April 27, 2007

April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Douglas Kmiec discusses partial-birth abortion ban; Father Aurilia reveals the ‘After-Easter Syndrome’

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI April 27, 2007

Two faiths, common ground

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

Charlotte Catholic students construct Habitat house by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Photo by Karen A. Evans

CHARLOTTE — When members of Charlotte Catholic High School’s Class of 2007 want to see the legacy they have left as their class gift, they’ll have to travel several miles from their former school to see it.

“We figured that our school has so much already, why not give something to the community?” said Paige Heskamp, vice president of the senior council at Charlotte Catholic.

When it came time to choose a class gift, the students decided not to contribute something to their school, but rather to their community, and to one family in particular.

The class worked hard

Jackie Martin and Rachel Day, seniors at Charlotte Catholic High School, work on the roof of a Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte April 20. The Class of 2007 also has raised more than $46,000 for the construction of the house, their class gift.

See HOUSE, page 5

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER correspondent

B R E VA R D — O n e Catholic parish in the Diocese of Charlotte has a unique relationship with its Jewish brothers and sisters.

On Friday nights, Sacred Heart Church in Brevard opens its doors to become home to the Brevard Jewish Community in Transylvania County.

The gesture is about reaching out and sharing with those in need.

“Being a Catholic in North Carolina can be difficult,” said Father Carl Del Giudice, pastor of Sacred Heart Church.

“I have had doors closed in See FAITHS, page 7

no. 27

Building a lasting legacy

Catholic parish shares church with Jewish community by

vOLUME 16

Grace over sin

Vatican commission: Limbo reflects ‘restrictive view of salvation’

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

CNS photo by Bob Roller

A figure of a child angel sits atop a headstone in a Washington, D.C., cemetery. In a newly published document, the Vatican’s International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without baptism go to heaven.

VAT I C A N C I T Y — After several years of study, the Vatican’s International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without being baptized go to heaven.

In a document published April 20, the commission said the traditional concept of limbo — a place where unbaptized

infants spend eternity without communion with God — seemed to reflect an “unduly restrictive view of salvation.”

The church continues to teach that, because of original sin, baptism is the ordinary way of salvation for all people and urges parents to baptize infants, the document said.

Bu t there is gr eater See LIMBO, page 9

Polling Catholics

Survey checks Catholic attitudes on immigration, terrorism, bishops

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — A majority of Catholics in a nationwide telephone poll said the United States should begin a program to give undocumented immigrants an opportunity to See POLL, page 8

Youths in Action

Culture Watch

In Our Schools

Students perform musicals, concerts; youths find Jesus

Social justice in books; Vatican releases DVDs

Sacrifices for needy kids; award winners

| Pages 4-5

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 12-13

April 27, 2007

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Pro-life protestors

CNS photo by Daniel Aguilar

Nuns hold pro-life signs during an anti-abortion march in Mexico City April 22. The demonstration took place as Mexico City’s leftist-controlled assembly was due to vote on easing restrictions on abortion, which was only permitted when a woman had been raped, or when pregnancy endangered the mother’s life. The Catholic Church has been involved in efforts to derail the legislation.

Despite Catholic opposition, Mexico City passes abortion bill MEXICO CITY (CNS) — Despite an intense opposition campaign by the Catholic Church, the Mexico City Assembly has approved an initiative legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Following a heated session April 24, the legislature voted in favor of the new law, which will allow hospitals run by the city government to provide abortions.

The bill will become law when it is signed by the mayor.

Outside the Assembly, on the streets of Mexico City, supporters and opponents of the measure faced off, separated only by a thin row of riot police.

Waving banners and chanting, opponents of abortion vowed to find new ways to defeat the bill, which has put Mexico City, the nation’s capital, on the short list of places in Latin America where abortions are allowed — along with Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guyana.

“We will continue fighting to prevent this,” said Ivan Manjarez, a former Mexico City legislator with the conservative National Action Party (NAP), which opposes abortion. “You cannot take away the rights of those who are weakest.”

Currently, abortions are only allowed in cases of rape or serious birth defects or when the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life. Doctors who perform unauthorized abortions, as well as the mothers who hire them, can be jailed for up to 5 years.

Supporters of the bill say the prohibition has resulted in hundreds of thousands of clandestine abortions across the country, often carried out in unsafe conditions. Federal health officials recorded 88 deaths in 2006 due to botched abortions; some organizations

claim this figure is much higher.

NAP, which historically has strong ties to the Catholic Church, says it plans to challenge the measure before the Supreme Court, arguing the law violates Mexico’s Constitution.

However, the party’s minority status in the Mexico City Assembly may hinder this effort: It controls 17 of the chamber’s 66 seats.

A constitutional challenge requires at least one-third of the chamber’s support — 22 signatures — and NAP has been hard-pressed to find help from rival parties on the issue.

Members of the party say that if the constitutional challenge fails they will file a complaint with the federal attorney general’s office and seek other legal avenues to derail the measure.

Civic groups are also attempting to force a citywide referendum on the issue.

On April 23, the Mexican College of Catholic Lawyers presented a petition, signed by 36,000 capital residents, demanding a special vote on the law.

Pope Benedict XVI recently entered the fray, condemning the measure in a statement released by the Mexican bishops’ conference April 20.

“The pope unites with the church of Mexico and countless others of good will who are worried by the Mexico City law that threatens the lives of unborn children,” the statement read.

Public opinion polls on abortion reveal sharp divisions among Mexicans.

A survey conducted April 21 by the Mexico City daily Reforma shows that a slim majority of city residents — 53 percent — approve the decriminalization of abortion. Outside Mexico City, 59 percent of those polled disapproved of the initiative.

Health workers must argue for moral system, says leading U.S. doctor ROME (CNS) — Health professionals need to band together to “argue for a morally valid and just” health care system, said a prominent U.S. Catholic physician.

“We as health professionals have enormous moral power, and we’re not using it. By that I mean we’re not alerting our society to what’s happening to patients and saying that we feel it needs to be improved,” said Edmund Pellegrino, a longtime leader in developing bioethical standards based on Catholic values.

He also is chairman of the U.S. President’s Council on Bioethics.

In an April 20 talk at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University in Rome, the former president of The Catholic University of America spoke on “Justice and Fairness in Health Care” as part of his weeklong series of lectures sponsored by the university’s bioethics department.

The number of Americans without health care coverage is on the rise; as of 2004 approximately 45.8 million people were uninsured, according to the

Diocesan planner ASHEVILLE VICARIATE MAGGIE VALLEY — Father John Vianney Hoover will present “The History of the Catholic Church in North Carolina” at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, 103 Living Waters Ln., May 5, 9:30-3 p.m.

For reservations and more information, call Brother Bill Harkin at (828) 926-3833.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East., will have a Holy Hour, Rosary and Benediction for an end to abortion and all the culture of death following the vigil Mass April 28, 6:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, call the church office at (704) 334-2283.

CHARLOTTE — Dominican Sister Jane Dominic Laurel will speak on “Growing in Holiness through Being a Faithful Spouse and Parent” at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., May 4 at 7:30 p.m. There is no fee but RSVP to renee@catholicscripturestudy.com.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., hosts a First Friday Women’s Retreat, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Room 239 of the New Life Center, following the 9 a.m. Mass. The program for May 4 will be “The Sacred Vocation of Motherhood.”

For more information, call Marie Grzeskiewicz at (704) 542-9748.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, is hosting a “Community Shred” May 5, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime

U.S. Census Bureau.

But insured or not, people are not getting the kind of health care they need, Pellegrino said. Although policymakers talk about various ways to improve health care, he said, no system will be adequate unless it is tackled as an ethical or moral problem, not just an economic or political one.

“It’s a fact that certain members of our society become sick, old, and frail ... and you can judge the quality of a society by how they treat their sick, old, frail and dying” members, including foreigners, he said.

People need to decide whether health care is a right, a privilege, a commodity or a moral obligation of a good society, he said.

In the United States, health care is treated as a commodity or a product or service that can be bought or sold for the highest price the market can bear “and that ‘virus’ is being spread to the rest of the world,” he said. in the U.S., according to the FBI; shredding personal documents is one way to help stop it.

Everyone is encouraged to bring personal and confidential documents to the church, where PROSHRED Security will destroy them. For more information, call the church office at (704) 543-7677.

CHARLOTTE — New Creation Monastery invites you for vespers May 5 at 4 p.m. Mass will be celebrated May 6 at 10 a.m., and Sunday vespers will be sung at 5 p.m. New Creation Monastery is located in uptown Charlotte at 1309 Duncan Gardens Dr. Call Father John Vianney Hoover at (704) 344-0934 if you plan to attend.

CHARLOTTE — Recharge with St. Peter Church’s weekday lunchtime spirituality program, 12-12:45 p.m. in the St. Peter’s Annex, 507 S. Tryon St. The program for May 10 will be “Meeting God through Centering Prayer.” Bring your lunch, hear a short talk on spirituality and participate in a short prayer session — a great way to recharge during the workweek. Sessions are free and everyone is invited. For more information, call the church office at (704) 332-2901.

CHARLOTTE — Father Tad Pacholczyk, Ph.D., will present “Stem Cells and Cloning: Understanding the Scientific Issues and the Moral Objections” May 12, 8:45-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St. Father Pacholczyk holds undergraduate degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry and a doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University. Parking in The Green and admission are free, but seating is limited. To pre-register, e-mail stemcell@juno.com or call (803) 517-2600 or (704) 332-2901. For more details, visit www.stpeterscatholic.org.

CHARLOTTE — The Semi-annual Rosary Rally will be held May 20 at 3 p.m. at

APRIL 27, 2007 Volume 16 • Number 27

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic DESIGNER: Tim Faragher Advertising MANAGER: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope meets Palestinian leader with honors given to head of state VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With all the honors usually given to a head of state, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican.

During their private meeting April 24, the two leaders “reviewed the situation in the Middle East,” said a Vatican statement, which hailed efforts to restart the IsraeliPalestinian peace process.

It also said that in Abbas’ meetings with the pope and with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, the situation within the Palestinian territories, including “the difficulties Catholics face and the value of their contribution to that society,” was discussed.

Cardinal Bertone told reporters later that the Vatican hoped recent changes within the Palestinian government and between Israeli and Palestinian leaders “would bear fruit” and lead to peace.

He also said he and the pope told Abbas that the Christian community in the Holy Land needs protection and

assistance “to prevent an exodus because their presence is a witness to the origins of Christianity” and to the fact that Christians, Muslims and Jews can live together in peace.

Cardinal Bertone said the Catholic Church, especially through its schools that accept both Christian and Muslim students, is providing Palestinians with a value-based education that “is very important for the development of peace in the region.”

Although the Palestinians do not yet have a state, the Vatican followed its protocol for a visiting head of state. Abbas and his delegation were visiting Italy and other European countries in an attempt to convince them to resume direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. The aid was frozen after Palestinian elections in 2006 brought Hamas, a militant group, to power.

On March 18 Abbas swore into office members of a new government representing both Hamas and Fatah, a moderate party.

St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East.

This 33-year-old tradition will include recitation of the rosary, a eucharistic procession and Benediction. For more information, call Tina at (704) 846-7361.

of workshops for women called Wisdom of Women. Sessions will be held on the first Thursday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m. in the parish center. For more information or to register call Lucy Wellmaker at (336) 632-1940 or e-mail coachw@lucywellmaker.com.

GREENSBORO — All practicing Catholic women of Irish birth or descent, or who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, are invited to participate in The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, a social, cultural and charitable group for an ongoing series of fun and informative activities.

LAOH will meet May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kloster Center of St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. Please join us for refreshments and to learn more about our group. Any questions can be directed to Mary Driscoll at (336) 785-0693.

GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will host a luncheon May 23 at the Cardinal Country Club beginning at 11:30 a.m. The program will feature a performance by the Scottish Country Dancers. For more information, call Carmen Wood at (336) 545-9266.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — An adult faith formation series, “The Church and Human Sexuality,” will meet Tuesdays through May 22, 7:30-9:00 p.m., at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St. Topics will include the theology of creation and of the body, the sacrament and sacramentality of marriage, the sexuality of single life, the church and homosexuality and God is love. Presentations are based on and include Scripture, the lives of the saints, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings and teachings of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. No fees or pre-registration needed.

For more information, call Dennis TeallFleming at (704) 825-9600, ext. 26 or e-mail teallfleming@yahoo.com.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s, 30s and 40s, is a casual forum where people gather to learn and discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church.

ToT will meet Wednesdays through May 9, at 6:45 p.m. at Logan’s Roadhouse, 1300 Bridford Pkwy. For more informatiom, e-mail greensborotot@yahoo.com, visit www.triadcatholics.org or call Deb at (336) 286-3687.

GREENSBORO — The Reemployment Support Group of St. Paul the Apostle Church will meet May 3, 7:30-9 p.m., in Room 8 of the Parish Life Center, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. If you are currently out of work or looking to make a career change, join us for encouragement, support and informative topics to help you in your job search. For more information, call Colleen Assal at (336) 294-4696, ext. 226.

GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Church and School, 2210 N. Elm St., are sponsoring a series

Episcopal

calendar

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE KING —Good Shepherd Mission, 105 Good Shepherd Dr. at Kirby Road, will celebrate its 25th Anniversary June 10 during the 12 p.m.

Mass. All former parishioners are invited to attend the Mass and reception. Please e-mail historical pictures and stories to Lance Kull at lancekull@hotmail.com by May 5. For more information, call (336) 972-5934.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date (Fridays). Submit in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

April 28 — 10:30 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Church, Newton

April 29 — 10 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Trinity Church, Taylorsville

April 28 — 5:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis Church, Lenoir

April 30 LARCUM Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

Vatican official compares evil of abortion to suicide attacks

ROME (CNS) — Abortion, which leads to the deaths of innocent humans, is just as evil as killing innocent bystanders in a suicide attack, said the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Some evil, like the shootings at Virginia Tech, are obvious and visible, said Archbishop Angelo Amato in an April 23 speech on terrorism and evil.

“To the daily ration of evil” reported in the news, there must be added the evil that remains almost invisible and usually is presented “as an expression of the ‘progress’ of humanity,” the archbishop told a Vatican-sponsored seminar for airport chaplains.

As examples of evil presented as progress, Archbishop Amato cited “abortion clinics, authentic slaughterhouses of budding human beings” or “the laboratories where, for example, RU-486, the morning-after pill, is made or where human embryos are manipulated as if they were simply biological material.”

Evil also is present “in the parliaments of so-called ‘civil’ nations where they promulgate laws contrary to the nature of the human person, like the approval of

marriages between persons of the same sex or euthanasia,” he said.

The archbishop described this phenomenon as “’terrorism with a human face,’ which also occurs daily and is equally repugnant” with the actions of a suicide bomber. It often is masked with “expressions that hide the tragic reality of the facts.

“For example, abortion is called (the) ‘voluntary interruption of a pregnancy’ and not the killing of a defenseless human being.”

In every generation, he said, people continue to commit acts of evil with disastrous results.

“In fact, despite progress in every field, despite the conquests of science, the existence of evil behaviors remains stable: wars, hatred, killings, betrayals, abuses, injustice and conflicts,” he said.

“Evil today,” he said, “is not only the action of individuals or welldefined groups, but comes from dark centers, laboratories of false opinions, anonymous powers that pound our minds with false messages, judging as ridiculous and retrograde behavior conforming to the Gospel.”

Students near, far remember the fallen

Courtesy photo by Casey Corser

The school spirit rock at St. Matthew School in Charlotte was recently painted by fifthgraders to pay tribute to the victims at Virginia Tech, the site of the April 16 shooting that left 33 dead, including the student gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, who took his own life. The fifth-graders wrote the names of the victims and gunman, as well as personal messages of love and hope, on the rock.

Elsewhere in the Diocese of Charlotte, students at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville and Belmont Abbey College in Belmont gathered for memorial services to pray for the victims and their families. Bishop McGuinness has three alumni who are currently students at Virginia Tech. All are fine, the school said.

Ruth Payne, Belmont Abbey’s campus ministry director, hoped the prayers, singing and Scripture readings at the April 17 vigil would have a positive effect for everyone involved.

Catholic students from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., signed a poster April 19 to send to Virginia Tech as a sign of love and encouragement. Father Peter Nasetta, campus minister, preached words of hope and healing during the April 19 memorial Mass at St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel at George Mason.

“How can you make sense of what you can’t make sense of?” Father Nasetta said in his homily. “Questions persist.”

But, Father Nasetta said, another senseless act was for God to take human form as his Son, to take on the world’s sufferings and ultimately to die to save humanity.

“Out of love for us, God chooses to become one of us and then die for us,” he said.

“God’s love is mysterious. The way our God works is hard to understand.”

Diocesan requirements for reporting ministry-related sexual abuse of a minor 1. Any individual having actual knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect an incident of ministry-related sexual abuse is to immediately report the incident to the Chancery.

2. The Chancery will then report the incident to the proper civil authorities. The individual reporting the incident to the Chancery will be notified of the particulars regarding the Chancery’s filing of the incident with civil authorities.

3. This reporting requirement is not intended to supersede the right of an individual to make a report to civil authority, but is to ensure proper, complete and timely reporting. Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authority, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 27, 2007

youths in action

Middle school youths get to know Jesus better at daylong event

Broadway comes to Kernersville

Youths participate in lectures, games, music that nourish ‘their need for action’ MORGANTON — Youths from around the Diocese of Charlotte recently got to know Jesus a little better.

Approximately 130 youths attended Extreme Faith 2007, the annual middle school youth day, this year themed “To Know Jesus Christ.” The daylong event, sponsored by the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry, was held at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton March 17.

“We appeal to the spiritual, physical and social needs of this unique age,” said Peg Ruble, associate director of youth ministry.

“We offer a day with prayer and workshops that focus on their faith experience, and activity that nourishes their need for action,” she said.

Workshops included a variety of topics, presented in unique ways.

“One workshop focused on making moral choices that could result in receiving a chocolate pudding mess or a Klondike bar,” said Ruble.

“Two workshops focused on music, one traditional with an organ and the other with acoustic guitar,” she said.

“One workshop invited the youths to meditate on the prayer of St. Patrick and then to create a flower pot to hold their shamrock plant. They were asked to surround the pot with images of Christ,” said Ruble.

Two other workshops dealt with the youths’ questions regarding the opposite sex and how God presents us with the tools to choose their relationships with love.

Extreme Faith also featured games and music provided by musicians from Belmont Abbey College.

Courtesy Photo

Pictured is the cast of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” performed by students of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville.

‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ another hit for Bishop McGuinness

Courtesy Photo

Middle school youths play games during Extreme Faith 2007 at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton March 17.

Ministers build ‘web’ of prayer, support HICKORY — Approximately 25 ministers involved in youth, young adult and campus ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte recently took part in “Charlotte’s Web,” a ministry enrichment and network retreat.

The retreat, designed to build “a web of prayer, support and collaborative fellowship,” was held at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory March 22-23. The event was sponsored by the diocesan offices of youth, young adult and campus ministries.

Tom Zanzig, a freelance writer, trainer, retreat director and speaker on adult faith formation and spirituality, led the retreat reflecting on the topic, “The Rhythms of Life.”

In addition to Zangig’s topic, Charlotte’s Web also included prayer, reflection, sharing and social time.

Zanzig also spoke about adult education during a parish catechetical leader in-service program at the Catholic Conference Center March 22.

KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville, increasingly well-known for the quality of its musical and drama productions in recent years, once again proved that talent, hard work and dedication make a show successful.

The stage production of the Broadway musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” was presented at the High Point Theatre March 8-10. The show was the largest production ever put on stage at the theater.

“This was the finest production in the school’s history, a real showcase for the extraordinary talents of our students with interest in the performing arts,” said Principal George Repass.

“Our quest for excellence in this area has been one of our highest priorities in recent years, and the exceptional product yielded by this project is real proof of the success of that effort,” he said. “We are all extremely proud.”

Courtesy Photo

Speaker Tom Zanzig (second from left) is pictured with employees of the Diocese of Charlotte during “Charlotte’s Web” at the Catholic Conference Center March 23. Also pictured (from left): Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart Eileen Spanier, director of diocesan young adult ministry; Zanzig; Paul Kotlowski, director of diocesan youth ministry; Mary Wright, director of diocesan campus ministry; Kay Jordan, assistant in campus and young adult ministry; and Peg Ruble, associate director of youth ministry.

After acquiring the rights to the show last year, the school began a well-orchestrated journey of intensive singing and dancing rehearsals. The show was directed by Micki Sharpe, a Philadelphia-based professional actress member of the Actors Equity Association, who has performance experience in both Philadelphia and New York.

Sharpe also served as director and choreographer for the show, while Sister of St. Joseph Anne Thomas Taylor, dean of students, was the show’s producer. The cast was composed of 30 students and the orchestra had 28 musicians.

To upgrade the look and feel of the show, Bishop McGuinness acquired professional sets from Kansas an d p r o f e s s io n al co s tu m es f r o m Florida. Dr. Alan Hirsh, head of the school’s music program, orchestrated the score for the production and conducted the student orchestra.

April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 5

youths in action

Charlotte Catholic students construct Habitat house HOUSE, from page 1

Courtesy Photo

Band members from Charlotte Catholic High School perform at St. Patrick Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, in March.

Charlotte Catholic bands perform in Ireland CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Catholic High School bands recently performed several concerts in Galway and Dublin as part of the “Ireland Tour” in conjunction with the 2007 St. Patrick’s Day Festival.

Charlotte Catholic’s concert and symphonic bands, under the direction of Matthew Smith, were invited by the Lord Mayor of Dublin to perform public concerts at St. Nicholas Church in Galway

and St. Patrick Cathedral in Dublin.

In addition, Charlotte Catholic’s “Marching Cougars” represented the United States in the St. Patrick’s Day Festival Parade before an estimated crowd of 650,000 people.

The 100-member organization was accompanied by 34 parents for the weeklong performance tour, sightseeing and visits to several historical and educational venues.

to raise the $60,000 necessary to build a Habitat for Humanity house.

Contributions came from fundraising events as well as from Charlotte Catholic students and their families. As of April 20, more than $46,000 had been collected.

Of the 280 students in the senior class, about 200 had donated money for the project, and nearly all had signed up to work on the house, located in north Charlotte. A Montagnard family with two young daughters, and a third child expected in a few months, will occupy the house.

The project is being spearheaded by Jessica Green, president of the senior council.

“It’s a really nice idea, but it takes a lot more work than I ever would have imagined,” said Green, who estimated she spends about an hour each day on the Habitat project.

Still, “it’s a dream come true for a lot of us to see the house being built,” she said.

Even though their gift won’t be seen by many future Charlotte Catholic students, the seniors are still excited and proud of the project.

“It’s great to do something for the community,” said senior Michelle Krause.

Generally, senior classes raise between $2,000 and $3,000 for their gifts, said Jerry Healy, principal. Past gifts have included scholarships, podiums and flag stands.

“The scope of this gift is totally out of the realm of what I imagined was possible,” he said.

“This project shows how unique our class is,” Green said. “Everyone is so excited — you really see your progress and your hard work.”

While many schools have donated money to Habitat for Humanity, Charlotte Catholic administrators have allowed students to miss classes in order to spend time building the house, Green said.

Students have signed up to work on the house Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for the next three months.

A typical Habitat for Humanity

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Jake Wiesehan, a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School, hammers studs to the frame of a Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte April 20. house takes 13 weeks to complete.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing organization. Since 1976, Habitat has built more than 225,000 houses, providing shelter for more than 1 million people. Now at work in 100 countries, Habitat builds a house every 26 minutes.

Homeowner families are chosen according to their need, their ability to repay the mortgage and their willingness to work in partnership with Habitat.

The organization does not discriminate according to race, religion or ethnic group.

Volunteer builders install framing, roof decking, insulation, drywall, exterior siding and paint. Professional subcontractors are hired to complete heating, air conditioning and electrical work; to pour concrete; and to lay floor covering.

“We’re always giving money, but we rarely get to see what it does,” said student Michael Troy. “Here, we get to see it and help the people our money is going to.”

“This project is a testimony to this class’s willingness to serve their community,” said Healy. “It’s also a testimony to the values instilled by their parents and fostered at Charlotte Catholic.”

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

6 The Catholic News & Herald

Divine designs

April 27, 2007

around the diocese

Racing in Mocksville

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Members of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville participate with 250 runners from throughout North Carolina and nearby states in the parish’s 19th annual Shamrock Run, Walk and Tots Trot March 10. The Shamrock Run is a longstanding Mocksville tradition, as many community organizations, including the YMCA and Mocksville Runners Club, help with the event, which consists of a 10K and 5K run, and “Tots Trot” for children. The parish donates part of the proceeds to a charity in Davie County.

Pictured is the new tabernacle at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, designed by area Catholics and dedicated in March.

Catholics build new tabernacle for St. Paul the Apostle Church GREENSBORO — An area church now has a brand new tabernacle, thanks to the efforts of some talented Catholics.

In late 2006, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father William Ruhl, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, approached parishioner Tony Simone and asked him to build a new tabernacle for the church.

Father Ruhl’s requirements were that the new tabernacle be set into the wall behind the altar and include a second double door in the front.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent apostolic exhortation, “Sacramentum Caritatis” (“The Sacrament of Charity”), encouraged parishes to have the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament “readily visible to everyone entering the church.”

Within several weeks of their meeting, Simone presented blueprints for inspection, which were approved by Father Ruhl and Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Father Paul Dechant, parochial vicar.

“The only problem seemed to be finding a fitting design for the front doors of the tabernacle. Nothing seemed to fit just right,” said Simone.

That week in December 2006, The Catholic News & Herald ran a story about woodcarver Paul Nixon, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, who sculpted a cane with religious imagery for a man who had a severly deformed arthritic hand.

“The timing of the story was a stroke of luck,” said Simone.

Simone called and then met with Nixon, who was interested in helping. A few weeks later, Nixon presented some artistic suggestions to Simone, who brought them to Father Ruhl. Approval was quickly granted on a design and work proceeded.

The new tabernacle was dedicated by Father Dechant during Mass March 24.

The tabernacle is made of oak and brass with a marble base interior and a shelf in the front. It has a rear door so that extraordinary ministers of holy Communion can access the interior without going to the front of the tabernacle.

The front has two sets of two doors —the outer set holds the decorative panels that were carved by Nixon; the inner set gives access to the interior of the tabernacle.

The left panel design consists of a dripping candle surrounded with wheat and grapes; the right panel has a chalice surrounded with wheat and grapes with rays of light coming from the symbol of the Eucharist.

Attention Readers!

Have a Story to Share?

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

If so, please share them with us. Contact Staff Writer Karen Evans at (704) 370-3354 or kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

April 27, 2007

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 7

“In this church, two faith communities come together.”

Catholic parish shares church with Jewish community FAITHS, from page 1

my face due to ignorance and a lack of understanding about what it means to be a child of the Lord. It is my task to lead people to the Almighty, have people find God,” he said.

The relationship between Catholics and Jews began in 2001, when Father Del Giudice was approached by Pat and Jay White of the Jewish community’s board of directors. Father Del Giudice said “yes” to the proposal without hesitation, receiving the overall approval of the parish.

“In this church, two faith communities come together,” said Father Del Giudice.

“It provides a place; they have a home.”

“Now they can’t get rid of us,” joked Marvin Barg, who co-serves with Norman Bossert as cantor and lay leader

for the Jewish Shabbat (Sabbath) services held on Friday nights in the church.

There are approximately 150 Jewish families on the mailing list, which includes anyone who attends a service or requests to be added to the list, according to Sue Curtis, editor of the community’s newsletter and board secretary.

“The community has a small nucleus of about 20,” said Curtis.

Despite the differences in their faiths, the respect between the two faith communities is apparent in the interaction of the various members.

“We exchange greetings for the holidays, to wish ‘Happy Hanukkah’ and to be wished ‘Merry Christmas,’” said Father Del Giudice. “(We) acknowledge the sacred seasons we celebrate with a genuine greeting and authentic recognition of each other’s belief.”

“I was surprised at the interest from the people in the Catholic church about our faith and the acceptance for the Jewish faith,” said Curtis.

That interest led members of the two faiths to share more than a building.

“We’ve shared a number of events.

When we share the Seder, it has been a learning experience — and a good one,” said Barg.

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

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

“At the (parish) memorial service held for Pope John Paul II (in April 2005), Norman and Marvin spoke and told the story of a young Jewish boy adopted by Christians in Poland,” said

Photo by Kathleen Healy Schmieder

Marvin Barg and Sue Curtis, members of the Brevard Jewish Community, and Father Carl Del Giudice, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, are pictured with a torah kept in the Catholic church in Brevard.

Father Del Giudice.

“The family went to their priest, Karl Wojtyla, and asked if they should raise him as a Catholic. Wojtyla told them they should allow him to learn his faith and be a part of his people,” recalled Father Del Giudice.

“They said the Mourners Kaddish (Sanctification) for the pope. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church,” he said.

If there is a lesson to be learned from the unity found between the Catholic and Jewish communities in Brevard, it can be seen in the reverence paid to the beliefs and traditions of each faith.

A cross hangs in the church study, the craftsmanship of two members of the Jewish community and given as a gift to the pastor. For the last several months, the Ark of the Covenant has stood in the

same study, housing the Torah.

“People come to the spirit for the same reasons; when you peel back the cover we are looking for the same things — understanding, faith, a desire for peace, love and spirituality,” said Curtis.

“Though we have fundamental theological differences, we share a great deal in common in our ethical faith,” said Barg. “What we have in common outweighs the differences.

What we have here goes beyond bricks and mortar.”

“This is a great experience of faiths building bridges rather than putting up walls,” said Curtis.

“We talk about fellowship and friendship, brotherhood and sisterhood,” said Father Del Giudice. “It’s easy to say, but another thing to put it into action.”

8 The Catholic News & Herald

from the cover

April 27, 2007

Survey checks Catholic attitudes on immigration, terrorism, bishops POLL, from page 1

earn permanent residency.

The poll also showed that more than 80 percent of those interviewed believed world economic problems, religious intolerance, world political instability and the history of conflict in the Middle East led to terrorism.

The Contemporary Catholic Trends poll, taken every six months by LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., and the Zogby International polling firm, also showed that 70 percent either somewhat agree or strongly agree that the U.S. bishops are doing a good job leading the church.

The figure is down from 71 percent in a poll taken last fall. The poll results were issued April 4.

Catholic attitudes on how well the bishops are doing their job seem to have a bearing on how Catholics responded to other questions in the poll. While 55 percent favored a plan to give permanent residency to undocumented immigrants, support was higher among those who think the bishops are doing a good job than among those who do not believe the bishops are doing a good job.

On a separate question, whether the U.S. government should reduce income differences between rich and poor, 50 percent of Catholics polled said the government should reduce income differences, while 45 percent disagreed; another 5 percent had no opinion.

But support was higher for this idea — 52 percent — among those who believe the bishops are doing a good job. Conversely, the question gained the support of only 42 percent who thought the bishops were not doing a good job.

Both local pastors and Pope Benedict XVI scored higher approval ratings, 86 percent for each. But 68 percent of those polled strongly agreed their pastor was doing a good job, compared to 47 percent who strongly agreed the pope was doing a good job.

Asked whether the church was stronger or weaker since news of the clergy sex abuse scandals broke five years ago, 41 percent said the church is weaker, 31 percent felt there had been

no change, and 23 percent believed it is stronger.

But among those who follow the news of the U.S. bishops, a plurality of respondents felt the church had grown stronger, but that figure was still less than 40 percent.

Among those who feel the church is weaker after the scandals, a higher percentage, 48 percent, believe so if they were aware of a sex abuse allegation in their diocese. Support for the U.S. bishops’ leadership is stronger among those unaware of clergy sex abuse allegations in their diocese, although Catholics by a 3-to-2 margin approved of the bishops’ leadership even if they were aware of an abuse allegation.

The bishops enjoyed an 83 percent approval rating in the first Contemporary Catholic Trends poll in fall 2001. It dropped to a low of 58 percent in spring 2004 and had reached a 71 percent approval rating last fall before this spring’s slight dip.

The poll consisted of phone interviews March 14-16 with 1,522 Catholics chosen nationwide from a Zogby-compiled database of selfidentified Catholics from previous polls.

The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

The poll also revealed that 59 percent felt religion does not currently have enough influence in public life, while 15 percent said it had too much sway; another 23 percent said religion had the right amount of influence.

The numbers prompted an April 4 statement from William Donohue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, saying the data on religion’s influence in public life have “deep ramifications” for presidential hopefuls.

“Protestants can be counted on to vote for the Republican nominee and Jews can be counted on to vote for the Democratic candidate. Catholics, on the other hand, have been in flux for the past few decades, and whoever wins their vote wins the White House,” Donohue said.

“The results of this latest poll suggest that Catholic voters will be most responsive to those candidates who support a more public role for religion,” he said.

Sisters of Mercy join Catholic immigration advocates at Hill to push for reform bill

WASHINGTON — Mercy Sister Linda Werthman of Silver Spring, Md., represented the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas during the April 17-19 Justice for Immigrants national gathering organized by the U.S. Catholic bishops’ migration awareness campaign of the same name.

After a day and a half of briefings and strategizing with advocates who work on immigration every day, activists from more than 66 dioceses took their campaign for immigration reform to Capitol Hill April 19.

Sister Werthman said the Sisters of

Mercy support House bill H.R. 1645, also known as the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy, or STRIVE, Act. As of mid-April, H.R. 1645, had the backing — at least as a starting point — of many in a vast coalition of business, agriculture, union, civil rights, ethnic and religious organizations.

Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. bishops, said the STRIVE Act has many of the components sought by the USCCB and others.

April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 9

from the cover

Limbo reflects ‘restrictive view of salvation’ LIMBO, from page 1

theological awareness today that God is merciful and “wants all human beings to be saved,” it said.

Grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ’s special love for “the little ones,” it said.

“Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered ... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision,” the document said.

“We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge,” it added.

The 41-page document, titled “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized,” was published in Origins, the documentary service of Catholic News Service. Pope Benedict XVI authorized its publication earlier this year.

The 30-member International Theological Commission acts as an advisory panel to the Vatican, in particular to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Its documents are not considered expressions of authoritative church teaching, but they sometimes set the stage for official Vatican pronouncements.

The commission’s document said salvation for unbaptized babies who die was becoming an urgent pastoral question, in part because their number is

CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec

The church teaches that baptism is the ordinary way to salvation for all people and urges parents to baptize infants. But in a newly published document, the Vatican’s International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without baptism go to heaven. greatly increasing. Many infants today are born to parents who are not practicing Catholics, and many others are the unborn victims of abortion, it said.

Limbo has never been defined as church dogma and is not mentioned in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states simply that unbaptized infants are entrusted to God’s mercy.

But limbo has long been regarded as the common teaching of the church.

In the modern age, “people find it increasingly difficult to accept that God

Only 6 places left

is just and merciful if he excludes infants, who have no personal sins, from eternal happiness,” the new document said.

‘No explicit answer’ Parents in particular can experience grief and feelings of guilt when they doubt their unbaptized children are with God, it said.

The church’s hope for these infants’ salvation reflects a growing awareness of God’s mercy, the commission said.

But the issue is not simple, because appreciation for divine mercy must be reconciled with fundamental church teachings about original sin and about the necessity of baptism for salvation, it said.

The document traced the development of church thinking about the fate of unbaptized children, noting that there is “no explicit answer” from Scripture or tradition.

In the fifth century, St. Augustine concluded that infants who die without baptism were consigned to hell. By the 13th century, theologians referred to the “limbo of infants” as a place where unbaptized babies were deprived of the vision of God, but did not suffer because they did not know what they were deprived of.

Through the centuries, popes and church councils were careful not to define limbo as a doctrine of the faith and to leave the question open. That was important in allowing an evolution of the teaching, the theological commission said.

A key question taken up by the document was the church’s teaching that baptism is necessary for salvation.

That teaching needs interpretation, in view of the fact that “infants ... do not place any personal obstacle in the way of redemptive grace,” it said. In this and other situations, the need for the sacrament of baptism is not absolute and is secondary to God’s desire for the salvation of every person, it said.

“God can therefore give the grace of baptism without the sacrament being conferred, and this fact should particularly be recalled when the conferring of baptism would be impossible,” it said.

This does not deny that all salvation

comes through Christ, it said, but it requires a more careful understanding of how this may work.

United with Christ The document outlined several ways by which unbaptized babies might be united to Christ: — A “saving conformity to Christ in his own death” by infants who themselves suffer and die.

— A solidarity with Christ among infant victims of violence, born and unborn, who are endangered by the “fear or selfishness of others.”

— God may simply give the gift of salvation to unbaptized infants, corresponding to his sacramental gift of salvation to the baptized.

The document said the standard teaching that there is “no salvation outside the church” calls for similar interpretation.

The church’s magisterium has moved toward a more “nuanced understanding” of how a saving relationship with the church can be realized, it said. This does not mean that someone who has not received the sacrament of baptism cannot be saved, it said. Rather, it means that “there is no salvation which is not from Christ and ecclesial by its very nature,” it said.

The document quoted St. Paul’s teaching that spouses of Christians may be “consecrated” through their wives or husbands. This indicates that the holiness of the church reaches people “outside the visible bounds of the church” through the bonds of human communion, it said.

The document said the church clearly teaches that people are born into a state of sinfulness — original sin — which requires an act of redemptive grace to be washed away.

But Scripture also proclaims the “superabundance” of grace over sin, it said. That seems to be missing in the idea of limbo, which identifies more with Adam’s sinfulness than with Christ’s redemption, it said. “Christ’s solidarity with all of humanity must have priority over the solidarity of human beings with Adam,” it said.

Liturgically, the motive for hope was confirmed by the introduction in 1970 of a funeral rite for unbaptized infants whose parents intended to present them for baptism, it said.

The commission said the new theological approach to the question of unbaptized babies should not be used to “negate the necessity of baptism, nor to delay the conferral of the sacrament.”

“Rather, there are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible to do for them that what would have been most desirable — to baptize them in the faith of the church and incorporate them visibly into the body of Christ,” it said.

The commission said hopefulness was not the same as certainty about the destiny of such infants.

“It must be clearly acknowledged that the church does not have sure knowledge about the salvation of unbaptized infants who die,” it said.

U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, who heads the commission and the doctrinal congregation, met with the pope to discuss the document Jan. 19 and, with the pope’s approval, authorized its publication.

April 27, 2007

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

Social justice themes permeate a buffet of books reviewed by BRIAN T. OLSZEWSKI catholic news service

This buffet of books parallels the litany of justice issues Catholics are called to address.

While South African apartheid, the work of Cesar Chavez among farmworkers and the struggle between those who term themselves pro-life and pro-choice serve as examples of justice, or the lack thereof, the value of “Lord, Have Mercy: Praying for Justice With Conviction and Humility” is in the questions Claire E. Wolfteich asks of readers, moving them to pray and to reflect upon justice: How do we make sense of the awful things that people do to one another? How do we prayerfully engage social and political issues without simplifying those issues, or causing greater alienation in the faith community?

One realizes that she is writing about something toward which she herself journeys and with which she struggles.

By linking the search for justice to prayer, Eucharist, Scripture and the inspired words of church writers such as Swiss theologian Karl Barth, German Jesuit Father Karl Rahner and St. Ignatius of Loyola, Wolfteich provides readers with the prodding and wisdom they need in seeking justice.

“Living God’s Justice: Reflections and Prayers,” by the Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors, provides spiritual material on which those who hunger for justice will be nourished. Some are the words of the well-known, e.g., Thomas a Kempis, while others were written by those in social justice outreach. Some are a few lines, others are leader-congregation pieces appropriate for meetings of social justice commissions. Together, they make for a volume through which readers will be aided in their prayers for justice.

In “The New Friars,” Scott A. Bessenecker features people who have made a commitment to live with and work among the poor. He tells their stories so well readers will have no problem smelling the garbage of the communities or picturing the squalor residents call home. He leaves no doubt how injustice among the world’s poorest people can be and is being addressed.

Bessenecker is the director of global projects with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA; his accounts may inspire those, particularly young adults,

WORD TO LIFE

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Sunday Scripture Readings: may 6, 2007

May 6, Fifth Sunday of Easter Cycle C Readings: 1) Acts 14:21-27 Psalms 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 2) Revelation 21:1-5 3) Gospel: John 13:31-33, 34-35

Loving as God did never goes out of style by

SHARON K. PERKINS catholic news service

who wish to live justice more than they want to talk about it.

Of the new friars, he writes, “Their love for people who have fallen to the outer ring of society comes from a longstanding and historic tradition of disciples who loved surfing the edges. Today’s Western church relegates them to the periphery. We’ve forgotten that some of Christianity’s best years have been spent outside the bounds of popularity.”

Readers who find themselves asking “What does the church teach about justice?” will appreciate the seven areas — the life and dignity of the person, family and community, rights and responsibilities, the poor and vulnerable, work and workers’ rights, solidarity, and creation — Bernard F. Evans features in “Lazarus at the Table: Catholics and Social Justice.”

An associate professor of pastoral theology who holds the Virgil Michel ecumenical chair in rural social ministries at St. John’s School of TheologySeminary in Collegeville, Minn., Evans offers a step-by-step introduction and overview of church teaching about each. Drawing upon encyclicals and statements of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he provides context for what the church teaches and why.

While the compilation by itself is valuable to students, the inclusion of discussion questions and recommended actions that conclude the chapters on each of the topics provides readers with the inspiration to practice what has been preached. It would be ideal for use in a parish-based adult faith formation program.

When I was in seventh grade, not long after Christmas I remember dressing up for church in some knee-high leather boots and a “hip hugger” skirt — very avant garde for 1968.

I thought I was quite stylish and in sync with the fashion of the time (in a word, “cool”). That’s why it amuses me to see boots, flared-leg pants and lowwaist jeans make such a comeback.

Clothes that I got rid of decades ago are now “retro” or “vintage,” and they’re in high demand (even polyester shirts!). Some of what’s considered “new” is actually quite outdated but it’s being appropriated and reinterpreted by a whole new clientele.

Likewise, the “new commandment” that Jesus gives his disciples in today’s Gospel — to love one another — isn’t really new at all. It’s actually rooted

in the Torah, or Jewish law, according to Leviticus 19:18: “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

So what’s so new about it?

For one thing, Jesus invites his disciples to broaden the scope of that commandment. Not only are Christians to love their “fellow countrymen” or those who are like themselves. They are to embrace all people, even enemies.

Furthermore, Jesus calls us to love others, not only as we would love ourselves (truth be told, we don’t even love ourselves all that well!), but “as I have loved you.”

Big difference.

The danger of hearing anything spoken many, many times is that it can become stale, trivial and inconsequential, like “yesterday’s news.” Yet the good news of the risen Lord is that even an “old” commandment becomes new, acquiring an even broader meaning and taking on fresh significance.

Loving one another as the Lord loved us never goes out of style, nor is it finished once and for all. It is an attitude, a choice, an action that is renewed every day.

Questions: How have you trivialized Jesus’ commandment to “love one another”?

In what situation or relationship are you called to love as Jesus loves you?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “I give you a new commandment” (John 13:34).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 29-May 5 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter), Acts 13:14, 43-52, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30; Monday (St. Pius V), Acts 11:1-18, John 10:1-10; Tuesday (St. Joseph the Worker), Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday (St. Athanasius), Acts 12:24--13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Friday, Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday, Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14.

Scripture for the week of May 6-12 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5, John 13:31-35; Monday, Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday, Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday, Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (Bl. Damien of Moloka’i), Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday, Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, St. Pancras) Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 27, 2007

Maryland professor makes history on ‘Jeopardy!’ by

SUZANNE M. SINGLETON catholic news service

WALKERSVILLE, Md. — As he sits on the blue couch in his Walkersville home watching “Jeopardy! America’s Favorite Quiz Show,” Scott Weiss knows most of the answers.

“Being in front of everyone on the planet on TV on the show — that’s a different kind of thing!” said the assistant professor in the department of mathematics and computer science at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, who was a recent contestant on “Jeopardy!”

The 36-year-old garnered winnings of $63,000 over four rounds.

An avid puzzles and games enthusiast with a basement full of board games, Weiss decided to take an online test (along with tens of thousands of others) a year ago, which began the process of becoming a “Jeopardy!” contestant.

He was one of the lucky ones who received a call to audition in Washington.

Then he was invited to Sony Studios in Los Angeles for a December taping.

In the process, Weiss made

“Jeopardy!” history. He ended the final round in a three-way tie with two other contestants; each had $16,000 after providing the question of Bonnie Parker of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde.

For the first time in the show’s 23-year history, all three contestants returned for a new taping when usually only one contestant advances — beating 1 in 25 million odds.

“I did wager intentionally to cause the tie if we all had it right,” said Weiss.

“Having watched ‘Jeopardy!’ for so long, I knew that there had never been a threeway tie before. So I saw a chance to make history and to give away some more of the show’s money.”

The Long Island, N.Y., native held a viewing party at his home to watch his four performances. In addition, the university, where he has been employed for nine years, held a large viewing party for faculty and students.

During the weekend of March 2425, the avid “Jeopardy!” fan participated in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Conn., where he placed 19th out of 698 competitors — his second-best showing.

In-house productions

CNS photo

The Vatican has released a new, complete catalogue of its in-house production of DVDs documenting the life and death of Pope John Paul II, the papal transition of 2005, the Second Vatican Council, and what goes on behind the walls of Vatican City.

Vatican releases DVDs detailing lives of recent popes

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has released a complete catalog of DVDs documenting the life and death of Pope John Paul II, the papal transition of 2005 and the Second Vatican Council, and what goes on behind Vatican City’s walls.

To mark the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican television center presented a fullcolor, two-page catalog showcasing the seven DVD collections for sale.

The collection is unique “because CTV (Vatican television center) cameramen can get close to the pope” and capture images and events that other television crews cannot.

For example, the hour-long documentary, “Benedict XVI: The Keys of the Kingdom,” starts out giving the viewer a ride in the backseat of the

popemobile. The camera peers over Pope John Paul’s shoulder and shows crowds waving to him as the pope is driven home from Rome’s Gemelli hospital a few weeks before his death April 2, 2005.

Viewers also are given privileged peeks of the Sistine Chapel, where voting for the new pope took place, workers erecting the smoke stack that would tell the world with a puff of white smoke that a pope had been elected, and the cardinals’ living quarters during the papal transition.

Accompanied by detailed and colorful commentary, there is also footage of the newly elected Pope Benedict walking up to the closed red curtain moments before he was presented to the world from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. There is also footage of the joyous celebrations the new pope encountered on the streets when he returned to his old apartment to greet neighbors and friends.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

in our schools

April 27, 2007

Praise and worship

Courtesy Photo

Allana-Rae Ramkissoon, vice principal of Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, leads students in a celebratory dance during a Harambe Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte Feb. 15, as part of a Black History Month celebration.

The Harambe Mass, which celebrates the heritage of African-American Catholics, has been a monthly tradition at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte since 2001. Alicia Verdun, a parishioner of Our Lady of Consolation Church and a parent of a fifth-grader at Our Lady of the Assumption School, coordinated the Mass in which students took part in several of the rituals.

Mary Jones and Bernard Carr, members of Our Lady of Consolation Church Choir; and Eric Massy, Our Lady of Consolation Church’s music minister, helped a choir of Our Lady of the Assumption School students lead traditional African-American hymns while accompanied by Maureen Johnson on a ceremonial drum.

Father Richard Hanson celebrated the Mass.

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Rates: $.70/word per issue ($14 minimum per issue) Deadline: 12 noon Wednesday, 9 days before publication How to order: Ads may be E-mailed to ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org, faxed to (704) 370-3382 or mailed to: Cindi Feerick, The Catholic News & Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203.

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

CORRECTION In the March 30 issue, Katrina Krulikas, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Lawrence who received a prize from the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, was incorrectly listed as a first-grader. She is a fourth-grader. The Catholic News & Herald regrets the error.

April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 13

in our schools

Kids helping kids

Surprise homecoming

Photo by Carole McGrotty

Courtesy Photo

Lt. Jim Cortes of the U.S. Navy reserves surprised his children, first-grader Connor and fourth-grader Kyndall, as well as their classmates, when he visited Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point for lunch Feb. 9. Cortes had just returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East, where he had been serving a tour of duty since October.

Cortes, his wife, Patty, and their children, including pre-schooler Lydia, are parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point.

Cortes, who has been the department head of training with the Navy for approximately 1,100 deployed service members in the SW Asia Theater of Operations, was stationed in Norfolk, Va., awaiting his next assignment.

Students at Asheville Catholic School hold up some of the items they collected for donation during Lent April 4 as part of their school’s outreach program.

Lenten sacrifices benefit children’s home by

CAROLE McGROTTY correspondent

ASHEVILLE — Students at Asheville Catholic School are helping the less fortunate.

Students gathered for a prayer service in the school gymnasium April 4, during which the gifts they collected through their Lenten sacrifices were blessed by Father John Schneider, pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville.

Collected as part of the school’s outreach program, the gifts will benefit residents of Elida Homes in Asheville, a nonprofit agency serving children

and families in western North Carolina with programs including residential and foster care, and child development and community support services.

Throughout their Lenten journey, the students fasted and attended reconciliation services, collected needed school supplies and raised $300, mostly in change, to help buy shoes for Elida residents.

According to Rita Pisano, religion coordinator for Asheville Catholic, the donated supplies included more than 4,000 pens, pencils and erasers, as well as art supplies, notebooks, backpacks, socks and stuffed animals.

That winning fire

Courtesy Photo

Walter Reid of the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s office (left), and Sister of St. Joseph Helene Nagle, principal (right), are pictured with St. Ann School students who won first place in the 29th Annual Fire and Life Safety Bowl at the Oasis Temple in Charlotte March 15. Fourth- and fifth-grade students from 30 public and private schools in Mecklenburg County participated in the event, with teams answering questions from study materials provided by the fire marshal’s office. Reid awarded St. Ann School participants $500, individual trophies and the John W. Knowles Award. Knowles, a longtime Mecklenburg County fire marshal, retired in 1998. The Fire and Life Safety Bowl is presented by the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s office, the Charlotte Fire Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The St. Ann School team, coached by Diane Troy, consisted of Ella Little, Phylissa Greeley, Alex Prys, Jodi Croat and Cara Toebbe. Team managers were Matthew Hajek and Nicole Balas.

April 27, 2007

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Happy Mother’s Day from the Supreme Court Partial-birth decision preserves, promotes fetal life Mother’s Day has come a month early to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In mid-April, the court upheld Congress’ prohibition of partial-birth abortion. A practice bordering, if not mimicking, infanticide has been put largely off limits.

Partial-birth abortion involves the near-completed delivery of an intact child, only to then intentionally puncture the child’s skull for the purpose of inflicting death by suctioning out the brain.

When the state of Nebraska sought to ban this gruesome procedure some years ago, the Supreme Court found the state’s ban too vague to be enforceable and lacking a health exception.

Congress tightened up the language and supplied an exception for life, but not health. Responsible medical testimony found the procedure to be “never medically necessary” and fraught with its own health risks.

In its latest ruling, the court conceded that the need for a health exception was contested. Nevertheless, in spite of that medical uncertainty, the court found there was no basis to invalidate the law in its entirety.

Rather, the presumption should be in favor of the law’s enforcement, leaving the door ajar just a bit should an unusually rare medical condition be specifically demonstrated to medically require the procedure.

In general, said the court, the federal restriction was perfectly valid since “the government has a legitimate and substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life.”

While only vindicating a ban of one notably ugly procedure, the ruling is important for the insight it supplies about the new court led by Chief Justice John Roberts. Especially relevant given the advent of Mother’s Day is the extent to which the court chose to highlight the profound social injury that abortion represents to motherhood.

Writing for the court majority, which included Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, Justice Anthony Kennedy affirmed that “respect for human life finds [its] ultimate expression in the bond of love the mother has for her child.”

Acknowledging abortion to be a painful and difficult moral decision, the court pronounced that it would be “selfevident” for any mother to regret her choice to abort. The majority speculated that this pain would be far greater if the law had permitted a doctor to engage in the shocking killing of a child partially born.

Dissenting, Justice Ruth Bader

Faith & Precedent DOUGLAS W. KMIEC cns columnist

Ginsburg understood the implications of motherhood for the case entirely differently.

Calling even the limitation of a single, heinous abortion procedure “alarming,” she and her fellow dissenters (Justices John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer and David Hackett Souter), characterized the abortion right as essential to a woman’s autonomy and her “enjoyment of equal citizenship.”

Why a woman’s equality depends upon the option of destroying the life of her child is unexplained.

As a one-time law dean, it was my privilege to meet Ginsburg from time to time. In person, she is a kind and intelligent woman. Her thoughtfulness toward my law students — men and women alike — was always generous.

What is baffling in light of these personal meetings is the stridency of her dissent and her sarcastic denigration of Congress’ effort to protect life by likening it to the most repressive gender laws.

Indeed, Ginsburg comes very close to equating the protection of unborn children to abusive behavior toward women. Seemingly to refute the “bond of love” between mother and child noted by the majority, Ginsburg emphasizes unwanted pregnancies and the daily incidents of sexual assault.

This is non sequitur. Proscribing an inhuman abortion practice does not re-impose “discredited notions about women’s place in the family and under the constitution.”

Ginsburg is right, of course, that at one time — a half-century or more ago — the law rather exclusively highlighted “the destiny and mission of women to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother.”

America can and should still celebrate these as noble callings. Nothing about protecting unborn life, however, requires that they be the only vocational choices of a woman.

The Supreme Court’s Mother’s Day gift? Rejection of the pernicious idea that women can only achieve by standing upon the graves of their unborn children.

It’s not about the job

Faith in God’s providence overcomes concerns about employment

“It’s not about the job, son.” It’s about faith, trust and confidence in God’s providence.

I believe this is what God has been trying to teach me for the last five months after I lost my job a week before Thanksgiving and my daughter’s first birthday.

May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, and the Catholic Church honors him as the patron saint of workers worldwide. I have always looked up to St. Joseph as one of my role models, but five months of unemployment have definitely raised my devotion to a higher level.

Initially, I was not too concerned about being jobless. My wife, on the other hand, was concerned from the beginning, as she is staying home with our daughter. Finding a job had always come naturally to me. I am bilingual and these days being fluent in Spanish is considered a very marketable commodity.

I told my wife, “Honey, don’t worry.

I’ll have a job by Christmas.”

However, God had other plans. It was going to take more than speaking Spanish and trusting in all my skills to find a job.

A couple of phone interviews with a recruiter for a local company went extremely well. This made me feel confident that I was going to land a job with them as a Spanish interpreter. The recruiter assured me that the only step left for my hiring was a phone interview with the company CEO. “He should be calling you real soon,” the recruiter said.

He never did. The day after Christmas, I received a nice letter telling me that they had hired someone else. I was a little disappointed, but not scared yet.

I hit my breaking point at the end of January after several interviews with different companies and two very close calls. One of the companies even asked me to come back for a second interview, and their VP of sales sparked my optimism: “We should be ready to hire you soon.”

After sending countless e-mails and leaving several phone messages, I am still waiting to hear from them.

I sensed danger.

It was time to get on my knees and ask for divine intervention. Enter St. Joseph.

I figured somebody who could provide for the Immaculate Conception and the Son of God could understand my worries. After all, I am sure that when he had to flee to Egypt with a “stay-at-home mom” and a newborn baby, he did not know what to expect, but he trusted that God’s providence would take care of all their needs.

So I started begging St. Joseph relentlessly to help me find a job quickly.

At the same time, my prayer to God was an echo of my wife’s chronic complaint: “I don’t understand how a bilingual man with a college education can’t find a job.”

Neither did I, sweetheart.

A very wise priest told me once that

Guest Column RICO DE SILVA guest columnist

you never want to ask God “why,” but “how.” He used the example of finding Jesus in the Temple when Mary asked the young Jesus: “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you anxiously” (Lk 2:48).

Jesus’ answer marks the only occasion in the Gospels where he rebukes his mother. Using this lesson as my frame of reference, I started asking God, through the intercession of St. Joseph, to please show me how to find a job — ASAP. After my attitude adjustment and my increased prayer life, I knew I was getting close to my goal after one job interview in late February. My interviewer, a devout Christian, decided to pray for me at the end of the interview. Nowhere in “What Color is My Parachute” does it say that prayer is an integral part of job interview etiquette.

Of course, I did not get the job, but only God knows why. But finally, on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, I got a job offer.

Coincidence? No, ‘God-incidence.’

By the time you read this column, I’ll be sitting at my desk at my new inside sales job.

I do not wish for anyone, single or married, to go through a long period of unemployment like I did to increase their trust in God and his providence. But if you find yourself in that predicament, go to St. Joseph.

Like St. Teresa of Avila wrote in her “Dialogues,” whatever you ask of St. Joseph, you shall receive.

It’s true. I did.

Rico De Silva is a parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

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April 27, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 15

The ‘After-Easter Syndrome’: Power of the powerless Our imperfect lives are made perfect by Christ’s love Our real world is made up of despair and hope, failure and success, defeat and victory, sin and grace, crying and laughter.

Our human nature seems more inclined to despair than to hope; we are more easily susceptible to believing in the worst than to count on the best. Usually, a pessimist — to prove that the darkness is real — will turn off the light.

The good news is that we believe in the heroes’ ability to snatch victory from defeat, and Jesus proves just that with his resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection did not depend on the faith of his disciples; if it had, it is likely it never would have occurred.

His resurrection relied on the power of God rather than on the powerless fear.

The defeated disciples, however, made the resurrection meaningful when they shared Jesus’ triumph.

Jesus knew that fear was an overwhelming burden for the disciples, so he reassured them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not fear” (Jn.14:27). But even with this assurance, the disciples stayed away from his execution.

After Jesus’ burial, they were hiding. The angel encouraged them: “Fear not ... He is risen.” There was no reason to fear.

But, as humans, we are often paralyzed by fear. Our fear ranges from a vague uneasiness and anxiety about everything in general to nothing in particular. We can fear specific things — disease, old age, loneliness, parenting, marriage, strangers, germs, nightmares, bankruptcy, responsibility, death.

But, basically, we are afraid of what God will allow to happen to us — what if he allows the same things that happened to his own son to happen to us?

The worst that could happen is death; but the resurrection of Jesus has overcome even that. Not even death can snatch us from the Savior’s hand. His resurrection has become our personal triumph over our inability and fear.

Probably no other disciple felt the sting of Jesus’ death more than Peter. Jesus had called him the “rock,” perhaps counting on him to be steady as a rock. But Peter proved not to be dependable.

How do you ever again look squarely

What will the future of our children be?

Godless hardness of heart spawns violence “What will youth look like after all the violence they have experienced? Will they be our next peacemakers, terrorists or basket cases?”

These questions were raised at a recent symposium — “Growing Up in Economic and Political Difficulty: Youth in Palestine, Northern Ireland and Urban America” — that was sponsored by the Life Cycle Institute and psychology department at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

One presenter showed pictures of Northern Ireland neighborhoods where there are tall, barbwire walls between the Catholic and Protestant sectors.

Another picture showed graffiti in one sector demonizing the people of the other sector.

The presenter told us the youth throw rocks at each other over those walls regularly, and that at night people are careful not to leave lights on in the front room because that is an invitation for warring parties to throw bricks through their windows.

As a result of this violence, Catholic and Protestant citizens live in close proximity but rarely associate with each other.

In many countries experiencing extreme violence, a large part of the population is young people under the age of 18. Growing up in these environments causes these youths to have nightmares, expectations of continuous violence and little idea of what a civil atmosphere is like.

Civic responsibility and harmonious collaboration are not part of their lives.

If young people lack the vision of creating a better future, what will their future look like? Most likely it will continue to be an existence of violence, hatred, terror and death.

One presenter spoke of the need to teach youth how to find common ground and to cultivate ways of identifying common interests and issues they can all agree on.

Interestingly, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin proposed this same idea as a means of bringing disenchanted Catholics back into the fold.

Ironically, his suggestion met extreme resistance; his detractors were brother bishops who saw seeking a common ground as compromising the Catholic faith.

These days there is little mention of

Guest Column CAPUCHIN FATHER JOHN C. AURILIA guest columnist

in the face of the one you have denied three times? But Jesus’ love does not fail, no matter how much we fail him. Our relationship with him does not depend on our ability, but on his love.

Peter was not the only one who failed Jesus’ love. Still, Peter, James, John and Mary Magdalene were the first ones to witness the miracle of the resurrection. There is, sometimes, a great sense of irony and humor in our powerless fear and our courage to overcome it.

The message of Easter morning is that we are not condemned to live a defeated life. God is willing to roll away the stones that seem to seal our destiny.

It is true that we have limitations and imperfections. So what? What we cannot do, the cross and the resurrection will do — give power to the powerless.

Capuchin Father Aurilia is pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

seeking common ground to end the wars that are being fought among nations and in the church. We seem to be in an age of hardened hearts that justify themselves on the grounds they have the only truth.

Employing might is preferred to earnest dialogue. To some extent, we have lost our appetite to better understand one another.

Pope John Paul II was forever reminding us of solidarity, to see and treat all people as family and converse with each other as cherished friends.

The philosopher Cicero would add that “our organ of speech is the voice.”

In using it we should aim at two things — “to be clear and to be melodious.”

Solidarity implies a melodious voice, and especially an open heart like that of the father of the prodigal son who was willing to go to any lengths to create harmony and to restore.

Embracing this godly principle is our best means for overcoming a godless hardness of heart that spawns violence.

Pope says his new book highlights difficult levels of reading Bible The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI said that in his new book he tried to highlight what the Bible says about Jesus, what the moral implications of his teachings are and how reading the Scriptures can lead to a real relationship with Jesus.

At his April 25 weekly general audience, the pope said his three-pronged approach to the Bible’s words were inspired by Origen of Alexandria, a thirdcentury theologian.

The pope’s book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” went on sale April 16 in Italian, German and Polish; the English edition is set for release May 15.

During his general audience, Pope Benedict called Origen “one of the greatest” teachers of the Christian faith, particularly because of the way he combined scholarship, preaching and teaching with the example of “exemplary moral conduct.”

Here is the Vatican text of Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in English at his weekly general audience April 25.

Dear brothers and sisters, Our catechetical journey through the early church brings us to the remarkable figure of Origen of Alexandria. This great teacher of the faith was highly esteemed by his students, not only for his theological brilliance but also for his exemplary moral conduct.

His father, Leonides, was martyred during the reign of Septimius Severus.

Though Origen himself always had a deep yearning to die a martyr’s death, he decided that the best way to honor his father and glorify Christ was by living a good and upright life.

Later, under the emperor Decius, he was arrested and tortured for his faith, dying a few years later.

Origen is best known for his unique contribution to theology: an “irreversible turn,” which grounded theology in Scripture. He emphasized an allegorical and spiritual reading of the word of God, and demonstrated how the three levels of meaning — the literal, the moral and the spiritual — progressively lead us to a deeper prayer life and closer relationship with God. Origen teaches us that when we meditate on God’s word and conform our lives to it, we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to the fullness of truth. May we follow Origen’s example by praying with Scripture, always listening attentively to God’s word.

April 27, 2007

living the faith

The Catholic News & Herald 16

Deacon sees human side of prisoners labeled as ‘monsters’ Prison minister helps inmates find peace with God, peace with themselves

by STEVE EUVINO catholic news service

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — After nearly seven years in prison ministry, Deacon Malcolm Lunsford has not “seen any monsters” on death row but “just a lot of guys who’ve gone wrong somewhere.”

That includes David Leon Woods, an inmate scheduled to be executed by lethal injection May 4 at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

Deacon Lunsford describes Woods as the most remorseful inmate he has ever met.

Woods, now 42, was 19 when he stabbed a neighbor 21 times during an attempt to steal a television. He was sentenced to death March 28, 1985.

Deacon Lunsford said that while Woods has been on “the row” he has “learned to forgive himself. He’s never denied his guilt. He’s never created a problem,” the deacon added.

Woods serves as a porter to his fellow inmates, bringing them meals and water.

Deacon Lunsford has been ministering to prison inmates since he was ordained to the diaconate for the Diocese of Gary in 2000.

During his weekly visits to the state prison he makes an effort to come early to spend time with Woods but he can only communicate with the prisoner from outside the cell.

“We talk, and he’s completely at peace,” the deacon said, noting that Woods insists he’s “ready” for his execution.

“In order to be at peace and be with Our Lord, you have to be at peace with yourself.”

—Deacon Malcolm Lunsford

CNS photo by Karen Callaway, Northwest Indiana Catholic

Above: Deacon Malcolm Lunsford and his wife, Shirley, pray with death-row inmate James Harrison during an afternoon Communion call at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City in late February. The couple regularly visits the state prison together, praying and chatting with inmates. Below: Deacon Lunsford distributes Communion to a death-row inmate.

The deacon cited the efforts of Wanda Callahan, Woods’ spiritual director from the Church of the Brethren in Goshen, in working with the prisoner.

“The important thing is that he’s forgiven himself. He realizes he’s done wrong,” Deacon Lunsford told the

Northwest Indiana Catholic, diocesan newspaper of Gary.

“In order to be at peace and be with Our Lord, you have to be at peace with yourself,” he said.

The state prison in Michigan City has 21 inmates on death row. Deacon Lunsford and his wife, Shirley, along with other deacons and clergy, spend time with inmates on Tuesday evenings.

CNS photo by Karen Callaway, Northwest Indiana Catholic

Services alternate weekly between Masses and Communion services.

Permission has recently been granted to bring all the death-row inmates to one cell for Mass.

Two years ago, Deacon Lunsford attended the execution of Gregory Scott Johnson, a convicted murderer. He said Johnson gave him “a big smile and a thumbs up” prior to the fatal injection.

Even though Johnson also had made his peace, the deacon is still uncomfortable with the death penalty.

“What are we proving? They’re locked up; they can’t hurt anybody. But the law says no, we kill them.”

“We’re killing them because they killed,” Shirley Lunsford added. “It’s not right.”

The deacon, who has met with victims’ families, said they are often still as angry even after the execution.

“There’s no closure until a person has forgiveness,” he said.

Bishop Dale J. Melczek of Gary, who has written Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for a stay of execution for Woods in favor of life imprisonment without parole, noted that the death penalty has long been eliminated in other developed countries.

Studies have shown, the bishop said, that capital punishment “does not help effect healing in the families of victims and does not deter crimes.”

Woods has some relatives who occasionally visit him. Other visitors have included some of his victim’s children, who came to forgive him, Deacon Lunsford said.

“David’s had a hard life,” the deacon said, citing family and other personal problems.

“He’s just a nice young man,” the deacon said. “You see these guys in prison and you wonder, what in the world happened to them to get them in prison?

“These guys, at one time in their lives, have been very, very violent,” he said, “but not now.”