April 23, 2004

April 23, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

One table, many cultures

Catholic responsibility to welcome others

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI APRIL 23, 2004

| Page 5 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

vOLUME 13

no. 29

Ministering to the Masses

Fighting for Life

Trial testimony said to show truth behind abortion support by

NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

catholic news service

Editor’s note: This story contains some graphic descriptions of abortion procedures.

WASHINGTON — The graphic and often disturbing testimony about abortion at trials in San Francisco, New York and Lincoln, Neb., “provides a telling backdrop” to the scheduled April 25 demonstration in Washington in

support of legal abortion and other issues affecting women, according to the U.S. bishops’ chief pro-life spokeswoman.

“This demonstration is not for some abstract notion of ‘choice,’” said Cathy Cleaver Ruse, director of planning and information in the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

“As the testimony shows, it is for a very real, very cruel and very painful way of killSee ABORTION, page 9

Living the faith Photo by Karen A. Evans

Rev. Mr. Edwin Rodriguez and Rev. Mr. Jesus Reyes, followed by Father Christopher Roux and Bishop Peter J. Jugis, lead the recessional following the dedication of the Our Lady of Lourdes Church April 18. The new church features seating for more than 700 worshippers, providing much-needed space for the 1,200-family Monroe parish.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church dedicates new worship by

KAREN A. EVANS

MONROE — One would think that a brand-new sanctuary would provide some growing room, but Our Lady of Lourdes Church’s new sanctuary was overflowing on the day of its dedication.

Enthusiastic worshippers filled the pews, aisles and an additional seating area in the vestibule for the dedication of the new church building,

celebrated by former pastor Bishop Peter J. Jugis April 18.

Four years of fundraising and planning, which had begun under previous pastors, continued during the two-year tenure of then-Father Jugis and concluded under the administration of Father James Cassidy, culminated with the dedication on Divine Mercy Sunday.

The parish has quadrupled in size over the last dozen

years, said Austin Doherty, chairman of the parish council.

“Ten or 12 years ago, there were 300 registered families,” he said. “Now there are about 1,200.” About 840 of these families are Hispanic.

For the past few years, Mass has been celebrated four times each weekend, including twice in Spanish, in the activity hall, the parish having out-

In Our Schools

Equal in dignity

Culture Watch

Students win awards, explore ancient cultures

Parishioners with autistic children seek inclusion

“Left Behind” series; “Passion” media coverage

staff writer

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of diocesan Hispanic Ministry, works with Lourdes Toribio, who lives at the Franciscan Discernment House in Charlotte. The house allows women to reside with and experience the lives of the Sisters of St. Francis while considering a vocation to the religious life.

See coverage on pages 10-11.

| Pages 6-7

| Page 8

See DEDICATION, page 17

| Pages 12-13

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

April 23, 2004

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

Study: Hundreds of U.S. parishes help poorer sister parishes WASHINGTON (CNS) — About 1,350 U.S. parishes say they support a poor parish in the United States or abroad, said a Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) report.

Of the parishes supported abroad, 83 percent are in Latin America. Parishes in 55 foreign countries receive support from U.S. parishes.

The report was based on responses from a survey of 5,831 parishes across the United States conducted in 2001 by CARA, which specializes in social science research for Catholic organizations.

Of the parishes CARA surveyed, 4,670 responded to questions about supporting another parish. Of that number a total of 1,350, or about 30 percent, reported such partnerships.

There are about 19,000 parishes in the United States.

U.S. parishes involved in “sister” relationships are larger and more affluent than those parishes without such a rela-

New life for kneelers

Diocesan planner ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

CNS photo by Karen Callaway, Northwest Indiana Catholic

Damian Bondi adds a piece of wood to a stack gleaned from old kneelers at St. John the Baptist Church in Whiting, Ind., in late March. Volunteers were fashioning the salvaged wood into shelves and coatracks to be sold to raise money for the parish school.

Indiana parish finds inventive use for old

WHITING, Ind. (CNS) — St. John the Baptist Church in Whiting is undergoing a major facelift. So are the 73-yearold church’s kneelers.

As the church undergoes a restoration, its old kneelers are undergoing a transformation to become shelves and coatracks by parishioners Tom Dabertin and Damian Bondi.

Last December, Precious Blood Father John Kalicky, pastor at St. John, offered a kneeler to Dabertin, who took it home and made it into a shelf. When Dabertin returned with the shelf, several parish workers said they would like one.

That led to an idea to raise money for the church.

Dabertin and Bondi have begun transforming the 300 kneelers. Bondi dismantles them, removing screws and nails. Dabertin then picks up the pieces and runs the boards through a planer, removing the old finish and any scratches.

He guides the pieces through a shaper that produces curved edges and then he assembles the main section and the side legs into shelves.

Left behind were the kneelers’ metal hinges, but the restoration crews recommended Dabertin and Bondi attach the hinges to leftover wood to

make coatracks.

Dabertin figures he has enough material for 250 shelves and 50 coat racks. He and Bondi have already received orders for 50 shelves. They plan to continue working until the orders or materials run out.

Each man averages six hours a week on the project.

The two volunteers are also pressure-stamping the back of each product with this message: “St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 1931-2003.”

Each shelf costs $25; a coatrack costs $10. Length ranges from three to four feet, depending upon the size of the original kneeler and the condition of the wood. In some cases, the wood is chipped or has suffered salt damage. In other cases, nails have prevented cracks from spreading. All proceeds benefit the parish school, where Dabertin and Bondi each have two children.

“It’s an opportunity to make a few bucks for the parish,” said Bondi, a retired steelworker. “Some of the older people might like a memento. Other people have had kids at the school.”

Father Kalicky, himself a carpenter, said the shelves and racks are a “nice reminder, a nice souvenir of the

SWANNANOA — St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Place, offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Friday of each month following the 12 p.m. Mass with Benediction at 5 p.m. For information call (828) 686-8833.

BOONE VICARIATE SPARTA — St. Frances of Rome Church, Hendrix and Highlands Rds., sponsors the Oratory of Divine Love Prayer Group in the parish house the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. Call (336) 372-8846 for more information.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — Theology on Tap is a speaker series for young adults providing a casual forum for “straight talk, hard facts, and real answers” on the Catholic faith and how it applies to daily life. The final meeting will be April 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Pepperoni’s at Park Road Shopping Center.

HUNTERSVILLE — The Newcomers Women’s Ministry of St. Mark Church invites women who are new or still feel new to the area to a 10-week course entitled, “After the Boxes are Unpacked” based on the book by Susan Miller. We will talk about the spiritual, emotional and practical needs associated with moving. Classes will meet through June 23 in Room 200 of St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd., 10:15 -11:45 a.m. followed by lunch. Call Gerry Phillips at (704) 8952388 or Colleen Siadak at (704) 987-7920 for more information.

tionship, said the CARA report.

Those parishes that support other U.S. parishes average 1,400 registered households and average $470,000 annually in weekend Mass collections, said the report.

U.S. parishes that support foreign parishes average more than 1,000 registered households and $380,000 annually in weekend Mass collections, it said.

In contrast, parishes with no sister relationships average about 800 registered households and $260,000 annually in weekend Mass collections, it said. U.S. parishes also provided food, clothing, educational materials and religious supplies, said the report.

An area that gets the least support is sponsorship of immigrants to the United States, it said. “Fewer than a tenth of partnering parishes ever do this.”

The survey was commissioned by the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for the Church in Latin America.

CHARLOTTE — All women are invited to join Women in the Word for weekly gatherings for prayer, reflection on Sunday scripture, music and sharing experiences of Christ in daily life. The group meets each Thursday, 9:4511:45 a.m. in the family room of St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. For details, call Linda Flynn at (704) 366-9889. For childcare reservations, call Jurga Petrikene at 704) 9070205.

CHARLOTTE — St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., will offer Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Friday of every month following the 12:10 p.m. Mass and Benediction at 1:30 p.m.

CHARLOTTE — Christians in Career Transition is a ministry of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., devoted to helping people in career crises. The meetings take place on the first and third Monday of each month 7-9 p.m. in the conference room. For more information, call Rev. Mr. Jim Hamrlik at (704) 576-0456.

CHARLOTTE — The Cancer Support Group for survivors, family and friends meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. For more information, call Marilyn Borrelli at (704) 542-2283.

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.

CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church meet the first Wednesday of each

aPRIL 23, 2 0 0 4 Volume 13 • Number 29 Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Sherill Beason 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

April 23, 2004

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope appeals for release of hostages in Iraq, decries violence to return to the families the persons who are in their hands, while I pray to the merciful God for the population of the Holy Land and Iraq, and for all those working for reconciliation and peace in those regions,” he said.

Armed groups have held civilians from several countries, including the United States, Japan, the Czech Republic, Australia and Denmark; some have been released.

Four armed Italians working for private security operations in Iraq were abducted and one was killed executionstyle, an act that shocked many in Italy.

Negotiations were continuing for the release of the remaining three.

The groups also were holding at least one U.S. soldier and apparently wanted to trade him for prisoners being held by U.S. forces.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The words of Pope John Paul II — if not

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II appealed to radical groups in Iraq to show “feelings of humanity” and release the hostages they are holding.

At the same time, the pope deplored the “inhuman” violence in the Holy Land, the day after the leader of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas was assassinated in an Israeli missile attack.

“I am following with great sadness the tragic news coming out of the Holy Land and Iraq,” the pope said April 18. “May the bloodshed among brothers end. Such inhuman acts are contrary to the will of God.” The pope said he joined in the prayers of families “who are fearful for their loved ones, especially those who have been taken as hostages.”

“I invite the kidnappers to have feelings of humanity. I implore them

month with a luncheon and program at 1 p.m. in the parish activity center, 3635 Park Rd. All adults age 55 and older are welcome. For more information, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879.

be available at 3 p.m., and a potluck dinner will follow the Mass. Father John Putnam, pastor, will be the celebrant. For further information, call Bill Owens at (704) 639-9837.

CHARLOTTE — Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF), a weekly support group for separated and divorced women, meets every Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the New Life Center building, room 114, of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., including a potluck dinner.

Divorced men are invited every third Wednesday of the month. TGIF is a healing ministry sponsored by Catholic Social Services, Charlotte Regional Office and St. Matthew Church.

For details, call Karen Wepasnick at (704) 5411891 after 3 p.m.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — A Grief Support Group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the parlor of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE. For more information, call the church office at (828) 327-2341.

SALISBURY VICARIATE CONCORD — Discover how beautiful God’s plan for marriage really is! Natural Family Planning classes are being offered at St. James Church, 251 Union St., Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Learn a natural method that is just as effective as the Pill and is in accord with Catholic teaching. Contact Susan Chaney at (704) 720-0772 for more information or email questions to sujo94@aol.com.

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

Episcopal

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE WAYNESVILLE— St. John the Evangelist Church, 234 Church St., offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament the first Friday of every month following the 9 a.m. Mass until 4:15 p.m. For information, call the church office at (828) 456-6707 or Christine Ryan at (828) 926-1331.

Papal calling: daily message now available for U.S. cell phones his voice — are now available on most U.S. cell phones.

Through a service called “The Pope’s Thought of the Day,” an Italian firm is making the pope’s message available to cell phone users.

The service began April 7 to Cingular and Verizon Wireless customers.

After a test was conducted April 14 on AT&T Wireless’ system, the papal message service became available to AT&T Wireless customers and is to be made available to other wireless service providers soon.

In all, the estimated 105 million cell phones that have text-messaging technology, or about 70 percent of all U.S. cell phones currently in use, will eventually be able to access the service.

“The Pope’s Thought of the Day” is selected by the Vatican press office, according to Acotel USA, the U.S. branch of the Italian company Acotel. The messages are culled from his speeches, homilies and writings.

The service began a year ago in Italy, and subsequently expanded to Ireland, England and Malta. Taran-

tino said Acotel is working with the Vatican to provide Spanish-language messages.

The messages are available at noon Eastern time each day.

The texts aren’t long, given the somewhat confined screen of cell phones.

For example, the April 5 message read: “May Christ, the way, the truth and the life renew you so that you will be his friends and witnesses in the world.” The message from the day before that read: “Mary teaches us that to pray we must enter our own room and, after closing the door, speak to the Father in secret.”

There is a 30-cent fee charged for each message.

To subscribe, cell phone users can send a text message saying “Pope on” to the number 24444. To unsubscribe, callers use the same number to send the text message “Pope off.”

Decrees of

SYLVA — St. Mary Church offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament the first Saturday of every month following the 9 a.m. Mass until 3 p.m. For information, call (828) 586-9496.

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

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

Is your parish or school having an event?

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

CNS photo from Reuters

calendar

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

April 27 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Mary Church, Shelby April 29 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury May 2 — 12 p.m.

Dedication of new church St. Joseph Vietnamese Church, Charlotte

May 3 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Trinity Church, Taylorsville May 5 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon May 6 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Jude Church, Sapphire Valley

Pope John Paul II meets with members of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes in Clementine Hall at the Vatican April 19. The pope issued decrees relating to the causes of 15 individuals, including U.S. Mother Marianne Cope of Molokai. Mother Cope, now considered venerable, can be beatified once a miracle is attributed to her intercession. The Franciscan nun, who lived from 1838 to 1918, ministered to patients with Hansen’s disease in the Hawaiian Islands.

Notice to Readers Nope, your paper is not late. We did not publish on April 16 due to Easter. We apologize for any inconvenience.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

April 23, 2004

Discussing refugees Officials meet with Charlotte-area refugees, explore resettlement issues

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Twelve priests celebrated anniversaries of priestly ordination and two retired priests were honored during the annual chrism Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral April 6. Pictured are (from left): Abbot Placid Solari, OSB; Msgr. Joseph Kerin; Father Michael Buttner; Msgr. Thomas Walsh; Father C. Morris Boyd; Bishop Peter J. Jugis; Father Andrew Latsko; Msgr. Mauricio W. West; Father James Hawker; Father Edward Sheridan; and Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin.

Priest anniversaries, retirements honored at chrism Mass

of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson and St. Frances of Rome Church in Sparta; Father Michael Buttner, pastor of Holy Family Church in Clemmons; Father Conrad Kimbrough, retired; Father Michael Klepacki, Father Carl Kaltreider and Father William Farrell, all working outside the diocese; and Msgr. Mauricio W. West, diocesan vicar general and chancellor.

Priests who retired in 2003 were also honored. They were Father Andrew Latsko and Msgr. Joseph Kerin.

CHARLOTTE — Several priests celebrated anniversaries of their ordination during the annual chrism Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral April 6.

Celebrating 50 years of service were Msgr. Thomas Walsh, retired; Father Joseph Kelleher, retired; and Father Patrick Gavigan, retired.

Celebrating 40 years of service were Father Edward Sheridan, pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory; and Father James Hawker, pastor of St. Luke Church in Mint Hill and vicar of the diocesan Education Vicariate.

Celebrating 25 years of service were Father C. Morris Boyd, administrator

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Marlene Myers, N.C. State refugee coordinator, and Dr. Nguyen Van Hanh, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, chats with Elizabeth Thurbee, executive director of Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Charlotte, and Cira Ponce, director of CSS’s Refugee Resettlement Office.

While in Charlotte for the national Hmong conference, Myers, Van Hanh and other officials toured Hmong and Montagnard refugee communities around the Diocese of Charlotte.

During the Vietnam War, Hmong were used as secret forces by the Central Intelligance Agency. They fled persecution in their home country of Laos to Thailand, and thousands have been living there since. Thailand no longer wants to keep them, and the U.S. government agreed to resettle them here, with as many as many as 500 Hmong refugees expected to resettle this year to parts of the Charlotte region, including the Catawba Valley.

North Carolina has the third largest Montagnard population in the United States.

April 23, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 5

around the diocese

One table, many cultures

Catholic responsibility to welcome others, speaker says by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

MAGGIE VALLEY — “There’s only one table and that’s God’s table,” Elizabeth Dudas said, “and the symbol of that is the eucharistic table.”

Dudas, ministry consultant with Glenmary’s Department of Pastoral Services in Nashville, Tenn., presented “Making Room at the Table,” April 17 at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center. The Smoky Mountain Vicariate sponsored the program.

“There’s a lot of pain out there in our communities, and it’s our responsibility as Catholics to welcome everyone God sends to us,” Dudas said. “God has always used immigration to bring about his kingdom.”

Augustinian Father Francis J. Doyle, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Church, saw another dimension.

“This is a pro-life issue, yet this is never addressed,” he said. “We have to bring the same passion of respect for those already here as for the life coming into the world.”

The program looked at immigration and described ways to provide hospitality to immigrants, migrants, visitors, tourists and seasonal parishioners.

That includes making efforts to welcome everyone, learning about other cultures, welcoming people not just to the parish but to the wider community and avoiding assumptions about others.

For instance, some immigrants rarely had access to the sacraments in their own countries because a priest may have visited their villages only once or twice a year. Eduardo Bernal, Hispanic ministry coordinator for the

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Elizabeth Dudas explains ways to welcome people during “Making Room at the Table” at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley April 17.

Smoky Mountain Vicariate, said immigrants with that background often don’t understand the importance of sacraments and attending Mass.

“Don’t assume that people who come from other countries live the faith the same way you do,” he said. “Get to know them first, and then help them adjust to the new reality.”

Welcoming immigrants is not optional for Catholics, said Dudas.

“Our bishops say that as a Catholic Church, we have a moral obligation

to do all we can to help immigrants, reminding us that we were once immigrants, too,” Dudas said.

This help, Dudas suggests, applies to everyone and includes greeting others, inviting them to be part of the parish’s regular community-building, encouraging seasonal visitors to take part in parish activities, and “sensitively considering visiting migrants in their camps and temporary homes.”

It also means, Dudas said, becoming aware of the plight of migrants

through educational programs, creating opportunities for immigrants to tell their stories, being host for a program with an immigration attorney on immigration rights, and celebrating National Migration Week, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in January each year.

According to the USCCB Web site: “National Migration Week, as envisioned by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, presents the entire Church with an opportunity to ‘open wide the doors’ to welcome newcomers, to educate others about the harsh realities faced by immigrants, migrants, and refugees, and to motivate each community to act in solidarity with people on the move.”

Although the week following the feast of the Epiphany is designated National Migration Week, the USCCB Web site says dioceses are “free to choose the specific date on which to mark their own observance.”

Parishes and individuals can help immigrants, migrants and refugees feel at home, Dudas said, by collecting and distributing items they need such as school supplies, warm clothing and household items; and supporting youth activities that promote acceptance and understanding among young people.

“God wouldn’t give us this challenge if he didn’t think we were up to it,” Dudas said. “God’s time is always the right time.”

Contact Correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or

6 The Catholic News & Herald

Loose change helps

in our schools

April 23, 2004

Timeless journey

Courtesy photo

Principal Walt Przygocki (right) joins Darren Sorrels and his fourth-grade class, the winners of St. Mark School’s Loose Change Drive to benefit Holy Angels, a nonprofit ministry that provides services for children and adults with varying degrees of mental retardation. The students presented a check for $1,800 to Holy Angels in mid-February.

THIS MONTH IN —2000 OLG students place first in NASA competition

An eighth-grade science class at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro was awarded first place in the NASA Student Involvement Program’s (NSIP) 1999-2000 competition. NSIP is a national program that stimulates math, science, technology and geography excellence through five competition categories designed for students in grades three through 12. More than 360 students submitted more than 1,200 entries to be judged at NASA Centers by teams of scientists, engineers, educators, journalists and other professionals.

Courtesy Photo

Second-graders at St. Matthew School in Charlotte display their projects for Communities in Civilization April 5.

Second-graders at St. Matthew School explore ancient, present-day communities CHARLOTTE — Second-grade students at St. Matthew School recently took a stroll through time.

Teacher Elaine Giglio’s class completed their projects on Communities in Civilization April 5. Under Giglio’s guidance, the students researched, wrote and presented projects ranging from ancient Egypt to present-day

communities.

Some students built castles, model airplanes and volcanoes, and they even learned how to make perfume.

Giglio said the assignment helped the children understand how civilization has progressed in areas such as education, home life, work life and religious life.

April 23, 2004

Washington winner

In our schools

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Sons of Erin

Courtesy Photo

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, Sons of Erin Division, donated books on Irish history and culture to Charlotte Catholic High School March 17. Pictured are Linda Meckes, school librarian; John Eury, Sons of Erin project chairman; Jerry Healy, school principal; and Tim Lawson, Sons of Erin president.

Courtesy Photo

Holy Trinity Middle School eighth-grader Kristen Keane stands with Jerry Healy, principal of Charlotte Catholic High School. Keane was recently named the winner of the 9th Annual Megan Healy Washington Scholarship at Holy Trinity. The scholarship, named after Healy’s daughter, was presented by Janice Ritter, assistant superintendent of diocesan schools, and Holy Trinity Principal Carole Breerwood and will be used by Keane for her class trip to Washington, D.C. this spring.

AOH donates books, funds on St. Patrick’s Day CHARLOTTE — A local division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians spent St. Patrick’s Day celebrating Irish culture and following a tradition of helping others.

The AOH Sons of Erin Division donated books on Irish history and culture to the Charlotte Catholic High School library March 17. This is the second year the Sons of Erin Division has donated books to the high school’s library on the Irish saint’s feast day.

The Sons of Erin Division plans to continue donating similar books eventually to merit a library shelf called the Hibernian Collection.

They also presented a check in support of seminarians to Father John Allen, director of the diocesan vocations department. The AOH hopes to

make the support an annual event on St. Patrick’s Day. The Sons of Erin upheld another St. Patrick’s Day tradition by attending Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral March 17, with AOH brother and Ceol na Gael Pipe Major Mike Holian playing the bagpipes outside the cathedral before and after Mass.

The Sons of Erin Division also participated in the annual Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 13 with its marching unit and Ceol na Gael Pipe Band Parade. The group has served corned beef sandwiches at the accompanying festival for the past two years. Funds raised support the group’s Hiberian charities and division projects throughout the year.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 23, 2004

in the news

‘Equal in dignity in the sight of God’

Parishioners with autistic children seek inclusive worship atmosphere

by IRENE VOTCH catholic news service

BERTHA, Minn. — Most parents who bring their children to Mass can tell at least one story of when their child’s behavior became disruptive: The baby suddenly cried inconsolably, the toddler threw a tantrum, the preschooler loudly insisted on a bathroom break or refused to leave her sister alone.

For most parents, it is the story of an isolated incident or two. But for parents of autistic children, like John and Carol Race, their stories are of ongoing disruptive behavior by their children and of rejection and chastisement by those around them at Mass.

Among the Races’ five children is an autistic son. They are members of St. Joseph Parish in Bertha.

One Saturday evening, they attended Mass in St. Paul at the Cathedral of St. Paul and received a negative reaction from a person seated nearby who asked them to move.

At another parish, the pastor chastised Carol Race after Mass for her son’s behavior.

“People at first think it’s a discipline problem and assume that a good spanking would clear everything up,” she told the St. Cloud Visitor, newspaper of the St. Cloud Diocese.

While a “good spanking” might be the worst treatment for a child with disruptive behavior, it is especially inappropriate for autistic children.

Autism is a lifelong, complex condition in which a child has problems to varying degrees with language, socialization and learning. Those with severe problems are referred to as “low-functioning.” Those with less severe problems are referred to as “highfunctioning.” Many are somewhere in between.

The Autism Society of America estimates that 1.5 million — or one in every 200 — people in the United States have some degree of autism.

Adam Race has been determined to be low-functioning. He is now 9 years old and large for his age, requiring the Races to take specific measures so that the whole family can participate

CNS photo by Dianne Towalski , St. Cloud Visitor

Carol Race offers an encouraging smile to her 9-year-old son, Adam, during Mass at St. Joseph Church in Bertha, Minn. Adam, who has been diagnosed with autism, requires much of his parent’s attention during Sunday services. in Mass together. They sit in the last pew, reserved for them, and use a tether that keeps Adam close to his mother or father.

The Races provide Adam with a supply of wrapped candy with which he busies himself during Mass. But none of this guarantees Adam will not be disruptive.

He generally hums during each hymn while picking up and dropping his candy on the pew. Sometimes he throws the candy. Sometimes he throws himself.

To their credit, St. Joseph’s parishioners do not frown or whisper at the situation in the back pew. In fact, one 12-year-old parishioner offers her help each Sunday, often taking the other Race children into her pew so Adam’s parents can more easily respond to his needs.

Some might think the family should not insist on bringing a child who is persistently disruptive to Mass. But Carol Race thinks it is important that the family worships together.

The U.S. bishops have said that children with persistently disruptive behaviors have a right to be at Mass.

In their 1995 document on “Guide-

lines for Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities,” the bishops wrote: “By reason of their baptism, all Catholics are equal in dignity in the sight of God and have the same divine calling.” They also wrote, “Catholics with disabilities have a right to partici-

pate in the sacraments as fully functioning members of the local ecclesial community.”

“It’s more than a right,” said Father Ron Damico, a priest of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. In his 2002 book, “The Joy of Worshiping Together,” Father Damico wrote that every member of a Catholic parish has a duty to be present to the other members in parish liturgies.

“Everybody has something to contribute,” he said when he learned of the Race family’s efforts to include Adam in their family and parish worship.

“I see all kinds of ways that this person is a gift to the community,” he said, adding that Adam may have the responsibility “of teaching people how to love.”

“We’re often self-focused so we don’t see people like this as gifts,” he said.

“We think they’re keeping us from getting anything out of Mass. But we have to find ways. We have to get used to one another.”

Father Tom Knoblach, pastor of the Bertha parish and St. Edward’s Parish in Henning, said he believes people with disruptive disabilities present “important lessons for us to learn. They reveal to us something of the brokenness of the human condition.”

Describing their inclusion as “a kind of countercultural sign in the life of the church,” Father Knoblach said people with disabilities are a reminder that it is “human imperfection that is the mark of membership in the kingdom of God.”

April 23, 2004

FIGHTING FOR LIFE

Abortion testimonies provide ‘telling backdrop’ for pro-life supporters ABORTION, from page 1

ing nearly viable and even post-viable unborn children,” said Ruse.

The “March for Women’s Lives” is sponsored by groups that include Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the plaintiff in the San Francisco trial.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton heard closing arguments April 16 in Planned Parenthood vs. Ashcroft, the San Francisco challenge to Congress’ ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure. But similar trials aimed at overturning the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act continued in Lincoln and New York.

Hamilton gave no indication on when she might rule. But she told attorneys in the case that she would not issue an injunction with nationwide effect.

“I would have some hesitance to do that” while the other two cases were pending, she said.

The U.S. District Court judges in the other two cases are Judge Richard Conway Casey, who is hearing National Abortion Federation vs. Ashcroft in New York, and Judge Richard G. Kopf, who is presiding at Leroy Carhart vs.

Ashcroft in Lincoln. Both of them issued nationwide injunctions against enforcement of the partial-birth abortion ban when they agreed to hear the cases, but

Hamilton issued a preliminary injunction that applied only locally.

No matter what the outcome in each case, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The law bars a type of abortion that is usually performed in the second or third trimester. In it, a live fetus is partially delivered, then the skull is punctured to sever the brain stem before the whole body is delivered.

Under the law, doctors who perform such abortions, which are also known to physicians as “intact dilation and extraction,” are subject to up to two years in prison.

Testimony at the three trials covered not only the partial-birth procedure but other abortion methods.

The testimony has come mostly from medical professionals and has covered such issues as what women are told before their abortions, whether the partial-birth procedure is ever medically necessary and whether unborn children can feel pain.

In New York, Dr. Gerson Weiss, chairman of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health at New Jersey Medical School in Newark, spoke in graphic detail about the difficulty of counting the fetal parts after a dilation and extraction abortion involving dismemberment.

“You can count there is a limb here, I can see feet and hands, I can see skull fragments, I can see trunk,” he said April 7. “But when you see little pieces, if there are little pieces left behind that are torn off, you can’t fully reconstruct and you cannot fully count the small pieces.”

In San Francisco, Dr. Katharine Sheehan, medical director of Planned Parenthood in San Diego and Riverside Counties, testified about the use of Digoxin “to cause fetal demise” before an abortion. “”We like to prevent an eventuality of a live birth, and because it seems to make the procedure move along a little bit easier on the day of the procedure,” she said.

Testifying in New York, Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University in New York and attending physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said she did not tell women undergoing dilation and extraction abortions that the child’s skull would be crushed and his or her brain suctioned out.

“Those are details that would be distressing to my patients and ... information about that is not directly relevant to their safety,” she said.

Westhoff also talked about how stabbing the head with scissors or her finger causes it to look “a little wrinkly and collapsed, but the facial structures

The Catholic News & Herald 9

are not disturbed at all by that procedure.” She said there are “small coffins” and “little hats” available to parents who wish to see, photograph or bury their child.

Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand, a University of Arkansas pediatrician, testified in Lincoln that his research on pain in infants and children had convinced him that there would be “severe and excruciating pain caused to the fetus” by the partialbirth abortion procedure.

But some of the testimony provided information about the humanity of the unborn child.

Anand talked about studies that looked at the senses of taste and smell experienced by unborn children.

“For example, if you put a sweet substance, say saccharine, into the amniotic fluid, ultrasound studies showed that the fetus starts swallowing the amniotic fluid much faster than before this sweet substance was introduced,” he said. “And if you introduce a bittertasting oil into the amniotic fluid, the swallowing stops. So from early on, the fetus seems to have a sweet tooth.”

Ruse said the trial transcripts “should be required reading for every politician who voted” to keep partialbirth abortion legal and will provide “a permanent public record” in the words of abortion providers themselves.

“From this day forward, Americans will judge abortion by its chief proponents — in their own words,” she said.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

FOCUS ON FAITH

April 23, 2004

Discerning the call

college students from Charlotte, Asheville and South Carolina — at the inquiry level with the Sisters of Mercy.

“The inquiry level is the first time a woman contacts us — either by phone, letter or e-mail — with an interest in the religious life,” said Mercy Sister Mary Cabrini Taitano, vocations minister for the Sisters of Mercy in North Carolina.

“The discernment begins there, with informal conversations to get to know each other ... to form a relationship and introduce her to religious life,” she said.

If a woman chooses to pursue a life as a Sister of Mercy, the next step is pre-candidacy, said Sister Taitano. This includes providing an autobiography, recommendations, sacramental documents, work history and submitting to a background check.

The idea, said Sister Taitano, is to determine the candidate’s values — does she have a sense of calling? A pattern of personal prayer? An active sacramental life in church? An idea of community and the personal responsibility of living in community?

Mercy Sister Virginia, a 24-year-old novice from the island of Tamatam in the Federated States of Micronesia, is currently in her second-year novitiate at the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont. She is preparing to make her first vows in Guam in September.

“The discernment continues until she makes final vows,” said Sister Taitano. “It’s a long engagement.”

Women contemplate religious life by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — Hush. Listen.

God may be calling you.

“Many people miss God’s call — either they’re too busy or they misinterpret it,” said Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of diocesan Hispanic Ministry.

“Sometimes they hear the call but say ‘that’s asking too much.’”

But when people determine to what God is calling them, “that’s their sure way of being happy,” said Sister Inkrott.

Everyone has a vocation, “a call from God to respond in some way,” said Sister Inkrott. “And there are many different ways — we have vocations to religious life, to priestly life, to the single life and to the married life.”

To help women discern a call to the religious life, Sister Inkrott’s order — the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio — have established a discernment house in Charlotte, staffed by Sister Inkrott and Franciscan Sister Joan Ann Gilsdorf.

“There are a lot of people who don’t have contact with sisters,” said Sister Inkrott. “So a house of discernment would be one way that women could ask questions, see firsthand what a vocation to the religious life is and ask, ‘Is this for me?’”

Life in discernment Going to a discernment house is not necessarily a first step toward becoming a nun, said Sister Inkrott.

“It’s not becoming a candidate or novitiate, but it’s something to help a person discern whether or not God is calling them to this life.”

“It’s been very helpful and I’m enjoying it,” said Lourdes Toribio, the Franciscan Discernment House’s first resident. “It’s a lot different than what I thought.”

The Sisters of St. Francis consider Toribio to be an “associate,” someone who shares the journey and dream of St. Francis of Assisi. Toribio’s residency is one of three associate options offered by the order — to live at a discernment house for a year or more and be involved in the ministry of the sisters.

Other associate options include one of a spiritual nature, with prayer, faith-sharing and reflective opportunities; and another characterized by a deeper involvement in the life and ministries of the sisters, but without living in residence at a local house.

Toribio, 22, originally from Mexico, has been living at the discernment house since September 2003. When she’s not cooking or praying with the sisters, Toribio assists Sister Inkrott with Hispanic ministry and tutors at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte.

She also is starting a sacramental preparation class for Spanish-speaking parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, said Sister Inkrott, “with dreams of doing even

See HOUSE, next page

A discernment house is not a first step, but a way to investigate a calling, said Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott.

Courtesy Photos

Above: Lourdes Toribio and Franciscan Sister Joan Ann Gilsdorf help with the cooking at the Franciscan Discernment House in Charlotte.

Left: Discernment houses aren’t all work and prayer. Toribio takes a break from her studies to help a friend clean her car.

Women religious in the Diocese of Charlotte Religious orders represented by sisters in the Diocese of Charlotte: Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Regional Communities of N.C. — Dallas, Pennsylvania — Watchung, N.J. — Detroit, Mich.

— Cincinnati, Ohio School Sisters of St. Francis Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sienna Sisters of St. Joseph, Chestnut Hill, Pa.

spent in prayer and spiritual study and one year in ministry and preparation.

After the novitiate, the next step is to make a temporary profession for a number of years, followed by final profession with permanent vows.

“If people don’t try it, don’t make any steps toward investigating a calling, they’ll have that hanging over their heads all their lives,” said Sister Inkrott. “I’ve heard people say they’ve had a drawing toward religious life, and for whatever reason they didn’t follow it.”

Inspirations of Mercy The Franciscan Discernment House in Charlotte, which can accommodate up to four associates, has been in the “idea stage” for several years, said Sister Inkrott.

While conceptualizing the house, Sister Inkrott met with the Sisters of Mercy who run the McAuley discernment house in downtown Belmont.

There are currently three women —

more.”

Toribio was among the Hispanic youth, ages 16-27, to participate in the second session of Taller Pascua (Easter Workshop) 2004 at Immaculate Conception Church and Immaculata School in Hendersonville in November 2003. The group finalized chapters for the book, “A Life Project Towards Happiness: Your Calling,” published by the Southeast Pastoral Institute this year to help Hispanic youth discern vocations.

“I’m learning a lot about the different cultures — both Anglo and Hispanic,” said Toribio. “I’m looking to learn more, and continue to follow the call I have received.”

If Toribio decides to pursue her interest in becoming a Sister of St. Francis, her next step is to become a pre-candidate and then candidate, when she becomes a canonical member of the order. This is followed by two years as a novitiate, with one year

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Minneapolis, Minn.

Sisters of St. Joseph, Rochester, N.Y. Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus Sisters of Notre Dame Maryknoll Missioners Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minn.

Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin, Ohio Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph Sisters of Charity Poor Servants of the Mother of God Sisters of Our Lady Help of the Clergy Want More Information?

Anyone interested in contacting any of the above communities may call the Mercy Sister Mary Timothy War-

April 23, 2004

The Catholic News & Herald 11

FOCUS ON FAITH

Courtesy Photo

Virginia Raymond is in her second year novitiate at the Sisters of Mercy motherhouse in Belmont.

HOUSE, from previous

Religious life During Bishop Peter J. Jugis’ “ad limina” visit to the Vatican March 29, Pope John Paul II asked him about vocations in the Diocese of Charlotte.

“He also was interested in vocations to the religious life, especially to the sisterhood,” said Bishop Jugis. “He asked me on two different occasions, ‘Are there any women interested in joining the religious life?’” So I did say, ‘Well, yes.’”

“Persons seeking to follow God’s call to become a member of a religious community have many opportunities in the Diocese of Charlotte to experience the life and works of several orders of women religious,” said Mercy Sister Mary Timothy Warren, vicar

for the diocesan Office of Women Religious.

There are currently 17 orders of women religious working in various capacities throughout the Diocese of Charlotte.

“These women are engaged in ministries of pastoral care, medical fields, social outreach, catechetics, education, Hispanic outreach, administration, visitation to the sick, bereavement counseling and hospital chaplaincy,” said Sister Warren.

Although many religious orders have age limits for consideration, there are a variety of women entering discernment houses.

“We’re trying to meet the people where they are,” said Sister Inkrott.

“We have people coming in who are older, some have been working for a long time. Some communities are seeing grandmothers coming in.”

“One of our sisters is a grandmother,” said Sister Taitano. “We have accepted women who are divorced with annulled marriages, and women who are widowed.”

“We can have a variety of careers — teachers, nurses, pastoral associates, cooks,” said Franciscan Sister Margaret Slowick, director of diocesan campus ministry for the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio. “It’s not a career that defines us, it’s the call to be a sister.”

“It’s a life choice, like the married or single life,” said Franciscan Sister Leanne Kerschner, vocations director for the Sisters of St. Francis at Tiffin.

“What I do, I can do anywhere.”

But the religious life isn’t always an easy one, the sisters agreed.

“There are some sisters in our community who had to work hard and give up a lot in order to follow what they felt their calling was,” said Sister Inkrott.

“It’s a continuing challenge,” said Sister Taitano. “It’s a journey that’s never really done. For example, people make marriage vows and then have to live them out.”

Some women explore the religious life for the wrong reasons, such as to escape childhood or abuse issues.

“The convent is not an escape from the problems of the world,” said Sister Slowick. “Women in religious life are often more aware of what’s going on in the world; we’re involved in a lot of social justice issues.”

Vocations directors help interested women sort out their calling before they join, said Sister Kerschner.

“Somehow you know where God is calling you, if you take the time to listen,” said Sister Slowick.

Contact Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail kemur-

Faithful asked to pray for vocations

It’s not a vocations crisis but a commitment crisis, priest says by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — The Catholic Church throughout the world will celebrate the 41st World Day of Prayer for Vocations on Sunday, May 2, the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

The purpose of the day is for “all of the faithful join in fervent prayer for vocations to the priesthood, to the consecrated life and to missionary service,” said Pope John Paul II. “Indeed, our primary duty is to pray to the ‘Lord of the harvest’ for those who already follow Christ very closely in the priesthood and religious life, and for those whom he in his mercy continues to call to such important ecclesial service,” said the pope.

The day will “provide an opportunity for the local church to mobilize the many people in the diocese dedicated to vocation efforts — vocation personnel, priests, religious, teachers, parents, as well as all the faithful in the diocese — to discuss the need for vocations, to pray for an increase in vocations and to consider participating in creating a positive atmosphere surrounding church vocations,” says Father Edward J. Burns, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation.

“A lot of people say that religious are dying out. I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” said Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte. “We’re fewer, but not dying out.”

Sister Inkrott resides at the Sisters of St. Francis’ new discernment house in Charlotte. The home was established to help women discern a possible vocation to the order by observing and living with the sisters.

Father Burns said the church in the United States is not suffering from a vocations crisis. Rather, he said, modern culture is suffering from a commitment crisis.

“It’s not easy to make a commitment these days,” said Father Burns, keynote speaker at the 2004 Evening with the Bishop event to benefit the Vocations Investment Partnership for the Diocese of Jefferson City, Mo. “But that is exactly what we are called to do,” he said.

All of the faithful must “rally around those who do make commitments to the church, to live a holy life,” said Father Burns. “We need to support all vocations in all ways and in all seasons. It’s so vital for us as church, in order to express the mission of Christ.”

All the church must help create what he called a “vocation culture” — “a culture whereby young men and women may courageously respond to God’s call, and to live out a life of commitment — commitment to the Gospel message, to a life of service, and life in the church.”

Recent polls in the United States have indicated this generation of young people is “more spiritual than ever,” said Father Burns.

“Compared to the generation of World War II, the spirituality they possess is one that needs further nurturing and further formation,” he said.

“It is a spirituality of young people so dedicated to their relationship to God, and so hungry for the truth and the Gospel message — the truth that is proclaimed in the church.”

He talked about how important it is for every Catholic to stand in solidarity with people who are engaged in ministry and mission. “We do have the capacity and ability to support one another in all of our ministries, in our vocations, in all that we give to the church and one another,” he said.

He urged his listeners to stand up to the mass media when reporters or comedians only talk about the church in terms of priests who have sexually abused children. Such references, he said, ignore the breadth of the Catholic Church’s many ministries.

Father Burns said everyone in the church must be clear about his or her mission. Religious communities must be clear about their unique charisms, and diocesan priests must be clear about their priestly identity.

Parents, he said, have a responsibility to create an environment in the home that enables the entire family to pray for vocations. Parents and grandparents must ask themselves whether they discuss vocations at home and encourage their children to pray for them. Teachers must be aware of how vocations to ordained ministry and the consecrated life are presented in textbooks and in the classroom.

Religious sisters and brothers, Father Burns said, must be asked whether the way they live out the charism of their community makes young women and men want to inquire about religious life.

Priests, he said, must ask themselves whether their prayer life and personal example and the way they preach and celebrate the Eucharist properly nourish and nurture young people, so that they might also reflect on a call to vocation.

“All of us,” he said, “are called to nurture, to mentor, to teach and to invite, to create this vocation culture.”

“Ultimately, as we look at the tasks that lie ahead of us, we come before the Lord, repeating the words of the psalmist in all that we do in vocation ministry and all we do in inviting young men and women to respond to priesthood and religious life: ‘Lord, bless our endeavors’ and ‘give success to the work of our hands.’”

Jay Nies of Catholic News Service contributed to this story.

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

April 23, 2004

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

‘Left Behind’ series called ‘overtly anti-Catholic’

by JERRY FILTEAU catholic news service

WASHINGTON — The popular “Left Behind” series of Christian apocalyptic novels denies a number of Catholic teachings and “is both subtly and overtly anti-Catholic,” says an article in The Living Light, a quarterly publication of the U.S. bishops’ Department of Education.

The quarterly’s winter 2003 issue devoted articles to “Left Behind,” the fundamentalist “rapture doctrine” behind it, a Catholic understanding of the end times when Christ will come again, and the large gap religious educators see between what Catholics know and what they should know about church teaching in that area.

The articles’ authors warned Catholics could easily be drawn into such fundamentalist teachings if they have not received solid formation in Catholic teaching about the last things — death, judgment, heaven and hell.

The issue appeared before the 12th and final novel in the series, “Glorious Appearing,” hit bookstores March 30.

Since authors Tim LaHayes and Jerry Jenkins began the series in 1995, its first 11 novels have sold more than 40 million copies, with a spinoff youth series kicking the number of copies to around 60 million.

“While they appear to be based on the Bible, the ‘Left Behind’ books actually promote a nonbiblical fear in opposition to Catholic teaching about a hope-filled end time,” wrote religious educator Joyce Donahue in an article analyzing the theology of the series in relation to Catholic teaching.

She gave a synopsis of the first 11 books, starting with the first, when “mysteriously, all over the world, all small children and ‘good’ adults suddenly disappear.” The central characters learn those who disappeared were taken up to heaven in the “rapture” before the seven years of global tribulation that — according to rapture belief — will precede Christ’s second coming.

Donahue cited key conflicts between theories propounded by LaHaye and Jenkins in the novels and Catholic teaching, including their approach to the Book of Revelation and other apocalyptic passages of Scripture.

“Any fundamentalist reading of

apocalyptic Scripture is not Catholic teaching,” she said. “A seven-year tribulation between the ‘rapture’ and the return of Christ is not biblical. Scripture teaches that Christ will come after a period of tribulation and that all believers will at that time be taken up to heaven to be with him.”

Rapture theology relies on St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians where he says when Christ comes a second time, “the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

The word “rapture” comes from the Latin verb “rapere,” used in St. Jerome’s Latin translation of that passage to express the notion of the just being “caught up” with the Lord.

But as Donahue and the author of another article, theologian Paul Thigpen, pointed out, rapture theology teaches about a third coming of Christ — first in his birth in Bethlehem, second in his secret coming to snatch away the just before the tribulations of the end time, and third at the end of the world to reign in glory.

Catholic and mainstream Christian teaching holds that when Christ comes in glory at the end of this age, it will be his second coming, not his third.

Donahue commented, “A ‘second chance’ at salvation (for those not taken up in the second coming) is not biblical. ...

We will all, at the same time, receive the final judgment — Mt 13:37-43. The postrapture, prejudgment scenario in the ‘Left Behind’ books borders on Pelagianism because characters seem to be working to redeem themselves.”

An early heresy in Christianity, Pelagianism held that grace depended on human initiative, not on God’s initiative.

The “Left Behind” books also present a “harsh and judgmental” image of God, offer a theology of suffering that is not Catholic — the rapture saves the good from the trials of the end time — and “deny the efficaciousness of baptism,” wrote Donahue.

On the nonbaptismal approach to salvation, “people in the series are saved at a specific moment by saying a verbal formula,” and in the children’s series “a minister describes this to the kids as a ‘transaction ... a deal,’” she wrote. “Salvation takes place only when a person tells Jesus Christ that he or she accepts salvation.”

“In contrast,” she wrote, “the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a process effected and celebrated in the sacraments of initiation and continuing through Christian life.”

She described ways in which the series is anti-Catholic, including the portrayal of “a self-centered, obese American cardinal” becoming pope in an election rigged by the Antichrist and then leading “the Antichrist’s new one-world religion.”

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: MAY 2, 2004

May 2, Fourth Sunday of Easter Cycle C. Readings: 1) Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5 2) Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 3) John 10:27-30

by DAN LUBY catholic news service

Tears flow in many forms, sprung from a thousand different causes.

They come as fat, salty droplets running down the face of a child stung by the unfairness of life; streaks in the makeup of a woman showing friends the quilt her recently deceased mother made for her 50th birthday; wet smears on the blotchy, wrathful face of a man whose job has been exported to another country in order to punch up the share prices of company directors; glittering pools flooding the eyes of a heartbroken young couple making their long goodbyes at the airport.

Sometimes they are hidden, perceptible only in the crushing headache, the dark mood, the angry words of those who hide their tears from fear of vulnerability.

Tears come to mind on hearing the promises made to us in Sunday’s reading from the Book of Revelation. When we shine the light of that passage on our experience of all the different kinds of tears arising from the human condition, two truths stand out.

The first is that God’s commitment to vindicate all those who remain faithful to him does not eliminate the fact that tears are part of the human story. Discipleship in Christ cannot be lived without compassion, and compassion opens us up to all the sadness of the world, from the shallow and momentary to the deep and lasting. To attempt a life without tears is to condemn ourselves to live only on the surface.

The second truth here is that God’s compassion and fidelity are so great that every tear — from the most fleeting and inconsequential to the longest flowing and most deeply felt — will be wiped away by God’s tender and loving hand.

Loss, anger, disappointment, fear, desolation, physical pain — in the end, they are all provisional. Nothing can outlast the love and mercy of God. Questions: What is one time someone helped you to experience God’s consolation?

Is there someone in your life whose tears might need to be acknowledged and wiped away?

Scripture to Illustrate: “For the lamb ... will shepherd them and lead them to springs of lifegiving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 25 - May 1 Sunday (Third Sunday of Easter), Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19; Monday, Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-29; Tuesday, Acts 7:51—8:1, John 6:30-35; Wednesday (St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis de Montfort), Acts 8:1-8, John 6:35-40; Thursday (St. Catherine of Siena), Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday (St. Pius V), Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday (St. Joseph the Worker), Genesis 1:26—2:3, Matthew 13:54-58 Scripture for the week of May 2 - May 8 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter), Acts 13:14, 43-52, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30; Monday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Tuesday, Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday, Acts 12:24—13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday, Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday, Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday, Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

The Catholic News & Herald 13

April 23, 2004

Marquette University studies newspaper coverage of ‘Passion’

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — An analysis of newspaper coverage of the movie “The Passion of the Christ” conducted

by Jesuit-run Marquette University in Milwaukee showed there was more positive than negative coverage in news stories, although news stories with neutral coverage outnumbered the positive and negative coverage.

William Elliott, dean of Marquette’s College of Communication, said level of coverage extraordinary and that the study’s results, released April 8, confirmed his own instincts of what he saw in the press.

The first phase of the Marquette study covered the 10 highest-circulation U.S. newspapers. The second phase will cover at least one newspaper in each of the 50 states.

Under analysis were stories published between Jan. 1 and March 20; the film was released Feb. 25. The 10 newspapers averaged 35 stories each over that time period, or close to one story every other day.

Other movies, Elliott said, may generate newspaper coverage, but in the case of a series such as “The Lord of the Rings,” it would be “directed to a small group of Tolkien readers, and appears a lot on the entertainment pages.”

News articles made up 42.1 percent

of all newspaper coverage of “The Passion.” Of the 146 articles, 50 were judged to be positive and 21 negative, but 75 were considered neutral.

Letters to the editor accounted for 23.3 percent of the coverage of the film, making them the next largest portion of “Passion” newspaper coverage. Of 81 letters, 31 were judged to be negative, 27 positive and 23 neutral.

Of the 47 feature stories, which accounted for 13.5 percent of all newspaper coverage, 29 of the stories were neutral, 11 were negative and seven were positive.

Reviews of “The Passion of the Christ” were almost evenly split, with 11 being neutral, 10 positive and 10 negative. Of editorials about the movie, 13 were negative, 13 were neutral, and only four were positive.

The Marquette study also examined what the newspaper articles discussed about the movie. The religious nature of the film was the most prevalent topic, with 197 stories referencing it. The other subject touched upon in a majority of the articles that were studied was whether the film could be seen as anti-Semitic.

“While anti-Semitism was frequently discussed, it was considered a major issue in only 30.4 percent of the articles,” the study’s executive summary said. “The most frequent interpretation was that the issue was a minor part of the story and one side of the issue was presented.”

‘Bill’ sequel still bad

CNS photo from Miramax

Uma Thurman stars “Kill Bill — Vol. 2.” While not as bloody as its predecessor, the superficiality of its highly stylized savagery promotes a video-game attitude toward violence and is fueled by a revenge-driven theme incompatible with the Christian understanding of forgiveness.

Recurring gratuitous scenes of violence, much rough and crude language and drug content.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

Other topics found in the coverage were, in descending order: the film’s violence, its historical accuracy, the movie’s production and promotion efforts, and the quest of director Mel Gibson.

Regarding stories about the film’s

violence, the study said, “violence was not only a significant theme of the coverage, the results ... show that the issues surrounding violence often come in the form of negative articles.”

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

EASTER

April 23, 2004

Portraying

Easter S.T.A.R.s

Courtesy Photo

Father Carmen Malacari, members of S.T.A.R., the Easter Bunny and Msgr. John McSweeney gather during an Easter luncheon at St. Matthew Church April 7. Kindergarten students from St. Matthew School gave cards and sang songs for the S.T.A.R. members.

Courtesy Photo by David Ramsey

Kindergarteners, senior citizens celebrate Easter CHARLOTTE — Kids and adults at St. Matthew Church and School proved Easter is fun for any age.

Approximately 115 kindergarten students and 160 members of the parish’s S.T.A.R. group (Seniors That Are Retired) enjoyed an Easter luncheon at the church’s New Life Center April 7.

The students made Easter cards for the seniors, who baked cupcakes and provided Easter candy for the chil-

dren. The students then sang for the seniors after lunch.

The Easter Bunny and helpers from Charlotte Catholic High School also joined the festivities. Msgr. John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church, and Father Duc Duong and Father Carmen Malacari, parochial vicars, judged the seniors’ Easter bonnet contest.

Celebrating Seder

Courtesy Photo

Benedictine Father David Draim, parochial vicar; Claudio Carrizosa, parishioner; Benedictine Abbot Patrick Shelton, pastor; and Veronica Netwono, parishioner, take part in the parish’s annual Seder dinner at St. James Catholic Church in Hamlet April 6. The Seder is a meal and prayer service in Jewish homes on the eve of the first day of Passover. Some Christian parishes hold modified Seder observances because the Last Supper, at which Jesus instituted the Eucharist the night before his death, is traditionally believed to have been a Seder meal.

Hispanic Ministry members portray Jesus and Roman soldiers during a living Stations of the Cross performance at St. Mary Church in Sylva on Good Friday, April 9. The Stations of the Cross, a traditional Lenten devotion also known as the Way of the Cross, reenact Christ’s passion and crucifixion. In brief remarks at the end of the Vatican’s torch-lit Way of the Cross service in Rome’s Colosseum April 9, Pope John Paul II prayed, “May the mystery of the Way of the Cross of the Son of God be for all of us a source of unending hope. May it comfort and strengthen us even when our hour of death arrives.”

April 23, 2004

AROUND THE DIOCESE

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Abbey’s alumni magazine wins awards BELMONT — He wore a green flight suit, dark shades and had a dazzling smile.

At first glance, you could have easily mistaken the attractive flight surgeon who graced the Winter 2003 cover of CROSSROADS, Belmont Abbey College’s alumni magazine, with a famous actor from the movie “Top Gun.” The similarities, of course, were all coincidental.

But it certainly couldn’t have hurt when judges for the Communicator Awards read about 1968 graduate Ed Antosek’s journey from Belmont Abbey College to Iraq. They also got to know others such as NBC Television personality and 1967 graduate Dr. Kevin Soden; they experienced Abbey events firsthand through photos such as Homecoming 2003 and New Jersey Day at the Races; and learned about exciting news and discoveries like Father Abram Ryan, and La Casa’s grand opening on campus.

It was this that judges based their decision to award Belmont Abbey College’s alumni magazine, CROSSROADS, with five Communicator Awards in its 2004 Print Media competition. The College won Awards of Distinction for its Winter 2003 issue in the following categories; Writing/Magazine; Magazine/Educational Institution; and Most Improved

Magazine. Belmont Abbey also won Honorable Mention in the following categories; Photography/Magazine; and Design/Magazine Interior.

“We’re all very proud of this achievement,” said Teresa Sowers McKinney, director of public relations at Belmont Abbey College and the magazine’s editor-in-chief. “But I think we all feel the magazine’s impact would not have been possible had it not been for the amazing stories the Abbey’s alumni bring to the table.”

The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field with entries judged by industry professionals. Belmont Abbey College was chosen from among 3,743 in this year’s competition from advertising agencies, corporate communications departments, educational institutions, government entities, designers, writers, video production professionals, broadcast and cable operations and other businesses throughout the country.

“There’s no better reward than seeing everyone’s hard work — from someone in the office taking time to write an extra article to a student taking some extra time out of his or her day to pose for a picture — every little bit adds something special to the magazine,” said McKinney.

CROSSROADS is published biannually by the Office of Public Relations with assistance from the Alumni Office and the Development Office.

The magazine features success stories of alumni and current students of the Abbey and includes news, sports, arts, calendar events, alumni news and open letters from the abbot and alumni president.

“I think no matter what, whether it’s events or publications, as an institution — we need to bring them to the next level and make sure the alumni feel welcome,” said 1999 graduate Fran Kirk Piñeros. “We need to continue to reinforce that connection alumni have with the Abbey.”

Belmont Abbey College, named one of the country’s leading, private liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, is home to nearly a thousand students with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds who represent more than 18 countries and 34 states.

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

aROUND THE DIOCESE

April 23, 2004

One step closer

Hundreds walk to fight

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YOUTH MINISTER: Dynamic and welcoming faith community seeking experienced Youth Minister with bachelor’s degree. Send resume and a statement of your vision of Youth Ministry to: St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Youth Minister Search Committee, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road, Greensboro, NC 27410; fax (336) 294-6149; e-mail jmalmfelt@stpaulcc. org FOR SALE CATHOLIC BOOKSTORE: Operating almost 15 years. For information call 336760-1673.

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BELMONT — An estimated 250 walkers participated in the 11th Annual Walk for AIDS April 4.

The three-mile jaunt through historic Belmont raised awareness of the HIV/AIDS problem in the region and funds to cover operating expenses of the House of Mercy, a nonprofit residential living facility serving persons with advanced AIDS. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the House of Mercy is the region’s only facility providing 24-hour compassionate care for persons living with advanced AIDS. More than 200 men and women have resided at House of Mercy, which is in its 13th year of operation.

“Some view House of Mercy as a somber, sad place. Yes, there is death here, but there is also good fellowship, laughter and joy between the residents and staff,” said Stan Patterson, president of the House of Mercy. “In some cases, they come from dysfunctional relationships. Here, there is an opportunity for families to reconcile.”

After the walk, The South Fork Boys, a local bluegrass band comprised of three Belmont teens, performed for the walkers at a picnic reception at House of Mercy.

Worldwide, 20 million persons have died from AIDS and more than 40 million are estimated to be living with HIV. Southern states, with a third of the U.S. population, account for

Courtesy Photo by Marjorie Storch

An estimated 250 people participate in the 11th Annual Walk for AIDS to benefit House of Mercy in Belmont April 4. approximately 46 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-one hundred cases of HIV disease were reported to the N.C. Division of Public Health in 2003.

The N.C. Division of Health & Human Services estimates at least 21,000 North Carolinians are living with HIV/AIDS, with one-quarter to one-third of this number unaware of their status.

April 23, 2004

aROUND THE DIOCESE

The Catholic News & Herald 17

Monroe church

Photos by Karen A. Evans

Above: Bishop Peter J. Jugis prepares to anoint the new altar of Our Lady of Lourdes Church with the sacred chrism. Below: The bishop anoints the candleholder above the entrance of an alcove with chrism as part of the anointing of the church.

DEDICATION, from page 1

driguez and Rev. Mr. Jesus Reyes, deacons for Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

During the nearly three-hour Mass, more than 700 parishioners and special guests watched as Bishop Jugis blessed the church with holy water, holy chrism oil and incense, “to signify the superabundant grace and holiness of the sacrifice of Christ.”

“But the anointing with sacred chrism and incense only symbolically represents what is the real consecration of this place by Christ himself — the presence of the eucharistic sacrifice, the sacred banquet with Christ our king,” he said.

At the conclusion of the Mass, parish council chairman Doherty presented a visibly moved Bishop Jugis with the crucifix that had hung in the church’s rectory. The bishop selected this same crucifix as the model for the cross on his episcopal coat of arms when he was ordained in October 2003.

Remarkably, the new church was completed both under budget and early, said Jackman. Thanks to a relatively mild winter, construction proceeded quickly from its groundbreaking until completion in late March. The building was first used for the Palm Sunday Masses.

According to Doherty, the majority of the capital needed for the new church was raised over the past four years. He expects the balance to be paid off by the end of 2005.

“Today salvation has come to this house,” said Bishop Jugis. “May Christ fill up our hearts and fill out this place with his divine presence.”

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

For more on the history of Our Lady of Lourdes, please see the Parish Profile on page 20.

grown the 120-seat church.

This growth necessitated the construction of a new 11,955 squarefoot church adjacent to the original structure, where Mass had been celebrated for much of the past 60 years in Monroe.

The new church will seat 719 people for Mass, six times that of the old building, which will continue to serve the parish as a space for baptisms, funerals, weddings and daily Mass.

The centerpiece of the new sanctuary is the 6-foot corpus of Christ, which hangs on a 10-foot cross over the altar. Eventually, statues will fill two alcoves in the front of the church and Stations of the Cross will adorn the walls, said Lucille Jackman, a member of the building committee.

“It is with a sense of overflowing joy and profound gratitude to God that we celebrate this Mass of dedication of the new church of Our Lady of Lourdes parish,” said Bishop Jugis in his homily.

The bishop gave his homily in both English and Spanish, out of respect for the large number of Hispanics in attendance.

The bishop thanked the priests and deacons in attendance: Abbot Placid Solari, OSB, of Belmont Abbey; Augustinian Father Cassidy, pastor; Msgr. William Pharr, pastor from 1965-69; Msgr. John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte; Father Christopher Roux, parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Huntersville; and Rev. Mr. Edwin Ro-

1 8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 23, 2004

Perspectives

God offers faithful a safe haven from evil and chaos, The best place to find pope says A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

the bishop

in some topics more than others and has accommodated those needs. For example, on Ash Wednesday at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, the bishop addressed a topic that the secular news media has a great deal of interest in: the sinful crime of clergy sex abuse.

The news media was given advance notice of the homily, written copies of it were distributed to reporters and a video and audio feed of the service was available. Audio of the homily can still be found on the diocesan web site, www.charlottediocese.org.

Coverage was widespread with radio, television and newspapers all carrying stories. The bishop also spoke out about sex abuse in a lengthy op-ed piece that editors of The Charlotte Observer, the Asheville Citizen-Times and the Winston-Salem Journal, found worth publishing.

Most importantly, the bishop’s messages to the faithful are covered in The Catholic News & Herald. The bishop publishes this newspaper; it is first to report his official comments and has the authoritative and most thorough coverage of his activities.

Granted, the audience for The Catholic News & Herald is not as large as some newspapers in the diocese, but there is a trade-off for anyone who is quoted in the secular news media. In return for the notoriety that comes with being quoted, you have to be willing to have your words and ideas filtered and condensed. Filtering occurs because everything from the bias of a reporter to the point of view of a given publication affects how a story is portrayed.

Condensing is the squeezing of ten pounds of information into a five-pound bag. There is rarely enough room in a newspaper or time on television to give a subject a complete airing. News stories are abridged versions of reality.

Most people who are quoted by news organizations, such as politicians, don’t have much choice: either they work with reporters or they fall off the public’s radar. It’s different for the bishop. He can connect with Catholics via this newspaper or the Internet. But more importantly, he has the pulpit, a place where he can comment on our spiritual welfare, God’s plan for our salvation and topics such as community justice.

These topics and others should be far more important for Catholics and non-Catholics than the fast-changing and often whimsical agenda of the news media.

David Hains is director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains@charlottediocese.org.

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS Guest Columnist

A recent editorial in the WinstonSalem Journal criticized Bishop Peter J. Jugis for not making himself available to news reporters for interviews.

The editorial, entitled, “A Bishop’s Silence,” said it was time for the bishop to talk. But, as most Catholics know, the bishop has been talking regularly and often since his installment in October. In addition, when he speaks, he invites the news media to cover what he has to say.

Bishop Jugis is the pastoral leader of our diocese and, as such, the most appropriate way for him to speak is from the pulpit, which he does in churches throughout the diocese every Sunday.

The editorial writer from the WinstonSalem Journal, and any other reporter, is welcome to listen and learn at any one of these Masses.

The bishop understands that news organizations have an interest

VATICAN CITY — God offers the faithful a safe haven from chaos and evil, said Pope John Paul II. “The Lord surrounds the faithful with a horizon of peace that keeps out the uproar of evil. Communion with God is a source of serenity, joy, tranquillity; it is like entering an oasis of light and love,” he said at his weekly general audience.

Looking refreshed and happy in the warm Rome sunshine, the pope read brief passages from an otherwise long audience address. He spoke slowly and deliberately though his speech was slurred. He also gave short greetings in 10 different languages to the some 40,000 pilgrims gathered April 21 in St Peter’s Square.

In his catechesis, the pope focused on the image of the house or temple of God as a refuge that offers peace and serenity to those who place their trust in him.

He said those who are faithful to God may become isolated or be confronted by hostile forces because of their faith.

They know their belief “creates isolation and provokes even contempt and hostility in a society that often chooses personal advancement, outward success, wealth and unhindered pleasure as its standard,” he said.

He said those who believe in God are never alone and a “surprising peace is kept in their heart because ... the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?”

The structure of pastoral mission should be trained in all pertinent aspects of social justice and commission members should take their obligation to be educated in the subject seriously.

Canon law specifically requires that individuals in a particular ministry be trained in that ministry (Canon 229 §1).

The pastor and pastoral council must also take seriously this obligation that all engaged in ministry must be trained and insure that opportunities are provided for proper formation. Money must be budgeted annually to insure that the laity are properly trained.

The commission structure is: Liturgy, Community Life, Family Life, Ecumenism/Evangelization, Education, Administration/Communication.

With the completion of the strategic plan of the diocese, “Crossing the Threshold with Christ,” it was recommended Ecumenism to be a separate commission with Communication being added to Evangelization. In this way, the commissions better reflect the nature of Evangelization and Ecumenism as understood in the Catholic Church today.

George Cobb is the director of the diocesan Office of Planning.

Editor’s note: This is the second of a series of columns on pastoral councils.

While the parish pastoral council is the thinking, planning and reflection group for the parish, the commissions are made up of the people who actually help to make the plans become realities.

The members of the commissions are individuals in the parish commissioned by the pastor to carry out a particular ministry in the parish that is particular to his role as pastor. They are spiritually called to this ministry. It falls to the pastor, pastoral council and the commission to imitate the Twelve Apostles, prayerfully discerning those persons in the faith community who may have a calling to a particular ministry. This same discernment should occur every time there is a need to fill positions in the faith community, including the pastoral council.

Existing organizations or committees relate to the pastoral council through the appropriate commissions.

It is common in parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte to delegate commissions to the level of another committee. This is contrary to the intent of the

The Pope Speaks POPE JOHN PAUL II

In a portion of the speech he did not read aloud, the pope wrote, “inner calm, fortitude of the soul and peace are gifts that are obtained while finding refuge in the temple, while resorting to personal and community prayer.”

In his greeting to Polish pilgrims, the pope made mention of the importance of Christianity for a united Europe.

April 23 marks the feast day of St. Adalbert, one of Poland’s patron saints, whose life and death “became the foundation of the nation and Polish identity,” the pope said.

St. Adalbert “reminds us once again that only with Christ is it possible to build a solid, common, European home,” he said.

Predominantly Catholic Poland will be the largest nation to join the European Union May 1 together with nine other Central European and Mediterranean countries.

Guest Column GEORGE K. COBB Guest Columnist diocesan policy.

Commission members are called and are the principal body responsible for overseeing the proper carrying out of the ministry in accord with the pastoral plan.

The pastor, pastoral council and the faith community should recognize this calling.

Commission members should be installed in their ministry during Sunday liturgy.

Commissions are established within every parish with size and membership dependent upon the size of the parish.

Each commission is responsible for establishing a working plan, including a mission statement, goals and objectives, the recommendation to the pastor of policies concerning matters pertaining to the commission, evaluating programs and policies, and approval of its budget.

The commissions should endeavor to become the experts in the parish concerning the ministry that they carry out.

For example, the Community Life Com-

The Catholic News & Herald 19

April 23, 2004

David Robinson — Beyond the image One nation ‘Under God’ Light One Stories on the sports pages these days are as likely to be about sex, drugs and money as they are about who won and who lost, so it’s a pleasure to read about an athlete who’s as much a hero in real life as he’s been in a gym. Meet David Robinson, basketball star — who may one day be better remembered as David Robinson, humanitarian.

Robinson, 38, retired last year after a glittering career with the San Antonio Spurs, where he helped win two NBA titles and once reigned as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Already named one of the 50 top players of all time, he’s a sure bet for the Hall of Fame. And what has he been up to since retiring?

Starting a school, for one thing — and putting $9 million of his own money into it. The Carver Academy — named for George Washington Carver, AfricanAmerican scientist and social leader (and Robinson’s personal hero) — is not just any school. Faith-based, with a 15-1 student-teacher ratio and a schedule that begins with chapel each day, the academy stresses integrity, service, leadership and discipline.

I read about the Carver Academy, and about the incredible generosity of the man who started it, in a New York Daily News story written by Wayne Coffey. And quite a story it is. Robinson and his wife, Valerie, decided to launch the school as the kind of place they wanted their own boys to

Candle

MSGR. JIM LISANTE Guest Columnist attend. Robinson’s good friend Red McCombs, former owner of the Spurs, tried to talk him out of the idea, warning him of all the problems he’d face and pointing to the scholarships he’d established through the David Robinson Foundation.

“I told him he was already doing a lot,” McCombs explained.

But McCombs was hardly surprised when Robinson persisted in going ahead with his plans. After all, he knew the man.

“People from coast to coast ask me, ‘Is this guy really as good as his image’?”

McCombs says. “My response is, ‘No, he’s better.’”

Academics has always been a prime concern for Robinson, who majored in math during his undergraduate days at the U.S. Naval Academy. But so is excellence in general, not to mention the development of solid values. Robinson serves as a minister at large for the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, where he

Do Catholics believe in the it is impossible to capsulize our beliefs about the Eucharist in a few brief questions that people could answer without leaving room for serious confusions.

It took the church centuries to develop satisfactory eucharistic language.

The 16th-century Council of Trent (Session 13) summarized that development in describing the true and substantial eucharistic presence of our Lord. Yet even that language is being refined and clarified to this day, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, demonstrates.

Our belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ — “body and blood, soul and divinity,” as the older catechisms put it — needs to be carefully understood. It can be, and often has been, misinterpreted. From former times even to the present, people not of our faith sometimes mistook what we mean by eating the body of Christ, seeing it as implying some sort of cannibalism.

Thoughtful Catholics may not know all the technical theological terminology, but they know what they believe. They tend to be cautious of language that could be open to a caricature of our faith. We are, after all, as the church teaches, dealing here with a profound mystery that no human words will ever adequately express.

Finally, it is simple reality that some Catholics feel an urgent need to deplore what they see as a crisis of faith so they can lay the blame on whatever it is they currently dislike in the church: English liturgy, women

Q. Several times I have heard speakers tell us that most Catholics don’t believe in the Eucharist anymore. They say it is because priests do not urge old and young parishioners to be reverent and especially because Catholic education classes do not teach true doctrine.

One priest gave the same ideas in a talk just the other night, quoting surveys that he says show Catholics do not accept the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Is that true? Do surveys really prove that?

(Pennsylvania) A. I’ve heard the same claims, though it seems to me they were more vocal several years ago than they are now. I too find such accusations hard to accept. In my 50 years as a priest, I have certainly experienced nothing to support them.

Schools in every parish I have worked with or known of are clear and thoroughly Catholic in their teaching about the Eucharist. There is always unevenness and need for improvement in education, including religious education. These broad accusations, however, undermining and defaming Catholic schools around the country, contribute nothing helpful to the faith and life of Catholic people.

As for the surveys, I’m not at all sure they indicate a decline in eucharistic faith. For one thing, there were no such surveys in earlier times to measure against.

Second, I have read a few of these studies. They prove that, no matter how fair their authors may think them to be,

leads a weekly Bible study session. He tries to pass his ideas on faith along to the students at Carver, because to him they’re what matter most in life.

“Everything in life is not dictated by money,” Robinson told Wayne Coffey. “It’s dictated by what kind of legacy you’re going to leave, and what kind of man you are going to be.”

Robinson’s academy, now two years old, has brightened up a once run-down neighborhood in San Antonio. Set in a modest building on a six-acre site, it houses 83 children up to grade 4. Each year a grade will be added, and a $6-million expansion plan is already in the works.

“The kids are happy here,” he said.

“They love coming here. You know you’re impacting young lives, and that’s the best part of it.”

Parents of Carver Academy students couldn’t agree more. “David Robinson is a phenomenal man,” said one mother. “I feel blessed every day that my son goes to this school.”

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

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist lectors, Latin Masses, lay eucharistic ministers, celibate priesthood and so on.

Various factors always affect the quality of people’s faith — in the Eucharist as in everything else. Fortunately, the Eucharistic Prayers at Mass express plainly what the Eucharist is and why. From the words of institution (consecration) to the calling down of the Holy Spirit and the many expressions of thanksgiving, when these are proclaimed clearly and listened to carefully the true faith is present and alive.

When the faithful make their act of faith at Communion time by saying “Amen” — I affirm it — after being offered “the body of Christ,” they declare quite well what they believe. It is worth remembering that for centuries, when the Mass was once before in the language people understood, the Mass — the word and the Eucharist — was the primary place where faith was planted and nourished.

Maybe we need to look there a little more closely.

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

The Human Side FATHER

EUGENE HEMRICK CNS Columnist A carnival-like atmosphere developed as reporters, protesters and onlookers descended upon the U.S. Supreme Court March 24 to hear the atheist Michael A. Newdow’s case that his daughter should not be subjected to reciting the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

How should Catholics and others steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition react when such an effort is undertaken by someone like Newdow? Do we start a a religious war against atheists?

Not with soldiers or bombs, obviously. Of course, there’s always the possibility of letter-writing, an e-mail blitz, phone calls and other efforts to support the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

But do we undertake a relentless battle to destroy the illogical and destructive thinking of such people? Following the same line of thought, do we resort to character assassination? The aging Newdow is undoubtedly beyond his prime. Is he going through a mid-life crisis and making this his last hurrah?

Do we respond to Newdow on his own terms and argue that there is no such thing as an atheist because if you say you don’t believe in God, you are admitting there is a God? You can’t disbelieve what doesn’t exist in your mind.

Or do we just dismiss the whole affair as one more carnival to which the Supreme Court has opened itself? Will it, like most carnivals in the past, quickly pass and be forgotten? Is no reaction the better course?

As Christians, we have the responsibility to evangelize others. Should we react to an effort such as Newdow’s with evangelization, trying harder to share the good news and bring about a change of heart in people like him?

I believe that the best way to deal with atheists is to imitate par excellence the God they deny. There is an evening prayer that priests in particular recite that captures God’s attitude beautifully: “Grant Lord, that we may see in each person the dignity of one redeemed by your Son’s blood so that we may respect the freedom and the conscience of all.”

No matter how deeply we feel about making war, promoting character assassination, making people eat their words or sending them to oblivion, God’s way encourages us always to maintain respect of the person’s conscience and freedom.

God never forces us, but always leaves us to our own designs, knowing that justice always will win out. This must be our disposition in heated debates.

Living as truly as we can as Christians is the best way to make Christians.

2 0 The Catholic News & Herald

April 23, 2004

PARISH PROFILE

Our Lady of Lourdes Church home to diverse Catholic Our Lady of Lourdes 725 Deese Street Monroe, N.C. 28112 (704) 289-2773 Vicariate: Albemarle Pastor: Augustinian Father James Cassidy Deacons: Rev. Mr. Jesus Reyes, Rev. Mr. Edwin Rodriguez Number of Households: 1,200

Augustinian Father James Cassidy

Courtesy Photo by Terry Montler

The new 719-seat church of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe dominates the original 120-seat building. The thriving parish fills the new building for the four Masses celebrated each weekend.

The original church will continue to be used for the celebration of baptisms, weddings, funerals and daily Mass.

MONROE — The fortunes of World War II put the Catholic Church on the map in Union County and are responsible for the founding of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

In 1941, a priest from St. James Church in Hamlet offered monthly Mass to the few Catholics living in Monroe at a local’s house. The establishment of nearby Camp Sutton as a training site for servicemen preparing to enter combat overseas resulted in an influx of soldiers descending upon the normally quiet area. These soldiers were from all over the country and many of them were Catholic.

A U.S. Army chaplain offered Mass at the camp and shortly thereafter two priests of the Congregation of Priests of Mercy arrived from Brooklyn, N.Y., to establish a church in Monroe.

Mercy Father James Hudson became the first pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, officially established May 10, 1942. The first Sunday Mass was celebrated in the Center Theatre on Main Street May 31, 1942. More than 500 soldiers, their wives, relatives and the few local Catholics celebrated solemn high Mass in the Monroe High School auditorium on Christmas, 1942.

At war’s end in 1945, the exodus of Catholic soldiers from the area significantly reduced Mass attendance, but some of those who had married local women decided to settle in Monroe. From this seminal group, mostly comprised of men from Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin and Indiana, the Catholic presence in Union County grew.

Through the efforts of the Priests of Mercy and the generosity of benefactors

from Brooklyn, Boston and across the Northeast, a new church building was dedicated by then-Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh April 24, 1946.

The Priests of Mercy faithfully served Our Lady of Lourdes Church and its missions, St. Joseph in Monroe and later Sacred Heart in Wadesboro, dedicated in September 1947, for several years. The parish rectory for Our Lady of Lourdes Church was built in 1955, and priests from the Diocese of Raleigh assumed the spiritual care of the growing parish and its missions in 1960. Father Robert Shea became the first diocesan pastor.

When the Diocese of Charlotte was established in 1972, then-Bishop Michael J. Begley invited the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to assume the pastorate of Our Lady of Lourdes Church. In 1973, Oblate Father Donald Joyce became pastor, followed by Oblate Father George Waggert in 1976 and Oblate Father Paul McCartin in 1978.

A parish hall was built during these years to accommodate the growing congregation, which had reached 154 families by 1981. In 1984, during the pastorate of

Oblate Father Martin Walsh, it became necessary to build an education building for the growing number of children in religious education.

In 1988, the Oblates transferred charge of the parish to priests of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost Father Edward Vilkauskas became pastor to approximately 250 families.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church continued to grow, with a number of parishioners increasing almost weekly. Approximately 650 people of the 1,000-member parish celebrated their 50th jubilee anniversary with an outdoor Mass celebrated by then-Bishop John F. Donoghue May 10, 1992. By February 1996, as thenBishop William G. Curlin and the parish celebrated the church’s 50th anniversary, a fund for the new church building had already been established.

Over the next decade, the Spanishspeaking population of Monroe grew exponentially, and with it the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Church. By 2004, more than 1,200 families were worshipping each weekend at the church, including at least 840 Hispanic families.

Along with the Women’s Guild, Men’s Club and Knights of Columbus, parishioners became actively involved in RCIA, faith formation and a Bible study group.

The parish provides monthly evaluations for Hispanic schoolchildren to assess their progress and needed areas of improvement. An active Hispanic young adults group serves the growing Spanishspeaking population in Monroe.

Father Vilkauskas and parishioners broke ground for the new church Aug. 12, 2000, with a bilingual ceremony reflective of the community’s faithful optimism and multicultural heritage.

In 2000, Father Carlo Di Natale Tarasi arrived as pastor, and newly ordained Father Luis Salvador Osorio became parochial vicar. In July 2001, then-Father (now Bishop) Peter J. Jugis became pastor.

After nearly two years at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Father Jugis was elected the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. In September 2003, Augustinian Father James Cassidy assumed the position of pastor of the church.

On April 18, 2004, Bishop Jugis returned to celebrate the dedication of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

The new 11,955-square-foot church features seating for 719 worshippers. In the near future, statues will fill two alcoves in the front of the church and Stations of the Cross will