April 26, 2002

The Catholic News & Herald 1

April 26, 2002

April 26, 2002 Volume 11 t Number 31

Inside Youth ministers draw teens to faith

...Page 4

Two sisters celebrate combined 130 years of service

...Page 5

Priests, deacons and religious honored by Knights of Columbus

...Page 7

Local News Pope clears way for four new saints, beatification of 12 others

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Cloning hot topic at Pro-Life Day

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Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 10-11

Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13

You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

— 1 Pt 2:9

S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Sculptor finds calling in carving

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent HIGH POINT — Paul Nixon, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, has turned a 15-foot length of cedar tree into a work of art — a peace totem pole — for Tomlinson Montessori Elementary Magnet School’s dedication as an International Peace Site. The event was celebrated during the school’s “Peace on Earth Day” ceremonies April 22.

The decision to make Tomlinson Montessori Elementary Magnet School an International Peace Site arose from the school’s unique “peace curriculum,” in which students are taught about historical peacemakers and learn to use personal conflict resolution as a part of their school day.

Sharon Shepard, the chairperson of the school’s Peace Committee, had a friend who died on Flight 93 and was looking to get something positive out of Sept. 11, 2001.

“We needed something good to come out of that day,” she said.

The school decided to work with the organization World Citizen, Inc. in order to meet the criteria for a peace site. The school has collected supplies for an orphanage in Africa and has contacted a “sister school” in Cairo, Egypt, with the help of People to People International, part of the “Friendship through Education” project set up by the White House. Students have also designed peace flags and began studying various world cultures to promote understanding of human differences as a component of peace.

The dedication April 22 let the community know that this school has become one of over 100,000 peace sites in 160 countries around the world. The day consisted of a parade, a world bazaar featuring information booths about diverse cultures and the unveiling of Nixon’s peace pole on school grounds.

Nixon, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, spent much of his childhood in the western mountains of Ireland garnering his interest stories and legends of Celtic mythology and history.

He migrated to White Plains, N.Y., in 1985 where he was exposed to multiracial and multicultural experiences, which were relatively non-existent in Ireland.

Nixon also met his future wife, Francesca. In 1997, they moved to Greensboro where he took up a job as an automobile mechanic and they adopted their first daughter, Ana Claire, from Guatemala.

See Sculptor, page 15

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Paul Nixon, a sculptor in Greensboro, puts the finishing touches on a peace totem pole the evening before the Tomlinson Montessori Elementary Magnet School in High Point dedication as an International Peace Site April 22.

Pope addresses U.S. cardinals, bishops at Vatican VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Here is the Vatican text of Pope John Paul II’s remarks to U.S. cardinals and bishops at the Vatican April 23.

Dear brothers, 1. Let me assure you first of all that I greatly appreciate the effort you are making to keep the Holy See, and me personally, informed regarding the complex and difficult situation which has arisen in your country in recent months.

I am confident that your discussions here will bear much fruit for the good of the Catholic people of the United States. You have come to the house of the successor of Peter, whose task it is to confirm his brother bishops in faith and love and to unite them around Christ in the service of God’s people. The door of this house is always open to you. All the

more so when your communities are in distress.

Like you, I, too, have been deeply grieved by the fact that priests and religious, whose vocation it is to help people live holy lives in the sight of God, have themselves caused such suffering and scandal to the young. Because of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the church herself is viewed with distrust, and many are offended at the way in which the church’s leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter. The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God. To the victims and their families, wherever they may be, I express my profound sense of solidarity

See Vatican Meeting, page 8

2 The Catholic News & Herald of very few of the church members.” As Abdel-Baset explained, “We, as a Muslim community, faced the same kind of generalizations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.”

Critics deride Supreme Court ruling on child pornography WASHINGTON (CNS) — Church leaders and family advocates criticized the Supreme Court’s decision April 16 to overturn parts of a federal law meant to restrict the computer-generated appearance of minors in sexually explicit situations in films. “I’m deeply disappointed the high court sided with pedophiles over children,” said an April 16 statement by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus. “This decision has set back years of work on behalf of the most innocent of Americans,” Foley added. The court, in a 6-3 vote, struck down parts of the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996. The law had applied to “any visual depiction” that “is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.” The law also had made it a crime to advertise or promote material “in such a manner that conveys the impression” that it is real child pornography. The law defined minors as those younger than 18.

Passage of Child Custody Protection Act praised; Senate action urged WASHINGTON (CNS) — Religious leaders hailed House passage April 17 of a bill that would make it a federal crime for anyone other than a parent to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion. The 260-161 vote marks the third time the Child Custody Protection Act has been passed by the House. In previous years when this legislation passed in the House, the Senate failed to vote on it. Senate aides have said it is unlikely they will take it up this time around either.

Cathleen Cleaver, director of planning and information for the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, urged the Senate to “act without delay” on the legislation. She said the House vote “reflects the opinion of the American people who believe it is wrong to take a child away from her parents to another state for a secret abortion.”

Church officials hit ruling

CNS photo from Reuters

Christian group protests at Gilo checkpoint in Bethlehem Christians demonstrating at the Gilo checkpoint on the West Bank raise a cross at the entrance to Bethlehem April 21. Pope John Paul II appealed for an end to the armed standoff at the Church of the Nativity, where Palestinian gunmen remain blockaded in side for the third week.

Leaders of other religions sympathize with Catholics in crisis LOS ANGELES (CNS) — As the Catholic Church and its beleaguered hierarchy continue to grapple with the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal, leaders of other religious communities in Los Angeles expressed their sympathy and support. “I made it a point to talk to my Roman Catholic priest friends to see how they’ve been handling the situation,” said the Rev. Ginny Wagener, a Lutheran pastor working with the South Coast Ecumenical Council. The priests she spoke with told her they’ve openly discussed the issue during sermons but are upset because they’ve been lumped with those accused of abuse. Mahmoud Abdel-Baset, religious coordinator of the Islamic Center of Southern California, said Muslim leaders “can feel the pain the whole Catholic Church is going through” from being “judged because of the acts

Episcopal April 26, 2002 Volume 11 • Number 31 Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Associate Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Alesha M. Price 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 $18 per year for all other subscribers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

April 26, 2002

The World in

c a l e n-

Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: April 28 — 11:30 a.m.

Diocesan Youth Conference Camp Thunderbird, Lake Wylie, S.C. May 1-8 Pilgrimage to Lourdes, France May 10 — 7 p.m.

Confirmation St. Aloysius, Hickory May 11 — 5:30 p.m.

Confirmation Holy Spirit, Denver May 12 — 10:30 a.m.

Confirmation Sacred Heart, Brevard

on drugs for assisted suicides in Oregon PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) — Catholic officials have criticized a federal judge’s ruling that allows doctors in Oregon to continue using federally controlled drugs in assisted suicides. The ruling overturned a federal directive prohibiting federally controlled drugs to be used to help patients die. “Suicide among the elderly and those suffering from serious illness or disability is not a ‘medical practice’ but a tragic public health problem deserving a thoughtful, caring response,” said Cathleen Cleaver, the U.S. bishops’ pro-life spokeswoman.

The April 17 ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Jones in Portland struck down a directive by Attorney General John Ashcroft. The decision in Oregon vs. Ashcroft is expected to be appealed by the Justice Department.

Archdiocese of Nairobi victim of international

Diocesan

plan -

tion, call Ky Do at (704) 532-9094.

12 CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., will be having its Christian Coffeehouse tonight from 7:30-9 p.m. following 6 p.m. Mass. Through food, fellowship and Christian music from Kathy and David with Redeemed, participants can join in the spiritual celebration.

For reservations of a table of six or more, sponsorship opportunities and other information, call Kathy Bartlett at (704) 614-9100.

12 SAVANNAH, Ga. — A national workshop on Christian unity will be held this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Bay St. with worship events scheduled in various churches in the Historic District. This annual event, sponsored by the National Association of Ecumenical Officers, is designed to inform, challenge and encourage all who are concerned with the search for

fraud syndicate NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — The Archdiocese of Nairobi has fallen victim to an international fraud syndicate that swindled Kenyans of at least $12.5 million. Nairobi Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki said a check meant for the archdiocese was stolen from the mail system and cashed by racketeers. Although the amount involved was relatively small, about $1,000, it underlined the extent of a racket in which people and big-name schools and companies repeatedly have been swindled out of their money. In an April 13 report, the Nation, Kenya’s leading daily, said detectives who unearthed the racket in mid-April found 300 checks worth $120,000, hundreds of bank statements, and letters between account holders and their banks — all in one house in Nairobi’s suburb estate of Eastleigh.

Russian legislators debate asking president to shut down dioceses MOSCOW (CNS) — Russian legislators began debate on whether to ask the president to shut down the country’s newly created Roman Catholic dioceses on the grounds that they are a threat to the country’s territorial integrity and to the Russian Orthodox Church. “A diocese is government territory of the Roman Catholic Church because the Vatican is also a government. This is a serious move, which must be protested,” parliamentarian Gennady Raikov told the Ekho Moskva radio station in explaining his support of the measure, adding that dioceses meddle “not only in church matters but in government affairs as well.” Viktor Khroul, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Moscow, said such comments indicated that some deputies “don’t understand how the church works, how the structures work.” The April 17 debate in Russia’s lower house of parliament — the Duma — followed a series of anti-Catholic protests in at least four Russian cities staged by members of the dominant Russian Orthodox Church. Pope John Paul II elevated Russia’s four apostolic administrations to dioceses in February, and many Orthodox leaders viewed the action as evidence of Catholic expansionism in Orthodox territory.

Christian unity. For details, call Father Michael Kavanaugh, director of ecumenism and interreligious relations of the Diocese of Savannah, at (912) 9640219 or e-mail MJKavanaug@aol.com.

18 GASTONIA — St. Michael Church will be sponsoring its first annual invitational golf tournament today at Cramer Mountain Country Club. The captain’s choice event; which will include lunch, golf, cart, prizes and a reception; will begin with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. For further information, call (704) 867-1212.

20 ASHEVILLE — The St. Martin de Porres Pro-Chapter of the Dominican Laity meets tonight and every third Monday at 7 p.m. in St. Justin’s Center at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. Inquirers are welcome. For more information, contact Beverly Reid, OPL, at (828) 253-6676.

20 CHARLOTTE — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1 Mecklenburg County-St. Brigid, an Irish-Catholic social and charitable inter-parish group, will meet tonight

April 26, 2002

Sant’Egidio official says execution of minors makes U.S. like Iraq ROME (CNS) — The United States was not the main target of anti-death penalty protesters at the U.N. Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva, but the fact that minors can be executed in some states did not go unmentioned. Mario Marazziti, spokesman for the Romebased Sant’Egidio Community, said, “The fact that the execution of minors or of the mentally disabled is considered legitimate in the United States leaves this great democratic country in the company of countries like Iraq and Somalia.” With the Sant’Egidio Community actively involved in an international campaign to ban the death penalty, Marazziti participated in the April meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission. Sant’Egidio is a Catholic group that runs soup kitchens and other social service programs in Rome and has been involved in mediating political disputes in Africa and Eastern Europe.

Jesuit theologian says understanding among religions is crucial NEW YORK (CNS) — Jesuit Father Jacques Dupuis, a leading figure in interreligious dialogue, said the events of Sept.

11 make the development of understanding among religions “even more pressing” than in the past. Religion should be a factor for peace, but it can be used to foster conflict and war, he said during an April 18 lecture at St. Joseph’s Church in New York’s Greenwich Village. Father Dupuis, quoting Swiss theologian Father Hans Kung, said there can be no peace among nations without peace among religions. But he added to that expression, saying there could be no peace among religions without dialogue. It is not enough to read books about other religions, but Christians must engage in a dialogue that enables them to see the world as others see it, and understand the others “as they understand themselves,” he said. Father Dupuis, a Belgian theologian who was based in India for much of his career, was one of the main behind-the-scenes architects of current Vatican interreligious dialogue guidelines, originally published in 1991. with a program and lunch in the parish center. Donations are being accepted during the meeting. For more information, call Bobbe Conlin at (704) 643-1376 or Gloria Silipigni at (704) 821-1343.

9 CHARLOTTE — Churches in the Charlotte area will be hosting ultreyas on the following dates and times: St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., from 7-8 p.m. tonight for adults only with shared snacks; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., from 1:15-2 p.m. on May 19 with a potluck/Ultreya gathering at 1:15 p.m. with food served at 1:30 p.m. and St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., from 1:30-3:00 p.m. on May 26 with childcare and a family potluck.

For more information, call Dan Hines at (704) 544-6665.

11 CHARLOTTE — The Vietnamese Cursillo community will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight and every second Saturday of the month for a school of leaders at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd. For further informa-

The Catholic News & Herald 3

The World in

CNS photo by Martin Lueders

Muslim women shout at pro-Palestinian rally Muslim women, who did not want to be identified, shout support for the Palestinian people April 20 during a rally near the White House in Washington. Tens of thousand of demonstrators gathered in the U.S. capital to protest war and military actions around the world. The stickers worn by the women read, “End Israeli occupation now.”

Youths tell congress they seek wisdom, spiritual guidance of elders MONTREAL (CNS) — Hearing from their elders that they are “the hope of the church,” a group of young Catholics has asked for help in the form of prayer, counsel, spiritual direction and personal witness as they work to discern their vocations. In a two-page statement released on the final day of the April 18-21 Third Continental Congress on Vocations in Montreal, the youth delegates said they sought a covenant with the church. “Everything we ask of the church, we will offer in return,” the statement said. “We ask for prayer and will pray in return for the church. We seek wisdom and knowledge and will use those gifts in return to enrich our church. We will remain faithful to Christ and the church by living out our vocations, promoting a culture of life and joy, while living in hope and love. ...

Anniversary Mass showcases diverse cultures in 25-year-old diocese HOUMA, La. (CNS) — A solemn smudging ritual, a procession of parish banners, Vietnamese liturgical dancers and the rhythms of the Diocesan Gospel Choir all combined to showcase the contributions of many cultures at the 25th anniversary Mass of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. Approximately 2,500 worshippers filled the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center April 14 for the milestone event. Houma-Thibodaux Bishop Michael Jarrell, principal celebrant of the Mass, was joined by Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, retired archbishop of New Orleans, and other concelebrants. The Mass included readings in French and Spanish as well as hymns and responses sung in an array of languages, each adding its own unique style.

May 5 CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, formerly known as the Catholic Hispanic Center and now located at 6212 Tuckasseegee Rd., will be celebrating a Mass in English every Sunday at 8 a.m. beginning this morning. For details, call Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty at (704) 391-3732.

5 CHARLOTTE — The 52nd SemiAnnual International Rosary Day will be held this afternoon at 3 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd. with Father John Putnam, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, as the speaker. For more details, call Kathleen Potter at (704) 366-5127.

5 CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order will be gathering today 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 please call Skyler Mood, SFO, at (704) 545-8133.

5 SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., will be celebrating a charismatic and healing Mass today at 4 p.m. Prayer and worship with prayer teams will be available at 3 p.m., and a potluck dinner will follow the Mass. Father John Putnam, pastor, will be the celebrant. For further information, call Bill Owens at (704) 639-9837 6 CHARLOTTE — Churches in the Charlotte area will be having their regularly scheduled cancer support group meetings for survivors, family and friends on the following days: St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., tonight and every first Monday at 7 p.m. in the ministry center library and St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., on May 7 and every first Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the office building conference room. For more information, call: St. Matthew - Marilyn Borrelli at (704) 542-2283 and St. Gabriel - Eileen Correll at (704) 362-

Please give us the resources we need to be what God has called us to be.” The statement grew out of discussions at an April 20 dinner attended by 130 Catholics under age 35.

Oklahoma archbishop supports bill banning some executions OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) — A legislative ban on executing people with developmental disabilities is the right thing to do, wrote Oklahoma City Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran. “Supporting a ban on the execution of persons with developmental disabilities recognizes the foundation of a moral vision for society,” he said in a statement published in the April 7 edition of The Sooner Catholic, archdiocesan newspaper. Such a ban “does not implicitly condone criminal acts, nor does it ignore the pain of the victim’s family or friends,” he wrote. The Oklahoma bill would prohibit the execution of people who are found to be developmentally disabled by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Such disability is defined as having “sub-average general intellectual functioning concurrent with deficits in adaptive behavior.

Dutch church leaders circulate book detailing euthanasia fight OXFORD, England (CNS) — Church leaders in the Netherlands have circulated documents detailing their struggle against euthanasia, which became legal April 1. A church spokesman said the collection was sent out at the request of Catholic bishops abroad to provide “data and arguments” for church campaigns in other countries. “Although we’re the first country to legalize euthanasia, the debate has been going on here since 1983,” said Peter van Zoesp, spokesman for the Dutch bishops’ conference.

CORRECTION The temporary administrator for St. Paul the Apostle in Greensboro, Oblate Father Thomas Murphy, was misidentified in the April 19 issue.

5047, Ext. 217.

6 CHARLOTTE — The bereavement support group will meet tonight from 6-7:30 p.m. and every first Monday in the family room at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. This support group is for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. For details, call Ruth Posey, CSS counselor, at (704) 3703238.

6 CLEMMONS — Father Adrian Porras will be the celebrant at the charismatic Mass at Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., tonight at 7:30 p.m. The sacrament of reconciliation will be given at 7 p.m., and the laying on of hands will take place after Mass. The next Mass will be celebrated on June 3. For more information, call the church office at (336) 778-0600 or Jim Passero at (336) 998-7503.

8 CHARLOTTE — The 50+ Club of St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., will be conducting a meeting this morning at 11 a.m.

4 The Catholic News & Herald component that will push this program onward and upward even further.”

The Beaulieus’ programs include a senior high group called “Life Teen” and a junior high “Spirit” group. The senior high group follows a national effort of 850 parishes that offer a Sunday afternoon Life Teen Mass with meetings afterward.

Currently Life Teen and Spirit alternate their meetings each week. The schedule works well, and the Mass offered has become a kind of legend of its own.

The atmosphere is lively and upbeat, with teens encouraged to sit together in the front of the church. Initially filling to only half capacity, the Mass now attracts a full house.

Prayer is at the forefront of the Beaulieus’ ministry. They believe in its power and incorporate it in all of their events. “Both John and Lisa are very well founded spiritually,” said Hoeing. “They live the life (of good Catholics), yet they can have fun and tackle serious issues at the same time.”

John’s vision for the youth ministry is to bring all the kids into a relationship with God. “Youth group is not so much about what the kids do when we get together, but it is a means to light the path,” he said. “I want to challenge the kids to find a deep spiritual bond with God, not just a surface relationship. I also want the kids to know they are not alone in this journey. Some of them have really taken bold steps.”

Greg Ceneviva, a junior at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and member of the hard-core team, said, “Anyone who underestimates the impact of the youth ministry doesn’t understand it. I have had friends who didn’t really place any importance on their faith life. After spending time with John and Lisa, I have seen them develop a more real faith.”

While Lisa and John minister to all of the kids, John is closer to the guys, and Lisa spends more time with the girls. Lisa, who taught high school and has five years experience as a part-time youth minister, shared her hopes for the girls. “Many girls today have identity issues. One of my main efforts is to highlight for them their true relationships — number one being with God,” she said. “I want them to understand how valuable they are in God’s eyes and to see their own true value. I want them to know that God has a plan for them which is a good one that will make them very happy.”

When asked what type of person makes an effective youth minister, John replied, “First and foremost, he or she must love God. Second, he or she must love teenagers, who can often be rude, obnoxious, spoiled, etc. Youth ministers and adults alike must see past this type of behavior because it is only temporary. In five years the kids will be great adults.”

A third quality of a strong youth min-

Around the Di-

April 26, 2002

Youth ministers draw teens to

By SUSAN DeGUZMAN Correspondent WINSTON-SALEM — A little heaven on earth can be found at St. Leo the Great Church in the form of a unique couple — youth ministers John and Lisa Beaulieu. This is how many teenagers and parents view them.

The Beaulieus have made an enormous difference in the lives of many youth and have turned a struggling ministry into one that is active and vibrant.

Weekly youth meetings, retreats, bible study groups, fundraisers and outreach efforts are coordinated by the Beaulieus.

Yet these events are only the surface of their efforts.

The Beaulieus’ greatest gift is their personal devotion to the youth of the parish. They are there for the kids 100 percent of the time and constantly remind them so. “We’re always telling the kids, if they ever need to talk to us, we’re available,” said Lisa. “They can call us at home, on John’s cell phone or drop by the house.”

The Beaulieus’ home is located only a stone’s throw from the church. They call it the “Life House” and will sometimes hold meetings there when other functions occupy the church hall.

Making themselves available is no easy task for the Beaulieus with four young children. Phone calls and unannounced visitors at any time of the day or evening aren’t considered disruptions by the Beaulieus — they want to be available when the kids need them. According to John, “We are just stewards of God. We are doing his work.”

The couple has a genuine and effective rapport with kids. Their attitude is inviting, and the kids know they care.

“John and Lisa are great,” said Maria Gonzalez, a junior at Mt. Tabor High School. “They are very enthusiastic and open to talk about anything. They’re just like one of us.”

John and Lisa came to St. Leo the Great Church in 1999 with previous youth ministry experience: John had 10 years — eight from full-time ministry in Dallas, Texas, and two years from parttime volunteer work in Colorado.

“John knows the kids, and he knows the ministry,” says Beth Hoeing, a parishioner with older children and who is involved with the youth ministry.

Several years ago, John struggled with continuing as a youth minister. He explained, “There is not a lot of money in youth ministry. I was trying to decide if I should go for a career where I would earn a substantial living for my growing family or for one that gave me great fulfillment.”

While the couple pondered their

Photo by Susan deGuzman

Lisa Beaulieu (third from right) and her husband John (second from right) with youth ministry members at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.

Parents and youth alike commend the Beaulieus for their devotion to the youth and for turning a struggling ministry into an active one. future, the tragic events at Columbine High School took place. John and Lisa saw firsthand the horrible effect this had on many teens, some of whom they knew.

John decided to return to youth ministry full time.

The Beaulieus attribute much of their ministry’s effectiveness to the core team of volunteers who help organize and run the program. According to John, most youth directors burn out after their first year because they try to do everything themselves.

“I have a great core team,” he said.

“They give their heart and soul to the youth. They are comprised of parents and single people, some older and some younger, and some of the senior teens help with the juniors. We call them the ‘hard-core team.’”

One improvement John would like to see in the youth program is 20 more core team members. John explained, “Faith is taught by example. Many leaders are the

ister is the person’s ability to work with families. John explained, “The number one influence in a teen’s life is his or her family.

Strong families are where it’s at.”

The Beaulieus hope to develop a family prayer group and possibly even organize a family retreat in the near future.

John and Lisa provided a few ideas for parents on raising teenagers.

“Your children always need to know that they are a priority in your lives. Praying for and with them and talking with them is important,” said Lisa. “Make sure your daily planner includes time with your kids.”

“Give kids the truth about what is right and wrong,” said John. “Don’t water down your beliefs. You are competing with a world that says, ‘if it feels good, then do it.’ Our consciences haven’t changed over the years, and kids find honesty refreshing, even if they don’t act like they do.”

April 26, 2002

Around the Di-

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Two sisters celebrate combined 130 years of BELMONT — Two Sisters of Mercy have celebrated a combined 130 years of service in ministry.

Over 135 sisters, friends and family attended the anniversary honoring the Platinum Jubilee (70 years) of Mercy Sister Mary Theophane Field, 89, and the Diamond Jubilee (60 years) of Mercy Sister Mary Kathleen McNamara, 97, in the Cardinal Gibbons Memorial Chapel at Sacred Heart Convent April 20.

“We are all so lucky to be a part of the lives of these two women,” said Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, who offered reflections of the two sisters at the event.

Born Jacqueline Elizabeth Field in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 1, 1913, Sister Mary Theophane entered the Sisters of Mercy community in Belmont Aug. 14, 1931, which began 70 years of commitment.

“Sister Mary Theophane said of herself: ‘One serves where one can and is happy to do so,’” said Sister Mary Michel. “She held that all beauty is a reflection of God’s beauty.”

Sister Mary Theophane began her ministerial career in teaching in 1933 at St. Leo Boarding School for Boys in Belmont. In 1943, she taught at O’Donoghue School, now St. Patrick School, in Charlotte, following with a teaching assignment at St. Mary School in Wilmington. She received her bachelor’s and master’s in fine arts from Notre Dame University in In-

Mercy Sister Kathleen McNamara

Mercy Sister Mary Theophane Field

diana. She taught art at Sacred Heart Academy and College where she was appointed chairperson of the art department.

Sister Mary Theophane studied with the Abington Painters under Harriet Fitzgerald in Greenwich Village, N.Y. An active member of the National Art Education Association and the North Carolina Adult Education Association, Sister Mary Theophane motivated many students, many of

whom continue to visit with her.

“Sister Theophane proudly wore the habit of a Sister of Mercy and handled the artist’s brush with the skill of an expert,” said Sister Mary Michel.

Many of Sister Mary Theophane’s paintings grace the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse and Marian Center.

“She was privileged to have designed the coat of arms of the first bishop of Charlotte, the Most. Rev.

Michael J. Begley,” said Sister Mary Michel. “And she helped design the coat of arms of the Most Rev. Joseph Howze of Biloxi, Miss.”

Born Fanny McLaughlin in County Donegal, Ireland, on Nov. 4, 1904, Sister Mary Kathleen joined the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont on Aug. 2, 1941. She received her bachelor’s from Belmont Abbey College in 1963 and attended postgraduate classes at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Most of Sister Mary Kathleen’s active religious life was spent teaching at Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, St. Mary’s School in Wilmington, Holy Redeemer in Newton Grove, St. Patrick School in Charlotte and Sacred Heart Campus School in Belmont, said Sister Mary Michel. Sister Mary Kathleen was principal of St. Mary’s for 11 years. In 1968, after 25 years devoted to educating Catholic youth, she returned to Sacred Heart Campus School where she remained until her retirement in 1982.

“In our Motherhouse, we dub her ‘Miss Hospitality’ ... An uncanny memory, she never forgets a face or a name, and she has left an indelible mark on her former students to whom she has endeared herself,” said Sister Mary Michel.

“Sister (Mary Kathleen) will always be remembered with a rosary in her hand.

She prays for her family and friends each day,” added Sister Mary Michel. “We

6 The Catholic News & Herald

People in the

CNS photo by Dianne Towalski, St. Cloud Visitor

Catholic school student top of her class in safety Kathryn DelZoppo helps students cross the street in front of St. Mary’s School in Alexandria, Minn., April 4. The sixth-grade patrol captain will receive a national safety award for her quick action in stopping a boy from darting out into traffic earlier this year.

Pope clears way for four new saints, beatification of 12

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II cleared the way for the canonization of four new saints and for the beatification of 12 other individuals, including three priests he will beatify in Bulgaria.

The decrees recognizing the miracles needed to complete four sainthood causes and seven causes for beatification were published April 23, along with the formal recognition of the martyrdom of the three Bulgarians and of two Ugandan youths.

Assumptionist Fathers Peter Vitchev, Paul Djidjov and Josaphat Chichkov were executed Nov. 11, 1952, in Sofia, Bulgaria, and will be beatified there by Pope John Paul when he visits the country May 2326.

Presenting the causes to the pope, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, said the three were shot by Bulgaria’s communist government simply because “they were Catholic priests.”

The two Ugandan martyrs, David Okelo, 16, and Gildo Irwa, 12, were “fervent catechists who worked with the Comboni priests in evangelizing their people,” the cardinal said.

“Threatened, they did not abandon their duties. Together they were killed with spears in 1818,” he said.

The miracles attributed to the intercession of a priest and three nuns already beatified clear the way for the Vatican to schedule the dates for their canonizations.

The four are: — Blessed Giuseppe Maria Rubio Peralta, a Spanish Jesuit who died in 1929.

— Blessed Julia Maria Ledochowska, the Austrian-born founder of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who died in Italy in 1939.

— Blessed Genoveffa Torres Morales, the Spanish founder of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Holy Angels; she died in 1956.

— Blessed Maria Maravillas Pidal Chico de Guzman, a Spanish Discalced Carmelite nun, who died in 1974. Cardinal Saraiva Martins told the pope her father was the Spanish ambassador to the Vatican at one point.

In addition to the Bulgarian and Ugandan martyrs, those set to be beatified are religious from Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland.

One of them, Franciscan Father Gabriele Maria Allegra, was born in Italy in 1907, joined the Franciscans and was sent as a missionary to China.

He translated the Bible into Chinese and cared for the sick, the poor and people with Hansen’s disease, the cardinal said.

He died in Hong Kong in 1976.

Don’t try this: Sixth-grader draws picture of nun, finds success ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CNS) — Not all kids who draw pictures of their teachers get in trouble. Take Bil Keane, for example. For more than 40 years, he’s been drawing the cartoon panel, “The Family Circus.” But before he became famous drawing Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, P.J. and their parents, grandparents and household pets, he drew his sixth-grade teacher, Sister Ann, at St. William’s School in Philadelphia. When his teacher, a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, caught a glimpse of the drawings that were the talk of the sixthgrade class, she responded in a way no one had expected: she decided the class needed its own newspaper and Keane should be editor. Sister Ann also told him that she’d pray for his future success as a cartoonist.

Devotion to St. Rita highlighted in new movie SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CNS) — Who is St. Rita? Disney’s recent release of “The Rookie” has prompted that question for many moviegoers, according to Augustinian Father Michael DiGregorio, director and pastor of the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia. “It’s too soon to say what kind of impact this movie will have on devotion to St. Rita,” said Father DiGregorio in an interview with The Catholic Observer, Springfield diocesan newspaper. The movie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a high school science teacher and baseball coach who tried to motivate his team by agreeing to try out for a major-league team if his high school players win the district championship.

When the team won, Morris, who had given up a career in pro baseball after an injury, tried out for — and was signed by — the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, making him one of baseball’s oldest rookies ever. Throughout the movie, Morris shows a devotion to St. Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes.

Lou Holtz urges priests

April 26, 2002

to value their impact on people’s lives CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) — At a time when negative news regarding the clergy was appearing in the media on a daily basis, University of South Carolina head football coach Lou Holtz came to Charleston to deliver a pep talk for the presbyterate. “The primary purpose of being here is to thank you,” said Holtz at a March 26 luncheon. “I cannot possibly thank the priests and the nuns for the effect they had on my life.” The Ohio native and former altar boy was raised by Catholic parents and four Catholic grandparents, whom he said never missed Mass. “I can honestly say I owe more to the people in the priesthood and the sisters than anybody else, except my mother,” Holtz said. “I believe that the most important foundation in my life is my religious beliefs, and that came from the nuns and the priests. I feel I have been blessed in so many different ways.”

Jury finds priest guilty of lewd conduct, not guilty of rape SANTA ROSA, Calif. (CNS) — A Sonoma County jury April 16 found Father Donald W. Kimball guilty of two felonious lewd acts with a 13-year-old girl in 1981 but not guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl in 1977.

He could face several years in prison.

Sentencing takes place May 15. Father Kimball, 58, was a nationally known youth minister with his own radio show in the 1970s. A priest of the Santa Rosa Diocese, he has been out of active ministry since 1990 but has not been laicized. While he faced criminal charges only in connection with two girls, several other women who claimed to have been molested by him as teen-agers also testified for the prosecution. The woman who accused him of rape testified that when Father Kimball made her pregnant, he took her to a San Francisco clinic for an abortion.

‘Incredible’ Catholic actor talks about faith, family

April 26, 2002

The Catholic News & Herald 7

From the

Priests, deacons and religious honored by Knights of

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent HIGH POINT — The Bishop Hafey Council 4507 of the Knights of Columbus held their 32nd annual Religious Appreciation Dinner at Maryfield Nursing Home April 19.

Initiated by the supreme council of the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Conn., the event is for Knights of Columbus councils to recognize and walk in solidarity with the priests, religious and deacons of their respective areas. The event has special importance this year to let religious and clergy understand that their work in the communities is truly appreciated by their parishioners and affiliates.

Knight George and Nancy Lautz coordinated this year’s event. They have been in charge of the Religious Appreciation Dinner for the last five years — a tradition they took over from Nancy’s parents, Al and Phyllis Ghosn, who ran the affair for years.

“It’s our attempt to show the priests and deacons that their parishes are very close to them and to acknowledge our appreciation to the sisters who are caring for our children in the day care center and the Hispanic Center, as well as those who are caring for the elderly with such great devotion,” said George Lautz.

According to Knight Rob Griffin, the master of ceremonies, the dinner was a great way to show solidarity with their priests and to express openly and corporately how they feel about them as individuals. Griffin said that as a people, we don’t thank our priests and religious for their pastoral visits, the sacraments, the lessons and for all that they have given up for the people they serve, including fame, family, fortune and sometimes even their countries.

Griffin introduced the event’s guest

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Knight Joe Deering presents a flag, which had previously flown over the White House, and a plaque to Poor Servant of the Mother of God Sister Lucy Hennessy at the Knights of Columbus 32nd annual Religious Appreciation Dinner at Maryfield in High Point April 19. The plaque was in appreciation for everything the Poor Servant of the Mother of God have done for the elderly in the community. speaker, Dr. Thomas Walsh, as an inspiration for all heroes who do volunteer work due to Walsh’s volunteerism at the Breast Cancer Center; his various community health projects; his membership in the Knights of Columbus; and as chairman of his parish council.

“How does one even begin to thank someone who reminds us about the right things to do, especially when those right things are not cool or contemporary?” asked Walsh.

Walsh spoke about his premature son who had breathing problems at birth and how he was away from his wife to take his son for treatments. “It was Deacon Joe (Smith) who made a tremendous difference because he was there to console my wife

in my absence,” said Walsh. “All of you do that. It means more than anything we medical professionals can do. Thank you all for your spiritual support.”

Knight Joseph Deering presented a plaque and a new flag to Poor Servants of the Mother of God Sister Lucy Hennessy, director of Maryfield. The plaque indicated that the new flag had flown over the White House, and it will replace the worn flag that flew over Maryfield before being properly retired.

Gift certificates to a local bookstore were presented to the active priests, religious and deacons, while golf shirts were presented to the retired clergy and religious who were residents of Maryfield.

Those honored were: From Immaculate Heart of Mary

Church in Hayesville: Oblate Father Joseph Zuschmidt; Oblate Father Jack Kelly; Rev. Mr. Joseph Smith; and Rev. Mr. Thomas Kak. From Christ the King Church in High Point: Father Philip Kollithanath; Rev. Mr. Frank Manning.

From St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte: Charity Sisters Philo Mulakkara, Molly Puthanaotady, Liza Kuzhikandathia, Pushpa Kanjirakatt, and Archana Nariparayil.

From Maryfield: Msgr. Arthur Duncan; Father Patrick Gavigan; Father Joseph Waters; Rev. Mr. David King; Mercy Sister Patrice Manley; and the Poor Servants of the Mother of God sisters Columcille Smith, Agnes Fleury, Gabriel Ahern, Kathleen Clark, Mona Comaskey, Clair Houlihan and Lucy Hennessy.

Father Zuschmidt said, “These are always fun affairs that I enjoy. Their appreciation is always appreciated.”

Msgr. Duncan, a former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary and Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy, is a resident at Maryfield. He said, “It’s nice to have this honor every year. It feels good to be appreciated.”

Sister Mona, who has attended “quite a number” of these appreciation dinners, said that the Knights of Columbus, “have been very helpful over the years. We always look forward to them.”

Contact Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay by calling (336) 427-8218 or e-mail gpotkay@triad.rr.com.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

In the

Latino Catholics move into church of their

only day off,” Finnerty said. “Still, they’ll get here at 8:30 in the morning and stay until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.”

In the United States, the Roman Catholic Church began as an immigrant church, with a host of Irish, Italian, Polish and German parishes sprouting up in Northern and Midwestern cities in the 19th and early 20th century.

At Charlotte’s Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, serving Hispanic immigrants today means honoring the culture and traditions they brought with them. In Latin America, for example, the church is like a second home.

“They’re not used to a church that’s locked,” said Finnerty, the grandson of Irish immigrants who says he became a priest to work with the poor. “This church is used until 10 o’clock every night. And it’s open again by 7:30 the next morning.”

The church is used for prayer groups, karate classes, a radio show, weight-lifting, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Nocturnal Adoration, choir practice and a youth group with 160 members.

The church also offers a range of social services, and brings in credit unions to explain bank accounts and immigration lawyers to go over their rights.

Coming up: an English-language Mass at 8 a.m. Sunday (starting May 5), a dedication of the parish hall by Bishop William G. Curlin (on June 2) and the construction of soccer fields.

To those who say many of the church’s members came to the United States illegally and should go back where they came from, Finnerty has a religious answer.

“These are children of God,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how they got here. We have to minister to their needs and share our abundance.”

Most came to boomtown Charlotte, he said, because they couldn’t make enough money in their native countries to feed their families.

“Nobody is here because they want to be; they have to be,” he added.

“There are 23-year-old workers here who have been away from their families for six or seven years.”

At the end of Sunday’s Mass, Ecuador-born Olga Parra, a Bank of America senior administrator who helped found Centro Catolico Hispano, agreed how wonderful it was for Latino Catholics to finally have their own building.

“But what makes me happier is that we have built a community to fill it,” she said. “I see so many young people who were once humble and shy. They’re now in the front of church, confident because they have a place to go and a place to be a leader. This is more than a church: It’s a big house for this community.”

Tim Funk is a staff writer for The Charlotte Observer. This article was reprinted with permission by The Charlotte Observer.

By TIM FUNK The Charlotte Observer Charlotte — Sunday’s noon Mass began with the Gutierrez family presenting their 3-year-old daughter, Irma, who looked like a tiny princess in the flowery crown and white lace dress her grandpa brought with him from Mexico.

The hour-long Mass ended with Maria Orozco and her four children giving another family a turn to keep the church’s framed picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had hung in Orozco’s home for the customary week.

In between: More than 600 members of Charlotte’s only Hispanic Catholic church prayed, sang and took Communion in their brand new worship house.

After many years of borrowing space from other churches and celebrating Masses in a cramped school gymnasium, this immigrant congregation of construction workers, hotel maids, landscapers and cooks has built a $1.8 million parish hall on Tuckaseegee Road near Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

Besides a new address, the church long known as Centro Catolico Hispano (or Catholic Hispanic Center) has a new name: “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe,” or Our Lady of Guadalupe, the name given the Virgin Mary by Mexicans who believe she appeared to peasant Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531.

“Muy bonita” — Spanish for very pretty — said Orozco, a hotel kitchen worker, as she surveyed the 15,600-square-foot building.

The church, which draws 4,000 Latinos to its six Spanish-language Masses every weekend, plans also to build a $2 million sanctuary in the next decade. Until then, worshipers will attend Mass in the parish hall, where the 500 folding chairs fill quickly.

The only complaint: There’s no room to kneel.

The Rev. Vincent Finnerty, a native New Yorker who spent 16 years in Panama and Mexico before coming to Charlotte in 1995, described his flock as “simple, hard-working people with a real devotion to faith, to Mary, and to their community. They also feel the suffering of others, and would sacrifice anything to help.”

When Centro Catolico Hispano began in 1972, most of the members were middle-class Cubans who fled their island country to escape communism. Today, most who attend hail from Mexico or Central America, and work in low-paying jobs.

They still toss their dollars into the collection baskets every Sunday.

And some of them raise money for the church by cooking Friday and Saturday nights, then selling their tacos, pupusas (Salvadoran corn pancakes with cheese and pork) and empanadas (Chilean meat snacks) after all the Sunday Masses.

“For many of them, Sunday is their

Vatican Meeting, from page 1

and concern.

2. It is true that a generalized lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem and also at times the advice of clinical experts led bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong. You are now working to establish more reliable criteria to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated. At the same time, even while recognizing how indispensable these criteria are, we cannot forget the power of Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God, which reaches to the depths of a person’s soul and can work extraordinary change.

Neither should we forget the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing.

The Catholic Church in your country has always promoted human and Christian values with great vigor and generosity, in a way that has helped to consolidate all that is noble in the American people.

A great work of art may be blemished, but its beauty remains; and this is a truth which any intellectually honest critic will recognize. To the Catholic communities in the United States, to their pastors and members, to the men and women religious, to teachers in Catholic universities and schools, to American missionaries in all parts of the world, go the wholehearted thanks of the entire Catholic Church and the personal thanks of the bishop of Rome.

3. The abuse of the young is a grave symptom of a crisis affecting not only the church but society as a whole. It is a deepseated crisis of sexual morality, even of human relationships, and its prime victims are the family and the young. In addressing the problem of abuse with clarity and determination, the church will help society to understand and deal with the crisis in its midst.

It must be absolutely clear to the Catholic faithful, and to the wider community, that bishops and superiors are concerned, above all else, with the spiritual good of souls. People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality, a truth

April 26, 2002

as essential to the renewal of the priesthood and the episcopate as it is to the renewal of marriage and family life.

4. We must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if the church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force. Now you must ensure that where sin increased, grace will all the more abound (cf. Rom 5:20). So much pain, so much sorrow must lead to a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier church.

God alone is the source of holiness, and it is to him above all that we must turn for forgiveness, for healing and for the grace to meet this challenge with uncompromising courage and harmony of purpose. Like the Good Shepherd of last Sunday’s Gospel, pastors must go among their priests and people as men who inspire deep trust and lead them to restful waters (cf. Ps 22:2).

I beg the Lord to give the bishops of the United States the strength to build their response to the present crisis upon the solid foundations of faith and upon genuine pastoral charity for the victims, as well as for the priests and the entire Catholic community in your country. And I ask Catholics to stay close to their priests and bishops and to support them with their prayers at this difficult time.

The peace of the risen Christ be with you!

April 26, 2002

Around the Di-

Cloning hot topic at Pro-Life

By DENISE KASPER Correspondent GREENSBORO — Make a loud noise and be heard. That was one of the messages delivered at the Pro-Life Day 2002 conference held in Greensboro April 20.

The daylong event sponsored by North Carolina Right to Life (NCRTL) featured workshops, a keynote address and a candidates forum. About 125 people filtered into two sets of workshops, garnering information about how to successfully lobby politicians to join the cause and pass pro-life legislation, establish pro-life community awareness and pitch adoption as an alternative to pregnant women considering abortion.

The buzz of the day, however, was the upcoming legislation about human cloning that could be on the Senate floor as early as this week.

“Our opponents propose destroying embryos for spare parts,” said Carol Long Tobias, president of the political action committee for the National Right to Life (NRTL). “When an embryo is cloned, we have a human life. That is a human being and has the same rights to life.”

Tobias explained that cloning refers to taking a human egg from a woman’s ovary, removing the nucleus and replacing it with adult cells, like skin cells. She added that then the embryo develops and reproduces, just as if it had been fertilized with sperm, and carries the same DNA as the person who donated the egg.

Researchers using stem cells from the embryos propose to extract the stem cells after anywhere from 6-14 days of

gestation and this extraction would destroy the embryo. Tobias pointed out, however, that if the embryo was kept intact and implanted into a woman’s womb, it could survive and develop into a healthy baby.

There are two types of cloning, Tobias explained: reproductive cloning, which results in babies, and cloning for what pro-life opponents call therapeutic research. While pro-lifers don’t necessarily support reproductive cloning, they ardently oppose therapeutic cloning, which results in the destruction of the embryos, Tobias said.

“We are not against finding cures for disease,” she said. “Use adult stem cells, instead, to treat neurological conditions.

(Cloning) would result in human embryo farms.”

While the Brownback Bill, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback, Pa. (R) and Mary Landrieu, La. (D), calls for a ban on all human cloning, senators who support therapeutic cloning have a rival bill sponsored by Sens. Arlen Specter, Pa. (R), Edward Kennedy, Mass.. (D), Dianne Feinstein, Calif. (D) and Tom Harkin, Ind. (D). This rival bill would make it a federal offense to use cloned embryos for reproduction.

Tobias rallied conference attendees to call and write their representatives, urging them to support the Brownback Bill and reject the rival bill. Workshop hosts did role-playing and laid out stepby step how to contact representatives and be persuasive in getting them on board. Knowing the facts and being persistent were two keys to success, ac-

cording to former NRTL and NCRTL lobbyists Christian and Jean Polking.

Tobias also touched on anti-abortion legislation, proclaiming that pro-lifers are getting closer everyday to overturning the legendary case of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.

“The number of abortions is dropping,” she said. “We are making a difference.”

While the battle to pass pro-life legislation trudges on, Tobias noter that the uphill incline has begun to ease since President Bush took office and made his position opposing human cloning clear.

“Having a pro-life president makes a difference,” she said. “He has been wonderful, and he’s been doing a lot of things for pro-life.”

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Faith remains strong among majority of young Catholics, speaker says MONTREAL (CNS) — Young adults have come of age “in a time of spiritual yearning” and been exposed to many religious movements in the “spiritual marketplace,” but a majority of young Catholics “hold firmly to the core tenets” of their faith, a sociologist told a vocations gathering April 20. But while the faith of young Catholics is strong, the vast majority of them have not received good spiritual mentoring to help them “discern their true heart’s calling, whatever that may be,” said Sister Mary Johnson, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, in an address at the Third Continental Congress on Vocations in Montreal. Sister Johnson, an associate professor of sociology at Emmanuel College in Boston, shared results of research she and three colleagues did on a sample group of the 20 million U.S. Catholics who are between the ages of 20 and 39.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald Book Review

Pope John XXIII’s brief reign revisited Reviewed by Graham G. Yearley Catholic News Service Pope John XXIII, the most beloved of modern pontiffs, had the secondshortest pontificate in the 20th century, a brief five years between 1958 and 1963. A compromise candidate at the time of his elevation, not considered distinguished as either an intellectual or theologian, his chief asset was his advanced age — he was already in his late 70s.

After Pope Pius XII’s lengthy reign, the College of Cardinals was seeking an interim papacy, a short breathing space between two long papacies. No one would have predicted at Pope John XXIII’s elevation that the short, pudgy patriarch of Venice would revolutionize the church, form the first truly ecumenical council and change forever the way Catholics view their church and the way the world views the bishop of Rome.

Although Pope John has been beatified and is only one step removed from sainthood, the long reign of Pope John Paul II, now in its 23rd year, has eclipsed this predecessor. Therefore, it is appropriate that Thomas Cahill, a popular historian and best-selling author, has brought back to our attention this beloved “father to the world” with his new biography, “Pope John XXIII,” one of the series of Penguin Lives being published by Viking. Cahill, the author of three books on civilizations he calls “the hinges of history” — “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” “The Gifts of the Jews,” and “Desire of the Everlasting Hills” — is a thorough and respectable historian. But, alas, he is not a biographer.

As literature (as opposed to popular fiction) is concerned increasingly with other issues besides storytelling, biography has emerged as the primary long narrative form. Like the threevolume Victorian novel, biography satisfies the desire for lengthy and intelligent entertainment. However, biographies seem to be on a anabolic steroid regimen, bulking up to 600 to 800 pages, enough to daunt the most dedicated reader.

The Penguin Lives series offers a refreshing alternative — short (many less than 200 pages) biographies of significant people by best-selling authors, many of them novelists. Writers of fiction understand that, while a biography must be historically accurate, it also must tell a good story.

Cahill begins “Pope John XXIII” with a 70-page overview of the papacy from Peter to the late 19th century.

While interesting in itself, it seemed

April 26, 2002

Read-

a curiously disconnected way to introduce the life of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli.

The second section covers less time, only 70 years or so, from Roncalli’s entrance into the priesthood to the brink of his papacy. Cahill shows us his gradual ascent in the church’s hierarchy, his long years outside of his beloved Italy as a church diplomat, and the intellectual and personal influences on him that led to the Second Vatican Council. Like a good historian, Cahill makes sure the reader has a clear picture of the civil and church politics that swirled about Roncalli. But the effect is similar to a portrait painting where we see clearly the chair, the rug and the Pekinese, but the subject remains in shadows.

The third section, covering John’s papacy and the convening of Vatican II, is far livelier and, ultimately, deeply moving. We witness Pope John’s death after only the first of four sessions of the council, to which he brought Protestants and Orthodox representatives as “brothers in Christ.” (Pope John’s dream of a tolerant and diverse Christian community remains painfully unrealized.)

Cahill ends his “biographical essay” with a brief portrait of Pope Paul VI’s reign and a surprisingly astringent assessment of Pope John Paul’s

Word to Life

Sunday Scripture Readings: April 28, 2002 Cycle A Readings: April 28, Fifth Sunday of Easter 1) Acts 6:1-7 Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 2) 1 Peter 2:4-9 3) Gospel: John 14:1-12

By Jeff Hensley Catholic News Service In the midst of the turmoil over the wrongdoing of some priests, I can’t help reflecting on my own experience with some of the ordained folks I’ve had the privilege to know.

When I came into the Catholic Church 28 years ago, I spent a lot of time at my parish church, day and night. When I was there for evening programs, there was Msgr. Charles King. When I was at the church in the daytime, there was Msgr. King. I later heard stories about “9 to 5 priests,” but in truth I don’t think I’ve ever met one.

Then there was Father Joe, the good Franciscan priest at St. Andrew’s, a perennially good-natured bear of a man. He would often let slip (to explain his grogginess) that he’d been called out to the hospital in the middle of the night the night before. Seemingly endless tales of his faithfulness were swapped at his going-away party. As with the lives of many good folks in the church, lay, consecrated and clergy, few of us knew the multiple acts of charity he had carried out in our respective lives.

And I could go on. We each have lists of our own favorite priests.

The psalm reading for this week speaks of God’s goodness to those who are faithful, delivering them from death, preserving them in times of famine.

The Acts reading tells the story of the choosing of the first deacons to assist the apostles in attending to works of charity and fair distribution of each day’s food so that they might attend to “prayer and the ministry of the word.”

And the 1 Peter reading speaks of believers in Christ as “‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he claims for his own to proclaim the glorious works’ of the One who called you from darkness into his marvelous light.”

In these troubled times, we need to remember our core identity as bearers of the light of Christ to others. And we need to remember the many fine priests among us who bear crosses of implied accusation because of the selfish and irresponsible actions of a few. And we need to express our solidarity with them and our appreciation for the lives of selfless service to which they have consecrated themselves. We owe them at least that much.

QUESTION: Have you sought in this crisis time to express your appreciation to the special priests who have served you and your loved ones?

SCRIPTURE TO ILLUSTRATE:

Weekly Scripture Scripture for the week of April 28 - May 4 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 6:1-7, 1 Peter 2:4-9, John 14:1-12; Monday (St. Catherine of Siena), Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday (St. Pius V), Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday (St. Joseph the Worker), Genesis 1:26—2:3, Matthew 13:54-58; Thursday (St. Athanasius), Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Saturday, Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21 Scripture for the week of May 5 - May 11 Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter), Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21; Monday, Acts 16:11-15, John 15:26—16.4; Tuesday, Acts 16:22-34, John 16:5-11; Wednesday, Acts 17:15, 22—18:1, John 16:12-15; Thursday, Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Matthew 28:16-20; Friday (Bl. Damien of Molokai), Acts 18:9-18, John 16:20-23; Saturday, Acts 18:23-28, John 16:23b-28

April 26, 2002

“Triumph of

By Gerri Pare Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — A romantic farce first performed in 1732 Paris translates well to the silver screen in the generally delightful “Triumph of Love” (Paramount Classics).

As originally written in the 18th century by Pierre Marivaux, the story revolves around a princess (Mira Sorvino) whose misfortune is to have fallen instantly and utterly in love at first sight with Agis (Jay Rodan), who would be the king now had not her father usurped the throne from his father.

Agis, raised by stern philosopher Hermocrates (Ben Kingsley) and his spinster sister, Leotine (Fiona Shaw), to despise the princess and spurn all women, would seem an impossible conquest. The feisty princess, however, gains access to Hermocrates’ Italian villa dressed as a man and promptly begins flirting with plain-Jane Leotine so she will allow him to stay a few days. The ruse works and soon she is winning over Hermocrates as well and finally persuading lonely Agis that they could be best of friends.

She has soon invented separate excuses to both men why she only pretended to be a man when she really cares for them as a woman. Leotine, meanwhile, becomes completely besotted by the handsome young “man” who lavished praise upon her, and the upshot is the princess finds herself simultaneously engaged to all three of them.

Collaborating on the screenplay with Marilyn Goldin, director Clare Peploe and her producer husband, Bernardo Bertolucci, turn in an above average period piece. The pacing never flags and the whole movie has a sundappled look as the on-location Tuscan villa setting becomes a beautiful backdrop to all the playful sexual intrigue.

Confidently anchoring the story is Sorvino’s saucy performance as the good-hearted princess who wants to restore the throne to its rightful owner

Entertain-

but also, more importantly, win his heart. She does feel bad using lies and deception to accomplish her goal and it is only her accomplished performance that makes her remain sympathetic as she breaks the sister and brother’s hearts. Hers is a fleshed-out character, brimming with cunning as well as compassion, determined to win her love and right the wrongs of the past.

As the object of her desire, Rodan does not rise much above a pretty face, compared to the zesty comic turns

by Kingsley and Shaw when they are transformed from dour siblings to romantic fools once mesmerized by their captivating suitor.

As sex farces go, this one is tasteful, discreet and enlivened by witty dialogue. Its deliberately choppy editing can be distracting and occasional shots of a modern audience watching the cast perform remind us this was a play but adds little else to the proceedings.

The ending is more upbeat than Marivaux’s original work, but it does seem more in keeping with the lighthearted comic tone of the giddy romance.

With its burnished imagery, classical music and delicate handling of romantic indiscretions, “Triumph of Love” is a welcome far cry from the many gross-out sex comedies now polluting the silver screen.

Due to brief rear nudity and romantic complications, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-II — adults and adolescents.

The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Pare is director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

CNS photo from Columbia Pictures

Scene from movie ‘The Sweetest Thing’ Thomas Jane and Cameron Diaz star in a scene from the movie “The Sweetest Thing.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

Movie Capsules

By Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are recent capsule reviews issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.

“Enigma” (Manhattan) Reasonably entertaining historical thriller set in 1943 England in which a code-breaking genius (Dougray Scott) returns after a nervous breakdown to help decipher a new German code before a U.S. convoy of supply ships is attacked

by Nazi subs. Director Michael Apted’s film suffers somewhat from the inability to satisfactorily pull together the story’s several strands, but pleases nonetheless with dynamic editing and heady atmospherics. A brief sexual encounter with partial nudity and minimal rough language and profanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture

Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“Murder by Numbers” (Warner Bros.)

Creepy thriller in which two murderous high school seniors (Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling) match wits with a fierce homicide detective (Sandra Bullock) who won’t accept that the prime suspect, an apparent suicide, was the guilty party.

Director Barbet Schroeder attempts character studies of the three leads to add interest, but the film remains at the level of a conventional thriller. Sporadic violence, brief sexual situations and substance abuse, some rough language and minimal profanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-IV — adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (Lions

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

April 26, 2002

Editorials & Col-

The Pope Speaks

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Pope, at audience, says God wants to love and forgive, not punish

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God does not want to punish people, but to love them and save them, Pope John Paul II said at his weekly general audience.

“The last word in the relationship between God and a sinful people is never judgment and punishment, but love and forgiveness,” he told an estimated 17,000 people in St. Peter’s Square for his April 24 general audience.

“God does not want to judge and condemn, but to save and free humanity from evil,” the pope said.

Continuing his audience talks on psalms used in the Liturgy of the Hours, the pope focused on Psalm 81, which opens with “a call to celebration, to song, to music,” celebrating God’s action to free his oppressed people and lead them to the promised land.

However, he said, the psalm makes clear that “biblical religion is not God’s solitary monologue,” but “a dialogue, a word followed by a response, a gesture which calls for adhesion.”

God calls his people to worship him alone, to obey his commandments and to listen to his voice, the pope said.

“Only through fidelity in listening and in obedience can his people fully receive the gifts of the Lord,” he said.

The second part of the psalm shows, however, that often people do not listen to God and do not follow his path for their lives, the pope said.

The sadness attributed to God in the psalm, he said, “is inspired by love and tied to a deep desire to fill his chosen people with good things.”

God is hoping “for the conversion of his people, for a response of sincere and effective love to his ever generous love,” the pope said.

As he did at his audience two weeks earlier, Pope John Paul treated the crowd to a Polish song, this time in honor of the first Polish bishop, St. Wojciech, also known as St. Adalbert, whose feast day was April 23.

ment and light a candle of hope. Future generations will benefit from your foresight.”

The foregoing account is adapted from a true story.

And though some of the details have been changed, it is entirely accurate to say that our endowments here at the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte do help us plan prudently for the future. They are indeed candles aglow with promise.

One of the finest things you can do with part of your charitable giving is to light an endowment candle. You can do it now with cash or securities, or later through your will or a trust remainder. The paperwork is minimal compared to the satisfaction you will receive.

To obtain information about our endowment program, please contact me (gmrhodes@charlottediocese.org) at 704370-3320 or Jim Kelley (jkkelley@charlottediocese.org), Executive Director of the Foundation at 704-370-3301.

Or write to either of us at: 1123 S. Church Street, Charlotte NC 28203.

ity. Jesus commanded his disciples to carry his “good news,” his life, to all people, to the ends of the earth. Muslims believe it is their duty to bring all people to the “true path” of Islam, the only authentic worship and service of God. I believe one cannot claim, therefore, that Christianity and Islam believe in different gods. In fact, scholars long ago discovered that the Eastern Christian churches significantly influenced much of Muhammad’s theology and many of his prescriptions for worship.

As you suggest, with all these seemingly insurmountable conflicts of faith, how can there be discussion? What is there to talk about?

In February, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, Austria, addressed this problem in an enlightening manner.

Speaking to a California university audience, he said at least four reasons convince him that our very certitude about Jesus and the church obliges us “not merely to the appearance of dialogue, but rather to a profound readiness to search for the truth together.”

First, we are one human family, sharing one origin and one destiny. We need to identify and explore together the “great puzzles of human existence” to which all religions try to provide some answer.

Second, we cannot be arrogant about the priceless treasure of the truth entrusted to us by Christ, a truth we see now only “dimly,” as in a very imperfect mirror (1 Cor 13).

We should be humble enough to pursue every ray of light wherever it might shine.

Third, the responsibility of caring for the world and the whole human family has been entrusted to all human beings together. Engagement with Islam and all people of good will “confesses that God’s love and providence exclude no one.

That is the truly ‘absolute claim’ of Christianity.”

Finally, claims Cardinal Schonborn, we believe we are not subject to forces of blind and arbitrary fate. We have every reason to hope. This hope, founded in Jesus of Nazareth, moves us to witness to that hope and search for traces of it in other religions.

Admittedly, this is a difficult road, one that requires great faith and courage. Even so, if we are to be faithful to the mission given us by Christ, the bottom line is, we have no other choice.

Guest Columnist GINA RHODES Director of Planned Giving Candlelight Nearly 100 special friends of a charity gathered to hear the executive director report on organizational advances and share her vision for the future.

Five minutes into her talk the lights went out.

She urged the audience to be calm. “I’m sure the electricity will be restored shortly. Please be patient.”

A minute passed. People began to fidget. And then, from the audience, a woman said, “I have a candle here in my purse and some matches.”

A moment later, a flame appeared and the darkness rushed away. A sense of calm returned. Soon after, the electricity was restored and light once again flooded the room.

Interestingly, the speaker had just mentioned the importance of endowments. Now, with her microphone working again, she resumed her presentation. But not with the planned script. She was wise enough to seize the moment and draw on their mutual experience of the darkness and the candle.

“Endowments,” she said, “are like candles. They provide light in the darkness of an uncertain future.

They permit us to look ahead and plan with confidence.

They shine rays of hope.”

She talked about the perpetual flames of endowment funds and how they provide financial light for future generations. “You can create your own endow-

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

Dialogue With Muslims Q. Since Sept. 11 we hear often that Muslims have the same God as Christians. But in John (17:3), Jesus says salvation means knowing the one true God, the one who sent Jesus Christ. Paul says (1 Cor 8:6) there is one God, the Father who made all things.

I’m still trying to figure this out. Church leaders say we must “dialogue” with them. I don’t see anything in common we can even talk about. Perhaps you can help.

(New York) A. Islam and Christianity do believe in the same God, if by that we mean the one who created all things, a personal being with whom we relate on this earth and with whom those who are saved will, in some way, spend eternity.

The massive differences between us focus on how this God has revealed himself to us; who did the revealing; what God expects from us; and how we view the absolute, “unique” nature of our religions.

Both Christians and Muslims see their faith as the final, and only, valid revelation of God. For us, the bearer of that revelation and the embodiment, or incarnation, of God, is Jesus Christ. For them, the final prophet, the supreme messenger and revealer of God, is their founder, Muhammad.

As an additional source of conflict, both religions see themselves as missionary, intended for the whole of human-

April 26, 2002

Editorials & Col-

Guest Column FATHER JOHN AURILIA, OFM CAP Guest Columnist The killer of mystery The most beautiful experience we can have is the “mysterious.” Whoever does not know it, will not wonder or marvel any longer. He is as good as dead. If our pursuit of happiness is not dominated by something more important than ourselves, spiritually speaking, we are walking to a cemetery rather than to heaven. The number one killer of the mystery is rationalization and greed. There is a good story of an old man on his deathbed. His sons had gathered around him for his last moments. The old man was lying as if asleep; however, he was able to hear the following conversation: “We’d better start thinking about funeral arrangements,” said one son. “If we hire 20 limousines, it will cost thousands of dollars.” “Why do we need so many limousines?” asked another son. “Fifteen should be enough and will cost less.” “All we need are four or five limousines — just for the family,” said the third son.

Suddenly the old man opened his eyes. “Listen boys, he said, “if one of you will just hand me my trousers

Light One Candle MSGR. JIM LISANTE Guest Columnist

— one that summons the grace of God. There was more: some scriptural reminders that for every dark cloud in our lives, God has a silver lining.

You say, “It’s impossible,” but God says, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” (Lk. 18:27) You say, “I’m too tired,” but God says, “I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) You say, “Nobody really loves me,” but God says, “I have loved you.” (John 13:34) You say, “I can’t go on,” but God says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Cor. 12:9) You say, “I can’t figure things out,” but God says, “(I) will direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:6) You say, “I can’t do it,” but God says, “You can do all things.” (Phil. 4:13) You say, “I can’t forgive myself,” but God says, “The Lord has forgiven you.” (Col. 3:13) You say, “I’m not smart enough,” but God says, “I ... give you wisdom and understanding.” (Dan. 9:22) You say, “I feel all alone,” but God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5) So, courtesy of an old friend, that’s my little e-mail sermon. The next time your own hut seems to be going up in flames, keep it in mind.

and my shoes, I’ll walk to the cemetery.” During the Easter season of the year 2002, we may want to drop greed and rationalization and fill our lives with love and simplicity.

Fear and cynicism seem to rank very high as well on the scale of the mystery killer. We do foolish things when we lose track of our true destination. The early Christians, as recorded by the Acts of the Apostles, were filled by the Holy Spirit and they responded with enthusiasm to the call of the first Pentecost, even to the point of being ridiculed or accused of being drunk and disorderly. How courageous were those Christians who went out to every town and place, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. The truth is that when we proclaim the Good News, we become the Good News.

The true pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of peace of mind and heart and soul, which can only come when we say “yes” to Jesus. The test of this truth is your own life. Three doctors were driving to the hospital. Suddenly, the ride became very bumpy. The driver stopped the car and all three got out to see what was the problem. They began to look at the tires and stopped at the right rear one. “I think it’s flat,” said one doctor. The second made a close examination, and then said, “It certainly does look flat.” The third doctor pressed his hands on the tire. “It definitely feels flat,” he said. Then they huddled together in a little conference and nodded their heads in agreement. “We’d better run some tests!”

Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.” (Jn. 14:23) We’d better run some tests on that!

Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. (Jn. 13:34) On a scale of one to 10, how do we score on Jesus’ test?

Of burning huts and silver linings A lot of people are worried about the Internet, and understandably so. They worry specifically about the kind of trash that pops up, usually uninvited, on the home screens of American families. Much of it is downright pornographic, and it has a way of dirtying everything — and everyone — that it touches. I wish that our lawmakers could come up with a way of ridding us all of this filth, but their efforts so far have fallen short. Anyone who doubts that need only look at a sampling of unbidden titles to understand the depth of the problem.

But the record isn’t all bad, and that’s what I wanted to tell you about today. Thank heavens there are countless people out there lighting candles in the midst of the darkness, in the best Christopher tradition, to remind us of what we’re called to be. I don’t mean to minimize the pornography problem on the Internet, not for a minute. But these oftenanonymous missionaries — for that’s what they are — prove that the dazzling technology of the 21st century really can help each of us live better lives.

The other day a friend sent an e-mail story to me that I, in turn, was invited to pass along to someone else. I’ll go one better. I’ll pass it along to all of you because the message is one we can all use — and because it reminds us of how the Internet can so easily become a force for good.

Its title was “Is Your Hut Burning?”, and it told of a shipwreck survivor who was washed up on a small uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly to God for help, but no rescuers appeared. Eventually he managed to build a driftwood hut that protected him and kept his few provisions dry, but one day after scavenging for food he returned to find his hut afire.

What little he had was lost.

“God, how could you do this to me?” he called out in despair.

The next day he was stunned to see a ship approaching the island, coming to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” he stammered. “We saw your smoke signal,” they said.

The lesson of my correspondent’s story was obvious: It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart. God is always at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, the next time your own hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Working Matters JOANITA M. NELLENBACH Guest Columnist Joseph the Worker Everything is going well for you. You have a nice family and a good business that, while it isn’t making you rich, provides what you need. Then, one night you dream that to save your child you must immediately uproot your family and your business, move to a country about which you have no knowledge, and start over. You go.

A couple of years later you have another dream, this one telling you to return to your homeland and start over — again.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Joseph, worker and family man.

Easy enough for him to do all this, you say.

Joseph was a saint. Yes, but not until much later.

In Matthew and Luke’s gospels, Joseph worked to support his family and get along in the world.

I’m sure he didn’t think of himself as a saint, if he even knew what a saint was.

His neighbors didn’t see him — or his son — as holy. In fact, when Jesus’ teaching astonishes the hometown folks, they ask, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). That’s the only Scriptural mention of Joseph’s occupation. We know nothing about how he did his work or even if he liked being a carpenter (or “building contractor,” as some scholars think).

Yet we honor Joseph on May 1 as the patron saint of workers.

I see much about Joseph to emulate because of the way he lived his life.

First, there’s the idea that Joseph and his family had enough, but no more. We always hear about how poor the family was, but that doesn’t mean they lacked what they needed.

After all, when Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem for the census, they didn’t wind up in a stable because Joseph couldn’t pay for a room, but because all the rooms were already taken.

There was simply “no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

In a society without a middle class, a few were rich, but most were not. Joseph and his family were economically average for their time.

Then there’s how Joseph was open to hearing and doing God’s word, certainly a good way to conduct your whole life, including how you do your job or operate your business. Joseph is also the patron of interior souls, because he had developed this ability, something all of us can do. Augustinian Father Jim Vitali, in his homily at St. Margaret Church recently, said that we must all take time to quiet ourselves and listen to what God is saying to us.

I suspect that we don’t listen for God’s voice because we’re afraid God might tell us something we don’t want to hear. After all, look what Joseph had to do because he listened. He believed he was hearing God’s messenger, but how many of us would think that’s what we heard — unless we had learned to listen to and trust what God had to say to us.

I’m working on it, but I fear that I haven’t yet reached the point of total acceptance. If I had such a dream, at least my initial reaction would be, “I can’t go now, I’ve got work to do.” Or, “That couldn’t be what the dream really meant.” I’d want to be in control.

Yet, there’s much in life and in our work that we can’t control. I believe that Joseph knew that, so he got

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 26, 2002

Around the Di-

Parishioners explore church ministries, engage in

By JOANITA M. NELLENBACH Correspondent HENDERSONVILLE — Anna Grace Kelsch, 4 weeks old, made her ministerial “debut” at Immaculate Conception Church’s Ministry Fair April 14. While her parents, Frank and Jeni Kelsch, and her brothers Reece, 5, and Quinn, 3, manned the Evening Bible Study table, Anna Grace snoozed away in the arms of Anne Lilly, at the nearby Nursery Ministry table.

Nursery and Evening Bible Study were just two of the 33 ministries participating in the fair. Each ministry’s chair, or another heavily involved person, was at each table to explain the ministry. Parishioners had the opportunity to learn more about the ministries, discover ministries they didn’t know existed and to sign up to participate.

Loretta Franz decided to get involved with the Elijah Cup Ministry, which focuses on vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life.

“I think it’s so important to pray for vocations,” Franz said. “We need priests.

It’s so inspiring to know there are a whole lot of people involved in this.”

The cup used is the chalice Father John Salvas, Immaculate Conception’s parochial vicar, received from his father when he was ordained. After a Sunday Mass, Franz will take the cup and a prayer journal home for a week. During that time she will pray for vocations and will make a journal entry about her experience. At the end of the week, she’ll return the chalice and journal to the church so another household can participate.

The Ministry Fair was a project of the Family Life Ministry. “St. Joan of Arc (Church in Asheville) had one a couple of years ago,” said Karen Kater, who, along with Lilly, coordinated the project. “I brought it up to the parish council, and they said to go for it.”

“It’s for parish awareness,” Lilly said, “so the rest of the parish knows what their parish is up to. I think it really helps boost community. It brings us all together.”

ClassiEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Campus Minister: The Campus Ministry Department of the Diocese of Raleigh seeks to hire a person for a full-time position to serve as CAMPUS MINISTER AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, an historically Black College/University in Durham, NC. The successful candidate will be a prayerful person familiar with and dedicated to the principles of Empowered by the Spirit: A Pastoral Letter on Campus Ministry in the United States and What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization from the Black Bishops of the United States. The candidate should also demonstrate excellent leadership, organizational, administrative, and computer skills. Prior Campus Ministry experience is preferred but not required. Letters of Interest and Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled; submit to: NCCU Campus Minister Search, c/o 218 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

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Going for it meant meetings to plan the event. Ministry personnel spent about six weeks preparing for the fair, but setup in the church hall took just a couple of hours that Sunday morning.

Every ministry made its own display material.

At the fair, the Sunday Coffee Hour Ministry provided refreshments to parishioners as they browsed the various tables. People signed up for nearly every ministry.

At least five new volunteers will be involved in Faith Link, which works with other congregations in Henderson County to support and encourage people who are in Work First (welfare) and continues to mentor them when they leave Work First. The new volunteers are really “gung ho,” said Peg Costigan representing both the Faith Link and Interfaith Assistance ministries. “They’re thought was, ‘We’re new in this area, and we’ve been looking for something to get involved in.’”

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

Immaculate Conception Church Ministries Altar Care, Altar Servers, Baptism Preparation, Bible Study, Centering Prayer, Children’s Church, Education Commission, Elijah Cup, Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, Faith Formation, Faith Link, Family Ministry, Good Samaritans, Grocery Certificate Program, Grounds and Gardening, Hospitality, Immaculata Parent-Teacher Organization, Immaculate Conception Pastoral Council, Interfaith Assistance, Knights of Columbus, Music, Natural Family Planning Education, Nursery, Parish Finance Committee, Passion Play, Pastoral Ministry to the Sick and Homebound, RCIA, Secular Franciscan Order, Sunday Coffee Hour, Teen L.I.F.E, Ushers, Widow’s Coordinator of Religious Ed: Part-time. Oversee and direct all aspects of Faith Formation (K-12). Applicant must be practicing Catholic with experience in catechetics. Educational background desired. Contact Fr. Lawrence Heiney, Annunciation Church, Albemarle, NC 28001.

Phone: 704-982-2910. e-mail: annalbnc@vnet.net Director of Faith Formation: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church is a parish of 500 families looking for a professional minister to direct adult and teen faith formation. Master’s degree in Religious Studies or related field necessary. Please send resumes and salary requirements to Search Committee, 700 Carnegie St., Fayetteville, NC 28311.

Director of Youth Ministry: Growing parish of 1300 families in eastern NC seeks youth ministry director for established program. Candidates should be practicing Catholics with strong interpersonal skills, committed to youth and their formation. Primary focus: high school youth in areas of liturgy and spirituality, catechesis, outreach, and social activities.

Director serves as member of pastoral team. College graduates with at least 2 years’ experience as a youth minister or equivalent preferred. Salary and benefits commensurate with education and experience. Send resume and references to Sarah McPherson, St. Peter Catholic Church, 2700 East 4th St., Greenville, NC 27858, or mcpherson@greenvillenc.com

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

High School Coaches: Bishop McGuinness Catholic High in Kernersville, NC seeks to fill head coaching positions for: cross country; varsity boys’ soccer; varsity boys’ basketball; varsity girls’ basketball; jv boys’ basketball. Call Dennis Allen at (336)564-1020.

Nanny: for homeschooling family in Charlotte’s University Area. Slightly flexible schedule: 4-6 hours per day, 3-5 days per week. Experienced homemaker preferred. Call 704-453-6545.

Teachers: Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, located in Fairburn, Georgia, is seeking teachers in all disciplines for the 2002-2003 school year. Mercy offers an excellent teaching environment and well as competitive salary and benefits. Interested individuals should send resume and cover letter to: John Cobis, Our Lady of Mercy High School, 861 Highway

279, Fairburn, GA 30213.

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April 26, 2002

Sculptor, from page 1

It was in Greensboro that Nixon’s interest in woodcarving soared. Coming from a family of carpenters and cabinetmakers, he began to dabble with woodcarving. Having received a wood lathe from an uncle on his wife’s side, he decided to give back for what he received by making his aunt a walking stick decorated with vines.

His next project was a 6-foot tall Celtic staff. From there, all in his spare time was dedicated to carvings, some of which are on display at the Marshall Gallery in Greensboro.

Always mindful of his religious background, and believing that nothing should be taken without giving back, Nixon has taken his talent to Guilford Technical Community College, where he is a wood carving instructor.

It was only two months ago that he was contacted and commissioned to carve the peace pole. The school had been looking for a sculptor, and Nixon had been looking for a challenging project. “I think God had a lot to do with what happened,” said Shepard.

“I’ll be carving up to the last minute,” said Nixon before the unveiling.

“I’m my own worst critic. I want to give it my all.”

Although this project took away considerably from family life, Nixon’s wife was very supportive of his effort to complete the pole on time. On weekends and at night, she would take Ana to her grandmother’s house or keep her occupied so that he could work on his project.

Nonetheless, Nixon always found the time to eat together as a family and read Ana her bedtime stories.

Being very spiritual, Nixon researched the types of symbols used not only universally for peace, but, especially, those that are meaningful to Catholicism.

“I truly enjoyed the process — the challenges and the research involved,” he said. “I’m not only learning to carve the wood, but I’m learning about all that goes into it. The more I work with it, the more I discover about it.”

In following the advice of other woodcarving experts — “Let the wood tell you what to sculpt,” they told him — he decided to sculpt daisies where knots were located on the wood.

He soon discovered that daisies were the symbol of the innocence of the Christ child.

On the pole, Nixon carved the word for peace written in English, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Hebrew and Arabic. At its base is carved foliage to remind the viewer that this was once a living tree growing in a peaceful place.

On the next level up, Nixon has carved children holding hands and dancing around the pole — an idea contributed by his wife.

Scattered between the words of peace are a variety of peace symbols that include: a peace pipe with an olive branch and peace feathers (the Oklahoma state symbol); a crane (a Japanese symbol of peace, especially after Hiroshima); the anchor (a Christian symbol of hope and stability); dogwood (a symbol of the crucifixion of the King

Around the Diof Peace); a loon (a Northwest Native American peace symbol); and a dove with an olive branch (a Judeo-Christian symbol of peace).

At the top of the pole is a figure of a Native American woman releasing a dove with the world perched upon its wingtips. On the reverse side of this is the rising sun (symbolizing hope of a new day of peace). Just below the sunrise are two boys — one is stretching his arm up to reach the goal of peace, the second reaching down to help without touching, symbolizing that peace has not yet been achieved.

“It’s my own expression after Sept. 11 of what I want and feel,” said Nixon.

“It (the peace pole) has far exceeded

The Catholic News & Herald 15

our expectations,” said Shepard. “The details are what keep catching your eyes.

You see something new in there every time.”

After finishing the peace pole, Nixon said, “I’m really sorry that it is all over.

I’ve found my passion in life. It’s something that I truly enjoy.”

But the end of one project is just the beginning of another — Nixon now has several projects waiting for him, including one for firefighters and some for Our Lady of Grace Church.

“It’s a very special time,” said Nixon.

Paul Nixon, sculptor of the peace totem pole, with one of the 12 doves released at the International Peace Site dedication April 22.

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

April 26, 2002

Living the

Franciscan sister focuses on Hispanic planted early with my aunts who were

By ALESHA M. PRICE women religious, and it came to fruition Staff Writer in seventh- and eighth-grade.”

LENOIR — Franciscan Sister Linda To accomplish her goal, she began Scheckelhoff remembers the Hispanic attending St. Francis Convent School in migrant workers who came to her father’s Tiffin, Ohio, during her ninth- and 10th farm to help with the tomato picking seagrade years. Although she was fond of the son. She was not aware then that her early atmosphere, she felt as if she were missing association with the workers would lead out on some parts of her teen-age years. “I her to Hispanic Ministry later in her life as had some doubts if it (the sisterhood) was a woman religious. Sister Linda has been my vocation. I hadn’t had much contact the coordinator of Hispanic Ministry in the with boys and thought Boone Vicariate for the that I had better check past three years. some things out before “The exposure I had deciding what to do,” she as a child to Hispanics said. and seeing conditions She returned to her in which many of them hometown high school lived really drew me (to in Miller City, Ohio, and working with them),” graduated in 1965. She said Sister Linda who had made plans for colworked in rural areas of lege and decided to go on Mexico for 10 years. a retreat before classes Her desire to work began. Thoughts of the with people of Hispanic religious life began to descent was as strong as fill her head again, and her desire to become a she decided to enter the woman religious when Sisters of St. Francis she was younger. She was Franciscan Sister convent. After nine years, surrounded by dedicated Linda Scheckelhoff she professed her final Catholics and saw posivows in 1974, during tive examples of women which time she earned religious and priests in her bachelor’s degree and was in the her extended family. Her mother was also throes of Vatican II changes. an influence on her spiritual life.

“We wore brown habits with black After her father passed away, her veils, and the only thing that showed was mother rented out the farm to her uncle, and our face and hands. I still remember the young Scheckelhoff assumed some of the day when we removed the coif — the hoodcare taking duties while her mother went to shaped cap worn beneath the veil,” said work to support her six children.

Sister Linda who was attending Madonna “My mother was a real model of College in Livonia, Mich., at the time. “We faith with all she went through. She came down for dinner together, and everywas a real hope-filled and faith-filled one was staring. I was glad when we got rid woman,” she said. of them because they were uncomfortable School also provided a source of and hot.” faith for Scheckelhoff. Her seventh- and She had been teaching for several years eighth-grade teacher, a Sister of St. and had realized that her calling was in misFrancis, was a role model for the young sionary work. The community had begun Catholic. “Sister Joan of Arc’s whole way sending sisters to Mexico to work in several of being and her faithfulness to the Lord areas, and Sister Linda was eager to accept drew me to religious life,” said Sister the challenge. A scouting mission led to her Linda. “The seed for a vocation had been

realization that working with Hispanics was what she was meant to do. She worked with priests and other religious, including her cousin, Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, now the diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry.

“We struggled with being able to speak to people and tried to adapt to the culture. It was a real shock adjusting to the poverty, boiling water, traveling by horseback and crossing rivers without bridges,” she said. “We lived very simply, but we enjoyed it.”

Her ministry included visiting families, coordinating religious programs including sacramental preparation and Bible study.

“The people were very supportive, welcoming and hospitable. What impressed me most was their deep faith lives amidst poverty and injustice,” said Sister Linda, who worked in and around Chiapas, Mexico, until 1988. “My experience in Mexico touched my life because it helped me to grow as a person and opened my mind to a whole new world.”

Returning to the States did not mean the end of her work with Hispanic Ministry.

She was aware of the growth of the Hispanic community in her own country. She served at a parish in Indiana for three years before

coming to the Diocese of Charlotte in 1992.

Sister Andrea needed her cousin’s help with Catholics in the Yadkinville and Dobson areas.

Sister Linda began working specifically with the congregation of Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus) Church in Dobson even before it became a parish. She focused on sacramental preparation, youth ministry, leadership formation and liturgical work.

In 1999 Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty, former diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry, asked Sister Linda to work on a diocesan level. With her office in her home in Lenoir, she travels among five parishes in six counties stretching into the steep mountain ranges around Boone and Jefferson.

“It is a lot of hard work, and sometimes, it’s hard to get a hold on it. I want to establish lay leadership in parishes, and there is a core group in each parish who I am training to work in different areas of ministry,” said Sister Linda. “(My work) has given me new eyes to see the world and see my role in church as a woman religious and as a missionary.”