April 3, 2009

April 3, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives The war of words; jumpstarting a ragged prayer life; letters to the editor

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI april 3, 2009

Something greater to live for

| Pages 14-15 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Youths, young adults gather for prayer, reflection at Abbey

by MARY B. WORTHINGTON

by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

correspondent

TORONTO — A couple of months after his graduation from Charlotte Catholic High School in 1999, Michael Eades found himself at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.

From there, he looked down upon the people and cars below and realized he could not distinguish between who was wearing Abercrombie & Fitch or driving the nicest car — “things many teens care so much about,” he said.

“At that height, that really didn’t matter. I began to imagine what God could see from heaven,” he said, and he asked himself, “What am I

The Way of the Cross

no. 22

Taking time to adore Jesus

CCHS graduate to be ordained Oratorian priest in May

See CALLING, page 7

vOLUME 18

Photo by Katie Moore

Bishop Peter J. Jugis leads a eucharistic procession during the fifth annual Lenten spiritual pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey for youths and young adults March 29. The pilgrimage is part of the diocese’s preparation for the fifth diocesan Eucharistic Congress, themed “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,” Sept. 25-26.

BELMONT — “We are all on a pilgrimage during the Lenten season,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

This is a “time for interior renewal and turning away from sin, a time to embrace Jesus,” said the bishop to young Catholics from across the Diocese of Charlotte.

Bishop Jugis was one of the speakers during the diocese’s fifth annual Lenten spiritual pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey for youths and young adults March 29.

The approximately 450 participants included students from middle and high schools and colleges across the diocese, as well as youth ministers, other adults, diocesan priests

See PILGRIMS, page 5

South Carolina’s 13th bishop ordained

Bishop Guglielmone says his agenda is to meet the needs of God’s people by

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS

special to the catholic news & herald

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

Photo courtesy of Joe Benton/The Catholic Miscellany

A cross stands outside Divine Redeemer Church in King March 6. For a photographic guide to the Way of the Cross, see pages 8-9.

Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston speaks to priests after his episcopal ordination at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, S.C., March 25. When he was named a bishop in January, he was rector of the cathedral in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone was installed as the 13th bishop of the Diocese of Charleston March 25 during a ceremony that combined the majesty of

church tradition with warm emotions.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was filled to capacity with about 483 people. Priests, men and women religious, deacons and the bishop’s friends and family from New See BISHOP, page 6

Culture Watch

Youths in Action

Faith amid the flood

Books on women saints; Galloway settles lawsuits

Scouting accomplishments; youths share Seder meal

Catholics help out during rising Red River in N.D.

| Pages 10-11

| Page 12

| Page 16

April 3, 2009

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Congress must remember “the least of these” in society as it makes choices on the federal budget for fiscal year 2010, according to the chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees in a joint March 26 letter to members of Congress.

Among the domestic items the bishops emphasized in their letter were health care, affordable housing, climate change, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships program for the District of Columbia, funding for federal child nutrition programs, and domestic agricultural supports for smaller farms.

On international issues, the bishops stressed an increase in the international affairs budget, the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement budget.

“Our faith and moral principles call us to measure economic decisions on whether they enhance or undermine the lives of those most in need,” said Bishops Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., and

Faith over fun

CNS photo by Marylynn G. Hewitt, The Michigan Catholic

Michael Ochab poses with some of his Detroit Tigers gear on the steps of St. Florian Church in Detroit where he will be on Good Friday, which this year is also opening day for the Tigers’ season.

Baseball home opener on Good Friday ends 20-year attendance streak HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (CNS) — Michael Ochab’s 20-year streak of rooting for the Detroit Tigers as part of the opening day crowd is coming to an end. Home opening day this year falls on Good Friday, April 10.

“It’s a no-brainer for me,” said the 47-year-old Ochab. “He died for us on that cross.”

As the first pitch crosses the mound at Comerica Park, just after the 1:05 p.m. start of his beloved Tigers facing off against the Texas Rangers, Ochab will be in St. Florian Church for Good Friday services. He and his eight siblings grew up in the parish, attended the grade school and high school, and he said he spent years there as an altar server.

“I like to have fun on opening day,” said Ochabl. “I like to watch the revelries and all. But it just doesn’t seem appropriate this year.”

Ron Colangelo, vice president for communications for the Detroit Tigers, told The Michigan Catholic, Detroit’s archdiocesan newspaper, that the league “tries to accommodate the clubs the best it can. In this instance, we had the Final Four being played on Monday (April 6) so they’ll open the season on the road.”

As it turns out, each of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball play on Good Friday this year, though not all are afternoon games.

“And don’t forget,” Colangelo said, “the NBA plays on Christmas and so does the NFL.” When the Tigers’ opening day fell on Holy Thursday in 2004, Ochab was there as the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins

Bishops remind Congress to remember poor, vulnerable in budget

10-6, “but it didn’t really feel as festive.”

After the afternoon game, he headed to Mass.

Jesuit Father Mark George, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Church in Detroit, said being within walking distance of Comerica Park and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions football team, is an opportunity for his parish.

“We’re trying to make sure all the hotels in the area know we’re here so people can plan for Palm Sunday and Good Friday while they’re here,” he said.

This year basketball’s Final Four game will be played at Ford Field, an indoor stadium, on the weekend of Palm Sunday.

He was an associate pastor in Cleveland two years ago when the opening day for the Indians fell on Good Friday. Although the game was started, it couldn’t be finished and was called because of a snowstorm.

“Not only was that game snowed out, so was their whole first series. Was it because they tried to play opening day on Good Friday? That’s one interpretation,” he said with a laugh.

While Ochab said he’s hoping others also pick Good Friday services over the game, he knows the already-sold-out stadium will be filled with people of all faiths.

Ochab is a 27-game ticket holder, and an opening-game ticket was included in his plan. He muses that it might go to a Muslim friend “since I don’t think I’d give it to another Catholic or a Christian.”

And in the meantime, he said, “I’m praying for rain.”

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

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE

CHARLOTTE — Solemn vespers of Lent will be held at 6 p.m. every Sunday evening during Lent at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. E. Vespers is the name given to the official liturgical evening prayer of the church and completes the Divine Service for that day. The evening vespers will include a reflection on the seven last words of Christ. On April 5, Bishop Peter J. Jugis gives the reflection on the sixth and seventh words: “It is finished” and “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” For more information, contact the cathedral office at (704) 334-2283.

CHARLOTTE — The St. Matthew Columbiette’s are now accepting applications for the Gene Marie Alfaro Scholarship.

The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a graduating high school senior who is pursuing a career in nursing or other health-related fields. If interested, call Diana Congdon at (704) 814-0624. To be considered, applications must be received by April 14.

MINT HILL — Deacon Rafael Torres will lead the Stations of the Cross in Spanish at St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Rd., Thursdays during

William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in their letter.

Bishop Hubbard is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. Bishop Murphy is chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

The bishops also asked that Congress pass a budget that does not cut incentives for charitable giving.

“The budget choices of Congress have clear moral and human dimensions; they reflect our values as a people,” they said. “Our plea is simple: Put the poor and vulnerable first.”

“Too often the weak and vulnerable are not heard in the budget debate,” Bishops Hubbard and Murphy said.

“While they do not have powerful lobbyists, poor children and their families have compelling needs that have a priority claim on our consciences and our choices as the nation allocates limited federal resources,” they said.

Lent at 6:15 p.m. For more information, call (704) 846-7753.

CHARLOTTE — A Mass in Polish will be held at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., on Palm Sunday, April 5 at 3 p.m. Confessions will be available from 2 p.m. For more information, call Elizabeth Spytkowski at (704) 948-1678.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Young Adult Life invites those in their 20s and 30s to Theology on Tap, “Lent: 40 Days in the Desert.” This series will be held once a month for four months at Mario’s Pizza/John’s Place, 3016 Weddington Rd., Suite 100 and will explore the various events associated with the Lenten season. On April 16, Chris Lynch will present the topic “The Resurrection and Easter Sunday.” Come for food and drinks at 6:30 p.m. Speakers will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, e-mail st.matthews. yal@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE — All are invited to participate in the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 19. The celebration will include a traditional solemn Benediction and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The sacrament of reconciliation will not be offered prior to the celebration.

Individuals should check the times offered in their respective parishes.

CHARLOTTE — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians invites women of the diocese to join them in celebrating their Irish-Catholic heritage.

The next meeting will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., April 15 at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Jeanmarie Schuler at (704) 554-0720.

CHARLOTTE — The 40 Hours for Life prayer vigil is being held outside A Preferred Women’s Health Center, 3220 Latrobe Dr., through

April 3, 2009 Volume 18 • Number 22 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.

April 3, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican commission on China meets to discuss life of church in China VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican commission on the church in China was holding its second meeting March 30-April 1, looking at important issues concerning the life of the church in China.

The commission is made up of the heads of several Vatican congregations and offices, “representatives of the Chinese episcopacy” and representatives of religious orders working in China, the Vatican press office said in a statement March 28.

The first item of business, the Vatican said, was to discuss the life of the church in China in light of Pope Benedict XVI’s June 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics.

The papal letter encouraged cooperation between clandestine Catholic communities and those officially registered with China’s communist government; called for dialogue with the government on issues such as the

appointment of bishops; and asked government-registered bishops who have secretly reconciled with the Vatican to make that fact clear to their faithful.

The pope also used the letter to announce the formation of the commission for discussing issues of major importance for the church.

The commission’s first meeting was held March 10-12 last year and specifically discussed reactions to the pope’s letter to Chinese Catholics and exchanged information and experiences concerning the life and activity of the church in China.

The commission, which did not include any bishops from China, also reflected on practical ways for the church to be an “instrument of salvation for the Chinese people,” a discussion which included reconciliation between the divided Chinese Catholic communities and the governance of Chinese Catholic dioceses.

April 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Parking is available along Latrobe Dr., on either side of the street. For more information or to sign up, visit www.40daysforlife.com/charlotte or call Katherine at (704) 877-2551.

Joan Kennedy at (828) 837-8519.

CHARLOTTE — Children with disabilities are invited to join Allegro classes, a fun learning environment where movement and instruction are combined. Classes will be offered at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., on Wednesday evenings from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Classes are free, but registration is required. Call for the schedule as classes will not be held on certain dates. For more information, call Nettie Watkins at the Allegro Foundation (704) 412-5229 or e-mail pfallegro@aol.com.

CHARLOTTE — Christians in Career Transition is a ministry devoted to helping people in career crisis. The group meets the first and third Monday of each month, 7-9 p.m., in room 132 of the New Life Center at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. For more information, call Deacon Jim Hamrlik at (704) 543-7677, ext. 1040; or contact Jack Rueckel at (704) 341-8449 or jrueckel@earthlink.com.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

GASTONIA —The Youth Group at St. Michael Church, 708 St. Michael’s Lane, will present Living Stations on Good Friday, April 10, at 12 p.m. They will take you through Palm Sunday and the Last Supper and then through the Stations of the Cross. All are welcome to join in this meditation on the Lord’s Passion.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

MURPHY — An ecumenical Lenten worship service will be held at St. William Church, 765 Andrews Rd., each Wednesday during Lent from 12 to 12:30 p.m. The reflection will be given by a local preacher and an offering will be taken for a local charity. It is free and open to the public.

A soup and sandwich luncheon will be served following the service. For more information, call

Episcopal

calendar

SYLVA — “The Passion of Our Lord,” a living re-enactment by the Hispanic community, will take place on Good Friday, April 10, at 1 p.m. at St. Mary, Mother of God Church, 22 Bartlett St. All are invited to attend this annual spiritual event. Praying the Stations of the Cross will be held in the church immediately following.

For more information, call the church office at (828)586-9496 or e-mail StMarys@dnet.net.

Vatican orders apostolic visitation of Legionaries of Christ VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has ordered an apostolic visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ following disclosures of sexual impropriety by the order’s late founder, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado.

The announcement of the unusual investigation was posted on the Web site of the Legionaries of Christ March 31, along with the text of a letter informing the Legionaries of the pope’s decision.

The letter, written by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the pope wanted to help the Legionaries of Christ deal with its present problems with “truth and transparency.”

It said the visitation would be carried out by “a team of prelates,” who were not identified.

Apostolic visitation is a form of internal church investigation ordered by a pope and undertaken by his delegate or delegates. The pope sets the jurisdiction and powers of the visitation, which usually ends with the submission of a report to the Holy See. In February, Legionaries of Christ officials in Rome disclosed that Father

Maciel had fathered a child. Sources in Rome said the order also was looking into accusations of financial irregularities by Father Maciel.

In the past, Father Maciel had been accused of sexually abusing young seminarians in the order. After investigating those allegations, the Vatican in 2006 told Father Maciel to renounce public ministry as a priest and spend the rest of his life in prayer and penitence; the Vatican did not, however, confirm that sexual abuse had occurred.

Father Maciel died Jan. 30, 2008, at the age of 87.

Father Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the Legionaries and its lay association, Regnum Christi, said in an online statement that the visitation “is the beginning of a process in which the Legion will fully and gratefully participate.”

He said it would begin after Easter and would probably last several months.

Several Vatican officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the effectiveness of an apostolic visitation would depend in large part on cooperation

by Legionaries of Christ leadership.

Protesting poverty

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., has eucharistic adoration each Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. For more details, call Donna at (336) 940-2558 or Carole at (336) 766-4530.

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

WINSTON-SALEM — The 40 Hours for Life prayer vigil is being held outside Forsyth Women’s Center/Planned Parenthood, 3000 Maplewood Ave. from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through April 5. The vigil is held on the public sidewalk directly across the street from the center. Parking is available on Bodford St. only, one block from the prayer site. For more information or to sign up, visit www.40daysforlife.com/winstonsalem or 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:

April 7 (10 a.m.)

Chrism Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

April 10 (3 p.m.)

Celebration of the Lord’s Passion St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

April 9 (7 p.m.)

Mass of the Lord’s Supper St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

April 11 (8 p.m.)

Easter Vigil St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

CNS photo by Romeo Ranoco, Reuters

Policemen block a theater artist dramatizing the situation of the poor during a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, April 1. A few days before the start of Holy Week, protesters criticized the government for allegedly neglecting the plight of the poor as prices of basic goods and services continue to soar amid the global economic crisis.

Head of Holy Cross order asks Obama to rethink position on abortion ROME (CNS) — The head of the Holy Cross religious order that founded the University of Notre Dame has written to U.S. President Barack Obama and asked him to rethink his positions on abortion and other life issues.

U.S. Father Hugh Cleary, Holy Cross superior general in Rome, said that when Obama receives an honorary degree from the Indiana university and delivers

the commencement address in May, he should take to heart the objections of Catholics who have been scandalized by the invitation.

Father Cleary asked the president to use the occasion to “give your conscience a fresh opportunity to be formed anew in a holy awe and reverence before human life in every form at every stage — from conception to natural death.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Helping the homeless

April 3, 2009

Bowling event raises funds BELMONT — More than 900 bowlers and 100 volunteers participated in Holy Angels’ 17th annual All Star Angel Bowl in Gastonia March 14.

HolyAngels is a nonprofit corporation founded by the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont that provides residential services and programs for children and adults with varying degrees of mental retardation and physical disabilities.

The Angel Bowl is Holy Angels’ largest fundraising event. Businesses, schools, churches and civic organizations participated in the bowl-athon by forming more than 180 five-person teams, with each bowler challenged to raise at least $100 in pledges.

Holy Angels’ residents also participated and led players in the Pledge of Allegiance.

In its 16-year history, the Angel Bowl has raised more than $1.3 million.

Participants of the recent Angel Bowl continue to turn in donations and pledges from their fundraising efforts as the Holy Angels foundation nears its $100,000 goal for the year.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information about Holy Angels, visit www.holyangelsnc.org or call (704) 825-4161.

Courtesy Photo

Tony Whitesell, parish coordinator of the temporary winter homeless shelter at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, and David and Kathy Collins, directors of House of Refuge, stand next to a “St. Joseph table” during a dinner at the church March 18, vigil of the feast of St. Joseph. The dinner marked the final night of the shelter, which ran Nov. 22, 2008-March 18, and to show appreciation for the more than 120 volunteer monitors and guests who participated.

Cots, blankets, pillows and other supplies were donated to the shelter, held in the church basement from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily, with an average of seven guests and three monitors per night.

The shelter began because of the lack of available space for homeless persons in Burke County shelters. House of Refuge, a nonprofit Christian ministry, was able to accommodate only six homeless persons at a time, so the Collinses helped the parish in their outreach efforts to the homeless.

Volunteer appreciation

Courtesy Photo

A resident of Holy Angels participates in the annual All Star Angel Bowl fundraiser in Gastonia March 14.

Attention Readers! Have a NEWS Story to Share?

Do you have a news story to share with The Catholic News & Herald? Do you know of local people who are living the tenets of their faith? Do you have photos of a parish-, school- or ministry-based event?

If so, please share them with us. Contact Staff Writer Katie Moore at (704) 370-3354 or kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

Courtesy Photo

Jerry Siemann, Margaret Rose and Chuck Rose, parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard, are honored during the parish Ladies Guild appreciation luncheon March 5. The three were honored, along with parishioner Linda Stadnick (who was unable to attend), for their outstanding volunteer service to the parish and community.

April 3, 2009

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 5

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

and deacons, women religious and monks from Belmont Abbey.

The pilgrimage, a day of prayer and reflection, was part of the diocese’s preparation for the fifth diocesan Eucharistic Congress, themed “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,” to be held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 25-26.

“The words from St. John’s Gospel are the perfect theme to reflect on the meaning of the Eucharist,” said Bishop Jugis.

“We usually hear these words during the Christmas season,” he said, “but they are appropriate any time of year.”

“Two thousand years ago Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,” said Bishop Jugis, reflecting on the theme.

Today, “the Word becomes flesh once again here in the holy Eucharist,” he said. “We see the mystery right here before us, there in the monstrance. This is the real presence of Christ.”

“I think it was a great success,” said Jenny Ryan, campus ministry director at Belmont Abbey College. “The students who participated seemed very engaged and very enthusiastic.”

The day included a eucharistic

Photo by Katie Moore

Belmont Abbey College staff and student volunteers direct a crowd of youth and young adult participants in singing praise and worship music during the fifth annual Lenten spiritual pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey March 29. There were approximately 450 participants in this year’s pilgrimage, which included a eucharistic procession, Benediction, the sacrament of reconciliation and vespers with the monks of Belmont Abbey. procession, Benediction, the sacrament of reconciliation and vespers with the monks of Belmont Abbey.

“It was really student organized and

student led,” Ryan said, referring to the 15 Belmont Abbey student volunteers who helped coordinate the event.

Student volunteers gave witness

talks and led the youths in singing praise and worship music.

“I think the high school and middle school youths look up to that,” said Ryan, “I think that had a lot to do with the success of the event.”

Katie Bess, youth activity coordinator at Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont, brought seven youths to the pilgrimage.

“I think it’s important for them to see other people their age committed to the church and the life of the church,” said Bess.

One of the speakers, Brother Edward Mancuso of Belmont Abbey, talked about the importance of faith in defining good relationships.

“It is important to have friends who support your faith,” he said.

He shared the importance of the Eucharist in his life and how it led him to his vocation as a monk.

“The Eucharist started to play a defining role in my life when I went to college,” said Brother Mancuso of his time at St. Bonaventure University in New York. He talked about the graces that come from receiving Christ in the Eucharist.

“Not everyone can attend Mass each day,” said Brother Mancuso, “but when possible, Jesus is waiting to energize your day.”

Christ in the Eucharist is a gift to us from the Lord, said Bishop Jugis, and it is not based on anything “we could have merited or deserved.”

“It is my hope that as you offer yourself to Christ you will be a blessing for your friends and family and that the Lord will choose some of you to offer yourselves as priests or as brothers or sisters,” said Bishop Jugis in his address to the pilgrims.

“Many good works come from a person who is offering himself to God.” Contact Staff Writer Katie Moore by calling (704) 370-3354, or e-mail kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

FROM THE COVER

April 3, 2009

Charleston bishop says agenda is to meet needs BISHOP, from page 1

York and elsewhere all came to celebrate with him.

An overflow crowd of about 125 filled the Cathedral Center hall and joined the ceremony through video feed.

Others watched from homes, schools and churches via streaming video on the Internet. The diocesan Web site received more than 6,500 hits during the live feed. The ordination was also broadcast on Mediatrix Catholic radio and catholicradiosc.com.

Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop of New York, was the principal consecrator in the absence of Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, who was unable to attend.

Co-consecrators were Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., and Bishop Robert J. Baker of the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala., who led the Diocese of Charleston from 1999 until September 2007.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte was a concelebrant of the ordination Mass, as was Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Sambi read from the apostolic letter that officially called Bishop Guglielmone to service in the diocese. Prior to becoming bishop, he was rector at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.

“We are truly confident that as you faithfully teach and govern in the name of the Lord you will … be a symbol of unity to all entrusted to your pastoral care,” Archbishop Sambi said.

To be a bishop In his homily, Cardinal Egan urged Bishop Guglielmone to commit himself to bear witness to the Gospel, to serve others and “love all whom God places in your care … including the poor and the weak, the immigrant and the stranger.”

He also referred to the bishop’s strong Catholic family heritage and to his late parents.

“Carolina and Francesco are praying for you in heaven and will be praying for you every day,” he said.

“You are the 13th bishop of one of the most historic and esteemed dioceses in the nation,” he said. “… You are standing on the shoulders of wonderful successors of the apostles. I’ve known six of the previous 12 bishops personally. If you need any help, just call me in New York.”

Cardinal Egan said it was appropriate that the ordination should take place on the feast of the Annunciation.

“On this day when we remember Mary handing herself totally over to the Lord, today you are making the same commitment,” he said. “Lead your people in prayer … the greatest of all being the Eucharist. You are becoming bishop in a time of considerable turmoil in the nation and the world. People will look to you for leadership, unity and prayer.”

Cardinal Egan then led the Promise of the Elect, and asked Bishop Guglielmone to faithfully follow the Gospel and carry out his work as bishop. The Litany of Supplication followed as the bishop prostrated himself on the floor and the choir led the congregation in the Litany of the Saints.

Cardinal Egan and Bishops Baker and Murphy then performed the laying on of hands and led the prayer of ordination. Cardinal Egan anointed Bishop Guglielmone with sacred chrism, or holy oil.

During the Prayer of Ordination, two deacons held the Book of the Gospels over the bishop’s head to symbolize the importance of following the word of God. Bishop Guglielmone received the kiss of peace from the consecrators and the 12 other visiting bishops. He also officially received the three symbols of his office — his ring, miter and crosier — and took his seat in the bishop’s chair, called the cathedra.

‘Pilgrimage of life’ Toward the end of the ceremony, the bishop walked around the cathedral and blessed everyone while the choir sang the hymn, “Te Deum.” He also offered some remarks.

“The first word that comes to my mind is ‘Wow!’ What a wonderful day this is for me personally,” he said. “I am so happy to be with you as your bishop … I hope that I can be for you all that you hope for and pray for, and that we can always be a people of hope. I can’t help but be overwhelmed at all the love I’ve received, the Southern hospitality.”

Bishop Guglielmone promised to support the priests and deacons, men and women religious, and lay people of the diocese as they spread the Gospel message, and in turn asked for their support and prayers.

He said he was aware of the challenges facing the diocese and society in general during the recent economic downturn.

Photo courtesy of Joe Benton/The Catholic Miscellany

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte lays hands on Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston during his episcopal ordination at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, S.C. March 25.

“Folks, we’re on the pilgrimage of life together, and we need each other … if we’re going to meet the challenges, we need to work together,” he said. “I can’t say I have an agenda. My only agenda is to form one with you as we forge on to meet the needs of God’s people.”

Bishop Guglielmone thanked everyone who supported him as a priest in New York. He became emotional as he explained that the crosier he carried was used by the Long Island bishop who ordained him.

He also thanked Bishop Baker and retired Bishop David B. Thompson for their help in learning about the diocese, and paid tribute to Msgr. Martin T. Laughlin, who served as diocesan administrator during the 17 months the diocese was without a bishop.

State and local dignitaries and other Christian clergy also attended the ceremony.

The bishop’s two older brothers, Nick Dana and Tito Guglielmone, attended with their wives and children.

“This was very powerful. I have no aversion to saying I was crying during parts of it,” said Tito, who lives in Callicoon, N.Y. “He’s a wonderful person, priest and human being. He’ll reach out to everyone.”

“The ceremony was magnificent,” Nick said. “I know he loves people, but it’s now obvious how people here already love him.”

Christina Lee Knauss is a reporter with the Catholic Miscellany in Charleston, S.C.

April 3, 2009

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 7

CCHS graduate to be ordained Oratorian priest CALLING, from page 1

living for?”

Although he had been a star high school athlete who aspired to play college basketball, Eades recalled attending Charlotte Hornets games and thinking about what an NBA player does at the end of the season.

“Somehow I used to think, once one reaches the height of the basketball world, then what does one do the next day?” he said. “Is what we are living for going to last forever or not? There has to be something greater to live for.”

Eades, a native of Oxford, Ohio, who grew up in Charlotte and attended St. Gabriel Church, called those reflective moments in his life a “tremendous grace” in his spiritual journey toward what he is living for today: the Catholic priesthood.

Ordained a transitional deacon July 14, Deacon Eades will be ordained to the priesthood for the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Toronto, Canada, May 26.

“A vocation is a gift for the whole church,” said Deacon Eades, referring to being ordained outside of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Deacon Eades attributes his spiritual growth and vocational call to the influence of his parents and priests — notably, Father Ray Williams, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva, who had served as chaplain at Charlotte Catholic.

While in high school, Deacon Eades considered becoming an investment banker, politician or lawyer, but soon realized he wanted to fulfill his desire to serve the church through the priesthood.

“I began to think there was nothing higher or more noble than the Catholic priesthood — without priests, there

would be neither the Eucharist nor confession,” said Deacon Eades.

In college, his attitude toward the priesthood changed from “a glorious idea for others” to “it’s for me.”

After two years of studying philosophy and economics at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., Deacon Eades became a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte and completed his studies — earning a licentiate in philosophy — from Catholic University of America During his time at Catholic University, Deacon Eades discovered the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, a congregation of Catholic priests and lay brothers who live together in community and are bound together by no formal vows, but only by the bond of charity.

London-born Cardinal John Henry Newman founded the English community of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in 1848.

Having both an interest in St. Philip and Cardinal Newman, Deacon Eades entered the novitiate at the Toronto oratory in 2004 where he “found his home.”

The congregation has about 70 oratories around the world, but Deacon Eades was drawn to the Toronto oratory because of its founder, Oratorian Father Jonathan Robinson.

“His understanding of the principles of the spiritual life and his diagnosis of the current difficulties facing the church deeply impressed me,” said Deacon Eades.

“I wanted to be formed in the house he built with its care for the Latin liturgy, the seriousness of its life of prayer and the combination of parish work and teaching,” he said.

Deciding to pursue the priesthood in his early 20s was important to Deacon Eades.

“We only have so much time in our life — why put God off?” he said. “Those who enter when they are young … can

Photo courtesy of the Toronto Oratory of St. Philip Neri

Michael Eades, a graduate of Charlotte Catholic High School, is ordained to the transitional diaconate by Toronto Archbishop Thomas C. Collins at the Toronto Oratory of St. Philip Neri July 14, 2008. live for Christ more single mindedly.”

“God desires our happiness,” said Deacon Eades. “If God made you to do something, it’s in your best interest to do it. You don’t lose anything when you give your life to God … much depends on when we respond or not.”

To young people considering calls to the priesthood or religious life, Deacon Eades recommends they “be generous with Jesus — in prayer, spiritual reading and confession. He cannot be

outdone in generosity.”

After his priestly ordination May 26, Deacon Eades will celebrate his first public Mass — in the extraordinary form — at the Toronto oratory May 27.

He will return to the Diocese of Charlotte and celebrate Mass in the ordinary form at his home parish of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte June 20.

Contact Mary B. Worthington at marybethworthington@gmail.com.

St. Philip Neri starts Seven Churches pilgrimage The devotion to the Seven Churches in Rome is attributed to St. Philip Neri, who lived 1515-1595.

Traditionally, the Seven Churches include the four major basilicas — St. John Lateran, St. Peter (at the Vatican), St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major — along with the following three minor basilicas — St. Laurence, Santa Croce and St. Sebastian.

Throughout his ministry, St. Philip had a great devotion to the Seven Churches. The pilgrimage took penitents to the seven churches, where they would hear sermons, attend Mass, pray and perform other spiritual acts.

St. Philip used the pilgrimage as an alternative to Carnival to help young men avoid vice and sin. The pilgrimage grew from fewer than 30 to more than 2,000 participants during St. Philip’s life.

— Mary B. Worthington

8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 3, 2009

way of the cross

First Station

Second Station

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Third Station

Photo by Katie Moore

Fourth Station

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Jesus is condemned to death

Jesus receives the cross

Jesus falls the first time

Jesus meets his Blessed Mother

Holy Infant Church, Reidsville

St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mocksville

Belmont Abbey Basilica, Belmont

Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro

Ninth Station

Tenth Station

The Way of the Cross Stations of the Cross, or Way of the Cross, is the devotion commemorating the final hours, or Passion, of Jesus.

The devotion is to help the faithful make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ’s sufferings and death.

This devotion may be done at any time, but it is most commonly done during Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

Jesus falls the third time

Jesus is stripped of his garments

St. Stephen Mission, Eden

St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem

April 3, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 9

way of the cross

Fifth Station

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

Sixth Station

Photo by Katie Moore

Seventh Station

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Eighth Station

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

The cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene

St. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Jesus falls the second time

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Holy Family Church, Clemmons

Queen of the Apostles Church, Belmont

St. Benedict Church, Greensboro

Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem

Eleventh Station

Twelfth Station

Thirteenth Station

Fourteenth Station

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Photo by Mary Worthington

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Photo by Mary B. Worthington

Jesus is nailed to the cross

Jesus dies on the cross

Jesus is taken down from the cross

Jesus is laid in the sepulcher

St. Mary Church, Greensboro

St. Therese Church, Mooresville

St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro

Holy Angels Church, Mount Airy

April 3, 2009

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

WORD TO LIFE

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Sunday Scripture Readings: april 12, 2009

April 12, Easter Sunday

Separated by centuries, two women saints exhibit courage, grace reviewed by PEGGY WEBER catholic news service

Centuries separate St. Joan of Arc and St. Edith Stein. And the women who wrote about them are different — Mary Gordon, a novelist, and Dianne Marie Traflet, a professor.

However, the authors both provide incredibly compelling works about the warrior saint and philosopher nun that strike similar chords with the reader.

And as one reads about the horrific yet courageous deaths suffered by both St. Edith and St. Joan, one can see just what these two had in common — courage and grace.

In “Saint Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait,” Traflet, associate dean and professor of pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., offers a wonderful insight into the mind and life of St. Edith.

Her scholarship glistens in this work as she quotes directly from many of St. Edith’s writings and from those who knew this 20th-century saint.

Much has been written about St. Edith, a Jewish woman who converted, became a Carmelite nun, and died in a concentration camp.

What makes this book different is Traflet’s focus on the spiritual life of a woman who, during several years of her life, rejected all religion.

The book focuses on St. Edith’s relation to the Eucharist, Mary and the cross.

Traflet writes with a clear style that is not bogged down in academic jargon. She also brings this saint to life and shows the anxious moments, the fears and the worries that were part of St. Edith’s spiritual process.

The author shows great compassion and almost a tenderness when describing how difficult it must have been for St. Edith to choose Catholicism and religious life in light of the strong opposition of her mother.

The book itself is an interesting biography. However, it also holds lessons for anyone intent on a better spiritual life.

For example, Traflet writes: “An interior life cultivated by quiet stillness

Cycle B 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

Easter is a time to celebrate life by

SHARON K. PERKINS catholic news service

prepares souls to surrender their lives to God and later to venture into the chaotic noise of society, remaining calm and focused.”

Those words show St. Edith’s journey but they also invite the reader to make a journey of his or her own.

In “Joan of Arc: A Life,” one is immediately drawn into the book through Gordon’s beautiful writing.

A professor of English at Barnard College in New York and an accomplished novelist, Gordon takes on a difficult subject here.

She notes immediately in the acknowledgments page that there are 20,000 books about St. Joan of Arc in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. One might ask, what more can be said?

Gordon finds a new angle to approach the life of this warrior saint.

She states that the book is a biographical meditation. In it she focuses on the sheer audacity of the saint and the wonderful example she offers to those who follow a unique and special life.

Gordon writes that St. Joan was “a girl who came from nowhere, supported an equivocal cause, triumphed for a few months only, failed as a soldier, saw visions ... died in agony, a saint whom the church refused canonization for 500 years, yet who stands in our imagination for the single-minded triumph of the she — and it must be a she — who feared nothing (and who) knew herself right and fully able and the chosen of the Lord.”

Gordon gives the readers beautiful words, a fascinating topic and the desire to live a courageous and grace-filled life where one attempts to listen to the voice of God. Weber is a columnist and reporter with The Catholic Observer newspaper in Springfield, Mass.

A proverb attributed to the late president Abraham Lincoln asserts: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Wise words, especially if one lives in a culture that is obsessed with holding death at bay. Human history is filled with the stories of persons fruitlessly attempting to prolong the years allotted to them.

Even today, countless products costing millions of dollars are marketed with the goal of preserving youthfulness and slowing down the aging process.

Even so, no one yet has found the secret of increasing his or her length of life or escaping physical death.

Easter — the feast that defines us as Christians — tells us that even with the sure progress of aging and the inevitability of our mortality, life does not end. This belief comforts many who have lost loved ones with whom they

hope to be reunited.

However, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection prompts us to claim not only the promise of eternal life beyond the grave, but the fullness of life that is given here and now.

Ironically, many people who still have a pulse experience their lives as those who are already dead (just ask anyone who has suffered from severe depression).On the other hand, many people with terminal illnesses maintain that they have never been more alive.

Clearly, the way one perceives one’s own life and death depends on the perspective one takes. Death, in this view, is not really something to be feared or avoided — and life is a gift to be embraced and shared as fully as possible.

This is what St. Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Colossians: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” For the believer in Christ, the years in one’s life matter less than the life in one’s years. Let the celebration of life begin.

Questions: In what ways have you tried to avoid death or measure your years? What can you do today to fully embrace the life promised in Christ’s resurrection?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 5-11 Sunday (Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion), Mark 11:1-10, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2: 6-11, Mark 14:1-15:47; Monday (Monday of Holy Week), Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:1-11; 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 (Easter Vigil), Exodus 14:15-15:1, Romans 6:3-11, Mark 16:1-7.

Scripture for the week of April 12-18 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.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 3, 2009

Captain Bogg & Salty pirate-themed band focuses on its youngest fans

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Loren Hoskins, who plays the parts of both Captain Angus Bogg and dimwitted swab Salty in the pirate-themed band Captain Bogg & Salty, noted that four years ago the band was branching out from its base of children’s shows to play more shows at taverns and the like.

“It was the same music,” he said.

“We just turned the amps up.”

But now, two albums later, the band has decided to stick to its roots and focus on its youngest fans. That doesn’t mean adults aren’t welcome. They are, especially if they’re parents.

“I think everything should be PG — parental guidance. I think parents should weigh in on everything,” said Hoskins, a Catholic who has been leading the Oregon-based band of merrymaking musicians for 11 years.

Captain Bogg & Salty has released a new CD, “Emphatical Piratical,” with the CD cover unfolding into a map of mythical Frogg Island for young listeners to explore and imagine.

Hoskins took note of the ebb and flow of the band.

“We started in ‘98,” when according to him the band was the only group with “kids’ music on a CD.” “Before we started it was all Raffi,”

a children’s singer who performs solo, he added.

“Now kids can have a CD of their own music and it doesn’t have to be a synthesizer; it can be a rock band,” Hoskins said.

“For a couple years we were (saying), ‘We’re a pirate rock band,’ and people would say, ‘Say what?’ Now there’s a whole pirate culture. Those Johnny Depp (‘Pirates of the Caribbean’) movies came out. We shot up. We were in huge demand. We played lots of places because it was so popular,” he said.

Hoskins said he was “kind of bummed that those movies took pirates away from kids and made them more adult.”

“Pirates were for kids — where we’re coming from,” he continued. It’s “just kind of a fun place to be bold and brave and dress up and say ‘Yarr,’” he added.

Children are too young to be caught up in adult matters, Hoskins said.

“They don’t care about pirate movies or popular trends,” he added. “We got back to being everybody’s favorite little secret. ... We’ve come to the other side of that. We were pirate before pirate was cool.”

Hoskins said the pirate band is, in essence, an extension of his childhood: “When I was a kid, I would play soundeffects records. I would play a jungle sound effect and set up my room as a treasure hunt.”

He parlayed that bit of whimsy

CNS photo courtesy Chris Owen

Band leader Loren Hoskins (third from right) poses with the rest of the band Captain Bogg & Salty. Hoskins, a Catholic, says the pirate-themed group’s main focus these days is entertaining young fans. into a career writing commercials and jingles and doing voice-over work in the Portland area. Then came the inspiration to start a pirate band.

“Bogg & Salty got so busy I started turning things down and after six months people stop calling you,” he said.

The new CD has none of the Captain Bogg & Salty sketches featured on earlier albums. But Hoskins said he is considering a CD consisting of nothing but sketches, with instrumental music and his old childhood favorite, sound effects, added to the mix.

Catholic media entrepreneur settles lawsuit WASHINGTON (CNS) — A California Catholic media entrepreneur accused of fraudulent business practices has agreed to settle a lawsuit launched by the district attorney’s office in Kern County, Calif., and agreed to pay $200,000 in restitution, penalties and fees.

Michael Galloway — president of Catholic Online, Catholic Financial Services, Your Catholic Voice and Your Catholic Voice Foundation — also agreed to drop a lawsuit he had filed against the Monastery of the Glorious Cross in Branford, Conn., as part of the March 24

stipulated settlement agreement.

Though Galloway and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office have agreed to settle the lawsuit, both parties have until April 30 to make amendments before a judge signs off on it.

Though Galloway agreed to settle the civil suit and to pay restitution to individuals and Catholic nonprofit organizations claiming they are owed money, he told Catholic News Service March 30 the settlement didn’t require him to admit guilt to accusations of fraud.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

April 3, 2009

youths in action

Sharing a Seder

Cookies for a cause

Courtesy Photo

Troop leaders Christine Roper (left) and Linda Sim (kneeling, right) and members of Girl Scout Troop 2583 from St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte are pictured in the St. Gabriel School parking lot Feb. 17. The Troop was promoting the “Cookies for Troops” program, through which participants can purchase boxes of Girl Scout cookies to be sent to U.S. military personnel serving overseas.

Honoring Catholic Scouts

Courtesy Photo

Youth group members from St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte demonstrate a Seder meal March 15 for children preparing for the sacrament of confirmation.

The Seder is a special ritual during the Jewish festival of Passover, a holiday commemorating Jewish deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the time of the barley season.

Many Catholics participate in a Seder during the season of Lent.

Courtesy Photo

Deacon Michael Stout (left) and Father Adrian Porras, pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Arden, stand with Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts who received awards that can be earned by Catholic Boy Scouts Feb. 22.

Boy Scouts Andrew Cypear, Joey Campbell and Bryan Cypear (back row) received the Ad Altare Dei (“to the altar of God”) emblems, which recognize Boy Scouts who have completed service to the church.

Cub Scouts Gabriel Murphy, Logan Murphy and Alexander Puzerewski (front row) all received the Light of Christ emblems, which recognizes Cub Scouts who have completed the program’s religious activity book; Alexander also received the Parvuli Dei (“Children of God”) emblem for completing that program’s requirements.

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April 3, 2009

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The Catholic News & Herald 13

April 3, 2009

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives Don’t further research at cost of human lives I applaud and thank Father Timothy Reid for his guest column on embryonic stem cell research (“The responsibility to fight injustice: Taking innocent life, even in its most nascent stages, is always intrinsically evil,” March 20). Besides being prescient, the column was succinct and informative.

We should not allow the destruction of innocent human life by experimentation because it is immoral and unethical.

Are we repeating the Nazi era during which (German SS physician) Josef Mengele experimented on human beings to further his research?

The Nuremberg trials after World War II convicted Mengele of horrific crimes against humanity. And after the furor was over the cry went up: “Never again!” How soon we forget. May God help us through the current darkness.

— Don Millard Charlotte

Notre Dame doesn’t understand, respect church teaching (Regarding “Despite criticism, Notre Dame firm on Obama as commencement speaker,” March 27) I am disappointed but not surprised at Notre Dame’s selection of President Barrack Obama as commencement speaker. Like too many Catholic institutions, this university seeks validation from the secular sector at the expense of true Catholic teaching.

Obama is the point person of the secular sector’s culture of death. True to his commitment to the abortion-ondemand people, among his first actions as president he attacked the fragile political structure of the pro-life movement by dismantling federal prohibitions against funding foreign abortion support.

Notre Dame president Holy Cross Father John Jenkins’ denial notwithstanding, his selection of Obama signals an acceptance — or at least a toleration — by the university of Obama’s positions. And the university’s claim that most students are pleased with this choice seems to indicate that either the student body rejects Cathloic teaching or they don’t understand it.

Either way, I see a fundamental failure of some Catholic educators, priests and bishops in guiding and shepherding the faithful. It is apparent to me that the “Fighting Irish” are not fighting for the unborn.

Notre Dame is indeed “Notre Shame.”

— Ronald Haley Cornelius

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Letters to the Editor

Health care workers’ conscience rights imperative for all (Regarding “Conscience matters: N.C. bishops call for help in defending health care workers’ rights,” March 27) It is my constitutional right to practice my Roman Catholic religion without harassment from the government or any other entity in this country. This is what our Founding Fathers decided upon.

If I must go against my conscience, which is intimately connected to my Catholic faith, then I will be denied the practice of my religion and my constitutional rights will be violated.

When I received my medical degree, it was known that I am a Catholic physician. Any determination that does not let me practice medicine in a Catholic moral manner is against my freedom to practice my religion under the U.S. Constitution.

If I must surrender my medical license due to being a conscientious objector, the rural area in which I practice medicine will be underserved.

— Dr. Robert Moreland Murphy

Magliano misinterprets greed, solutions I am amazed that Tony Magliano would be so presumptuous as to assume he knows what Jesus would do (“During Lent: What would Jesus do? Christ calls us to aim higher, follow moral high road,” March 20).

Magliano makes a blanket condemnation of what he labels as “greed.” However, the drive to maximize profits is part of the strength of U.S. capitalism and it benefits many. The moral issue is not the striving for excellence but how one uses the resulting profits.

I question the interpretation of Jesus’ admonition to the rich man to “sell what you have and give to the poor.” This could be more about not making riches your god.

Rather than giving everything to the poor, a savvy entrepreneur might benefit the poor more by keeping and investing his riches and giving the profits to the poor.

— Jack James Vilas

Jump-starting a ragged prayer life

Retreats help keep us alert for Christ’s arrival When Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, he asks his friends if they would “watch this hour with me.” Every year we see his disciples, drowsy from the late hour and the wine they shared at the last meal, drift off to sleep as Jesus faces his loneliest moments.

In the garden, Jesus is at his most human, a brilliant man who realizes what will happen to him in Jerusalem, and a sensitive man, full of fear, real agony over the suffering he knows is coming his way.

At our parish, we offer eucharistic adoration after the Holy Thursday service, and as the choir softly sings, “Wait with me, watch with me,” many people gather to wait and watch long after the liturgy is over. People are genuinely touched by this Jesus who endures this painful expectation bereft of loyalty.

This is prayer at its most basic — the desire to wait and watch with Jesus, just to be with him because we love him. That desire in itself is a prayer.

If we could discipline ourselves to cultivate this desire each day by dedicating even 10 minutes to waiting and watching, how much better our lives would be.

In an effort to improve my own distracted and undisciplined prayer life, I made a four-day retreat this Lent at our local Holy Spirit Center. It is on the hillside, with a chapel that overlooks the city and the ocean, and with a view of the mountains behind it climbing toward the sky.

Moose sometimes have to be shooed away from the conference room door, and on this March weekend snow was still piled high against the first-floor windows.

The retreat leaders were two elderly and very holy Jesuits, both of them over 80, with more than 100 years of ministry between them. I was reminded of something the instructor of a Christian anthropology course told our class: “The Holy Spirit only moves forward.”

These two priests were living examples of that. You might find an

No simple solutions to fixing Third World woes In response to Tony Magliano’s “During Lent: What would Jesus do?”

(March 20), I would like to comment on the moral and ethical aspects of buying low-cost products (and taking advantage of desperately-poor workers) from Third World countries.

Labor rates are based on the availability of labor versus jobs. Third World countries have an abundance of manual labor, but jobs using that labor are scarce — similar to the United States in the 1930s.

There is little a U.S. company can do to affect labor rates in a country other than become a charity paying over the

For the Journey EFFIE CALDAROLA cns columnist

octogenarian stuck in the past, rooted to some kind of nostalgia for a church that did things differently in his prime.

But not these two. They were alive in the moving and organic Spirit of God. When one of them, a biblical scholar, told us the Hebrew word “ruah” (meaning “breath” or “wind”) that we use for Spirit is actually a feminine word, he proceeded to call the Spirit “she.” No political correctness there, just the scholarly acquiescence to nuances our church sometimes forgets to acknowledge.

The best part of the retreat was silence — that thing with which we moderns are so unfamiliar. No computers, no checking e-mail, no catching a phone call or a text. No idle chat at meals.

For a while, we stopped skimming the surface of our lives.

My retreat jump-started my ragged prayer life. It reminded me that I can read all the spiritual writing I want, but if I do not commit to the time of silence — waiting and watching — I am not committed to prayer.

I know how tough it is to get away for a retreat. A houseful of little kids makes it difficult. Teenagers with curfews and full schedules make it tougher. It can be expensive. With so many demands on our lives, sometimes just the desire to flop on the couch for the weekend is overwhelming.

But after my long weekend, I know that I really, really needed this. If I’m going to be awake to watch and wait with Christ, I’ve got to get a boost along the way. going rate for labor. Ironically this is not good for the labor force of the country because as the product price increases, competitiveness of the country decreases.

Jobs move to lower-cost labor, with workers losing even the low paying jobs.

We have seen this in the United States as manufacturing jobs move to machines or to lower labor-cost countries and our workers become unemployed.

The moral question a business must answer when considering the price paid for a product is: Will this purchase improve the living standard of the workers and allow us to stay in business? Forcing the closing of a low-wage operation is not the answer to solving this difficult problem. The only exportable product many countries have is low-cost labor.

— Allyn Aldrich Asheville

April 3, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 15

The war of the words

Various labels don’t change facts when it comes to abortion

There is a war of words against the unborn, and I thought I was pro-life until I heard the “news.”

It’s amazing how much meaning can be put into a word. In the grand exchange of information, even words often can be more than they seem.

For instance, there is a certain bias in words such as “pro-choice,” “antiabortion” and “anti-choice.” Anti-choice — it sounds so mean! I wouldn’t want to share my lunch with someone who was “anti-choice.” Would you?

But the meaning changes when the word “choice” is applied to, say, school tuition and school choices. Suddenly the exalted word of “choice” has no relevance to the discussion.

According to what I have heard in the news, the same week the “pro-life/antichoice” march (the 36th annual March for Life) occurred in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, President Barack Obama signed some new “pro-choice” legislation (a Jan. 23 executive order reversing the Mexico City policy, a move that clears the way for the federal government to provide aid to programs that promote or perform abortions overseas).

It seems we do have some extra money lying around to spend on a war this year against unborn children in other countries. I don’t see how this helps

stimulate our economy. To me it seems the money could have been better used to help pay off mortgages or shelter the poor than to help murder unborn children, but, then again, my mind has been warped by an overexposure to the word of God. I recently received an anonymous letter from someone complaining about my homily against abortion. It said “this is America, and we have separation of church and state.”

I didn’t realize that opposing the killing of unborn children was equivalent to establishing a religious state.

My understanding is that there are members of the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Eastern and Protestant religions — as well as some atheists — who are opposed to abortion. So which religion would we be establishing by stopping abortion? I’m not opposed to the separation of church and state; I want separation of murder and state.

Some people say a woman has a “right” to do what she wants with her own body. As far as I know, a woman’s body normally does not have two heartbeats, two brains, four eyes, four hands and four feet.

The heartbeat in the womb starts around 21 days after conception. So when abortion stops a beating heart, is it

‘Love is patient, love is kind’ Violence is never OK in a real, loving relationship I’ll say it in the most direct way possible: Violence is never, ever, ever OK in a real, loving relationship.

On Feb. 8, the 21-year-old pop singer Rihanna — born Robyn Rihanna Fenty — was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend, hip-hop singer Chris Brown, 19. Pictures leaked onto the Internet a few days later show the Barbadian singer, model and former beauty queen with a bruised face, a blackened eye and a bloodied lip.

A mid-February survey by the Boston Public Health Commission found that 49 percent of the 200 Boston teens surveyed said that Rihanna herself was responsible for the beating, and that she’d done something to deserve it.

Nobody deserves to be treated like that — and somehow, teens just aren’t getting that message. But the commercial industry did. Many of Brown’s ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations; he is scheduled for arraignment in April.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three high school students will be involved in an abusive relationship, and 40 percent of girls ages 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.

Many mistakenly consider that this is what happens in a normal relationship.

Abuse in relationships centers on power and control. But in a true, loving relationship, partners will share power, making decisions that are reflective of honesty, responsibility, trust and support.

In an abusive relationship, though, the abuser will be focused on blame, possessiveness, jealousy and domination.

The first sign of abuse — before that slap across the face — is often extreme jealousy, something that might seem “romantic” at first but soon proves dangerous.

Abusers control the ground rules of the relationship, not letting the other partner have any say. They might get angry when a partner sees or keeps friends outside of the relationship. The abuser often talks down to or puts down a partner before the hitting starts.

Abusers’ victims often think they can do nothing to change the situation.

But they can! They should speak to a trusted adult, a helpline or a counselor instead of remaining silent.

In a media-saturated world that seems focused on sex and passive, Bella Swan-esque “love at first sight,” the most important thing teens can learn about a good relationship is from 1 Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous ... it is not

Guest Column FATHER HERBERT BURKE guest columnist

not a human heart?

Kind Herod was the politician in charge of Jesus’ town of Bethlehem when Christ was born. Herod seems to be a man who would have had no problem with abortion. Scripture says he “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16).

In Revelation, it says “the dragon stood before the woman (Mary) about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child (Jesus) destined to rule all the nations” (Rev. 12:4,5).

It looks like Herod and the dragon were on the same team, but don’t let this trouble you — the stories are only words, and we know words can’t really hurt anyone, right?

After all, what kind of weapon is a word? And, who could go to war with words?

Certainly not the secular news media. Besides, God’s pen is mightier than man’s word.

Father Burke is pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City.

Coming of Age KAREN OSBORNE cns columnist

rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury.”

Real love is selfless and focuses on compassion.

If what you’re experiencing has any symptoms of severe jealousy or abuse, it isn’t love and it isn’t romantic — even if it feels like it, even if the butterflies are fluttering in your stomach, and even if your boyfriend or girlfriend swears an offense will never be committed again.

Statistics say it will.

When it was reported that Rihanna accepted Brown’s apology, abuse experts became worried because abusers rarely stop the abuse simply because they’ve apologized. In fact, most apologies from abusers — through words, flowers, begging or assurances — are just power plays to get their victim under their control once more.

I fear for Rihanna and the thousands of girls out there who are just like her.

Don’t be part of the 49 percent who think violence is just part of the deal.

It’s not.

Stand up for your friends; stand up for real love.

In midst of conflict, church can bring peace, pope says at audience The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Working in areas of conflict and misery, the church has an important duty to be an instrument of peace and reconciliation, Pope Benedict XVI said.

But countries also must recognize the right of their citizens to share in their nation’s wealth if there is to be truly lasting peace, he added.

The pope used his April 1 general audience in St. Peter’s Square to review his March 17-23 visit to Cameroon and Angola. Even though his first papal trip to the African continent was limited to two nations, the pope said he “ideally wanted to embrace all of the people of Africa and bless them in the name of the Lord.”

Today, the church is accompanying a new Africa, which is working “to strengthen its political independence and national identity in a globalized world,” he said.

Here is the text of the pope’s audience remarks in English.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to thank Almighty God for the many blessings which accompanied my first apostolic visit to Africa. I am deeply grateful to the leaders, local authorities and bishops for the warm and enthusiastic welcome they extended to me.

My stay began in Cameroon, where I had the pleasure of meeting various Catholic groups as well as representatives of the Muslim community. I was struck by the profound religious spirit of this nation and the desire of its citizens to live and work together in peace.

My journey then took me to Angola, a country that continues to strive for reconciliation and reconstruction after a long civil war. I encouraged all Angolans to contribute to these tasks, especially by forming the consciences of young people.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have met with seminarians, catechists, women’s groups, young people and many others during my sojourn in that country. A particularly significant moment of my visit was the presentation of the “instrumentum laboris” for the second special assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

As the church prepares for this important meeting dedicated to the theme “The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace,” I ask you all to join me in praying that it will bear abundant fruit among the beloved people of this great continent.

April 3, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 16

in the news

Keeping the faith amid the flood

North Dakota’s receding Red River a welcome sight to seminary rector by

CAROL ZIMMERMANN catholic news service

CNS photo by Eric Miller, Reuters

Men stand near a dike around St. Benedict Church in Horace, N.D., March 29. The church was protected from Red River floodwaters by an earthen dike built after a flood in 1997.

WASHINGTON — When North Dakota’s Red River crested at 40.8 feet instead of an expected 42 feet, Msgr. Gregory Schlesselmann, rector of Cardinal Muench Seminary in Fargo, N.D., breathed a sigh of relief.

But he was hardly about to sit back and relax.

The rector of the seminary, adjacent to the Red River, told Catholic News Service March 30, “We’re holding steady at this point, but we’re not there yet.”

He said the river was gradually receding, but a blizzard was expected to dump 8 to 14 inches of snow on the region by the next day.

“It’s a wait-and-see kind of thing,” he added, referring to how the dikes would hold out and if the latest batch of snow would increase the river’s water level when it melted later in the week.

The wait-and-see approach was similar to what Fargo residents experienced in the days prior to the expected river crest, but they also were frantically busy building walls with sandbags.

Although the river’s crest was lower than anticipated, there was still plenty of water at the edge of Fargo and in neighboring Moorhead, Minn., on the river’s opposite side.

The flood crest topped the record level set in 1897, when the Red River reached 40.1 feet at Fargo. The river approached that level in 1997 when it reached 39.6 feet.

Fargo and Moorhead residents, helped out by the Army Corps of Engineers, did all they could to keep the Red River from overflowing.

By March 27, the Army Corps of Engineers had finished shoring up a pre-existing dike next to the seminary to about 45 feet. Since then, police officers and members of the National Guard have been constantly patrolling it.

The dike was not only protecting seminary property, but the north side of Fargo.

The college seminary was partially evacuated March 27. Seminarians who remained on the property were pumping water about three times a day; the water resulted from snow melting on the grounds.

Before the expected river rise they were busy helping neighbors fill sandbags and build dikes, assisting at the volunteer call center and helping nursing-home patients move to other locations.

Seven of the seminarians took up temporary residence with Fargo Bishop Samuel J. Aquila while others stayed at nearby parishes. During the weekend of anticipated flooding, Bishop Aquila went to several homes in the Fargo Diocese to bless the sandbag dikes and pray for the town’s residents.

Catholic Charities USA set up counseling centers to help Fargo residents cope with the stress of potential floods.

Two deaths and 50 injuries were reported in flood-related incidents in the area. The injured included victims of car wrecks caused by flooded roads.

The Fargo residents who prepared for the worst also have been thanking God for their blessings, said Msgr.

Schlesselmann.

At the seminary, those who stayed on the property continued with their normal prayer schedule. The group was joined Sunday by a non-Catholic neighbor who had been the unofficial “neighborhood captain” in the days leading up to the expected flood.

The neighbor, joined by his wife for prayer at the seminary, said his own church services had been canceled and he wanted to join the priests and seminarians to thank God for the town’s safety.

Msgr. Schlesselmann said it will take a few weeks before residents can be sure they are past the crisis.

In the meantime, the priest, who has urged people to pray for the intercession of St. Joseph, is leaving two St. Joseph statues in their new location — at the windows overlooking the river — just to keep watch.

N.D. Bishop praises schools, parishes for flood preparations WASHINGTON (CNS) — Days before the predicted rise of North Dakota’s Red River, Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo said he was already impressed by how Catholics in the diocese were helping people prepare for expected flooding.

When Fargo’s Veteran Affairs Medical Center evacuated March 24, the Cathedral of St. Mary of Fargo provided vans to take patients to their temporary quarters in St. Paul, Minn. Students from Fargo’s diocesan Catholic schools were among teams of volunteers who spent days sandbagging around the city to prevent flood damage, and Fargo’s Catholic Charities employees were preparing for potential food and shelter needs.

“There is a tremendous spirit among the people here,” he said, adding the “people are watching out for one another” even while waiting to see how extensive the flood damage could be.

“The unknown is always unsettling, but at same time there is a very real preparedness among the people and the city has done a great job in reaching out to people,” he said.

After all the preparations were finished, he noted that the “most important thing of course is prayers and asking for God’s protection at this time.”

During the week, the bishop had visited sites where residents were sandbagging to let them know the diocese would help in any way it could.