits pending against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Holy See, who are aggressively supporting the radical measure right now before the Wisconsin legislature to abrogate the statute of limitations on civil cases of abuse.

Hardly an impartial source. ― The documentation that allegedly supports these sensational charges is published on the Web site of the New York Times; rather than confirming their theory, the documents instead show there is no evidence that Cardinal Ratzinger ever blocked any decision about Murphy. ― We also find on the Web site a detailed timeline of all the sickening information about Murphy, data not “uncovered” by any reporter but freely released by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee a number of years back, and thoroughly covered at that time by the local media in Milwaukee. One wonders why this story, quite exhaustively reported in the past, rose again last week. The only reason it is news at all is because of the implication that Cardinal Ratzinger was involved.

Gospel in the Digital Age Archbishop TIMOTHY DOLAN Guest columnist Yet the documentation does not support that charge, and thus the charge should have no place in a putatively respectable newspaper.

Nothing in this non-news merits the tsunami of headlines, stories and diatribes against the Church and this pope that we have endured this past week.

There was legitimate news last week that should have received much more attention than it did. It was the annual independent audit report on American dioceses on compliance with our own tough Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. For those who profess to be so interested in the welfare of the young, the news should have been trumpeted as stunning progress.

The false allegations have also obscured the good work that then Cardinal Ratzinger did at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and as pope. Beginning in 2001, as ably described by respected journalist John Allen, Cardinal Ratzinger brought about a profound change in how sexual abuse cases were handled.

The details are many, but the effect was clear. It became easier to remove from ministry priests who have committed these crimes, and often, to dismiss them from the priesthood altogether.

Since his election, Pope Benedict has repeatedly demonstrated that even high-ranking priests are to be held accountable, and has not minced words about the failures of his brother bishops – both here in the United States and most recently, in his letter to the Catholics of Ireland.

This is about simply telling the truth, or more to the point, about peddling falsehoods to destroy the Holy Father’s good name. It needs to be called what it is – scandalous.

Timothy Michael Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. He is the chairman of Catholic Relief Services and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America. This column, originally posted at blog.archny.org, is reprinted with permission from the Archdiocese of New York.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: APRIL 11, 2010

Second Sunday of Easter Cycle C Readings: 1) Acts 5:12-16 Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 2) Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 Gospel: John 20:19-31

Take heart in Jesus’ words: ‘Peace be with you’ Jeff Hensley Catholic News Service In an interview, a Catholic fiction author was responding to criticism that his writing mixed the comic and the tragic too closely together, almost intermingling them. His explanation was that life is lived out in just that way.

Who can disagree? We experience brokenness and joy, sometimes in the same day, sometimes in the same hour. A few years back when I had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, I experienced some disturbing symptoms including pressure headaches and loss of my sense of balance. I soon found myself processing, at length, my mortality.

But in the middle of this emotional trial, one evening as the day of my surgery approached, my wife and I,

each trying to serve the other, raced to see which of us could get our trash and recycling cart to the curb first, almost collapsing in laughter.

In his introduction to the book of Revelation, John seems to be recognizing this kind of mixture of conflicting emotions and situations when he identifies himself as “I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus.”

In John’s Gospel reading, the resurrected Jesus suddenly appears on two separate occasions in locked rooms where His followers were hiding for fear of those who opposed this good news.

Jesus’ first words to them were, “Peace be with you.”

The account says His followers were overjoyed at His miraculous appearance, but then He repeats the same phrase “Peace be with you,” before he tells them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The second time He appears to them, He repeats that phrase again: “Peace be with you.” Then He has Thomas see for himself that it is indeed the real, flesh-and-blood Savior who stands before him.

There is great joy and doubt, and a word from Jesus settles their hearts and minds. How important it must be, in this season of Easter, for us to remember those words, as we go about our lives amid our own joys and sorrows, seeking to give to others a bit of the love of God. No matter how difficult the circumstances, Jesus says, “Peace be with you.”

QUESTIONS: Have you experienced conflicting emotions and circumstances, juxtaposed in odd ways in your own life? How might it be possible to remember Jesus’ admonition to share in His peace when life gets rough?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 4 – APRIL 10 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, Acts 2:36-41, John 20:11-18; Wednesday, Acts 3:1-10, Luke 24:13-35; Thursday, Acts 3:11-26, Luke 24:35-48; Friday, Acts 4:1-12, John 21:1-14; Saturday, Acts 4:13-21, Mark 16:9-15 SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 – APRIL 17 Sunday (Divine Mercy Sunday), Acts 5:12-16, Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31; Monday, Acts 4:23-31, John 3:1-8; Tuesday (St. Martin I), Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7-15; Wednesday, Acts 5:17-26, John 3:16-21; Thursday, Acts 5:27-33, John 3:31-36; Friday, Acts 5:34-42, John 6:1-15; Saturday, Acts 6:1-7, John 6:16-21 SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 18 – APRIL 24 Sunday (Third Sunday of Easter), Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19; Monday, Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-20; Tuesday, Acts 7:51-8:1, John 6:30-35; Wednesday (St. Anselm), Acts 8:1-8, John 6:35-40; Thursday, Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday (St. George, St. Adalbert), Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday (St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen), Acts 9:31-42, John 6:60-69.

Editor’s note: The Scripture for the week of April 18-April 24 is included because we will not publish an issue on April 9.

April 2, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 15

We await the Risen Christ with His love, His grace in our hearts “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (Jn. 16:22) Thus did our Lord chart the affective course of the disciples’ hearts the night before He died. He was taken from them.

Desire is the form that love takes when its object is not present. Sorrow ensues at the absence of the loved one leading to either hope of future attainment or the darkness of despair.

For 40 days we have attempted to recollect ourselves, draw our various desires into a concentrated force, narrowing the banks of the wide and languid river of our loves by penance and self-denial. Our desires, if we engaged this season of grace, were revealed in their various sorrows, pining for the goods that we left behind, denied, detached ourselves from, in the hope of diverting those desires and redirecting them in a conversion to Him. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.”

(Mt. 6:21) What a blessed season is Lent!

How quickly our love for “the one thing

necessary” becomes love for all things unnecessary. Unexamined, unchecked, undisciplined, we become little better than beavers, absorbed with the labor of patching the external homes of our physical life against the current of time, protecting and preserving the dry affections of the interior life from invasion, ever busy with the maintenance of our life.

But Lent, if engaged, shatters the futile dam of our own construction and allows life-giving water to cleanse and redirect us. How like the Psalmist we arrive at Holy Thursday with renewed love for Him professing: “What else have I in heaven but you? Apart from you I want nothing on earth. My body and my heart faint for joy; God is my possession for ever.” (Ps. 73:26-26) And then He is taken from us.

Only thus can one penetrate into the heart of Mary Magdalen who, rising while it was yet dark, went to the tomb.

What did she expect to find, a lifeless body? Indeed. He was all she had on earth, and apart from Him she wanted nothing. Her joy of possession had turned

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I heard a small voice in reply, “My mother did it. She watched me from the cross. I’m asking you to do it. Now.” Amidst the deep sadness I felt and the growing worry over Patrick’s health, I experienced a deep and immediate peace.

Yes, I thought, Mary did this. Right now, I must too.

“Help me, Mother,” I prayed. “I’m not strong like you.”

It’s not natural for any mother to silently watch a suffering child. As women, we tend, we nurse and we make things better. We don’t just sit and watch.

Yet that is just what Mary did. Her Son was the victim of abuse, slander and eventually murder. Despite the injustice, she didn’t meddle in His affairs. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, she didn’t push her way through the crowds yelling, “Take me instead!” Nowhere in the gospel does Mary tell a Pharisee, “You can’t talk to my Son that way!”

Suffering silently, she sat and watched.

That night in the hospital, Christ taught me sometimes sitting and watching is exactly what He calls me to do. In that moment, there was nothing I could do to alleviate Patrick’s pain. Like Mary, all I could do was be present and love him with all my might. Mary couldn’t choose Jesus’ anguish just like I had no say in Patrick’s.

Although I wanted to protect him, I had to

POPE BENEDICT XVI

Pray for priests this Easter season

Father Matthew Kauth Guest columnist into sorrow unimaginable. “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.” (Song of Songs 3:1) A sleepless night of echoing pain drove her out to find his body, to be near that which at least had been Him, and to offer to that body an act of anointing love vivified by the memory of their first encounter.

Who would roll the stone away?

How could she carry the body off (as she says to the “gardener”)? These questions of practicality were not asked, for love See KAUTH, page 16

The cross of motherhood: Watching and waiting “He can’t walk, John. We have to take him to the emergency room,” I yelled in a panic as I grabbed my 2-yearold son Patrick.

Although we were visiting friends to baptize our new godchild, our plans were soon interrupted as we were promptly admitted to a nearby prestigious medical facility. Unfortunately, this was not our first time. During the four months prior to this hospital stay, Patrick had become all too familiar with doctors, cat scans, magnetic resonance imaging procedures, spinal taps, electroencephalographs, and the like. The physicians pinpointed abnormal brain activity on his left parietal lobe that they connected to seizure-like episodes, but none of them could explain why he was so sick. (Later Patrick was diagnosed with the genetic disease Neurofibromatosis Type I.) On this particular evening, two neurologists poked, prodded and extracted many vials of blood from Patrick’s little veins. My usually joyful child, held down by physicians, screamed through racking sobs, “Mommy! Mommy! Pick me up! Help me! Please, Mommy!”

Putting my head down, I too began to silently sob and pray, “How did I get here? Why is this happening? You want me to stand here, Lord, and watch him suffer? Do you hear his pain? His cry? Is this what you want? I can’t do it.”

The Pope Speaks

Guest Column Colleen Duggan Guest columnist

relinquish my desire to control and prevent his suffering. Jesus’ pain allowed Him to save the world. Patrick’s pain drew him closer to the heart of Christ. If either mother had her way, God’s perfect plan would have been thwarted.

So I pray, “Help me, Mary. I’m not strong like you.”

Colleen Duggan earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame, then served several years in education and campus ministry at the high school level before working as events coordinator for the Governor’s Program on Abstinence for Louisiana.

After retiring from her paid positions, she continues her most important work as wife and mom of four. She blogs at www.colleenduggan.blogspot.com and for www.catholicmom.com. Reprinted with permission.

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. 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.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics to offer special prayers during Holy Week that our priests will be holy messengers of hope, reconciliation and peace.

During his weekly general audience March 31, the pope said priests’ annual renewal of their vows is particularly significant during the Year for Priests, which ends in June.

In his remarks in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, the pope highlighted the importance of the Chrism Mass, during which priests gather with their bishop to bless the oils used in the sacraments and to renew their priestly promises.

(Editor’s note: Read about our local Chrism Mass on page 4.)

The pope, speaking in Spanish, invited people to keep the priests in their prayers.

“We pray that by growing each day in fidelity and love for Christ, they will be messengers of hope, reconciliation and peace in the midst of their brothers and sisters,” he said.

In his main audience talk, the pope said the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper marks the institution of the Eucharist and Christ giving the Twelve Apostles and their successors the authority to be ministers of the sacrament.

The rite of washing feet during the Mass, repeating Jesus’ gesture, “is the representation of Jesus’ whole life and reveals how he loved to the end with a love that was infinite and could bring men and women into communion with God and make them free,” he said.

The practice of placing the Eucharist on a special altar of repose at the end of Mass is meant to remind people of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said. “Before the Eucharist, the faithful contemplate Jesus in his hour of solitude and pray that all the loneliness in the world would cease,” he said.

The Good Friday liturgy, he said, is a powerful reminder that Jesus willingly accepted “the cruelest and most humiliating form of death” – crucifixion – to save all men and women.

Holy Saturday is a day of silence and a time of waiting and hope, the pope said.

It also should be a time for making a firm commitment to conversion and would be an appropriate time to go to confession, he said.

Saturday night, during the Easter Vigil, the silence that followed Jesus’ death is “broken by singing ‘Alleluia,’ which announces the resurrection of Christ and proclaims the victory of light over darkness and of life over death,” he said.

He concluded, “May the joy of the resurrection even now fill our hearts as we prepare to celebrate the great events of the Lord’s passover from death to the fullness of life.”

April 2, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 16

PERSPECTIVES

We await the Risen Christ Chrism Mass held on Tuesday And she clings to Him. Joy inexpressible, resting in the possession of Him whom her heart loves.

“Do not cling to me.” She cannot hold Him bound to her. He must ascend to the Father. No longer can she have the delight of His physical presence, the joy and security of His voice, His manner, His Presence. “Even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer.” (2 Cor. 5: 16) Our love must conform to the Risen Christ, which will not be less, but more than the experience of His earthly companions. We traverse this way now by the Sacraments and prayer and learn to love Him Who has made His dwelling in us, until the day of consummation in which we will enter into the joy of our Master (Mt. 25:21) and see Him face to face.

Now desire grows and is fed inside until that day He says to us, having been made beautiful by His grace: “Come then my love ..., for see the winter is past and the rains are gone, ... show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful.

(Song of Songs 2) Father Matthew Kauth is on sabbatical from the Diocese of Charlotte, studying moral theology at Santa Croce in Rome.

KAUTH, from page 15

hopes all things (1 Cor. 13:7). She went, driven by desire for the absent One and the only point of reference, the only locus she had was a sacred body which was once his.

Thus does she weep on seeing the tomb empty. The last point of reference was gone. As St. Augustine once said, eyes which sought only our Lord were freed, not finding the Object they sought, for tears. She wept.

“Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom do you seek?”

But she did not look in the direction of the “gardener.” Her eyes, filled with the confused and refracted light of sadness, were searching for that body.

“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

No answer did she give to his question. Those in love cannot comprehend that another would not immediately know the object of their every desire. “Have you seen him whom my heart loves?” (Song of Songs 3:3) She refers to “him” assuming all must know who it is she is searching for. Then she hears: “Mary.”

Vatican defends Church during abuse crisis ABUSE, from page 2

cases and the way they were dealt with by the hierarchy comes as no surprise.

“The nature of the question is such as to attract the attention of the media, and the way in which the Church deals with it is crucial for her moral credibility,” he said in a commentary on Vatican Radio.

But Father Lombardi pointed to the “many positive signals” that indicate the church has understood the problem and addressed it. For example, he said, a recent report showed that the number of reported sex abuse cases declined between 33 and 36 percent in U.S. dioceses and religious institutes between 2008 and 2009.

Father Lombardi said impartial

2010

Diocese of Charlotte

Eucharistic Congress

observers would recognize that the pope and the doctrinal congregation are continuing to guide bishops and help them “combat and root out the blight of abuse wherever it appears.” The pope’s strongly worded letter to Irish Catholics earlier this month demonstrated his commitment to “healing, renewal and reparation” in the church, he said.

German Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s top ecumenical official, said the pope’s letter to Irish Catholics was “courageous.” It indicated that the Church was on an “irreversible” path toward greater transparency and severity in dealing with sex abuse by priests, the cardinal told the newspaper Corriere della Sera March 27.

Pope Benedict has never tried to protect abusers, and the criticism aimed at him is really an attack on the church itself, Cardinal Kasper said.

“He was the first who, even as a cardinal, felt the need for new and stricter rules, which didn’t exist before,” he said.

Mark your calendar now for the sixth Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress

Charlotte Convention Center

SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2010

Good Shepherd, Come Feed Us

Visit the Web site www.GoEucharist.com for the latest information about programs and speakers.

CHRISM, from page 4

baptism. The oil of the infirm is used in the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. At baptism and confirmation, holy chrism is used to sanctify the individual.

It is also used in the ordination rite of a priest, and in the ordination rite of a bishop.

Holy chrism is also used in the dedication ceremony of a new church.

The bishop uses it to anoint the middle of the altar and its four corners. He also anoints the walls of the church in the specific places marked by crosses.

“The Chrism Mass is a beautiful time to celebrate the wonderful gift of the priesthood to the Church,” Father Roux said, adding that it is a reminder of priests’ need for the heartfelt

prayers of the faithful people of God. “During this Year for Priests I hope and pray that the faithful will most earnestly pray for priests and vocations to the priesthood,” Father Roux said.

Besides priests from parishes around the diocese, those in attendance included Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey, and Vicar General and Chancellor Mauricio West. Deacons, seminarians and religious sisters were also present. The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, an order of contemplative sisters who recently moved to Charlotte, brought up the gifts during the Mass.

As the Chrism Mass drew to a close, a radiant Bishop Jugis thanked those present and reiterated to his brother priests, “It is a joy to serve here with you.”

SPECTACULAR - UNSPOILED – HISTORICAL

CROATIA

with a visit to Medjugorje

October 18-28, 2010

Bring family and friends to join with the Diocese of Charlotte as we experience Croatia – lying just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy! We’ll see breathtaking natural beauty, significant places of European history and 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites! Plus, a visit to Medjugorje -- making this trip a definite favorite for all!

Highlights of these 11 days include: • Zagreb, the capital city with rich cultural and governmental history, and Roman settlements from the 1st century • beautiful, old-world Bled, Slovenia – a “pletna boat” will glide us across glacial Lake Bled with the majestic, snow-tipped Julian Alps as the backdrop • a tour of the world-famous Lipizzaner horse farm where we’ll witness an actual training session of these magnificent Slovenian treasures!

• charming seaside Opatija, nestled in beautiful woods with elegant villas and a seaside promenade to bring the Adriatic right up to your feet!

• the spectacular, breathtaking phenomenon of Plitvice Lakes national park – 16 terraced lakes connected by magnificent waterfalls and free-flowing cascades. A lake cruise reveals the underwater life thriving in this natural wonderland!

• the ancient seaside city of Split (once the most important Mediterranean port in then-Yugoslavia) where we’ll explore the Old City, the markets, Diocletian’s Roman Palace and much more of its charm and fascinating history • Medjugorje, the small village where we’ll have personal time for prayer, reflection and Mass at beautiful St. James Church • exciting Dubrovnik offers us its fascinating Old City, world-famous Franciscan Monastery, exceptional architecture, seaside promenade and more!

• unforgettable home visit and culinary feast with a Croatian countryside family sharing their culture and customs to enrich our total experience!

Unparalleled beauty, fascinating history and more await you on this trip!

Check out these highlights on the Internet and you’ll see why Croatia is becoming a must-see destination, still unspoiled by “too many tourists.”

Price per person (double occupancy) is only $3,379 and includes: roundtrip airfare from Charlotte; all hotels and transfers; most meals; fulltime professional Tour Manager; local guides. Not included are cancellation waiver/insurance ($200 per person) and air taxes/surcharges ($150).

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