Sept. 6, 2002

The Catholic News & Herald 1

September 6, 2002

Back to School

With Gratitude

The diocesan Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection will be taken in parishes Sept. 7-8. The annual collection funds the living expenses of retired diocesan and religious priests who serve here.

It’s that time of year again. For stories and photos, see pages 4-7.

See page 8 for details.

September 6, 2002

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

vOLUME 11

no. 43

Bishop anticipates retirement, new ministries

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Photos by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Families of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle enjoy food, games and fun at the annual parish picnic in Cannon Park Aug. 25.

Psychologist professes monastic life at Belmont Abbey

...Page 9

Remembering September 11

...Page 10-11

By Joann S. Keane Editor CHARLOTTE — Any day now, Bishop William G. Curlin expects to hear of his retirement.

He celebrated his birthday on Aug. 30, and in accordance with canon law, diocesan bishops are required to present their request for resignation to the Holy Father at the time of their 75th birthday. The bishop submitted his letter June 5, and said it usually takes about three months to hear from the Vatican on this matter.

Once Pope John Paul II accepts Bishop Curlin’s retirement, the bishop immediately ceases being the Ordinary, the bishop of the diocese. Within eight days, the priest consultors of the diocese — a collegiate body of advisors — must meet to elect the priest who will serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese in the interim, until a new bishop is officially appointed by the Holy See. The bishop envisions his release from the responsibilities of bishop for the 46-county diocese as an opportunity to serve in other ministries. “I am very interested in working with the poor and homeless ... the sick and dying,” said Bishop Curlin.

“That’s what I did before becoming a bishop.”

The bishop is ready to hand over the crosier to his successor.

“I entered the seminary 52 years ago, have been a priest 45 years and have been 14 years a bishop,” said Bishop Curlin. “Age, even though the spirit is willing, takes its toll.”

Bishop Curlin was appointed third bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte on Feb. 22, 1994, and was installed on April 13 of that year.

Contact Editor Joann Keane by calling (704) 370-3336 or e-mail jskeane@charlottediocese.org.

Art project paints new lives for homeless ...Page 13

2 The Catholic News & Herald Bishop Sean O’Malley named head of Palm Beach Diocese WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope John Paul II has named Bishop Sean P. O’Malley of Fall River, Mass., as the new bishop of Palm Beach, Fla. His appointment was announced in Washington Sept. 3 by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States. In Palm Beach, Bishop O’Malley succeeds Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell, who resigned in March. Bishop O’Malley is a Capuchin friar. He was professed as a member in 1968, and ordained to the priesthood in 1970. In 1984, he was named coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The following year, he became head of the diocese.

Bishop O’Malley had been bishop of Fall River since 1992. Born in 1944 in Lakewood, Ohio, Bishop O’Malley attended St. Fidelis Seminary in Butler, Pa., and Capuchin College and The Catholic University of America, both in Washington.

Catholic campus ministers reach out to college students nationwide WASHINGTON (CNS) — As dormitories filled, bookstore shelves emptied and class lists were finalized, college and university campus ministers nationwide were employing both novel and traditional means of bringing faith development into higher education. With a projected 15.6 million students enrolled in colleges and universities this fall, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, campus ministers have never faced a greater challenge — or had such an expansive opportunity. The college experience offers adventure, as well as new challenges, according to Joseph Varacalli, founder of the Center for Catholic Studies at Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y. He mentioned homesickness, academic demands, professors with conflicting values and intense temptations from alcohol, drugs, and/or sexual promiscuity as potential challenges to incoming students.

“Students tend to be influenced by the ideas that are thrown at them,” he said.

“College can be a life-changing time. It’s important for the Catholic student to be aware of this and to be prepared.”

U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan get 15,000 ‘military rosaries’

September 6, 2002 Volume 11 • Number 43 Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Associate Editor: Kevin E. Murray Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Sherill Beason 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $18 per year for all other subscribers. Secondclass postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

The World in Brief

CNS photo by Karin von Voigtlander, Catholic Courier

Sudan refugee at Catholic charities center Refugee Awak Malith, right, of Sudan reflects on his experience at the Catholic Family Center in Rochester, N.Y., where he awaits resettlement by the Catholic Charities program. He recently came to the United States and is among those known as the “lost boys” or “walking boys” of Sudan, the thousands of young men found wandering in refugee camps as a result of war in their homeland and surrounding countries.

DALLAS (CNS) — Rosary makers across the Dallas Diocese are closing in on their goal of making 15,000 “military rosaries” for the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11. The red, white and blue rosaries were the idea of Our Lady’s Rosary Makers of America International, based out of St. Monica Parish in North Dallas. The group started by assembling about 100 per week in December. The ambitious project quickly picked up steam when nearly a dozen parishes, schools and lay groups joined over the next couple of months. More than 12,000 rosaries have been assembled and mailed with a booklet on how to say the rosary, according to Rosary Makers member Donna Hunter.

She said help has come from members of six parishes in Dallas and two in Richardson, as well as the Missionaries of Charity in Dallas, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and teens participating in the diocese’s Mission Possible summer service program.

Lots of Irish-Catholic tales to tell in new show, actress Hunt says HOLLYWOOD (CNS) — Bonnie Hunt, the Catholic star and executive producer of the new ABC comedy “Life With Bonnie,” will have no shortage of stories to tell in the sitcom, which will air 9-9:30 p.m. Eastern time Tuesdays this fall. Hunt plays a wife and mother who also hosts a morning TV talk show in Chicago. Each episode will have an entirely unscripted talk-show segment with guests famous or not-so-famous. The show’s writing staff is also developing a series of fake clips from “movies,” seemingly part and parcel of every interview talk show these days. “We’re having so much fun writing them,” Hunt told TV writers in Hollywood. Another aspect that will be explored is the Catholicism of Bonnie’s fictional family. There’s a crucifix on the wall in the master bedroom, and Hunt’s character wears one at home and on her talk-show job. “I can’t wait to

Episcopal calendar

Diocesan planner

Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: September 11 - 7:30 p.m.

Memorial Mass for 9/11 victims St. Patrick Cathedral September 13 — 11 a.m. Mass Installation of Belmont Abbey College President James Gearity, Ph.D. Belmont Abbey Basilica, Belmont September 14 — 6 p.m.

Confirmation St. William Church, Murphy September 15 — 9 a.m.

Confirmation Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Hayesville

Ministry is offering a retreat, “Sensing God’s Creation” today, 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Sisters of Mercy Admin. Ctr., Curtin Hall. For information or registration, call Leslie Mason (704)8477014 or Sara Ma (704)527-5812.

21 CLEMMONS — A Grand Ultreya for the Cursillo Movement will be held at Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd, today at 2 p.m. Fr. Edgar Holden will speak and an update on the state of the movement will be presented. Mass will be celebrated followed by dinner (bring your own to share).

Call Tommy Barnhart (336)766-0377 for details.

21 STATESVILLE — The Knights of Columbus will hold their annual yard sale at St. Philip the Apostle Church, 525 Camden Dr., 8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. Call Ken Jewell (704)876-6404 for information.

25 GASTONIA — Seniors and care-

September 6, 2002

use all this stuff from my childhood. It’s endless,” Hunt said.

Pope renews appeal for 2004 ‘Olympic truce’ to help quell conflicts CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Pope John Paul II renewed an appeal for an “Olympic truce” in 2004, saying the games’ spirit of peaceful competition could help quell conflicts throughout the world. The pope made the comments in a meeting Sept. 2 with the new ambassador from Greece, the country that will host the next Summer Olympics. The pope said the return of the Olympic games to Athens offers a unique opportunity “to overcome hatred and to bring individuals and populations together.” He said, “On that occasion, I call for a durable truce against all violence, so that the peaceful spirit and healthy stimulation which are the foundations of the Olympic Games are spread throughout all areas of society and on all continents.” The pope said he hoped that in a troubled and uncertain world the Olympics would be a joyous reminder that all people belong to the same human community.

Greek director wins prize for spiritual filmmaking at Venice festival VENICE, Italy (CNS) — A top Vatican official awarded an annual prize for spiritual filmmaking to self-professed agnostic director Theo Angelopoulos during the annual Venice Film Festival.

Presenting the Bresson Prize Aug. 31, U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, called the Greek director “truly gifted and insightful.” Archbishop Foley said, “Theo Angelopoulos receives this award today for having presented with grace and sensitivity themes which touch people’s souls and paradoxically help them on their ‘odissea infinita’ (infinite odyssey) to that eternity which is our never-ending day with God.” Angelopoulos, 67, accepted the prize but noted he did not share the archbishop’s religious beliefs. “I am not a believer,” he said, “but I absolutely respect the beliefs of others.”

Wealthy countries must change consumption patterns, Vatican says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The challenges of global development regivers are invited to attend a Health and Safety Fair today, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at St. Michael Church, 708 St. Michael’s Ln. Service providers will offer free information and screenings. Breakout presentations, munchies and door prizes will be provided. Questions?

Call (704)370-3220 or (704)867-6212, Ext. 113.

27 HOT SPRINGS — The Jesuit House of Prayer, 289 NW Hwy. 25/70, is hosting a women’s “Dream Journey” retreat tonight, 7 p.m. through morning Mass with light lunch. Dr. Eileen Riordan will speak. For registration or information call (828)622-7366.

28 CHARLOTTE — The Vietnamese Cursillo community will hold an Ultreya at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Our Lady of Assumption, 4207 Shamrock Dr. For details call Nam Le (704)5491525.

September 6, 2002

League: Priest right to refuse marriage to Planned Parenthood worker OTTAWA (CNS) — Canada’s Catholic Civil Rights League praised an Alberta priest’s decision to refuse a Catholic wedding for a woman who worked for Planned Parenthood. The league said in an Aug. 29 statement that it was predictable that Father John Maes of Medicine Hat, Alberta, would be “held up for scorn by the media” for refusing to officiate at the wedding. “One of the strengths and reasons for the growth in the Catholic Church in Canada and throughout the world is the fact that we stand by our principles and are not swayed by the fashions of the moment,” said Thomas Langan, league president. “The truth of Catholicism goes deeper than simple selfish needs of the moment,” he said. Celina Ling, a Catholic, and Robert Symmonds, a non-Catholic, were to be married at St. Patrick’s Church in Medicine Hat Sept. 21, but Father Maes told them in late August that they could not be married in the church because of Ling’s involvement with Planned Parenthood.

Nine Italians, including Capuchin friar, busted in Padre Pio scam ROME (CNS) — Nine Italians, including a Capuchin friar, were arrested in late August on charges of fraudulently collecting $200,000 in donations by using Padre Pio’s name. Italian authorities said members of the alleged fraud ring ran an association called “Padre Pio With the Children” that sold mail-order Padre Pio videos and books with the claim that the bulk of the money would benefit children in developing countries. Capuchin Father Alfonso Parente, 40, once a member of the famous Italian saint’s friary in the southern town of San Giovanni Rotondo, served as honorary president of the association and provided a written endorsement guaranteeing that the beneficiaries would be children.

Italian investigators said none of the money collected went to charity.

New bishop installed in nation’s biggest diocese FAIRBANKS, Alaska (CNS) — A Ancient Order of Hibernians Div. 1 Mecklenburg County, an Irish-Catholic inter-parish group, meets tonight, 7:30 p.m. at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. Interested in your Irish-Catholic roots? Call Jeanmarie Schuler (704)554-0720 with questions.

18 CHARLOTTE — The Light Weigh is a 12-week Catholic spiritual growth weight loss program designed to help deepen your relationship with Jesus while learning to eat in moderation. Orientation is at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, tonight, 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Center, room 103. For details call Connie Tobey (704)541-6858 or Deirdre Smith (704)540-2446.

20 CHARLOTTE — Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF), a weekly support group for separated and divorced women, meets tonight at 7 p.m. at St. Matthew Church parish center, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy, room 102. Monthly potluck dinner scheduled. For details call Trish Wilson (704)543-8986.

21 BELMONT — St. Gabriel Health

The Catholic News & Herald 3

The World in Brief

CNS photo from Reuters

New Los Angeles cathedral opens The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is pictured Aug. 29 in Los Angeles. The new $163 million cathedral complex — a 3,000-seat main church, 11 chapels, bell tower, conference center and public plaza - was dedicated Sept. 2. It replaces the earthquake damaged Cathedral of St. Vibiana. completed by the end of October, said Bishop Vittorio Lanzani, delegate of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the office that oversees the basilica. Much of the work involves “highly delicate interventions” on frescoes that date back 300 years, Bishop Lanzani said Aug. 29. He said restorers made some “significant discoveries” as they cleaned away layers of “white crust” and paint that had been added in later years. He declined to detail the discoveries until the project’s conclusion, citing ongoing analysis. Bishop Lanzani said the Knights’ donation would cover most of the project’s cost.

Life is a pilgrimage to be made with trust in God, pope says CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Comparing life to a sometimes-arduous pilgrimage, Pope John Paul II urged Christians to persist trustingly along their path to God even when the going gets rough. “The

exhausting journey across the ‘valley of tears’ is transfigured by the certainty that the goal is God: he who gives strength, listens to the supplications of the faithful and becomes their protective ‘shield,’” Pope John Paul said Aug. 28. The pope made his remarks during a weekly general audience at his summer residence outside Rome.

Looking in good spirits, the 82-yearold pontiff joked and sang with the more than 3,000 pilgrims gathered in the residence’s courtyard, which was drenched with rainwater from a downpour before the audience. “Thank God we escaped the heavy rain,” he told the pilgrims, drawing laughs and applause.

September 10 CHARLOTTE — 7 p.m. today at St. Gabriel, 3016 Providence Rd., there will be an hour of prayer in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 tragedy. We will honor and thank our military, police, fire and emergency personnel. The main sanctuary will be open for prayer today and tomorrow. There will be a special Mass at noon on the 11th.

11 CHARLOTTE — The 50+ Club of St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., will conduct a meeting this morning at 11 a.m. with Bob Parker on accordion and lunch in the parish center. Donations are accepted during the meeting. For information call Bobbe Conlin (704)643-1376 or Gloria Silipigni (704)821-1343.

11 HUNTERSVILLE — St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd., will celebrate today at 7 p.m. a Memorial Mass for all victims of the 9/11/01 tragedy and their families.

Call (704)948-0231 for information.

11 WINSTON-SALEM — On this anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, Our Lady of Mercy Church, 1918 S. Main St., will have a holy hour at 7:30 p.m. today. This will consist of adoration, exposition, benediction and opportunity for confession. Call Sr. Kathy Ganiel (336)722-7001 for details.

12 CHARLOTTE — Churches in the Charlotte area will host Ultreyas: St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., 7-8 p.m. tonight (adults only with shared snacks); St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., Sept. 15 with School of Leaders at 1 p.m. and St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., 1:30-3 p.m. Sept. 22 with childcare and family potluck. Questions?

Call Dan Hines (704)544-6665.

13 MAGGIE VALLEY — Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, 103 Living Waters Ln, hosts Fr. Terry Hyland and Sr. Margie Hosch today. “Is Your God Too Small? A Retreat for the Divorced and Separated.” This retreat runs through Sept. 15. For details call

South Dakota parish priest and novice pilot was ordained Aug. 22 as bishop of the largest diocese, geographically, in the country. Msgr. Donald Kettler of Sioux Falls, S.D., became the fifth bishop of Fairbanks — the 410,000-square-mile diocese of northern and western Alaska that is home to 20,000 Catholics — in front of an estimated 1,000 people at Fairbanks’ John A. Carlson Community Activity Center. Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz of Anchorage was the principal celebrant. Attending was Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the pope’s representative to the United States. “I love being a pastor, so that’s what you’re going to get from me,” Bishop Kettler told the crowd. “I will pray with you, and I will suffer with you. And hopefully, I will provide some vision, but only with your support and your counsel and guidance.”

Knights of Columbus fund restoration of St. Peter’s Basilica’s crypt VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Knights of Columbus have donated $300,000 for the restoration of the oldest section of the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, including its central arched walkway, two chapels and Pope Pius XII’s tomb. The restoration work began in April and is expected to be

This issue begins our weekly publishing schedule. Our next issue will be Sept. 13.

(828)926-3833.

14 GUILFORD COUNTY — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Guilford County Div. 1, an Irish Catholic inter-parish group confers the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in St. Pius Kloster Ctr., N. Elm St. and Cornwallis Dr. All Catholic women of Irish birth or spouses of members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians are welcome.

Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance is today at 6:30 p.m. Contact Carol McGough (336)292-5474 or Joan Charbonneau (336)299-5767 for information. RSVP Alice Schmidt (336)288-0983.

15 HAMLET — A celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day starts today at 10:30 a.m. with a bilingual Mass at St. James, Hwy. 74. Opening ceremony is at 1 p.m. with dancing, music, Spanish food, Mexican games for children and a soccer championship game, etc. Questions? (910)5820207 16 CHARLOTTE — The Ladies

4 The Catholic News & Herald

Back to School

Parish extends invitation to college students

Photo by Mary Marshall

From left, parent Karen Hagen takes a flyer from John and Mary Pollich, and Carol and Dick Ford, Our Lady of Lourdes Church parishioners informing Wingate University students and their parents about the church.

By MARY MARSHALL Correspondent WINGATE — A downpour didn’t dampen the spirits of members of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe as they welcomed parents and students to Wingate University Aug. 25.

Although Catholics are a minority on the predominately Baptist campus, Catholic students and parents seemed elated to find parish information and to speak with Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners in the university’s student center.

“This is wonderful,” said Kathy Hagen, a Virginia Beach resident whose daughter, Sarabeth, is a freshman with a full basketball scholarship.

Hagen felt Sarabeth, a prodigy of Catholic school education, now had a connection for expanding her spiritual life while at college.

“We needed to find the church and it came to us,” she added.

Knowing that other denominations handed out drinks and information at the center as students moved in each year, the Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s Guild prepared flyers with church information and directions to welcome students to the area and to the church. The Women’s Guild setup a table, served drinks, passed out information and answered questions.

In addition, students were invited

to the annual parish picnic following the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sept. 8. Food, music and fun activities will highlight this event.

According to Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner Carol Ford, the outreach effort was well received. Her husband, Dick, added, “This is a wonderful opportunity to let students and parents know we are here.”

“We’re spreading the news of the Catholic church,” said Mary Pollich.

Her husband, John, added, “By reaching out to the younger community, we hope to expand our parish membership.”

How can the students get involved?

Our Lady of Lourdes’ members have worked diligently to revive the parish youth program for students in grades five through 12. College students could spice up the program by serving as mentors to the group, which is planning a “lock-in” in the church education building Sept. 28.

The lock-in event will kick-off the evening at 5:30 p.m. with Mass followed by a cookout and volleyball game. Doors lock at 8 p.m. when students will socialize, play games, watch videos and listen to music. Members of the youth group are encouraged to invite their friends.

September 6, 2002

Teacher workshops on values

By KEVIN E. MURRAY Associate Editor CHARLOTTE — Catholic school teachers around the Diocese of Charlotte will be taking turns in the students’ seats.

The Religious Education Office has 30 training workshops planned throughout the year for all diocesan teachers. The workshops are intended to help them plant the seeds of Gospel values in the minds and hearts of students as a guide for their journey in life.

“The teacher must take diligent care to faithfully present the entire treasure of the Christian message,” said Mercy Sister Maureen Meehan, director of Religious Formation.

Sister Maureen has developed a book of standards adopted by the Religion Education Office for Religious curriculum in kindergarten through the 12th grade. The workshops are to further assist the teachers in implementing the standards and guidelines into their everyday curriculum, she said.

“All new teachers, whether they’re teaching religion or not, must go through a period of training on the traditions of the church and Scripture to remind them that our schools are beacons of Catholic identity,” said Sister Maureen.

Workshops for new teachers in the diocese were held in Charlotte, Hendersonville and the Triad area.

The next workshop, “Keys to Vibrant Worship: Spirituality, Community and Culture,” will take place at Four Points Charlotte Uptown on Catholic Schools Educators Day Sept. 27. The

event will feature the keynote session, “Catholic School as a Spiritual Community,” as well as breakout sessions including “Called to Share the Story: The Educator as ‘Storyteller of the World,’” “One Faith, Many Cultures,” “Preparing Students for Liturgy” and “Developing Local School Liturgy Teams.”

This workshop will also stress the important aspects of music and singing to liturgy and prayer with sessions “With Hearts, Hands and Voices: Catholic Spirituality in Song” and “Preparing Music for Liturgy.”

Sister Maureen was pleased to note that Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte was recently honored for “Integrating Faith and Values in a Middle School Model” at the Boston College National Catholic Education Association conference June 28-30.

“We have the ability to pray, worship and integrate our faith and morality and not be afraid to address them,” said Jerry Healy, principal at Holy Trinity.

“What we’re trying to teach our students is that we don’t take our faith and our freedom for granted.”

“All staff members, faculty and students contribute to the spiritual life of the Catholic school community, and are in turn shaped by the community,” said Sister Maureen. “Our morning session (on Sept. 27) will explore these issues through prayer, presentation, personal reflection and peer conversations.”

For more information, visit the Catholic Education page on the diocesan Web site at www.charlottediocese.org.

Photo by Joann S. Keane

Sister Maureen Meehan leads a teacher workshop at Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte in August.

September 6, 2002

Back to School

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Catholic high school students score big with sports

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent One of the big draws for secular high schools is the scope of their sports programs, and whether or not the schools have winning teams. For students attending the two Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Charlotte — Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte and Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville — those interested in athletics will not be left wanting.

“Our sports program is an expression of the entire vision of the school,” said George Repass, principal of Bishop McGuinness. “Here we try to educate the entire child. Sports is not eliminated from this vision in that the faith and ethics dimensions of our sports program integrates nicely into it.”

Augustinian Father James Cassidy, principal of Charlotte Catholic, stated, “We may not have the best facilities, but we sure have more spirit, more support and more fans, even at away games than the home teams do.”

Kevin Christmas, Charlotte Catholic athletic director, said, “Our kids have a sense that they play for something bigger than the school itself. The fans are active participants in the game. In fact, we have the ‘Duke fans’ of high school basketball.”

Both schools encompass this faithbased, value-centered approach to all of their sports activities. They hold small group worship activities at least once per season, if not per game.

Photos by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Above left, cross-country runner Chelsea Merrill, a junior at Bishop McGuinness High School, runs the track. Above right, members of the Charlotte Catholic High School soccer team at practice in August.

“More of these liturgies are in the He added, “We have a lot of good juciation of the Piedmont Conference, is works for this year,” said Jeff Stoler, athletic niors coming back, so we should be in good still struggling to get winning teams director at Bishop McGuinness. shape for this year.” for their sports program.

Christmas said that before each game Co-captain Adam Stafford, a two-year “We are looking to upgrade our enthe football team attended a special Mass veteran, said, “We accomplished a lot last tire sports program, which is limited by and had dinner together. year through the process of rebuilding. We the number of students we have verses Elaine Grosnick, tennis coach at worked well as a team and put out a lot of the number of activities going on,” said Charlotte Catholic, indicated that the effort. Hopefully, we can do the same this Repass. “One of the things that leads to team quickly forms as a family unit. year.” accomplishment of this goal this year “They work on getting along with was hiring Jeff (Stoler) as a full time each other while centering on their Contact Correspondent Rev. Mr. Gerathletic director, something we never Catholic heritage,” she said. “As they ald Potkay by calling (336) 427-8218 or had before.” pray before each game, it is not so Charlotte Catholic, the only private much to win as it is to have good atschool in the North Carolina High School titudes, that they will not get hurt and Athletic Association, has almost twice the that they will play to have fun.” student body to draw from and has been Since Father Cassidy came upon able to achieve remarkable success. The the scene at Charlotte Catholic, all of school became number one in the league the extracurricular activity groups by winning the Wachovia Cup for Winare required to have service projects. ter Sports, Class 2A Division. Both men’s Some of these groups hold car washes and women’s soccer teams won the state and donate the proceeds to worthy title under the coaching expertise of Gary organizations throughout the comHoilett. munity. Members of the football team This year’s soccer team captain, A.J. donate their time to read to younger Harper, attributed the team’s success to, kids, while members of the track and “Hard work, with the team working for cross-country teams regularly visit each other. We represent not only the the elderly at a local nursing home. school, but also for our faith. We pray before Overall, Bishop McGuinness, each game, and before the big games we atwhich belongs to the North Carolina tend Mass.”

Independent School Athletic Asso-

6 The Catholic News & Herald school for the program. Having sent her twin boys to St. Mark School in St. Paul for a year, she and other parents approached principal Molly Whinnery, who quickly and happily agreed.

“We increased walking by 53 percent,” Tibbetts said. “I think that the feeling around the school (about the program) is even more dramatic than those numbers show. A lot of parents commented on the reduction in traffic.”

Notre Dame-AmeriCorps volunteer enjoys teaching in inner city BALTIMORE (CNS) — Mindi

Back to School ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — Most baby boomers remember walking or biking to school. Increasingly, that is becoming a foreign experience for today’s schoolchildren, said Alice Tibbetts, director of a new program called Safe Routes, which is designed to get kids out of cars and on their feet and pedals. The program kicked off in January with the goal of helping public and private schools encourage their students to walk and bike to school — or form car pools at the very least.

Tibbetts searched for a school that would be interested in being a pilot

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Girl Scouts bake cookies for firefighters Firefighter Lane Bradford of Station 1 accepts several boxes of Girl Scout cookies baked by Girl Scout Troop 1132 at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte Aug. 30-31. Troop 1132 baked over 1,500 cookies for Charlotte area firefighters to show appreciation for all that firefighters do day in and day out.

Post-vacation days present spiritual challenges, pope says CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — It’s not always easy to go back to work and school after summer vacation, but that’s where Christians are called to make a difference, Pope John Paul II said. “Holiness is obtained ... not by avoiding reality and its trials, but by facing them with the light and strength of the spirit,” the pope said at a Sunday blessing Sept. 1. He said returning to the daily grind after summer holidays can sometimes be a difficult psychological adjustment. “But it is in this ‘weekday’ world that God calls us to attain a maturity of spiritual life, which consists precisely in living ordinary things in an extraordinary way,” he said. The pope made the remarks in the courtyard of his villa at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, where he planned to remain until the end of September.

Catholic schools prepare for solemn commemorations of Sept. 11 WASHINGTON (CNS) — For many Catholic schools around the country, Sept. 11 commemorations are not going to be big events. In fact, many are simply having a time of silence, prayers for peace or Masses in remembrance of those who died. In the New York Archdiocese, which includes schools fairly close to ground zero, Catholic schools are starting their day with a prayer service and then tying prayer flags — long red, white and blue ribbons with the inscribed words, peace, love and fortitude — on flag poles. Students at

September 6, 2002

Kingston Catholic School in Kingston, N.Y., have been making origami cranes for friends of the school as symbols of peace and healing. And artwork from students at St. Francis of Assisi School in the Bronx will be part of an exhibit in remembrance of Sept. 11 at the local hospital, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center.

Catholic high school launches innovative ‘work and study’ school year LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Lisa Williams has big hopes for her 14-yearold son, Fulton Washington Jr. As Washington started his freshman year at Verbum Dei High School in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, he was ready to study — and work. In an innovative program to help students fund their private school tuition and gain valuable job experience, Washington will attend Verbum Dei four days a week and work at a corporation one day a week. Working while in high school, said Williams, offers her son valuable experience and opportunities to meet new people and learn communication skills. “It will teach him a sense of responsibility in his life and how to give back to the community by working,” Williams added. “It’s going to give him less idle time. He’s going to be busy, busy, busy!” Verbum Dei faculty, students, parents, foundations and the business community celebrated the kickoff of the new Corporate Work Study Program Aug. 19.

New program aims to restore lost tradition of walking to school

September 6, 2002

Back to School

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Woman’s devotion to Catholic school endures after death

By KEVIN E. MURRAY Associate Editor WINSTON-SALEM — Teresa Lasecki Talbert loved people and she loved Catholic schools.

“She was always real interested in doing all that she could to help people,” said Mildred Lasecki, Talbert’s mother.

“I think Teresa would have wanted this scholarship for a student who desired a Catholic school education but couldn’t afford it.”

That scholarship is the Teresa Lasecki Talbert Scholarship, set up by Talbert’s family to benefit students in need of tuition assistance at Bishop McGuinness High School (BMHS) in Kernersville.

“It’s fitting that there be a scholarship at Bishop McGuinness in honor of Teresa,” said Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro and a friend of the Lasecki family. “It shows the great love her family has for the Catholic Church and their appreciation for Catholic education.”

Talbert, a long-time parishioner of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, died Dec. 28, 1999 after a bout with cancer. She was a graduate of St. Leo School and the 1971 class valedictorian of the original BMHS in Winston-Salem. “(Bishop) McGuinness graduates are widely esteemed for their scholarships, dependability and trustworthiness,” said Teresa in her graduation speech. “It is our duty to uphold these standards. We should be different from the graduates of other high schools.

“When she was interviewing nurs...Each graduate in this auditorium is es, she said she could always tell by the special and outstanding.” way they spoke and wrote if they were “She was very dedicated in the educated in a Catholic school,” said her original days of Bishop McGuinness,” mother. said Marilyn Lasecki, Talbert’s sister.

“We valued the fact that there was “She was involved in almost every a Catholic school and that we had the aspect of that school, such as the yearopportunity to attend,” said Marilyn book and extra-curricular activities.”

Lasecki. “Teresa was very dedicated “She had a life-long relationship to the Catholic way of education and with the Sisters of St. Joseph who she held that close to her all through were models in faith for her when she her life.” was at St. Leo School and at Bishop The scholarship was set up McGuinness High School,” said Fathrough the Foundation of the Diother O’Rourke. cese of Charlotte as an endowment Talbert graduated Radford Unito benefit BMHS stuversity in Radford, Va., with a bachelor’s “(Bishop) McGuinness dents. An endowment is a permanent fund in nursing. Taking placed in the diocesan care of others seemed graduates are Foundation that earns to come naturally for widely esteemed for income over time. The her, according to her amount is not family. For 21 years, their scholarships, original spent, but the income Talbert worked at can be used in a manWake Forest Univerdependability and ner stipulated in the sity Baptist Medical endowment agreement, trustworthiness.”

Center as a staff nurse according to Jim Kelley, and later as a nursing diocesan director of recruiter.

“She recruited all Teresa Lasecki Talbert in development.

The Foundation is over, even in foreign her 1971 a non-profit organizacountries, to get good graduation speech tion established to pronurses to come to this vide endowments for area,” said her sister. the Diocese of Char“She believed in helplotte and its parishes, ing others to make life schools, agencies and organizations. better for themselves.”

Not only are people in the diocese “Teresa’s life of service as a nurse giving of their current income, said provided an excellent vehicle for her to Kelley, but more and more people are put into practice what she experienced taking another step in stewardship by and shared within the Catholic faith giving their cumulative assets to take community,” said Father O’Rourke. care of the church.

In addition to a bequest in a will — in which you can stipulate that the Foundation or named endowment receives a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or other remainder after other bequests are filled — there

Statement of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students and Personnel Schools in the Diocese of Charlotte, mindful of their primary mission as effective instruments of the education ministry of the church, and witnesses to the love of Christ for all persons, shall not discriminate on athe basis of race, color, sex, age, physical condition, national or ethnic origin in the employment of personnel and administration of the educational policies, admission policies, loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.

SCHOOLS Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte Holy Trinity Middle School, Charlotte All Saints Catholic School, Charlotte Our Lady of the Assumption School, Charlotte St. Ann School, Charlotte Office of Catholic Schools, St. Gabriel School, Charlotte 1123 South Church Street St. Patrick School, Charlotte Charlotte, NC 28203 Asheville Catholic School, Asheville 704-370-3270 Bishop McGuinness High School, Kernersville Immaculata School, Hendersonville Immaculate Heart of Mary School, High Point Our Lady of Grace School, Greensboro Our Lady of Mercy School, Winston-Salem Sacred Heart School, Salisbury St. Leo School, Winston-Salem

are five other primary ways to donate an endowment to the diocese, according to the Gina Rhodes, diocesan director of planned giving. They are: — Gifts of cash, securities, real estate, or other assets, which is an ideal method when the donated assets are highly appreciated.

— Gifts of life insurance, which allow you to make a gift that might be larger than if you were to give an asset outright. You can donate a paid policy that you already own, or you can purchase a policy to donate.

— Life income arrangements, which allow you to make a gift during your lifetime while retaining and even increasing your income from those assets for the remainder of your life.

This includes trusts and charitable gift annuities.

— Gifts from retirement plans, which you can designate your endowment as the remainder beneficiary of an IRA, 401K, or annuity to receive what is left in your retirement plan after your death.

— A gift of life estate in real property, which allows you to enjoy your home or vacation property during your lifetime, while giving you the satisfaction of knowing your church will benefit from the gift after your death.

To learn more about planned giving or to set up an endowment, call Jim Kelley at (704) 370-3301, or Gina Rhodes at (704) 370-3320.

Contact Associate Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or email kemurray@charlottediocese.org.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

September 6, 2002

Around the Diocese

With Gratitude Priest retirement collection benefits the faithful of diocese

By JOANN S. KEANE Editor When they pass the plate for the second collection this weekend, Bishop William G. Curlin hopes you remember the good and faithful priests who serve and have served this diocese.

If you miss the weekend opportunity to include your donation, you can still contribute to the priest retirement and benefits collection. Envelopes are readily available in your parish office, should you wish to contribute or perhaps make an additional contribution.

“The priests retirement fund provides monthly retirement benefits for our retired priests,” said Bill Weldon, chief financial officer for the Diocese of Charlotte.

“Approximately two-thirds of the funds collected will benefit diocesan priests, and the remaining one-third will benefit religious order priests.

“In order to determine the annual amount needed to fund the diocesan plan, an actuarial firm is hired to perform an actuarial

valuation of the plan,” said Weldon. “This involves projecting the future retirement benefits of all diocesan priests based on anticipated benefit levels and projected years of retirement. This insures the funds will be available when a priest becomes eligible for retirement benefits.”

The average parish’s assessment is an amount roughly equal to one and a half times the normal weekly offertory, said Barbara Gaddy, associate director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Gaddy uses that formula, too, as a suggested point for contribution. If, for example, your weekly parish contribution is $30

dollars, consider a donation of $45 for the priest retirement and benefits collection.

“We appeal to all the faithful of the diocese to be as generous as possible,” she said.

The goal for the 2002 collection is $923,994, of which $308,000 is earmarked for the pension funds of the religious orders whose members serve within the diocese.

Of the 130 priests in active service to the faithful of western North Carolina, an additional 25 are retired, and 50 are members of religious communities, said Bishop William G. Curlin in a recent letter to

every Catholic household.

“It’s more than a retirement plan, this is our way of providing for the priests who serve us so faithfully,” said Weldon.

With this collection, “we have the opportunity to express our gratitude for the many years of service our priests have given,” said Bishop Curlin.

Contact Editor Joann Keane by calling (704) 370-3336 or e-mail jskeane@charlottediocese.org

Brevard Knights of Columbus present shrine Knights of Columbus Jack Driscoll Council 8886 presented a shrine of Our Lady, Queen of Life to Sacred Heart Church in Brevard on the feast of the Assumption Aug. 15.

Council 8886 raised the funds and constructed the cedar and stone structure in a garden setting, enclosing the statue of Our Lady, Queen of Life holding the child, Jesus. The dedicatory plaque states the shrine is, “Dedicated to the sanctity of life.”

Courtest Photo

September 6, 2002

Around the Diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Psychologist professes monastic life at Belmont

By KEVIN E. MURRAY Associate Editor BELMONT — A thriving psychologist decided to forsake all earthly possessions for a monastic life of chastity and poverty.

“There was something missing from my life. I had a home, successful career, etc., but I was unfulfilled. It was a little void that started to grow,” said Brother Agostino Fernandez, O.S.B. “I began to realize that God was calling me and I asked, ‘Why now?’ Then it occurred to me — I was ready now.”

Brother Agostino made his solemn monastic profession of vows in the Abbey Basilica at Belmont Abbey College Aug. 24. It was the culmination of four years of training, preparation and prayer.

“The monastic community accepts Brother Agostino as their brother for life, and pledges their support, charity and care for him for the rest of his life,” said Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., abbot of Belmont Abbey and celebrant of the rite of solemn profession. “He will also become a member of the monastic chapter at Belmont Abbey, enjoying full active voice in the deliberations and decisions of the monastic community.”

Born in Cuba, Brother Agostino came to the United States with his fam-

ily in the 1960s and settled in Philadelphia, Penn. After earning a bachelor’s in music and a master’s in psychology from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Brother Agostino went to work as a psychologist for the public school system in Fairfax, Va. He was 39 years old when he felt the void within him that he realized could only be filled by service to God. In discerning his vocation, he visited a Trappist monastery in Virginia. Since he wanted to remain on the east coast and be part of a small monastery where he could use his skills, the Trappist vocations director recommended Belmont Abbey.

Founded in 1876, Belmont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery that shares its 700 acres with Belmont Abbey College.

The monastery’s 20 members pray and work together according to the teachings of the Gospel and the wisdom of St. Benedict.

Brother Agostino visited Belmont Abbey five times before finally applying to the monastery, but he said the Abbey felt like home from the very first visit.

“When I came here, everything fit,” he said.

Brother Agostino came to the Abbey at a postulate, someone contemplating monastic life, for several months in the

spring of 1998, said Abbot Solari, and returned to make his profession of temporary vows in the winter of 1999. It would be three years of discerning and study before he could make his final profession of vows.

“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t had any doubt about my monastic vocation,” said Brother Agostino.

By undertaking his vows, the former school psychologist has accepted a life of prayer, of celibate chastity, of dispossession of personal belongings and of commitment to growth in charity, in accordance to the Rule of St. Benedict.

“He comes to us bringing his talents and gifts,” said Abbot Solari. “It is an affirmation of the monastic life of Belmont Abbey that someone like him would commit to our community.”

“God has prepared me for this point in my life, and I rely upon faith and grace to help me through all the challenges ahead,” he said.

Brother Agostino returns to St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., to complete his masters in theology with a minor in schematics.

He eagerly looks forward to returning to Belmont Abbey in December.

“I’m very excited and it will be great to come back home for good,” he said, expecting to wear “many hats” upon his return to the monastery.

“His assignment now is to finish his studies at St. John’s,” said Abbot Solari.

“His talents make him a suitable person in both the monastery and the college.

When he comes back, we’ll discuss the various options for where his talents will best be used.”

Brother Agostino is open to all the possibilities, whether he is instructing novices, acting as a counselor at the college, being a part of the vocation discernment process developed by Abbot Solari, or all three combined, he said.

“I bring my experiences and education to Belmont Abbey and the college to touch the lives of others in my own

Courtesy Photo

Brother Agostino Fernandez, O.S.B., made his solemn monastic profession of vows at Belmont Abbey Aug. 24. unique way,” said Brother Agostino, “while in the context of the 1,500-year tradition of the Benedictine monks.”

Brother Agostino is grateful for the support of his family and friends, and was touched that so many of them were able to attend his profession of vows, which he considers “the most important day in a monk’s life.”

To those in attendance at the Mass, Brother Agostino heartily proclaimed, “This celebration is not just about my personal and spiritual response to God’s call, but rather it is a communal celebration in which we all accept God’s call.”

“I am very happy that God called me,” he said.

Contact Associate Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or email kemurray@charlottediocese.org.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald first Catholic parish established in New York — in 1785 — St. Peter’s had participated in a lot of history before Sept.

11. “In the 1700s and 1800s, the parish went through fires, riots and a cholera epidemic,” Father Madigan said. It was also the parish where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton entered the Catholic Church, and the parish of Pierre Toussaint, the Haitian who was brought to New York as a slave and later freed, and who is now proposed for canonization.

Sister clings to faith a year after brother’s Sept. 11 death WASHINGTON (CNS) — Time keeps deceiving Mary Ann Papp, a New Jersey mother of two whose brother was killed last year in the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Sometimes, because the pain is still so raw, Sept. 11 seems like yesterday, but other times it seems she has lived with the inescapable memory of that day far beyond just one year. For Papp, a parishioner at St. Rose of Lima in Freehold, N.J., the nine months between last September and this June are a blur. She can hardly recall the soccer

R e m e m b e r i n g Sept. 11

September 6, 2002

the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington. At Washington’s Reagan National Airport, which was closed after the attacks until Oct. 4 and only returned to full service in mid-April, the crowd gathered for Sunday Mass has often spilled out of the chapel and into the hallway, according to Father Jamnicky.

But at other airports, where chapels and ministry offices are not located beyond security checkpoints, passengers and staff are finding it difficult to go to Mass and get counseling.

Pastor of Catholic church near ground zero sees role in healing NEW YORK (CNS) — As the Catholic church closest to ground zero, St. Peter’s has again become a part of history, the special history that began a year ago and will continue into the indefinite future. “Part of our purpose for the next couple of years will be tied to the healing of people in this neighborhood, throughout the city and around the world,” Father Kevin V. Madigan, pastor of the church, said in an interview Aug. 26. “That mission has been thrust upon us. People expect that.” As the

Above, tourists gather on a hillside at the temporary memorial site in Shanksvill Sept. 11, 2001, killing all 44 people on board. The temporary site draws some 6,0 from Catholic elementary schools take part in the making of a video to help childr regarding last year’s Sept. 11 attacks. The video was made at the Rockville Centre N.Y., and will be distributed to schools in the diocese. games and school functions she must have attended. But now, as the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, she feels it is time to regroup and move on, relying on the strength of her faith to carry her through. “I don’t understand this in a human sense,” she told Catholic News Service in an Aug. 27 telephone interview from her home in Freehold, “but past experience shows me that God has always carried me.”

Muslim-Catholic dialogue stronger in year since Sept. 11 WASHINGTON (CNS) — One positive offshoot of the tragic events of Sept. 11 has been that relations between the Catholic Church and Muslim leaders have solidified and grown.

Catholics and Muslims for years have engaged in dialogue about issues of common concern, noted John Borelli, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. That background proved to be especially important when the terrorist attacks focused sometimes unwelcome attention on Islam. Muzammil Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Center of Orange County, CNS photo by Thomas F. Moloney, Long Island Catholic

Calif., said “from the first day” the Catholic Church has been supportive of the mainstream majority of Muslims who do not interpret the Prophet Mohammed’s teachings as encouraging terrorism. That support from the hierarchy also was manifested at the community level, in the form of joint prayer services, a series of open meetings and a surge of interest in basic information about Islam, he explained.

In fact, the course for interreligious relations followed by the CatholicMuslim dialogue should be a model for other faiths, Siddiqi said.

Franciscan promotes bell-ringing ceremonies to remember those killed NEW YORK (CNS) — For Franciscan Brother David Schlatter, Father Mychal Judge was not only a friend and a mentor, but a source of inspiration. The inspiration led Brother David to work as a chaplain with firefighters in Wilmington, Del., and to initiate “The Remembrance Project,” a bell-tolling service honoring Father Judge and the other New York firefighters who died in the World Trade

September 6, 2002

CNS photo by Ed Zelachoski, Catholic Accent

le, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed on 000 visitors each week. Below left, students ren understand and talk about their feelings e Diocese’s television station in Uniondale, Center attacks. Father Judge, chaplain of the New York Fire Department since 1992, perished on Sept. 11 near the lobby of One World Trade Center, while administering last rites to a fallen firefighter. He was 68. Brother David first met the late Franciscan 34 years ago when Father Judge, then an assistant at Sacred Heart Church in Rochelle Park, N.J., came to Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., to lead a retreat. Father Judge’s attitude and love for the Franciscan life and ministry immediately impressed Brother David, who was a freshman at the time.

“He was very happy doing the work he was doing,” he said. “His enthusiasm was evident.”

Immigrants, refugees on roller coaster of changed policies since 9/11 WASHINGTON (CNS) — When foreign terrorists attacked the United States last September, immigrants in this country suddenly felt their status change, both as a result of new government policies and in unofficial ways.

Mere days before the Sept. 11 attacks, the outlook for immigrants seemed

The Catholic News & Herald 11

R e m e m b e r i n g Sept. 11 rosier than it had in years. President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox were talking about how to make the U.S.-Mexico border more open.

Long-time efforts to legalize the status of many illegal immigrants seemed to be bearing fruit. And Bush had recently announced an almost unheard-of expansion of the number of refugees who would be admitted to the country in the coming year. Today, not only are those developments stuck on the shelf, but a series of policy changes and new laws have made life increasingly difficult for immigrants, both legal and illegal.

Programs to help immigrants with everything from their legal problems to job training have been swamped. In the New York City area, in particular, church-run programs expanded to meet new demand from people who lost their jobs after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

Catholic Charities of New York, Brooklyn focus on Sept. 11 victims NEW YORK (CNS) — The Catholic Charities organizations of New York, which began programs of services to those affected by the destruction of the World Trade Center immediately after the attack, are continuing these services a year later and projecting extension of the special effort for two more years. Msgr.

Kevin L. Sullivan, Catholic Charities director for the Archdiocese of New York, said in an interview Aug. 27 that the experience of the Sept. 11 disaster demonstrated the importance of the church having a structure already in place when such events occur. “We did not have to start from scratch on Sept. 12,” he said.

“We built on a staff with a capacity developed through its history that enabled us to meet this emergency critical need.”

Robert Siebel, chief operating officer for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Brooklyn and the person in charge of its response to the Sept. 11 attack, said assistance was being given within hours after the towers were hit.

Pentagon heals, returns to business, but Sept. 11 memories live on ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) — Nearly a year after American Airlines Flight 77 smashed into the Pentagon, killing 189 people, the five-sided headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense is a different place. The transformation has been gradual. As the building is rebuilt and its occupants recover physically and mentally, the tragedy has become many things — bond, motivation, even the stuff of miracles. But life goes on.

“Perhaps rightfully so, it’s almost business as usual,” said David Theall, a public affairs specialist who narrowly escaped a huge fireball after being blown through a wall Sept. 11. “More and more things are returning to normal.” It’s taken tremendous effort, however, because as John Donavan, senior civilian adviser to the Chief of Public Affairs, said, “People who work here spend a tremendous amount of time here.” And the building is awash in reminders.

CNS photo by Chris Sheridan

Above, firefighter Russell Bakunas places flowers near a bust of Franciscan chaplain Father Mychal Judge in late August at Engine Co. 1’s firehouse of the New York Fire Department. Father Judge died while ministering at the scene of the World Trade Center attack last Sept. 11. The chaplain who took Father Judge’s place said the firefighters miss him deeply, and know he gave his life for them. Above right, religious and patriotic symbols are left on a daily basis at the Shanksville, Pa., hillside where United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, killing all 44 passengers on board.

In Prayerful Remembrance Bishop William G. Curlin cordially invites you to join him for a Mass of Remembrance at 7:30 p.m. in St. Patrick Cathedral on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

CNS photo by Martin Lueders

Diocese collaborates on video to help children cope with Sept. 11 UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CNS) — The upcoming anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks could raise concern and even fear in children, as well as their parents, teachers and counselors. In anticipation of these feelings, schools in the Rockville Centre Diocese collaborated with Catholic Charities of Rockville Centre; Project Liberty, a crisis counseling service funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; a local family counseling center; and the diocesan television station to produce three videos in which children, parents, teachers, and counselors discuss their memories, fears and hopes on the first anniversary of Sept. 11. “The first anniversary is coming whether we do anything about it or not,” said Ursuline Sister Joanne Callahan, diocesan superintendent of schools. “We wanted to find a way that we could commemorate those events to help students express their feelings and try to understand those feelings about what happened that day and to help them see their hopes for the future.”

More passengers, workers visiting airport chapels, priest says WASHINGTON (CNS) — Amid increased security at airports and greater uncertainty in the aviation industry in the year following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, more travelers and staff are seeking out airport chapels and chaplains.

“More and more people ... are taking advantage of time in chapels, participation in services, time to talk with chaplains, whether there are security issues or not,” said Father John Jamnicky, coordinator for the Human Mobility Apostolate of

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

Around the Diocese

September 6, 2002

Sister says challenge is to create space for

inner self and the other united as one, then you have reached the unity that holds all things together. And he is God, the point upon which everything turns.”

Using the example of a candle surrounded by a glass globe, Sister Josita described holy as creating space around the sacred.

“The challenge,” she said, “is to create space and to make time (for God).” To accomplish this, she said, “We must go to our closets and close the opening between our spiritual and physical worlds so that we can communicate with God with our inner sight found within our hearts. For we are surrounded by God as a fish is surrounded by water.”

“Life isn’t fair. Life happens,” concluded Sr. Josita. “We need to go through it and must step out of it.

Then, as we become aware of the sacred in and around us, it will overflow to everyone else.”

Bill and Mary Ann Scherff, parishioners of Trinity Evangelical Covenant Church of Greensboro, both enjoyed the seminar. “The program was excellent,” said Bill. “It reminded us to be in touch with God; that we need to represent the Lord to all others.”

Susan Stack, a parishioner of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, agreed.

“Not only did she (Sister Josita) give

Prayer Center, which is currently under construction and is expected to be completed within the year. Sister Josita, a native of Waterbury, Conn., has “Proved to be quite a tremendous asset to the Franciscan Center since her arrival. She is indispensable,” said Franciscan Father Louis Canino, director of the center.

Sister Josita and Father Canino both give talks and seminars throughout the Triad and beyond.

Stressing the similarities and the differences between Catholicism and Protestant denominations in her recent seminar, Sister Josita made it clear that every baptized Christian is a minister of the sacred.

“Each (person) acts as an agent for God, and if we are to carry out the design of the Almighty, each must know what that design is,” said Sister Josita.

“Accordingly, each is called to become a living sacrament — a sign and the means by which we and others can experience and celebrate God’s love and mercy as he uses the ordinary (us) to bring about the extraordinary (self-sacrificing divine love).

Sister Josita said each of us must be consumed by an active burning love for our neighbors. “We must be aflame with the love of God and must love the one next to us,” she said. “When you can achieve the goal of making the

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Don Bonnet, a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace Church, talks to Sister Josita Marks at the seminar “Our Call: To Be Ministers of the Sacred” at the Franciscan Center Aug 20.

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent GREENSBORO — Sister of Christian Charity Josita Marks, a former teacher, principal and director of faith formation, explained at the Franciscan Center Aug. 20 how all Christians have a common call to not only be united in Christ, but “To Be Ministers of the Sacred.”

Sister Josita arrived in Greensboro last year to become director of Justice and Peace at the St. Francis Springs

us ways to deepen our awareness of the presence of God by creating space, but she explained a lot of words and meaning of the things we thought we knew,” said Stack. “I have a new way of looking at the Our Father and Matthew 6:6, which will transcend to other areas of my life. She is a good teacher and a good example.”

Contact Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail gpotkay@triad.rr.com.

September 6, 2002

Around the Diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Art project paints new lives for Charlotte

By MARY MARSALL Correspondent CHARLOTTE — The homeless people, or “neighbors,” who frequent the Urban Ministry Center no longer idle the area just waiting for job opportunities or phone calls. Instead they’re discovering hidden talents, as volunteers and local artists ignite their creativity through clay, paints, mosaics, bricks and timbers.

Called “Art Works 945,” the summer art project brings out the best in people whose self-esteem has been squelched.

The program began last summer when neighbors painted a colorful skyline panorama on a drab wall across from the Center with a grant from the Arts and Science Council.

This summer, a $10,000 grant from Myers Park Presbyterian Church funded the four-day a week project — three days of visual art and one day of writing.

The Urban Ministry Center is located in the former Seaboard train station. In the spirit of hospitality, the Center offers counseling, phone access, bus passes and other basic services to help the neighbors become self sufficient.

But this summer, it offers an art program that’s brought out the best in the neighbors, presenting them with a

Photo by Mary Marshall

Annie, a “neighbor” of the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, holds a mask that she created.

new dimension to brighten their outlook on life.

Under the guidance of coordinators Anna Judy and Lawrence Cann, who volunteered at the Center four years ago as Davidson College students, artist and volunteers have brought the arts to the neighbors. It’s a mixture with amazing results — neighbors have discovered hidden talents, and in the process have put aside unhealthy traits that hindered their growth. Like the down-on-life alcoholic who dusts the cobwebs from his soul with each stroke of a paintbrush — he becomes so engrossed in his painting the he forgets about drinking.

Gardens, painted rocks, concrete tables and a tile walkway replace weeds and out-of-control brush that once covered the lot across from the Center. Owned by a local businessman who gave the Center permission to beautify and use the land, today the lot is a vibrant park for untold stories.

Volunteers and neighbors cleared the land and in the process discovered large rocks, which they toppled to define the area. Armed with brushes and gallons of paint, neighbors reflected their thoughts — flowers, crosses and flags from native countries.

When artist Kay Ethridge brought 200 pounds of clay, neighbors made and painted 15-inch tiles that, after glazing, became stepping-stones to the park. Cann purchased sheets of board, cut them in half and, as he removed the lids to a spectrum of paint cans, he encouraged neighbors to express their feelings, dreams and visions. The completed works now decorate a chain link fence, magically transposing drab diamond shaped wires into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Neighbor Wanda challenged herself, moving from one artistic media to another. With cracked pottery donated by local potters and a volunteer who perused Goodwill Stores snatching up china, Wanda created a mosaic on a wall mural. The program has changed her life, she said.

“Lawrence has given us something

Photo by Mary Marshall

Luis and Timothy, “neighbors” of the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, made masks of themselves for “Art Works 945.” The masks will be mounted on a board along with text of their stories for display inside the Center. to keep up busy — to keep us out of trouble,” she said.

And for Wanda, that has been a positive effect that has stifled her drinking.

Other neighbors have found jobs thanks to the program, such as the brick mason student who helped erect brick columns in the park. A local businessman liked his work and offered him a job — it’s a new beginning, one that blossomed through a challenging project.

For two months, Ameri Corp volunteers, who work with the AIDS population, devoted their Fridays to designing a garden. An Eagle Scout planted vegetables that the neighbors proudly tend.

Cann cemented a post in the ground randomly adding railroad nails. Using bright colors, neighbors painted the bottles, tipped them upside down and inserted them on the nails thereby creating a bottle tree.

“This goes back to African history where natives put gourds on dead trees to drive away evil spirits,” said Cann.

“Here it’s a southern garden ornament.”

The public is invited to the Art Works 945 gala celebration from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Center, located at

945 N. College Street. Proceeds will compensate artists and fund annual Art Works 945 projects.

Photo by Mary Marshall

A “bottle tree,” created by “neighbors” of the Urban Ministry Center.

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

September 6, 2002

Readings

Book Review

Books examine religious

Reviewed by PATRICK J. HAYES Catholic News Service Trying to separate Catholic religious orders from American culture is like trying to take the white off rice.

Two books examining the impact of men and women religious on America are part of a recent wave of “Catholic studies.”

The first book is a rare thing — a history written by a 19th-century African-American nun. “No Cross, No Crown: Black Nuns in NineteenthCentury New Orleans” is the story of the 1842 founding of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, written by one of their own, Sister Mary Bernard Deggs, between 1894 and 1896. The editors of this book write: “That a small band of Afro-Creole women founded a religious community in the antebellum South was remarkable. That we have a personal account of the founding years is extraordinary.”

The order was founded against the prevailing wishes of women religious already established in New Orleans. The new order admitted Afro-Creole women, some born free and others born slaves. They worked with the city’s outcasts. They ran schools for young girls of African descent, asylums for orphan boys and homes for poor women and the elderly. Sister Mary Bernard herself had been one of the young children the original foundresses educated and so had absorbed the stories of the order’s beginnings.

Her history leaves no unpleasantry out, for these she considered the sources of grace (“no cross, no crown”).

Financial strain was constant, but this is still an upbeat story. Sister Mary Bernard writes about the power of the sisters’ charity: “We have had many women of the grandest and richest families of New Orleans come and live in our house, ... many of whom ... had even owned slaves in former times. We have the mistress and her slaves in there at the same time and they live like angels together. It is a very striking thing to see their love.”

Sister Mary Bernard wrote in English, but she was dyslexic and French was her primary language. This edition’s editors, Virginia Meacham Gould, a New Orleans-based historian, and Charles E. Nolan, the archdiocesan archivist, took Sister Mary Bernard’s journal and transformed its unusual English prose into this more accessible account. Additionally, the editors provide a full complement of explanatory notes and a very useful introduction.

Contemporary American Jesuits

and former Jesuits are the subject of “Passionate Uncertainty: Inside the American Jesuits,” written by Peter McDonough, author of an earlier book on Jesuits, “Men Astutely Trained” (1992), and Eugene C. Bianchi, a former Jesuit and professor emeritus of religion at Emory University. They make some challenging claims from beginning to end.

For instance, they suggest that because traditional Jesuit apostolates are being served well by increasing numbers of the laity, mainly in response to a decline in Jesuit numbers, “the functional rationale of the priesthood is undercut.” Is lay service in the church really a deterrent to young men entering religious life?

The authors used surveys to gather their data from current and former Jesuits. The responses show a great depth of honesty. This book provides a forum to air the needs and desires of “the long black line.” The book may trouble some readers because the authors’ bald interpretations point to an order in disarray, yet one clinging to the ideals set long ago by St. Ignatius Loyola himself.

Hayes is a doctoral student in ecclesiology at The Catholic University of America and an adjunct professor at Fordham University in New York and Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Word to Life

Sunday Scripture Readings: Sept. 8, 2002

Sept. 8, Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle A Readings: 1) Exodus 33:7-9 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 2) Romans 13:8-10 3) Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

By BEVERLY CORZINE Catholic News Service I would have to choose September as my favorite month in the school calendar. By the time September arrives, classes have been in session almost a month — time enough for students and teachers to discern each other’s scholastic foibles and move into the rhythm of the fall semester.

Although actual fall weather only exists hundreds of miles to our north, the sky is changing to a deeper blue, and there is the sacred promise of cooler days in the not too distant future.

In my senior English classes, we have just finished reading the exploits of the epic hero Beowulf.

This day, this ordinary morning in September, my first period class and I are discussing courage, self-sacrifice, honor and the importance the Anglo-Saxons placed on the preservation of their tribal stories. Student conversation moves to examples of real-life people such as Jesus, Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

They connect literature to real life — the teacher’s dream.

As the passing period begins, I take my usual place at the door to wish students a good day and to greet the next class. But this passing period will be like no other because it is Sept. 11, 2001.

When students begin to enter our hall, a certain unknown energy accompanies them like an unseen presence that rolls onto a beach in a late night movie. I know something bad has happened, but, clearly, I would never have guessed the reallife carnage and death-defying courage we were going to witness.

In second period we find television reception impossible, Internet access is jammed, so we huddle around the radio and listen. One of my senior boys asks me privately, “Mrs. Corzine, do you think the class really understands what’s happening?” The look of pain in his eyes tells me that he does.

As the clock ticks and the holocaust of 9-11 rages, I say to my students, “If you are a praying person, perhaps this would be a good time to remember all the people who are suffering and dying right now.” Heads nod in agreement. The classroom is dead quiet except for the radio news.

I have no doubt that Jesus is there in our midst, just as he promises in the Gospel.

QUESTION: When fire trucks roll past and

Weekly Scripture Scripture for the week of September 8 - September 14 Sunday (Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time), Ezekiel 33:7-9, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 18:15-20; Monday (St. Peter Claver), 1 Corinthians 5:1-8, Luke 6:6-11; Tuesday, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Luke 6:12-19; Wednesday, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, Luke 6:20-26; Thursday, 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13, Luke 6:2738; Friday (St. John Chrysostom), 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27, Luke 6:39-42; Saturday (Exaltation of the Holy Cross), Numbers 21:4-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17 Scripture for the week of September 15 - September 21 Sunday (Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Sirach 27:30—28:9, Romans 14:7-9, Matthew 18:21-35; Monday (St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian), 1 Corinthians 11:17-26,33, Luke 7:1-10; Tuesday (St. Robert Bellarmine), 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31, Luke 7:11-17; Wednesday, 1 Corinthians 12:31— 13:13, Luke 7:31-35; Thursday, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 7:36-50; Friday (St. Andrew Kim Taegon and St. Paul Chong Hasang and Companions), 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Luke 8:1-3; Saturday (St. Matthew), Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13,

September 6, 2002

Entertainment

The Catholic News & Herald 15

‘One Hour Photo’ develops chilling

By ANNE NAVARRO Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — Writerdirector Mark Romanek’s, “One Hour Photo” (Fox Searchlight), is a sordid thriller about obsession, misguided revenge and deep-rooted psychological problems which result in chilling actions.

Yet despite the story’s ugly twists, Robin Williams’ nuanced and ultimately moving performance captures the humanity of his troubled character.

Williams’ past few movies, such as the mean-spirited “Death to Smoochy” and the grim “Insomnia,” have seemed like purposeful departures from the actor’s more treacly fare, including the sappy “Patch Adams.” But his performance in “One Hour Photo” is the most effective of these digressions.

Wacky comedian Williams disappears into Sy the photo guy, a pale misfit with thinning, close-cropped blonde hair.

Seymour “Sy” Parrish toils behind the counter of a one-hour photo lab in the giant, sterile discount store, SavMart.

Hardly noticed by most, he seems to blend into the store’s bright florescent lights and nondescript decor.

Yet there’s something slightly off about Sy, despite his chipper facade. His view of the world, like the view out of his cracked car windshield, is distorted.

Among his favorite customers are the tony Yorkins, who, to Sy, are living the ideal suburban family life. With her good looks and pleasant manner, mother Nina (Connie Nielsen) always greets Sy with a smile as she entrusts her family photos to him. Accompanying her to the store is 9-year-old Jake (Dylan Smith), an all-around good kid. And though he has yet to meet him, Sy knows Will (Michael Vartan), the family’s patriarch, through the photos.

This photogenic family suggests to Sy the kind of blissful happiness that so

often proves elusive for many, especially pitiable Sy. However, the audience soon learns that the harmonious condition of the Yorkins is not all it seems.

Sy’s attentions to the Yorkins, while excessive, aren’t exactly threatening. Yet his obvious loneliness and longing for human touch hint at the possibility of something unsavory around the corner. The audience begins to see Sy’s attachment to the Yorkins creep into an unhealthy state when, while dining alone at a diner, he shows the waitress copies of the family’s photos — which he has furtively printed at work — and claims to be their Uncle Sy. Up until now, Sy has vicariously enjoyed the Yorkins’ family life without overstepping any bounds. But the story slips into more sinister territory when two things trigger Sy’s deep-seated problems. A large discrepancy is found between the number of photos paid for and the number printed and Sy is unceremoniously fired from his beloved job. Sy’s world is further shattered when photos left by a sultry customer suggest she is having an affair with Will.

Distraught that “his” perfect family has been smashed to smithereens by Will’s careless and foolish selfishness, Sy takes steps to exact revenge on behalf of the innocent members of the Yorkin family.

The film is effectively constructed, keeping the viewer absorbed despite beginning with the ending and telling the story in flashback with Sy’s steady, detached voice-over narration.

As the story builds to its climax, though, it becomes like watching a car wreck — the viewer is unable to keep his eyes off it despite the unpleasantness.

However, viewers should be warned that there is a particularly upsetting sexual scene that is stomach turning, although it does serve to illustrate the depths of Sy’s

CNS photo from Fox Searchlight

Robin Williams stars in movie ‘One Hour Photo’ Robin Williams stars in a scene from the film “One Hour Photo.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-IV — adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. psychological problems which lead to his cruel behavior.

Coming from a music video director, Romanek’s first feature film has none of the frenzy usually associated with such work. Instead, the restrained “One Hour Photo” is a creepy suspense film that succeeds in both engrossing and unsettling the audience, though clearly its disturbing subject matter won’t be to everyone’s taste.

Due to an extramarital affair, a disturbing sexual scene with brief nudity, menacing violence and sporadic rough language with an instance of profanity, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-IV — adults, with res-

ervations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

Navarro is on the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

The Pope Speaks

POPE JOHN PAUL II

View end of world with hope, commitment to peace, Bpope says JOHN NORTON y

September 6, 2002

Editorials & Columns

Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II said Christians should view the end of the world with hope and trust in God’s plan and with a renewed commitment to build a “civilization of love.”

At his weekly general audience Sept. 4, the pope focused on an Old Testament canticle of Isaiah that he described as a “prophetic vision of the last days.”

“This vision is a call to hope and trust in God’s saving plan. Christians see this hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ and the church,” he said.

To accommodate the roughly 8,000 pilgrims, the gathering was held in the Vatican’s audience hall rather than at the pope’s summer villa, where he has been staying since early July.

It was the pope’s first visit to Vatican City in more than eight weeks.

The pope traveled to and from the audience by motorcade, not by helicopter as in past years. Earlier in the summer, a Vatican official said traveling by car was thought to be more comfortable for the 82-year-old pontiff.

In his audience talk, the pope called Isaiah’s canticle, found at the beginning of the Book of Isaiah, “truly marvelous” and a work of “messianic hope in elevated poetic language.”

The biblical text foresees that in the last days, “at last the world will find peace in obedience to God’s law and his word,” the pope said.

He said ancient Christian writers interpreted the canticle as a prophecy of Christ’s coming.

“In the mystery of the church, all humanity draws near to God and shares in the peace brought by Christ,” the pope said.

“We Christians welcome the prophet’s appeal in a particular way, and we seek to lay the foundation of that civilization of love and peace in which there is no more war, ‘no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away,’” he said, quoting from the Book of Revelation.

Much going on in Catholic schools Another new school year is upon us. This time of year is always exciting and energizing. In every classroom, teachers and students begin the task of learning new skills and meeting new challenges. Likewise, parents find new and creative ways to support our schools.

This year, several schools in the Diocese of Charlotte have new or improved learning spaces. St. Michael School in Gastonia opens a new wing that houses a media center and middle school classrooms. St. Leo School in Winston-Salem has a new wing and renovated classrooms.

Immaculata School in Hendersonville is how pleasantly air-conditioned. By Thanksgiving, Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem will move to their new campus.

The building that was Bishop McGuinness High School (BMHS) in Winston-Salem will become the new Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School.

These exciting changes are due to the dedication, generosity and hard work of school staff, parents and parishioners.

During this year, renovations will be taking place at Charlotte Catholic High School (CCHS). St. Matthew School in Charlotte will be completed and ready for the All Saints School community to relocate there. Work will also be progressing on the new St. Mark School in Huntersville, set to open in the 2003-04 school year and bring the number of diocesan schools to 18.

The process of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) continues. While this process is demanding, it is very worthwhile and places a focus on continual school renewal and improvement. Last year, BMHS successfully completed the peer review. This year, CCHS and St. Michael prepare for peer review visits, which are a critical part of the entire SACS process.

Opening our schools to a visit from an outside team of professional educators, many of whom have no prior knowledge of Catholic education, provides us with the opportunity to view ourselves through the eyes of others.

When you are involved in Catholic education on a daily basis, as a teacher, administrator or parent, you grow quite familiar with what makes our schools different from public or private schools. It sometimes takes an outsider to help us see

Guest Column FATHER JAMES F. HAWKER Guest Columnist

The Catholic schoolteacher: Witness to hope Only a month or so ago, Pope John Paul II met in Toronto with young people from around the world.

During the gathering, the Holy Father shared a lifegiving vision with those in attendance. In a magnificent manner, the Pope exercised his role as teacher, as catechist, as witness.

It should be abundantly clear that the message of hope he proclaimed must be echoed in the parishes and schools. While it is true that the Catholic school does nurture academic excellence, cultivate a spirit of selfdiscipline and ensure a safe, secure environment, its mission cannot be limited to achieving that three-fold purpose. Yet, on occasion, people erroneously view the Catholic school simply as a convenient alternative to public education. Others perceive it as a relatively reasonable private school. In both instances, there is an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of the nature and purpose of the school.

In order to appreciate the foundation on which it rests, to understand the breadth and depth of its mission, to grasp the ultimate reason for its existence, one would be well advised to listen to and reflect upon the message of John Paul II, a witness to hope.

In doing so, it is essential that one recognize that the ultimate aim of the Catholic school is not simply to impart knowledge. Rather, it should be viewed as

Guest Column JANICE RITTER Guest Columnist

our own treasure.

What first impresses peer review team members are our students, who are polite, considerate and demonstrate an ability to follow rules — a credit to their parents and their schools.

Team members are also impressed with our test scores and academic programs. They appreciate that we are current with instructional materials, technology and professional development.

What the team members recognize as our most valuable asset is our ability to make prayer a part of everything that we do.

In Catholic schools, we are fortunate to be able to offer our students the opportunity to include prayer and spirituality into the daily rhythm of school life. Our students grow aware of the importance of taking time personal and community prayer.

Their faith is enhanced and enriched because of this.

As our nation remembers the events of Sept. 11, our students will be able to engage in prayer as a way to reflect and remember. Our ability to include prayer in our school and develop our students spiritually as well as academically, physically and emotionally is what sets us apart from other schools.

On behalf of all our school communities, I thank you for your continuing support of Catholic education.

Janice Ritter is the acting superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Charlotte.

an environmental setting within which the formation of its participants as friends, disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ are nurtured and nourished.

As I observed — through the wonder of television — the youth in Toronto, it was apparent that they were touched deeply not only by the pope’s words, but by the quality of his presence.

Undoubtedly, they could appreciate the relevance of the rather familiar statement, “No one stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” The physically frail and fragile pope embodied that sentiment as he spent himself selflessly to be with those whom he loves. Is it any wonder, then, that one of the youth, speaking for all in attendance, stated, “Holy Father, you are our compass. Your faith and courage are beacons to light our way.”

Those who teach in the Catholic school, like John Paul, are called to be witnesses of faith, hope and love. Regardless of whether they are teaching math or science, geography or history, the teachers, following the lead of Pope John Paul II, strive to remind those whom they serve that each has value and dignity as a beloved child of God, that all are to be responsible even now as agents of peace, hope and joy in their homes, their school and their neighborhood.

In other words, the children and youth, even in the springtime of their lives, are to be salt and light.

Too often the vocation exercised so magnificently by teachers in the Catholic school is not appreciated; yet their devotion and dedication are jewels in the crown of the church’s educational mission as they both comfort and challenge those who they serve. The diocese is blessed beyond measure by those marvelous men and women who are both teachers and witnesses to hope within our schools.

Father Hawker is vicar for education and pastor of St. Luke Church in Mint Hill.

September 6, 2002

Editorials & Columns

Coming of Age CHRISTOPHER CARSTENS CNS Columnist

Sign up for Peacemaking 101 Every year kids go back to school planning on some improvements. Maybe you want to keep tidier notebooks or do all your homework on time. Those are fine ideas, but I would like to suggest another goal in the context of your Christian life.

This year, when you go back to class, be a peacemaker in your own life.

It’s easy to talk about how the Israelis and the Palestinians need to make peace. It’s not hard to think up ways other people could solve their struggles. The real challenge for peacemaking comes when one of the people in the fight is you.

Jesus made it clear that making peace was not just a nice idea. It was a basic requirement for Christian living.

Right now, you could probably list three people at school for whom you hold some kind of a grudge.

The guy who insulted you in the lunch line.

Your former boyfriend or girlfriend, the one who went out with somebody else behind your back.

The kid who spread rumors about you.

The student who got the part you wanted in the spring musical.

The wise guy in English who makes condescending remarks about anybody else’s ideas.

Often we don’t even notice that we are not at peace.

Can a Catholic marry a Mormon in a Catholic church?

Q. I am a Catholic widow and am attracted to a widower.

His second wife died, but his first marriage ended in divorce many years ago. The man is a baptized, non-practicing Mormon, and both his marriages were performed in the Mormon religion.

He feels he is really a baptized Christian and that this should make it possible for us to have a Catholic marriage.

If I ever remarry I want it to be in the Catholic Church.

Is it possible for a Catholic to marry a Mormon in a church service? Is Mormon baptism actually considered valid? Must he apply for an annulment for us to be married in the church?

(Wyoming) A. It is not impossible for a Catholic-Mormon marriage to take place in a Catholic church. Any marriage between two people who are not Catholic, however, if they are free to marry, is considered a valid marriage. Your friend’s first marriage appears at first glance to be such a case. Some action by your diocesan tribunal would be necessary, therefore, before he is free to marry you in the church.

The circumstances of his baptism will affect what that action might be.

The Catholic Church recognizes as valid the baptisms of many other Christian denominations. One condition, however, is that the baptism be conferred in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in the traditional sense of Christian belief in one God and three persons.

For this reason among others, Mormon baptisms are not recognized as valid by the Catholic Church. While many, perhaps most, Mormons often claim that theirs is a Christian religion, that claim is disputed by all Christian denominations of which I’m aware.

Mormon adherents profess to believe in God the Father and in Jesus as God. Their understanding of these truths is, at very least, eccentric when compared with Catholic doctrine. According to Mormon teaching, there is not one God, but several gods who, through countless generations, produce innumerable children.

By a sort of sexual union with female counterparts, these gods bring into existence additional beings, including

We just think that there’s something wrong with the other guy, who is too selfish, too stupid or too inconsiderate to see things our way.

If you spend time grinding your teeth, because somebody angered you or hurt your feelings, you are not at peace.

If you avoid certain people or don’t have lunch at certain tables, the peace in your heart is troubled.

If you’re holding a grudge, or nursing an old resentment, it’s time for you to face the challenge of peacemaking.

Staying angry is the most natural thing to do — one of the things we humans are best at. Jesus calls on us to do something totally unnatural.

There is no instant or easy formula for making peace.

If there were, a long list of ancient hatreds would have been laid to rest long ago. Peacemaking, however, has three clear components: thoughts, words and deeds.

First, declare peace. If the conflict was internal (a burning annoyance or resentment), there’s no need to say anything out loud. Just internally declare peace, saying to yourself, “Doug, I’m not going to be angry about your stupid jokes anymore.”

If your conflict has been out in the open, tell the person of your intention to make peace. No lengthy explanation is needed. A simple statement will do. “Jenna,” you might say, “I’m not going to avoid you anymore — I figure we might as well get along.”

You may get a frigid reaction. “Sure, like I want to get along with you!” You offer peace and then live it out, whatever the reaction may be.

Next, stop throwing wood on an old fire. No catty remarks behind the other guy’s back. No grinning while other people put him down either. When your intent is to make peace, you need to bow out of the hateful talk altogether.

Finally, live as if you don’t have the old grudge anymore. Talk to the person as often as the opportunity arises.

Look for chances to say or do things that help the person.

Translate your intentions into actions.

Sign up for a new course this year: Peacemaking 101.

The homework can be tough, but you’re really going to love the Teacher.

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

Jesus and other earthly inhabitants, who take bodies here after a pre-existence in heaven.

In the translation of the Bible by Mormon founder Joseph Smith, for example, it is claimed that Jesus was the procreated son of “Elohim” and a goddess mother. Jesus then became divine by obeying the rules established for Latter Day Saints, the Mormons.

One Mormon holy book states: “Our Heavenly Father and Mother live in an exalted state because they achieved a celestial marriage. As we achieve a like marriage, we shall become as they are and begin the creation of worlds for our own spirit children” (Achieving a Celestial Marriage, first section).

In light of these ideologies, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled June 5, 2001, that Mormon baptisms cannot be considered valid. Among other reasons, it was explained, according to Mormon teaching the baptism formula cannot be a true invocation of the Trinity.

Since your friend is not a practicing Mormon he is perhaps unaware of these official doctrines. Please talk with the priest in your parish, or another priest or tribunal official in whom you have confidence, explain the particulars, and ask him or her to help you.

The Catholic News & Herald 17

Family Reflections ANDREW & TERRI LYKE Guest Columnists

Fulfilling marriages, and lives, need welcomed rediscoveries Vacations, especially family vacations, should be times when we still ourselves. They are times when we are more attentive to life. And from that stillness and attention we recognize God in us and we are more open to God’s alwaysabundant grace.

We just returned from our annual end-ofsummer family vacation in Michigan. This year we spent a few days in Ludington. One evening, we had dinner at P.J. Steamer’s, a popular local eatery in town. Our table was at a window that gave us a view of the marina and a sunset. Just being together with each other, our 20-year-old daughter and almost-17-year-old son in the picturesque setting was enough to still us and capture our attentions.

Yet God’s grace was more abundant than we expected that evening. After dinner, we decided to finish our glasses of wine on the deck. The kids took the car to do some around-the-town sightseeing. Shortly after we sat down, another couple sat at the table next to us. They asked us about the menu and what we had for dinner. Then a much deeper conversation ensued that was about life and the surprises it brings.

They were married 18 years and had just reconciled after a near-divorce. They shared with us many of the lessons they had learned along the way — about how they discovered that for marriage to be life-long they had to rediscover each other, and how it took almost divorcing to learn this. They shared with us how much they valued the life they had built. Yet, through life’s messiness they had become blind to it.

Another couple was seated at the table on the other side of us. They were elderly, but as they joined our discussion they revealed that they were relatively newlyweds who were both previously widowed. They shared how they thought that the experiences in their first marriages would give them more insights and a leg up on making their marriage work. Yet, what they found was that their marriage had to get beyond experiences and expectations of their previous marriages, and that there were new lessons that had to be learned to be able to make their marriage work.

As we engaged in conversation with these couples we didn’t reveal to them our work as marriage ministers. We shared, as they did, many life lessons that marriage has taught us. We all agreed at the end our fellowship that we were well fed at P.J. Steamer’s in Ludington in more ways than one.

Later we reflected on how generous our God is in giving us rich experiences with our family in such a beautiful setting. And then God fills our cup to overflow with unexpected and unanticipated grace in marriage community with four strangers.

How blest we are!

Questions for Reflections: — How has God’s grace been more evident to you when vacationing?

— What situations brought you unexpected and unanticipated grace from God? — How frequently do you find good in the still moments?

1 8 The Catholic News & Herald

Around the Diocese

September 6, 2002

Role as Irish fair’s ‘colleen queen’ links teen to late

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) — A “queen” lives in Brooklyn, and her name is Kaitlyn Stackpole.

The junior at Bishop Kearney High School in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst was to represent the Irish community as its Colleen Queen at the 22nd Annual Great Irish Fair Sept. 7-8 at Coney “Ireland,” with the proceeds being forwarded to Catholic Charities.

“I am very proud to have the honor of serving the Great Irish Fair as its colleen queen,” said Stackpole, a member of Good Shepherd Parish who will soon turn 16.

Stackpole, the second oldest of five children, is an outstanding Irish step dancer, a successful student and a talented volleyball player for the Bishop Kearney varsity squad. She also has the distinction of being the daughter of an American hero.

Her father, Capt. Timothy Stackpole of the New York Fire Department, was one of the 343 firefighters who perished at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Two days before his death, Capt. Stackpole was honored at last year’s Great Irish Fair

as its Irishman of the year.

“I feel like I am following in my father’s footsteps,” said a reflective Kaitlyn Stackpole.

She recalls vividly her father’s last days on earth. “My dad loved the Great Irish Fair. The whole family would attend every year. It was a great time to see friends and other family members.

“Last year I was in a real jam,” she said.

“I wanted to go to the Irish Fair, especially with my dad being honored as the Irishman of the year, but I also had a volleyball tournament for Bishop Kearney. My dad was so great, just so understanding. He told me to go to the tournament and try my best. He was always like that — just so encouraging all the time.”

“In a way I wish I had gone to the fair last year,” Stackpole added, “but I know my dad wanted me to play in the tournament. I think it was kind of special that my dad saw all the people he loved for the last time, family members and friends. He saw so many of them at the Great Irish Fair, an event that he loved so much.”

While it has been a tough year, the col-

Classi-

Courtesy Photo

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Girl Scout wins Gold Award Erin Pohlman, a parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point and a member of Senior Girl Scout Troop 791, was presented with the Gold Award — the highest award in Girl Scouting — by the Girl Scouts Tarheel Triad Council on Aug. 25. A Girl Scout for 12 years, Pohlman — a freshman at N.C. A&T University in Greensboro — earned the award by fulfilling requirements recognizing a Senior Girl Scout’s commitment to excellence and community. Her projects included helping Cadette Troop 307 earn the American Patriotism Interest Project Badge, creating and distributing flyers on “How to Respect and Display the American Flag,” writing and presiding over an American flag retirement ceremony and creating a video of the ceremony to be used by Girl Scout leaders and their troops.

September 6, 2002

Around the Diocese

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

New columbarium at St. Margaret Church Augustinian Father Francis J. Doyle, pastor of St. Margaret Church in Maggie Valley, blesses the church’s recently installed columbarium.

With him are Augustinian Brother William Harkin (left) and Rev. Mr. Gerard LaPointe. The columbarium, which has 96 niches that each hold up to two urns, was blessed on the feast of St. Augustine Aug. 28 following a Mass in his honor. Carved around the columbarium’s top are St. Augustine’s words, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

The Catholic News & Herald 19

Maryland parish throws a lifeline to stranded visitors from Poland when we came to see her, she said she was OCEAN CITY, Md. (CNS) — When very sorry but she could not engage us betheir summer jobs in this country fell cause she was overstaffed,” he said. through, seven young adults who had travThe rest heard a similar story — no eled to Maryland from Poland got together job and, because housing was supposed and turned to the Catholic Church. to be part of the package, no place to stay.

Two months later, thanks to parishioThey pooled their meager resources to find ners of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in a motel room.

Ocean City, all seven have jobs — and some Rydz and Klopotowski looked in Ocean have two jobs. But more importantly, they City and even took a bus to look for work say, they have found new friends far from in Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach in home.

Delaware and Salisbury in Maryland — but The five men and two women — all found nothing. college students or recent graduates — be“We (looked) every day, all day,” Rydz gan their own friendships as they traveled said. “It was very exhausting and it was to the United States in June. Only Robert depressing.” Added Klopotowski: “We were Rydz and Kamil Klopotowski, both 23, almost at breakdown.” knew one other before the trip. All seven On June 24, their first Sunday in Ocean were headed for Ocean City, a resort town City, Podgorski and Karol Wozniak, 23, on the Atlantic Ocean. made their way to the 11:30 a.m. Mass at “We met at the airport (in Poland) and Holy Savior Church, a mission church of St. we decided to stay together,” said Grzegorz Mary Star of the Sea. Podgorski, 23.

“They came up afterward,” said pastor They needed each other soon enough.

Father John Klevence, “and said they had All had the proper visas and work arrived, they were supposed to have jobs permits and what they thought were secure but now they didn’t, they were supposed to jobs and housing, but an influx of Eastern have a place to stay and now didn’t. Could European students to the Delaware and the church help?”

Maryland beach resorts made this a tight The parish sprang into action. Pasummer job market. Businesses that norrishioner Anne Marie Dickerson, owner mally begged for employees now had too of a local motel, provided a cottage free many applicants. of charge until the students could get on Podgorski, for example, was supposed their feet; within two weeks, when two of to work in a restaurant. “The manager, the seven had obtained jobs and earned paychecks, the students were paying their own way.

Meanwhile, Anne Marie Brace, the

2 0 The Catholic News & Herald

Living the Faith

September 6, 2002

St. Joseph sister ministers to many through

By JOANITA M. NELLENBACH Correspondent CHARLOTTE — “I always wanted to be a teacher,” said Sister of St. Joseph Helene G. Nagle. “I knew from the time I was 3 years old. We would come home from school and play school. I was always teaching my dolls and teddy bears.”

Although she wanted to teach, she didn’t realize she’d combine that with a religious vocation.

Helene Nagle and her older sister, Marianne, grew up in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Helene’s elementary school teachers at St. Helena School were Sisters of St. Joseph, but for high school, her mother sent her to St. Basil’s Academy, which she felt had a more liberal curriculum; all of Helene’s friends went there, too.

Still, she spent time with the St. Joseph Sisters. In those days, the nuns didn’t drive, so in her senior year Helene chauffeured the sisters at her parish.

“I just got to know them so well,” she said. “I saw how much fun they were and how well they got along.”

But they didn’t seem to be looking at her as a prospect for their order. Her eighth-grade teacher would point out the girls she thought would make good nuns. Helene was never chosen.

“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Sister Helen. “I was annoyed. No one was inviting me. Or maybe she was challenging me. I’ve thought of that, too.”

“I remember thinking about (being a sister) very seriously,” she said.

education at Chestnut Hill College in “I had everything I wanted. I was goPhiladelphia. ing with a great boy. I’d made all-city After professing her final vows, her varsity basketball and field hockey on first assignment was in a Pennsylvania the All-Catholic League. Life was just coal-mining town. “That’s where I got wonderful, but still I wanted more. my devotion to the Salvation Army,” I wasn’t especially devout. I went to she said. “When the church and liked it. I mines caved in twice, enjoyed religion class we were there with all the way through them waiting with high school.” the families. It was Something about probably my first exreligious life clicked perience with real sofor her. “I went and cial work, waiting talked with one of with those families. the sisters.”

We (Sisters of St. JoHer decision to seph) were a commuembrace religious life nity that always said caused an uproar at we were ready for any home. good work. That was “I had a very difthe good work of the ficult time with my time.” mother,” Sister HeOther assignlene said. “She ofments have included fered me the world, teaching or principaleven a new car. She ships in Vienna, Va., said, ‘Please don’t do Hillcrest Heights, this. You enjoy life St. Joseph Sister Md., and at St. Heltoo much. Why lock Helene G. Nagle ena, her old parish. yourself up in a nunW hile there, she nery?’ When I took earned a master’s in my final vows, all that counseling psychology at Chestnut stopped. I think my mother thought I Hill College. had too much going for me.”

Sister Helene taught seventh- and She entered the order in Septemeighth-graders at St. Leo School in ber 1956, at age 18, and never looked Winston-Salem before becoming prinback. cipal at St. Ann School in Charlotte 12 Sister Helene spent five of her years ago. eight formation years teaching in For two weeks each summer, she McSherrystown, Pa. Summers, she teaches abandoned handicapped chilstudied for her bachelor’s degree in

dren in a Missionaries of the Poor shelter in Kingston, Jamaica.

“These children are abandoned because of tribal beliefs,” Sister Helene said. “These are handicapped children, who are thought to be a curse on their families. The mother leaves the child at the hospital or puts it out on the street at age two (when the child is weaned).

The Missionary Brothers go out and collect the children.”

It’s very different from St. Ann’s, but Sister Helene isn’t bothered by such differences.

“I grew up that way, that I could do anything I put my mind to,” she said. “Sports helped. I think that being a principal, you live your life in an element of surprise. One phone call can cost you three hours. You never know what’s going to be on the end of that.”

“Someone said to me once, ‘You may or may not like this, but can you turn your back on this?’” she said. “I think some people have temporary vocations. They serve the church as long as they can, and then there’s something else waiting for them. I’ve never had any doubts. I’ve always enjoyed the teaching. I couldn’t wait to teach. So I say I’m still playing school.”

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