Oct. 19, 2007

October 19, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Finding silence to hear God’s voice; Catholics and money; feeding the hungry

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI October 19, 2007

Fighting the good fight

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

Bishop Jugis welcomes Catholicos Karekin II to Charlotte by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — Pro-life advocates are “warriors” in the fight against abortion, Judge Andrew Napolitano said.

And that fight, he said, “is one that must be taken to the enemy at every opportunity, at every turn.”

Napolitano, an author and Fox News Channel senior judicial analyst, spoke to more than 1,300 people attending the 13th annual banquet benefiting Room at the Inn, held at the Charlotte Convention Center Oct. 11.

See PRO-LIFE, page 13

Standing for life

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

CHARLOTTE — A day after joining interfaith leaders at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church joined Bishop Peter J. Jugis for lunch in Charlotte.

Catholicos Karekin II was the guest of honor at an ecumenical luncheon sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte and held at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte Oct. 12.

Approximately 80 religious and civic leaders took part in the gathering.

“The culture of the southern United States has always been known for its spirit of hospitality and welcome … . Today we welcome you as a brother in

Bishop Peter J. Jugis shakes hands with Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, after receiving a cross from the supreme pontiff during an ecumenical luncheon at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte Oct. 12.

See KAREKIN, page 9

Beyond borders

Dr. Guido Mar tinez of Bolivia practices intubation on a dummy patient under the instruction of Dr. John Reynolds, an anesthesiologist in the Winston-Salem area.

Bolivian doctor studies in North Carolina, thanks to local parishioner by

SUSAN deGUZMAN correspondent

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Patrick Martin holds a pro-life sign during a prayer vigil outside a reproductive health clinic in Charlotte Oct. 17.

For story, see page 13.

no. 44

Visiting the ‘city of churches’

Judge encourages pro-life advocates at Room at the Inn banquet by

vOLUME 16

WINSTON-SALEM — Dr. Guido Martinez had never ridden on an airplane before his flight to North Carolina earlier this year.

Having had little opportunity to travel far beyond the borders of his native Bolivia, he admitted to feeling some fear. He would

be gone for 10 weeks, have no family with him and know very few people; he spoke only a little English.

But a familiar face — Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien, a parishioner of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, who had met Martinez during

Martinez spent 10 weeks studying the latest medical techniques in WinstonSalem, thanks to the efforts of a local Catholic doctor he met during a mission trip to Bolivia.

See BOLIVIA, page 5

Courtesy Photo by Roy Benson

Foundation of faith

Celebrating service

Endowment helps fund education in Salisbury

Knights council celebrates 50 years in High Point

| Page 4

| Page 7

Culture Watch Pope’s second encyclical; book on Knights Templar | Pages 10-11

October 19, 2007

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Passage of bill on affordable housing called ‘huge victory’ WASHINGTON (CNS) — Passage by the House of Representatives of legislation to increase the nation’s affordable housing stock is “a huge victory for housing advocates,” said an official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007, which passed by a 264-148 vote Oct. 10, would add 1.5 million affordable homes to the nation’s housing stock in the next 10 years.

It would require that at least 75 percent of the funds go to housing for households defined as “extremely lowincome,” those earning less than 30 percent of an area’s median income.

Thomas Shellabarger, a policy adviser in the USCCB Office of Domestic Social Development, said the USCCB and the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign have “been working since 2001 on the passage of legislation to establish a national housing trust fund.”

In a letter to House members shortly

From fatima, forward in faith

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

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE ASHEVILLE — A Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for Post-Abortive Women and Men will take place in the Asheville area Nov. 2-4. For more information, call the diocesan Respect Life Office at (704) 370-3229 or e-mail mnadol@charlottediocese.org.

CNS photo by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, walks in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the opening of the new Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Fatima, Portugal, Oct. 12.

Fatima’s message is that following Gospel is path to peace, pope says FATIMA, Portugal (CNS) — The heart of the message of Fatima is that following the Gospel is the path to authentic peace, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message broadcast Oct. 14 at the Marian shrine.

Marking the 90th anniversary of the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to three young children, Pope Benedict said the shrine continues to echo Mary’s call to “her children to live their baptismal consecration in every moment of their existence.”

“She is the refuge and the path that leads to God,” he told thousands of pilgrims at the shrine for an anniversary Mass and the dedication of a new shrine church.

During his midday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the pope asked Mary to give “all Christians the gift of true conversion so that the perennial Gospel message, which shows humanity the path

to authentic peace, would be proclaimed and witnessed to with coherence and fidelity.”

Cardinal Bertone marked the 90th anniversary of the last Fatima apparition with a Mass Oct. 13, then dedicated the new church Oct. 14.

In his homily Oct. 13, Cardinal Bertone told an estimated 300,000 people gathered at the shrine that while the Fatima apparitions marked a “supernatural” sign from God “it would be foolish to continue to ask indefinitely” for more outward signs of God’s presence when the most effective signs of God’s love “are interior signs: the change of hearts touched by the grace of God.” “Our Lady did not ask to be admired, invoked or venerated,” he said. “She asked people to entrust themselves to her.

She asked that the hearts of individuals, nations and all humanity would be consecrated to her.”

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — A Pro-life Prayer Vigil will take place through Nov. 4. It will be a 40day/24-hour peaceful prayer vigil in front of an abortion center with pro-life participants of many denominations. Together we can all build a Culture of Life. For more information, e-mail Diane Hoefling, 40 Days for Life Charlotte media, at rhoef541@aol.com or call (704) 541-3760 or (704) 519-8086. Also visit www.40daysforlife.com.

CHARLOTTE — Consider setting aside some personal time for reflection and attend a women’s retreat, “Made in God’s Image,” Nov. 10 in Biss Hall of St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St. Parking is free in The Green parking garage next door to the church. Sign in begins at 8:30 a.m., the retreat begins at 9 a.m. ending with Mass at 11:30 a.m. To register, e-mail

before the vote, the head of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy said Catholic agencies, dioceses and parishes see people every day who are affected by the lack of affordable housing.

The church’s experience has shown that “inadequate, substandard housing destroys lives, undermines families, hurts communities and weakens the social fabric of our nation,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y. “Despite our efforts — and the efforts of so many others — there continues to exist a severe shortage of affordable housing nationwide.”

Passage of the legislation would present “a genuine opportunity to let the American people know” that the housing needed by low-income families “is a national priority,” the bishop said.

Nationwide there are only 6.2 million homes rented at prices affordable to the 9 million extremely low-income renter households, leaving a shortage of 2.8 million homes.

retreat4women@gmail.com or call the church office at (704) 332-2901.

WINSTON-SALEM — The African American Affairs Ministry of the Diocese of Charlotte is hosting the first Diocesan Black Catholic History Month Celebration, Nov. 17, 4-7 p.m., at St. Benedict the Moor Church, 1625 East 12th St. This free event will feature cultural foods, networking opportunities and informative programs. As space is limited, registration is required. Register by e-mail to Sandy Murdock at spmurdock@charlottediocese.org or by voice mail at (704) 370-3376. Please provide your name, number of attendees and a telephone number.

CHARLOTTE — “Understanding Your LateLife Choices” will be presented in the ministry center of St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., Wednesdays, Oct. 24-Nov. 14, 10-11:30 a.m.

Attorney Bill Clayton will present “Protecting Your Assets” Oct. 24. There is no fee to attend, but reservations are appreciated. RSVP to the church office at (704) 364-5431. For more information, call Suzanne Bach at (704) 335-0253.

CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., will present “The Acts of the Apostles” Wednesdays, 10-11:30 a.m., through Nov. 14.

This study program will include individual study, small-group discussions and taped lectures. For registration and more information, call Mary at (704) 948-8285 or Angela at (704) 400-8517.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will have its annual memorial Mass for deceased members, family and friends Nov. 14 at St. Benedict Church, 109 W. Smith Street. The Mass will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m., followed by a bring-your-own lunch.

Refreshments and dessert will be provided. A Christmas collection will be taken for a needy family. For more information, please contact

October 19, 2007 Volume 16 • Number 44

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

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

October 19, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Cardinals tell bishops, chaplains Feeding the hungry is moral obligation, they must protect human rights pope says for World Food Day VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The representing other religions and other VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Feeding the hungry is not simply a logistical and economic challenge, it is a moral obligation, Pope Benedict XVI said.

In a message for the Oct. 16 celebration of World Food Day, sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the pope said that perhaps the failure to significantly reduce the rate of malnutrition in the world is due to the fact that too many people consider it a “technical and economic” problem.

Individuals and nations, he said, must give priority to “the ethical dimension of feeding the hungry. This priority relates to the feeling of compassion and solidarity that is part of being human, leading to sharing with others not only material goods, but also (sharing) the love all of us need.”

“Indeed, we give too little if we offer only material goods,” Pope Benedict said in the message sent to Jacques

Diouf, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The pope said studies of the situation of the world’s 850 million hungry people demonstrate that a lack a food is not due only to natural factors such as drought, but is due “above all, to situations caused by human behavior,” including wars that force people to flee their land and their homes.

“The goal of eradicating hunger and, at the same time, providing healthy and sufficient diets, requires specific methods and actions that would allow for an exploitation of resources in a way that respects the patrimony of creation,” he said.

Pope Benedict called for scientists, researchers and technology developers to work in conjunction with farmers, farmworkers and the indigenous who know the “cycles and rhythms of nature” and have protected them for centuries.

Carmen Wood (336) 545-9266.

more than 15 area churches. Childcare will be provided, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call Carole Marmorato at (828) 256-8956.

GREENSBORO — Young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s are invited to come and experience great speakers, excellent food and conversations at Theology on Tap. ToT will meet Tuesdays, through Nov. 13 at 6:45 p.m. for dinner and a social hour.

Speakers begin at 7:45 p.m. Each week we will collect cranberry sauce and stuffing for Our Lady of Grace Church’s Thanksgiving baskets. For more info e-mail greensborotot@yahoo.com, visit www.triadcatholics.org or call (336) 286-3687.

HIGH POINT — Free Spanish Classes will be offered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., Thursdays through Nov. 1, 7-8:30 p.m. All class materials are furnished. For more information, call Nancy Skee at (336) 884-0522 or e-mail nsskee@hotmail.com, or call Larry Kwan at (336) 688-1220 or e-mail hlkwan@lexcominc.net.

HIGH POINT — Free Italian Classes will be offered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., Wednesdays through Nov. 7, 7-8 p.m. All class materials are furnished. For more information, e-mail Gianfranco Vettor at gvettor@yahoo.com or call Larry Kwan at (336) 688-1220 or e-mail hlkwan@lexcominc.net.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — A retreat, “Come see what the Lord has planned for you,” will be held Oct. 27, 10 a.m.3 p.m., in the Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second Street NE. Each person should bring a bag lunch; drinks will be provided.

The retreat is sponsored by the Christian Mothers of St. Aloysius. For more information, call Ginnie Stewart at (828) 324-2923.

HICKORY — The annual World Community Day ecumenical worship service will be held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 52 16th Avenue NW, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. With the theme “Embracing Justice Under God’s Tent,” the focus of this bilingual service will be on immigration issues and will feature guest speaker Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director for diocesan Hispanic ministry. This event is sponsored by

Episcopal

calendar

Catholic Church and its members serving in the military must be on the front line of protecting human rights, said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. “The church, bearer of the human, moral and spiritual values without which it is impossible to build a worthy and true human society — a family of families — must be on the front line in supporting a correct application of humanitarian law in every circumstance,” said the cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

The cardinal spoke at the Oct. 12 opening of a two-day course in humanitarian law offered to military ordinaries and chaplains from around the world. Military ordinaries are bishops responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics in the armed forces.

The course brought together about 80 participants from more than 30 countries and included speakers

Christian communities, as well as experts on international relations and on humanitarian law.

Cardinal Re told the bishops and priests that promoting human rights is part of their pastoral role.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told participants that religious believers have a special obligation to work together to defend the rights of all people.

The Congregation for Bishops, the justice and peace council, and the councils for interreligious dialogue and for Christian unity co-sponsored the course.

In a message sent to the meeting, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his hope that members of different religions would work together for “the promotion of the fundamental value of peace, based on truth, love, justice and freedom.”

At the Church of the Nativity

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE MAGGIE VALLEY — Renew International’s “Why Catholic?” program will be presented at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr., through Nov. 26. Small, informal groups will focus on the Apostles’ Creed — What we believe regarding the public life of Jesus, his death and resurrection; the Holy Spirit and the church; Mary, mother of Christ; and life everlasting. Inactive Catholics and anyone inquiring about the Catholic faith are also encouraged to share this journey. Morning, afternoon and evening groups are available.

For more information, call Sharon Foy at (828) 926-9968.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — Spirit of Assisi presents the Wednesday Lunch Series, 12:30-1:15 p.m., at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. Enjoy a light lunch and free presentations on a variety of topics. Rev. Tim Auman, chaplain at Wake Forest University, will present “Interfaith Dialogue: The Language of Community” Oct. 24. Julie Ostergaard, campus minister at Wake Forest University, will speak Oct. 31. You may call ahead to indicate your attendance, but walk-ins are welcome. For more information, e-mail Sister Kathy Ganiel at spiritofassisi@bellsouth.net or call (336) 723-1092.

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

Submit in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

Oct. 20 — 10 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. James Church, Concord

Oct. 23 — 1:30 p.m.

Building Commission meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

Oct. 22 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville

Oct. 25 — 6 p.m.

Friends of Seminarians dinner Bishop’s residence, Charlotte

CNS photo by Kevin Frayer, Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stands next to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theofilos III of Jerusalem during her visit to the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Oct. 17. Rice lit a candle at the church and voiced hope that religion could be a force for reconciliation in the Middle East.

Pope names 23 cardinals, including two from U.S. VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new cardinals, including U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, and U.S. Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the first cardinal from a Texas diocese.

The pope announced the names at the end of his weekly general audience Oct. 17 and said he would formally install the cardinals during a special consistory at the Vatican Nov. 24.

Cardinal-designate Foley was in St. Peter’s Square when the announcement

was made; he told Catholic News Service he had gone into the square, wading into the midst of the crowd, after going to a doctor’s appointment.

While rumors were running strong that the pope would name cardinals at the end of the audience and his nomination was almost a given, Cardinal-designate Foley said he was shocked to be the second name announced by the pope.

The order in which the cardinals are announced determines their seniority in the College of Cardinals, which has little practical effect except in liturgical processions.

CORRECTIONS In the Oct. 5 issue, the story “Golden Mercy: School celebrates 50th anniversary” stated Sandra McMonagle served as principal of Our Lady of Mercy School for 13 years. She was principal at the school for 23 years.

In the Oct. 12 issue, the story “Good counsel: Diocese of Charlotte issues new guidelines for pastoral councils” stated a training session for clergy will be on Nov. 11. It will actually be on Nov. 15.

In the Oct. 12 issue, a photo caption listed Jesuit Father Joseph Kappes as celebrating 50 years as a Jesuit priest. He actually celebrated 50 years as a Jesuit. He has served as a priest for 30 years.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

AROUND THE DIOCESE

October 19, 2007

Building the foundation of faith Renewing baptismal promises

Endowment funds education in Salisbury by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — When Ed Murphy created his endowment with the Foundation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, he hoped that he would be able to serve the faithful for many years to come.

Over the past 11 years, that dream has been realized, and will continue to be realized far into the future.

“Many people will leave gifts to the Diocese of Charlotte in their estate plans, but there are some who choose to set up their endowments while they are still alive,” said Jim Kelley, director of the diocesan development office.

Murphy was one such person, and he was able to witness the fruits of his generosity before his death earlier this year.

In 1996, Murphy set up an endowment divided into two components — the Eleanor C. Murphy Educational Endowment Fund and the Yates-Murphy Educational Endowment Fund — through a gift of stock, initially valued at $428,000.

The Eleanor C. Murphy fund was established to benefit Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, while the YatesMurphy fund benefits Holy Name Church in New Bedford, Mass., Murphy’s childhood parish.

The endowments provide scholarships for students of each parish’s school, for parishioners needing vocational training and for seminary education.

“The two churches have received

About the foundation:

The diocesan foundation was incorporated in 1994 to provide endowments for the Diocese of Charlotte and its parishes, agencies and organizations.

Currently, there are 158 endowments in the foundation. An endowment is a permanent fund in which the principal is never touched. The income may be used in accordance with the wishes of the donor organization or individual. Once an endowment is established, anyone may add to the fund.

Over the past 13 years, the foundation has made available almost $4 million in income through distributions from its endowments.

more than $286,000 in income from the endowment, while the principal amount has grown to more than $584,000,” said Kelley. “Over time, these churches will continue to receive income from this endowment, which will eventually grow into millions of dollars.”

Murphy spent the better part of 50 years as an active member of Sacred Heart Church. From serving on the original parish council to singing in the choir, Murphy and his late wife, Eleanor, were involved in many ministries of the parish.

“Over the years, Ed became a prominent member of the local Catholic community,” said Don Hodgens, an attorney who helped Murphy set up the endowment. “In his later years, he was committed to the success of the Diocese of Charlotte.”

“He shared his wealth with many charitable causes, both locally and elsewhere, and he was always loyal to his Catholic roots,” he said.

“The principle use of the Eleanor C. Murphy Educational Endowment has been to benefit Sacred Heart School,” said Father John Putnam, pastor of Sacred Heart Church. “The fruit of this gift has enabled many students, who would otherwise not be able to afford a Catholic school, to receive a Catholic education.”

“The Murphys recognized the benefits of Catholic education and through their generosity, those benefits will be shared with our young people for years to come,” Father Putnam said.

“Through his gift, Mr. Murphy left a legacy that will help meet the needs of individuals at both Sacred Heart and Holy Name churches today and in the future,” said Kelley. “More and more parishioners across the diocese are following Mr. Murphy’s example by remembering the church in their current and future estate plans.”

Currently, there are more than 850 members of the Catholic Heritage Society — those people who have designated a parish, school or entity in the Diocese of Charlotte as a beneficiary of their estate.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the diocesan foundation and endowments, call Jim Kelley at (704) 370-3301 or e-mail jkkelley@charlottediocese.org.

Photo by Carole McGrotty

Bishop Peter J. Jugis lays hands on Mary Margaret Everist during the sacrament of confirmation at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville Sept. 8. Mary Margaret was one of seven youths confirmed by the bishop during the celebration.

Confirmation, along with baptism and Communion, is one of the three sacraments of initiation. Confirmation confirms the baptismal promises, and it usually is administered during the teen years to those baptized in infancy.

A reception was held for the newly confirmed in the parish hall after the Mass.

October 19, 2007

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Bolivian doctor studies in N.C., thanks to parishioner BOLIVIA, from page 1

a mission trip to Bolivia — was waiting for him when he finally got off the plane in North Carolina in January.

Soon Martinez began his studies with physicians in Winston-Salem — all with the hope of learning medical advances to benefit his patients back home.

“I love being a doctor. I love helping people,” said Martinez. “There are a lot of people who need medical help in Bolivia, and many do not have the money for it.”

The majority of Bolivia’s 9 million people — most of whom are Catholic — live in poverty and can spend a month’s salary on one visit to a medical specialist.

Martinez, a general practitioner at a clinic, often treats people for free, but it is difficult to help them acquire needed medicine.

Bolivia has a number of serious health concerns, including infant mortality, malaria, tuberculosis, chronic malnutrition and Chagas’ disease — a parasitic disease that afflicts many in South America, including Martinez’s father.

The Bolivian government provides very basic care for children up to 5 years old, pregnant women and people 65 years

and older. Life expectancy in Bolivia is approximately 63 years for men and 68 years for women.

Medical assistance was a large focus of St. Leo the Great Church’s March 2006 mission trip to El Torno, a small city 40 miles from Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s largest city.

O’Brien was part of the group that included physicians, nurses, translators, facilitators and Father Thomas Kessler, then-pastor. Within a week, they saw 446 patients and performed 14 surgeries.

The procedures took place at the Clinica Santiago Apostal in El Torno, where O’Brien and Martinez first met.

O’Brien is fluent in Spanish, and Martinez is also fluent in the two main native languages, Quechua and Aymara.

While the mission group helped many people in El Torno, O’Brien returned home feeling conflicted.

“I thought, it’s good for me (to have helped with the medical needs) but what does it do for them?” she said, adding that she knew there was so much to be done.

O’Brien conceived the idea of bringing Martinez to the United States.

Here he could learn about different medical procedures to take home and put into practice. He could then share them with his fellow physicians.

Wake Forest University offers a Visiting International Faculty program for

Courtesy Photo by Roy Benson

Dr. Guido Martinez from Bolivia and Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien of Winston-Salem stand in the emergency room of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. teachers from other nations, so O’Brien planned and wrote the curriculum for Martinez’s visit. She formally presented a request to Dr. William Applegate, dean of the university’s School of Medicine, to grant Martinez a visiting international faculty designation.

O’Brien also applied for a scholarship on Martinez’s behalf to cover his travel, books and living expenses. Her next step was to gather supporting paperwork for his visit and to write to the embassy in Bolivia, describing the program.

After a complicated, 10-month process, the visa was processed and approved. In order to acquire it, Martinez had to travel 18 hours each way on a bus to the U.S. embassy in La Paz. Advancing medicine While at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Martinez focused most of his studies on emergency care with a specialty in cardiology. He shadowed O’Brien and other physicians in the emergency room, and spent time in a variety of departments and clinics of the medical school, the hospital and other medical practices in Winston-Salem.

Martinez learned about treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, a condition affecting many Bolivian women in their 20s; he also spent time with Dr. Ray Kuhn, a professor at the medical school specializing in Chagas’ disease, who taught him about new research.

“I have been learning a great many things while I have been here, but a little piece of me knows the limitations,” said Martinez. “However, I have definitely learned enough to do something more for my people.”

When Martinez was given the chance to lecture to three classes of

Spanish-speaking residents, he told them about Chagas’ disease and its effects on the people of Bolivia.

Martinez would like to specialize in cardiology, but acquiring such a specialized degree in Bolivia is expensive and competitive. There are only two training positions available in the field each year in Santa Cruz.

“You either have to be influential or know someone of influence to be considered,” he said.

His time in North Carolina was more than just study — he took part in a Super Bowl party, went kayaking and attended college basketball games. He saw his first giraffe at a local zoo and ate his first Krispy Kreme doughtnut.

The biggest culture shock, he admitted, was a trip to Wal-Mart.

Martinez was given a number of items to take home to Bolivia, including medical tools and textbooks, a laptop computer and two personal digital assistants downloaded with medical instructional material.

Martinez said he was in awe of and grateful for the generosity bestowed upon him by O’Brien and others.

“People (in Bolivia) are occupied with their own families and it is not ordinary to go out of your way for someone outside of your family,” he said.

O’Brien told him that thanks were not necessary.

“Inviting you here was a little selfish on my part,” she admitted. “Your patients in Bolivia are my patients, too. Tell them I think of them and pray for them. I will not forget them. They are in my heart always.”

“I can’t be in Bolivia … so I ask you to be my hands, and to give them my heart,” she said.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Diocese places priest on leave due to allegation Alleged incident from 47 years ago under investigation by priest’s order CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has placed a priest on administrative leave after receiving an allegation of sexual abuse.

The diocese placed Oblate Father Albert Gondek, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, on leave Oct. 12, and has been in communication with his religious order, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in Delaware.

The allegation, made by a 59year-old Delaware man, involved an incident he said took place 47 years ago at a summer camp in Maryland. Father Gondek was a seminary student at the time.

Father Gondek denies the allegation.

A letter about the allegation was faxed to the diocese from Wilmington, Del., by the man’s attorney, who later held a press conference to make public the allegation.

The man claims he also was abused by another priest at a parish in Wilmington.

As a result of the initial allegation, and in keeping with its commitment to the U.S. bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Diocese of Charlotte immediately placed Father Gondek on administrative leave.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis had a meeting with interested parishioners at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Oct. 14 and informed them of the allegation and the diocese’s response.

The Diocese of Charlotte is currently awaiting results of an investigation being conducted by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.

Father Gondek has served as pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church since 1998. He served as president of the Greater Lexington Area Ministerial Association for a year and served on the Lexington Human Relations Commission for eight years.

He has been an active participant in the Latino Roundtable, a group of community leaders who focus on welcoming Hispanics into the community.

A statement issued by Our Lady of the Rosary Church’s parish council expressed sadness over the allegation and defended Father Gondek’s service to the parish and community.

“Father Al’s nine years as our pastor have been characterized by a desire for unity, and he has worked tirelessly to

“We ask the community to pray for Father Al and for us.”

— Statement from Our Lady of the Rosary Church parish council energize our parish for greater spiritual growth, community involvement and personal interaction,” said the statement.

Shortly after arriving in Lexington, Father Gondek created the Salesian Award, named in honor of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. The award recognizes a church member who shows compassion, kindness, loyalty and dedication.

“Regardless of our parish endeavors, Father Al has always reminded us of the importance of faith and of prayer,” said the parish council statement.

“In our pastor ’s absence, the parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary Church are resolved to continue his mission. We ask the community to pray for Father Al and for us,” it said.

Weekend Masses at Our Lady of the Rosary Church will continue to take place at their regularly scheduled times.

October 19, 2007

Diocesan requirements for reporting ministry-related sexual abuse of a minor

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

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

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

Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authority, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

October 19, 2007

around the diocese

Columbiette helps Crisis Control

Celebrating service

Courtesy Photo

Ruth Bailey (right), a member of the Columbiettes Council 8509 at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, presents a $128.55 check Sept. 24 to Kathy Hoffner, manager of Crisis Control Ministry’s East Forsyth office in Kernersville. Crisis Control Ministry is a Christian-based ministry that assists people in crisis to meet essential life needs and to become self-sufficient.

Bailey, who has volunteered with Crisis Control Ministry for 17 years, collects aluminum cans and donates the proceeds to the ministry.

She also organizes the Columbiettes’ “Highway Clean Up,” among other activities.

The Columbiettes is the women’s auxiliary group of the Knights of Columbus.

Knights of Columbus give funds to Catholic Daughters STATESVILLE — The Knights of Columbus have presented a check to the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

Knights of Columbus St. James Council 7152 raised $525 during a recent bake sale at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville.

The council presented a check to the Catholic Daughters court at the parish.

Headquartered in New York, the Catholic Daughters was founded in 1903 by John Carberry and several other

Knights of Columbus as a charitable, benevolent and patriotic sorority for Catholic women.

Today, the organization has nearly 95,000 members in 1,400 courts in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guam, Saipan and the Virgin Islands.

There are currently about 755 Catholic Daughters in North Carolina, representing 15 courts from Elizabeth City in the east to Bryson City in the west.

Attention Readers!

Have a Story to Share?

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Courtesy Photo

Knights of Columbus honor guards Joe Deering, Frank Skinner and Lloyd Edmonds are pictured during the 50th anniversary celebration of Bishop Hafey Council 4507 in High Point Oct. 6.

Knights of Columbus council celebrates 50 years in High Point HIGH POINT — A Mass followed by singing, dancing and reminiscing highlighted the 50th anniversary of Bishop Hafey Council 4507 of the Knights of Columbus.

The celebration began with Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point Oct. 6. Members of the North Carolina Knights of Columbus Chorale led the congregation in liturgical song.

After the Mass, a banquet and dance were held at the Women’s Club of High Point to honor current and past members, grand knights, chaplains and charter members. Special guests included John Gouldie, state deputy for the Knights.

Also present was Oblate Father Jack Kelly, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and the parish’s deacons, Deacons Walter Haarsgard, Thomas Kak, Joseph Smith and Fred Scarletto, council chaplain.

Grand Knight Bob Korabek spoke on the history and highlights of the progressive council, which has received

numerous awards over its 50 years. The council holds the outstanding record in fundraising for individuals with special needs through the Knights’ Operation L.A.M.B. program.

Gouldie presented the Star Council Award, the Knights supreme council’s highest honor, to the council for membership quotas and activity achievements for 2006-07.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal organization founded in the United States in 1882.

Most of its 1.6 million members are in the United States, but it has councils in Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan and Poland, as well.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on Bishop Hafey Council 4507, visit www.ihmchurch. org/KOC.htm.

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

If so, please share them with us.

Contact Staff Writer Karen Evans at (704) 370-3354 or kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

Courtesy Photo

Knights of Columbus State Deputy John Gouldie presents Bishop Hafey Council 4507’s past Grand Knight Frank Weithofer the Star Council Award during the council’s 50th anniversary celebration in High Point Oct. 6.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

Winds of change

Catholicos karekin ii

October 19, 2007

Armenian patriarch, interfaith leaders gather at Jefferson Memorial

By MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WA S H I N G T O N — D u r i n g Catholicos Karekin II’s visit to Washington Oct. 11, the wind whipping through the nation’s capital may have threatened to send hats and papers flying, but the commitment to religious freedom of interfaith leaders gathered with him at the Jefferson Memorial remained firmly grounded.

Standing in front of the memorial, the Armenian Apostolic Church’s reigning patriarch since 1999 and an assemblage of U.S. religious leaders gave tribute both to freedom of religious expression and to Thomas Jefferson, hailed as the United States’ guarantor of constitutional religious freedom for promoting the separation of church and state.

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past,” said Catholicos Karekin, quoting Jefferson through an interpreter.

Speaking for himself, he added that in guaranteeing religious freedom, “we do not reduce the rights of the one, or the established.”

He added there were 60 different “legally registered” religious groups now in Armenia, 95 percent of whose population are adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is an ancient and independent Oriental Orthodox church.

Catholicos Karekin had a White House visit scheduled shortly after the welcoming ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial.

A letter of welcome from Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, read by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin D. Holley, expressed the archbishop’s “spiritual solidarity” with Catholicos Karekin, who met with Pope John Paul II

in 2001 when the pope visited Armenia.

Americans, Archbishop Wuerl said, are “a people who recognize the sovereignty of God and God’s law in our personal and communal life.”

Archbishop Wuerl noted the “Catholic colony” of Maryland was created in 1634, and that it became “the first state to grant religious freedom to all its inhabitants.”

Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, took on a personal tone, recalling how Armenian-Jewish relations were fostered in his boyhood neighborhood by an Armenian family who lived near his home.

While he confessed that as a youngster he would hang out in the Armenian family’s kitchen in hopes of getting some tasty treats, the father of the family showed “a respect for a 10-yearold’s thoughts that was rare,” he said.

“Armenians must be the 10 lost tribes of Israel,” Rabbi Saperstein remembered the father saying once.

“We are a people small in number who love culture and art and excel in them. ... We excel in education. ... We embrace within our religious traditions the important freedoms that America has given us,” he said.

“Because we are created in the image of the divine,” Rabbi Saperstein said, “we are created with certain unalienable rights.”

Rajwant Singh, president of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, noted how the Armenian penchant for religious freedom for those of other faiths is replicated in the Eastern religious tradition.

“Religious freedom automatically allows religious diversity,” Singh said,

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Rabbi Arthur Schneier (right) adjusts the hood of Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as the wind blows during a press conference on religious freedom at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington Oct. 11. Also pictured are Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Church of America and Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Martin D. Holley of Washington. adding that since the first U.S. Sikh temple was build in 1914 more than 200 have been established.

Alluding to his canary-yellow turban, Singh said, “Every day I am challenged.”

Turban-wearing U.S. Sikhs often face scorn and derision and often are mistaken for Muslims in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks carried out by terrorists from Middle Eastern countries.

“9/11 has challenged America,” Singh added.

Still, he said, “I am able to wear my religious identity with pride, and still call myself an American ... and that

is only possible thanks to the vision of Thomas Jefferson.”

Sayyid M. Syeed, representing the Islamic Society of North America, quoted Jefferson as saying that America welcomes the practitioners of all manner of religious belief as well as “the infidels in its dominion.”

Maureen Shea, representing the Episcopal Church in America, praised what has been nearly a century of Episcopal-Armenian collaboration.

She identified Jefferson as an Episcopalian, adding that “like many, though, he had some disagreements with his church.”

October 19, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 9

catholicos karekin ii

Bishop Jugis welcomes Catholicos Karekin to Charlotte KAREKIN, from page 1

“You have come, your holiness, to Charlotte, which is known as the ‘city of churches.’”

— Bishop Peter J. Jugis

Christ into our home,” said Bishop Jugis during his welcoming remarks.

The presence of Catholicos Karekin, the reigning patriarch of Armenians worldwide since 1999, was part of his month-long pontifical visit to Armenian churches throughout the United States.

Catholicos Karekin’s U.S. tour took him to Washington Oct. 9, where he joined an assemblage of U.S. religious leaders at the Jefferson Memorial before a visit to the White House Oct. 11.

He spent the next few days in Charlotte, where he conducted a service at St. Sarkis Armenian Church Oct. 12.

The ecumenical luncheon at the Duke Mansion showcased many of the diverse faiths that comprise the Queen City.

Guests included Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin and Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Also in attendance were Right Rev. William O. Gregg, assistant bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina; Rabbi Murray Ezring of Temple Israel in Charlotte; and Rev. Gregory Busby, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.

Local community leaders included Charlotte City Councilwoman Nancy Carter and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman.

“You have come, your holiness, to Charlotte, which is known as the ‘city of churches,’” said Bishop Jugis.

“The new St. Sarkis Church is another welcome witness to the presence of Christ and his love in our community,” said the bishop.

Catholicos Karekin said that the spirit of brotherhood is “very obvious” in the United States and praised the country’s religious diversity.

And, as he did in Washington, Catholicos Karekin praised Thomas Jefferson, hailed as the United States’ guarantor of constitutional religious freedom for promoting the separation of

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Abbot Placid Solari (right) of Belmont Abbey greets Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, during an ecumenical luncheon sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte Oct. 12. Also pictured are Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (left) of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Bishop Peter J. Jugis. church and state.

Catholicos Karekin then referred to the bouquets of flowers adorning the tables as a metaphor for the Charlotte-area churches, both Armenian and others.

“The different churches are like these flowers,” he said, noting that the joining of many flowers made the bouquets more beautiful and appealing.

“Our churches put great effort to overcoming our differences and respecting each other and share our love of God,” he said.

The blessings resulting from such cooperation would multiply, he said, if nations and governments cooperate and understand each other.

People close to God The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of six of the Oriental Orthodox churches that split with Rome in the fifth century over formulas for expressing the nature of Christ. In agreements reached recently, those differences have largely disappeared.

Today the Armenian Apostolic Church and the much smaller Armenian Catholic Church are virtually identical in tradition, liturgy and spirituality. The main remaining difference is recognition of papal primacy.

In recent years, the Armenian Apostolic Church has improved its relations with the

Vatican. Catholicos Karekin welcomed Pope John Paul II at the airport during his 2001 visit to Armenia, and invited Pope John Paul to stay at his residence — a first in papal travels.

The Mass, at the Armenian Apostolic headquarters, made ecumenical history, too. It was the first time a pope had celebrated the liturgy on the main altar of a separated bishop.

Catholicos Karekin welcomed the pope from the altar at the start of the liturgy, then took a seat in the front row.

He did not take Communion, but joined the pontiff on the altar for the kiss of peace and a final blessing.

Pope John Paul said his presence was a “wonderful sign of our common faith.’’

“My own heart is eager to hasten the day when we shall celebrate together the Divine Sacrifice which makes us all one.

At this altar, which is your altar, I beg the Lord to forgive us our past failings against unity and to lead us to the love that overcomes barriers,’’ the pope said.

During the luncheon in Charlotte, Armenian-Americans said they were inspired by the supreme patriarch’s visit and words of religious tolerance and solidarity. They responded to his remarks with enthusiastic applause.

“These are the times that make you realize that no matter who tries to devour us through hatred, we are still here, full of love and compassion,” said Gregory Avedissian, a member of the Armenian Church of Atlanta, Ga., who attended the luncheon in Charlotte.

Ecumenical gatherings such as the luncheon in Charlotte help people of different faiths understand each other, said Avedissian.

“It’s the unknown factor that helps create hatred between people. When we get to know one another, animosity can disappear,” he said.

“These gatherings renew our faith and enrich the spirit. When you’re with people who are close to God, you feel closer to God,” said Avedissian.

Contributing to this article was Catholic News Service.

Catholicos Karekin favors House vote on WWI-era killings of Armenians by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — During an ecumenical luncheon at the Duke Mansion Oct. 12, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church spoke favorably about a U.S. House panel vote regarding the century-old deaths of Armenians.

Catholicos Karekin said he was pleased with the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s recent approval of a measure describing as genocide the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. Approved by a vote of 27-21 Oct. 10, the House panel will send the

measure to the full House for a vote. The Bush administration, fearing its passage would harm U.S. relations with Turkey — a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror — pressured Democratic leaders not to schedule a vote.

Although several Democrats have now withdrawn their support for the vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, DMd., said Oct. 16 that the plan remained to vote on the measure before Congress adjourns by the end of the year.

But, he added, “there are a number of people who are revisiting their own positions, and we’ll have to determine where everyone is,” he said.

Turkey denies the deaths constituted

genocide, saying that the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Catholicos Karekin said the House panel’s decision righted an injustice and helped relieve the “pain (Armenian) people have in their hearts” after more than 90 years since the killings.

It brings “consolation to the souls of the victims and the survivors,” he said.

The vote is important not just for Armenians but for all peoples, he said, to ensure such tragedy does not happen again.

Contributing to this article was the Associated Press.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, speaks during an ecumenical luncheon sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte Oct. 12.

Octber 19, 2007

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

Pope completes second encyclical, a meditation on Christian hope

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has completed his second encyclical, a meditation on Christian hope, Vatican sources said.

The text, tentatively titled “Spe Salvi” (“Saved by Hope”), is about 65 pages, sources said Oct. 16. No release date has been set for the document.

The working title comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, in which he wrote: “For in hope we have been saved.”

The encyclical is said to explore the Christian understanding of hope, with reference to modern philosophy and the challenges of disbelief.

The pope worked on the encyclical this summer, when he had time to write during his sojourns in northern Italy and at his villa outside Rome. At the same time, he was working on a third encyclical that deals with social themes, Vatican officials said.

The pope published his first encyclical in late 2006. Titled “Deus Caritas Est” (“God Is Love”), it called for

Vatican publishes collector’s edition of documents on Knights Templar VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican is publishing a collector’s edition of documents on the Knights Templar, the medieval crusading order that became the focus of legends and mysteries.

The book, published by the Vatican Secret Archives, will reproduce original parchment texts preserved in the Vatican, including a large folio discovered six years ago that details a papal investigation of the order.

Only 799 copies of the elaborate volume, titled “The Trial Against the Templars,” will be put on sale, according to the Scrinium publishing house, which publishes Vatican Archives’ material.

An 800th copy will be presented to Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 25 by a panel of Vatican officials, church historians and researchers.

The Knights Templar were founded in Jerusalem in 1118 and during the Crusades grew in influence and power. In the early 1300s, after an investigation ordered by Pope Clement V, the knights were charged with heresy and their assets seized. The pope eventually dissolved the order, and many members were burned at the stake.

Through the centuries, the story of the Knights Templar has been connected with the legend of the Holy Grail, the cup said to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper and which was believed to hold miraculous powers. Some believed the Knights Templar had discovered the grail and were holding it in Jerusalem — a legend that was elaborated upon in the popular novel “The Da Vinci Code.”

WORD TO LIFE

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

a deeper understanding of love as a gift from God to be shared in a self-sacrificial way.

The pope spoke about the importance of the virtue of hope in 2005, when he addressed Mexican bishops on their “ad limina” visits to Rome.

“Confronted by today’s changing and complex panorama, the virtue of hope is subject to harsh trials in the community of believers. For this very reason, we must be apostles who are filled with hope and joyful trust in God’s promises,” the pope told the bishops.

From a pastoral standpoint, he added, hope means reminding Christians that God never abandons his people and is alive and active in the world.

“In contemporary society, which shows such visible signs of secularism, we must not give in to despair or a lack of enthusiasm in pastoral projects,” he said.

In introducing a section on hope, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Sunday Scripture Readings: oCT. 28, 2007

Oct. 28, Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle C Readings: 1) Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm 34:2-3, 17-19, 23 2) 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 3) Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

God hears cries for help from contrite hearts by

SHARON K. PERKINS catholic news service

Years ago when I worked providing pastoral care in a psychiatric hospital, I learned about healthy and unhealthy behaviors that were observed by the hospital staff as markers of a patient’s progress or regression.

One of the more unfavorable signs was “attention-seeking” behavior.

Usually it meant that the patient, insecure and fearful, would eschew desirable tools of self-reliance for more manipulative means to get his or her emotional needs met by the staff, often at the expense of other patients.

Outside the confines of the hospital, there’s a maxim that’s frequently used to describe complainers who persist until they eventually get their way: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

When employed by those who believe that silent suffering is preferable to whining, the saying implies that relentless complaint and protest are devices used by the selfish, the immature and the egocentric.

It also implies that attention and service are in short supply, so one should compete for them in any way one can.

But sometimes the squeaky wheel really needs greasing. There are people whose situations are dire and whose complaints are truly justified. And — as indicated in today’s readings — those complaints are heard, and answered, by a God who “knows no favorites” but nonetheless responds with justice to the cries of widows, orphans and the poor.

And there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of God’s attention to those in distress; there’s plenty to go around.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers a parable that illustrates two kinds of attention-seekers. The Pharisee, taking the more conspicuous position in the Temple, trusts in his own devices by pointing out at the expense of others what he has done to deserve God’s notice.

But the tax collector, admitting his sinfulness and trusting in God’s compassion, prays in a way that truly gets God’s attention.

In his plea for mercy he avoids both extremes — he neither boasts of his virtue nor suffers in silence, but he approaches God with an attitude of confident humility.

When taken with Luke’s previous story of the complaining widow and the dishonest judge, this parable teaches the importance of meek but persistent prayer.

To God’s ears, a cry for help from a contrite heart is heard.

In God’s world, the squeaky wheel really does get the grease.

Questions: When was the last time you truly complained to God about something?

Was your complaint a selfish bid for attention or a cry for God’s justice and mercy?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “He who serves God willingly is heard” (Sirach 35:16).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of Oct. 21-27 Sunday (Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:2, Luke 18:1-8; Monday, Romans 4:20-25, Luke 1:69-75, Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday (St. John of Capistrano), Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19, 20-21, Luke 12:35-38; Wednesday (St. Anthony Mary Claret), Romans 6:12-18, Luke 12:39-48; Thursday, Romans 6:19-23, Luke 12:49-53; Friday, Romans 7:18-25, Luke 12:54-59; Saturday, Romans 8:1-11, Luke 13:1-9.

Scripture for the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 3 Sunday (Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 1618, Luke 18:9-14; Monday, Romans 8:12-17, Luke 13:10-17; Tuesday, Romans 8:18-25, Luke 13:18-21; Wednesday, Romans 8:26-30, Luke 13:22-30; Thursday (All Saints), Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12; Friday (All Souls Day), Wisdom 3:1-9, Romans 5:5-11, John 6:37-40; Saturday (St. Martin de Porres), Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29, Luke 14:1, 7-11.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

October 19, 2007

Actress who portrays saint has starring role in church’s fundraiser

by ROBERT PFOHMAN catholic news service

STAYTON, Ore. — What better way to roll out a fundraising effort to renovate your falling-down mission church than to ask the saint for whom the church is named to come to town to perform before a paying audience?

That’s what members of St. Catherine of Siena mission in Mill City did in late September when they invited Dominican Sister Nancy Murray to perform her dramatic portrayal of St. Catherine in neighboring St. Boniface Church in Sublimity.

The 97-year-old white wooden mission church in Santiam Canyon is under construction and was unable to host the event.

Before the performance, about 75 parishioners paid $100 each to attend a dinner at the Stayton home of Ted and Diane Freres.

Dressed in an old-fashioned Dominican habit, Sister Murray as St. Catherine speaks out against injustice in the church and world, a theme that resonates with modern-day audiences.

The saint also taught that love of God means love of one’s neighbor.

The real St. Catherine, a nurse and mystic, advised popes and princes on the issues of the day. She proved to be one of the sharpest theological minds in the 1400s, even though she lacked formal education.

The Italian-born visionary’s letters are considered among the most brilliant writings in the church. She died at age 33.

Over the past four years, Sister Murray’s dramatic recreation of the saint’s life has evolved into a full-time ministry for the vivacious 59-yearold, who is the sister of comedian Bill Murray.

Mill City parishioners were thrilled when they heard she would help them raise money to restore their church.

“She travels the world to bring St. Catherine of Siena to life, and now she has made time to help us bring our little Mill City church back to life,” one parishioner said.

The landmark mission church was “one windstorm away from collapse,” parishioners said. The old foundation

CNS photo by Gerry Lewin, Catholic Sentinel

Dominican Sister Nancy Murray, who portrays St. Catherine of Siena, is pictured in Oregon in late September. consisted of cement and rock-pier pads, causing the building to tilt and the floor to drop.

Also, the roof was rotting and the bell tower needed repairs.

Parishioners planned a two-phase, $400,000 restoration project. The first phase is funded.

Sister Murray’s performance was the kick-off for the second phase, projected to cost $150,000 to cover the addition of stained-glass windows and replacement of plywood pews and worn carpeting.

Sister Murray has a bachelor’s degree in theater from Dominican-run Barry University in Miami and a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Jesuit-run Loyola University of Chicago.

Her one-woman show got a boost recently from a story about her that appeared in the St. Anthony Messenger magazine written coincidentally by a former classmate, managing editor Barbara Beckwith.

The invitations poured in afterward and Sister Murray has been on the go ever since, performing around the world.

Raised in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, the surrogate saint comes from a family of entertainers. She has six brothers and two sisters. Besides Bill, three other Murray brothers support themselves and their families through acting and writing.

‘Amazed’ album by Catholic musician earns five Unity Awards PHOENIX (CNS) — New York Catholic musician Sean Clive let his fans know he would be traveling to the eighth annual Unity Awards in Phoenix.

He wrote on his Web site that he’d be “attending, presenting and maybe even receiving,” though, he added, there was “little chance” of that “but God only knows.”

He did a bit better than he ever expected.

His album “Amazed” won five Unity Awards at the Oct. 6 event, including pop/contemporary album of the year and song of the year for the title track.

The awards are sponsored by the Iowa-based United Catholic Music and Video Association.

“It’s nice to have other people supporting you,” said Clive, a music minister at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Utica, N.Y. “You don’t do it for that, but when you get support, it’s nice,” he said.

“Amazed” also walked away with best producer honors for David C. Smith and best album packaging.

Smith, who played almost all the instruments on the album, also shared the songwriter of the year award with Clive.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

October 19, 2007

around the diocese

A cross for a cathedral

Prominent Belmont Abbey monk dies of cancer

Father Paschal Baumstein remembered for gentle presence, love of theater

Courtesy Photo

Workmen are seen restoring the cross on top of the bell tower at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

The original cross, guilded in gold leaf, was installed in 1939 and has been restored to its original splendor.

Marching for Our Lady

BELMONT — Benedictine Father Paschal Baumstein of Belmont Abbey monastery died peacefully Oct. 4 after a long bout with cancer.

Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey celebrated a funeral Mass in the Abbey Basilica Oct. 8. Internment was in Belmont Abbey cemetery.

A native of Tullahoma, Tenn., Father Baumstein served as the abbey’s historian and chief archivist.

“He leaves behind a wonderful legacy and will be greatly missed,” said college spokesman Ed Jones. “He really was one of the most humble men I’ve ever met.”

Born to Jewish parents on Sept. 16, 1950, Father Baumstein was baptized into the Catholic faith at age 20. He entered the novitiate at Belmont Abbey in 1974 and made his first profession of vows June 5, 1975. He was ordained to the priesthood June 2, 1979.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Holy Apostles College, a master’s degree from Indiana University and a Master of Divinity from the St. Meinrad School of Theology. He received training in archival science at the Modern Archives Institute of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and became the first Benedictine admitted to the Academy of Certified Archivists.

On April 20, 2007, Father Baumstein was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Belmont Abbey College in recognition of his scholarly work and service to Belmont Abbey.

Father Baumstein was the biographer of the monastery’s first abbot, Bishop Leo Haid; he co-authored a pictorial history of Belmont Abbey, published numerous articles and booklets, and was book editor of the monastic periodical

Benedictine Father Paschal Baumstein Cistercian Studies Quarterly.

He was instrumental in having the Abbey Basilica placed on the National Register of Historic Places and having the central part of the abbey campus designated as a historic district.

Father Baumstein also served on the board of trustees of Belmont Abbey College.

He is perhaps best remembered at Belmont Abbey College for his rich knowledge and deep love of theater.

He was an avid supporter of the Abbey Players and played the title role in Hadrian VII. Generations of Abbey students were helped by his gentle presence and blessed by the many notes of encouragement and congratulations he unfailingly sent to students and friends. He was beloved as a treasured confessor and spiritual father.

Father Baumstein is survived by his mother; brother and sister-inlaw; niece; nephew and spouse; great nieces and nephews; and the monks of Belmont Abbey.

Memorials may be made in honor of Father Baumstein to the Abbey Players at Belmont Abbey College, 100 BelmontMount Holly Rd., Belmont, N.C. 28012.

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Above: Jean Forester, wife of Deacon Gordon Forester, permanent deacon at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, leads diocesan deacons and their wives in a rosary march to coincide with a worldwide rosary march celebrating the 90th anniversary of the first apparition of Mary to three young children in Fatima, Portugal. The march was part of the annual deacons and wives retreat, held at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Oct. 12-14.

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October 19, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 13

respect life

Judge encourages pro-life advocates at annual banquet PRO-LIFE, from page 1

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Bishop Peter J. Jugis leads prayer vigil participants in the recitation of the rosary outside the reproductive health clinic on Hebron Drive in Charlotte Oct. 17.

Bearing witness

Bishop Jugis takes part in pro-life events in Charlotte by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis recently joined thousands of Catholics participating in pro-life events in Charlotte during the inaugural “40 Days 4 Life Charlotte” campaign taking place Sept. 6–Nov. 4.

On Oct. 17, Bishop Jugis led the recitation of the rosary with prayer vigil participants outside the reproductive health clinic on Hebron Drive in Charlotte.

In the evening of Oct. 17, Bishop Jugis celebrated Mass at St. Ann Church in Charlotte to mark the halfway point in the 40-day vigil.

“We are mysteriously transformed by the Eucharist,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily. “Our will becomes more aligned with Christ’s will, which is to do the Father’s will.”

“Our affections become more aligned with Christ, making us compassionate towards our brothers and sisters,” the

bishop said. “If we have compassion for Jesus … then we also have compassion for our broken brothers and sisters.”

“This means compassion for the child in the womb whose life is in danger and compassion for the mother and the other family members who are confused and tragically end up making the decision to end the life of the child.”

The Mass gives a eucharistic form to our pro-life witness, the bishop said.

“The sacrifice of Christ nourishes an attitude of sacrifice in us, impelling us to make sacrifices to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in the womb,” Bishop Jugis said.

WANT MORE INFO? Call Andrea Hines at (704) 996-4597 or Jason Beckert at (704) 996-8258 or visit www.40days4life.com and click on “Locations” to access the 40 Days 4 Life Charlotte page.

Room at the Inn is a Catholic maternity home in Charlotte that offers pregnancy assistance for unmarried pregnant women and their babies, both born and unborn.

Napolitano is the youngest life-tenured Supreme Court judge in New Jersey’s history. During his talk, Napolitano discussed the difference between legal killing — such as, when a soldier kills an enemy combatant during wartime — and innocent killing, such as abortion.

“Killing a baby is always wrong — period,” said Napolitano.

Catholics have two duties when it comes to abortion, he said.

“The first duty of every Catholic is to pray for the aborted baby,” said Napolitano.

The second duty is to forgive those who killed them, he said.

“Forgiveness is the essence of every Christian,” said Napolitano.

Catholics must also be strong, he said, to “challenge those who are for abortion.”

This is especially true of elected officials and the voters who put them in office, said Napolitano.

“I reject the weak argument of politicians who personally oppose abortion but won’t lift a finger to stop it once in office,” said Napolitano. “And putting someone in office who favors

“Killing a baby is always wrong — period.”

— Judge Andrew Napolitano

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Judge Andrew Napolitano speaks during a Room at the Inn fundraising banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center Oct. 11. killing babies is not morally justified.”

Jeannie Wray, Room at the Inn’s executive director, agreed with Napolitano that abortion is a fight that must be fought “at many levels and in many different ways,” she said in an interview with The Catholic News & Herald.

“We are not all given the same opportunities or the same talents to bring to bear on this issue, but there are some things that anyone can do to combat the mindset that leads to abortion,” she said.

Wray said Catholics should fight the perception that women “have no choice” but to seek an abortion by assuring them that there are “life choices” available.

She recommended supporting programs that offer emotional, spiritual and material assistance to encourage women to choose life.

Wray recommended that Catholics “pray, and pray fervently the rosary.”

“Prayer is our most powerful weapon in this fight,” she said.

Pro-life advocates need to support each other in the cause, said Wray.

“The fight is difficult and long and requires so much from each of us — a kind word goes a long way,” she said.

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

Making a difference at the Inn

Since 1994, Room at the Inn’s residential program has served 412 mothers and children with pre-natal and post-natal services. And since their establishment in 2004, the outreach programs have served more than 2,212 mothers and babies.

Because studies have shown that 57 percent of all abortions are performed on college students, Room at the Inn has launched a new college outreach program, “Inn Good Company,” designed to meet the needs of pregnant college women.

For more information, visit www.rati.org or call (704) 525-4673.

October 19, 2007

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Finding the silence to hear God’s voice

Discipline needed to hear God’s message to us When Bryan Cones, associate editor of U.S. Catholic, decided to make an eight-day silent retreat, his mother was incredulous.

In an editor’s note in the August issue he reports her reaction: “You’re going to do what? And you are not going to talk the whole time?”

We all need to take time away from the busyness of modern life, Cones wrote, “to, well, shut up and listen for the voice of God, who is always trying to get through.”

Nevertheless, it is hard to be silent.

When I was an undergraduate at Marquette University, we had an annual silent retreat lasting several days.

Notwithstanding the strong urgings of the Jesuit retreat master, our silence lasted at best half a day.

I thought again about the challenge posed by Cones while hearing the Gospel reading about the visit Jesus made to the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). Martha, stuck with serving the guests while her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to him, complained.

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

But Jesus replied: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Yet, for most of us, it’s Martha’s concerns that take up every minute of the day: serving the guests, paying the bills, making a living, fulfilling obligations to spouse and family.

We are all called to listen to the Lord’s voice, but he is not going to walk through our front door. We can perhaps hear his voice in the silence of a retreat house, monastery or church.

We can certainly hear it, as Jesus taught us, in the cry of the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the lonely, the persecuted, the immigrant. We can also find God’s voice in their silence.

“The Sounds of Silence,” by Simon and Garfunkel, sings about “people talking without speaking, people hearing

Seeking Life MOISES SANDOVAL cns columnist

without listening, people writing songs that voices never share.”

It concludes: “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls, and whispered in the sounds of silence.”

But we can also find the voice of God in the silence of our own inner being. It is there, in the most convenient place, where we more often fail to look and listen.

It takes a discipline that most of us fail to develop.

Capuchin Father Jack Rathschmidt urged us during a retreat to take five minutes every day to sit down, do nothing and meditate. It is difficult because we are programmed to measure the success or failure of our day by the things we do.

While we may be able to sit down for five minutes, quieting the mind is far more difficult.

In his book “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” Jon Kabat-Zinn wrote that an incessant stream of thoughts flows through out minds leaving little respite for inner quiet: “Meditation means learning how to get out of this current and listen to it, learn from it, and use its energies to guide us rather than to tyrannize us.”

He describes meditation as mindfulness, living in the present moment.

It’s in the present moment that we hear the voice of God. Naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote, “God himself culminates in the present moment, and will never be more divine in the lapse of all the ages.”

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Catholics and money Tithing helps Catholics see how God provides My friend sat across from me on the couch as she told me how she began to tithe to her parish. I don’t know her very well, and I was surprised when she revealed this.

After all, we Catholics can be pretty tight-lipped when it comes to talking about money and faith.

“When I was married,” she said, “my husband was the type who would throw a dollar or two into the collection plate. After we divorced, I decided I’m going to tithe.”

Tithing is, of course, giving a certain amount, perhaps 10 percent, of what you have back to God. For Catholics, that usually means giving half to your faith community and half to charities which you support.

My friend said her commitment was frightening at first. She had the mortgage to pay by herself, and she felt the weight of being financially all alone for the first time in a while.

“But I decided, if I don’t plunge into it now, I’ll make excuses and never do it,” she said.

It’s been surprising, she added, how things always works out when the gift comes first, not last. It’s not, she said adamantly, like the television preachers who guarantee you financial success if you’re generous with them. No, not at all.

“But you begin to see all the blessings, and how God really does provide for you,” she marveled.

Tithing has a scriptural basis both in Genesis and Leviticus. Many Protestant churches stress it, but it’s not a very common practice in the Catholic Church — yet.

Catholics notoriously are less generous with their church than many of our Protestant friends.

I had a Catholic friend who was married to an Episcopalian woman. He told me, “When the collection plate goes around at my church, I see a lot of ones and fives. When I visit her church, I always see plenty of twenty dollars bills in the basket.”

Many Catholics balk at hearing

For the Journey EFFIE CALAROLA cns columnist

parish finances discussed on Sunday.

What family functions well if it doesn’t occasionally talk about the budget?

That attitude is changing in the church nowadays, however.

I recently returned from the International Catholic Stewardship Conference in Miami, Fla. There I met people from churches whose parishioners are deeply generous.

I even heard one group talk about their parish where most members tithe.

As a result, the parish is blossoming with involvement and wonderful programs as well as outreach into the community.

These parishes are updated on finances often in the bulletin, mail-outs and from the pulpit. They have a healthy attitude about the money that our church needs to do its mission in the world and to embrace the new evangelization.

Key to this is a sense of ownership and understanding about how money is spent.

Tithing, of course, is not some magic bullet or some arbitrary rule. But in general, it’s a good target.

At the conference, I even heard one woman talk about how her family continued to tithe even when her husband was laid off and they had to rely on her income. Their tithe was much less, of course, but they maintained the habit through their hard times.

How do people do that? They accept that they owe everything to God. Everything is a gift from God. So how can we balk at 10 per cent?

People who tithe realize too that a true gift involves sacrifice. That’s a tough concept for most of us — who give from our excess but rarely from our means.

October 19, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Human embryos: What have you done for me lately?

Left unchecked, indifference will lead to utilitarian attitude about all stages of life As New Jersey prepares for a vote on funding of embryonic stemcell research, and the issue heats up throughout the world, we should not let go of the important issue. And I really hope you don’t just roll your eyes and say to yourself, “Stem cells ... who cares?”

“Embryos ... who cares?”

It is easy to be indifferent to the issue — after all, we can’t see the embryo. We might even understand it to be some sort of less than human item, certainly not worth bothering about.

After all, right in front of us, we can see people who need our help — starving families in Africa, homeless in America, drug addicts, innocent people on death row, children who need clothes and shoes and help right now.

Shouldn’t we focus on these visible problems, and stop poking our noses into scientific research, where the church has no business?

Here’s the problem: By “harvesting” stem cells from embryos for our own benefit, we are saying the same thing when we abort babies — “we’re bigger than you and we count and you don’t.”

We are saying “might makes right” and to heck with our responsibility to

protect those who are vulnerable and need our loving care. I mean, some people actually see the developing baby as a parasite on the mother, rather than a child who just needs time and care to grow.

Don’t forget that at one time you and I were each a cell in our mothers’ wombs.

Let’s assume that we allow embryonic stem-cell research. What will we do if we determine we can grow the child in some artificial environment until it is about three or six months gestation and “harvest” it for spare parts? Will we allow this as well?

This “what-have-you-done-for-melately” callous attitude speaks volumes about our society and, if left unchecked, will lead to an increasingly utilitarian attitude about people at all stages of life.

Attitudes such as: “You’re old — so your usefulness to society has ended.”

“We’re not going to spend any more money on you, and once you’re really sick, we’ll either outright kill you, or encourage you to accept voluntary suicide under the disarming labels of mercy killing, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.”

I don’t know if anyone here re-

‘For I was hungry and you gave me no food’

Jesus’ followers should be aware of, concerned about world’s poor What did you do to commemorate Oct.16? What did your parish do?

Unfortunately, for the majority of Americans, that day came and went like most others.

But instead of going unnoticed, Oct.16 should roll off the tongue like July 4.

Why? Because Oct.16 is World Food Day, and food is even more important than political independence.

How can the vast majority of U.S. Christians ignore 850 million hungry human beings? How can followers of Jesus be unaware that on World Food Day — and every day — 25,000 men, women and children die from hunger and its related diseases?

If for no other reason than our eternal salvation, we had better take a closer look at the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. There we are warned that when we neglect to feed the hungry, we neglect to feed the Lord!

With all the pleas we get in our mailboxes from organizations serving the poor and hungry, it’s easy to claim “donor fatigue.”

But instead of feeling fatigued, we should feel blessed that the mailboxes holding those pleas are attached to decent houses with refrigerators full of food.

A few Sundays ago, we heard Jesus explain the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. You’ll recall that the rich man “feasted sumptuously every day” while at his gate lay Lazarus, who longed to eat just the scraps from the rich man’s table.

When they both died, the suffering Lazarus went on to eternal joy and the wealthy man ended up tormented in hell.

Now, the rich man never hurt Lazarus; he simply ignored him.

And so it is today. While relatively few Christians actually hurt the hungry, most believers just simply ignore them.

Commenting on that same parable, Pope Benedict XVI’s household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, spoke of its contemporary importance: “At the global level the two characters are the two hemispheres: The rich man represents the northern hemisphere (western Europe, North America, Japan) and the poor man, Lazarus, with a few exceptions, represents the southern hemisphere.”

The same stark contrast between rich and poor nations exists also within wealthy countries, said Father Cantalamessa, “and there are the poor Lazaruses who live side by side with the rich in the First World.”

Jesus is concerned with both rich and poor, said Father Cantalamessa, “and

Guest Column PAULA GLOVER guest columnist

members many years ago when Dick Lamm, former governor of Colorado, said: “We’ve got a duty to die and get out of the way with all of our machines and artificial hearts and everything else like that and let the other society, our kids, build a reasonable life.”

I wonder how he feels now that he’s 72. I’ll bet he’s not ready to lie down and “get out of the way.”

I’ll bet he believes his years of experience can be valuable. I’ll bet he wants to be treated with dignity and not like an economic unit for consumption by the society at large.

Too bad for all of those unborn human beings who just didn’t make it out of the test tube. We’re here and you’re not. At least until society says we’re too useless to keep around anymore.

Pay attention to this issue. Respect life is the bottom line. The life you save may be your own, and not in the way the embryonic stem-cell marketers have in mind.

Paula Glover is editor of The Monitor, newspaper of the Diocese of Trenton, N.J.

Making a Difference TONY MAGLIANO cns columnist

perhaps more with the rich since the poor are less in danger! ... God wants to save the rich from their wealth.”

Pope Benedict XVI recently said, “The hungry nations of the world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance.”

Most Americans have abundant wealth. We live well. The key question is: What do we do with our wealth?

Do we continue to buy more things we don’t really need? Or do we generously share our wealth with those who are hungry?

And even more importantly, do Americans act as responsible, compassionate world citizens, regularly urging our government officials to pass massive and comprehensive anti-hunger legislation?

To assist your efforts to help end global hunger, consider regularly supporting some of the many excellent organizations dedicated to world hunger relief.

With fervent prayer, tireless generosity and on-going legislative efforts, we can end hunger in this world and be welcomed in the next with the comforting words, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.”

Pope calls for greater effort to reduce poverty The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The extreme poverty in which millions of the world’s people live is an offense to their human dignity, Pope Benedict XVI said at his weekly general audience.

The pope marked the U.N.’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Oct. 17, just moments before he announced the names of the 23 churchmen he would induct into the College of Cardinals Nov. 24.

Focusing on the problem of poverty, the pope said, “The disparity between rich and poor is becoming more evident and disturbing, even within the most economically advanced nations.”

According to the United Nations, 980 million people live in “extreme poverty,” struggling to survive on less than $1 per day.

“This worrying situation calls on the conscience of humanity because the condition in which a great number of people live offends the dignity of the human person and consequently compromises the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community,” Pope Benedict said.

The pope asked people to “multiply efforts to eliminate the causes of poverty and the tragic consequences that derive from it.”

In his main audience address, Pope Benedict spoke about the life and ministry of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, a fourth-century Italian bishop and theologian.

The pope said St. Eusebius, a strong defender of the church’s teaching that Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine, was a strong evangelizer and a model bishop, concerned for all the people of his diocese, whether Catholic or not.

“The bishop of Vercelli governed his diocese with the witness of his life,” fasting, praying and living in community with his priests, the pope said.

The bishop and his priests “shared the problems of their fellow citizens and did so in a credible way, while at the same time cultivating a different citizenship, that of heaven,” he said.

Pope Benedict said St. Eusebius managed to create a Christian community in which he and his faithful learned to live in the world, but not to follow the shifting trends of the world. They knew, he said, that earth was not their final dwelling place.

The pope ended his remarks about the saint by quoting an exhortation he had written to the people of Vercelli, encouraging them to “make every effort to preserve the faith, to live in harmony and to be constant in the practice of prayer.”

October 19, 2007

respect life

The Catholic News & Herald 16

The gift of life Father’s stem cells provide new life for 3-year-old son

by DAVID MYERS catholic news service

DODGE CITY, Kan. — Three-yearold Andrew Mueting of Dodge City is a bright, happy-go-lucky, energetic little boy. But when he was 4 months old, doctors gave him a bleak prognosis.

Born with malignant infantile osteopetrosis, an exceedingly rare blood disorder that affects approximately 20 U.S. babies a year, Andrew was expected to spend his few years of life fighting anemia and infections, struggling with weak bones and eventual blindness and deafness.

Now, thanks to a new procedure that utilized his father’s adult stem cells, Andrew is expected to live a long, healthy life with few ill effects.

The troubles began for Nick and Paula Mueting soon after Andrew was born. He wasn’t growing, it was a struggle for him to eat and he had a bulge atop his head where most babies have a soft spot.

“He spent a week in a Wichita hospital,” said Nick Mueting. “They didn’t know exactly what was wrong.

They saw on a blood test he was slightly anemic.

“Finally they took some X-rays and realized that all of his ribs were fractured and his bones appeared very dense,” he said.

A radiologist looked at the films, recalled a very rare disorder she had studied in school, and diagnosed the illness.

“Against the doctor’s advice, we started researching osteopetrosis on the Internet,” Mueting said. “They warned us of the severity of the disorder, but we had to learn what we could do to help our little boy.”

Because the disease is so rare, there are only a few facilities in the country that treat it. One is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

It was there that Mueting learned of a machine created by a German scientist that would remove the T-cells from adult stem cells. T-cells can lead the body to reject the new, life-saving cells.

With the new treatment in mind — the only hope Andrew had for a cure — the Muetings moved temporarily to Memphis.

“Andrew had to go through eight

days of chemotherapy to completely wipe out his immune system,” Mueting said. “During the last five days of his treatment, I took a medicine that helped my body produce a lot of stem cells in my blood.

“At the end of that period ... I was hooked up to a machine for five hours as it extracted the stem cells from my blood.

The stem cells ran through this machine that pulled out the potentially harmful Tcells,” he said.

When the filtering was completed, 50 cubic centimeters of stem cells from Andrew’s father were injected into his blood.

“The doctor told me, ‘Here’s where the hard part begins,’” Mueting said.

Andrew then spent more than 50 days in a medically induced coma and nearly another month in intensive care.

The Muetings never left Memphis during those difficult days — days made much easier by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s unique ability to help families.

“St. Jude provided us temporary housing,” Mueting said. “They even have a ‘parent room’ with a couchlike bed right in the hospital. That’s where one of us stayed every night while the other slept in Andrew’s room.”

St. Jude also removes the stress of worrying about how families are going to pay the bills; the Muetings were able to concentrate entirely on their child.

It has been more than two years since the Muetings brought their son home from the hospital. During that time, the family has made close to 20 trips back to Memphis for follow-up care, and has devoted much time to helping Andrew fully recover through physical, occupational, speech and vision therapies.

Andrew is about to graduate to a sixmonth interval between checkups, which consist of bone scans, X-rays, lab work, therapy sessions and other tests; but the prognosis is very good.

“Our families have helped us so much to make sure that Andrew didn’t miss a beat,” Mueting said. “He’s really a bright kid; it’s truly amazing. He remembers just about everything. Ask him to sing a song and he’ll sing it for you. He knows the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors. Intelligencewise, it hasn’t slowed him down a bit.”

CNS photo by David Myers, Southwest Kansas Register

Nick and Paula Mueting are pictured with their 3-year-old son, Andrew, outside their home in Dodge City, Kan., in late September. Andrew was diagnosed with malignant infantile osteopetrosis, an exceedingly rare blood disorder. Thanks to a new procedure using his father’s stem cells, Andrew is expected to live a long, healthy life.