May 8, 2009

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Why Catholics leave and return to the church; greed and evil; letters to editor

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI may 8, 2009

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

vOLUME 18

no. 26

Crowning To be men ‘filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit’ achievements Two seminarians for diocese ordained as transitional deacons

Catholic girl wins title, helps others by

Photo courtesy of the Pontifical College Josephinum

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two seminarians for the Diocese of Charlotte recently took steps closer to the priesthood.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis ordained John Eckert and David Miller to the transitional diaconate in St. Turibius Chapel at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio April 26. Also ordained to the transitional diaconate was Andrew Budzinski, a seminarian for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

Bishop Jugis was joined at the altar by priest-faculty of the seminary and by visiting priests from the deacon candidates’ respective dioceses.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis spoke of the deacons’ role in helping their respective bishops and priests in three special ministries: the ministry of the altar, as a “servant of the sacred liturgy”; the ministry of

Bishop Peter J. Jugis ordains seminarian John Eckert to the transitional diaconate at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio April 26. Also ordained was seminarian David Miller.

See ORDAINED, page 5

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER correspondent

HENDERSONVILLE — At 14, Lauren Gentile has a plan. She also has a crown, a title and a scholarship, which she hopes are just the beginning of her realizing her dreams.

As the 2009 North Carolina Junior National Teenager winner, Lauren proved to be well rounded in all categories during the pageant competition in Charlotte March 20-21.

And as a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville for the last three years, Lauren has devoted her time to helping others as well as pursuing her own goals.

“There’s a lot going on.

See TEEN, page 12

Fighting the flu

Catholic churches take preventive measures against spread of flu

by DAVID AGREN catholic news service

MEXICO CITY — Catholic officials in several countries have issued guidelines for celebrating Mass during the outbreak of the swine flu, which is spread by human contact.

See FLU, page 6

‘The precious gift … for the Middle East’

Pope’s pilgrimage will take message of peace to land of conflict

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is set to begin a weeklong visit to the Holy Land, a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Christ and a journey through a political and interreligious minefield.

In many ways, the May 8-15 visit to Jordan, Israel

and the Palestinian territories is the most challenging of the pope’s foreign visits to date, one that will test his skills of communication and bridgebuilding in a region of conflict and mistrust.

After recent communications missteps at the Vatican, See POPE, page 8

CNS photo by Ali Jarekji, Reuters

A child stands next to a welcome poster for Pope Benedict XVI during a Mass in Amman, Jordan, May 2. The pope is scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories during his May 8-15 trip to the Holy Land.

Sharing Scripture

Culture Watch

As the smoke clears

Local Catholic attends private audience with pope

Book on exorcisms; ‘Angels and Demons’ and Vatican

Bishop visits wildfire survivors in South Carolina

| Page 7

| Pages 10-11

| Page 16

May 8, 2009

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a nationwide poll, half of U.S. Catholics overall supported the University of Notre Dame’s decision to invite President Barack Obama to address college graduates while 28 percent opposed it.

But when the Catholics polled were divided into categories of those who attended weekly Mass and those who did not, the numbers shifted.

Thirty-seven percent of those attending weekly Mass supported the Indiana university’s decision while 45 percent opposed it.

The poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, was released April 30.

It was based on telephone interviews April 23-27 with 2,003 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The overall Catholic response to the survey was similar to the nationwide views on the issue: 48 percent approved,

Closet full of dreams

CNS photo by Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

Mariel D’Andrea, a sophomore at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tenn., operates the Becca’s Closet charity from her house. She provides donated prom dresses and accessories to young girls who can’t afford to buy their own. D’Andrea is one of hundreds of volunteers with the charity that has chapters in at least 30 states.

Catholic teen finds reward in helping girls in need get prom dresses NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) — Although Mariel D’Andrea’s first high school prom is a year away, the Catholic high school sophomore has a closet full of prom dresses, shoes and makeup — all the necessary trappings for that special occasion.

Well actually, none of these items belong to her. They’ve been donated to D’Andrea for her Becca’s Closet initiative, a national program with local chapters that collects donated formal wear and accessories and makes them available to girls who can’t afford to buy their own.

It all started three years ago, when D’Andrea’s mom, Jo Ann, read the Ms. Cheap column in The Tennessean daily newspaper about a girl in Franklin, Caroline Davidson, who was collecting and giving away prom dresses through her own Becca’s Closet chapter. “ We e - m a i l e d h e r, a n d s a i d we’d love to help out in any way we could,” said D’Andrea, who is a student at Father Ryan High School in Nashville. “We didn’t hear back from her for a year. Then she e-mailed us, said she’d kept our e-mail and that she was graduating and needed someone to pass this on to.”

Becca’s Closet originated in Davie, Fla., in 2002, when a high school freshman, Rebecca Kirtman, launched a drive to provide prom dresses to disadvantaged high school girls.

During the spring of her sophomore year, Kirtman single-handedly collected and donated more than 250 formal dresses

Poll shows Catholics have mixed reaction to Obama’s Notre Dame invite

throughout south Florida. Tragically, the 16-year-old Kirtman was killed in a car accident that same year, but her vision continues through other girls’ efforts across the country.

“We thought it was a great thing that we’d like to get involved with, but we didn’t know how much work it was going to be,” D’Andrea said. “We also didn’t realize how many people it would affect, and how many great people we would meet.”

Davidson packed up all the dresses and shoes, and delivered them to the D’Andreas’ house. Jo Ann and Mariel unpacked them upstairs in their attic workout room.

Word about D’Andrea’s effort has spread through people who come in for dresses and those who donate them.

“It’s kind of a touchy thing,” she said. “Some girls may be embarrassed about needing to get a dress from us, so we try not to make it too public. And they know we’re not going to say anything.

We’re not here to judge, just to help.”

Her “clients” visit from all over Tennessee and beyond, including many from Kentucky. Those who are hoping to get a dress have to call or e-mail D’Andrea to set up an appointment.

There’s no financial eligibility to get a free dress; it’s all on an honor system.

“I guess I always took for granted that everyone could afford a prom dress,” said D’Andrea. “But many girls can’t even afford their prom tickets. So us helping them with a dress is a huge deal.”

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

ALBEMARLE VICARIATE HENDERSONVILLE — The NC Right to Life, Hendersonville-Buncombe Chapter, is sponsoring a Mother’s Day Prayer Vigil May 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse, S. Main St. All are invited to attend. Gifts will be collected for babies and new mothers of the Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center.

For more information, call Eileen Brennan at (828) 697-5286.

MONROE — A parish retreat featuring guest speaker Augustinian Father Michael Sullivan will take place at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 725 Deese St., May 24-27, each evening at 7 p.m. Topics covered will include “To be born again,” “The healing love of Jesus,” “The call to be church” and “Our response to the call.” The retreat is free and open to the public. For more information, call Deacon Roland Geoffroy at (704) 289-2773, ext. 240.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., is hosting a series of eight talks by Father Rick DeClue on “The Mind of the Pope: Benedict the XVI on Major Topics.” The talks will be held the second

25 percent disapproved and 27 percent said they didn’t know.

Of Catholics who attended Mass less than once a week, 23 percent found fault with the university’s decision and 56 percent favored it.

The survey also asked if respondents were even aware of the controversy surrounding Obama’s scheduled May 17 graduation speech and his acceptance of an honorary degree from the university.

Critics say the president’s support of legal abortion and embryonic stemcell research make him an inappropriate choice for a commencement speaker at a Catholic university.

In the group of Catholics who had not heard about the controversy, 45 percent sided with the university’s decision to invite Obama and 18 percent opposed it.

Of the Catholics who were familiar with the issue, 54 percent agreed with the university and 38 percent disagreed. and fourth Mondays of the month 7-9 p.m. in the parish activity center. Upcoming dates are May 11, 25. No pre-registration is required.

For more information, call Ruben Tamayo at (704) 554-7088, ext. 222.

CHARLOTTE — A band concert will be held at Holy Trinity Middle School, 3100 Park Rd., May 17 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact David Shoff at (704) 906-9633 or dshoff@carolina.rr.com.

CHARLOTTE — All adults are invited to attend the Christian Coffeehouse at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, May 24, 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the Parish Center gym.

Join us for energizing spiritual messages with live Christian contemporary music, snacks and drinks, all served in a candlelit atmosphere. There is no charge; however, donations are accepted.

To reserve a table for six or more, call Kathy at (704) 400-2213 by May 22.

CHARLOTTE — The Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Basil the Great, 7702 PinevilleMatthews Rd., will host an introduction to Eastern Christian spirituality led by Father Deacon Daniel Dozier. All Catholics are invited to attend this free event to learn more about the diverse and universal nature of the Catholic Church. The next meeting will be May 16 on the topic, “Nostalgia for God: Return.” Meetings will take place in the fellowship hall after Divine Liturgy at 6 p.m.

CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel in Transition (SGIT) is a ministry for those who are, or may soon be, facing job layoffs or transitions during these trying economic times. The program goal is to support job seekers in their search for rewarding employment. Learn how we can open ourselves to new points of view and find opportunity in the face of adversity. The next meeting will be May 26 in the St. Gabriel Church Ministry Center from 7 to 9 p.m. Keynote speaker is Tom Lane, one of Charlotte’s leaders in career development.

May 8, 2009 Volume 18 • Number 26

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

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

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican reaffirms support for nuclear nonproliferation treaty at UN UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — The Vatican’s chief representative to the United Nations has set forth a series of steps that will move the world toward the goal of eventual nuclear disarmament.

Speaking at the U.N. May 5, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, papal nuncio to the world body, reaffirmed the Vatican’s support for the nuclear nonproliferation treaty in offering five “concrete, transparent and convincing” steps to demonstrate the world’s willingness to end the threat that nuclear weapons pose. He called for: — Adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which outlaws nuclear weapons testing.

— The immediate opening of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty that would prohibit the further production of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium.

— An end to reliance on nuclear weapons as a part of military policy

among nuclear states.

— Giving oversight of the peaceful use of nuclear energy to the International Atomic Energy Agency and expanding the agency’s role to include the nonproliferation side of the treaty.

— Developing an agreement on the production of nuclear fuel to meet growing energy needs, with the international atomic agency taking a leading role to ensure safety, security and fair access for all countries.

“All these measures are necessary to promote trust, transparency, confidence and cooperation among nations and regions,” Archbishop Migliore said at the second session of a 12-day preparatory committee meeting called in advance of a conference to review the treaty in 2010.

With 26,000 nuclear warheads remain in the world’s weapons stockpiles, the archbishop said the nonproliferation treaty remains “a cornerstone of nuclear disarmament.”

Networking and one-on one coaching sessions will follow speaker. To register, contact Bill Conwell at SGIT@bellsouth.net.

Sharon Burgess at (704) 633-0591 to reserve your place.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — A Mass of thanksgiving and celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Fatima will take place May 13 at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St. Celebrating priests will include Father John Putnam (homilist), Father James Ebright, Father Conrad Kimbrough, Father Richard DeClue and Father Christopher Roux. Recitation of the rosary will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Mass following at 6 p.m. For more information, call (336) 765-1815.

GREENSBORO — St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd., has restarted its reemployment support group. The next meeting will be May 14 at 7:30 in Room 9 of the Parish Life Center. For more information, call Colleen at the church office (336) 294-4696, ext. 226.

GREENSBORO — The Men’s Early Morning Bible Study Group meets Tuesdays at 6:30 a.m. for an hour of prayer, sharing and discussion in the library at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. The group will start a month-long program on the Book of Joshua May 5. For more information, contact Gus Magrinat at gmagrinat@pol.net or John Malmfelt at jmalmsie@aol.com.

HIGH POINT — An International Festival will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., May 31, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Bring food to share, beverages will be provided. There will be entertainment and exhibits from exotic places around the world as well as special entertainment for children. It’s all free. For more information, call (336) 869-7739.

SALISBURY VICARIATE SALISBURY — An Estate Planning Seminar will be held in Helfrich Hall at Sacred Heart Church, 128 North Fulton St., May 16 at 7 p.m. in the ministry center. The seminar is free and light refreshments will be served. RSVP to

Episcopal

calendar

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE CLEMMONS — Catholic homeschooling families in the Triad get together on Mondays at Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., for enrichment activities such as hands on science, geography, Latin and art. Registration is now open for fall 2009. Interested families should contact Katie Knickrehm at (336) 996-2643 or katie_knickrehm@ yahoo.com, or Liz Ruiz at lizimagination@ triad.rr.com. For more information, visit www.holyfamilyhomeschoolenrichment.com.

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

WINSTON-SALEM — Theological Tuesday, an evening with Father Herbert Burke, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City, will take place May 26 at 7 p.m. in the Bishop Begley Parish Center at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. Father Burke is the author of “A Scriptural Catechism” and “The Rosary is the Answer.”

His unique style and humor will inform and challenge you to better know Christ, through Mary, and to live your friendship with him. A light dinner and dessert will be served at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Mary Beth Young at yrmarybeth@aol.com.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date.

Submit in writing to kmmoore@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

May 11 (11 a.m.)

Diaconate ordination of Legionaries of Christ Brother Richard Sutter Belmont Abbey

May 14 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Holy Family Church, Clemmons

May 12 (11 a.m.)

Presbyteral Council meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

May 15 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

It is a ‘shameful tragedy’ people go hungry in the world, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One of the most urgent and critical social problems afflicting the world today is the “shameful tragedy that onefifth of humanity still goes hungry,” Pope Benedict XVI told members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

“Assuring an adequate food supply, like the protection of vital resources such as water and energy, requires all international leaders to collaborate in showing a readiness to work” toward eliminating social inequalities between countries and communities, he said in an address May 4.

“For Christians who regularly ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread,’ it is a shameful tragedy” that so many people go hungry and are malnourished, he said.

Some 25,000 people die from hunger every day and one child dies every six seconds of malnutrition or starvation, according to the United Nations’

World Food Program.

The pope made his remarks during an audience with about 55 participants attending a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

The academy, headed by the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann Glendon, was meeting May 1-5 to discuss Catholic social doctrine and human rights.

The meeting was specifically addressing rights that are currently under assault, such as the right to life, the right to build a family, freedom of conscience and religion, and the right to decent subsistence.

The pope said there is “a flagrant contrast between the equal attribution of rights and the unequal access to the means of attaining those rights.”

If the ethical underpinnings of human rights are ignored, then those rights will remain fragile since they would be deprived of their solid and sound foundations, he said.

Breaking the ICE

CNS photo by Karen Callaway, Catholic New World

Mercy Sisters Pat Murphy and Jo Ann Persch address clergy and their supporters in front of the Broadview Immigrant Detention Center in Broadview, Ill., April 30. After two and a half years of weekly prayer vigils outside the facility, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreed to allow the clergy to pray with immigrant detainees on the deportation buses on Friday mornings during a two-month trial period.

Israel, Vatican officials deny reports about control of holy sites JERUSALEM (CNS) — Israeli and Vatican officials denied reports that Israeli President Shimon Peres had asked the government to relinquish sovereignty over several holy places as a gesture of good will for Pope Benedict XVI. Reports abounded in the Israeli press in early May claiming internal discord between Peres and officials from the Tourism and Interior ministries after the president allegedly had urged them to yield key Christian holy sites to the Vatican.

“What was published was taken out of context,” a spokeswoman for the president’s office said May 6. “The Israeli media published it as if the president

was asking to give up sovereignty over holy sites, and there is a great distance between that and the reality.”

The spokeswoman said Israel already has pledged to the Vatican that it will not confiscate land around six Christian sites for any sort of national development purpose such as the widening of roads.

She said Peres had asked the ministries, as a gesture of good will before the pope’s May 8-15 trip to the Holy Land, to confirm the pledge and to speed up the negotiations.

Archbishop Antonio Franco, papal nuncio to Israel, said the reports were a “big mess, a confusion of things.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

May 8, 2009

around the diocese

Preparing for the future

A sign of faith

Parish estate planning seminars applicable, informative by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Approximately 70 people attended an estate planning seminar sponsored by the Foundation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte April 28.

Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of St. Gabriel Church, opened the seminar with a prayer and spoke briefly about stewardship and planned gifts.

“Gathering for the will seminar at St. Gabriel’s made me mindful of how fortunate we are in the Diocese of Charlotte to have professionals in this area who share information that is so helpful,” said Father O’Rourke.

“Infusing stewardship principles into estate planning, wills and end of life issues is a blessing,” he said.

John Engler, parishioner and cochair of the parish planned giving committee, introduced the speakers, who included Don Hodgens, parishioner and co-chair of the committee; and Judy Smith, director of planned giving for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Topics covered included wills, powers of attorney, trusts and bequests.

There was also a presentation on the Catholic Heritage Society — an honorary society open to anyone who agrees to make a planned gift to the foundation, the Diocese of Charlotte or any of its parishes, schools, agencies or organizations.

“A question and answer period follows each seminar and gives those attending an opportunity to have many of their questions answered by an attorney in a relaxed environment,” said Smith.

Courtesy photo

Don Hodgens, retired estate planning attorney and co-chair of the parish planned giving committee, answers legal questions during an estate planning seminar at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte April 28.

Hodgens, a retired estate planning attorney, was available to answer legal questions.

“The foundation office conducts these free seminars on a regular basis to help raise awareness of parishioners on the importance of taking care of their loved ones and continuing their stewardship to the church through the process of estate planning,” said Smith.

All attendees received packets of take-home materials, including an estate planning toolkit.

WANT MORE INFO? The next estate planning seminar will be May 19 at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. To schedule a seminar at your parish, contact Judy Smith, planned giving director, at (704) 370-3320 or jmsmith@ charlottediocese.org.

State Senate passes bill despite opposition of bishops, Catholics

by DAVID HAINS communications director

CHARLOTTE — Despite receiving hundreds of e-mails from concerned Catholics, the N.C. State Senate narrowly passed the School Violence Protection Act. The bill, known as SB 526, passed May 5 by a vote of 25-22.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh had urged Catholics to oppose the bill through Catholic Voice NC, their nonpartisan political initiative and Web site.

In a letter e-mailed to site subscribers three days prior to the vote, the two bishops stated support for the concept of a bill that would protect students from bullying and harassment.

“All students and school employees should be free of bullying or harassing behavior. This is in accord with their fundamental dignity as human beings,” the bishops’ letter said.

The bill requires school employees who witness harassment or bullying, or have

reliable information about such incidents, to report them to school authorities. The measure identifies more than a dozen reasons children are harassed.

“The section in question … includes gender identity and sexual orientation,” the bishops said.

The bishops believe supporters of the bill were laying legal groundwork for gay marriage in North Carolina.

“In three states that have a law similar to SB 526, the law was used as part of a lawsuit to persuade a judge or court to mandate same-sex marriage,” the bishops said. “This would be contrary to our fundamental teaching and understanding of marriage.”

A total of 771 individuals contacted their senators through the Catholic Voice NC Web site. The bill now goes to the House for a vote.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on Catholic Voice NC, visit www.catholicvoicenc.org.

Courtesy Photo

Discalced Carmelite Father Anthony Haglof officiates the clothing ceremony of Sheryl Peyton (left) with the assistance of Elizabeth Pantas during a Mass at St. Barnabas Church in Arden March 14.

Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites clothes member in brown scapular ARDEN — Sheryl Peyton is now wearing a visible sign of her faith.

Peyton, religious education director at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, was clothed in the ceremonial brown scapular by the Flower of Carmel Community of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites during a Mass at the church March 14.

The clothing of the brown scapular, the habit of the order, was the result of 18 months of study and discernment by Peyton and the community.

Discalced Carmelite Father Anthony Haglof, prior of Christ on the Mountain Monastery in Hinton, W.Va., and the community’s first spiritual assistant, celebrated the Mass and officiated at the ceremony. Elizabeth Pantas, Carmelite formation director, assisted on behalf of the community.

Peyton now begins a five-year period of study, prayer and discernment that may lead her to make lifelong promises of poverty, chastity and obedience to the community and to the superiors of the Teresian Carmel.

“For me, Carmel provides the contemplative counterweight to my active ministry in the church,” said Peyton.

“While my parish work comes from and

is guided by my spiritual life, I do have a tendency to let it dominate my time and attention. My commitment to formation in Carmel and the daily prayer it calls for helps me to keep the two balanced.”

“I feel called to Carmel because the spirituality that it embodies fits me. I love that in the Carmelite tradition Elijah is revered as its founder because he, like the hermits on (Mount) Carmel, sought God in the desert and in silence,” she said.

Peyton added that being a part of the Flower of Carmel community will be beneficial to her.

“It is nice to be on the receiving end of the teaching and the insight provided by those who have been in Carmel longer than I have,” she said. “It is also an opportunity for me to witness the many ways God works through his followers.”

The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites is an order of diocesan priests and laity who embrace the spirit and ideals of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the community, visit www.flowerofcarmel.org or contact Ella Reid, president, at (828) 667-3903 or epreid@hotmail.com.

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 5

from the cover

Two seminarians for diocese ordained as transitional deacons ORDAINED, from page 1

the Word, “to proclaim and teach with conviction” the teachings of Christ and the church; and the ministry of charity, marked with “the indelible spiritual character which configures him to Christ the servant.”

Bishop Jugis urged the deacon candidates to “be men of good reputation, filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit, as were those once chosen by the Apostles.”

Following the homily, the candidates made commitments to permanent celibacy, and each stated his willingness to perform what the church requires of deacons — humble and loving assistance given to the bishop, proclamation of the mysteries of the faith as taught by Christ, a deepening commitment to ecclesial prayer and a continued renewal of life in the example of Christ.

The Litany of the Saints followed, during which the candidates lay prostrate before the altar.

Bishop Jugis completed the act of ordination in a prayer of consecration after the laying on of hands, a Scriptural gesture that signifies a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, by which men are configured to Christ in holy orders.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information in vocations to the priesthood, diaconate or women religious in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www. charlottediocese.org/vocations.html.

“Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”

— Bishop Peter J. Jugis

Photo courtesy of the Pontifical College Josephinum

Bishop Peter J. Jugis is pictured with transitional Deacons John Eckert (pictured left of bishop) and David Miller (pictured right of bishop) after their diaconate ordination at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio April 26. Also pictured is Father John Allen, dean of men for the seminary’s School of Theology, and priests and seminarians of the Diocese of Charlotte. Pictured (back row, from left) are Paul Buchanan, Richard Worthington, Father Christopher Gober, Father Allen, Father John Putnam, Josh Voitus, Noah Carter; (front row, from left) Paul McNulty, Deacon Eckert, Bishop Jugis, Deacon Miller, Deacon Benjamin Roberts, Jason Barone and Matthew Codd.

Deacon John Eckert

Deacon David Miller

Each new deacon was then presented with a Book of the Gospels, and was charged by Bishop Jugis: “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”

Ordination to the diaconate traditionally takes place toward the end of the seminarians’ third year of graduate study and marks the final stages of preparation for the priesthood.

The deacons are authorized to baptize, proclaim the Gospel, preach, officiate at weddings and funerals, administer sacramentals and care for the dying.

Deacons Budzinski, Eckert and Miller will continue their studies during the 2009-10 academic year, after which they will be ordained to the priesthood upon completion of the master of divinity degree program.

File Photo

Pontifical College Josephinum Grew up in Peoria, Ill. School: St. Louis University.

Parish: St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte.

Priesthood because: “I want to spend my life glorifying God and offering true and lasting happiness to everyone I encounter. I cannot imagine a better life than one dedicated to these two goals, and God is calling me to strive after them as a priest.”

File Photo

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary One of 11 siblings.

School: Franciscan University, Ohio.

Parish: St. Aloysius Church, Hickory.

Priesthood because: “I have a strong desire to celebrate the sacraments for God’s people and to teach and preach his Word.”

6 The Catholic News & Herald

FROM THE COVER

May 8, 2009

Catholic churches take preventive measures against spread of flu FLU, from page 1

In Mexico City, the epicenter of the outbreak, preventive measures outlined by the church have included instructions to both priests and parishioners on church behavior during a public health outbreak.

The recommendations urged priests to limit homilies to five minutes and wear masks while hearing confession.

Parishioners were advised to not bring young children and the elderly to Mass, to wear face masks and to wait to put money in the collection plate until after they receive Communion.

The Archdiocese of Mexico City also announced that weddings, “quinceaneras” and baptisms would be postponed, but could be conducted in private if a priest deemed that adequate health safeguards were being taken.

Some Catholic churches across Mexico City reopened for Mass, despite admonishments from the local government for residents to avoid large gatherings to prevent the spread of swine flu.

In other parts of the country, however, churches remained closed and pilgrimages were canceled.

As cases of swine flu were confirmed in various countries, Catholic officials issued cautions.

In New Zealand, the bishops temporarily suspended the reception of Communion on the tongue and from the chalice and shaking hands at the sign of peace.

In an April 30 statement, the bishops called these restrictions precautionary and said they would issue an update if stronger action was needed.

Various bishops in the United States issued similar guidelines.

As of May 7, the United States had more than 600 swine flu cases with one flu-related death.

According to Centers for Disease Control statistics, there has been seven

CNS photo by Eliana Aponte, Reuters) (May

Priests wear masks as protection against the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu, as they attend Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City May 3. confirmed cases of swine flu in North Carolina (in the eastern part of the state) and 17 in South Carolina.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, it is up to individual pastors to determine if changes during Mass were necessary in their parishes.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship said in a statement in late April it did not feel that widespread liturgical adaptations were necessary at that time to prevent the spread of the swine flu.

In England, the Diocese of Lancaster published an online booklet called “Sustaining Pastoral Presence: Influenza Outbreaks,” with information about the swine flu and preventive measures.

The diocese said the booklet was designed to “ensure that Catholic parishes and chaplaincy teams maintain their presence as agents of pastoral care during a flu epidemic or pandemic in a way that both protects those engaged in pastoral ministry and protects those who need their help.”

Contributing to this story was Editor Kevin E. Murray and Gavin Abraham in New Zealand.

CNS photo by Daniel Aguilar

Homeless youths sit together on the street after a routine check up for flu symptoms at a mobile clinic in downtown Mexico City May 3. Mexico has moved past the peak of the H1N1 flu pandemic and is in the “phase of descent,” the Mexican government said May 3.

Pope prays for those hit by swine flu pandemic

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the people of Mexico to keep their faith in God, who will help them as they face a deadly flu outbreak.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square May 3, the pope expressed his spiritual closeness to all those hit by the swine flu, which is spread by human contact.

He said he was praying “for the victims of the influenza that is affecting Mexico and other countries.”

Speaking in Spanish, the pope called on Mexicans to “stand firm in the Lord; he will help you

overcome this difficulty.”

He invited families to pray together to Our Lady of Guadalupe, asking that she assist and protect them.

According to the World Health Organization, there were 1,085 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu, in 21 countries, as of late May 4.

Mexico had 590 confirmed cases of the virus and 25 flu-related deaths.

The outbreak originated in Mexico, but officials there said the number of new infections was dropping.

As of May 4, the United States had more than 280 swine flu cases with one flu-related death.

Cases have been confirmed in Canada, Latin America, and parts of Europe and Asia.

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Beyond the diocese

Mass from the crypt

Local Catholic attends private audience with pope Buckley shares mission for Scripture ministry by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

Courtesy Photo

Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, celebrates Mass at the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia in Barcelona, Spain, April 27.

Pope John Paul II prayed at this site on a 1982 visit to the crypt of St. Eulalia, which is located under the cathedral’s main altar.

Joining Msgr. West on the April 19-28 diocesan-sponsored pilgrimage to Barcelona; Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France; and nearby areas were 33 people from throughout the Diocese of Charlotte.

For information on the next diocesan trip in November, see the advertisement on page 16.

VATICAN CITY — Local Catholic Gail Buckley accompanied members of the U.S. based Papal Foundation to a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican May 2.

The Papal Foundation, established in 1990 in the name of the pope, raises money for the building of churches, seminaries, schools, hospitals and other projects for the care of the poor around the world.

The foundation invited Buckley, founder and executive director of Catholic Scripture Study International, because of her work in promoting the study of sacred Scripture within the context of Catholic Church teaching.

Also in attendance was actor Eduardo Verastegui, star of the movie “Bella,” who too was invited to attend as a guest of the foundation.

During the audience, Buckley, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, presented the pope with Scripture study materials and told him the Lord had called her to start a Catholic Bible study program.

Buckley said she got a big smile from the pope when she told him the goal of Catholic Scripture Study International is “for laity to study Scripture in community and in light of the church’s teaching.”

“It was an awesome experience, being so close to, touching and speaking with the Vicar of Christ on earth,” she said. “Certainly an experience I will treasure forever.”

In a recent address to members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission the pope said that the interpretation of sacred Scripture cannot be subjective, but must be interpreted within the church community.

Pope Benedict also said that the topic of Scripture study is of great

importance to him.

It is “a concern that lies very close to my heart because the interpretation of sacred Scripture is of fundamental importance for Christian faith and the life of the church,” the pope said.

During the private audience, Pope Benedict praised the members of the Papal Foundation for being the kind of Christians “who continue to meet the challenges we face with courage and trust.”

“At moments such as these it is tempting to overlook those without a voice and think only of our own difficulties,” said the pope, speaking in terms of the current economic conditions.

“As Christians we are aware, however, that especially when times are difficult we must work even harder to ensure that the consoling message of Our Lord is heard,” the pope said during the meeting at the Vatican.

“Even though the economy has been bad, the Papal Foundation was able to contribute even more than they had in previous years,” said Buckley.

Cardinal William H. Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore and vice president of the foundation, spoke on behalf of the group, which presented the pope with the list of 84 specific projects and dozens of scholarships funded this year for a total of more than $7.5 million.

In the midst of the financial crisis, the pope told the benefactors, “rather than turning in on ourselves, we must continue to be beacons of hope, strength and support for others, most especially those who have no one to watch over or assist them.”

The foundation, he said, ensures that assistance continues to be carried out in the name of Christ and of his church.

Contributing to this article was Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service.

Courtesy photo

Gail Buckley, founder and executive director of Catholic Scripture Study International and parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, presents Scripture study materials to Pope Benedict XVI during a private audience at the Vatican May 2.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

to the holy land

May 8, 2009

Pope’s pilgrimage will take message of peace POPE, from page 1

the pope can expect to find his every word and gesture under scrutiny by the world’s media — especially when it comes to relations among Christians, Muslims and Jews and the IsraeliPalestinian crisis.

Although the world may measure the success of the visit in terms of international or interfaith diplomacy, Pope Benedict is going to the Holy Land first and foremost as a religious pilgrim.

“The priority is to witness to the truth of the Incarnation by visiting, as head of the church, the places where the events of our redemption took place. That’s the point,” Franciscan Father David Jaeger, an Israeli priest and adviser to the Vatican, told Catholic News Service.

The pilgrimage has a special focus on peace. The pope, in announcing the visit, said he would be going to the Holy Land to pray for “the precious gift of unity and peace for the Middle East and all humanity.”

Father Jaeger said that’s extremely important at a time when hopes for peace among the population are the lowest in many years.

“The worst thing that can happen is the loss of hope for peace. So for him to speak openly of the possibility and the necessity of peace and reconciliation should thrust those values into the fore,” Father Jaeger said.

“It’s not a political negotiation of course; he’s not going to produce a peace treaty or try to. But the fact that he keeps the value of peace in front of the people of the region, that will be a tremendous contribution by the church,” he said.

In Jordan The first leg of the pope’s trip will take him to Jordan for a series of carefully chosen liturgies and encounters, including a visit to a mosque in Amman.

That event, and the fact that Pope Benedict is spending several days in Jordan, reflects his aim to reach a wide Muslim audience.

In 2006, Pope Benedict prayed in a mosque in Turkey, a gesture that spoke volumes to the Islamic world.

In Amman, the pope will deliver a speech outside the mosque to Muslim leaders, diplomats and rectors of the University of Jordan. The audience and the setting make it likely that the pope will revisit the themes of his speech in 2006 in Regensburg, Germany, but this time making sure his remarks on reason and faith do not unintentionally offend his listeners.

For Jordan’s Catholic faithful, who number about 75,000 in a population of 6.2 million, the big event will be the papal Mass in an Amman soccer stadium May 10.

Two smaller papal events in Jordan should not go unnoticed.

His first appointment in Amman is at the Regina Pacis center, a special

“But the fact that he keeps the value of peace in front of the people ... will be a tremendous contribution by the church.”

— Franciscan Father David Jaeger needs facility that has inspired ChristianMuslim dialogue and collaboration.

Here the pope is likely to emphasize the importance of the “dialogue of life” and social cooperation among followers of the Abrahamic faiths.

The pope also will lay the cornerstone of the University of Madaba, which is being built by the Latin patriarchate; blessing cornerstones is a common activity in papal visits, but establishing a Catholic-run university in a predominantly Muslim country makes this one special.

Much of the pope’s itinerary follows in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II’s Holy Land pilgrimage in 2000.

Pope Benedict, for example, will pray at Mount Nebo in western Jordan, where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land before dying. And, like his predecessor, he will visit the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized — the setting of the opening chapter of Pope Benedict’s book, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

In Israel The pope travels to Jerusalem May 11and later that day visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, in what Vatican aides view as a central event of the trip.

When Pope John Paul spoke at the memorial in 2000, Israelis reacted with warm appreciation; many considered it a turning point in his pilgrimage.

Pope Benedict has spoken eloquently about the Holocaust, and as a German has recalled growing up as a witness to the brutality of the regime that targeted Jews for extermination.

Vatican sources said, however, that the pope will not be going to Yad Vashem to apologize as a German, but to invoke a wider lesson on the dangers of racism and anti-Semitism.

On May 12, his first full day in Jerusalem, the pope visits sites sacred to Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

He begins at the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s holiest shrines, and proceeds to the Western Wall, sacred to Jews. The two sites lie adjacent to each other and in the past have been the scene of bitter skirmishes between Palestinians and Israelis.

The same day the pope will meet separately with the city’s two chief rabbis and the grand mufti.

The pope will make a daylong visit May 13 to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and today a key administrative city of the Palestinian Authority, whose

CNS photo by Debbie Hill

Franciscan Father Garret Edmunds leads an international tour group around the Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount complex in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6. Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Dome of the Rock during his May 8-15 visit to the Holy Land. The Islamic shrine holds significance to Muslims, Jews and Christians. officials will welcome the pontiff at the presidential palace.

The main religious event of the day is a Mass in Manger Square.

That afternoon, the pope will visit the Aida Refugee Camp, where some 5,000 Palestinians live. The visit is already politically charged.

Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem said recently that the camp, which has a giant key installed atop one of the camp’s gates, symbolizes the “right to return,” the principle that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to the homes in Israel that they have been forced to leave at various times since 1946, when the war for Israeli statehood began.

In addition, Israel has objected that the platform being built to host the Aida event is too close to the Israeli separation wall, which Israel has designed as a 400mile-long security barrier through the West Bank and which Palestinians see as an instrument of repression.

The pope will celebrate Mass May 14 in Nazareth, the city where Jesus grew up, and later visit the Grotto of the Annunciation and hold a prayer service with Catholic leaders of Galilee.

Like his Mass earlier in the week in the Josafat Valley near the Garden of Gethsemane, these liturgies are central to the pope’s pilgrimage, offering moral support to the dwindling Christian population in the land where the church was born.

U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, said the pope’s visit would underline the importance of maintaining the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

“He will do what Peter always does: encourage the faithful, recognize them, give them a renewed sense of worth and let them know how much the universal church appreciates them and the importance of their faith,” the cardinal said.

May 8, 2009

to the holy land

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Footsteps toward peace

CNS photo by Debbie Hill

Muslim women walk at the al-Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount complex in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6. Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Dome of the Rock, located near the al-Aqsa Mosque, during his May 8-15 visit to the Holy Land.

Pope asks for prayers for Holy Land trip, peace for region’s people

by CINDY WOODEN catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Preparing to visit the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI asked for prayers for his trip, for peace in the region and for the suffering Palestinian people.

Reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer May 3 with thousands of visitors in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said he would make the May 8-15 trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories as a “pilgrim of peace, in the name of the one God who is father of all.”

Pope Benedict said he wanted to show the region’s people how committed the Catholic Church is to supporting everyone engaged in dialogue and reconciliation and working “to reach a stable and lasting peace with justice and mutual respect.”

Addressing English-speaking visitors, the pope asked for prayers for “the afflicted people” of the Holy Land.

“In a special way, I ask that you remember the Palestinian people who have endured great hardship and suffering,” he said.

Pope Benedict prayed that God would bless the Palestinians and all the region’s people “with the gifts of unity and peace.”

In his main talk, the pope said that in addition to going to encourage peacemaking he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI, who visited the region in 1964, and Pope John Paul II, who made his pilgrimage in 2000.

Pope Benedict said he would visit the “principal holy sites of our faith” and, as the successor of the apostle Peter, he would “confirm and encourage the Holy

Land’s Christians, who face difficulties every day.”

The pope also spoke about his trip May 2 when he met donors from the U.S.-based Papal Foundation.

Today’s world, he told foundation members, is in need of God’s peace, “especially as it faces the tragedies of war, division, poverty and despair.”

Telling foundation members that he wanted to be “a pilgrim of peace” in the Holy Land, the pope explained that “for more than 60 years this region — the land of Our Lord’s birth, death and resurrection; a sacred place for the world’s three great monotheistic religions — has been plagued by violence and injustice.”

“This has led to a general atmosphere of mistrust, uncertainty and fear — often pitting neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother,” he said.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters May 4 that for several reasons the trip is taking place in “a context not easy in terms of peace and serenity.”

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip occurred just five months ago, Israel has a new government, members of the Palestinians’ Fatah and Hamas factions have been negotiating for months without success to form a new unity government, and the new U.S. foreign policy of Barack Obama has just begun to take shape, Father Lombardi said.

In such a complex situation, he said, “the pope’s trip presents itself as an act of hope and of trust that he can make a contribution to peace and reconciliation.

It seems to me to be a decidedly courageous act.”

May 8, 2009

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Author offers eyewitness accounts, history galore about exorcisms reviewed by NANCY L. ROBERTS catholic news service

In modern life, the concept of evil personified in Satan and his minions may seem a superstitious anachronism.

After all, we now have a sophisticated grasp of the neurological and psychological causes of epilepsy, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder and the like — all conditions whose treatment, in earlier times, often consisted of casting out the devils within.

Yet the church maintains that demons are not just metaphorical, but can, if rarely, actually inhabit the physical bodies of human beings, and to this day practices a rite of exorcism to dispel them.

And while it may take months or even years of exorcisms to “liberate” a person from a demonic presence, the church’s solemn ritual of exorcism can be a formidable weapon against such evil.

These are key ideas in Matt Baglio’s book, “The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist.” In it he recounts the experiences of Father Gary Thomas, a likable California pastor, who answered his bishop’s call to take a course in Rome about demonic possession and took part in more than 80 exorcisms along with veteran Italian exorcists.

Baglio, a reporter who has written for The Associated Press and the International Herald Tribune and lives in Rome, met Father Thomas there in the fall of 2005. The two developed a warm friendship that led to the priest’s full cooperation with the reporter as he progressed through his apprenticeship as an exorcist.

The article Baglio had originally planned to write grew into a book that delves not only into eyewitness accounts of Father Thomas’ journey as he learned to cast out demons, but also the history of exorcism’s rites and rituals, portraits of those said to be possessed by demons and a discussion of the role of angels, devils, satanic cults and curses.

Many people think that exorcists see demons everywhere, but as Baglio writes in a fascinating chapter, the opposite is much more likely.

The church’s guidelines urge prudence and emphasize the importance of “discernment of spirits,” which is considered to be a gift of the Holy Spirit.

The church further “gives three signs that indicate the possible presence of a demon: abnormal strength, the ability to speak or understand a previously unknown language, and the knowledge of hidden things,” Baglio continues.

Because many mental illnesses could be mistakenly interpreted as evidence of possession, it is typical, Baglio reports, “that an exorcist will have a team of

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: may 17, 2009

May 17, Sixth Sunday of Easter Cycle B Readings: 1) Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Psalm 98:1-4 2) 1 John 4:7-10 Gospel: John 15:9-17

God is a friend who loves us always individuals (a psychiatrist, psychologist and perhaps a neurologist) that he trusts to help him with discernment.”

Baglio has good storytelling instincts and avoids sensationalizing his topic. Still, his description of dramatic changes in a possessed person’s vocal intonation during one of Father Thomas’ “apprentice” exorcisms is chilling: “As Father Carmine continued with the prayers, a low guttural growl began to emanate from Sister Janica. Father Gary studied her, trying to determine its source. ... It sounded like the noise a dog makes when it’s getting ready to bite someone.

“From his reading he did know that it was possible for a demon to attack an exorcist during the ritual. ... He had no idea what he would do if something violent like that occurred.”

Father Thomas is shown here in all of his initial skepticism that eventually gave way to a deeper understanding of the nature of evil. Indeed, his experiences led him to a profound change in his approach to his calling, because they “expos(ed) him to a level of human suffering that he never knew existed.”

At the same time, he emerged with a great sense of hope, because he found that the exorcism ritual truly worked: “Even though evil existed in the world, there was a way to defeat it.”

In the end, “The Rite” won’t quell all skepticism about this subject; consider that physicians still use a specialized term, “demonomania,” to describe a mental illness in which the patient has a delusion of being possessed by evil spirits.

But overall the book illuminates one of the world’s most long-standing and mysterious phenomena.

Interestingly, writing the book occasioned a profound change in the author, who credits the experience with turning him from being a “cultural” Catholic back to a practicing one.

In many ways, Baglio writes, this is what exorcists themselves aim to accomplish: to help the demon-possessed return to the sacraments and so, by strengthening the practice of their faith, empower them to resist evil.

Roberts is a professor of journalism and communication at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and the author of several books.

by JEFF HEDGLEN catholic news service

Junior high is one of the hardest times in life. Try, if you can, to remember those awkward times.

I remember craving attention but being mortified when I received it. I wanted girls to like me but had no idea what to do when one smiled at me.

I desperately wanted friends and would do almost anything to be seen as cool.

Those days were filled with a deep longing to fit in and be loved.

It is with this in mind that our parish offers a junior high overnight retreat on Good Friday.

The reading of the Passion and veneration of the cross set the scene for this spiritual exercise.

After the solemn services we head into a lock-in that focuses on the sacrifice Jesus offered for us on the cross.

As we go through life, we discover that Jesus is many things to us. Who he is to us and the role we see him in varies with our need.

Sometimes we need him as our Lord, such as when we really need someone to take care of us. Other times we feel our need for a savior or a healer.

Sometimes we revert back to those early adolescent days of greatly needing a friend.

It is this last aspect of Jesus that we zero in on at our overnight retreat.

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the depth of his friendship when he says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends.”

Armed with these words we lead the youth through a series of reflections, activities and testimonies aimed at helping them see the love Jesus has for them and the lengths to which he will go to be their friend.

The evening culminates with a chance for them to sign their name on a large wooden cross as a sign of accepting Jesus’ offer of friendship.

Whether we are in eighth grade or 80 years old, we all need a reminder from time to time that Jesus is not only the God who created everything seen and unseen, but he is also the God who is a friend who loves us to death.

Questions: What characteristics of a true friend do you think best describe Jesus in his role as a friend?

In what ways do you experience Jesus’ friendship?

How does it feel to know that Jesus calls you a friend?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends” (John 15:13-14).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of May 10-16 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 9:26-31, 1 John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8; Monday, Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday (St. Nereus, St. Achilleus, St. Pancras), Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday (Our Lady of Fatima), Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (St. Matthias), Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, John 15:9-17; Friday (St. Isidore), Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday, Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21.

Scripture for the week of May 17-23 Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter), Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48, 1 John 4:7-10, John 15:9-17; Monday (St. John 1), Acts 16:11-15, John 15:26--16:4; Tuesday, Acts 16:22-34, John 16:5-11; Wednesday (St. Bernardine), Acts 17:15, 22-18:1, John 16:12-15; Thursday (The Ascension of the Lord), Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Mark 16:15-20; Friday (St. Rita of Cascia), Acts 18:9-18, John 16:20-23; Saturday, Acts 18:23-28, John 16:23-28.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 8, 2009

‘Angels and Demons’ fails to generate Vatican outrage

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — On the eve of its world premiere, “Angels and Demons” was a film in desperate search of controversy.

At a press conference in Rome May 3, director Ron Howard tried to pick a fight with the Vatican, suggesting that the long arm of the Holy See was somehow behind unspecified problems in shooting the film, a pseudo-religious thriller based in Rome.

The Vatican wasn’t taking the bait, though. The only real criticism in Italy on the eve of the film’s premiere came from a 102-year-old Italian bishop — not exactly the kind of publicity storm that marketing gurus dream about.

Tom Hanks, the film’s star, put his finger on the problem at the press conference when he was asked if the movie’s marketing people might try to exploit potential conflict with the Vatican.

“Every movie is exploited by the marketing people. There’s no such thing as a movie that is not exploited by the marketing people,” Hanks said.

“The marketing department of any studio would love to be able to create controversy over their films. But they can’t do it on their own; they need a partner,” he said.

The movie, based on a novel by Dan Brown, was set to premiere in Rome May 4, and was to open in the United States May 15.

It tells the tale of a secret society that kidnaps papal candidates at the start of a conclave, forcing the Vatican to turn to the mystery-solving symbologist Robert Langdon, played by Hanks.

Howard began the press conference with a string of vague accusations against the Vatican. It seemed, he said, that “sort of through back channels and so forth, the Vatican had exerted some influence” to prevent the crews from shooting scenes in a couple of areas where a particular church was in the background.

“I suppose we could have contested this. We didn’t,” he said.

He added that a screening of the film — or a reception, he wasn’t quite sure — was moved away from a venue near St. Peter’s Square, “and I suppose the Vatican had some sort of influence over that.”

“Was I surprised? No. Am I a little frustrated by it at times? Sure,” Howard said.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, declined to comment on Howard’s accusations, saying they were merely designed to generate publicity for the film.

Howard also cited the case of retired Italian Bishop Antonio Mennonna, 102 years old, who has signed a legal complaint saying the movie is full of historical inaccuracies and misrepresentations of Christianity.

Howard said his company had earlier offered to screen the film for some bishops and others, but that the invitation was never taken up. In any case, he said, if anyone feels the film will be offensive to them, they shouldn’t see it.

That prompted Hanks, who had tongue in cheek throughout the press conference, to interject: “No, no, don’t even go! Stay away please! We beg of you!”

Hanks had fun with other inquiries designed to provoke debate with the church. After a reminder to keep questions germane to the film, one reporter asked Hanks if he were a spiritual person and what he thought about the recent controversy over the pope and condoms.

Hanks responded: “Oh, that’s germane to the film. I am a spiritual man and because I’m happily married for 21 years, I really don’t know what a condom is anymore.”

Howard, who directed “The Da Vinci Code,” also based on a Dan Brown novel, said that whatever church leaders may think of these books and films, many people find that it gets them thinking about what they believe.

Catholic high school wins visit from pop star in text-message contest ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS) — Sweat pouring down his face and an “I heart TS” tattoo on his upper arm, Geoffrey Oldland touched the hand of country and pop sensation Taylor Swift not once but twice, as she bid the students of Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria a heartfelt goodbye after a 70-minute private concert.

“It was awesome,” said Oldland, a senior who sat in the third row for the show Swift did April 28 for the school that won a Verizon text-messaging contest.

Deafening cheers erupted from the students as they welcomed the 19-yearold star onto their auditorium stage and proceeded to jump up and down for the better part of the next hour.

Even teachers got into the show, clapping along and taking pictures on their cell phones as Swift played a list of hits, many off her second and most recent album, “Fearless.”

“I can’t believe it was real,” said Fiona Carroll, following the show.

Principal Tim Hamer said Swift’s song, “The Best Day,” was true for the school. “This was very much the best day for us,” he said. “It’s very much a David and Goliath story,” with a Catholic high school winning a contest in which thousands of schools — many of them much larger — participated.

As Bishop Ireton students waited for the concert to begin, they could hone their texting skills even further by

CNS photo by Alessia Pierdomenico, Reuters

Director Ron Howard (left) and actor Tom Hanks (center) joke with author Dan Brown at the world premiere of the movie “Angels & Demons” in Rome May 4.

As a result, he said, church attendance swells and Bible study groups spring up.

“I think that’s a positive and constructive thing,” he said.

Brown, who made a rare public appearance at the press conference, said he first got the idea for “Angels and Demons” while on a tour near the Vatican.

The tour guide mentioned that popes once had to flee along a Roman passageway to escape their enemies, and that got Brown thinking about the scientific “enemies” of the Vatican, which he said “seemed like too good an idea to let go.”

In the book “Angels and Demons,” modern members of a secret society called the Illuminati plan to destroy the Vatican with antimatter.

The Illuminati were a group formed in Bavaria in the late 1700s that historians say survived for only nine years.

Conspiracy buffs have speculated that the Illuminati exist yet today, secretly controlling world events.

Brown was asked whether he really sending messages to their friends via their cell phones and having them appear on a screen behind the stage.

That’s all part of Swift “going mobile” on her U.S. tour, with opportunities for fans to win additional texting contests, download songs and virtually sing with the star.

In the nearly three years since Swift released her first single, “Tim McGraw,” the artist has experienced a dramatic rise to fame. Swift was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for best new artist and won album of the year for “Fearless” at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April.

Her first single from that album, “Love Story,” has earned accolades from both country and pop audiences — and got wild applause at the end of her show at Bishop Ireton.

As one student said: “It’s Taylor Swift! We all love her.”

believed the Illuminati still exist.

“Did they ever?” he said abruptly.

Then he added a defense of his approach to his novels.

“These are fictional stories built around real-world topics. And these stories, it is my hope, spark a lot of interest and research on people’s own, to figure out what in these stories is fictional, what is real,” he said.

Several weeks ago, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, signaled that the Vatican would not be jumping into a debate over “Angels and Demons.”

He said people should be cautious about “the boomerang effect” of calling for a boycott because it could translate into unintended publicity for the movie.

He said the Vatican wasn’t worried about people of faith falling for the book and movie’s anti-Christian inventions.

“The Vatican believes Christians are strong — inoculated by centuries of persecution and testimonials of faith,” he said.

CNS photo by Jonathan Tramontana

Singer Taylor Swift performs at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., April 28. Students beat out other schools in a text-messaging contest to win a visit from the award-winning singer.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 8, 2009

youths in action

Confirming faith

Photo by Kathleen Healy Schmieder

Lauren Gentile (third from left), 2009 North Carolina Junior National Teenager winner, volunteers at the Children’s Church at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville May 3.

Courtesy Photo

Confirmation candidates at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle prepare food Jan. 18 for Stanly Community Christian Ministries’ Community Table, which provides hot meals to those in need. The community service was part of the youths’ Jan. 18-19 “Called by Name” retreat, which focused on being disciples of Christ in the world and active members of the Catholic community.

After providing meals for approximately 60 people, the youths participated in group activities at the church, including eucharistic adoration, Mass and games.

Exploring the Eucharist

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First Communion candidates at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte create “monstrances” with their parents during a retreat April 4. During the retreat, the children learned about the transforming power of the Eucharist, and about the vessels and vestments used during Mass.

Forty-one children celebrated their first Communion during Mass at the church May 2. Augustinian Father Russell Ortega, pastor, celebrated the Mass; Augustinian Father Anthony Tomasulo, parochial vicar, concelebrated.

Crowning Mary

Catholic girl wins crown, helps others in parish and community FAITH, from page 1

I’ve got schoolwork, volunteer work and my crown duties,” she said.

Her duties include an upcoming tea at a Charlotte orphanage, where the winners from all divisions of the American National Teenager Scholarship Organization will meet with girls at the facility and “adopt” little sisters for the day.

“It makes me feel good when I see people smile,” Lauren said. “When I would go out with this one woman at the Life Care Center, we would read and I could see how doing the smallest things to help people makes a difference.”

Life Care Center offers services for the elderly.

In addition to volunteering at the center, Lauren assists with her parish’s Children’s Church, which shares Sunday’s readings with 3-, 4- and 5-yearold kids, and at the Mainstay resale shop, which benefits domestic abuse victims.

Last year Lauren and her mother spent a week working with a multidenominational summer camp program in which Immaculate Conception Church participated with other local churches.

Her father, Larry, recently accompanied Lauren to an audition at Hendersonville Little Theatre, where Lauren won a role in “Gypsy.” And at her urging, Larry found himself onstage performing for the first time since high school.

Lauren also has worked at the Flat Rock Playhouse in their production of

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Courtesy Photo

Eighth-grader Daniel Nelli assists second-grader Carly Kurtiak as she places a crown on a statue of Mary outside St. Michael School in Gastonia May 4. Students who have made or will make their first Communion this year led the school in the annual May crowning ceremony. The month of May is devoted to Mary and is traditionally celebrated with a crowning of Mary and praying the rosary.

“Orphan Train” and hopes to continue studying acting with the playhouse.

“In high school I would like to be part of the conservatory group at the playhouse. You get a taste of what it’s like to be an equity actor,” she said.

Lauren’s goals also include studying for her bachelor’s degree in musical theatre at Elon University. She is currently an honor student and Beta Group member at Rugby Middle School, and her mother, Mary, hopes the academic achievements continue to be important.

Additionally, Lauren will compete for the national crown in July.

L a u r e n ’s f a m i l y o ff e r s h e r continuous support.

“Her brother Christopher acted as her escort for one of the gown portions of a previous pageant,” she said, “and both her brothers are very proud of her. And her dad is busting at the seams.”

“We are a loving family, and I think that has a lot to do with our faith,” added her mother. “We try to raise our children with the same Catholic values we were brought up with.”

“Church keeps me going,” said Lauren, who is currently studying for her confirmation in the fall.

When she won the North Carolina Junior National Teenager title and scholarship, Lauren also won the talent portion of the program and won for her speech about setting good examples for other teens.

Following in the footsteps of the Franciscans at Immaculate Conception Church, Lauren said her work within the community follows the admonition of St. Francis himself: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

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

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 13

in our schools

Battle of the brains

Courtesy Photo

Youths and adults take part in the 1K race, part of Asheville Catholic School’s annual Shamrock Run March 14.

Courtesy photo

The MACS Academic Games national team is pictured in Knoxville, Tenn., where they competed in the 2009 Academic Games National Tournament April 24-27. Pictured are Brooke Dandurand, AngelineMarie Morales, Kathryn-Grace Smith, Grayson Hahn, Anthony Charlonis, Meghan Santschi, Uwa Akhere, Christopher Anderson, Jonathan Wilson, Luke Santschi, Christian Chapman and Tyler Caponigro.

MACS Academic Games national team earns top honors

by Katie Moore staff writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Mecklenburg Area Catholic School (MACS) Academic Games national team received top awards at the 2009 Academic Games National Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. April 24-27.

Twelve students from four schools (St. Patrick, St. Gabriel and Our Lady of the Assumption elementary schools and Holy Trinity Middle School) qualified to represent MACS in the elementary division of the tournament.

Academic Games League of America (AGLOA) is a nonprofit organization which provides a series of Academic Games competitions throughout the

nation resulting in a National Championship Tournament in late April each year.

Academic Games tournaments challenge students to use higher order thinking skills in the subjects of Language Arts, English, History and Mathematics.

AGLOA welcomes any student in grades 4-12 to join and play Academic Games. A student may play as an individual but most play in teams of five.

The MACS team traveled to Tennessee under the supervision of Allana-Rae Ramkissoon, MACS Academic Games league head coach and principal of Our Lady of Assumption School, and Mary Morales, MACS Academic Games league national team head coach and parent volunteer.

The MACS team was divided into groups and competed in three competition categories within the elementary division: presidents, propaganda and equations.

They placed highest in the presidents and propaganda games with groups placing first and fourth in the presidents game and first in the propaganda game.

They also received many of the top 10 individual awards for both competitions in which they competed against 300 students from leagues across the country.

“The time and dedication to studying facts about our presidents, as well as learning about propaganda, is inspiring,” said Linda Cherry, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte.

“These young people, representing grades three through six in MACS, brought pride to themselves, the MACS system and our entire diocese,” Cherry said. “We look forward to expanding Academic Games within MACS and the other areas of our diocese.”

Shamrock Run raises funds for Asheville Catholic School by

CAROLE McGROTTY correspondent

ASHEVILLE —Students and adults took part in Asheville Catholic School’s third annual Shamrock Run March 14.

The Shamrock Run, which consists of 10K, 5K and 1K “fun run” races, raises funds for the school’s drama and physical education departments.

Mercy Sister Maria Goretti Weldon,

who serves as the mission and values advocate for Sisters of Mercy Services Corporation, started the races. Father John Schneider, pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville, led the race on his bicycle while Irish music played over a loudspeaker.

New this year was a contest with prizes for the best Irish, Leprechaun or shamrock-themed race outfit. Prizes include certificates and gear from local restaurants and venues.

Off to the races

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Runners take part in the 14th annual Fun Run sponsored by St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem March 21. More than 800 runners participated in the 5K and 1-mile runs, with proceeds benefiting school programs. Race prizes include items donated by local retailers. A pre-race pasta dinner, co-sponsored

by Knights of Columbus Council 2829, was held March 20.

May 8, 2009

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

The common denominator in murder-suicides, mass killings Some people are not mindful that God is the ultimate provider A man whose wife was one of the victims of the April 5 massacre in Binghamton, N.Y., that left 14 dead asked, “What is it about American society that keeps turning out these kinds of people (mass murderers)? What is it about our society that keeps driving people to do things like this?”

Following the Binghamton murders, fingers pointed in all directions: too many guns, the recession, foreigners unable to cope with culture shock, copycats stimulated by highprofile killings.

As much as we’d like to understand the workings of evil or anticipate it through homeland security or other precautions, we cannot.

Evil becomes manifest when a heart ceases to resist it; it is a person-by-person choice not restricted to race or gender.

But there is, I believe, a common denominator in all incidences of mass killings and murder-suicides: selfsufficiency that is not mindful that God is the ultimate provider.

People who are overwhelmingly selfsufficient may not always be conscious of it. They simply do what they have to do to live.

They work, manage their homes, provide for dependent family members, indulge in recreation where possible, save for a rainy day.

There is nothing wrong with this.

In fact, there is a degree of comfort in the ebb and flow of routine that caters to one’s flesh, that offers rest and sanctuary at the end of a grueling day.

Self-sufficient people may even go to church, acknowledging God. Eventually, however, they betray that they don’t truly “depend” on almighty God, who can make a way out of no way.

This becomes evident when they are cornered by a problem they can’t see a way around without giving up even the most modest of lifestyles.

They know no other way to live.

There are other aspects of selfsufficiency that are less apparent but nonetheless destructive.

The dependency of family members on a self-sufficient man, for example, can feed his ego so much that he cannot bear to fall from grace in their eyes, even if his fall was not because of something he did wrong.

I dismiss the possibility that those who commit murder-suicide do so to spare their families pain.

What do they know about another’s pain when the only pain that seems to matter is their own?

For that matter, what do they know

Bridging Gaps CAROLE NORRIS GREENE cns columnist

CNS photo by Owen Sweeney III, Catholic Review

Messages and remembrances are seen April 21 on the porch of a Middletown, Md., house where five members of a family died in a murder-suicide. of love when genuine love gives life?

It doesn’t snuff it out.

Then there are the self-possessed who are impatient with others in society who do not view life as they view it, who would rather terrorize and destroy lives rather than allow the seeds of truly worthy ideas to take root and grow.

What is the antidote to crippling selfsufficiency?

A crash course in humility before God, coupled with thankfulness.

It is freeing to acknowledge our God-dependency over self-sufficiency, offering gratitude for blessings often taken for granted: family, caring neighbors, loyal friends, health, safety, the freedom in the United States to worship God wherever and whenever, the kindness of strangers, the opportunity to give more than we take, hope that help will come, the unfathomable possibilities of each new day.

There is a lot on our horizons that is scary: the flu pandemic, the domino effect of the recession, Internet predators, threats of escalating wars, to name just a few.

But only one response matters, however: putting down our “to do” lists and humbling ourselves before our powerful, loving, merciful, magnanimous and unpredictable God who has said all along, “The battle is mine.”

Why Catholics leave the church

Those who return often seek a spiritual home There are many reasons why Catholics leave the church.

More than 90 percent leave because of the human element of the church. The other 10 percent probably never believed in the divine element in the first place.

Faith is a gift. If you try to bring back lapsed Catholics, be careful. As a rule, they don’t like any kind of pressure.

For instance, if you say jokingly, “When are you coming back to the church?” you might hear, “Back to what, the same old stuff?”

Many of them have been hurt, offended or scandalized by priests and bishops; some may have had a scrupulous parent who smothered them.

Better to “speak more to God about them, than to them about God.” This was the advice St. Ambrose gave to St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, when he lapsed into heresy as a young man.

She persevered in her prayers, and he eventually became a saint.

Many estranged Catholics are totally indifferent to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Jesuit theologian Father Karl Rahner once said, “For too many people, Christianity has become another ‘ism,’ an ideology, an abstraction, and abstractions have no need of a mother.”

Those who do return after years of estrangement often tell us that they did not come back because of prodding or intellectual arguments. Rather, they found themselves looking for something that was missing in their lives; namely, a spiritual home.

This is where Mary comes in to play; a home needs a mother in it.

When people experience hard times they often say a Hail Mary, and when their prayers are answered the seeds of faith begin to bloom again. The contempt they once felt for the institutional church seems to become inconsequential.

They soon realize that the Catholic Church is the only organization in the world that truly honors the mother of Jesus as he wants her honored. Mary is the mother of the mystical body of Christ and therefore our spiritual mother.

“Honor thy mother” is a divine commandment, and Mary had a two-fold

Spirituality for Today FATHER JOHN CATOIR cns columnist

vocation; namely, to receive Jesus into her body, and then to give him away to the world for our salvation.

This is essentially our vocation too.

After the Second Vatican Council, many priests began preaching that the council eliminated our so-called “exaggerated devotion” to Mary, but what they failed to explain was all that Mary really means to us.

To the objection of our Protestant brothers — namely that Christians do not need Mary because Jesus alone is Lord — we have this answer from the pen of Cardinal Leo Jozef Suenens: “It is true, Mary plays no role in the transmission of sacramental grace, i.e., she never interferes in the priest’s absolution; however, in Lourdes and elsewhere, she gently urges the pilgrims to go to confession and receive holy Communion.”

In Scripture, Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Far from getting in the way, she points us to Jesus.

The cynicism of disbelievers does not affect the truth.

I have been broadcasting 30-second radio spots on more than 1,000 radio stations carried on the Westwood One radio network for about 20 years. My sole purpose in creating this ministry called St. Jude Media is to tell my listeners from Maine to Hawaii that God loves them and that they can trust him, especially when he says, “Be not afraid.”

This is the good news of the Gospel.

Jesus said, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people” who never strayed (Lk 15:7).

I take him at his word.

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 15

It is not without precedent Greed is root of all evil, source of current global economic crisis Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in a recent speech to the Economic Club of Washington, said the global economic crisis is unprecedented.

No, it is not.

“Never before in modern times has so much of the world been simultaneously hit by a confluence of economic and financial turmoil such as we are now living through,” Geithner said.

There is precedent for almost any event, a point oft overlooked in an era when nostalgia begins where the last decade ends.

It has happened, but until communication made it known, it wasn’t known.

A person could live and die in Europe, never knowing of a catastrophic failure of silkworms in China; a drought in Africa would never be known to a settler on the prairies of the United States.

Now, with the exponential increase in the speed of communication, a flu outbreak in Mexico can topple the stock prices in Mumbai, India, within minutes.

Even Pope Benedict XVI admits to difficulty in keeping up with the rapid change.

The pope has been preparing an

Story captures sister’s spirit I was delighted to read the story about Mercy Sister Larretta RiveraWilliams (“Like nun other: Mercy sister breaks mold, brings Catholicism to unlikely venue,” May 1).

Although my family now belongs to Our Lady of Mercy Church in WinstonSalem, when we first moved here we went to St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem and Sister Larretta was one of the first people we met.

She was a pastoral associate there at the time, and she was very welcoming and friendly, and made us feel at home even though we didn’t know anybody there.

Your story about her work at Wake Forest was extremely well written. I felt that it gave the reader a good insight into what Sister Larretta does for the students, and a good feel for the kind of person she is.

Thank you for the wonderful human interest story.

— Jim Grace Rural Hall

Courage to protect all is needed In response to the letter to the editor that “Obama does care about nuclear annihilation” (May 1), let us be mindful

encyclical on the economy that some reports said was to be published in March or by Easter.

The pope said the complexity of the current situation is the reason for delay, and that he did not want to give simplistic answers to questions of global economy.

“We must denounce this with courage, but also with concreteness because moralizing will not help if it is not supported by an understanding of reality, which also will help us to understand what can be done concretely to change the situation,” he told a group of priests in February.

While bankers and financiers look for the cause in such things as securitization, mortgage-backed assets and derivatives, expect the papal encyclical to be based on the institutional memory and historical understanding offered by the church.

The cause: greed.

The solution: justice.

Greed is the root of all evil, the source of the current global economic crisis, Pope Benedict said in an April audience.

Earlier in February he said the crisis proves original sin really exists.

“If it did not exist we could appeal to reason, lucidly with arguments that are accessible to all and incontestable, and to

Consider This STEPHEN KENT cns columnist

the good will of everyone,” he said.

Expect the encyclical to address more than the economic system. Things can be better but not perfect. Change will result not from new laws but from just people.

“Justice cannot be created only with economic reforms, which are necessary, but it also requires the presence of just people,” the pope said. “As long as original sin exists we will never have a radical and total correction, but we must do all that we can to achieve at least a provisional, sufficient correction that would permit humanity to live and would be an obstacle to selfishness.

“People, including the rich, must fight against greed, against the desire for appearances and against the false sense of freedom,” he continued. Everyone, rich and poor, “must find the right path of truth, of love and therefore of the principled life.”

The encyclical will be new but not unprecedented.

The precedent for that teaching can be found over 2,000 years ago.

Letters to the Editor that the instinct for self preservation is present in all of nature from animals to man. Even the communist or atheist who has no belief in God do not desire their own nuclear annihilation.

The moral issue is the protection of all human life from the tiny embryo to the elderly. So let us be careful on how much admiration and honor we are willing to give to those who do not desire to protect human life in all its forms.

How many times our human nature rationalizes something is good for some convenience when it is really not.

Courage for the truth is what is needed.

— Joan Kalna Matthews

Love and forgiveness — the Christian way The right to life is fundamental to all other rights. Some people disagree, however. Can we not learn to forgive them as Jesus did while he was on the cross and his life was being taken away from him?

He said, ‘’Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23: 34). As Christians, can we not follow his example of forgiveness?

W h e n C o r r i e Te n B o o m was confronted with forgiving the

concentration camp prison guard who had, during her interment at Auschwitz, abused her, she said, ‘’I cannot forgive him, Lord, but you can.’’

By giving the situation over to him, she was able to forgive.

Let us therefore not quench the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Before we confront or address a wrong, could we not find it within ourselves to forgive the perpetrators and heed the Holy Spirit Jesus sent us for our guidance?

— Robin and Bill Ach Winston- Salem

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Pope, at audience, says he wants to promote peace, unity in Holy Land The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Using the media present at his weekly general audience to address the people of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Pope Benedict XVI said that he hoped to promote peace and unity during his eight-day visit to the region.

“I am eagerly looking forward to being with you and to sharing with you your aspirations and hopes as well as your pains and struggles,” the pope told the region’s people May 6, just two days before he was to begin his trip.

After his main audience talk about the teachings of St. John Damascene, Pope Benedict turned directly to the cameras to tell the people of the Holy Land that he would make his visit as a pilgrim of peace.

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters, St. John Damascene was a towering figure in the history of Eastern theology.

He was born into a wealthy Christian family at a time when his native Syria was already under Arab rule. He left a promising career in government in order to enter monastic life.

His best-known works are his Discourses against the Iconoclasts, which offer an important contribution to the proper theological understanding of the veneration of sacred images.

St. John Damascene was among the first to distinguish between adoration, which is due to God alone, and veneration, which can rightly be given to an image in order to assist the Christian to contemplate him whom the image represents.

It is true that in the Old Testament, divine images were strictly forbidden.

But now that God has become incarnate and has assumed visible, material form in Jesus, matter has received a new dignity.

The wood of the cross, the book of the Gospels, the altar of sacrifice: all have been used by God to bring about our salvation.

Matter now serves as a sign and sacrament of our encounter with God. When we participate in the sacraments, when we venerate icons, if we do so in faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit, they truly become a means of grace.

Despite human sinfulness, God has chosen to dwell within men and women, making them holy, making them sharers in his infinite goodness and holiness.

Let us welcome him with joy into our hearts.

May 8, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 16

in the news

As the smoke clears Bishop visits Catholic families who lost homes in S.C. wildfires by

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS catholic news service

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Joseph Gosiewski removed a carefully folded tissue from his pocket. Inside it, he said, were symbols of his Catholic faith.

They are among the few possessions remaining after a fire destroyed the home he shared with his wife, Nancy.

“There’s the rosary I got for my first holy Communion, and the St. Joseph and St. Patrick medals that were put on my baby’s crib,” said Gosiewski, pointing to a singed but still recognizable rosary and two scorched medals held together by a safety pin.

The Gosiewskis’ home was one of about 150 that were destroyed or seriously damaged when wildfires tore through the coastal beach area of South Carolina April 22-23.

The retired couple, members of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in North Myrtle Beach, was one of seven families at the parish whose homes were destroyed. No one was injured or killed in the fires.

CNS photo by Keith Jacobs, Catholic Miscellany

Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, S.C., speaks with Joseph Gosiewski as they stand in the ruins of the Gosiewski family’s home in North Myrtle Beach May 1. The home was destroyed by wildfires that raged through the South Carolina town in late April. The Gosiewskis, members of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, are one of seven families from the parish who lost their homes in the blazes.

Our Lady Star of the Sea families spent the afternoon of May 3 with Charleston Bishop Robert E.

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Guglielmone, who visited the parish to celebrate Mass, meet with parishioners and tour the burned areas of nearby Barefoot Resort which was particularly hard-hit by the wildfires.

Father Robert Higgins, pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, said the parish has received and contributed to funds to help the fire victims. The parish community raised $21,000 through special collections, Catholic Charities supplied $10,000 and St. Andrew Church in Myrtle Beach collected $3,000.

Donations of food, clothing and furniture have also poured in to the church. Father Higgins said furniture and other items originally slated for the parish’s annual garage sale will instead be given to the fire victims.

At the beginning of the May 3 Mass, Bishop Guglielmone told the congregation he “simply wanted to come and be with you where there was a loss, such fear and such trauma with these terrible fires.”

He said he wanted to offer his own support and the support of the diocese.

“It is a very fearful thing to see fire approaching and not know what is going to happen,” he added.

In his homily he urged parishioners to take to heart the image of Jesus as a shepherd. “Jesus presents himself as a model for his disciples ... we all need to shepherd each other, to seek out those who are lost and suffering,” he said. “We are all in this together.”

After Mass, Bishop Guglielmone met with some of the families and attended a private luncheon. He also visited the Gosiewskis’ damaged home and other destruction in the area with the couple and their pastor.

The Gosiewskis moved into their home last year after they retired. The couple, who had lived in Delaware, decided to live in a coastal community after Nancy survived two bouts with cancer.

“When she got a clean bill in 2006, we decided to make a fresh start, because life’s too short,” Joseph Gosiewski told The Catholic Miscellany, diocesan newspaper of Charleston.

They were awakened the night of April 23 by a warning signal. They looked out and saw a wall of flame approaching from the thick woods behind their threebedroom, one-story home.

The couple fled the area by car as soon as they saw the fire.

“To me, it was the most horrific thing I’ve ever experienced ... to see the fire so close,” Nancy Gosiewski said.

They lost everything, from important papers and photographs to furniture, clothing and keepsakes.

“Losing the pictures is what hurts, but there’s nothing you can do,” she said, adding she has found comfort in keepsakes that were spared from the flames. She found a locket her father had given her and a collectible figurine.

She and her husband said the material losses can be replaced. They are thankful they survived and for the help they’ve received from their church and the community.

“Every morning when I open my eyes, I say thank you to God that I’m alive and my friends are alive,” Joseph Gosiewski said. “It’s also the last thing I say at night.”