April 22, 2005

April 22, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Pope Benedict XVI

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Page 7 | Pope Benedict’s first Mass Page 8 | Local Masses, reaction to new pope Page 9 | Pope Benedict’s biography

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI april 22, 2005

Bordering America

Minuteman patrol called ‘affront’ to nation’s history of hospitality

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Habemus Papam!

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON (CNS) — A coalition of religious groups decried the Minuteman Project along the Arizona-Mexico border as “an affront to internationally protected rights and to our nation’s history of hospitality.”

An April 13 statement from the religious groups said: “As Christians, we believe that we are called to welcome the stranger.

We recognize the gifts that migrants bring to our communities.

Those who sacrifice in order to assure the survival of their families are to be admired and applauded.”

Six of the nine religious organizations signing the statement were Catholic.

The Minuteman Project, described on its Web site as “a citizens’ neighborhood watch along by

See MINUTEMAN, page 13

vOLUME 14

no. 28

Cardinal Ratzinger, guardian of church doctrine, elected 265th pope

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

CNS photo from Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI, elected the 265th pope April 19, waves from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican after his election was announced to the faithful cheering below.

Feast of faith

Hispanic parishioners celebrate heritage, community Annual festival brings many together by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Concertgoers pray in thanksgiving for blessings received during the festival for Our Lady of the Incarnation held at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton April 15-16.

MORGANTON — As eyes were closed in prayer and tears streamed down some faces, more than 300 people prayed in thanksgiving remembering Huehuetenango, the Guatemalan state from which many of

VATICAN CITY — German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the 78-year-old guardian of the church’s doctrine for the last 24 years, was elected the 265th pope and took the name Benedict XVI. Appearing at the central window of St. Peter’s Basilica April 19, the newly elected pope smiled as he was greeted by a cheering, flag-waving crowd of nearly 100,000 people.

“After the great John Paul II, the cardinals elected me, a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord,” Pope Benedict said, in a brief talk broadcast around the world.

“I am consoled by the fact that the Lord can work See POPE, page 6

Host auctioned on eBay, allegedly consecrated by Pope John Paul II Catholic leaders o ff e n d e d o v e r ‘ d i s r e s p e ctf u l’ actions

them had emigrated.

They packed St. Charles Borromeo Church’s parish hall for the April 16 concert concluding their annual festival for Huehuetenango’s patroness, Nuestra Seρora de la Encarnatiσn (Our Lady of the

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (CNS) — Church officials in the Sioux City Diocese said they were deeply offended when they found out that on eBay, an In-

See FESTIVAL, page 5

See EBAY, page 13

Culture Watch

Perspectives

Parish Profile

Papal memorial card sales top half-million; ‘Joan’ creator and crime

Evangelization is natural element of life; news story fundamentals

Our Lady of the Americas Church serves diverse community

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 14-15

| Page 16

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

April 22, 2005

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

Teens’ rings a symbol of their commitment to chastity DETROIT (CNS) — Bridgit DeCarlo, 17, said she will wait to marry someone who will love and respect her for her decision to abstain from sex until marriage.

“People ask me if I’ll wait until college, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll wait either way,” she said. “If he loves me, then he’ll respect my decision.”

DeCarlo, a youth group member at St. Hubert Church in Harrison Township, wears a silver ring symbolizing the fact she made a commitment to abstinence during the “Silver Ring Thing” event held in March.

What began as an event for St. Hubert Church’s youth group of 72 turned into an interdenominational event that drew more than 1,000 attendees, including parents and youths. More than 470 youths pledged to abstain from sex.

The idea for the chastity ring came from a story about a bride that Kevin

Peace on the run

Diocesan planner CNS photo by Debbie Hill

Msgr. Liberio Andreatta carries the torch and Brother Ibrahim Faltas carries an Olympic-type flag past barriers at the Jerusalem-Bethlehem military checkpoint during the second annual peace run in the West Bank April 14. The race included Palestinians, Israelis and Italians and was dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II recalled during West Bank peace BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — Some 75 runners participated in the second annual West Bank peace run, which this year was dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II. “We have returned, remembering the words of Pope John Paul II: Do not be afraid,” said Msgr. Liberio Andreatta, administrator delegate of the “Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi,” a church-sponsored pilgrimage agency, at the send-off ceremony in Nativity Square April 14.

“Do not be afraid and open the door for Jesus Christ, and let this door be a door of love, a door of hope, a door of peace,” said the monsignor.

“In this marathon we run on the legs of peace, bringing peace from Bethlehem to Jerusalem,” said Msgr. Andreatta, who helped initiate the first peace run last year.

He noted that the six-mile run follows the late pope’s call for Catholics to visit the Holy Land.

Some 40 Italian athletes accompanied Msgr. Andreatta to the Holy Land for this year’s run.

“I am Catholic, and this is a good way of sharing with other people my belief and to become aware of this situation through sports. We can try to give an example by our actions. Little things can sometimes add a big (step),” said Elisa Sabattini, 23, of Modena, Italy, who was on her first visit to the area with her par-

ents and grandfather.

Photographers crowded around the group of Palestinian and Italian runners at the starting line as they began the run at a leisurely, journalist-friendly, pace.

The six-mile route passed from Nativity Square along the main road out of Bethlehem — the final section of which was patrolled by Israeli soldiers — through the looming, nearly completed Israeli separation barrier at the entrance of the city.

The runners came to a near standstill several times near the wall, allowing photographers to snap their pictures.

Participants then ran undisturbed through the Israeli checkpoint and were met on the other side by some 25 Israeli runners and officials from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, who released helium-filled balloons into the air.

About a dozen Israeli schoolchildren sang Hebrew peace songs and tossed flowers onto the road.

Just outside Jerusalem, Palestinian George Michel of Bethlehem passed the marathon torch to Israeli Faloro Eyal.

After some of the runners chanted “shalom-salaam,” the Italian athletes chanted “Giovanni Paulo II.” In Jerusalem, the runners were greeted by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s representative to Israel and the Palestinian territories, who thanked them for their “small, but meaningful gesture” for peace.

BOONE VICARIATE NORTH WILKESBORO — If you have a special need for prayers, or would like to offer your time in prayer for others’ needs, please call the Rosary Chain at St. John Baptist de La Salle Church. The Rosary Chain is a sizable group and all requests and volunteers are welcome. For details, call Marianna de Lachica at (336) 667-9044.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — The Franciscan House of Discernment, 801 Bromley Rd., invites all young women to a “get-acquainted” evening April 26, 6:30-9 p.m. Share a movie and popcorn with the Sisters of St. Francis. For information, call (704) 376-2010 or (704) 607-2235.

HUNTERSVILLE — A Mass to Honor Deceased Loved Ones will be celebrated the last Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. For more information, call Pam Schneider at (704) 875-0201.

CHARLOTTE — A support group for caregivers of a family member with memory loss meet the last Monday of each month, 10-11:30 a.m. at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. For more information, contact Suzanne Bach at (704) 376-4135.

CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order gathers the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Church, 2301 Statesville Ave. Those interested in learning more about the SFO and the Franciscan way of life are invited to attend.

For more information, call Skyler Harvey, SFO, at (704) 545-9133.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE HIGH POINT — The Faith Formation Commission of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Johnston St. and Skeet Club Rd., will present a program

Skalecki, co-youth minister at St. Hubert, heard from his sister.

As the bride walked down the aisle, she stopped to tell her father that she had kept the promise she made to him to abstain from sex before she was married.

She then gave him the ring she had worn to symbolize that commitment.

Impressed, Skalecki researched and discovered the “Silver Ring Thing” idea, an abstinence program geared toward teens in response to them being bombarded by a sex-obsessed culture.

Parents were also encouraged to become involved because they are the ones who can continue emphasizing the message on chastity long after such an event is over, Skalecki said.

The “Silver Ring Thing” involves a multimedia presentation, talks on sex and silver promise rings that symbolize young people’s decision to say no to premarital sex. Participants receive regular

on the Eucharist April 27 at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room 1. Come and learn more about the Eucharist echoing the theme of the Synod of Bishops in October 2005: “The Eucharist: source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.” For more information, contact the faith formation office at (336) 885-5210 GREENSBORO — Anyone currently unemployed or concerned about their present employment situation is invited to attend the Re-employment Support Group held in the Parish Life Center, Room 8, of St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. The group will meet April 28 and May 12 and 26, 7:30-9 p.m. For more information, call Colleen Assal, (294) 4696, ext. 226. Anyone with knowledge of job opportunities is asked to call Colleen to share them with the group.

HIGH POINT — All are invited to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church’s first International Festival on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 4-8 p.m., at the church, 4145 Johnson St. The festival will feature music, dance and exhibits from a variety of nations, and food from the Philippines, Mexico, Vietnam, Poland and Turkey.

Admission is free, but everyone is invited to bring a dish, preferably representing a foreign country, to share. For details, contact Larry Kwan at hlkwan@ lexcominc.net or Rita Leonard at (336) 454-3758.

GREENSBORO — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Guilford Division, Our Lady of Knock, is planning a trip to the Franciscan Prayer Center in May. Those interested in attending this outing are encouraged to call Mary Giff at (336) 855-7014 for further information.

HICKORY VICARIATE LENOIR — St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328-B Woodwsay Ln. NW, will host Landings, an outreach program for those who have left the Catholic Church and are thinking of returning. Landings will meet Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., through May 28. Anyone interested in participating should call the church office at (828) 754-5281.

HICKORY — St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St.

April 22, 2005 Volume 14 • Number 28

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: 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.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

April 22, 2005

FROM THE VATICAN

Still a bureaucracy: Normal paperwork continued its flow at their various projects stood, officials said.

The final approvals for beatification signed by Pope John Paul II were still valid, said an official of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, although an April 24 beatification ceremony had been postponed and another on May 15 may be pushed back to accommodate the new pope’s schedule.

Another Vatican official said he was “pretty sure” the abridged version of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” which Pope John Paul had commissioned, would be released as planned during World Youth Day. A project like the socalled minicatechism, which was almost complete when the pope died and which does not establish new teaching or norms, is unlikely to be delayed, he said.

While no final decisions could be made during the interregnum, most Vatican officials expected the new pope, St. Benedict XVI, would confirm most of the

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — To the extent that Vatican offices are bureaucracies, the normal flow of paper, correspondence and meeting planning continued even when there was no pope.

However, the publication of documents, the nomination of new bishops and the approval of statutes for Catholic universities and religious orders were suspended. Anything issued in the name of the Vatican or in the name of the pope was not only suspended, but must be approved by the next pope.

“The general rule is that all ordinary business continues,” said the secretary of one Vatican congregation. “Like in most bureaucracies, most of our business is ordinary business.”

Commissions and subcommittees continued to meet, reports continued to be prepared, letters were answered and Vatican officials tidied their desks to be able to inform the new pope about exactly where

NE, is offering a weekly Catholic Scripture Study.

Catholic Scripture Study is a program whose members not only learn the Scriptures, but come to a deeper understanding of their faith in a setting that builds Christian fellowship. Evening and daytime classes will be held each at the church, Wednesdays, 6:458:30 p.m., and Thursdays 9:30-11:15 a.m. For more information, call Ann Miller at (828) 441-2205, or email stalscss@charter.net.

Putnam, pastor, will be the celebrant. For further information, call Bill Owens at (704) 639-9837.

HENDERSONVILLE — The Widows Lunch Bunch, sponsored by Immaculate Conception Church, meets at a different restaurant on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are necessary. For more information and reservations, call Joan Keagle at (828) 693-4733.

HICKORY — A Charismatic Mass is celebrated the first Thursday of each month in Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, at 7 p.m.

For further information, contact Joan Moran (828)327-0487.

SALISBURY VICARIATE SALISBURY — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer ministry comprised of Sacred Heart Church parishioners who have lost babies before of shortly after birth. Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. For details, call Renee Washington at (704) 637-0472 or Sharon Burges at (704) 633-0591.

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

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

calendar

work begun under Pope John Paul.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In addition to thanking God for the ministry of Pope John Paul II, Vatican officials offered thanks for the lessons they learned as he was dying, said one of his top aides.

“In the months marked by the progressive decline of his health,” Pope John Paul’s “simplicity and poverty” became even clearer, said Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, assistant secretary of state.

“It is up to us in a special way to safeguard and make fruitful that which this extraordinary pope gave to the church and the whole world over the course of his life and at the moment of his death,” the archbishop told Vatican officials April 13 as he presided over a memorial Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Mass, part of the church’s official nine-day mourning period, was open to the public, but was entrusted especially to members of the Roman Curia.

Archbishop Sandri encouraged the officials to use the time to reflect on “the

precious heritage he left.”

“Those who were able to share the daily activity of the pope were witnesses to his profound love for the Eucharist,” he said. “Before making important decisions, he usually would spend long periods of time before the Blessed Sacrament in his private chapel, bringing with him the dossiers to examine.”

And, the archbishop said, those who were able to visit Pope John Paul in his apartment in the last weeks of his life “could not help but experience a sense of admiration for the modesty of the furnishings that surrounded him, as well as for the humility and simplicity, the sense of detachment and the total availability with which he abandoned himself into the hands of God.” Archbishop Sandri said “the great example and the precious teaching that the deceased pontiff left to those of us called to work in the Roman Curia” was “an example of simplicity and detachment, of faithful and disinterested service in the Lord’s vineyard, of constant

‘Our Lady of the Underpass’

MAGGIE VALLEY — Augustinian Father John Deegan will speak on “Catholic Social Teachings: Global Issues; Local Implications” at Living Waters Reflection Center, 103 Living Waters Lane, April 30, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The workshop is free but registration is requested by calling (828) 926-0106 or (828) 497-9498 or e-mail maryherr@dnet.net.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE KERNERSVILLE — Holy Cross Church, 616 S. Cherry St., invites all Catholics who have been inactive, feel alienated or want to take another look at the Catholic Church to attend a series of sessions designed to address issue that have perhaps cause a feeling of estrangement. Re-Membering Church will meet Wednesdays through May 25, at following the 7 p.m. Mass For more information, call Juliann Demmond at (336) 996-7136.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Please submit notices for the Diocesan Planner at least 15 days prior to the event date in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

CNS photo by Karen Callaway

A man walks up and touches an image some people think looks like the Virgin Mary seen underneath the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago April 18. Many Chicagoans came by to view the image, pray or take pictures of it.

Some say image on highway underpass looks like Blessed Mother

SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., celebrates a Charismatic and Healing Mass the first Sunday of each month at 4 p.m. Prayer and worship with prayer teams will be available at 3 p.m., and a potluck dinner will follow the Mass. Father John

Episcopal

Dying pope taught staff valuable lessons, top aide says

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

April 25 — 7 p.m. Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving and Prayer for our New Holy Father St. Leo Church, Winston-Salem

April 29 — 7 p.m. Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving and Prayer for our new Holy Father Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville

April 27 — 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mocksville

April 30 — 5:30 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Barnabas Church, Arden

April 28 — 2:30 p.m. Mass Senior Spring Fling sponsored by Catholic Social Services Elder Ministries St. Mark Church, Huntersville

May 2 — 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville May 4 — 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Aloysius Church, Hickory

CHICAGO (CNS) — Passers-by pulled up to look.

Some pulled out camera phones. Others returned with votive candles. And they asked each other, “Can you see her?”

A couple of dozen people at a time stopped April 18 under the Kennedy Expressway overpass where an image some called “Our Lady of the Underpass” drew enough attention to warrant traffic patrols by Chicago police officers and members of the Illinois State Police.

Officials said the image on the concrete wall appeared to have been caused by salt and other chemicals dripping from the roadway above.

Chicago archdiocesan officials said

they did not intend to conduct an official inquiry into the image and have not been requested to do so.

Generally, apparitions are considered to be private revelations, according to a statement Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki released in 1999 in response to another image of Mary. At the time, then-Father Paprocki was chancellor of the archdiocese.

While the church officials sometimes inquire into the authenticity of an apparition, such determinations “do not seek to prove or disprove the genuineness of a particular appearance of Mary, since this pertains to the personal religious experience of the individuals experiencing the appearance and

4 The Catholic News & Herald

youth in action

Exalting faith

Youth event draws area teens for praise, by

SUSAN deGUZMAN correspondent

WINSTON-SALEM — More than 200 area teen-agers gathered recently to give praise and share in eucharistic adoration.

High school students from St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle, Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, Holy Family Church in Clemmons and Our Lady of Mercy Church in WinstonSalem joined teens from St. Leo the Great Church’s youth ministry for Exalt Night March 6.

Also in attendance as part of their catechetical program were confirmation candidates from St. Leo the Great Church.

“Exalt Night was held to build energy in our youth ministry program, honor our confirmation candidates and share in the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist with our teens and those from other parishes,” said John Egan, St. Leo the Great Church youth minister.

Egan said he got the idea for Exalt Night

April 22, 2005

from attending a Life Teen conference.

Exalt Night featured a Mass for the youths as well as eucharistic procession; live music and praise by the parish’s Life Teen band, Foolish of the World; a talk on discipleship by speaker Elizabeth Wirth; and a film clip of last year’s Catholic high school youth conference at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

More than 40 adults, including Egan and Father Thomas Kessler, pastor, as well as the parish youth ministry’s CORE team, made Exalt Night possible.

“It’s natural to join others in worship and praise,” said Egan. “You don’t need to be taught it, just like you don’t need to be taught how to cheer at a basketball game.”

“We all got closer to God and had fun,” said Dane Harington, one of the confirmation candidates.

“I had been unsure and doubting a lot but the time we spent in adoration made me realize God isn’t the ‘big guy upstairs’ watching my every move and criticizing; He can be a friend, too,” said fellow candidate Elizabeth Green.

Courtesy Photo by John Egan

Foolish of the World, the Life Teen band at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, performs during Exalt Night at the parish March 6. More than 200 high school students gathered to give praise and join in eucharistic adoration.

Discussing faith

Courtesy Photo by Peg Ruble

More than 200 junior high school students celebrated stories of Christbearers —witnesses past and present to Jesus’ message — and enjoyed the fellowship of their peers during the Extreme Faith event held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point March 19. Workshops included artistic creation of icons, issues-oriented skits presented by Girl Scouts and conversations about the culture of faith.

Speaker Elizabeth Wirth, a junior at North Carolina School of the Arts, spoke to the teens about her experience with the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where she lost her best friend.

Wirth explained how she became very

angry with God during that time. One day, however, she said she heard a Gospel message of “come and follow me” that changed her feelings, allowing her to leave her burdens for God and to follow him.

Since moving to Winston-Salem, Wirth has become very active in the parish’s

April 22, 2005

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Hispanics celebrate heritage, community FESTIVAL, from page 1

Incarnation).

Although many were from Huehuetenango, some, from other Latin American countries, were “here just to stick together for this feast,” said Maximiliano Monroy, who comes from Totonicapan, Guatemala.

This was the fourth year that Guatemalan parishioners observed the feast at St. Charles Borromeo Church. The festival, which began in Huehuetenango in the 1800s and which is associated there with the feast of the Annunciation (March 25), is celebrated about 15 days after Easter.

A number of the women wore their colorfully woven cortes (skirts) and elaborately, brightly embroidered gόipils (pronounced we-peels), or blouses. A statue of Nuestra Seρora de la Encarnatiσn in

the church was clothed in the same traditional dress.

The festival opened on April 15 with a welcome to the attendees. Ricardo Veloz, coordinator of Hispanic youth ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte, gave a reflection on how the diocese’s Hispanic community has grown.

At 6:30 a.m. Saturday, people gathered in the church for “las maρanitas,” songs to Mary and the Catholic Church.

Father Pablo Hernandez-Chum, who is originally from Huehuetenango, had come from Guatemala for the festival. He celebrated Mass Saturday morning.

The festivalgoers shared breakfast and played soccer. That evening, before the concert began, everyone prayed and Father Hernandez-Chum offered a reflection on Mary and the wedding feast of Cana.

Then it was time for the upbeat religious music, played by Santo Domingo and Martha y Micaela Rodriguez of Morganton; Coro Espνritu Joven (Youthful Spirit Group) of Charlotte; and Coro la Encarnatiσn from Delaware.

Above: Posing in their güipils and cortes, women gather in St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton April 16 with the statue of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnatión (Our Lady of the Incarnation). Pictured are Emiliana Rodriguez (beside the statue), Virginia Barreno holding 10-month-old Kely Rodriguez, Maria Mendoza, Aura Perez, Brenda Zépez and Cristina Rodriguez.

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

Right: A child gets an early start on learning about her Guatemalan heritage at the festival at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton.

Photos by Joanita M. Nellenbach

6 The Catholic News & Herald

pope benedict XVI

April 22, 2005

Cardinal Ratzinger elected 265th pope POPE, from page 1

and act even through insufficient instruments, and I especially entrust myself to your prayers,” he said.

“In the joy of the risen Lord, and trusting in his permanent help, we go forward. The Lord will help us, and Mary his most holy mother is on our side.

Thank you,” he said.

Then Pope Benedict gave his blessing to the city of Rome and to the world. He stood and listened to the endless applause that followed, smiling and raising his hands above his head.

Pope Benedict was the first German pope since Pope Victor II, who reigned from 1055-1057. It was the second consecutive conclave to elect a non-Italian pope, after Italians had held the papacy for more than 450 years.

The new pope was chosen by at least a two-thirds majority of 115 cardinals from 52 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel.

The election came on the second day of the voting, presumably on the fourth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion of a conclave that began with many potential candidates and no clear favorite.

“The words ‘habemus papam’ — ‘we have a pope’ — have been eagerly awaited by Catholics since the conclave began April 18,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis, after celebrating a Mass of thanksgiving for the pope’s election at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte April 19.

“The Holy Spirit has responded to our prayers for a new shepherd,” said the bishop. “As we celebrate this joyous day, I ask the people of the Diocese of Charlotte to join me in prayer for Pope Benedict XVI as he begins his ministry as supreme pontiff.”

The day before, Cardinal Ratzinger had opened the conclave with a stern warning about moral relativism and ideological currents that had buffeted the church in recent decades.

“The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves — thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism,” he said.

“Every day new sects are created and what St. Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw people into error,” he said.

Having a clear faith today is often labeled “fundamentalism,” he said.

As the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981, Pope Benedict was on the front lines of numerous theological and pastoral controversies.

He was described by Vatican officials who worked with him as a kind and prayerful theologian and a gentler man than the one often portrayed in the media as an inquisitor.

He made the biggest headlines when his congregation silenced or excommunicated theologians, withdrew church approval of certain books, helped rewrite liturgical translations, set boundaries on ecumenical dialogues, took over the handling of clergy sex abuse cases against minors, curbed the role of bishops’ conferences and pressured religious orders to suspend wayward members.

Pope Benedict’s election was announced in Latin to a waiting world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. A massive crowd of young and old filled St. Peter’s Square and welcomed the news with cheers and waves of applause.

White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 5:49 p.m. Rome time signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope John Paul II. At 6:04 p.m., the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election.

At 6:40 p.m., Chilean Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the ba-

CNS photo from L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI stands on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica April 19 while crowds of people are gathered below in St. Peter’s Square, many waving German and Vatican flags after the announcement of the election of the new pope.

April 22, 2005

pope benedict XVI

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass as new Pope pledges to lead church toward unity, dialogue

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — After celebrating Mass with the cardinals who elected him, Pope Benedict XVI pledged that he would lead the church on the path of unity, dialogue and evangelization.

“I turn to everyone with simplicity and affection, to assure them that the church wants to continue to build an open and sincere dialogue with them, in the search of the true good of man and society,” he said at the end of a liturgy in the Sistine Chapel April 20.

The pope read his Latin message in a clear and forceful voice, paying tribute to Pope John Paul II and outlining the priorities of his own pontificate.

Pope Benedict said that, like his predecessor, he considered the Second Vatican Council the compass for the modern church. In particular, he stressed his commitment to ecumenism and dialogue and said he was aware that “concrete gestures” were sometimes needed to promote breaking through old antagonisms.

At the same time, he said the chief priority for the modern church is to announce Christ to the world.

“The church today has to renew its awareness of the task of re-proposing to the world the voice of the one who said: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,’” he said.

“As he begins his ministry, the new pope knows that his task is to make the

light of Christ shine before the men and women of today: not his own light, but that of Christ,” he said.

The pope said he had been completely surprised at his election, which came on the fourth ballot of the conclave.

He said he began his papacy with two emotions: a sense of “inadequacy” and the confidence that God would help him.

In his first major talk as pope, he went out of his way to say he would proceed along the lines taken by his predecessor.

“I want to forcefully affirm the strong desire to continue in the task of implementing the Second Vatican Council,” he said.

He said Vatican II’s documents were especially relevant to the modern church and today’s globalized society and that the council’s “authoritative” rereading of the Gospel would guide the church in the third millennium.

Pope Benedict also stressed the need for close unity between the pope and the world’s bishops. This collegial communion, he said, favors “unity in the faith, on which depends in large measure the effectiveness of the church’s evangelizing efforts in the modern world.”

He asked bishops to accompany him “with prayers and with advice, so that I may truly be the ‘servant of the servants of God.’” Pope Benedict pledged to make the search for Christian unity a special priority. He called ecumenism a “compelling

CNS photo from L’Osservatore Romano, Arturo Mari

Pope Benedict XVI raises the chalice during his first Mass as pontiff in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel April 20. He became the 265th pope April 19. duty” and said he would “spare no energy” in trying to bring Christian churches together.

He said ecumenism must go beyond theological dialogue and probe the historical motives for the divisions among Christians.

“What is most needed is that ‘purification of memory’ so often mentioned by John Paul II, which is the only thing that can lead souls to welcome the full truth of Christ,” he said.

Acknowledging his predecessor’s special relationship with young people, the new pope pledged that the church would continue to dialogue with them.

He said he intended to travel in August to Cologne, Germany, for World Youth Day celebrations — a tradition begun by Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict underlined the importance of the current eucharistic year, also an initiative of the late pope, saying the Eucharist would be at the center of the Cologne festivities and of the Synod of Bishops in October.

He asked all the faithful to reflect

on the centrality of the Eucharist. Many other things — including church unity, evangelization and charity toward all, especially the poor — depend on it, he said.

In his promise to keep dialogue open, the new pope mentioned the followers of other religions and people who are “simply searching for an answer to the fundamental questions of existence and have not found it yet.”

The pope spoke fleetingly about the church’s continued commitment to peace and justice issues. He said he would continue the dialogue of his predecessors with “the various civilizations,” convinced that the conditions for a better future in the world depend on mutual understanding.

Pope Benedict told the cardinals he felt an “enormous weight of responsibility” as the new pontiff, but was certain of divine assistance.

“By choosing me as the bishop of Rome, the Lord wanted me as his vicar, he wanted me to be the rock on which everyone can lean with assurance,” he said.

“I ask him to supplement my scarce

8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 22, 2005

pope benedict XVI

Diocese reacts to new pope’s election

Praying for popes

Courtesy Photo Photo by Carole McGrotty

People pray during a Mass at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville April 7. The Mass was one of three observances celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis to “pray for the repose of the soul” of Pope John Paul II in the Diocese of Charlotte. Priests from area parishes concelebrated at the Mass.

Fifth-grader Kelly Poehailos at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem answers questions from a local news station about the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI April 19.

Bishop Jugis to celebrate Masses of thanksgiving for new pope

Courtesy Photo

Father Eric Houseknecht, pastor of St. Mary Church in Shelby and Christ the King Church in Kings Mountain, stands before St. Mary Church, which was decorated within hours of the announcement of St. Benedict XVI as the new pope.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Brooke Beard, a second-grader at Blessed Sacrament Academy in Matthews, prays during Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte April 18. Bishop Peter J. Jugis was scheduled to celebrate Mass daily for the election of a pope until the College of Cardinals elected a successor to Pope John Paul II. When Pope Benedict XVI was elected April 19, that day’s Mass became one of thanksgiving.

CHARLOTTE — With the election of Pope Benedict XVI April 19, Bishop Peter J. Jugis announces three Masses of Thanksgiving and Prayer for the New Holy Father will be celebrated in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The Masses will be held at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22; at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 25; and at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 29.

“I sincerely hope all the people of the diocese will join me at one of these Masses,” said Bishop Jugis. “The election of our new Holy Father provides us another opportunity to come together in worship and thanksgiving for His blessings.”

April 22, 2005

pope benedict XVI

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Pope Benedict XVI one of the most respected, controversial theologians VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As the guiding light on doctrinal issues during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI is considered one of the most respected, influential and controversial members of the College of Cardinals.

The 78-year-old Pope Benedict — regarded as one of the church’s sharpest theologians — has headed since 1981 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department charged with defending orthodoxy in virtually every area of church life.

Over the years, Pope Benedict met quietly once a week with Pope John Paul to discuss doctrinal and other major issues facing the church. Insiders said his influence was second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions and responding to moral and doctrinal challenges.

From November 2002 until his election, he was dean of the College of Cardinals, a key position in the time between popes. Pope Benedict presided over the preconclave meetings of cardinals in Rome, set agendas for discussion and action, and was responsible for a number of procedural decisions during the conclave.

White-haired and soft-spoken, Pope Benedict comes across in person as a thoughtful and precise intellectual with a dry sense of humor. A frequent participant at Vatican press conferences, he is a familiar figure to the international group of reporters who cover the church.

He is also well-known by the church hierarchy around the world, and his speeches at various assemblies often have the weight of a keynote address.

When Pope Benedict spoke as a cardinal, people listened.

Tackling tough issues

Sometimes his remarks were bluntly critical on such diverse topics as dissident theologians, liberation theology, “abuses” in lay ministry, homosexuality, women as priests, feminism among nuns, premarital sex, abortion, liturgical reform and rock music.

As Pope John Paul’s pontificate developed, some Vatican observers said Pope Benedict’s influence grew.

“He’s become the last check on everything, the final word on orthodoxy.

Everything is passed through his congregation,” one Vatican official said in 1998.

But to the outside world, he has been known as the Vatican’s enforcer.

He made the biggest headlines when his congregation silenced or excommunicated theologians, withdrew church approval of certain books, helped rewrite liturgical translations, set boundaries on ecumenical dialogues, took over the handling of cases of clergy sex abuse against minors, curbed the role of bishops’ conferences and pressured religious orders to suspend wayward members.

In 2003, the doctrinal congregation issued a document that said Catholic politicians must not ignore essential church teachings, particularly on human life.

Pope Benedict’s congregation also published a document asking Catholic lawmakers to fight legalizing same-sex marriage.

Righting relativism In his first decade at the helm of the doctrinal congregation, Pope Benedict zeroed in on liberation theology as the most urgent challenge to the faith. He silenced Latin American theologians like Franciscan Father Leonardo Boff and guided the preparation of two Vatican documents that condemned the use of Marxist political concepts in Catholic theology.

But after the collapse of Marxism as a global ideology, Pope Benedict identified a new, central threat to the faith: relativism. He said relativism is an especially difficult problem for the church because its main ideas — compromise and a rejection of absolute positions — are so deeply imbedded in democratic society.

More and more, he has warned, anything religious is considered “subjective.” As a result, he said, in places like his native Germany the issue of abortion is being confronted with “political correctness” instead of moral judgment.

He said modern theologians are

CNS photo from KNA

Pope John Paul II greets then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at a Munich airport in November 1980 at the end of a papal visit to Germany. After he was elected pope April 19, the cardinal chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. among those who have mistakenly applied relativistic concepts to religion and ethics. He said Jesus is widely seen today as “one religious leader among others,” concepts like dogma are viewed as too inflexible and the church is accused of intransigence.

Strict interpretations Pope Benedict has been particularly sensitive to wayward trends in Asian theology, especially as they find popular expression.

He banned the best-selling books of a late Jesuit theologian from India and declared a Sri Lankan theologian excommunicated for his writings on Mary and the faith. The Sri Lankan theologian later reconciled with the church.

After review by Pope Benedict’s congregation, U.S. Father Charles Curran, who questioned church teaching against artificial birth control, was removed from his teaching position at The Catholic University of America in Washington in 1987. Earlier this year, Pope Benedict made a similar judgment about Jesuit Father Roger Haight, who was banned from teaching Catholic theology over his book touching on the divinity and salvific mediation of Jesus.

The pope also has focused on ordinary Catholics, saying there can be no compromise on dissent by the lay faithful. He helped prepare a papal instruction on the subject in 1998 and accompanied it with his own commentary warning Catholics they would put themselves outside the communion of the church if they reject its teachings on eight specific issues.

The same year, he issued a document on papal primacy — a topic of intense ecumenical discussion — saying that, as a matter of faith, only the pope has the authority to make changes in his universal ministry.

From the beginning Pope Benedict’s theological ideas are based on years of study, pastoral ministry and Vatican experience.

Born in Marktl am Inn April 16, 1927, the son of a rural policeman, the pope moved with his family several times during his younger years. His priestly studies began early but were interrupted by World War II. In a book of memoirs, Pope Benedict recalled that while a seminarian he was enrolled by school officials in the Hitler Youth program; he soon stopped going to meetings. Drafted in 1943, he served for a year on an anti-aircraft unit that tracked Allied bombardments.

At the end of the war he spent time in a U.S. prisoner-of-war camp before being released.

Ordained in 1951, he received a doctorate and a licentiate in theology from the University of Munich, where he studied until 1957. He taught dogma and fundamental theology at the University of Freising in 1958-59, then lectured at the University of Bonn, 1959-1969, at Munster, 1963-66, and at Tubingen from 1966 to 1969.

In 1969 he was appointed professor of dogma and of the history of dogmas at the University of Regensburg, where he also served as vice president until 1977.

He came to the Second Vatican Council as an expert or “peritus.” At the council, he was said to have played an influential role in discussions among the German-speaking participants and gained a reputation as a progressive theologian.

After the council, he published several major books, including “Introduction to Christianity,” “Dogma and Revelation” and “Eschatology.” He was named a member of the International Theological Commission in 1969.

Pope Paul VI appointed him archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

April 22, 2005

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Sales of papal memorial cards top half-million Pope’s death brings spike in his books, says USCCB publishing office

by JERRY FILTEAU catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Sales of two papal memorial cards topped half a million within 10 days of Pope John Paul II’s death, said Patrick Markey, associate marketing director of the publishing office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When the pope died April 2, the USCCB publishing office posted information about purchasing the cards on its Web site.

The office printed 200,000 copies of the cards initially and began shipping them out April 4.

Markey told Catholic News Service April 12 that the third printing run of 200,000 was nearly gone. Sales had reached 562,000 that day and “I expect it to be 600,000 by tomorrow,” he said.

One of the cards features a photo of the pope praying during his 1995 visit to Baltimore and the papal quote, “And yet I do not altogether die,/what is indestructible in me remains! .../What is imperishable in me/now stands face to face before him who is.”

The other card features the newly elected pope giving a blessing in St. Peter’s Square in 1978 and a prayer used in the liturgy to pray for a deceased pope. Markey said sales of that card were just slightly ahead of the first card.

He said the publishing office had also sold about 40,000 copies of a two-color, two-sided bulletin insert on how a new pope

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: MAY 1, 2005

May 1, Sixth Sunday of Easter Cycle A Readings: 1) Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20 2) 1 Peter 3:15-18 3) Gospel: John 14:15-21

God’s love eases life’s difficulties

by JEAN DENTON catholic news service

is elected. The inserts can be purchased, but parishes and schools also have permission to download an electronic copy of the insert from the USCCB Web site and reproduce it without charge.

Pope John Paul’s death has also brought a spike in sales of books by or about him. Markey said the publishing office sold 10,000 copies of “The Poetry of Pope John Paul II: Roman Triptych” in a five-day period after the pope died, and at one point it hit No. 15 on Amazon.com’s top-seller list.

The book contains poetry the pope wrote in 2002 when “he was already ill and knew his death was approaching,” Markey said.

He added that in one of the poems the pope writes about his own death and the conclave that would follow to elect his successor.

Maureen was a young mother of three preschoolers when her husband’s alcoholism got the better of him and he walked out on the family. She lived on welfare supplemented by meager wages from the part-time, temporary odd jobs she could pick up when her own mother was able to baby-sit.

Emotionally, she was sustained by continuing to meet with a support group run by a social-service agency. Hard times continued into her children’s teenage years when it became clear that her son had a mental illness.

Some 30 years later, Maureen is at peace with her life even though she continues to experience many trials involving her son’s illness and not a single day without worrying about his well-being.

A committed advocate for the mentally ill, she is an administrator and counselor for the agency of which she once

was a client. She has a close relationship with her daughters, who provide loving moral support for both their mother and brother.

Recently when I asked her how she managed to survive such constant hardship with seeming equanimity, she said, “Well, you know what they say: God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

Yes, I did know what “they” say.

I’d heard that unattributed adage before.

But it’s wrong, and I believe Maureen would agree if she thought the statement through.

Actually, it’s backward. God doesn’t give us tribulation. Rather, the human condition creates the tribulations. But God gives us the strength, knowledge and understanding we need to withstand them — and, in fact, to plow through them to redemption.

Maureen is a perfect example of how the Lord does this, and it is explained in today’s Gospel. She committed herself to love for God through loving her family, herself and other suffering people.

“If you love me, “ Jesus tells his disciples, “you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father and he will send you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth.”

That truth is redemption. Note its tie to love. Love leads to following God’s way, which is hard. But in following, Jesus’ spirit is with us, redeeming — in love — hardship and pain for joy and happiness.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 24-30 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 6:1-7, 1 Peter 2:4-9, John 14:1-12; Monday (St. Mark), 1 Peter 5:5-14, Mark 16:15-20; Tuesday, Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday, Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis de Montfort), Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday (St. Catherine of Siena), Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (St. Pius V), Acts 16:110, John 15:18-21.

Scripture for the week of May 1-7 Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter), Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21; Monday (St. Athanasius), Acts 16:11-15, John 15:26—16:4; Tuesday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Wednesday, Acts 17:15, 22—18:1, John 16:12-15; Thursday (Ascension of the Lord), Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Matthew 28:16-20; Friday, Acts 18:9-18, John 16:20-23; Saturday, Acts 18:23-28, John 16:23-28.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 22, 2005

When God speaks ...

CNS photo from CBS

Joan (Amber Tamblyn) and “Little Girl God” (Juliette Goglia), right, are pictured in a scene from the CBS show “Joan of Arcadia.”

Crime sped up ‘Joan of Arcadia’ creator’s move to join church

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Most people who consider joining the Catholic Church move at the pace that best suits them. For Barbara Hall, creator and executive producer of “Joan of Arcadia,” however, it was crime that helped speed up the process.

“I had this life-threatening experience. I was a victim of a violent crime,” Hall said during an interview from Los Angeles, where she was wrapping up the last episode of the second season of “Joan of Arcadia.”

Raised a Methodist, “I was ‘nothing’ for a long time. I was an intellectual in college,” Hall recalled, “And then when I came to California, I started researching all kinds of metaphysical stuff, and all the world religions.”

Before the crime incident, which she did not elaborate on, Hall said she was already considering Catholicism, but the crime “accelerated my search. I found a church nearby and I went to a Mass, and that did it for me.”

Hall has been a Catholic for about four years. She told CNS she had been developing the idea for “Joan of Arcadia” even before she joined the church. She said she “actually got started about three years before.”

While many would be surprised to hear that it was crime that spurred Hall’s decision to join the Catholic Church, “I think people would be aghast if they found out that ‘Joan’ might not be back next season,” she noted.

The series, which deals with Joan

of Arc-like visions of God — but with a present-day teen-age girl — is completing its second season, but it may not return for a third.

“People who see it love it and think it’s doing well, but they don’t know the whole story,” Hall said.

“Joan of Arcadia,” which airs 8-9 p.m. Fridays on CBS, ranks 71st of 180 series that have been placed in more or less permanent time slots this season on the six commercial broadcast networks, with 8.11 million on average tuning in each week.

“Networks tend to think in terms of nights, and not in terms of (individual) shows,” Hall told CNS, adding that CBS has eight to 10 new dramas in development for the 2005-06 season.

There is no guarantee that one of them — or all of them — would make the fall schedule, but if CBS believes it has developed a strong string of new dramas, a series like “Joan of Arcadia” could find itself on the outs after only two seasons, Hall said.

Still, “I don’t fidget. If I had any fidgeting, it would have been in the middle of the season when I tried to get the (ratings) numbers up,” she added.

“I have a Catholic attitude about it.

I’ve done my job,” she said. “There’s nothing I can do anymore. I’ve done my best.”

Last year when she was honored by Catholics in Media Associates for the show, Hall said she felt compelled to create it to “initiate a conversation with the rest of the country or the world to begin a dialogue about the possibility of God. This is a show also for the alienated, the disenfranchised, the hopeful but doubting public.”

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

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April 22, 2005

Minuteman patrol ‘affront’ to nation’s hospitality MINUTEMAN, from page

our border,” said volunteers would patrol the border for one month, starting April 4, because of participants’ dissatisfaction with ongoing illegal crossings into the United States by Mexican and Central American immigrants.

About 635 people — not all from Ari-

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from the cover

zona — have volunteered to take part in the patrols. Some, but not all, are armed.

“We understand that many of those participating in this project are heavily armed,” the religious groups’ statement said.

Organizers of the Minuteman Project said its “call for volunteers is not a call to arms, but a call to voices seeking a peaceful and respectable (resolution) to the chaotic neglect by members of our local, state and federal governments charged with applying

U.S. immigration law.”

The Minuteman group claimed that its volunteers’ observations of border activity and their calls to authorities had resulted in 268 apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol through April 12. Volunteers were instructed to leave all physical contact with immigrants to Border Patrol agents.

About 400 volunteers were patrolling 23 miles of the border in the San Pedro Valley of eastern Arizona.

“Their intent to corral and harass the migrants they encounter is an affront to internationally protected rights and to our nation’s history of hospitality,” said the religious groups’ statement. “Law enforcement officials have been properly charged with the role of monitoring immigration along our Southern border. Any attempt to usurp these duties is inappropriate.”

The statement said it supported ongoing “unity events” in U.S.-Mexican border communities “to remedy xenophobia, fear and division perpetuated by the actions of the Minutemen.”

“Beyond what was said, I believe it to

be very important to try and understand the reason why people are being forced to try and cross the border illegally,” said Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The 46-county diocese has seen a large increase in its Hispanic population in recent years.

“We would find that the economic situations in the home countries are depressed and result in families not being able to support their families,” she said. “To stem the flow of immigrants seeking better work opportunities, our government official need to look into the ‘whys.’”

Catholic groups signing the statement were the Oblate Justice and Peace Office, the Religious Task Force on Central America and Mexico, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, the Medical Mission Sisters Alliance for Justice, the Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office, and the Network Catholic social justice lobby.

Other signers were the American Friends Service Committee, the Washington office of

Iowan auctions host on eBay EBAY, from page 1

ternet auction site, an unidentified person from Iowa sold what was described as a host consecrated by Pope John Paul II during a Mass in Rome in 1998.

“The holy Eucharist is central to our faith,” Msgr. Roger Augustine, diocesan administrator of Sioux City, said April 12.

“Our Catholic doctrine teaches us that the Eucharist is the true presence of Jesus

Christ and is to be consumed and not put on display as you would a souvenir,” he said.

“The public auction of such a strong symbol of our faith is highly offensive and disrespectful.”

Diocesan officials learned about the eBay posting April 11. The same day the host was sold for a reported $2,000.

Jim Wharton, communications director for the diocese, said a Catholic from Santa Clara, Calif., purchased the Eucharist so that it would not get into the wrong hands.

Wharton said he received responses from Catholics around the country who expressed concern that a Communion host that was apparently consecrated had been put on a public Internet auction.

When they learned of the auction, diocesan officials attempted to contact the seller via e-mail to explain the inappropriateness of the sale and ask that the Eucharist be taken off the auction site, but they did not receive an immediate reply.

On April 12, the diocese planned to contact both the seller and eBay to seek termination of the auction.

“Before we could do that, we learned that the Eucharist and other items had been sold,” said Msgr. Augustine.

However, the diocese then reported the sale was not finalized and seller had withdrawn it and given it to church officials. Msgr. Augustine met April 15 with the seller and said the seller deeply regretted the effort to sell the Eucharist and extended a personal apology to him, the diocese and any others who were offended by the eBay listing.

The host was given to Msgr. Augustine to be properly disposed of according to the dictates of church law.

In his eBay listing, the seller described the host as having been consecrated by Pope John Paul II during a Mass he celebrated in Rome in 1998 to mark his 20th anniversary as pope. The seller claimed to have received the host when Communion was distributed, even though the seller said, “I’m not Catholic but I found it all so interesting.”

“I am most grateful that the seller agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest to bring this issue to a positive conclusion,” said Msgr. Augustine.

Diocesan officials said they still have differences with eBay and its policy governing the listing of items that could

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 22, 2005

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

The new pope Pope Benedict XVI will be blessing for truth of Catholic demand of compassion, a requirement of being a good shepherd. To remind people that we are capable of discerning what is good for humanity and what is destructive, what constitutes respect for life, what the gift of marriage and family really are, and what love is, becomes a service and a blessing to our generation.

Truth and compassion are two sides of the same coin. That includes the truth about the relationship between the church and politics.

Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, “The church must make claims and demands on public law and cannot simply retreat into the private sphere.” He said that the fundamental political task of the church is to make sure that the state has a conscience.

“Where the church itself becomes the state freedom becomes lost. But also when the church is done away with as a public and publicly relevant authority, then too freedom is extinguished, because there the state once again claims completely for itself the jurisdiction of morality” (Ratzinger: “Church, Ecumenism, and Politics,” 1988).

At the special consistory of cardinals called together in 1991 by Pope John Paul II to address the critical challenges to the sanctity of human life in the world, the future Pope Benedict XVI made a comprehensive report in which he applied this Church-State theme to the right to life: “...[A] State which arrogates to itself the prerogative of defining which human beings are or are not the subject of rights, and which consequently grants to some the power to violate others’ fundamental right to life, contradicts the democratic ideal to which it continues to appeal and undermines the very foundations on which it is built.

“By allowing the rights of the weakest to be violated, the State also allows the law of force to prevail over the force of law. One sees, then, that the idea of an absolute tolerance of freedom of choice for some destroys the very foundation of a just mode of social life.

“The separation of politics from any natural content of law, which is the inalienable patrimony of everyone’s moral conscience, deprives social life of its ethical substance and leaves it defenseless before the will of the strongest.”

We at Priests for Life rejoice in the election of Pope Benedict XVI. He will be a blessing for the pro-life movement and for all people who find comfort that there is such a thing as truth, particularly the truth that life is sacred.

Guest Column FATHER FRANK PAVONE guest columnist

God always blesses his Church with the type of leader it needs at each time in history.

That was true with Pope John Paul II, and it is true with Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. His role as the head of the church’s doctrinal office, the sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, may seem to some a far cry from what he now has to do as the universal pastor of the church. Some see enforcing doctrinal orthodoxy as perhaps in tension with reaching out, as the vicar of Christ, to unite and welcome all humanity into the arms of the loving Savior.

But the roles are closer to each other than one may think. In fact, they are aspects of one another, because compassion is not opposed to truth, nor is truth opposed to compassion.

It is only when one presents the truth, in all its fullness, vigor and clarity that one can be pastoral. To “shepherd” the flock includes shepherding them into the truth, and Cardinal Ratzinger has had a special gift for precisely that.

In particular, one of his key gifts is to articulate the fact that there is such a thing as truth. To give a modern answer to the culture’s echo of Pilate’s question, “What is truth?,” is a key demand of the papal office in our day.

To tell the culture that there is a right and wrong, and we can know it, is a key

A time of pain, a time of hope

Evangelization is natural element of life The Catholic Church recognizes evangelization as its mission — a mission that we, as baptized members, all share. From “Evangelii Nuntiandi” by Pope Paul VI and “Redemptoris Missio” by Pope John Paul II,” to “Go and Make Disciples” by the U.S. bishops, church leaders, through their writings, challenge us to this task.

Yet, where do we begin? And how should we go about it?

At times, these questions become stumbling blocks as evangelization is seen as an intimidating task that requires knowledge, not only of the Gospel message, but also of many of the church’s teachings.

My first response is to simplify the process and say that if we are truly called to evangelize, it should be a natural element of daily living.

Sharing our faith, in reality, means practicing the Gospel message — and for that a theological degree is not necessary. God challenges us to evangelize with our lives.

Recently, my family confronted this reality during a tragic moment.

My uncle was killed in a car accident last week. It was an event that pained and shocked not only my family, but also many in the city of Miami.

Father Angel Villaronga, a Franciscan priest, was very popular in the Miami Hispanic community. Known for his preaching abilities, he not only preached parish missions throughout Miami and other parts of the United States, but he also had been a pioneer in bringing the Gospel message to the radio airwaves since 1964.

He even had a five-minute television program, “The Last Word,” where he gave a spiritual reflection on a local station before it signed off the air each day. In addition, he led many pilgrimages to the Holy Land and served as spiritual director in the Christian Family Movement.

Flying to Miami, I did not remember the priest as much as I remembered my uncle, my “spiritual twin” who served as a role model at times. I felt empty. The suddenness of his death consumed me as well as the rest of my family.

During the viewing, my family received word that the man who ran the red light and caused the accident wanted to meet with us. His name was Guillermo. We were told that, although he was not a practicing Catholic, he had turned to a priest when he realized the extent of what had occurred.

We agreed to see him.

I did not know what to expect.

Guest Column FRANK VILLARONGA guest columnist

On Thursday evening, we went to the small chapel in the church where my uncle’s body was laid. A young man in his early 30s entered, accompanied by a priest. The first thing I noticed was that there were no scratches on his face, no bandages, no limp. He appeared unhurt.

I also noticed he was crying.

A silence hung in the room for 15 seconds, broken only by the man’s sobs and our own tears. Then my aunts and uncle left their seats and approached the man. One by one they hugged him. Slowly the rest of us did the same. Through his tears, Guillermo kept saying, “Forgive me.”

I remembered the words of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they do.”

I spoke with Guillermo and I told him that I forgave him, that I knew God had forgiven him and that I also knew that my uncle, a man of peace, had forgiven him.

I told him that, hours earlier, we had prayed for the person who had caused the accident, without knowing anything about him. I told him that I wanted him to be at peace.

Through my tears I hugged him.

Our family then prayed with him — simple prayers: the Our Father and Hail Mary. I heard myself say, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Guillermo left with the priest.

I spoke with the priest a few days later — they had continued to see each other. The experience of that night remains with him and I know that he has begun a healing journey towards God. I realize that this journey may be a long process and that our encounter that night was only a step along the way.

But I also recognize that it was a very important step.

Looking back, I was surprised at the strength my family had at that moment; at the same time, I also realize that we had no choice. We were sharing what we had learned, what we believed. For some reason, it was a natural response to his pain.

Evangelization, in the midst of

The Catholic News & Herald 15

April 22, 2005

The fundamentals of a news Sometimes the press can help right a wrong “Jesus calls us to love one another and that love must demonstrate itself in good works. Engaging in good works is putting your faith into action.

“We earnestly hope that we can sit down with fellow Christians at Central Church of God and clarify our mutual understanding of God’s word as put forth in the Scriptures. This apparent attempt to divide the faith community is most unfortunate.”

I was grateful for the lengthy quote that accurately described the role of good works in our faith. But the newspaper left out the best line: “What does it mean to accept Jesus? Is it only to admire him or is it to follow him?”

As followers of Christ, we emulate his good works though the establishment of institutions such as Catholic Social Services. Individually, we do everything from visiting the sick to building houses to feeding the hungry.

The list could go on and on.

Editing aside, the article apparently touched off a firestorm of criticism within Central Church of God. Even though the letter was written three weeks before the newspaper published it, one day after the article appeared, Central Church of God retreated from its statement.

The next day, Sunday, pastor Loran Livingston announced to his congregation that the church would resume support of two of the charities. But a third charity, which had accepted the help of Muslim volunteers, is still blacklisted.

The Diocese of Charlotte and several charitable organizations operating in Charlotte recently experienced first hand the power of the news media.

Late on a recent Friday afternoon, I received a telephone call from Ken Garfield, the religion reporter for The Charlotte Observer. His voice was charged with energy that told me he was on to a hot story.

Garfield had obtained of a letter written by a minister at Central Church of God, a large fundamentalist Christian church in Charlotte. It was addressed to several organizations that provide services to the poor. The church was withdrawing its support from these groups because, “We feel we should abstain from any ministry that partners with or promotes Catholicism, or for that matter, any other denomination promoting a works-based salvation.”

Huh? I was under the impression that criticizing our faith for its dedication to good works was an idea that went out of style with Beatle boots and beehive hairstyles.

Garfield was seeking a response from the diocese. In the Saturday edition of the Observer, the following quote from the chancery appeared: “As Catholics, we firmly believe that salvation for the world came through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through his Passion, Jesus Christ has already completed the work of salvation.

Lessons in capital

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS guest columnist

The Observer reports the congregation supported the preacher’s announcement with a standing ovation. An apology to Catholics and Muslims would have been nice, but neither was part of Livingston’s sermon.

In changing his mind, it is obvious that he was responding to the intense heat one feels under the magnifying glass of news media scrutiny. I understand from members of his congregation that he also received a lot of feedback from the people in his pews. Apparently our brothers and sisters at Central Church of God feel as we do — that charitable acts are part of a complete life of faith. It’s likely that most were not aware that the letter had been written.

The media, in this case The Charlotte Observer, played an important role in righting a wrong that affected charitable institutions. News coverage can enlighten and transform. It can also burn as it directs the attention of thousands of readers and listeners to a situation, a cause or a problem.

Our church has plenty of experience on the hot side of a media firestorm; fortunately that was not the case with this story.

D a v i d H a i n s is director of

Making a

Killing does not bring peace; forgiveness does “The Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty” was launched by the U.S. bishops the Monday of Holy Week.

Considering that Jesus was a victim of capital punishment, it was highly symbolic for this campaign to begin within the shadow of Good Friday.

Attending the March 21 press conference was Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, Kirk Bloodsworth, a wrongly convicted death-row inmate, and Bud Welch, father of Oklahoma City bombing victim Julie Welch.

Cardinal McCarrick speaking for the U.S. hierarchy, said: “Our bishops’ conference has opposed the death penalty for 25 years. But this campaign is new. It brings greater urgency and unity, increased energy and advocacy, and a renewed call to our people and to our leaders to end the use of the death penalty in our nation. ...

“We believe human life is a gift from God that is not ours to take away. Our faith commits us to the life and dignity of every human person. ... We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing. We cannot defend life by taking life.”

(I hope the American bishops soon will use this same logic to launch a similar campaign denouncing war.)

Pope John Paul II, during a 1999 Mass in Mexico City, said: “The new

evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally prolife — who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.”

According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, capital punishment is not a deterrent to murder.

They cite a New York Times survey that demonstrated that homicide rates in states with capital punishment have been 101 percent higher than those without the death penalty.

Amnesty International says that the murder rate in Canada has dropped 40 percent since the death penalty was abolished there.

Since 1976, 117 people in 25 states have been released from death row after evidence proving their innocence was discovered. The strong possibility that state-sanctioned killing could end the lives of innocent people should in itself be enough to motivate us to end capital punishment.

Killing does not bring peace; forgiveness does. This is the lesson we can learn from Bud Welch.

Before Timothy McVeigh, who was

TONY MAGLIANO cns columnist

convicted of killing Welch’s daughter and 167 other people in Oklahoma City, was executed, Welch asked himself, “What does Bud Welch need to do to move on?”

Upon reflection he realized that only forgiveness leads to reconciliation and healing. He realized that executing McVeigh would be an act of vengeance and rage.

“And vengeance and rage,” he concluded, “are the very reasons that Julie and the 167 others were killed.”

We have a right to be protected from dangerous individuals, and sentences of “life without parole” can help provide that protection. However, the death penalty does not protect us, it hurts us.

Capital punishment causes bitterness and violence to fester in our souls. It makes us less human, less God-like.

May Christ’s victory over sin and death inspire us to nurture a forgiving heart and a civilized response to evil.

May we live like the Master in the knowledge that violence only begets

Letters to the Editor Accessibility needed

I enjoyed reading Frank Villaronga’s column, “The accessible pontiff” (April 8). I believe the main point he made is the necessity, or at least desirability, of accessibility for evangelization.

I am a convert, having felt that I should become Catholic since at least the age of 5. I don’t know why (I felt this way), but I did have Catholic neighbors and my grandparents had Catholic neighbors. However, growing up in the public school system while all the Catholics in town went to parochial schools, I was “starved” to meet Catholics (my age).

Thank you again for Mr. Villaronga’s column, and your whole issue on our beloved Pope John Paul II. — Nancy Mosley Charlotte

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April 22, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 16

PARISH PROFILE

Our Lady of the Americas Church serves growing, diverse Catholic community of a Saturday vigil Mass as well.

In an effort to promote the Hispanic culture and religious identification, Our Lady of the Americas Church was adorned with symbols: an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a large candle with many colored bands representing the flag colors of Hispanic peoples.

For Hispanics and Anglos, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is significant in that she was specified patroness of Latin America in 1910 by St. Pius X and patroness of the Americas by Pope Pius XII in 1945.

The emphasis on community is strong in the parish, with ethnic lines disappearing into a cooperative effort involving Hispanic and Anglo parishioners alike. Anglo parishioners, of which there are about 100, work side by side with their Hispanics brothers and sisters to maintain the church’s vitality.

Parish volunteers renovated the church building’s interior in 1992, and a group of retired parishioners maintains the church grounds and assumes the responsibility of church repairs.

The educational mission within Our Lady of the Americas Church is shared by volunteers through an active faith formation program taught in English and Spanish. HispanicparishionerslearnEnglishatthechurch as well.

Several thousand immigrants, mostly Hispanic, have moved to the Biscoe area in the past 15 years.

Father Clarke served as administrator until 1997. Father Mark Lawlor served as administrator from 1997 until 1999. Following Father Lawlor’s administration, Father Fidel Melo served as administrator of Our Lady of the Americas Church from 1999 until 2001.

Father Ricardo Sanchez, a native of Costa Rica, has served as administrator of Our Lady of the Americas Church since 2001.

Once a sleepy little parish, Our Lady of the Americas Church is now home to approximately 1,000 Catholics. A mission of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle, the church’s growth has demanded expansion and its new location is now one step closer to reality.

In 2005, a capital campaign was initiated to construct a permanent church building. A 15-acre plot of land was purchased in Candor, five miles east of Biscoe.

On April 9, 2005 Bishop Peter J. Jugis presided at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new church. The new wheelchairaccessible facility will include a 700-seat church, cry room, fellowship hall, offices, classrooms and columbarium.

Our Lady of the Americas Church 105 Hyde Street Biscoe, NC 27209 (910) 428-3051 Vicariate: Albemarle Administrator: Father Ricardo Sanchez Number of parishioners: 1,000

Father Ricardo Sanchez

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Bishop Peter J. Jugis throws the first shovel full of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Our Lady of the Americas Church April 9. Currently, the parish worships in Biscoe, but the new church will be located five miles east in Candor.

The multicultural celebration was attended by several hundred of Montgomery County Catholics.

Staff Writer Karen A. Evans contributed to this story.

BISCOE — When Our Lady of the Americas Church was founded in 1989, a multicultural outreach to the ever-growing

Hispanic community in the Diocese of Charlotte was further strengthened.

Then-Bishop John F. Donoghue, along with Oblate Father Gerard Clarke, established the first Catholic church in Montgomery County. Among the local population were thousands of Hispanics, whose rich cultural and religious heritage is reflected and lived in Our Lady of the Americas Church.

Father Clarke, who had previously served as chaplain at the Hispanic Center in Charlotte, was designated administrator.

Bishop Donoghue dedicated and blessed the church in February 1990. Two Masses in Spanish, along with one in English, were scheduled originally. Since then, growth in the parish prompted the addition