May 14, 2010

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

May crownings held across the diocese to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary PAGE 7

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI MAY 14, 2010

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Kagan’s career in academia, administration under scrutiny

See KAGAN, page 16

no. 25

PART 3

This is the third in a series about women religious in honor of Mary during May.

Finding their vocations half a world away

Pro-life advocates decry her pro-abortion stance WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) ― President Barack Obama’s nomination of the current Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court is drawing c o n c e r n s from pro-life Elena Kagan advocates.

Kagan, 50, was dean of Harvard Law School before her ascent to solicitor general and would become the third woman on the High Court if confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

vOLUME 19

Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena serve the Lord joyfully Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

photo by

Mary B. Worthington

Sister Myra Caylan, a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, serves as a middle school math and religion teacher at Sacred Heart School in Salisbury. She is pictured with seventh-graders Meghan Hedgepeth and Fidel Flores. She came to the Diocese of Charlotte from her native Philippines, where the community has more than 300 members.

SALISBURY ― Wearing their white habits and black veils, Sister Anastacia “Annie” Pagulayan and a fellow nun each gathered a small bag and boarded a Greyhound bus. For 35 days, the two trekked around the U.S. visiting the places they had taught about to young school children.

See VOCATIONS, page 8

Investigation of vandalized statue continues Statue of Mary now restored SueAnn Howell Staff Writer CHARLOTTE ― Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are still investigating the recent vandalism of the statue of Our Lady of Peace at St. Matthew Church, and are following up on additional leads this week.

In the early morning hours of April 24, someone chopped off the head and hands of the Marian statue on the St. Matthew campus in south Charlotte, placing the pieces at the statue’s base. Police are calling the incident a possible hate crime.

Detective Milton Harris has reviewed

the church’s surveillance tape and observed “shadowy movement” in the area near the statue, but he said it is difficult to identify the perpetrator or a vehicle. He did say that the evidence points probably to one vandal, not multiple people. Harris also said he believes a handle-edged tool, probably a pick ax or a heavy shovel, was used to sever the head and hands.

According to Harris, “Two men have given additional leads in the case, and I need to verify them, which I will do this week.”

Meanwhile, the parish has had the large concrete statue – the focal point of a rose garden dedicated to the children killed by

The statue of Our Lady of Peace located on the St. Matthew Church campus in Charlotte has been restored after an act of vandalism which took place on April 24.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating the incident as a hate crime and are following up on new leads this week.

See STATUE, page 12

photo by Fernando

Onativia

IN BRIEF

CULTURE WATCH

PERSPECTIVES

In Portugal, pope says Church must witness its beliefs

Catholics need a ‘new apologetics’ to defend faith, cardinal says

Father Rick DeClue: The Feast of the Ascension – Why did Jesus leave us?

PAGE 2

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May 14, 2010

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

CNS photo by Hugo Correia, Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd as he arrives for a May 11 Mass in Palace Square in Lisbon, Portugal. The pope urged the more than 100,000 people to re-evangelize society by witnessing the joy and hope of the Gospel in every sector of contemporary life. For the full report of his remarks, see page 14.

In Portugal, pope says Church must witness its beliefs children in 1917. The pope said he came as a pilgrim to pay tribute to an event that did not depend on the pope or any Church authority, but came directly from God. The pope said at Fatima “heaven itself was opened over Portugal – like a window of hope that God opens when man closes the door to him.”

He said Mary had come to remind people that a relationship with God is essential for human beings.

“From a wise vision of life and of the world, the just ordering of society follows,” he said, directly because of faith in Christ.

FOR MORE The pope also said the Read about the pope’s homily in Portugal separation of Church and state about the dangers of secularization. See page 14. in Portugal, which followed the Republican revolution a century ago, rightly challenges Catholics to live their faith more fully. traditionally Catholic countries. The “Living amid a plurality of value pope reached out to non-Catholics and systems and ethical outlets requires a nonbelievers, saying the Church was journey to the core of one’s being and ready to live in a pluralistic society as to the nucleus of Christianity so as to long as it can give witness to its beliefs. reinforce the quality of one’s witness to “The Church is open to cooperating the point of sanctity,” he said. with anyone who does not marginalize or The pope’s visit came as cultural and reduce to the private sphere the essential political developments were challenging consideration of the meaning of life,” Portugal’s Catholic identity. The country he said. legalized abortion three years ago and The main purpose of Pope Benedict’s appears poised to legalize same-sex trip was to visit the sanctuary of Fatima, marriage later this month. where Mary appeared to three shepherd LISBON, Portugal (CNS) ― Pope Benedict XVI spent four days in Portugal earlier this week, and during his visit he urged its traditionally Catholic population not to close the door to God and religion.

For a humanity too often lacking in love and without hope for salvation, the Gospel still represents “the source of hope,” the pope said Tuesday.

The pope’s words reflected growing Church concern that secularization is making inroads in one of Europe’s most

MAY 14, 2010 Volume 19 • Number 25 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org PHONE: 704-370-3333 FAX: 704-370-3382

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cindi Feerick 704-370-3332, ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org

MAIL: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237

STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

Pope: Sex abuse crisis ‘terrifying’ example of Church failings

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO PORTUGAL (CNS) ― Pope Benedict XVI said the priestly sex abuse scandal is a “terrifying” crisis that comes from inside the church – not from an outside attack – and requires purification and penance.

The pope made some of his strongest remarks to date on the sex abuse cases during an in-flight press conference May 11 on his way to Portugal for a four-day visit that was to include the Marian shrine of Fatima.

Asked if the message of Fatima, which foresaw times of trials and suffering for the church, could be applied to the sex abuse crisis, the pope said essentially it could.

“Today we can discover in this message that attacks on the pope and

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

ASHEVILLE THE LADIES ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS welcome all women who are practicing Catholics, and who are Irish by birth or descent, or who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mother of a Junior member. If you live in the Asheville area and would like more information, contact Janice Donahue at 704-249-9161 or ladydonahue@gmail.com.

the Church come not only from the outside, but the suffering of the church comes from inside the church, from sins that exist inside the church,” he said.

“This we have always known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way. The biggest weight on the church doesn’t come from the enemies outside but is born from sin inside the church. And so the church has a profound need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn on the one hand forgiveness but also the necessity of justice. And forgiveness does not substitute justice.

We have to relearn these essentials: conversion, prayer, penance.”

The pope helped explain the third secret of Fatima when it was published in 2000.

German bishop accused of abuse resigns

AUGSBURG, Germany (CNS) ― Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of the Augsburg Bishop Walter Mixa, who has admitted hitting

— Reflections on Charity, Justice and Mercy in Celebration of 100 Years of Catholic Charities, presented by Father Joseph Koterski, S.J., Ph.D., 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2. To register, contact Sherill Beason at 704-370-3228 or sabeason@charlottediocese.org.

ST. ANN CHURCH, 3635 Park Road — Pro-life Mass, 9 a.m. May 29 ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road — “How to make YOU memorable–Presenting yourself with ease!” Ministry Center, 7 to 9 p.m. May 20, presentation followed by open networking and one-on-one coaching sessions. RSVP in person on the third floor or to Bill Conwell at SGIT@bellsouth.net.

ST. LUKE CHURCH, 13700 Lawyers Road — Parish Orientation, Family Life Center, after the 5 p.m.

Mass May 15. For more information, contact Kathy Hoehn at 704-531-1856.

— Pentecost International Celebration, Family Life Center, following each Mass May 23. Celebrate cultural backgrounds and traditions with ethnic food, music and dance.

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, 503 N. Main St.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.

— Outdoor Pentecost Mass and Parish Picnic, Belmont Abbey College Sacred Heart Campus, 11 a.m. May 23.

Bring a folding chair or blanket.

— Presentation by Catholic researcher, Dr. Michael New, NLC room 239, 3 to 5 p.m. May 15. RSVP to charlottertl@ bellsouth.net. Dr. New will share his insights on successful pro-life endeavors from his research and involvement at the local level.

— Heart to Heart with God: Six Ways to Empower Your Prayer Life, MAK Center conference room, 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Sundays through June 13 (except May 16). Learn more about the Scriptures and the new and meaningful ways to strengthen your own prayer experiences. For more information, contact Dennis Teall-Fleming at 704-8259600 or teallfleming@yahoo.com.

— Whole Community Catechesis, MAK Center, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. June 6 and 13. Faith formation for all ages. For more information, contact Dennis Teall-Fleming at 704825-9600 or teallfleming@yahoo.com.

CANDLER ST. JOAN OF ARC CHURCH, 768 Asbury Road — Catholic Daughters of America Tea, Fellowship Hall, 3 p.m. May 16. Open to women and girls of all ages.

CHARLOTTE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE PASTORAL CENTER, 1123 S. Church St.

The Catholic News & Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 44 times a year, weekly except Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August.

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— Sustainable Gardening Presentation, NLC Banquet Room, 7 p.m. May 19. For more information, contact Dana Trumpower at dtrumpower@carolina.rr.com.

— “The truth about stem cell research,” daily Mass chapel, 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 20. Guest speaker will be Dr. Matthew Harrison, Northgate Family Practice. For more information, contact Pat Rodite at 704-541-9744 or rodite@email.com.

— Opus Dei Recollection for Men, 7 to 9 p.m. May 21.

Reconciliation available at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Joe Ignacio at 704-752-7155 or joremy.ignacio@ gmail.com.

— Opus Dei Recollection for Women, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m May 22. Reconciliation available at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Remy Ignacio at 704-752-7155 or remy_ignacio@hotmail.com.

— Christian Coffee House, Parish Center, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

May 23

editions. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. Deadline is 10 days before requested publication date. We do not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. All submitted items become the property of The Catholic News & Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. For inquiries, contact Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at 704-370-3334 or plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

ADVERTISING: For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Cindi Feerick at 704-370-3332 or ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 3

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS) ― The current clergy abuse scandal in Europe has not had the same impact on the U.S. Church as the 2002 reports of clergy abuse that focused on U.S. priests and bishops, according to a new poll. The New York Times/CBS News poll – released May 4 – shows that U.S. Catholics view the current wave of scandals as a “far-off storm”

that has had “no effect” on Mass attendance, financial contributions or parish participation.

Many of the Catholic respondents in the telephone poll conducted April 30-May 2 said they have seen a change in how the church is handling the abuse crisis. The poll questioned 1,079 randomly selected adults and included 412 Catholics. According to the poll, only one in 10 Catholics say the current abuse scandal causes them to consider leaving the Church, unlike the one in five who, in response to a 2002 Gallup poll, considered leaving the Church during the height of abuse allegations in the U.S. While the abuse scandals in Europe made headlines worldwide in recent months, Vatican officials and U.S. bishops responded by criticizing the media for unfairly characterizing the Church. In the poll, slightly more Catholics agreed that the news media had “blown the issue out of proportion” than those who said the issue had been accurately reported. Most said the news media had been harder on the Church than on other religions.

— Baccalaureate Mass and Reception for High School and College Graduates in the parish, 5:30 p.m. May 23. For more information, contact Erin Dunne at 704-543-7677, ext.

103, or erind@stmatthewcatholic.org.

at 828-693-9014. For widowers interested in an informal gathering of men who have suffered the loss of loved ones, call Greg Savold at 828-702-0129 or Bob Grady at 828697-2900.

children but has denied sexually abusing them. Just before the Vatican’s announcement May 8, the Augsburg Diocese confirmed reports it had informed the state prosecutor about accusations relating to sexual abuse of a boy by Bishop Mixa during his time as bishop of Eichstatt, 1996-2005.

Bishop Mixa’s lawyer denied the accusations and said the bishop was cooperating with the prosecutor.

Poll: Scandal now impacts U.S. Catholics less than 2002 crisis

ST. PETER CHURCH, 507 S. Tryon St. — Parish Assembly, Biss Hall, 7 p.m. May 17. Potluck dinner at 6 p.m.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 Suther Road — The Rosary According to Pope John Paul II, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday in May, babysitting available. For more information, call Deacon Brian at 704-568-1234.

HIGH POINT IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 4145 Johnson St. — International Festival, 3:30 to 7 p.m. May 23. Enjoy the foods, costumes, dancing and entertainment from many cultures. Please bring your favorite international or local family-sized dish to share.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Meeting, 7 p.m. third Wednesday of each month. They welcome women who are practicing Roman Catholics, who are Irish by birth or descent, who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, or who are the mother of a Junior member. For more information, contact Susan Blanchfield at 704-825-8313 or sblanchfield1@carolina.rr.com.

GREENSBORO ST. MARY CHURCH, 812 Duke St. — Pentecost Revival, Parish Center, Guest speaker Rev. Father Igwe, from New York, presents the theme: “The Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Sister Caroline Walson at 336-373-9854 or 336-965-8801 or Sister Agnes Onyeagu at 336-856-8976.

— Honoring Graduates, 11 a.m. Mass May 23. Contact the parish office to include the name of a graduate to be congratulated at Mass.

HAYESVILLE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, Highway 64 West — Dinner-Theater Evening,” 5:45 p.m. May 19, one-person dramatic performance by Pat Mahon as the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Ave. West — Widows Support Group, room 2, 10 a.m. third Tuesday of each month. For more information, call Jane Lombardo

Episcopal

HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 Stumptown Road — Celebrate Mass with SPRED (Special Religious Education) Community, 11 a.m. May 16. Three special friends will be receiving their First Communion at this Mass. Reception in Parish Center immediately following Mass.

— New Parishioners’ Welcome Event, room 200, after 1:00 p.m. Mass May 16. Learn about St. Mark activities, enjoy light refreshments, relax and meet other newcomers. RSVP to Rosemary Keeley at 704-399-0672 or rosemary_keeley@ att.net.

SALISBURY SACRED HEART CHURCH, 375 Lumen Christi Lane — Graduation Mass and Breakfast for High School and College Graduates, 8 a.m. May 16. Bring your cap and gown to be worn at Mass. After Mass, proceed to Brincefield Hall for a special breakfast. RSVP no later than May 10 to Sharon or Judi at 704-633-0591.

SWANNANOA ST. MARGARETY MARY CHURCH, 102 Andrew Pl. — Parish Picnic and Bilingual Mass, Lake Tomahawk, 11:30 a.m. May 30. Sign up to bring a dish.

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

Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or fax to 704-370-3382.

calendar

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

May 17-18 Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Methodist Bishops’ Prayer Service Conference Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

May 15 – 9 a.m.

Mass for Deacon Aspirants St. Joseph Church, Newton

May 19 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Infant Church, Reidsville

May 16 – 10:30 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Vietnamese Church, Charlotte

May 21 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

CNS photo by L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI talks with Belgian bishops at the end of their “ad limina” visits at the Vatican May 8.

Pope meets Belgian bishops after abusive bishop resigned

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― In the wake of a case of sexual POPE URGES BELGIAN BISHOPS abuse by a bishop, the Church in TO PROMOTE VOCATIONS Belgium has been “put to the trial by sin,” Pope Benedict XVI told VATICAN (CNA/EWTN News) ― Pope Benedict the country’s bishops. underlined the irreplaceable role of priests to the The pope prayed that Belgian Church during his address to the bishops of Belgium Catholics “would not forget last weekend at the conclusion of their “ad Limina” that only Christ can calm every visit. He urged support for the priesthood and a storm” and that Belgian priests renewed impetus for vocations, saying the drop in would find “new courage and the number of priests is not inevitable. strength to live a holy life in Noting the Vatican II conclusion that the Church full fidelity to their ministry, to cannot do without its priests, he said “it is therefore their consecration to God and to necessary and urgent to confer upon them their right Christian witness.” place and recognize their irreplaceable sacramental Pope Benedict spoke to the character.”

Belgian bishops May 8 at the end of their “ad limina” visits to the Pope Benedict also addressed the trend of a deVatican to report on the status of creasing number of Catholic priests in the country, their dioceses. telling them a “broad and serious” vocations ministry The pope did not specifically is needed to confront the problem. This ministry, mention Bishop Roger he continued, must place great significance on the Vangheluwe of Brugge, who holiness of priests, on attention to the first signs of resigned April 23 after admitting vocations in youth and on “assiduous and trusting that while a priest and during the prayer, according to Jesus’ recommendation.” first years he was a bishop, he sexually abused a boy.

Benedict XVI went on to recognize and greet all Meeting reporters after the priests and consecrated people from Belgium, papal audience May 8, Archbishop asking that they and the faithful “not forget that only Andre-Joseph Leonard of Christ can silence every storm.”

Mechelen-Brussels, president of He pointed to recently canonized St. Damien of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Molokai as an exemplary priest and missionary, said the pope “obviously referred whose greatness “resided in his interior wealth, to the drama we lived in Belgium, in his constant prayer and in his union with Christ in the archdiocese of Brugge, and which he saw present in his brothers and to whom he spoke about it briefly, knowing ... he donated himself without reserve.” that all the rest was already understood and already said.”

Bishop Johan Bonny of past “was brought up by his own family Antwerp told CNS May 7 that as because he abused one of his nephews. cases of clerical sexual abuse were being So it was a child in his own family and reported in several European countries it was his own family who couldn’t live over the past few months, the Belgian with the secret anymore.” bishops urged their own people, “if there Pope Benedict’s speech to the is a problem to bring it out. If the statute bishops focused mainly on the need to of limitations has not expired to go to strengthen Belgian Catholics’ faith and the police and the courts and if it has their commitment toward living that faith expired, to go to the commission” set up publicly, including in their political lives. by the bishops 13 years ago.

In the past few years, Belgium has “Some people came forward, but we legalized abortion, euthanasia, same-sex didn’t find any new cases, only old ones marriage and the adoption of children by and only a few,” Bishop Bonny said. gay couples.

Then, he said, Bishop Vangheluwe’s

4 The Catholic News & Herald

May 14, 2010

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Year for Priests

Archival Anecdota Historical Bishops of North Carolina

Interviews with priests around the diocese

FATHER WILBUR N. THOMAS

FATHER WILBUR N. THOMAS ABBOT-BISHOP LEO HAID

Pastor, Rector Basilica of St. Lawrence

ABBOT-BISHOP LEO HAID, 1887-1924 Abbot-Bishop Leo Haid’s German Catholic parents immigrated in 1847 and settled in Pennsylvania. Born July 15, 1849, the fourth of 11 children, he was christened Michael Hite. He boarded at St. Vincent Benedictine Abbey School beginning at age 12.

After graduating and becoming a monk, Abbot-Bishop Haid taught at St. Vincent School. His success in the classroom and his popularity among the boys was immediate. He wrote plays that were published and widely circulated. His incredible capacity for work and popularity secured his position for the next 13 years.

Abruptly one day short of his 36th birthday, his life took an unexpected and unanticipated turn: He was unanimously elected the first abbot of Maryhelp in Belmont, N.C., on July 14, 1885.

Abbot-Bishop Haid entered a world completely unknown to him. He had never been to North Carolina, nor seen his abbey. His first vision was of “a straggling, rutribbed road,” a primitive plot of land, thoroughly disorganized, and in a state of critical disrepair, but “in spite of its forlorn appearances, nature favored that spot.”

With no administrative experience, no desire for the office, no missionary

zeal, no Southern sympathies to lend support, and a mere handful of Catholics, Abbot-Bishop Haid’s confidence quickly shattered. He realized prompt action was necessary to fight existing attitudes of desertion and depression. He involved the monks in the needs of Maryhelp Abbey, kept them busy, and set them to work without delay.

He took his methodology directly from St. Benedict’s Regula. The monastery was a “school of the Lord’s service,” training for a life focused on God. And nothing was more likely to distract from God and promote a poor spirit than idleness.

In his first months in North Carolina, Abbot-Bishop Haid farmed, followed the monastic horarium, gave missions and taught in the college. He learned wine making and managed personnel and finances. He did not slow his pace or appoint other officials.

Monks were in short supply, only 14 of them, and Abbot-Bishop Haid accepted a plethora of duties that should have been shared by as many as five men.

Abbot-Bishop Haid surfaced as a man of surprising compassion and insight, possessed of an extraordinary optimism that maintained the essential, deeply spiritual, goodness of his subordinates and students.

Asheville Place of Birth & Home Parish – Born in Charlotte; Our Lady of the Rosary, Lexington High School – Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School College & Seminary – LaSalle Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio Date of Ordination – March 26, 1973

What assignments have you had since ordination?

St. Leo Church, Winston-Salem; parochial vicar Director of Diocesan Campus Ministry St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte; parochial vicar Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Albemarle; pastor Our Lady of Consolation Church, Charlotte; pastor Diocesan Evangelization Committee; chair Ministry to Priests Program; director Diocesan Black Catholic Ministry and Evangelization Committee; chair St. Aloysius Church, Hickory; pastor Diocesan Vicar for Priests St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson, and St. Frances of Rome Mission, Sparta; parochial administrator

What have been some of the greatest joys for you as a priest?

I enjoy celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as well as the other sacraments of the Church for parishioners. My greatest joy has been entering into the lives of my parishioners as a trusted spiritual director and pastoral counselor.

Who influenced you most to consider the vocation to priesthood?

Father James Keenan (deceased), pastor at my home parish; Monsignor Joseph Showfety, retired

What did you do before you entered seminary?

I entered college seminary immediately following graduation from high school.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I was born in Charlotte, and adopted at infancy by my adoptive parents and raised in Lexington.

What are some of your hobbies?

Cooking; genealogical research What are some of your favorite books/ spiritual reading/magazines?

“From Slave to Priest: A biography of the Reverend Augustine Tolton, The First Black Priest of the United States,” by Sister Caroline Hemesath, SSF; “Keeping the Sabbath Wholly,”

by Marva J. Dawn; “America,” a Jesuit publication Who is a hero to you?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Pope Paul VI What are some ways that we can help all people/families understand their roles in promoting and supporting vocations?

People/families need to have more information and understanding of the priesthood and consecrated life. Honest and open conversations with priests and those in “vowed life” that can give insight into a person’s inspiration and motivation for their “calling” will help encourage promotion and support for vocations.

What advice would you give a young man who is contemplating a vocation to the priesthood?

Be constant and faithful to prayer of discernment about the vocation; personally talk to a priest who will be open and transparent about priestly life and ministry; find a trusted spiritual director to share in the discernment of the vocation

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 5

around the diocese

The power of prayer

Pierson named regional coordinator for Elizabeth Ministry

Rallying with prayer

EM provides support for parents experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death

life no matter how brief or how frail.”

Pierson succeeds Tracy Winsor, who served as the EM regional coordinator for three years.

Winsor is credited with bringing Jeannie Hannemann, founder and EM to the diocese after experiencing a executive director of Elizabeth Ministry miscarriage in 2002.

International, recently appointed Renee “I had previously established an Novick Pierson as the new EM regional EM chapter in Florida that provided loss coordinator for the Diocese of Charlotte. support so I knew not only what was EM is a lay ministry which provides needed, but also how to get things started young family support by way of here,” Winsor said. “For me, this ministry volunteers and mentors in Catholic was a great way to parishes and dioceses use my professional throughout the U.S. experience in the field Three parishes in the of maternal-child diocese have EM health and my own chapters providing personal experience support to parents of loss in the service experiencing of the Church.” miscarriage, stillbirth As EM regional and newborn death. coordinator, Winsor Pierson first was also instrumental became active with in developing a new EM as a peer minister outreach service at one of those in Charlotte that parishes, Sacred Heart supports parents Church in Salisbury, RENEE PIERSON AND TRACY WINSOR carrying to term in 2004 where she following a soserves as EM parish called “poor prenatal coordinator. Having diagnosis.” This new ministry, Be lost a 2-day-old son in 2000, Pierson Not Afraid, is sponsored by St. Mark had been active in a successful secular Church in Huntersville. Winsor left her bereavement service in Rowan County but regional EM position to serve as outreach was interested in venturing into faith-based coordinator for this new service. bereavement support.

“Having experienced an infant loss, “My new position allows me I know how important and meaningful to work directly with parents while it is to have the prayers, support and also encouraging the development of assistance of your parish community,” similar local outreach services in other Pierson said. “I feel like God led me to communities and dioceses,” Winsor said.

EM, where that kind of spiritual support “Increasingly, the work being done here can be offered to parents experiencing in Charlotte to support parents carrying loss by asserting the dignity of all human to term is gaining regional and even some

Monica Rafie Special to The Catholic News & Herald

photo courtesy of Tina

The Diocese of Charlotte’s 68th semi-annual Rosary Rally was held at St. Patrick Cathedral May 2. The rally included a Eucharistic procession, Benediction and Adoration. Deacon Gabriel Carvajal was the homilist. The Knights of Columbus and Catholic Daughters of America also participated. national attention.”

In the past year, Winsor has spoken in the nearby dioceses of Raleigh, Charleston and Richmond, as well as in the Archdiocese of Washington. A similar Be Not Afraid service is being developed in the Diocese of Charleston and the Washington Archdiocese has made the issue of poor prenatal diagnosis a special initiative of their Disability Ministry this year.

This topic and related ministry will also be the focus of an October webinar for Catholic clergy, medical personnel and volunteers sponsored by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability and the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

Winsor will be one of three featured presenters.

Moving forward, both Pierson and Winsor recognize the need to increase awareness regarding both Elizabeth Ministry and Be Not Afraid within the diocese.

Let your Catholic Voice be Heard!

Join Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh for the “Free Speech - Why Not NC?” rally at 11 am on Tuesday, May 25th in Raleigh in front of the Legislative Building at 16 West Jones Street.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Charlotte

Bishop Jugis will speak at the rally in support of the Choose Life license plate.

Currently 24 states offer the optional Choose Life license plate which provides funding for pregnancy care services and thereby respects and protects life.

Details at www.CatholicVoiceNC.org.

Witt

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge Raleigh

“We are getting referrals from the community at-large and medical professionals,” Winsor said.

“But our Church referrals are lagging, and that is something we want to work on,” Pierson added.

Because abortion has increasingly become part of routine obstetric care, referrals to community and hospitalbased loss support services are not always pro-life. Hospitals and other perinatal loss organizations no longer distinguish between parents who lose an unborn child due to a spontaneous miscarriage or stillbirth from those who choose to end a pregnancy because of pregnancy complications and/or the diagnosis of some fetal defect or disability.

“From a Catholic perspective, it is an important distinction. The materials provided through EM and Be Not Afraid, as well as our message, are consistent with Catholic teaching. We are ready to support parents during the pregnancy, at the birth, with hospital visits and burial gowns as needed and in the weeks and months that follow,” Winsor said.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Late teacher leaves legacy to strengthen Catholic education Mary B. Worthington Correspondent HENDERSONVILLE — Though she spent nearly three decades as a public school teacher, Joan Books left a legacy to support Catholic education.

Books, a member of Immaculate Conception Church until her death in March 2009, left a bequest gift of nearly $150,000 to the Diocese of Charlotte to create an endowment for tuition assistance at Immaculata School in Hendersonville.

“I’m glad that she made plans like this,” said To m B o o k s , husband of the TOM AND JOAN BOOKS late teacher. “It was her money, and she had some special things she wanted to do for other people.”

The money was placed in an endowment “to further Catholic education in western North Carolina,” I m m a c u l a t a ’s p r i n c i p a l C a r o l e Breerwood explained. The school requested “tuition assistance and scholarships for children in the city who would not have the opportunity to attend Catholic school.”

“She was an educator herself,”

Breerwood said. “These were her wishes, that the money would be used for Catholic education.”

Tom Books explained that his wife always believed in the value of the Catholic education she received even though she always taught in public schools. Raised in Syracuse, N.Y., Books attended a Catholic high school after spending her elementary years in the public school. She graduated from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Penn., a Catholic institution, with a teaching degree.

For 29 years, Books instructed thirdand fourth-grade students in both her native Syracuse and in Hendersonville.

In mid-2008, she was diagnosed with cancer and died nine months later.

Books had been an avid golfer and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross.

Though her husband is not Catholic, he has always had a great respect and admiration for her commitment to the Catholic faith and Catholic education.

“This is something she planned to do for a long time,” he said. “And I am very happy to carry out her wishes.”

“Her bequest gift reflects her passion for Catholic education,” said Judy Smith, director of planned giving for the diocese. “Establishing an endowment ensures that income will be available for tuition assistance for many generations.”

DIOCESAN NEWS IN BRIEF

Bishop Jugis to speak at rally in Raleigh Bishop Peter J. Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte will be the featured speaker at the “Free Speech–Why Not NC?” rally in Raleigh starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 25, at the Legislative Building, 16 West Jones Street in Raleigh. Bishop Jugis will be joined by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh.

The rally is being held to bring attention to proposed Choose Life license plates. Supporters of the Choose Life plates have repeatedly introduced legislation into the General

May 14, 2010

Assembly to create the specialty plate, but so far the matter has not been brought forward for a vote.

Specialty plates cost more than regular plates, with the additional funds collected going to a designated organization. Choose Life funds collected would support 80 pregnancy care centers in the state. Choose Life license plates foster respect for life, especially for the unborn. No money from the sales of the plates would go to either diocese.

Three parishes, one big donation

Greensboro counseling program continues, at least for this year SueAnn Howell Staff Writer GREENSBORO — Funding programs in today’s economy can be a challenge. But thanks to a $30,000 donation from Our Lady of Grace, St. Paul the Apostle and St. Pius X churches, the goal of continuing a local counseling program has been met – this year at least.

The pastors of each of these three churches, Father Fidel Melo, Father John Allen and Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, recently contributed parish funds of $10,000 per parish to Catholic Social Services to help continue the counseling program for this year.

“This is a ministry,” said Elizabeth Thurbee, executive director of Catholic Social Services. “The parishes see it as this as well.”

Monsignor Anthony J. Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X, said his church contributed to the program because “CSS and its many services have been a crucial help to so many people in times of crisis. In my nearly 20 years of priesthood they have been a consistent partner in ministry. It is a blessing when doing pastoral care to have a professional, competent, caring and Christian referral like Catholic Social Services.”

The CSS office in the Diocese of Charlotte was first approached by Greensboro area pastors to create the program in late 2005. When the diocese received an unexpected financial gift of more than $1.4 million from the Aurelia Guffey Estate, $309,000 of that gift was specifically given to assist in counseling local residents for three years. Catholic Social Services paid for services to keep the program going for a fourth year.

The recent gifts totaling $30,000 allow the program, now in its fourth year, to continue funding one counselor who also serves as a parish liaison.

The total cost to run the office is approximately $90,000. Money from the Diocesan Support Appeal and

contributions from the community help fund the counseling program as well. DSA dollars are used solely for the diocese’s educational, vocational, multicultural and Catholic Social Services ministries.

Ideally, “CSS would like to add another counselor who is bilingual, which would require an additional $30,000 to fully staff the counseling center,” Thurbee said.

Commenting on the continuation of the counseling program and the donations by the parishes, Diane Bullard, director of the Piedmont Triad Regional Office of Catholic Social Services, said, “The Greensboro parishes are incredibly responsive to the needs of the poor and vulnerable within their community. They provide food, transitional housing, case management, material assistance, help with refugee resettlement, and help to support many programs that address the needs of the community.

“So when the pastors of St. Pius X, St. Paul the Apostle and Our Lady of Grace responded to the needs of CSS so quickly and generously, we were truly overwhelmed. Those churches stand as a wonderful example of how to fulfill the mandate of Catholic social teaching.”

The Greensboro program offers individual, family, premarital and marital counseling. Many clients do not have health insurance and can’t afford to pay for help, so CSS has a slidingscale fee for those who cannot afford to pay the regular counseling fees. No one is ever turned away because of their inability to pay.

Additional resources are needed from the community to support the counseling program beyond this year, however.

“We are so grateful for the help of the three Greensboro parishes (this year),” Thurbee said. “We would welcome the help of other parishes as well. We are looking for a combination of CSS funds and community support to maintain the office.”

May 14, 2010

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 7

May crownings Crowning Our Lady of Grace

Honoring the mother of us all

photo provided by

Margaret Dickson

In honor of Mother’s Day, students, faculty and parents honored the Blessed Virgin Mary in a May crowning ceremony May 7 at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem. Above, eighth-grade students Casey Mothena and Andre Jimenez crown Mary. Students placed flowers at the statue, sang songs, and gave readings and testimonials of how the mother of us all has influenced our lives through her example.

Crowning her with flowers photo by SueAnn

Howell

(From top) Two fifth-grade students at St. Ann School in Charlotte crown a statue of Our Lady of Grace during the May crowning at St. Ann Church May 7.

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS Did your school or parish have a May crowning? We’d like to publish your favorite photos in The Catholic News & Herald this month! Please e-mail the information, including

photos as JPG attachments, to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org. For more information, call 704-370-3334.

Providing help. Creating hope. Changing lives.

Catholic Social Services — The Diocese of Charlotte Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

Executive Director: Elizabeth Thurbee (704) 370-3227 Associate Director: Gerard Carter (704) 370-3250 Refugee Office: Cira Ponce (704) 370-3262 Family Life: Gerard Carter (704) 370-3228 Justice and Peace: Joseph Purello (704) 370-3225 OEO/CSS Murphy Satellite Office (828) 835-3535 Charlotte Region: 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Area Director: Elizabeth Thurbee (704) 370-3262 Western Region: 50 Orange Street, Asheville, NC 28801 Area Director: Jacqueline Crombie (828) 255-0146 Piedmont-Triad: 627 W. Second St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Area Director: Diane Bullard (336) 727-0705 Greensboro Satellite Office (336) 274-5577 Latino Family Center (336) 884-5858

For information on specific programs, please call your local office.

1123 South Church Street, Charlotte NC 28203 www.cssnc.org

photo provided by Linda

McAdam

Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington honored Mary during a May crowning on May 9 led by Father Albert Gondek, O.S.F.S. Eight-year-old Maggie Grondy placed the crown on Mary. Maggie and her family are active members of the parish and she is an altar server. The entire faith formation group of children attended, as well as their teachers, the choir and many parishioners.

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8 The Catholic News & Herald

May 14, 2010

FROM THE COVER

“Doing God’s will is the greatest joy of religious life. We bloom where we are planted.”

— Sister Myra Caylan, Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena

Sister Myra Caylan shows her commitment band. Like a wedding ring, it is worn on the right ring finger after the sister has made permanent vows. It reads “Sponsabo Te Mihi in Fide” – Latin for “I espouse you in the Faith.”

Dominican Sisters serve the Lord joyfully VOCATIONS, from page 1

“You can’t say anything about social studies if you haven’t seen (the U.S.)!”

Sister Annie says, laughing about the trip they took in the early 1990’s.

Sister Annie is a member of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, a 300-yearold order based in the Philippines that emphasizes education and missionary work. Members serve as teachers around the world. Six of the sisters serve here in the Diocese of Charlotte, some working photos by

at Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, and they have convents in two parishes: St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte and Sacred Heart.

Sister Annie is one of three members of her congregation living on the old campus of Sacred Heart parish in Salisbury. Daily, they serve through teaching and other ministry at the growing church that recently moved to the outskirts of town.

Sister Annie, now principal of Sacred Heart School, was the first member of the congregation to come to the diocese from her native Philippines. Invited to be the director of faith formation of St. Thomas

Mary B. Worthington

Sister Annie Pagulayan, principal of Sacred Heart School, poses in her office. Sister Annie, a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, was the first member of her congrecgation to come to the Diocese of Charlotte from their native Philippines.

From left, Sister Annie Pagulayan and Sister Myra Caylan pray in the small chapel at their convent on the old campus of Sacred Heart parish in Salisbury.

From left, Sister Elizabeth Castino, Sister Myra Caylan and Sister Annie Pagulayan pray Evening Prayer together inside Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

Aquinas, she moved to Charlotte alone in February 1999.

Sister Annie was joined by others from her congregation about six months after her arrival, and now they have two convents. The two Dominican convents stay connected throughout the year by celebrating birthdays and holy days together.

The missionary nature of their work – travel around the world, separation from their families – isn’t for everyone, but these sisters joyfully serve the Lord.

“Prayers are very powerful,” Sister Annie says. “I always rely on Him and that’s why I always start my day with Him.” Vocations to this congregation come primarily from the students they teach in the Philippines. With an annual vocation promotion week and “searchin” weekends at their mother house in Quezon City, the Philippines, educated women aged 18 to 35 can get handson discernment of religious vocations.

Those “search-in” weekends and vocation promotion week are just the beginning of an eight-year discernment and formation program for new sisters that includes one year as a postulant, two years as a novitiate, and five years as a junior professed.

The first year of postulancy is a time of intense discernment of the religious life, and also a transition time “between the world and the religious life,” says Sister Myra Caylan.

During the first novitiate year, novices are completely enclosed, focusing on prayer and study, having no contact with family or friends.

After completion of the first three

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 9

FROM THE COVER

LEARN MORE The Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena were founded in 1696 in the Philippines by Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo. More information about their community is online at www.motherfranciscaopsiena.net.ph.

WOMEN RELIGIOUS IN THE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE Women seeking to follow God’s call to become a member of a religious community have many opportunities in the Diocese of Charlotte to experience the life and works of several congregations of religious women.

Among the orders represented by sisters working in various forms of ministry in the diocese are: Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Mid-Atlantic Community file photo

Together for Birthdays: The Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena celebrate Sister Annie Pagulayan’s birthday in October 2008. The two houses in the Diocese of Charlotte– Salisbury and Charlotte – come together to celebrate birthdays and feast days such as St. Dominic. Clockwise from top left are: Sister Fely Lala, Sister Anna Celestial, Father John Putnam, Father James Ebright, Sister Elizabeth Arguelles, Sister Gloria Camitan, Sister Myra Caylan, Sister Annie Pagulayan, Sister Angelita Codilla and Sister Elizabeth Castino. years, each woman evaluates herself and writes a letter of intent to enter the congregation. She is reviewed and voted on by professed members before she makes her first vows, which she will renew annually for five years.

After these eight years of formation, a sister will make her perpetual profession and receive a gold band for her right hand, signifying a mystical marriage between her and Jesus Christ.

Sister Elizabeth Castino says of her calling, “It remains a mystery why I wanted to become a nun. Maybe I was attracted when they said, ‘If you join us, you can go around the world!’”

She attended a search-in as a high school student, spending time praying, eating and living with the community for a weekend. The attraction was immediate, and she informed her father that she wanted to enter following her high school graduation, though she would be only 16.

“I remember we would pray as a family,” she recalls. “My dad would say that he would be honored to have a daughter become a sister.”

Her proud father was not able to see her entrance to religious life, as he was tragically killed just weeks before her graduation.

“I didn’t want to leave my family at first,” she says of the painful separation when she was sent to Europe for missionary work. “But, I had always wanted to see Fatima and St. John Vianney in Ars. I guess that is part of the ‘100-fold’ reward. That’s how God works – to suffer first – but it is very rewarding.”

Sister Elizabeth says she still relies on her family for support and prayers in her mission. “When I ask them for prayers they say, ‘What? You are the one that is supposed to be praying for us!’”

“Some sisters find grave objection from family,” she says. “I’m lucky. I’m just lucky I’m supported.”

Sister Myra Caylan, whose first love is numbers, wasn’t quite so lucky.

She asked her parents for permission six times before she was allowed to

seek entrance to the community. They required her to finish college first and get a job “to spend your own money,” Sister Myra remembers.

She lived on her own before entering the congregation at 23. Now Sister Myra teaches math and religion to middle school students, and she loves every day of her service to God and to the diocese.

“Doing God’s will is the greatest joy of religious life,” she says. “We bloom where we are planted.”

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Midwest Community School Sisters of St. Francis Missionaries of Charity Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena Sisters of St. Joseph, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Rochester, Minn.

Society of the Holy Child Jesus Congregation de Notre Dame Maryknoll Missioners Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kan. Poor Servants of the Mother of God Congregation of Our Lady, Help of the Clergy Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur School Sisters of Notre Dame Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity Sisters of St. Francis, Philadelphia Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin, Ohio Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minn.

Sisters of Providence, St. Mary of the Woods

file photo

Bishop Peter J. Jugis visits the old Sacred Heart School in downtown Salisbury for Catholic Schools Week 2009. Pictured with him are Sister Annie Pagulayan, left, and Sister Myra Caylan, right.

These women are engaged in ministries of pastoral care, medical fields, social outreach, catechists, education, Hispanic outreach, administration, visitation to the sick, bereavement counseling, and hospital chaplaincy and many other areas. Anyone interested in contacting any of these communities can do so by calling Sister Mary Timothy Warren, Vicar for Women Religious, at 704-370-3213.

May 14, 2010

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Catholics need a ‘new apologetics’ to defend faith, cardinal says VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― The rise of “new atheism” and the popularity of books that distort Church doctrines call for a “new apologetics” to explain and defend the Christian faith, said U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada.

Proclaiming the good news always involves explaining and defending the faith, tailored to the sensibilities of particular times and places, said the cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The cardinal spoke April 29 at a conference on “a new apologetics” at the Legionaries of Christ-run Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University in Rome.

The development and use of “apologetics” – a system of explaining and defending the truths of faith – largely went out of fashion with the Second Vatican Council, but is still needed today because Catholics in every age are called to explain the reasons for their faith and their hope, the cardinal said.

“If apologetics was criticized and largely abandoned in the wake of the Second Vatican Council for being too defensive or too aggressive, it is perhaps because the admonition to proceed with ‘courtesy and respect’ had too often been ignored,” he said.

Today, with “the likes of Richard Dawkins and his fellow apostles of the so-called ‘new’ atheism addressing

thousands on college campuses, with books caricaturing the doctrines and philosophy of the Christian tradition on the best-seller lists,” the cardinal said, “how ripe are the times for a new apologetics!”

Defending the faith does not mean being defensive and, to be effective, it must be well thought out and based on “a renewed fundamental theology where faith and reason, credibility and truth are explored as necessary foundations of the Catholic Christian faith,” he said.

He added that even the most convinced and clever arguments will not be an effective response to criticism of the Catholic faith unless they are accompanied by the personal witness of Catholics living holy lives and helping others.

The cardinal suggested an effective starting point would be to “focus on the beauty of God’s creation.”

“For this apologetic to be credible, we must pay greater attention to the mystery and the beauty of Catholic worship, of a sacramental vision of the world that lets us recognize and value the beauty of creation as a foreshadowing of the new heavens and the new earth,” he said.

Sharing that vision with others, he said, requires working for justice, helping the poor and protecting the environment and not simply talking

CNS photo by L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI accepts a book from U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during a meeting in the pontiff’s private library at the Vatican April 23. about the beauty of creation.

“At the same time, our ability to articulate the full vision of truth, justice and charity is essential to ensure that such witness and action is not just a passing phase, but can make a lasting contribution to the creation of civilization of love,” he said.

The cardinal also said the “new apologetics” must reflect the strides made in ecumenism and interreligious dialogue since the Second Vatican Council.

While there is need for a specifically Catholic apologetics, he said, “questions of spirit and faith engage all the great religious traditions and must be addressed with an openness to interfaith dialogue.”

“The call for a new apologetics for the 21st century does not, in my view, amount to a ‘mission impossible,’” he said.

“The spirit of contemporary society is skeptical of truth, of the claims to know the truth, even – or especially – of truth revealed by God,” the cardinal said, which is why apologetics is a step-bystep process.

In the end, he said, the heart of Christian apologetics must be an attempt to help people experience the truth at the heart of the Christian faith: “that God is love and that our creation in God’s image and likeness makes all humanity able to love God above all things and love our neighbors as ourselves.”

WHAT’S ON TV

Watch Solemn Mass of Pentecost with the pope, live from Rome on EWTN

By John Mulderig Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) ― Here are some television program notes for the week of May 23 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by Catholic News Service. n Sunday, May 23, 3:30-5:30 a.m.

EDT (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Pentecost With Pope Benedict XVI (Live).” The pontiff celebrates the Eucharistic liturgy for the feast of Pentecost, live from Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass will be rebroadcast noon-2 p.m. EDT. n Sunday, May 23, 8-10 p.m. EDT (CBS) “ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo.” Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban will be among the guest performers appearing

on this concert special as the Academy of Country Music honors Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, the best-selling duo in the history of country music. During the tribute, which will be held at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, the pair will receive the academy’s Milestone Award in recognition of their 20-year, record-breaking career. n Sunday, May 23, 9-10:30 p.m.

EDT (PBS) “Miss Marple, Series V: The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side.” In this “Masterpiece Mystery!” presentation, several people are found poisoned soon after a celebrated actress and her film director husband settle in Miss Marple’s hometown of St. Mary Mead. Acclaimed British actress Julia McKenzie stars as the beloved spinster sleuth and Alan Cumming hosts. (TV-PG – parental guidance suggested) n Monday, May 24, 10-11 p.m.

EDT (PBS) “A Place Out of Time:

The Bordentown School.” A history of New Jersey’s Bordentown School, which taught values, discipline and life skills to generations of AfricanAmerican children, as told by alumni and historians, with archival footage. Ruby Dee narrates. (TV-G – general audience) n Tuesday, May 25, 10:30-11:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) “A Village Called Versailles.” Filmmaker Leo Chiang’s documentary chronicles a successful fight by New Orleans’ Vietnamese refugee community against the opening of a toxic, government-imposed landfill.

Part of the series “Independent Lens.”

(TV-PG – parental guidance suggested) n Saturday, May 29, 2-3 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Road of Hope: The Spiritual Journey of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan.”

Inspiring documentary about the life of the late cardinal, who headed the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1998 until his death in 2002 at age

74. Vietnam’s communist regime jailed him in 1975 when he was the newly named coadjutor bishop of Saigon, later renamed Ho Chi Minh City. He was never tried or sentenced, and spent nine of his 13 years of detention in solitary confinement. After the cardinal’s release in 1988, the communist authorities refused to let him resume his post or to be reassigned to the Archdiocese of Hanoi. The prelate fled to Rome in 1991 after a Vietnamese government official “suggested” he leave. Writer-director David Naglieri uses archival footage and photographs, as well as interviews with relatives and church colleagues to capture the indomitable spirit of this popular candidate for sainthood.

John Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/ movies.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 14, 2010

Catholic school rewarded creativity in kids’ musician Uncle Rock WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS) ― One could argue that Robert Burke Warren, the children’s entertainer known professionally these days as Uncle Rock, got his start at Catholic school.

After going to public schools in his native Atlanta through fourth grade, Warren’s mother and grandmother enrolled him at Christ the King School in Atlanta.

“I actually had the same fifth-grade English teacher my mom had, God rest her soul. It was a real formative time in my life,” Warren recalled in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service from Atlanta.

That teacher, Warren said, “took a poem I had written about Snoopy and read it to the class, and it went over great.

That was my first experience at getting praise as a writer that I remember.”

Warren added, “I remember kind of being drawn in to the beauty of the church and the music and ... the ceremonial aspect of it all.”

He picked up the bass guitar at 14, went to a performing arts high school in Atlanta, then headed to New York seeking fame and fortune in the music business. He hooked up with a punk band called the Fleshtones, with whom he played guitar for a few years.

“They were much more tuneful than the average punk band. They were much more influenced by rhythm and blues,”

Warren said. “We had a saxophone player and a trumpet player. The energy was more punky, but the vibe was more soulful, Motown funky.”

After stints in other bands and a brush with acting, including a role in the London stage production of “The Buddy Holly Story,” Warren opened two new chapters in his life at pretty much the same time. One was refocusing on his music career by being a singersongwriter, thanks in part to a workshop led by country hitmaker Rosanne Cash.

The other was parenthood.

“I still love the high-energy aspect of rock ‘n’ roll, but I wanted to be able to carry the moment with just a guitar and my voice,” Warren told CNS. “Then I became a stay-at-home dad and I put my energy into raising my son, and that’s when the Uncle Rock chapter started.

I upped the ante. What if you could capture an audience of small children and their parents? I kept throwing the gauntlet down.”

Warren got the moniker six years ago when a nephew, trying to say “Uncle Robert,” instead blurted out “Uncle Rock.”

He believes families should do more singing together.

“It’s something the parents enjoy as much as the kids do. It’s been done for centuries. There was music that was enjoyed by kids and parents and

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grandparents and everyone in between,” Warren said. “That there’s music for one specific group of people is a more recent notion.”

It has benefited Warren’s career.

“Get a whole room of kids and parents in the audience singing along with you is a powerful thing, it’s very satisfying,” he said.

The latest Uncle Rock CD, “The Big Picture,” offers some environmentally conscious lessons in the lyrics, as well as songs that are fun to sing, such as “Leave the Bees Bee,” the Tom T. Hall chestnut “Sneaky Snake” and “The Night the Lights Went Out.” “Everyone’s got a story of the electricity going out. You can’t watch TV, and Mom and Dad can’t be on the computer, and you can’t be on the computer, so what do you do?”

Warren said. “They all have stories.

They all remember it. They request it a lot” at concerts.

Being a rocker, Warren noted, has nothing on the current phase of his life.

“The most fraught and intense moments in my life,” he said, “have come from

provided by

This is the cover of Uncle Rock’s latest CD for children, “The Big Picture.” As Robert Burke Warren, Uncle Rock used to play guitar in rock bands in the 1980s. being a parent.” Still, he wouldn’t give it up for anything. “I’m more grateful for this than (for) any other artistic endeavor in my life,” he said.

MOVIE REVIEW NEW YORK (CNS) ― The following is a capsule review of a movie recently reviewed by Catholic News Service: n “Iron Man 2” (Paramount/Marvel) Stylish sci-fi follow-up charting the further adventures of a freewheeling weapons manufacturer (Robert Downey Jr.) – whose hightech suit of armor transforms him at will into the titular hero – as he battles a gifted but warped Russian scientist (Mickey Rourke) and competes against a smarmy rival industrialist (Sam Rockwell) with the on-again, off-again help of his former military liaison (Don Cheadle) and the steady support of his frequently exasperated executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). In his second adaptation of a popular comic-

book series that originated in 1963, director Jon Favreau crafts an almost entirely gore-free, though steadily clash-laden, cautionary tale about the two-edged potential of modern munitions. Considerable, though virtually bloodless, action violence; some sexual humor and references; at least one instance of profanity; a couple of crude expressions; and occasional crass language. The CNS classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children younger than 13.

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3 locations - St. Mark in Huntersville; St. Matthew and St. Patrick in Charlotte *Ages: rising Kindergartners (must be 5 years old by 6/14) through graduating 5th gradeCost: $170/week Complete details: www.charlottediocese.org/programs or Suzanne Beasley at 704-370-3397 or email MACScamp@aol.com

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 14, 2010

in our schools

Celebrating their First Communion

photo by SueAnn

Clipping coupons to help cats and dogs

Howell

Father Timothy Reid (center) is pictured with the First Communicants from St. Ann School in front of St. Ann Church after the school Mass and May Crowning May 7.

Flight of Honor vets’ trip gets media attention

photo provided by

Margaret Dickson

Students at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem sort coupons May 5 for use at the Forsyth Humane Society. Coupons for pet food, treats and pet supplies are sorted and categorized for use by the Humane Society and also for the organization’s outreach program of pet food assistance for those in need. The coupon collection is an ongoing project by OLM to help those less fortunate in the community.

Learning to see through different eyes

photo provided by

Donna Birkel

Students at St. Leo School in Winston-Salem were recently interviewed by the local NBC TV affiliate for a broadcast about two of the school’s “Caring Friends,” World War II veterans Bill Pearson and Emil Bockhold.

Caring Friends are people the students write to on a regular basis, usually the elderly or homebound.

The school sponsored the two veterans to go on the “Flight of Honor” to see the World War II Memorial photo provided by Kim Knox

Now serving Charlotte and Greensboro

St. Pius X School in Greensboro recently hosted North Carolina author Kim Morris, who spoke to the kindergarten through second-grade students on eye health and eye differences. Morris, who suffers from an eye disease, shared her picture book “Through the Eyes of Love,” presented the students with Braille cards, and showed Braille books to the children. Kindergarteners Abigail Terrell, Connor Lemnois and Carly Koop received glasses from the author after she autographed their books.

Statue at St. Matthew restored STATUE, from page 1

704-549-4010 336-665-5345

abortion – restored. The statue was placed in 2001 as part of an Eagle Scout project, and it was dedicated in 2003 in memory of the unborn.

Monsignor John J. McSweeney decided to leave the damaged statue in place for a couple of weeks before

repairing it to teach parishioners about violence in society and the need for Christians to be peacemakers, as well as to give people a chance to pray and reflect on forgiving the vandal.

The parish will have a May Crowning on a Sunday later this month, but as of press time Wednesday a date had not been set.

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 13

IN OUR SCHOOLS

St. Patrick students, artist create sculpture monument On May 7, St. Patrick School students and renowned artist Tom Thoune proudly unveiled the sculpture they created together, symbolizing birth, life and resurrection in Mary’s Garden at the school in Charlotte. The project required students, faculty and the Charlotte community to collect china, glass and similar items and combine them with handmade ceramics to create an eclectic mosaic sculpture. Over several weeks, students visited the McColl Center for Visual Art to work with Thoune, creating a lasting monument to the history of the school. The sculpture will be permanently located in Mary’s Garden for students and faculty to enjoy. The project increased the students’ knowledge of the community and environment while learning how to create imagery and work with a variety of materials.

St. Patrick students were involved with the project from its inception to completion. The project was made possible by a grant from the Arts and Science Council. To read more about their project, go to mccollcenter.org/blog/view/24/pitter-patter-of-feetwelcome-st.-patrick-school. photo provided by

SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF

Shred your documents, benefit CCHS

CHARLOTTE ― Charlotte Catholic High School is sponsoring a day for community residents to shred and recycle their personal or confidential business documents, courtesy of ProShred Security, to raise money for the school’s scholarship fund. Shredding services will be offered on site at CCHS from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 15. The service is free, but a $10 donation per container is suggested.

CCHS teams up with Habitat for Humanity

CHARLOTTE ― Charlotte Catholic High School has partnered with the Union County chapter of Habitat for Humanity to help the local community and earthquake victims in Haiti. Hendrick Chevrolet Cadillac will sponsor several Homes for Haiti and a Union County Habitat Home in Marshville, as well as donate a percentage to CCHS’s tuition assistance program.

A raffle to win a new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox or Colorado pickup continues until June 26. All proceeds will go directly to Habitat Homes for Haiti, to build a Habitat Home in Marshville and Charlotte Catholic High School’s tuition assistance programs.

CCHS sophomores Mark Perkins and Patrick McDonough are leading the project for the school.

For more information, contact Jennifer Johnson at 704-543-9118 or jbjohnson@charlottecatholic.com.

Monica Weymouth

always been close. close by.

You’ve Now you can be

Graduation and baccalaureate Mass dates set for high schools

The Catholic high schools of the Diocese of Charlotte have planned the following graduation and baccalaureate Masses: n Bishop McGuinness High School: baccalaureate Mass 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27, at Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point; graduation 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 29, at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem n Charlotte Catholic High School: baccalaureate Mass 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, at St. Matthew Church; graduation 3 p.m. Friday, June 4, at Bojangles’ Arena in Charlotte

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May 14, 2010

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

In Portuguese capital, pope urges Catholics to re-evangelize LISBON, Portugal (CNS) ― At a Mass for more than 100,000 people in Portugal, Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to re-evangelize society by witnessing the joy and hope of the Gospel in every sector of contemporary life.

“Today’s pastoral priority is to make each Christian man and woman a radiant presence of the Gospel perspective in the midst of the world, in the family, in culture, in the economy, in politics,” the pope said May 11 at an open-air liturgy in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital.

To evangelize effectively, he said, Catholics themselves need to grow closer to Christ.

“Bear witness to all of the joy that his strong yet gentle presence evokes, starting with your contemporaries. Tell them that it is beautiful to be a friend of Jesus and that it is well worth following him,” he said.

The pope celebrated the Mass on a canopied altar overlooking Palace Square, which was packed with enthusiastic faithful. When he arrived in his popemobile, they chanted, cheered and held homemade signs welcoming “Bento XVI,” as he is known in Portuguese.

Despite a forecast of rain, sunshine lit the square and the Tagus River in the background, where schooners and other vessels cruised slowly. It was the first liturgical moment of a four-day visit that was also to take the pope to the Marian sanctuary of Fatima and the industrial city of Porto.

On the plane carrying him and his entourage from Rome, the pope told reporters he was concerned about radical forms of secularization that threaten the religious traditions of countries such as Portugal.

In his homily in Lisbon, which the pope delivered in Portuguese, he said that despite Portugal’s long Catholic tradition, it is “less and less realistic” to presume that the Christian faith is present among its people. Part of the problem, he said, is that the Church may have placed too much trust in ecclesiastical structures, programs, powers and functions.

The pope said it was important now to return to more fundamental things and to proclaim with vigor and joy the death and resurrection of Christ, the “heart of Christianity.”

“A vast effort at every level is required if every Christian is to be transformed into a witness capable of rendering account to all and at all times of the hope that inspires him,” he said.

He asked Catholics to grow in friendship with Christ, listen to His words more carefully and learn to recognize Him in the poor.

“With your enthusiasm, demonstrate that, among all the different ways of life

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

that the world today seems to offer us – apparently all on the same level – the only way in which we find the true meaning of life and hence true and lasting joy is by following Jesus,” he said.

The pope said that while the Church may have “quarrelsome and even rebellious sons and daughters,” the real models of holiness are its saints.

He reminded Portuguese Catholics of their own rich history of saints and missionaries who have taken the Gospel to every continent and helped shape cultures all over the world.

Earlier in the day, Pope Benedict said the Church was ready to live in a pluralistic society as long as it can give witness to its beliefs, and as long as religion was not reduced to the private sphere. His message was aimed at the increasing numbers of Portuguese who have fallen away from practice of the faith. In theory, Catholics represent 88 percent of the population in Portugal, but the number of practicing Catholics is diminishing.

Portuguese Church leaders are also concerned about other trends – for example, Portugal’s marriage rate has declined by 40 percent over the past 25 years, while its divorce rate has soared over the same period.

The Church’s own statistical markers signal similar tendencies in Portugal: a gradual and persistent decline in the numbers of baptisms, church marriages, first Communions and confirmations, along with a drop of nearly 60 percent in the number of seminarians over the past 35 years.

Portugal’s pluralism today includes an increasing immigrant population.

In a talk to the pope at the start of the Mass, Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon said the capital has welcomed outsiders, including those of different faiths, with love and respect. The Church is committed to dialogue and seeking common values, he said, and “a Catholic majority does not rob anyone of his place” in society.

At the end of the liturgy, the pope read a message blessing a giant statue of Christ the King that stands on a hill above Lisbon. He said the statue should inspire Catholics to build a society based on Gospel values, in particular by working in favor of the poor and the oppressed.

Clash of two titans, Part II: Church 1, Media 0 A few weeks ago I had harsh words for the New York Times, which was in the midst of its Popehunt searching for a smoking gun memo to link the Holy Father to sex abuse cover-ups. Now I have to give the newspaper props for effectively telling itself to shut up.

The New York Times and CBS News recently conducted a poll that found 77 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly said “the Vatican’s handling of recent child sex abuse reports” has had no effect on how they “feel about the Catholic Church.”

Even more surprising, the poll showed 88 percent of Catholics – practicing and non-practicing – report that the scandal has had no influence on their dealings with priests. Eighty-two percent said it would not affect their Mass attendance, 79 percent said it will have no impact on donations, and 87 percent said that it would have no effect on their children’s involvement in Church activities.

The poll of 1,079 adults was conducted in late April and early May as negative media coverage of the Church peaked. Pollsters, for obvious reasons, included a larger than usual number of Catholics in the sample.

The heroes in these numbers are the parish priests, the men who give us wisdom in their homilies and share the Eucharist at Mass; they baptize the children, absolve the sins of young and old, stand by individuals and families in sickness and crisis. During this Year for Priests, even the New York Times in its coverage of the poll recognized that the faithful love their priests: “But they (Catholics) feel differently about their parish priest, with a majority saying that most priests understand Catholics’ needs and that they trust their own priest with their children.”

Given the recent onslaught of news and opinion reporting that was overwhelmingly critical of the Church in general and the Holy Father in particular, these poll results are either a stunning rebuke of heavy-handed media coverage or a clear signal that Catholics have more faith in their faith than they do in reporters and pundits.

Either way, the numbers should have given the New York Times something to think about. But it didn’t.

The headline to the poll story read “Catholics Criticize Pope on Abuse Scandal, but See Some Hope,” and the story was buried on page 13.

Guest Column David Hains Diocesan Director of Communication I was lamenting the coverage the Church was receiving a few weeks ago with a wise friend who pointed out that in the Old Testament during the exile, around 600 B.C. the Jews were judged by the Assyrians and Babylonians. The judges were unwise, unjust and, as pagans, unaware of the one true God. It seemed unfair that the people of God should suffer at the hands of the unworthy, yet it was part of God’s plan.

And so it is today as the news media sit in judgment of the Church.

As I have stated before, the media did the Church and society a service in 2002 by reporting the original crimes of sex abuse and the cover-ups that went on for decades in some cases. Those stories led to the abuse awareness training and background checks that have been conducted in dioceses all over the country, strengthening the bond between pew and pulpit. Let’s hope that the Church’s’ approach to the societal problem of sex abuse is adopted by other organizations and that this scourge can be wiped out.

Perhaps then the New York Times will see fit to print a front page story about an organization, established by God, that has corrected the egregious errors of a few of its members and continued on the journey of salvation.

You can reach David Hains, director of communication for the Diocese of Charlotte, at 704-370-3336 or dwhains@charlottediocese.org. His earlier column about media coverage of the abuse scandal, “Clash of two titans: The media versus the Church,” was published in the April 16 edition, which can be found online at www. charlottediocese.org/catholicnews.

Editor ’s note: The complete results of the New York Times/ CBS poll can be found at http:// documents.nytimes.com/new-yorktimescbs-news-poll-national-surveyof-roman-catholics?ref=us. The May 4 New York Times story is at www. nytimes.com/2010/05/05/us/05poll.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 16 – MAY 22

Sunday (Seventh Sunday of Easter), Acts 7:55-60, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20, John 17:20-26; Monday, Acts 19:1-8, John 16:29-33; Tuesday (St. John I), Acts 20:17-27, John 17:1-11; Wednesday, Acts 20:28-38, John 17:11-19, Thursday (St. Bernadine of Siena), Acts 22:30; 23:6-11, John 17:20-26; Friday (St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions), Acts 25:13-21, John 21:15-19; Saturday (St. Rita of Cascia), Acts 28:16-20, 30-31, John 21:20-25.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 23 – MAY 29

Sunday (Pentecost Sunday), Acts 2:1-11, Romans 8:8-17, John 14:15-16, 23-26; Monday, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday (St. Bede, St. Gregory VII, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi), 1 Peter 1:10-16, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday (St. Philip Neri), 1 Peter 1:18-25, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday (St. Augustine of Canterbury), 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12, Mark 10:46-52; Friday, 1 Peter 4:7-13, Mark 11:11-26; Saturday, Jude 17, 20-25, Mark 11:27-33.

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 15

The Feast of the Ascension: Why did Jesus leave us?

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord May 16, we may begin to wonder why Christ left us.

Why couldn’t He have remained with us indefinitely after the Resurrection? His Ascension can seem like little more than abandonment.

Jesus knew we would feel this way. After Jesus tells His disciples that He will be returning to the Father, He acknowledges the sadness that this causes us: “Because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts” (John 16:6). He assures us that the only reason He would leave us is if it were for our greater good: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go” (v. 7).

When a loved one must depart, it never feels like it is better for us. Yet, it may actually be. In this case, Jesus tells us that unless He goes, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) will not come. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that gives us a share in the Resurrected life of Christ. The reason Christ died and rose was so that we could have access to this indwelling.

We begin to see, then, that there is link between the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost. This is why the Easter season contains the Feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost, to show the unity of these feasts as part of the same saving mystery.

Still, the question “why” may remain. Why and how does the Ascension benefit us? I do not think we could ever fully explain this mystery, but I would like to offer some thoughts.

If we look at the mystery of Jesus Christ as a whole, the individual aspects to the mystery become clearer. Christ came to reunite what had been divided.

Therefore, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity assumed our human nature, thus uniting the divine and human natures in His own Person.

This closes the gap that sin had created between God and man.

He suffered and died so that our sins and the effects of those sins could be forgiven. Our goal, then, is to be united with Christ and through Him with the Father, the Holy Spirit and the entire communion of saints in the Heavenly Kingdom. Through baptism and the other sacraments, we are united with Christ, and thus, we are granted a participation in the exaltation of His own humanity.

It is only through the glorification of the humanity that Christ assumed that we can receive glory.

It seems clear then that unless the humanity of Christ reached fulfillment in “the definitive entrance o f J e s u s ’ h u m a n i t y i n t o G o d ’s heavenly domain” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 665), we could

Did the Apostles pray the rosary?

Did the Apostles pray the rosary?

It sounds like a ridiculous question for me to pose. It’s common knowledge that the rosary didn’t take shape for at least another thousand years. Something stood out to me the other night, however, which makes me think that the “soul” of the rosary was always present in the Apostles’ prayer.

Jesus’ instruction at the time of His ascension was, “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father … before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

And the Apostles did just that: “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (Acts 1:4-5, 14). That was how they spent the nine days between Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Of what did their prayer consist?

Petition, combined with a great deal of meditation (the “soul” of the rosary) – thinking and rethinking the things Jesus had said to them, the actions and miracles they witnessed, the meaning of His death, Resurrection, and Ascension. It consisted of reflecting upon Scripture; when Jesus appeared to them on the night of His Resurrection, He had “opened their minds to understand the scriptures … the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms” and how they had been fulfilled in Him (Luke 24:44-45). And this meditation was being done in the presence of Mary. She was engaged in it with them.

As John Paul II pointed out so

beautifully: “Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: ‘She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart’ (Luke 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son’s side. In a way those memories were to be the ‘rosary’ which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 11).

The Apostles spent nine days engaged in this with her, making the Church’s first novena. We can see the fruits that emerged – Peter’s move to replace the office left vacant by Judas’ defection emerged from his reflection upon the Psalms (Acts 1:20) and then the explosion of Scriptural insights he unleashed up the crowd at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-41). Isn’t it likely that the Holy Spirit had been bringing key points of that first sermon to Peter’s consciousness throughout the nine days of prayer?

When we pray the rosary today, when we recite the Hail Mary while meditating upon the events recounted in the Gospels and in Acts (the 20 mysteries), we enter into the Apostles’ experience. “With the rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 1).

And by doing this regularly, daily, our souls grow and become progressively docile to the movement of the Holy

New wheels for the bishop?

Guest Column Father Rick DeClue Guest Columnist not receive such fulfillment.

The Ascension, then, is not something that simply occurs after Christ’s saving work; it is an integral part of that work. As the Catechism explains: “Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom, so that we, the members of his Body, may life in the hope of one day being with him forever” (No. 666).

The Ascension truly is a great feast, indeed! For in this feast, we recall that the Crucified and Risen One has brought His own human nature into heavenly glory! The salvation of our humanity depends upon this glorification of Christ’s own humanity. So let us be glad and rejoice, for Christ has truly ascended into heaven, so that where He is, we also may be (cf. John 14:3).

Father Rick DeClue is the parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.

Guest Column Shane Kapler Guest Columnist

photo provided

Has Bishop Peter J. Jugis traded in his four wheels for two? This photo was snapped by a fan outside the Pastoral Center in Charlotte recently. It may look like it is the bishop’s new set of wheels, but the reserved parking sign proved to be just a convenient bike rack for a visitor to the Pastoral Center.

Write a Letter to the Editor

The Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain

Spirit. We receive not one, but several Pentecosts as our eyes open up onto new spiritual vistas, and we find ourselves acting with a freedom and strength we imagined ourselves unable to attain.

And rightly so – these things can only take root in souls that have been broken up and seeded, over time, through prayer. These souls are made ready for that moment when the Living Water rains down and causes the new life to burst forth out into the open.

We won’t see Pentecost without it.

Jesus knows how we are made, and He knows how to “remake” us in His image; that was why He sent the Apostles back to the upper room. They needed to spend that time in prayer, in meditation … in the company of His Mother. My friends, almost 2,000 years may have passed, but the prescription remains the same.

Shane Kapler has been involved in the evangelistic and catechetical ministry of the Archdiocese of St. Louis for 20 years. He is the author of “The God Who is Love: Explaining Christianity From Its Center.” This column originally appeared on www.catholicexchange. com. Reprinted by permission.

to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News & Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions.

Items submitted to The Catholic News & Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

May 14, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 16

from the cover

Nomination worries family AND LIFE advocates WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) ― The Family Research Council reacted to Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court Monday, stating that although President Barack Obama praised her “superb” qualifications, her “known record speaks otherwise.”

Other pro-life and pro-family organizations worried that she has an activist approach to constitutional law.

Tony Perkins, president of FRC, said in a statement Monday that Kagan “has the least amount of experience of any nominee in the last three decades.”

“Her judicial experience is zero,” he added, “as is her real-world experience, having spent most of her career in academia or working as a Democratic Party insider.”

Referring to a decision Kagan made as Dean of Harvard Law School to continue preventing military recruiters from having access to campus because of the military’s Don’t Ask, “Don’t Tell” policy, Perkins said, “Ms. Kagan’s incredibly hostile view of the military suggests she is out of touch with mainstream sensibilities and obedience to the rule of law.”

National Right to Life also weighed in on nomination Monday, stating that there are “troubling indications that Ms. Kagan generally favors an activist, results-oriented approach to constitutional law.”

The National Organization for Marriage warned in an email that “A vote for Elena Kagan is a vote to impose gay marriage on all 50 states.” The group further argued that “claims that somehow Kagan is ‘moderate’ on gay marriage are part of a PR campaign intended to mislead the public about her core Constitutional values.”

Citing a 1995 law journal article by Kagan, the pro-life group outlined statements from Kagan in which she said, “It should be no surprise by now that many of the votes a Supreme Court Justice casts have little to do with technical legal ability and much to do with conceptions of value.” Kagan also wrote in the same document that “bottom-line issue in the appointments process must concern the kinds of judicial decisions that will serve the country and, correlatively, the effect the nominee will have on the Court’s decisions ... If that is too results oriented ... so be it ...”

Kagan’s nomination scrutinized KAGAN, from page 1

She would also be the first person in 38 years to join the highest court in the land without ever serving as a judge.

During the announcement at the White House’s East Room earlier Monday, the nominee said she was “humbled” by this “honor of a lifetime,” according to the Associate Press.

Obama lauded what he called Kagan’s “fair mindedness” as well as her “openness to a broad array of viewpoints.”

Although the president praised her, Kagan’s nomination has drawn concern from pro-life groups that are worried about her history of abortion advocacy.

“Elena Kagan has no judicial record from which to determine her position on Roe v. Wade, but she has publicly criticized the 1991 Supreme Court ruling to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to restrict funding from groups that performed or promoted abortion, and has also criticized crisis pregnancy

2010

Diocese of Charlotte

Eucharistic Congress

centers,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life political action group Susan B. Anthony List.

“Additionally, President Obama has said he prefers a Supreme Court nominee who would take a special interest in ‘women’s rights’ – a barely masked euphemism for abortion rights,” Dannenfelser noted. “Through the judicial confirmation process the American people must know where Elena Kagan stands on the abortion issue, and it is the responsibility of the U.S. Senate to find out.”

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, similarly criticized the move, saying Monday that “Elena Kagan has strong ties to abortionadvocacy organizations and expressed admiration for activist judges who have worked to advance social policy rather than to impartially interpret the law.”

Yoest also said, “Americans United for Life will oppose President Obama’s attempt to reshape the Court as an activist, pro-abortion institution through which unelected judges will work to impose an out-of-the-mainstream social agenda upon the American people.”

Mark your calendar now for the sixth Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress

Charlotte Convention Center

SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2010

Good Shepherd, Come Feed Us

Visit the Web site www.GoEucharist.com for the latest information about programs and speakers.

CNS photo by Larry Downing, Reuters

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden escort Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 10. The solicitor general is Obama’s choice to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Registration deadline soon - call TODAY! SPECTACULAR - UNSPOILED – HISTORICAL

CROATIA

with a visit to Medjugorje

October 18-28, 2010

Bring family and friends to join with the Diocese of Charlotte as we experience Croatia – lying just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy! We’ll see breathtaking natural beauty, significant places of European history and 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites! Plus, a visit to Medjugorje -- making this trip a definite favorite for all!

Highlights of these 11 days include: • Zagreb, the capital city with rich cultural and governmental history, and Roman settlements from the 1st century • beautiful, old-world Bled, Slovenia – a “pletna boat” will glide us across glacial Lake Bled with the majestic, snow-tipped Julian Alps as the backdrop • a tour of the world-famous Lipizzaner horse farm where we’ll witness an actual training session of these magnificent Slovenian treasures!

• charming seaside Opatija, nestled in beautiful woods with elegant villas and a seaside promenade to bring the Adriatic right up to your feet!

• the spectacular, breathtaking phenomenon of Plitvice Lakes national park – 16 terraced lakes connected by magnificent waterfalls and free-flowing cascades. A lake cruise reveals the underwater life thriving in this natural wonderland!

• the ancient seaside city of Split (once the most important Mediterranean port in then-Yugoslavia) where we’ll explore the Old City, the markets, Diocletian’s Roman Palace and much more of its charm and fascinating history • Medjugorje, the small village where we’ll have personal time for prayer, reflection and Mass at beautiful St. James Church • exciting Dubrovnik offers us its fascinating Old City, world-famous Franciscan Monastery, exceptional architecture, seaside promenade and more!

• unforgettable home visit and culinary feast with a Croatian countryside family sharing their culture and customs to enrich our total experience!

Unparalleled beauty, fascinating history and more await you on this trip!

Check out these highlights on the Internet and you’ll see why Croatia is becoming a must-see destination, still unspoiled by “too many tourists.”

Price per person (double occupancy) is only $3,379 and includes: roundtrip airfare from Charlotte; all hotels and transfers; most meals; fulltime professional Tour Manager; local guides. Not included are cancellation waiver/insurance ($200 per person) and air taxes/surcharges ($150).

For a brochure or questions, call Cindi Feerick at the diocese (704) 370-3332 or e-mail ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org.