Aug. 31, 2001

The Catholic News & Herald 1

August 31, 2001

August 31, 2001 Volume 10 t Number 43

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

Inside Transitional deacon, priesthood candidates welcomed ... Page 7

BMHS campus minister offers helping hand ...Page 9

Photos by Alesha M. Price

Jacqueline McElrath, Toni Tupponce and Julie Raburn from the Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir raise their hands in praise. At left, Father John T. Judie preaches during “Revival of the Spirit 2001: Climbin’ a Higher Mountain.”

Local News

Revivalist encourages oneness with God

Bishop addresses antiimmigration sentiments ... Page 4

Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 14-15

Editorials & Columns ...Pages 16-17

Show Them We Care The diocesan Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection will be taken in parishes Sept. 8-9. The annual collection funds the living expenses of retired diocesan and religious priests who serve here. See pages 10-11 for details.

By ALESHA M. PRICE Staff Writer CHARLOTTE — “I am climbin’ a higher mountain,” said members of the congregation to one another during the Sunday Mass. The tent revival’s theme, lifted by the cool, morning breeze, echoed throughout the tent and reverberated throughout the weekend. For the second consecutive year, people gathered in the name of spirituality, ecumenism, fellowship and praise under a large blue- and white-striped tent.

“Revival of the Spirit 2001,” an oldfashioned tent revival reminiscent of the old days of outdoor preaching, took place Aug. 24-26 on the corner of Statesville and Oaklawn Avenues on the outskirts of downtown Charlotte. A positive response to last year’s tent revival, sponsored by the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry, prompted Rev. Mr. Curtiss Todd, vicar of the African American Affairs Ministry and diocesan vice chancellor, to decide to organize another outdoor gathering.

People dressed in African-inspired clothing, complementing the kente cloth material and decorations draped on the podium and on the altar, clapped, jumped up in excitement, waved their hands and shouted “amens” and “alleluias” in response to the Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir from Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte; the Pinn Memorial Baptist Church Gospel Choir from Philadelphia, Pa., last year’s guest choir and the guest revivalist. Father Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor, concelebrated the Sunday Mass with Father John T. Judie, pastor of Mother of Good Counsel Church in Louisville, Ky., and with Rev. Mr. Todd and Rev. Mr. Charles Knight from Our Lady of Consolation Church serving.

On Saturday, the participants had the opportunity to hear information and learn more about diseases and illnesses that particularly affect the African-American community. This year, the revival featured a health fair with blood pressure checks, free massages, and other medical services and advice.

“The tent revival has been so alive, and you can feel the love of God here,” said Rose Bulas, a St. Gabriel Church parishioner, on Saturday af-

ternoon. “Everyone is joyful, clapping, singing, and the presence of God is all around us.”

With the electric keyboard as an accompaniment, Father Judie preached in a songlike tone to the crowd throughout the weekend gathering.

He spoke to the tune of the theme and used biblical passages from Haggai and the Gospel of Luke in order to convey the message of spirituality and a continually developing relationship with God. Father Judie explained how he interweaved the theme into his three days of preaching. “On Friday, the idea was to run and tell others about what God has done for us, to spread the Christian message and be a witness to others. This is one of the steps to climbing the mountain and is how we will get to the top.

“On Saturday, using the familiar story about the apostles traveling on road to Emmaus, the road to nowhere, the idea was a calling back from wherever we’ve wandered away because we can start up the mountain and find ourselves wandering in all directions but not going anywhere,” explained

See REVIVAL, page 7

2 The Catholic News & Herald issued after papal visits to Mexico and his native Poland.

Foundation seeks to fund 2,000 programs aiding elderly, disabled PRINCETON, N.J. (CNS) — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is encouraging Catholic organizations to apply for some of the $100 million available in grants from its national volunteer caregiver program, Faith in Action. The program makes grants to local groups of volunteers representing many faiths who work together to care for their neighbors who are frail, elderly, chronically ill or disabled. Organizations interested in applying for a Faith in Action grant should phone the national program office, toll-free, at (877) 324-8411 or visit its Web site at www.fiavolunteers.org.

Marriage Encounter convention celebrates sanctity of matrimony ATLANTA (CNS) — The 700 married couples and 80 priests who participated in the national convention of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter in Atlanta were honored as “the saints of God.” Auxiliary Bishop John J. Kaising of the Archdiocese for the Military Services addressed the group at the opening of the conference. He talked about Pope John Paul II’s recent announcement he would beatify a married couple, Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, and told his listeners that they were “the saints of God here in front of me.” The July 20-22 convention, held at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, drew participants from across the United States, Australia, Philippines, Korea and Africa. The convention’s theme was “Marriage: A Grace Odyssey.”

African priest says he was attacked over justice work in Kenya WASHINGTON (CNS) — A Ugandan priest who was beaten, hacked and shot at said he believes he was attacked because of his work with the Kenyan bishops’ justice and peace department. Comboni Father Paulino Mondo, who has worked on the investigation of a murdered U.S. missionary, lost the vision in one eye as a result of the June attack in Nairobi, Kenya. Shortly after the incident, he traveled to the United States, where he visited doctors, spoke at U.S. parishes and met with government officials to discuss the FBI investigation into the August

CNS photo from Reuters

Palestinian children play in shot-up car Palestinian children play with smashed glass in a car that was hit by gunfire during an exchange between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Hebron Aug. 22. Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinians in the West Bank, hours after the two sides said they were ready to hold new talks on ending nearly 11 months of bloodshed.

Cardinal urges solidarity with, for workers in Labor Day message WASHINGTON (CNS) — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Domestic Policy Committee urged a legalization program for foreign workers and quicker action toward achieving a living wage in the bishops’ annual Labor Day message.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles urged Catholics to “recommit ourselves to the solidarity of workers and solidarity with workers” on Labor Day, Sept. 3 this year.

The message centers on Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical on the dignity of work and the rights of workers, “Laborem Exercens,”

Episcopal

August 31, 2001 Volume 10 • Number 43

Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Acting Editor: Jimmy Rostar Staff Writer: Alesha M. Price Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $18 per year for all other subscribers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

August 31, 2001

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Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: September 7 — 7:30 a.m.

Mass for Knights and Dames of Malta St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte September 8 — 4 p.m.

Celebrant and homilist at closing liturgy Power Rally 2001 Fort Mill, S.C. September 15 — 12:45 p.m.

Speaker at diocesan Justice and Peace Conference St. Paul the Apostle, Greensboro September 16 — 11 a.m.

Installation of Father James Hawker as pastor, St. Luke, Charlotte 4 p.m. -- Rosary Makers’ Mass St. Patrick, Charlotte

2000 murder of U.S. Mill Hill Father John Kaiser.

Catholic prison chaplains gather in Philadelphia for conference WYNNEWOOD, Pa. (CNS) — An annual training conference for prison chaplains helps them minister to the imprisoned, but also enables them to teach the church about “justice issues surrounding incarceration,” said Father Robert Schulze. The priest is the new president of the American Catholic Correctional Association, which held its yearly gathering Aug. 8-11 in the Philadelphia Archdiocese at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Diocesan

plan -

at 3 p.m. and a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. in the school cafeteria. For further information, contact Josie Backus at (704) 527-4676.

10 CHARLOTTE — A bereavement support group; facilitated by Ruth Posey, CSS counselor, for those grieving the death of a loved one will begin tonight from 6-7:30 p.m. and will continue every Monday in the family room of St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. For further information, call Ruth Posey at (704) 370-3238.

12 CHARLOTTE — A session for those who are grieving and those who are in bereavement ministry entitled “Grief as Rehabilitation” will be held at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. in the parish ministry center. In this session Larry Dawalt will review differing impacts of loss, ways to make a grief rehabilitation plan and setting real-

in Wynnewood. Father Schulze, who also directs the Office for Jail and Prison Ministry for the Diocese of Trenton, N.J., said the gathering is important because it gives chaplains “a sense of being supported by a group of sisters and brothers in ministry who share a strong vision.”

Church offers solutions before birth, near death, speakers say ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) — The Catholic Church’s teachings on life offer solutions to problems encountered before birth and approaching death, said speakers at a national conference on marriage and family life Aug. 17. Three panelists discussed church teachings on contraception, infertility problems and end-of-life care at the Aug. 15-18 conference in Arlington marking the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation on the family, “Familiaris Consortio.” John S. Grabowski, associate professor of theology at The Catholic University of America, set the stage for the panel discussion by explaining the cultural setting in which “Familiaris Consortio” was issued and its major teachings.

‘Familiaris Consortio’ said to offer radical vision for family ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) — Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation on the family, “Familiaris Consortio,” holds out a vision for family life that is radically different from what society offers, says Joseph Atkinson. “What vision will we follow?” asked Atkinson, assistant professor at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, in a speech at a marriage and family life conference. He addressed about 400 people involved in diocesan family life ministries who attended the Aug. 15-18 symposium in Arlington sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Atkinson said the pope outlined a biblical vision of families with God at the center, whereas society tends to put people at the center to determine the family’s purpose.

Pope turns his thoughts to young people, looks ahead to Toronto CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope John Paul II’s mind was on young istic goals for the grief process. For details, call the church office at (704) 364-5431.

14 CHARLOTTE — A renewal conference, sponsored by the Charismatic Renewal Service Team of the Diocese of Charlotte, will be returning to Charlotte area this weekend at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., with liturgies and music from the Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir of Our Lady of Consolation Church and Rev. Mr. Keith Kolodziej. Father Patsy Iaquinta, chairman of the National Service Committee of the Renewal, and Dr. Richard Collings from the Share God’s Love ministry will be presenting at the conference. For more information, call (336) 760-1110 or e-mail jmanna@triad.rr.com.

Ongoing ASHEVILLE — The hours for the Nazareth House Family Ministry and Lending Library, 474 Haywood Rd., are as follows: Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m., Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Naza-

August 31, 2001

Chicago firefighters form new Knights of Columbus council CHICAGO (CNS) — The city where fire poles were invented and where hydrants first got the name “fireplugs” is now home to the first Knights of Columbus council formed for firefighters and paramedics. “We’re definitely one of a kind,” said Chicago Fire Department chaplain Father Thomas Mulcrone, a member of Knights of Columbus Council 12911. The new council received its charter and installed its founding officers Aug. 24 in a ceremony at St. Gabriel Church. The first activity of the council’s 60 members is to hit the streets Sept. 21-22 to sell Tootsie Rolls with the rest of Chicago’s Knights.

Vowed religious look at racism in their congregations BALTIMORE (CNS) — Frank talk on racism in the religious life opened the first night of the joint convention of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and Conference of Major Superiors of Men in Baltimore Aug. 23-27. “Racism is firmly entrenched in the religious congregations of this country,” said Sister Mary Alice Chineworth, 84, former superior general of the Oblate Sisters of Providence of Catonsville, Md. “We have to name the sin, otherwise we cannot rid ourselves of it,” she told Catholic News Service. More than 1,000 leaders of U.S. religious congregations gathered for the conference on the theme “Changing Faces, Changing Hearts,” which looked at multiculturalism and religious life in the context of the growing cultural diversity of the U.S. church.

Pope cautions against new forms of racial discrimination CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope John Paul II condemned racism as a sin against God and humanity and warned that new types of racial discrimination were emerging across the globe.

The pope made the remarks at a Sunday blessing Aug. 26, five days before the start of a weeklong U.N. conference on racial discrimination in Durban, South Africa. Addressing pilgrims at his summer residence outside Rome, the pope said the Vatican delegation to the conference would make clear the church’s commitment to fighting racism in all its forms.

The pope said human dignity had been seriously threatened in recent decades, a.m.-4 p.m. at Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd. This bilingual workshop will include morning and afternoon sessions in English and Spanish and will cover topics including cultural awareness, catechesis, morality, the sacraments and other related issues. Dominican Sister Rosa Monique Pena from the Archdiocese of Miami, the keynote speaker, will present “Love Beyond All Telling” in the morning. For more information, call Marie Kinney or Connie Cupello at (336) 996-3625 or (336) 996-5109.

8 CHARLOTTE — St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Rd., will be having a children’s consignment sale today from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Proceeds will go to the local Mothers of Preschoolers’ group. If anyone would like to sell fall and winter children’s clothes or baby items, please contact Amy Mullis at (704) 573-0519.

9 CHARLOTTE — A charismatic Mass will be held at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East, this afternoon at 4 p.m. with prayer teams

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CNS photo by Ed Zelachoski, The Catholic Accent

Carmelite puts up fencing at monastery Carmelite Sister Mary Paul Cutri puts up sheet metal fencing on the grounds of her order’s monastery in Unity Township, Pa. The sisters are celebrating the community’s 40th anniversary this year

which he said have witnessed increasingly aggressive forms of nationalism, ethnic violence and racial discrimination.

Visitors flock to Mother Teresa’s tomb to mark birthday CALCUTTA, India (CNS) — Mother Teresa’s Aug. 26 birthday was marked by prayers for her speedy canonization and a continuous flow of visitors to the nun’s tomb in Calcutta. The founder of the Missionaries of Charity, who died in 1997, 10 days after her 87th birthday, would have been 91, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand.

Outside the religious community’s motherhouse chapel, “Happy Birthday Dearest Mother” was written on a blackboard. At Mother Teresa’s tomb, people from all

walks of life flocked to pray for her intercession.

Vatican’s top ecumenist laments breakup of WWII commission VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican’s top ecumenist lamented the breakup of a Catholic-Jewish historical commission to study the Vatican’s published World War II documents and blamed it partly on Jewish members’ “leaks and polemical writings.” In an Aug. 24 statement, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, said he would seek to re-launch the joint research “on new foundations.” The study commission, originally made up of three Jewish and three Catholic historians, dis-

September 2 SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., will be celebrating a charismatic and healing Mass today at 4 p.m. Prayer and worship with prayer teams will be available at 3 p.m., and a potluck dinner will follow the Mass. Father John Putnam, pastor, will be the celebrant. For further information, call Bill Owens at (704) 639-9837.

2 CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity of Secular Franciscans will be meeting today from 2-4 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Church, 2301 Statesville Ave. All visitors and inquirers are welcome. For more information, call Skyler Mood, SFO, at (704) 573-4299.

3 CHARLOTTE — Churches in the Charlotte area will be having their regularly scheduled cancer support group meetings for survivors, family and friends on the following days: St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., tonight and every first Monday at 7

p.m. in the ministry center library and St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., on Sept. 4 and every first Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the office building conference room. For more information, call: St. Matthew - Marilyn Borrelli at (704) 542-2283 and St. Gabriel - Eileen Correll at (704) 3625047, Ext. 217.

3 CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., will be celebrating a charismatic Mass with Father Fidel Melo tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The sacrament of reconciliation will be given at 7 p.m., and the laying on of hands will take place after Mass.

The next Mass will be celebrated on Oct. 10. For more information, call the church office at (336) 778-0600 or Jim Passero at (336) 998-7503.

5 CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Rd., will be having a meeting with a luncheon and program at 1 p.m. in the parish activity center. The Tutu’s Hawaiian Dancers will perform during the event. All adults age 55 and older

The Catholic News & Herald 3

solved in late July when some members said they needed access to the Vatican’s complete World War II archives to move forward.

Father of boy killed in shooting continues protest FAIRFAX, Va. (CNS) — Tom Mauser, an outspoken gun-control advocate since his son’s death in the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School, was cleared of trespassing charges Aug. 22 for his June protest in front of the National Rifle Association headquarters in Fairfax. Mauser, a parishioner at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Littleton, Colo., had refused to leave the driveway of the gun lobby’s headquarters June 13 as he marched around in a circle carrying a sign with a photo of his murdered son, Daniel. Judge Lorraine Nordlund dismissed the charges against him Aug. 22 because the arresting officer was no longer with the police force and had failed to subpoena any NRA officials to testify.

After the case was dropped, Mauser again returned to the NRA headquarters, wearing his slain son’s sneakers and carrying his photograph as he marched for an hour along a public sidewalk.

Cookie company founded by nun provides haven for Twin Cities kids MINNEAPOLIS (CNS) — More than a dozen years ago, Mercy Sister Jean Thuerauf had a vision of providing a safe haven for children in her north Minneapolis neighborhood. After 12 children died as victims of gang violence, she invited a group of kids into her home to bake cookies in order to get them off the streets. Sister Jean’s vision has turned into a full-fledged nonprofit business, called the Cookie Cart. About 150 young people, ages 7 to 17, help there each day. The store bustles with activity as they mix batter, sweep floors and take orders.

The basement has been converted into an art room, dance studio and computer lab.

Upstairs, kids collaborate on projects that help them develop leadership and decisionmaking skills.

are welcome. For more information, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879.

6 GUILFORD COUNTY — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Guilford County Division 1, an Irish-Catholic social and charitable inter-parish group, will be having a meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Ladies’ Cottage at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St. in Greensboro. For further information, call Alice Schmidt at (336) 288-0983.

6 WINSTON-SALEM — The Healing Companions, a grief support group for the bereaved, will be meeting tonight and Sept. 20 in Conference Room A at 7:30 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. Call Joanne Parcell at (336) 924-9478 or the church office at (336) 724-0561 for details.

CLEMMOMS — The diocesan Faith Formation Office-Northern Region is sponsoring “Lighting the Fires of Faith VII” today from 8:30

4 The Catholic News & Herald

Pope cautions against new forms of racial discrimination

By Catholic News Service CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope John Paul II condemned racism as a sin against God and humanity and warned that new types of racial discrimination were emerging across the globe.

The pope made the remarks at a Sunday blessing Aug. 26, five days before the start of a weeklong U.N. conference on racial discrimination in Durban, South Africa.

Addressing pilgrims at his summer residence outside Rome, the pope said the Vatican delegation to the conference would make clear the church’s commitment to fighting racism in all its forms.

The pope said human dignity had been seriously threatened in recent decades, which he said have witnessed increasingly aggressive forms of nationalism, ethnic violence and racial discrimination.

“Racism is a sin that constitutes a serious offense against God,” he said.

“Every honest conscience must decisively condemn racism in whatever heart or place it makes a home. Unfortunately, it is emerging in new and unexpected forms, offending and degrading the human family,” he said.

The pope cited the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that prayer to God is unworthy if those praying engage in discrimination against other groups of people.

He said the church strongly supports a widespread effort to educate people in the values of human dignity and fundamental rights. A conversion of hearts is necessary, and the starting point is prayer, he said.

“Racism must be opposed by a culture of mutual acceptance, recognizing in every man and every woman a brother or a sister with whom to walk the road of solidarity and peace,” he said.

The pope said he hoped the Aug. 31Sept. 7 conference in South Africa would strengthen international resolve to build a freer and fairer world. He offered a prayer to Mary for the end of discriminatory practices and entrusted the outcome of the U.N. conference to her.

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August 31, 2001

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”

— Hebrews 13:2

August 31, 2001

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, At a recent anti-immigrant rally in Newton in Catawba County (August 18), some of the 75 participants carried extremely offensive signs and shouted negative statements at passersby whom they perceived to be immigrants. Signs calling a particular racial or ethnic group “stupid” and telling them to “swim back” are vile and only serve to incite distrust and fear.

The number of anti-immigrant opinion pieces appearing in recent months in various media forums (e.g. editorials, radio broadcasts) has also risen, many of which have used negative stereotypes and erroneous facts to supposedly “inform” the general public. The use of various public forums to encourage civil debate on issues that affect and shape our society is to be encouraged. If such debate, however, purposely excludes certain voices or involves acts or words of intimidation that serve to silence certain voices, all people of goodwill are called to address such morally unacceptable behavior.

As we enter uncertain economic times, when job security and the receipt of enough public resources to help meet all our community needs are in doubt, there is a tendency by some to look for scapegoats. Immigrants, because they so often are unable to obtain the proper legal protection, and because they often simply do not know where to turn for assistance, become too easily the scapegoats to answer for our social ills. So it is not only in response to past and current events that I write to share the Church’s position on these matters, but also out of concern for what the future might bring if economic conditions worsen.

In our public debates on how we can best marshal our resources to meet the growing needs of society, including the needs of immigrant communities, it is imperative that we keep in mind the biblical injunction, which appears throughout Sacred Scripture, to care for and protect the “the widow, the orphan, and the stranger” (e.g. Deut. 10:18, Exod. 22:21, Lev. 25:35). The U.S. Catholic Bishops, in our pastoral letter issued in November 2000, “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us Unity in Diversity,” have in no uncertain terms made clear that “we reject the anti-immigrant stance that has become popular in different parts of our country, and the nativism, ethnocentricity and racism that continue to reassert themselves in our communities.”

The tremendous growth of the Diocese of Charlotte in recent years has been due primarily to the influx of people from other states and other countries. Our diocese, of all U.S. dioceses and archdioceses, has perhaps seen the greatest percentage increase in its Hispanic Catholic population over the past ten years. Due to language barriers, due to facing daily struggles in adapting to cultural differences, and sadly as we have seen, due to the growing hostility which immigrants face in this society, migrants from foreign lands ought to receive special consideration in diocesan efforts to make certain all are welcome to celebrate the liturgy, participate in parish and diocesan programs, and attend social gatherings. It is the crux of the message of the recent U.S. Bishops’ statement, “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us,” that our parishes, parish staff, and parishioners “must be filled with a spirit of welcome.” We are all one in our communion in Christ.

The Diocese of Charlotte is devoting increasing levels of staff and resources to welcome and to meet the spiritual and material needs of the Hispanic members of our community. Through our diocesan programs such as Programa Esperanza in Catholic Social Services and through the many dedicated men and women (priests, religious, and laity) involved in Hispanic Ministry throughout our diocese, I do hope that the message is clear that all are welcome to the table of the Lord and to the healing ministries of the diocese. While many programs do exist in our diocese to reach out and meet the spiritual and material needs of our Hispanic brothers and sisters, there is of course more to be done. For example, through the kindness of Abbot Placid Solari, Belmont Abbey College has accepted my request that a program on Spanish language and cultures will be made available to priests, religious and parish leaders who serve in the diocese. I have also mandated that our seminarians take part in this program, which will begin in January 2002.

Our country has been blessed by the wealth of contributions that a diverse population, representative of many lands, has offered to our social, spiritual, economic, and political development. The Catholic Church in the United States is especially proud of its diversity and the role of immigrants as a valuable feature of its history. The historical evidence shows the benefits all immigrant groups have brought to U.S. society have far outweighed any costs. Let us not be a people that fears the challenges, but rather, sees the ongoing benefits and tremendous opportunities offered to church and society by recent immigrants.

Christians of all denominations know the passage from Matthew 25: 31-46, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Catholic teaching mandates that respect and care be shown for immigrants and other “strangers among us,” such as refugees, whether or not they have legal status to enter and live in our country. In a special way, I call upon those who share with me a deep devotion to the Holy Family, to see in the faces of immigrants the faces of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Holy Family, who had to travel in the dark and cold of night to a foreign land, “are for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee who, whether by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, relatives, and close friends, and to seek a foreign soil.” (Apostolic Constitution “Exsul Familia.”)

Anyone who wishes to receive further information on the rich wealth of Catholic Church teaching on the care of migrants and refugees are encouraged to contact our diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, an office of Catholic Social Services (phone numbers: 704-370-3231 or 3225; e-mail justicepeace@charlottediocese.org). May the Holy Family bless us and watch over us.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

August 31, 2001

The Catholic News & Herald 5

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Capuchin priest serving diocese recalls relationship with Padre

By Joanita M. Nellenbach Correspondent HENDERSONVILLE — Their time together was short, but Padre Pio changed Father John Aurilia’s life forever.

Father Aurilia, a Capuchin Franciscan who serves as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, served as one of Padre Pio’s secretaries in August 1967. Father Aurilia smiles often when he recalls the man he came to regard as “one of us friars,” but also speaks reverently of the first stigmatized priest in Catholic Church history and a man who could read hearts and minds, cure people and bilocate.

Father Aurilia, who studied in the Franciscan seminary that Padre Pio founded at Pietrelcina, Italy, in the 1940s, had been ordained less than a year and was teaching at another Franciscan seminary, Vico Del Gargano, when he was informed that he was going to San Giovanni Rotondo to fill in for one of Padre Pio’s secretaries, who would be away for the month of August.

“You’re joking,” Father Aurilia thought. “God, you’re joking.”

Once he met Padre Pio, Father Aurilia saw a man of constant prayer and ministry — and someone who enjoyed having fun in spite of his physical suffering.

“I think he was a saint,” Father Aurilia said, “not because of the stigmata, which he had, or the bilocation, which he did, or that he cured people, which he did, but because of the confessional ministry and the prayer.”

The man who became Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, at Pietrelcina to poor, deeply religious parents, Grazio Maria and Maria Giuseppa Di Nunzio Forgione. From the age of 5, Francesco wanted to be a priest. He entered the

CNS photo from Reuters

An artist sketches an image of Padre Pio near St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

Pope John Paul II beatified the Capuchin friar May 2, 1999, in what was one of the largest religious ceremonies ever in Rome.

Capuchin Franciscan Order when he was 15, choosing the name Pio (Pius). Always in frail health, but of strong will, he was ordained in 1910.

Prior to 1918, he began to feel the pain of Christ’s wounds. Gradually, in September 1918, the wounds became visible, holes in his hands and feet and the mark of the spear in his side. He carried the stigmata for nearly 50 years, until a few months before his death in 1968.

The stigmata were painful, and the wounds in his feet made it difficult for Padre Pio to walk. Once, though, when strolling

with another priest near Pietrelcina, he suddenly smelled incense and told the priest that a church and seminary would soon rise there. The priest, who did not smell the incense, doubted that anything would ever be built on the barren spot, but within a couple of years an American woman, Maria Pyle, donated the funds for both facilities.

This is the seminary where Father Aurilia trained.

And the incense incident happened many years after Padre Pio’s long period of isolation at San Giovanni Rotondo. In June 1922, he received a letter from the pope and the general minister of the Capuchin Franciscans that he was to be kept under observation. Church authorities were skeptical of the stigmata and other miracles attributed to him.

During this “period of observation,” which lasted 10 years, Padre Pio could not celebrate Mass at any particular hour, but always at different times, preferably early mornings, and without anyone else present. He celebrated Mass in a tiny chapel smaller than Father Aurilia’s office, which is large enough to hold his desk, a small round table, and four swivel chairs. He also was forbidden to hear confessions, to receive visitors or bless people.

In the end, church authorities

found nothing unscrupulous. On July 16, 1933, Padre Pio celebrated his first public Mass in more than a decade and began hearing confessions again the following year.

And what a confessor he was. Father Aurilia said that one hour of hearing confessions can leave him drained, but Padre Pio could keep going hour after hour.

“For me,” Father Aurilia said, “the greatest miracle is not that he cured people but that he was able to hear confessions up to eight hours a day — and he was a frail man.”

The stigmata bled a couple of times a day, and his bandages were changed as often. If he held his hands up to the light when the bandages were off, Father Aurilia said, you could see right through the holes. Gloves covering his hands to the middle joints of his fingers protected the bandages; he wore special sandals to accommodate his swollen feet, and the wound in his side was bandaged.

People made confession appointments as much as five months in advance, although Padre Pio heard the friars’ confessions whenever they asked. “He had that double gift,” Father Aurilia said. “He was extremely simple and at the same time extremely insightful. He knew exactly if there was true repentance. He was very paternal with some, tough with others.”

And he sometimes knew the depth of repentance — or lack of it — before the person said anything. Once a man from Milan came stunned from the room where Padre Pio heard confessions. He had not begun his confession before he was dismissed.

Father Aurilia says that the man, who had waited months for his appointment, told them, “Padre Pio threw me out. He said to go back to Milan and apologize to my wife and then come back here for confession.”

Others, however, experienced something else, including being able to converse with him in their native languages, although Padre Pio spoke only Italian.

“A German guy went to confession,” Father Aurilia said. “He did not speak a word of Italian, but he went to confession in German and said they had a long conversation in German.

See PADRE PIO, page 19

6 The Catholic News & Herald Head of faith-based office to leave post WASHINGTON (CNS) — The director of the White House Office on Faith-based and Community Initiatives plans to leave the post, just six months after he was appointed. President Bush named John DiIulio to head the new office when it was created late in January. DiIulio, a Catholic Democrat who made his academic name as a criminologist, took a leave from a professorship at the University of Pennsylvania to open the White House office. DiIulio, 43, told reporters Aug. 17 he had accomplished goals he set for the job and that he never intended to stay in the position longer than six months to a year. He also said health and family considerations were a factor in his decision to leave.

Pope’s likeness to appear on new euro coins beginning next year VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Europeans soon will be able to pay for their morning coffee and newspaper using coins bearing the image of Pope John Paul II. Ahead of the Jan. 1 release of euro bills and coins, the Italian Treasury announced that preparations for the switch to the joint European currency, including Vatican euros, were well in hand. “Vatican City will be able to count on a small quantity of euros with the image of John Paul II coined by the Italian Mint,” the treasury said Aug. 17. Under an accord with Italy signed earlier this year, the Vatican is allowed an annual maximum of 670,000 euros, about $615,000, in coins, which is about the same it has minted until now in Italian lira.

Maureen Reagan mourned, celebrated at Catholic funeral SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) — Maureen Reagan “had a great love of God and she knew beyond doubt that God loved her,” said the Catholic priest who celebrated her Aug. 18 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. Father Simon Twomey, who met Reagan 10 years ago when he was serving in a parish she attended, gave the opening remarks at a memorial service at the cathedral which was followed by the funeral Mass. About 1,000 people attended the two services, which were moved to the cathedral from St. Francis of Assisi Church, the parish of Reagan

People in the

CNS photo by Nancy Erikson, Catholic Universe Bulletin

Student builds structure of biblical proportions John Bellinger created a giant Jonah’s whale for Bible camp at Sacred Heart and Queen of Heaven churches in Wadsworth, Ohio. The 20-yearold mechanical engineering student has designed other large-scale Bible props, including a 22-foot-long Noah’s Ark.

and her husband, because of the large crowd expected. Reagan, 60, died Aug. 8 after a five-year battle with malignant melanoma. She was the eldest daughter of President Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman.

Bush bioethics appointee has expertise in other fields, too WASHINGTON (CNS) — Leon R. Kass, the University of Chicago professor chosen by President Bush to head his bioethics council, might be best known for his opposition to embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning, but he’s also developed other areas of expertise.

Kass and his wife of 40 years, Amy, have team-taught a seminar at the University

of Chicago on the ethics of courtship and have edited a book together on courtship, marriage and the family. Leon Kass also has explored the rituals, customs and taboos surrounding the act of eating in his 1994 book, “The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Our Nature.”

Another Philbin gets into the TV act with joy HOLLYWOOD (CNS) — In most word-association exercises, if the first person says the name “Philbin,” the second person is likely to say “Regis” or “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” But the University of Notre Dame alumnus’ wife, Joy Philbin, is making her own mark on the TV landscape hosting a series called

August 31, 2001

“At Home With” on the Home & Garden Television cable channel. “At Home With,” which premiered in the spring, tours celebrities’ homes, but on this show, the celebrities themselves serve as the tour guides, “so you really get to feel their enthusiasm and their love for their home,” Philbin said.

Pope provides ‘paternal presence,’ say World Youth Day officials VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As the one-year countdown to World Youth Day in Toronto began, church officials and young people said they were looking ahead to Pope John Paul II’s presence as a sign of his “paternal love.” “The Holy Father will give to (young people) and to us a deeper and more humble faith in Jesus Christ,” said Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic of Toronto. “The meeting with the Holy Father will be an intense witness for our city and our secularized country, which would like their Christians to remain politely off to one side and be as nonassertive as possible,” he said. Cardinal Ambrozic made his comments in an article published Aug. 15 by the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

Postal apostolate tells strangers: You’ve got (spiritual) mail COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS) — Lost?

Looking for something that seems to be missing? Ever notice that sometimes things come from out of the blue just when they’re really needed? That’s what members of the postal apostolate hope to do when they send a postcard and a prayer to someone they don’t know.

When Al Cassidy, a parishioner at St. Patrick in the Diocese of Columbus, learned about the postal apostolate, he wrote to Ambrose Pare who, more than 50 years ago, founded the Society of Sts. Francis Xavier and Therese, a postal apostolate that anonymously sends folded postcards to names and addresses taken from telephone directories. “Pope John Paul II always said that we should evangelize, and I thought maybe this would be a way I could do it from home,” said Cassidy, who also has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 40 years.

August 31, 2001

Three answer call to

By ALESHA M. PRICE Staff Writer CHARLOTTE — “We have gathered here tonight to honor our Blessed Mother,” said Bishop William G. Curlin to the congregation gathered on Aug. 15 at St. Patrick Cathedral.

During the Mass on the feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, three of the diocesan faithful who have chosen a life of commitment to the church moved one step closer to fulfillment of their decisions to become priests. Rev. Mr. Adrian Porras, 29, was ordained to the transitional diaconate; Leo Fowler, 53, and Matthew Buettner, 25, were admitted as candidates for the transitional diaconate and priesthood.

The rite of admission of candidacy for ordination as deacons and priests is the step prior to the transitional diaconate. Matthew Buettner, a seminarian at Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, and Leo Fowler, a seminarian at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Latrobe, Pa., were granted candidacy upon approval of the bishop and with the recommendation of their respective seminaries.

At the Mass, the candidates went

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From the

through the steps of calling, examination, acceptance and prayer. The two men will be ordained to the transitional diaconate, the phase of formation prior to the priesthood, in June 2002.

Fowler, originally from southern Louisiana and South Carolina, said that he is ready and excited to be ordained to the transitional diaconate.

“All I want is to be a good priest,” said Fowler in an April 2000 interview in The Catholic News & Herald.

Buettner, born and raised in Peoria, Ill., expressed his gratitude about the “opportunity that God has given him to share his gifts with his people in the Diocese of Charlotte” in an August 2000 vocations series in The Catholic News & Herald. “I look forward with great expectation to serving Christ and his church for the salvation of souls.”

Rev. Mr. Adrian Porras, who hails from Greensboro via El Paso, Texas, has a few months to go before he is ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte in December 2001 along with Rev. Mr. Christopher Roux, 38, who was also ordained to the transitional diaconate earlier this year.

During the rite of ordination of a deacon, the bishop calls the candidate forth to make the promise of celibacy and the vow of obedience. The candidate lies prostrate on the floor while those in attendance kneel and pray the litany of the saints. Lying prostrate is an act of total commitment, a giving of one’s life to his ministry, explained Rev. Mr. Porras.

The bishop lays his hands and asks the Holy Spirit to descend upon the candidate. The candidate is then vested with the dalmatic and stole, and as a deacon, assists at the rest of the Mass.

Rev. Mr. Porras originally entered into the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Congregation as a postulant and had a semester left in the Marian Scholasticate when the Order left the Diocese of Charlotte. Wanting to remain close to his family and the diocese he had grown to love, he spoke to Bishop Curlin and joined the diocese as a seminarian in August 2000. He received his Master of Divinity from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., in May 2001.

Rev. Mr. Porras, who is now serving at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, said that after he is ordained a priest, he will reach out to the whole church and help out the Hispanic community in the best way he can.

Reflecting on the day Mary was taken into heaven body and soul, Bishop Curlin told the men to turn to the Blessed Mother whenever they needed to pray.

“Mary is a model for our lives as priests because her response to God was ‘yes.’ Your answer must be ‘yes’ even through times when your heart is heavy, when you must minister to someone who is sick or dying, or when you have trials and struggles in your lives,” said the bishop to the candidates and congregation during his homily.

“Jesus was the center of Mary’s life, and he should be the center of our lives. We have to say ‘yes’ to Jesus every day.”

Photos by Alesha M. Price

Pictured left, Rev. Mr. Adrian Porras assists at Mass on Aug. 15 after being ordained to the transitional diaconate. Matthew Buettner, left, and Leo Fowler, right, process with the offertory gifts during the liturgy.

Revival, from page 1 Father Judie.

“We need to keep or focus on the top of the mountain and what waits for us when we get there,” he said of Sunday’s homily.

Father Judie reminded the crowd to remember why they came to worship — to thank God and praise him for his blessings. He also said that simply attending the weekend event was not enough, that they had to allow the spirit to move, change and transform them into the people the God had intended for them to be.

“This tent revival is very important because (we must) always be attentive to what God is doing in our lives. Sometimes our week-to-week worship can become kind of drab and a little routine, so we need a little reviving and renewal of spirit, something out of the ordinary, to set us back on track to get us where we need to be,” said Father Judie. “When you bring in a speaker from the outside who brings a different perspective to the word that is proclaimed, it opens up our eyes, ears and thinking to absorbing and embracing that word in a new way.”

On Saturday after the preaching, in keeping with the idea of the oldfashioned tent revival, Father Judie invited people to come to the altar to rededicate themselves to Christ, particularly those who have fallen away from the church or those who are troubled, explained Rev. Mr. Todd.

“I knew in my spirit that people were making life-changing decisions right there at the altar and responding to the invitation and giving their lives to God. It was so powerful,” said Father Judie.

“I think as with last year’s revival, this one was a success as well in that it accomplished primarily what we had hoped. The tent revival is an evangelizational tool and an outreach to the unchurched and the fallen away, Catholic and otherwise,” said Rev. Mr. Todd. “This idea was affirmed when Father Judie had the altar call, and about 30 to 40 people, moved by the spirit and filled with hope for their future relationships with God, came to the front to say publicly in front of God and everyone that they have renounced their pasts and have returned to the path toward God.” Stephen Pickett, a member of Our Lady of Consolation Church who shared his story of faith with the crowd on Saturday, agreed, “I was inspired and moved that the community of faith came together to be renewed by the word of God preached in such a dynamic way,” said “I was honored to be allowed to serve the people of God and this revival. I look forward to the next one.”

Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. Price by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail amprice@charlottediocese.org.

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August 31, 2001

International speaker addresses ‘sex and sanctity’ at Charlotte

Photo by Kathy Schmugge

By KATHY SCHMUGGE Correspondent CHARLOTTE — “Sex and Sanctity” is not a title one would find in a popular magazine or as a headline in the newspaper, but it should be because this “rock-yourworld” theology is revolutionizing the understanding of the human body as God created it, an international speaker on family issues told a Charlotte audience recently.

Perhaps it was the very novelty of the title “Sex and Sanctity” combined with the growing popularity of international speaker and author Christopher West that attracted almost 600 people to St. Matthew Church in Charlotte on Aug. 5 to hear this important message for today.

“Our path to holiness is intimately entwined with our sexuality because God has stamped his eternal plan on the body, male and female,” said West. “Holiness is to love as God loves,” which West describes as free, total, faithful and life giving, with each quality necessary for authenticity. But because of sin, few can see the revelation of God in

the body, which is the definition of purity.

Since original sin there is an evergrowing disparity between body and soul, according to the speaker.

West, a visiting professor at the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia, derived his insights from the “Theology of the Body,” a collection of 129 general audiences given by Pope John Paul II that the speaker presents in an understandable and user-friendly manner.

“Christopher has done a remarkable job translating the scholarly language of the Holy Father’s “Theology of the Body” into the vernacular of the pop culture without losing any of its meaning,” said Holly Gatlin from St. Ann Church in Florence, S.C. West continued that in a world bombarded with sexual temptation, holiness is still possible through purity, but it means pressing into the discomforts and disordered desires and turning them to Christ so that redemption can be realized.

“Repression and indulgence are two sides of the same disorder, the inability to love correctly,” he said.

He explained how before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked without shame because they understood the nuptial meaning of the body (the capacity of expressing love).

When they no longer saw the revelation of God in each other, they saw each other as objects to use or possess for their own pleasures. Because sin takes what God has created to be true, good and beautiful and twists it, West admits that it is easy to fall for the counterfeit of God-like love.

The distortions are made obvious when he compares the artwork in the Sis-

tine Chapel with the degrading portrayal of the human body in pornography. Restoring sexuality to what God had intended requires the removal of the tainted glasses acquired from original sin that block one’s ability to see God’s plan, he said.

West, who is also the director of Marriage and Family Life for the Archdiocese of Denver and staff advisor for the Theology of the Body, shared some sad accounts of what he has witnessed when sexual desire becomes inverted.

“There is always hope,” said West, who quoted the pope. “The (human) heart is deeper than lust,” which describes the “aspiration of the human spirit towards the true, good and beautiful.”

“Have confidence in Christ. He did not just give us coping mechanisms for our sins but has ‘taken away the sins of the world.’ If we open our body to the gift of grace there will be a radical transformation,” he said, using the analogy that God sets up a bank account with trillions of graces and people only withdraw 50 cents’ worth.

West then discussed marriage, a sacrament consummated through the one-flesh union that “forms us in the very likeness of the Trinity.” He spoke on how the body communicates a profound language in the marital embrace, which is a physical renewal of the sacred wedding vows.

“Sex before marriage,” said West, “is lying with our bodies; it is not an honest expression of the spiritual bond of marriage established by the Holy Spirit during the sacrament.” Sanctity and sex are also at odds when a couple uses contraception because they remove the total and

life-giving potential of the marital embrace, he said.

The language of contraception is “This is not my body given up for you” and “Let it not be done according to your word,” contrary to the fundamental call to mirror God’s love, West said.

“I did not come here to wag a finger. I call you to embrace your greatness. I call you to your own supreme dignity as men and women made in the image and likeness of God. If we are cheap then no demands are made on us,” said West, “but we are instead called to greatness and greatness is not easy. It takes grace.”

Kathleen Lewis, youth minister at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, found West’s talk a confirmation of what she teaches. “In the ‘Theology of the Body,’ Pope John Paul II is renouncing the dichotomy of repression and calls for the integration of body and soul, something the youth need to hear,” she said.

“Christopher West gives the ‘whys’ behind the ‘whats’ on the issues that are most fundamental to our faith but have been obscured,” said Father Matthew Kauth, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Church. “Thanks to (him), the Theology of the Body is reaching people with a message that can set us free.”

August 31, 2001

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Campus minister extends helping hand to BMHS students, Hispanic community

By ALESHA M. PRICE Staff Writer WINSTON-SALEM — In preparation for the school year, several students from Bishop McGuinness Memorial High School were busy during the summer exploring and developing their spirituality in order to help their fellow students on their journeys. Through the guidance and leadership of Martin Mata, BMHS campus minister, students interested in serving as peer ministers went on a summer retreat to discuss the new ministry at the Piedmont-Triad area Catholic high school.

“I was very impressed with the way the 13 kids responded to the idea (of being peer ministers),” said Mata, who is consulting with the campus minister from Cardinal Gibbons Catholic High School in Raleigh about their peer ministry program. “This year, we are incorporating peer ministry groups which will be helpful in bringing the ‘good news’ to the other kids, and we are excited to be able to provide this program.”

Not only is peer ministry spreading its newly formed wings across the student body but campus ministry, in its current form at BMHS, is flying high as a recent addition to the school. This is Mata’s second year as campus minister, and he has been working non-stop to provide the students with spiritual guidance and direction.

During his first year, he conducted interviews with the freshmen to become better acquainted with the students he would be serving. This year, he will be working with the annual senior retreat, a

possible overnight junior retreat and small retreat services for the sophomores. He also coordinates the required community and parish service hours for every student by calling local parishes, offering suggestions and referring students to parishes and community volunteer work opportunities.

Mata hopes to implement small group retreats, small group school Masses and regular student interviews into the campus

Church. He is going into his fourth year and says that he loves working for the church in this particular ministry.

“I had always wanted to work with my community, and it was a chance for me to work with Spanish-speaking people,” said Mata of his opportunity. “I receive satisfaction to see people, some of who have been through so much, stand on their own two feet. When people are helped, later on, they offer help to one another. By helping them to become better Christians, they can help the larger community.”

Mata and 35 volunteers help the Hispanic population with adult and youth faith formation programs, retreats for married couples, English-asa-second-language classes, workshops and seminars on changes in immigration laws and other programs.

Work at BMHS and at Holy Cross provides opportunities for Mata to combine his ministries. This year, the students will conduct a food collection for needy Hispanic families during the holidays, and he is working with the Spanish classes to coordinate a Christmas party with religious activities for Spanish-speaking children.

“Both ministries are the same except for the language, and the ministry and purpose are pretty much the same — to bring everyone closer to Jesus,” said Mata.

“Both ministries are the same except for the language, and the ministry and purpose are pretty much the same — to bring everyone closer to Jesus.” ministry program.

“I have met very good and spiritual kids, and I would like to guide them in becoming better acquainted with Jesus Christ,” said Mata. “I want to help them to see Jesus in their lives and to feel his presence and to show them how he is walking along with us. Many kids have struggles, and I want to try to provide some answers for them.”

Born in Mexico, Mata came to the United States in 1991 with a strong faith foundation and wanted to share his love of Jesus with others. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Belmont Abbey College, his involvement with St. Joseph Church in Asheboro and Holy Cross Church in Kernersville led to his position as director of Hispanic ministry at Holy Cross

Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. Price by calling (704) 370-3354 or email amprice@charlottediocese.org.

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Healing of woman’s tumor attributed to Mother Teresa

By John Norton Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) — The Vatican has been asked to confirm the miraculous healing of a non-Christian Indian woman who was touched with a medal that had been in contact with Mother Teresa’s body, her postulator said.

Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, Mother Teresa’s advocate for sainthood, detailed the alleged miracle for the first time in an interview with Italy’s Famiglia Cristiana magazine. An advance copy was released Aug. 28.

He said Monika Besra, a 30-year-old mother and animist religious believer, was cured of an inoperable stomach tumor, apparently through Mother Teresa’s intercession.

Nuns of Mother Teresa’s order prayed over the woman at 5 p.m. Sept. 5, 1998, exactly one year after Mother Teresa’s death.

They also touched the woman’s abdomen with a “Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception” that had been placed on Mother Teresa’s body before her burial.

“During the night, the sick woman — who in the meantime had gotten drowsy — woke up and realized that the (tumor) mass had disappeared,” he said.

“Subsequent tests by doctors showed that it never came back,” he added.

In mid-August, the priest, a Canadian, delivered documentation supporting the miracle claim to the Vatican’s sainthood congregation, along with a 35,000-page case file on Mother Teresa’s life.

He said he had decided to submit Besra’s reported cure after also considering the apparently miraculous healing of a Filipino woman from a huge gallstone before its scheduled surgical removal.

The Vatican’s beatification process requires the approval of one miracle attributed to candidates’ intercession after their death.

Another miracle is required after the beatification ceremony for eventual proclamation of sainthood.

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Priests’ retirement and benefit collection a way to say ‘We

By JIMMY ROSTAR Associate Editor Though their experiences and backgrounds are varied, the priests who serve in the Diocese of Charlotte are united in their love of God, devotion to the Eucharist, and thanksgiving for the spiritual support they receive from their brother priests and the faithful of the diocese.

And thanks to the Diocese of Charlotte’s annual Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection, they know their financial needs will be taken care of, too.

“Show Them We Care” is the theme of the 2001 collection, to be taken in parishes Sept. 8-9. The collection is the primary way parishioners of the diocese can offer their thanks to the priests who have already served them faithfully through the years, as well as those priests currently serving in ministry here.

The collection funds the diocese’s priests’ retirement plan, which covers health care, housing and other costs of living. A percentage of the collection goes to the retirement funds of religious orders whose priests serve in the diocese.

The plan includes provisions that

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Priests’ Retire-

will increase benefits annually for priests of the diocese — both those who are now retired and those in current service.

Retired diocesan priests receive monthly pension payments thanks to the collection.

In an effort to better meet the retirement needs of priests who serve here, the collection was revised in 1997 as an assessed collection. Individual parish goals for the collection are determined based on a percentage of annual offertory income.

“The amount assessed is 3 percent of their annual offertory income,” said Bill Weldon, chief financial officer for the Diocese of Charlotte, regarding each parish’s goal. “The total assessed amount to fund the priests’ retirement and benefits program for 2001-2002 is $854,951.”

Of that, $383,900 will go to the diocesan priests’ retirement plan, $284,984 to the retirement funds of religious order priests serving in the diocese, $168,967 for other clergy benefits, and $17,100 for campaign expenses.

Today, 24 retired diocesan priests currently receive benefits, while 77 serve in active ministry. Eleven religious orders provide the 59 priests

who serve here now.

Barbara Gaddy, who directs special collections programs for the diocese, said this offertory is a loving example of stewardship on behalf of those who give so willingly of themselves.

“People’s contribution to this important collection is a way to say ‘I care!’ to the priests who serve us so faithfully,” said Barbara Gaddy, diocesan associate director of development.

“Our retired priests deserve to live their final years in comfort and dignity.

“Many of our retired priests have but one family — the people of the parishes they have served,” she said.

For Bishop William G. Curlin, who himself will one day benefit from this effort, the collection is an important and loving gesture.

“The priests of this diocese spend their lives giving to others,” said Bishop Curlin. “Even in their retirement, many of these dedicated men continue to serve the Catholics of western North Carolina by generously giving of their time and talent to help with weekend parish Masses and confessions.

“They spend their lives giving to others, and now it is our turn to ‘Show Them We Care.’”

Diocese of Charlotte Retired Priests

Show them how much you care with a “Thank You” note to them and a generous contribution to the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection.

Most Reverend Michael J. Begley, Maryfield Nursing Home, 1315 Greensboro Rd., High Point, NC 27260 Rev. Msgr. Richard Allen, 3007 W. 34th Ave., #4, Anchorage, AK 99517 Rev. Ramon Berg, 2450 Morgan Mill Rd., Brevard, NC 28712 Rev. Msgr. Thomas Burke, 100 Mercy Dr., Belmont, NC 28012 Rev. Francis M. Cintula, 45 SE 13th St., A-1, Boca Raton, FL 33432 Rev. Thomas P. Clements, P.O. Box 5086, Statesville, NC 28687 Rev. Francis Connolly, 164 Creekside Ln., #C-2, Boone, NC 28607 Rev. Msgr. Arthur Duncan, Maryfield Nursing Home, 1315 Greensboro Rd., High Point, NC 27260 Rev. Vincent Erb, Regency Park Towers #813, 1001 Easton Rd., Willow Grove, PA 19090 Rev. Patrick Gavigan, Maryfield Nursing Home, 1315 Greensboro Rd., High Point, NC 28260 Rev. Raymond Hourihan, 507 Fulton St., Elmira, NY 14904 Rev. Joseph Kelleher,

Photo by Jimmy Rostar

Msgr. William Pharr, who retired from active ministry this summer, lays hands on Father Kurt Fohn, one of the diocese’s newest priests, during the June 2, 2001, ordination liturgy in Charlotte. Msgr. Pharr, Father Fohn and their brother priests who serve in this diocese are beneficiaries of the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection.

1525 Woods Rd., #101, Winston-Salem, NC 27106 Rev. Conrad Kimbrough, 620 South Ellis St., Salisbury, NC 28144 Rev. Msgr. Anthony Kovacic, 411 Dogwood Ln., Belmont, NC 28012 Rev. Bernard Manley, 28 Edgemont Rd., #14, Asheville, NC 28801 Rev. Richard McCue, 50 Brookside Dr., Apt. D-2, Exeter, NH 03833 Rev. Gabriel Meehan, 805 Foxwood Ct., SW, Lenoir, NC 28645 Rev. Msgr. William N. Pharr, 5100 Sharon Rd., #516-E, Charlotte, NC 28210 Rev. Charles Reese, 800 Bay Dr.#25, Niceville, FL 32578 Rev. James Solari, 30 Lorraine Ave., Asheville, NC 28804 Rev. Edward Sullivan, 3400 Eastern Blvd. H-9, York, PA 17402 Rev. John Tuller, PO Box 794, Saluda, NC 28773 Rev. Thomas Walsh, 12 N 6th St., Allegany, NY 14706 Rev. Joseph Waters, 5614-B West Market St., Greensboro, NC 27409

August 31, 2001

Priests’ Retire-

Retirement not wasted

By BETTE BARTHOLOMEW Correspondent SALISBURY — Good shepherds don’t retire. They just find other flocks.

Such is the case of Father Tom Clements, a “retired” priest of the Diocese of Charlotte. When he announced last year to his last parish, Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, that he was retiring from active ministry, the general feeling of his parishioners was one of sadness.

Not only were parishioners dependent upon him for spiritual reflection, but he had been part of their families in major milestones and crises. In addition, his work with the parish youth and at the local Veterans’ Hospital, the Rowan County jail, Rowan Regional Medical Center and Catawba College left huge shoes to fill over and beyond the normal functions of church and school.

But as Father Clements transitioned from active ministry into retirement, the pastor and mentor took the opportunity to reflect on the shared experiences of the faith journey.

“I miss the wonderful seasonal liturgies, the RCIA, Easter Week and witnessing miracles of transformation,” he said.

“Most of all, I miss the wonder of the children in the parish school.”

And retirement has also yielded more time to share his love of God and neighbor in his ongoing work at the Veterans’ Hospital.

“My transition gift through all of this has been my continuation of the chaplaincy at the Veterans’ Hospital in Salisbury,” he said. “I love these men and enjoy their families.

“These men are the Normandy Beach Head heroes, the tail gunners in my brother’s 8th Air Force (regiment), who flew over Berlin. These are the aging Korean and Vietnam veterans who have come to heal the inner wounds of post-traumatic stress, and to be soothingly balmed with love and

understanding. These men have no idea what a blessing they are in my life.”

Then there is the national cemetery out back. The flag, the Taps, the rifles, the gathering of the spent shells by children who want a souvenir by which to remember their grandfathers - for Father Clements, it is so good to feel a part of these moments.

His original vision for the priesthood was to be a Trappist monk. His love for nature continues to this day, even in his own rural backyard.

“Here I work two or three hours in my garden, and watch the ducks and geese,” he said. “I never turn on TV and I collapse in bed around 10:30 p.m. I am back up about 6:30 a.m. Then I drive one hour back to the VA.” Now removed from Father the everyday bustle of parish life as a pastor, Father Clements has found meditative quietude in the woods surrounding his home.

Moreover, he has kept his hand helping others find comfort in their hour of need.

His rustic property on the headwaters of Lake Norman offers a peaceful setting for prayer and thanksgiving.

“For myself, I find that I think more and more about the finals in my own life,” he said. “Yet the eternal optimist in me goes on planting 100 little five-inch saplings, which will mature in about 20 years....

“What truly feeds my soul these days as I dig and plant are the memories of the precious people who have been my family in the varied parishes of the diocese,” he said.

“My single regret is that I have no way to go back to each of these wonderful parishes to thank those fine people for their love and support.

“My prayer is that they know how precious they are to me.”

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1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent STONEVILLE — On an overcast Saturday, Aug. 18, 2001, a group of approximately 300 priests, deacons, religious and laity gathered around Bishop William G. Curlin for the fulfillment of a long sought-after event of the Triad Catholic community.

This was the day of groundbreaking for the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville. The event is the beginning of an answer to a long-prayed-for dream of a humble and courageous visionary, Franciscan Father Louis Canino.

The center is an independent Catholic institution in the diocese and will be operated by Franciscan clergy who serve here. Father Canino is currently director of The Franciscan Center in Greensboro.

The celebration was the first culmination of the work of not a few people. Initial stages were undertaken by the St. Francis Springs Steering Committee, which has met regularly over the last three years providing the groundwork for the project.

Another group that assisted in the endeavor is the Building Committee.

Together, with all of the friends of St. Francis, their prayers, their talents and their financial support has made the dream a reality.

Bishop Curlin in his address said anyone can build schools and churches, but he prayed to witness the change needed in the spirituality of the people. St. Francis Springs Prayer Center is a place for both contemplation and a place from which action will flow, he added.

Through the reflection, silence and prayer that will be afforded by the St. Francis Center, all people will be able to more easily take that interior journey to know God, he said.

At the same time, through the Institute for Peace and Justice that will be located on these grounds, there will come an active ministry to a world in need of healing. As bishop of this diocese, Bishop Curlin said his goal “is to help people find Jesus in ourselves and in one another ... and this love isn’t truly love until it is given away.”

Through this facility, people will be taught the contemplative life and then learn how to bring Jesus to others. “We must set the world on fire with divine love,” the bishop said.

Franciscan Father David Hyman, provincial counselor of the Holy Name Province and a former chaplain at North Carolina A & T University, added that Father Louis is a visionary and a dreamer and that the faithful are the pragmatists who bring the dreams into reality.

Around the Di-

August 31, 2001

Group of hundreds breaks ground for “Through this St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, you will become the voice of the voiceless. Justice is the constitutive of the Gospel. St. Francis Springs will focus on this aspect of doing justice. This is where people will come and then go out to do justice. It is a place which will stand against the ideology of war. It is revolutionary by its very nature,” he said.

Father Canino expressed his pleasure that Bishop Curlin was not only able to be present at this celebration, but more importantly that he brought with him his enthusiasm for the project. He told of how this endeavor was not a pious whim but a Spirit-led operation which was long in the undertaking.

Father Canino personally spoke to over 250 people about this project along the way, and all who responded to his questionnaire, both Catholic and nonCatholic, responded positively to this venture. And even though the groundbreaking is just taking place, people are already booking the Center for next year.

Franciscan Father Edward Flanagan said he is “overwhelmed and extremely excited knowing that this Prayer Center, with the grace of God, will truly transform the people.”

Father Thomas Selvaraj, pastor of St. Joseph of the Hills Church in Eden, knows that this endeavor is guided by the Holy Spirit, and that it is “going to be a tremendous success in the lives of the people through the United States. And it will spread to other countries.”

Art Schneider, who came from Asheboro to the celebration with his wife, Rosemary, said, “Father Louis’ dream is our dream: that through this Prayer Center a miracle of faith and growth is going to happen.”

Loretta Bednar, who came from Winston-Salem, says, “This is the heart of the Gospel — knowing Jesus and teaching justice,” while Teresa Hairston, who hails from Greensboro, implies that she is “very interested in the contemplative way of prayer life and spirituality — that out of prayer will come the work.”

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Franciscan Father Louis Canino addresses the crowd that gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony. A longtime dream of Father Canino’s, the prayer center will serve the spiritual needs of people in the Triad area of North Carolina.

August 31, 2001

Around the Dio-

Franciscan’s story a profile of Canino saw the need for spiritual direction,

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY counseling and programs on spirituality.

Correspondent Weekends saw him filling in at St. Pius X GREENSBORO — Franciscan FaChurch. He also filled in as campus minther Louis Canino, who was born in upper ister at both Bennett College and North New York State, was educated in the paroCarolina A & T State University. As the chial system of Syracuse, N.Y. He says he years passed, Father Canino expanded his was inspired to the priesthood through a services to other area parishes in need of Franciscan priest early on. Even though he weekend help. tried to dismiss this calling in high school, According to Father Canino, he rehe felt more drawn than ever while at a ceives numerous calls from within and outsenior retreat. His resistance was finally side of the Diocese of Charlotte, from Cathbroken when his confessor convinced him olics and non-Catholics alike, with a variety to at least try it. of questions on spirituality. This makes The Father Canino started his seminary Franciscan Center like a “resource bank,” training with the Franciscans in Callicoon, a “Catholic haven” wherein nonjudgmenN.Y. From there, he went through an tal listening is the key to assisting those intense year of prayer as a novice at Lafaywho seek advice on ette in New Jersey. topics including sin, Here, he was able estrangement from to begin grasping the church, divorce onto the spirituality and even decent of St. Francis. After housing — this, graduating from the along with two talks Catholic University a week and Mass in Washington, D.C, every Wednesday.

Father Canino was With all of this, ordained into the OrFather Canino nevder of Friars Minor er lost sight of his in September 1969. dream for a prayer Father Canino’s center. first assignment was With the help as an assistant pasand generosity of tor at St. Elizabeth the Friends of the Church in Wyckoff, Franciscans, St. N.J. Two years later, Francis Springs he was transferred to Prayer Center is St. Anthony’s Shrine Franciscan Father Louis Canino fast becoming a in Boston, Mass. reality. Resting Here, he shared the on 140 acres, it is ministry with 55 located about 30 miles north of Greensother friars for five years. Energized with boro. When completed, it will have as a master’s degree in pastoral counseling, its base meeting facilities, scheduled Father Canino was sent to St. Joseph Monconferences and a Justice and Peace astery, Wilkes Barre, Pa., where he served component. Its purpose will be to “proas pastor and director for six years. Then, vide a peaceful atmosphere for prayer as he tells it, a very reluctant yet obedient and contemplation that has life changFather Canino, who had dreams of a prayer ing possibilities for people of different center, was reassigned to St. Anthony’s faith traditions, all in the spirit of St. Shrine as rector.

Francis.”

This was to become for him a very At the same time its mission is to senstrong conversion experience as he met sitize all to the social justice teachings of the and embraced his personal leper — this, Gospel and the church. in the persons of the dirty, needy people Already there are bookings for the waiting in the bread line outside his year 2002 from churches in the Diocese of church. It was a time of de-institutionalCharlotte, the Diocese of Richmond and the ization of patients with mental illnesses Diocese of Raleigh. Another important facwho had nowhere to go. And where there tor is that people of other faith traditions are had been no bread line when he left St. validating the need for this type of prayer Anthony’s Shrine in 1976, upon his recenter in the Triad area. turn there was now a line of 150 to 200 All who join this worthwhile effort will people per day. be asked to give four to six hours per week Motivated by Father Canino, commuat The Franciscan Center which will not nity and religious leaders, combined with lose its importance in Greensboro. the efforts of the Franciscan friars and the To avoid interference with the buildgenerosity of friends, bought and renovated ing up of the local faith communities, a building in downtown Boston to shelter Father Canino says that there will be and feed the homeless. Suitably, this shelno scheduled Sunday Masses at the St. ter was named St. Francis House. Father Francis Springs Prayer Center. PrayerCanino was named one of the co-directors fully, with the help of Secular Franciscans of this facility, where he served until 1989. from Greensboro and from places as far Two months into a year’s sabbatical, away as Burlington, Rocky Mount and Father Canino was called by his provincial.

Raleigh, along with other volunteers, the It was then that he first expressed his view spiritual center will become as successful on the need for a “prayer center.” Yet again, as the other ventures Father Canino has reluctantly but in complete obedience to his been committed to. superiors, Father Canino came to Greensboro to establish The Franciscan Center instead of fulfilling his dream — as he says: “God works in mysterious ways.”

At The Franciscan Center, Father

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Lewis Institute celebrates, welcomes new campus ministers accompany our flock in the process of becoming morally mature?”

Jesuit Father Dan Ruff provided the framework for justice and higher education, while Alexia Kelly of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Eileen Emerson of Catholic Relief Services offered practical guidelines and resources for implementation of Catholic social teaching principles.

Prayer, reflection, community, fun and hospitality were key elements of this institute. In addition to gathering for daily prayer and the Ignatian examen, the participants were publicly welcomed by the worshipping community of Mary Our Queen Cathedral in Baltimore.

Jesuit Father Harold Ridley, president of Loyola College of Maryland, and President Mary Pat Suerkamp of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland hosted the institute for various receptions and dinners.

The goal of the Frank J. Lewis Institute is to provide a welcoming, hospitable environment where new campus ministers can relax, have fun and more deeply reflect upon their own giftedness for this ministry. It is about helping them to actualize these gifts and their potential, reflecting upon this in the awareness of God’s abundance grace in their lives, on campus and in the church community.

Frank J. Lewis was a devoted Catholic who established a foundation to assist the Catholic Church’s work of evangelization. The eastern and western Frank J. Lewis Institutes, supported in part by the Frank J. Lewis Foundation, have helped train thousands of campus ministers in their service to the church.

The next Frank J. Lewis Institute — East will be held at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland June 17-24, 2002. The next Frank J. Lewis Institute — West will be June 6-15, 2002, in San Diego, Calif.

For more information, send e-mail to cmmcdermott@charlottediocese. org.

Colleen McDermott is director of campus and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Charlotte. She serves as director for the Frank J. Lewis Institute — East in collaboration with the U.S. bishops’ office of Campus Ministry & Higher Education.

By COLLEEN McDERMOTT Special to The Catholic News & Herald BALTIMORE — For nearly 30 years, the Frank J. Lewis Institute has served new campus ministers. From July 10-17, 28 campus ministers from across the country gathered in Baltimore at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland for the Frank J. Lewis Institute — East, an eightday orientation program for new campus ministers.

Four campus ministers from the Diocese of Charlotte attended the institute as team members or participants.

The campus ministers were warmly welcomed at the opening liturgy presided

by Bishop W. Francis Malooly, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s newest auxiliary bishop. Among those in attendance was Dr. Mary Pat Suerkamp, president of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

The institute’s pedagogical component began in dialogue with Dr. Monica Hellwig, who reflected on the “shattered experience” of post-modern Catholic students. She urged campus ministers to create places of trust in which Catholics may practice commitment and community. “We are called to be bridge builders,” she said.

Msgr. John Strynkowski discussed the implementation of “Ex Corde Ecclesia,” the 1990 apostolic constitution by Pope John Paul II establishing worldwide norms for Catholic colleges and universities, and the ecumenical theology of “Dominus Iesus,” the recent Vatican document which emphasized Christ as the unique savior.

Greg “Dobie” Moser supplied the group with a portrait of the “millennial generation” and urged the campus ministers to become familiar with family systems and addiction in order to assist young adults in their developmental tasks toward mature adulthood.

Dr. Michael Galligan-Steirle, assistant secretary for the U.S. Catholic Conference’s Campus Ministry & Higher Education department, stated that the goal of campus ministry is simply for all Catholics on campus to grow in faith. He emphasized the gift of campus ministry to higher education.

“We must stand at this crossroads of faith and culture with confident modesty,” he said.

Pete Rogers helped the participants to answer this question: “How do we

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald Book Review

Hahn’s book hailed as comprehensive resource on Reviewed by Charlotte Miller Catholic News Service Scott Hahn’s “Hail Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God” may well be the definitive book on Mary for the lay Catholic, or any other lay Christian, for that matter.

In his usual methodical manner, Hahn takes the reader through the Bible to demonstrate step-by-step, passage-by-passage,

HAIL HOLY QUEEN: THE MOTHER OF GOD IN THE WORD OF GOD, by Scott Hahn. Doubleday (New York, 2001).

191 pp., $19.95

verse-by-verse what he sees as the proper place of Mary in Christian thought.

Reflecting St. Augustine’s premise that the New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New, Hahn looks carefully at the Garden of Eden story, the role of the Ark of the Covenant in Israel’s history, the function of the Queen Mother in the Davidic monarchy (including not just David but his successors as well), the Gospels, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the book of Revelation.

Over and again, he arrests the reader with astonishing insights, parallels that most believers — even those who consider themselves relatively familiar with Scripture — might never see on their own.

For instance, students of Scripture recognize the similarities of the opening of the Gospel of John with the opening of Genesis.

Genesis says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” while John’s Gospel says, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God.” Shortly, both biblical texts refer to the creation of light to shine in the darkness, followed by the Holy Spirit hovering above the waters.

These are used by Hahn as reminders of what readers may already know.

But who could see on his own the next

August 31, 2001

Read-

parallels? John begins counting off the days of the new creation: “the next day” (1:29), “The next day” (1:35), “The next day” (1:43), and then, strangely, “On the third day” (2:1), despite the fact that this would seem to be the fourth day of John’s narrative. However, as Hahn points out, if John means the third day after the days already mentioned, this would, in fact, be the seventh day, significant in the Genesis story, and significant in the Gospel as well. For the seventh-day episode in the Gospel is none other than the story of the wedding feast at Cana, at which Jesus defers to his mother’s implied request.

Mary, ever the intercessor, has only to suggest to Jesus what needs to be done, and he does it. All the pieces for the recapitulation of creation are in place.

Hahn uses a number of the church fathers to support his argument, but as always his strength is his use of the Bible.

His weakness — and this is really a petty point — is his affection for puns.

This little idiosyncrasy was noticeable in the title of one of his first books, “Rome Sweet Home.” But he reaches new heights of punning in this latest work with section titles such as “Maternity Warred,” “Mary, Mary Reliquary” and “Cutting the Unbiblical Cord.”

The book is relatively easy reading, relatively short and relatively inexpensive.

The text is just 175 pages, with another 15 pages of “Sources and References” to assist the reader in finding documentation and further discussion in Scripture, other church writings and even secular documents.

As always, Hahn’s enthusiasm for the Bible and all other things Catholic is evident. Coming into full communion with the Catholic Church as an adult, this former Presbyterian minister, scholar and renowned apologist loves the Bible, the church, Jesus and Mary. While the book is not intended to be a devotional book, it cannot help leading the reader to a closer relationship with the Blessed Mother.

Miller writes from Little Rock, Ark.

Word to Life

September 2, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C Readings: 1) Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 Psalm 68:4-7, 10-11 2) Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a 3) Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

By Jean Denton Catholic News Service Once, when I was visiting the town of Oaxaca in a mountainous region of Mexico, I noticed that there the higher one goes up the mountains the poorer the houses and inhabitants become. This contrasts with residential patterns in U.S. cities situated among hills or mountains, where the houses increase in value and grandeur as the location gets higher.

Today’s Gospel, explaining how the Lord honors humility, reminds me of my experience on that trip to Mexico. I was part of a small group being hosted by the missionary Maryknoll sisters who were working with the poor in the colonias, or neighborhoods, on the hillsides surrounding Oaxaca.

Each day we visited with families whom the sisters served. Walking up the mountain roads we would feel increasingly humbled as we observed the difficulty of the people’s living conditions. In one of the highest colonias, we visited several times with a young boy, Jorge, and his mother and two sisters. Jorge had cerebral palsy,

and the sisters helped provide physical therapy and personal attention for him and moral support for his mother.

Their tiny house was spare in its furnishings but unbelievably clean with a dirt floor that practically shined from Jorge’s mother’s continual sweeping. The family offered joyful hospitality to visitors and displayed a loving attentiveness to their son and brother. They talked of their thanks to God and their appreciation for the sisters, whose assistance had helped them tend to Jorge’s great need.

The peaceful, happy attitude of this family, beset daily by poverty and disability, belied their overriding reliance on God’s goodness. After an afternoon in their home, where we “helped” only a little, but enjoyed sharing the unmistakable presence of God in Jorge’s family, we descended the mountain and felt our spirits rising from the experience.

That evening, I sat on the roof of the house where we were staying and, in awe, looked toward the dwelling of Jorge — lifting my gaze high to the lowly.

QUESTION: When has humbling yourself brought you a sense of God’s presence and pleasure? How does our lifestyle discourage the practice of humility?

Weekly Scripture Readings for the week of Sept. 2-7 Sunday, Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29, Hebrews 12:18-18, 22-24a, Luke 14:1, 7-14; Monday (St. Gregory the Great), 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Luke 4:16-30; Tuesday, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11, Luke 4:31-37; Wednesday, Colossians 1:18, Luke 4:38-44; Thursday, Colossians 1:9-14, Luke 5:1-11; Friday, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 5:33-39; Saturday (Birth of the Virgin Mary), Romans 8:28-30, Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 Readings for the week of Sept. 9-14 Sunday, Wisdom 9:13-18a, Philemon 9b-10, 12-17, Luke 14:25-33; Monday, Colossians 1:24 - 2:3, Luke 6:6-11; Tuesday, Colossians 2:6-15, Luke 6:12-19; Wednesday, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 6:20-26; Thursday (St. John Chrysostom), Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 6:27-38; Friday (The Exaltation of the Holy Cross), Numbers 21:4b-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17; Saturday Our Lady of Sorrows), 1 Timothy 1:15-17, John 19:25-27

August 31, 2001

Entertain-

Movie Capsules B C N S y

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NEW YORK (CNS) — Following are recent capsule reviews of movies issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.

“Bubble Boy” (Touchstone) Mean-spirited spoof in which a young man (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has lived his entire life in a bubble to protect his weak immune system constructs a mobile bubble and travels to Niagara Falls to stop the wedding of his childhood sweetheart (Marley Shelton). Director Blair Hayes’ forgettable road-trip comedy crawls along with one-note, foolish characters and base, unfunny jokes that mock human frailties.

Recurring slapstick violence and mayhem with some sexually suggestive dialogue and crass language. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Happy Accidents” (IFC Films) Quirky romance in which a young woman (Marisa Tomei) with chronic relationship problems thinks she may have found Mr. Right (Vincent D’Onofrio), until her new love confides that he is actually a time traveler from the year 2470. Written and directed by Brad Anderson, the film rises above typical situations and familiar cliches with the intense relationship between the lead characters being both entertaining and believable. An implied sexual relationship, brief drug abuse and intermittent rough language with an instance of profanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“Maybe Baby” (USA) Thin romantic comedy about a scriptwriter (Hugh Laurie) and his wife (Joely Richardson) who try every which way to conceive, and, unbeknownst to her, he uses their experiences to write a movie. Written and directed by Ben Elton, the film has a few witty, touching moments but the spotty script does not address the moral questions involved in artificial means of fertilization.

Some sexual situations with partial nudity and several crass words with an instance of rough language. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“O” (Lions Gate) Sordid tale of jealousy set in a tony prep school in which a black basketball player (Me-

khi Phifer) is convinced by his envious friend (Josh Hartnett) that his girlfriend (Julia Stiles) is cheating on him, leading the hoop star to make some desperate choices. Director Tim Blake Nelson’s brutal modernization of Shakespeare’s classic story “Othello” is involving, but the inescapable presentation of remorseless teen killings leaves the senses numb. Vicious, explicit images of teen violence, including rape and suicide, some sexual situations, a few scenes of drug abuse and recurring rough language and profanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“Summer Catch” (Warner Bros.)

Strained romantic drama set in Cape Cod about a poor local boy (Freddie Prinze Jr.) with big dreams of playing baseball in the major leagues who falls for a wealthy, out-of-town girl (Jessica Biel) vacationing in his home town. Filled with witless dialogue, stilted performances and wooden characters, director Mike Tollin strikes out with this formulaic film about social class divisions that runs out of steam in the first inning. A few implied sexual encounters, much underage drinking, fleeting rear nudity, brief fisticuffs and intermittent crass expressions and profanity with an instance of rough language. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Tortilla Soup” (Samuel Goldwyn) Pleasing comedy about a MexicanAmerican widower (Hector Elizondo) and his three grown daughters (Jacqueline Obradors, Elizabeth Pena, Tamara Mello) who experience unexpected romances and discover their true passions while their chef father cooks elaborate gourmet meals for them each Sunday. Director Maria Ripoll’s spicy story about family, food and romance entices the taste buds while tugging on the heartstrings with visually succulent dishes, delightful characters and an engaging narrative. A sexual encounter and a few sexual references with brief profanity and crass language. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

The Catholic News & Herald 15

CNS photo from Samuel Goldwyn Films

Scene from movie ‘Tortilla Soup’ The movie “Tortilla Soup” blends family, food and romance. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 —- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

August 31, 2001

Editorials & Col-

The Pope Speaks

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Morning prayer helps orient people against wickedness, says pope B John Thavis y

Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II used a page from the Book of Psalms to illustrate the value of prayer in daily life.

After listening to a sung version of Psalm 36, on “human wickedness and divine providence,” the pope explained the scriptural passage for several thousand people attending his weekly general audience Aug. 22.

He said that, in contrasting the evil of the sinner with the goodness of God, the psalmist had described the intensity of both realities.

The sinner is seen planning wickedness even before he rises from his bed in the morning, while God’s desire for man is depicted with images of generous love, bounty, life and light.

“God’s love is characterized by faithfulness, tenderness, justice and providential care of his creatures. The psalmist used the images of food, drink and light as tokens of the gifts that God gives us, leading ultimately to a share in divine life itself,” the pope said.

“Praying this psalm helps us to face the challenges of daily life with trust in God’s loving care and protection,” he said. He suggested that morning prayer is a good way to orient oneself spiritually before heading out into the “not always straight streets” of contemporary life.

“Every time a day of work and human relations begins, there are two fundamental attitudes one can take: Choosing good or giving in to evil,” he said.

In remarks in English, the pope also greeted delegates of a South African ecumenical center in Cape Town and offered a prayer for increased unity among Christians.

Pope protests Lebanese army’s wave of arrests of Christians

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope John Paul II protested a recent wave of arrests of Christians in Lebanon, saying the move illustrated the risks facing democracy in the Middle East country. During a noon blessing at his summer residence outside Rome Aug. 19, the pope recalled Lebanon’s long history of internal divisions and said he wanted to remind the country’s leaders that “the values of democracy and national sovereignty must not be sacrificed to the political interests of the moment.” He said the recent arrests of anti-Syrian Christians were symptomatic of the serious political tensions that “block national dialogue” in Lebanon.

The Goodness in Today’s Youth With all the emphasis in the newspapers these days on school crime and bullying, along with drugs, crazy dressing and disrespect for peers and teachers alike, people are judging youngsters to be a generation out of control.

I think that judgment is skewed. And I think the media are to blame. If there’s a choice between running a story on trouble or on youths doing good, guess which one wins out?

The bad news, of course.

I would like to suggest that everyone take a month to focus on what the majority of young people are really like, looking into the activities that so many of them take on. I am convinced that we would find young people remarkably good, especially when called upon deliberately or unexpectedly to achieve something important for themselves or others.

As one example, a daily newspaper in my area carried a story recently headlined “Teens Save Life of Elderly Woman.” The story was about six teen-agers who were boating on a river, planning a leisurely day in the sun. Unexpectedly, they spotted a woman’s head bobbing in the water. They got closer to ask her if she was all right, and she said, yes, she was just swimming. A little while later, they noticed she was struggling to get hold of a slippery boulder — and that she was fully clothed. Again they called out to her, and she said she didn’t need help.

The youths were unconvinced. They found another boat with a group who had a cell phone, called 911 and decided to go back themselves to check on her.

They noticed that their fuel was low, but took a chance anyway. When they got close to her, seeing she was in trouble, some of the boys swam to the rock to hold her, while the others lashed a water-ski tow rope from the boat to a tree to hold her.

They stayed with her, keeping her safe until firefighters arrived. Later, the woman, 67, told police she had been walking by the river and fell in. Without the brave and caring action of these teen-agers, she might not have survived the ordeal.

I had a firsthand experience with some great youths this summer when we had a family reunion — with more

Guest Column FATHER JOHN C. AURILIA, OFM Cap. Guest Columnist

and superficial, a face-to face encounter, or even better, heart-to-heart sharing.

When a Methodist minister refused to come to the platform because a Unitarian clergyman was already there, Father Taylor, “the rum-free evangelist,” fell to his knees and prayed, “O Lord, deliver us here in Boston from bad rum and bigotry. Thou knowest, O Lord, which is worse.”

History tells us that the three most important things in life are to be kind, then to be kind, then to be kind again. I personally like Mark Twain’s advice: “I am quite sure that I have no race prejudices, and I think I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed, I know it. I can stand any society. All that I care to know is that a man is human being, that is enough for me; he can’t be any worse.”

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

The Bottom Line ANTOINNETTE BOSCO CNS Columnist than 100 of us showing up. To our surprise, some of the nieces and nephews put a newspaper together in honor of the occasion. They called it The Family Buzz, and the tone was one of joyful celebration.

Most of us just thanked the good Lord for our young ones, realizing how blessed we are in them.

A summer issue of Modern Maturity looked into the truth about young people and reported: “Surprise! Today’s teens are the most optimistic, hard-working generation since World War II. You hear a lot on the news about bad kids. But when you look at this group as a whole, what you see is an overwhelming majority of great kids.”

In a new book called “Millennials,” authors Neil Howe and William Strauss write, “This can-do youth revolution will overwhelm the cynics and the pessimists.” I think the authors have it right.

Prejudice: Handle with Care The explosive issue of prejudice is not an issue of the 21st century or, even less, an American issue. St. John the Evangelist dedicates a full chapter (Chapter 4) of his Gospel to the reality of welcoming the outsiders.

Serb-Kosovo, Palestinian-Israeli, Black-White, Brown-Hispanic, gender bias, class bias, age bias, religious bias and, back to the New Testament times, Jew-Samaritan.

Traveling in Samaritan territory, Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman. Jewish-Samaritan hatred began when the Samaritans, who had been carried off into exile, allowed Alexander the Great to build them a temple on Mount Gezerim. Probably by John’s time, there was sizeable contingent of Samaritan Christians. John reminds the Jewish Christians that Jesus himself had bridged that hatred.

We easily miss the point of the Gospel’s story if we become enchanted by the artistry of the marvelous dialogue and interaction between Jesus and the woman.

The real power of this event is that Jesus makes a sacrament of the ordinary things of our daily lives. Notice, for instance, the symbolism of the well and the water.

John’s trees are so splendid that we easily miss his forest. Wouldn’t it be ironic to tell the story of what Jesus did and to miss the point? To change the metaphor, it’s like being so impressed with the motorcade that we fail to see the dignitary who rides in it.

The 54 verses of Chapter 4 of John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus initiates a face-to face contact, and that Jesus welcomes the people whom the woman brings.

The disciples, on the other hand, don’t drive the Samaritans away as they did with the children, or, perhaps, Jesus did what he did when the disciples were not present, thank God. Later on, the disciples learned to let the Master be the Master. Does this Master want a Samaritan on board? So be it. We don’t know if they were happy about it.

One of the fragile connections between “us” and “them” is that one of us or one of them is in denial. God knows which one! We do engage in a dialogue sometimes, and I wonder if the dialogue is simply academic

August 31, 2001

Editorials & Col-

Light One Candle Msgr. Jim Lisante Guest Columnist

... what might have happened if ....’ And the truth is that as parents we surely do make some mistakes. I mean, we only learned how to do the job by doing the job. Somewhere along the line, you guys have to let go of all the blame, all the perceived missed opportunities, all the worrying about how it could have been different, and just live your lives.”

She reminded me of the obvious: “You know, even without great math ability, you’ve really enjoyed a wonderful life. Can’t you see all you do have — and stop complaining about what you don’t?”

Mom is right. Too often, we look at all the perceived mistakes our folks made and spend a lot of time in the “second-guessing” game. Of course, parents deserve criticism in more egregious cases. But for most of us, I suspect, our parents did a whole lot more right than wrong.

It’s important to acknowledge mistakes in our lives, those made by others that affected us and those that we made ourselves. Yet at some point, we’ve got to let go — drop the resentment, extend forgiveness, and move ahead.

Letting the past swallow up the future is an awful waste of a lifetime.

Msgr. Jim Lisante is director of The Christophers.

Clarification on Mormon Baptisms Q. We are grateful for your enlightening column on Mormon beliefs in relation to Christian faith. Shortly after we read that, our daily paper reported that Mormon baptisms (for the living) are not considered valid by the Catholic Church. Is that true? (Ohio) A. Your local newspaper was correct. In July the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled that baptism conferred by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a valid Christian baptism.

The Vatican newspaper announcing the ruling noted that the Catholic Church teaches the validity of baptism in other Christian communities when the sacrament is administered with an invocation of the Holy Trinity. When baptized members of these communities are received into the Catholic Church, they are not re-baptized.

However, as I explained in the column to which you refer, many Christian teachings have significantly different meanings for Mormons. The Mormon baptism formula — “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” — only appears to be Trinitarian.

Mormons, said the Vatican article, believe the Father is “an exalted man, originating from another planet, who acquired his divine status through a death similar to human death,” the necessary way to becoming divine.

“God the Father has a wife, the Heavenly Mother, with whom he shares responsibility for creation,” the article continued, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are their children.

Mormons teach baptism is not a sacrament established by Jesus Christ, it said, but was begun by God, and the first to be baptized was Adam.

In that context, Mormon baptism could not be what Christians believe this sacrament to be.

A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about the sacrament of penance is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 325, Peoria, IL 61651.

Letting It Go Sifting through a box of old, forgotten school records, I recently found a report card from my childhood. It had my marks in math and the verbal skills from the first through the sixth grade. Most of my grades were pretty decent, but during the sixth grade, my math scores start to take a dip.

Attached to the card is a notification that some math tutoring might help. I never did get that tutoring. In fact, I just struggled on, trying to make sense out of the wonderful world of the so-called “new math.”

Finding that report card and recommendation from my teachers, addressed to my parents, made me wonder: Why hadn’t they gotten me the suggested math tutoring? I mean, truth be told, math remained a constant difficulty for me straight through school — sometimes with comic results.

In one case, I was mistakenly placed in an honors class of advanced trigonometry. Protesting the placement, I was told by my high school guidance counselor that I’d have to remain listed in the class for the whole term whether I attended or not. At the end of the year, I received a 10 in the course. Seems the final had a gift question that you couldn’t get wrong, so even someone who didn’t take the test could still get a 10 percent.

Moving on to college after that debacle, I found I’d been placed in advanced mathematics once again. When I protested that I had no particular ability for the subject, counselors begged to differ. Seems that in computer speak, my 10 percent grade had been translated as 100 percent.

And certainly anyone with a 100 percent in advanced trigonometry must be gifted. It took a while, but I finally escaped mathematics.

Recently, with the newfound report card and recommendations in hand, I decided to confront my Mom. “Why,” I argued, “did you and Dad ignore the teacher’s recommendation?” I concluded by saying, “You know, Mom, I might have had a very different life and career with an ability to do math.” She listened to my protests with a stoic face. Then, she laughed. “What are you laughing at?” “At you, dear, of course.”

And then, gently, she let me have it. “You know, Jim, so many of the boomers in your generation do so much complaining. ‘What I could’ve been ... what I should’ve been

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

The Church’s Position on When Human Life Begins Q. Catholics receive much opposition and ridicule because of the church’s position that human life begins with conception. Doesn’t the church itself make a distinction between the moral status of human life in and out of the womb when it does not require a baptism, funeral or Christian burial after a miscarriage? (Louisiana) A. I don’t know where you received your information, but it is mistaken. According to directives followed in Catholic (and many other) hospitals, deceased fetuses normally are given proper burial as is “consonant with the dignity of the human body.”

I say normally because in some instances baptism and burial may not be possible. For example, since the fetus is less than an inch long until many weeks after conception, it is possible for a miscarriage to occur several days before either the mother or physician is aware of it.

Furthermore, full Catholic funeral rites, including Mass, are celebrated for children whose parents intended them to be baptized, but who died before baptism (Canons 1176 and 1183). Since it is not required that the body of the deceased be present, a funeral or memorial Mass is appropriate and common after a miscarriage.

Other ceremonies, with prayers and Scripture readings chosen to meet the particular needs of family and friends, are provided for in the church’s “Order of Christian Funerals” in the section on funeral rites for children.

The Catholic News & Herald 17

Coming of Age Amy Welborn CNS Columnist

Can’t a Kid Get a Break?

Sometimes you are just tired, aren’t you?

It seems the treadmill never stops for you to get off, even for just a few minutes. And now school’s starting again, and you know what that means: six or seven teachers, each under the distinct impression that you are only taking this one class.

Whatever the gender breakdown, the story’s the same: homework, tests, quizzes, projects and papers — seemingly all due the same week. Then you’ve got sports, drama, music or dance practice, or any combination of the above.

You might also have a job. You definitely have a home, meaning a room to keep reasonably clean, household chores to do and that fun thing called “family dynamics” to deal with.

Can’t a kid get a break? Doesn’t anyone believe kids deserve a rest once in a while?

Sure. God does.

You might be surprised to learn that God not only believes you deserve a rest, he has issued orders that you take one. Maybe this sounds familiar: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:8-10).

Yup. It’s an actual, real, carved-in-stone commandment. The third, to be exact.

Take a break. Rest.

It’s one of the Ten Commandments, to be taken just as seriously as the others.

The Sabbath rest God is ordering you to take isn’t about being lazy or mindless. It actually has a spiritual basis or two.

If you think about it, the work you do during the week is all about joining with God in his continued work of creation. You’re using the gifts he’s given you to bring good things like beauty, justice, healing and love to bloom in the world. You’re cooperating with God to develop your own personality and character so that it more fully reflects his image.

In other words, you’re busy doing lots of good stuff.

But the fact remains, you’re not God. You’re not in charge of the world. Sometimes, when we’re really busy, we tend to forget that. We tend to think that the world’s turning depends on us and our efforts.

Taking a break is an act of humility. When we rest on Sunday, we’re telling God that we know he’s really in charge and that we’ll give this day over to remembering that and thanking him for it.

Honoring God this way is just part of the reason you should take a break from work on Sunday. The other reason is that it’s God’s gift to you, and it’s pretty ungrateful to turn your back on it.

God knows you better than you know yourself, and this gift of the Sabbath shows that he loves you a whole lot too. He knows you need a day where, as much as possible, you’ll push schoolwork from your mind, stop worrying about games, performances and your paycheck — a day when you can just relax with your friends and family and maybe even all by yourself, if that’s what you really need.

So, the next time Sunday rolls around, try taking God seriously. Offer a prayer of gratitude at Mass, then go home and enjoy that Sabbath rest without guilt.

After all, you wouldn’t want to break a commandment, would you?

1 8 The Catholic News & Herald

August 31, 2001

Around the Di-

Three awarded Eagle Scout rank at Greensboro court of

Salisbury parish gathers to support local youngster in

GREENSBORO — The Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Boy Scout Troop 107 was called to order Aug. 14 at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, where three young men were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.

Drew Wofford, a freshman at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, developed for his Eagle Scout project a recycling program at Dolan Manor, a housing facility associated with St. Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro. He is the son of Tita and Tom Wofford and plans to major in pre-med.

David Girguis designed and built mobile planter boxes for gardening for residents at Friend’s Home West. The son of Mary Girguis, he is a freshman at North Carolina State University in Raleigh who will major in biology.

Joseph Simkins landscaped an area at Jefferson Elementary School and built four picnic tables that will give students an outdoor area for study programs and lunch.

Simkins is a junior at Northwest Guilford High School and is the son of Jan and Scott Simkins.

Troop 107 is chartered by St. Paul the Apostle Church, where Oblates of St. Francis de Sales James O’Neill serves as pastor.

Father O’Neill opened the court with prayer and a talk about doing a good deed daily, the building of character and scouting as an integral part of youth ministry in the Catholic Church.

By BETTE BARTHOLOMEW Correspondent SALISBURY — Samantha Washko, a plucky little 5-year-old girl fighting a battle with a rare form of leukemia, quietly played games with her mother, Nancy, at WinstonSalem’s Brenner Children’s Hospital, while the community of Salisbury and environs united in prayer and blood typing hoping to find the necessary combination for a bone marrow transplant.

Once again, Sacred Heart Parish of Salisbury pulled together as a unit as they joined the family of Steve and Nancy Washko in hoping for a miracle for Samantha.

Samantha’s family had called Sacred Heart when they found out that Samantha needed the transplant.

Parishioner Nancy Weber organized the drive with the Washkos.

The American Red Cross was blood typing people Aug. 14 at the church hall in order to find the perfect match for Samantha’s bone marrow. They had planned on 150 to 200 donors. In a few hours, they had long gone past the estimate.

Supplies and money were running out and the crowds still came.

Organizers contacted Rick Hendrick, a Charlotte businessman and also a leukemia patient, who had already donated but agreed to pay for typing 250 more donors. The Community Marrow Donor Program was also involved early on with aid.

Salisbury Academy, where Samantha had registered for kindergarten, joined in active support of the drive.

Under Barbara Casey’s leadership, there was a rosary every two hours upstairs in the church for Samantha’s intention.

While people stood in line they pulled money out of their pockets and cell-phoned friends for financial aid. In all they raised $13,750.

“It can be expensive — $73 — to tissue type a donor,” said Cathy LaMarre, Samantha’s aunt.

No one was more surprised than Michael Bestler when he heard himself being paged and found that Steve

To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, one must complete a minimum of 21 merit badges, hold leadership positions within the troop and carry out a service project to benefit the community.

Boy Scout Troop currently serves more than 45 youth from age 12 to 18. A new Venture Unit is being organized this fall for young men and women ages 13 to 18.

Cub Scout Pack 107 is also very active and serves boys from age 6 to 11.

Scoutmaster honored with St. George Award GREENSBORO — Ken Shahbaz, scoutmaster of Troop 107, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, was recently presented the St. George Award. A national award given by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, the award recognizes adults involved in scouting who have made a significant contribution to Catholic youth.

Shahbaz has been active in the community of Greensboro, serving on several nonprofit boards of directors and at St. Paul the Apostle Church. While he has served as scoutmaster, 12 boys have received the “Ad Altari Dei” Religious Award, and since 1995, 16 young men have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

For more information on scouting, call Ken Shahbaz at (336) 574-1438 or e-mail him at kshabaz@mindspring.com.

Courtesy photo

Pictured from left: Scoutmaster Ken Shahbaz, Joseph Simkins, David Girguis, Father James O’Neill and Drew Wofford.

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and Danielle Martini of Concord, friends who had heard the news, were calling to tell him to put in $250 for them. Bestler left the line to run to the bank.

Though they were subscribed over and beyond their hopes, Paul Biernacke, bone marrow consultant for the American Red Cross, closed the drive at 5:30 p.m. when they ran out of supplies.

Veronica Hobbs, who had worked all day, reiterated, “Funding was a very real issue here today. It was marvelous to see how this community pulled together.”

Ken Washko, a dentist in Spencer and Samantha’s father, stood at the entrance all day thanking donors.

“This alone is a miracle,” he said.

“Samantha still has to undergo more chemotherapy, and she knows the reason is leukemia — she tells everyone that much — but she has no idea of the seriousness of the disease and keeps our morale going with her cheerful response to everyone at Winston-Salem Brenner Children’s Hospital.”

Her doctors announced recently that Samantha’s leukemia is in remission, although she must undergo chemotherapy treatments before the transplant can take place at Duke University.

Sacred Heart parishioners are grateful for the support of the entire community for pulling together in a time of need. The need for blood and platelets is very real because they are sustaining Samantha’s life while she awaits a transplant.

Nancy Weber of Sacred Heart Parish felt compelled to take on the community organization because within her own family there had been a need for bone marrow transplant.

“It was a way for me to pay back,” she said.

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The Catholic News & Herald 19

Around the Di-

Padre Pio, from page 5 his life changing. He was assigned to answer the Italian correspondence, but there were also secretaries to handle letters in French, Spanish, German and English. Padre Pio received sacks of mail every day. Most of the letters were requests for prayers. The secretaries answered every letter, but sought Padre Pio’s help in responding to letters that contained requests for guidance. Padre Pio blessed all the letters before they were mailed.

“Just reading all the letters changed my life,” Father Aurilia said. “So much faith in God, so much suffering in the world, and Padre Pio had to pray for all of them. And he was so simple, so humorous, he was one of us. I experienced during that month of August that he could read minds and hearts. I didn’t want to go back to teaching. One day I went to him to ask how to answer a letter, and he said, ‘You’re going back to Vico Del Gargano.’ I had never told him what I was thinking.”

On another occasion, a woman asked whether her son should become a doctor or a priest. Father Aurilia says, “Padre Pio said, ‘Tell her he can be a medical doctor,’ and he had not seen the letter.”

However, he refused to be relegated to the role of fortuneteller.

When a woman asked him what the weather would be during her upcoming ocean voyage he replied, “You ask me? Check the weatherman.” Father Aurilia chuckles at the memory.

After Padre Pio’s period of isolation, people packed the churches when he said Mass, even when Mass was at 4 a.m. At first, he celebrated Mass in the monastery church, which held about 300 people. Then the monastery built a church that accommodated 2,000 people, and that one was packed as well.

And the Masses were not short.

CNS file photo

Padre Pio is seen in this undated file photo. The priest known worldwide for his holiness and mystical experience of the faith died in 1968.

He told us that ‘Padre Pio speaks German better than I do.’”

Father Aurilia wanted Padre Pio to hear his confession, but incidents such as these made him apprehensive: “I went to his room to ask him and said, ‘Father, I want to go to confession,’ and he said, ‘OK, kneel down.’ He had a kneeler in his room. I was trembling, and he said, ‘What’s the matter with you? Why are you so nervous?’ I said, ‘I heard that you can read hearts,’ and he said, ‘Relax. Enjoy.’ And it was a beautiful confession.”

But it was in performing his duties as a secretary that Father Aurilia found

“He had a priest to assist him, because he would begin to meditate and he would have stayed in that,” Father Aurilia said. The priest would nudge him to remind him to continue with the Mass.

Meditation during Mass had been one of the things that made his isolation bearable. Celebrating Mass alone, he could meditate as long as he wished.

Father Aurilia recalls that, “We said to him, ‘You were persecuted.’ He said, ‘No, I had a good time.’ He praised the pope, and he never complained about the situation.”

He was always humble.

“Fame had no affect on him,” Father Aurilia said. “He was convinced that all those people came to where he was to honor Jesus. He was right.

When we say Mass, we act ‘in persona Christi,’ in the person of Christ. He was personifying Jesus so beautifully that people were coming to experience Jesus through him.

“He opened the window to bless the people twice a day. He was famous, but then he would come into the seminary and he was one of us — cracking a joke, snuffing a little tobacco. If I didn’t see thousands of people packing the church, I would say, ‘What’s the difference?’ He was just like any of us — like Father John [Salvas] or Brother Michael [Malloy],” who serve with Father Aurilia in Hendersonville.

In fact, Father Aurilia wishes that biographers and those interested in Padre Pio’s miracles would also pay attention to his humanity. “Those books miss the point — the simplicity, the humility, the inner spirituality. Padre Pio was great in the ordinary things, the Franciscan spirituality: We make ordinary things extraordinary, not vice versa. He had a real Franciscan attitude. This guy was the image of Jesus, the image of St. Francis. He was not a great preacher [in words], but he would preach without words. He was what Francis said, ‘Preach every day, and if necessary use words.’ “ Once, when Father Aurilia was stationed in Virginia, a representative from the television show “Unsolved Mysteries” contacted him to learn if Father Aurilia had witnessed any of the more spectacular things, such as bilocation, for which Padre Pio was famous. Father Aurilia replied that he hadn’t. The TV rep said, in effect, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”

“Unsolved Mysteries” apparently wasn’t interested in reporting on the quieter times, such as Padre Pio’s prayer life. “I never saw anyone on earth praying so many rosaries,” Father Aurilia said. “He was in constant prayer. Like St. Francis, he was not praying, he was the prayer — the intensity of prayer. When he was praying, he was in it, in another world. He would sometimes spend all night in prayer. He was working in the garden — he was saying the rosary. He didn’t waste any time.”

He couldn’t afford to. He prayed for everyone who asked for his prayers, including asking God to heal cancer victims and give him the cancer.

“Padre Pio had influence in making my vocation stronger — just knowing that I was going to see Padre Pio once in a while and get his blessing. I was looking at him as

2 0 The Catholic News & Herald

Deacon derives strength from

Living the

He went back to work as an operator at

By ALESHA M. PRICE the machine shop where he worked before Staff Writer the war. He later had a couple of odd jobs HIGH POINT — Jesus’ presence when he began working for the Philco Corhas always been a source of strength and poration as a quality control inspector for inspiration to Rev. Mr. Joe Smith who has TV’s and radios. He received his first exposeen his fair share of rough times during sure to the Southern part of the country as his life. He and his siblings experienced he traveled to High Point, N.C., to perform some lean nights without dinner during the inspections.

Depression when he was an adolescent, and A new position as a quality control the Smith children lost their mother to a car supervisor from another TV parts company accident when Joe was 16. Mr. Smith had brought him, his wife and two sons to North to raise his family of eight as a single Carolina in 1955. The family immediately setparent and work nearly 16-hour days tled in at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in a Philadelphia cotton mill to support in High Point. Nearly 30 years would pass behis family. fore Smith would hear the words “permanent Visits to the chapel in his Catholic high diaconate,” but when he did, the suggestion school kept young Joe Smith grounded and came from all sides. helped him to complete his high school years, “When it (the permanent diaconate) where he found classes difficult. Also, being an first came out, I never paid attention to it. altar boy and serving at early morning Masses My wife said, ‘Why don’t you sign up?’ I helped to start his day in the mindset of God. said, ‘I don’t want to be a deacon.’ My son His father, a daily communicant, was an called and asked me the same thing, and early role model. He could not stay for Mass I had the same rebut would receive the sponse. At least five Eucharist right before people came up to me heading to work evlater and mentioned ery morning. the same thing,” After high recalled Rev. Mr. school graduation at Smith. “Sometimes, the start of World the Lord speaks to War II in 1941, Joe you through other went to work in a people.” machine shop, and Ordination in shortly thereafter, 1983 cleared the entered the Army path to ministerial for nearly four years. work with hospital His four months in and nursing home combat were spent patients, work with mostly behind a maprison inmates and chine gun in the cold, other diaconate duwet trenches in the ties. For Rev. Mr. unfamiliar country Smith, it was a conof France. tinuation of some “When I was in of the volunteer combat, I can’t reRev. Mr. Joe Smith work he had been member a time when doing before being I did not have my ordained. rosary in my hand,” remembered Rev. Mr. A few years later, his wife of 43 years Smith. died from complications of diabetes. He lost He was the brunt of the unit’s jokes at his life companion and best friend but expefirst because he would say his prayers on rienced some relief at her passing. bended knees. After a while, the other men “Some people look at me strangely began to develop an affinity for the devout when I say this, but I am glad she passed cradle Catholic. “I really appreciated the fact away. I didn’t want her to be in pain anythat they respected my prayer life. Someone more. When someone you love is sick, why would yell, ‘Hey, Smitty’s praying,’ and the would you want him or her to suffer? room would get quiet. I always thank God “I thank God that he took her peacethat I was able to stay close to him.” fully in her sleep in the hospital.”

“Trench foot,” a condition similar to The grandfather of three works for the frostbite which can lead to amputation, reYMCA part time as a desk clerk five days moved the young soldier from combat, and a week, performs his ministry for his home after being hospitalized, he was sent to Engparish and attends Mass at Christ the King land to the Army Air Force as an officer’s Church in High Point every morning. orderly. At a dance, he met his soulmate. Joe “A lot of people don’t realize that I am courted Jean, who converted to Catholicism an ordained minister, and we are a part of before marriage, and they became husband the hierarchy of the church. I take my posiand wife in her home country of England. tion in the church seriously,” said Rev. Mr. After his release from service in 1946, Smith, who remarked that his wife remains he and his wife moved back to Philadelphia his greatest inspiration. “The permanent and were welcomed home with their own diaconate put me more in focus with the neighborhood “ticker tape” type welcome.

Lord, and I gained a whole new purpose.”

They were greeted with shouts, streamers and refreshments all in honor of his new Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. bride. “As old as I am now, I can still visualPrice by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail ize the flags and neighbors out shouting. amprice@charlottediocese.org.

Jean really felt like she was a part of the family.”

August 31, 2001

Twin transplant surgeons say faith in God sustains their

By Ellie Hidalgo Catholic News Service LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Twin brothers Rafael and Robert Mendez, who both work as transplant physicians at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, said their belief in God is integral to their work.

“Every time you see someone recover and do well, you know it’s by the grace of God,” Robert Mendez told The Tidings, newspaper of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

He said that on surgery days, he turns to God. “I just say to myself, I know he’s guiding my hand. Though I have to look after the patient, I know there is someone above looking after the patient,” he said.

Both received their callings as transplant surgeons as young adults.

Robert Mendez assisted in one of the earliest kidney transplants in California history while attending medical school at the University of California San Francisco. There, he witnessed a woman’s recovery from death’s door to life.

“It was so incredible to see this dramatic change in this dying woman to a healthy woman in two weeks. It became evident to me that this was the field of the future,” he said.

In high school, the twins’ father, noted trumpeter Rafael Mendez, asked a surgeon friend to allow his sons to observe an operation.

The experience made such an impression on the younger Rafael that he decided then that medical school was for him.

“It was just amazing. There was no question in my mind after that, that I wanted to be a surgeon,” Rafael Mendez said.

The pioneering work of the Mendez twins, who began working at St. Vincent’s in 1969, helped make the medical center into the most active transplant center in the western

United States. Last year, medical staff performed more than 280 transplant operations.

The brothers recalled the early days of transplant surgery, when the patient’s life expectancy was low and the government and insurance companies refused to cover the costs of the new procedures.

Those days “took great patience and great faith,” said Robert Mendez, a longtime parishioner at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades.

He said the success rate in those days was 50 percent.

“We would sometimes sleep in the bed next to the patients through the first few nights just to make sure they would get through it,” he said.

In time, the brothers were among those leading the way in curtailing the rejection rates of donated organs.

Acceptance rates are now at 90 percent for those who receive an organ from a relative. Hospital stays following transplant surgery average four days, compared to 32 days in the early years.

Rafael Mendez said one element of his job that he enjoys is seeing the generosity exhibited by others.

“It is remarkable to see the coming together of people for totally humanitarian purposes in their donation,” he said.

“Everybody, regardless of their religion, ultimately grasps this sense of being a part of something much, much bigger than who we are here on this particular day,” he said.

Rafael Mendez, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said his faith sustains him, particularly when a patient dies.

“Many times, the realization is that you’ve done everything that is known at this time and that maybe he’s being called back by a power greater than you,” he said.

CNS photo by Ellie Hidalgo, The Tidings

Rafael and Robert Mendez work as transplant surgeons at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. The well-recognized work of the twin brothers has helped make the hospital the most active transplant center in the western United States.