Sept. 10, 2021

September 10, 2021

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

Judge rules for ex-substitute teacher who opposed Church teaching, claims sex discrimination 3

Schools respond to changing pandemic conditions

A reflection of faith

High Point parishioners update historic church to mark 80th anniversary 6-7

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INDEX

Contact us.....................................4 Español....................................... 12-17 Events calendar............................4 Our Faith........................................2 Our Parishes............................ 3-9 Schools........................................ 10 Scripture readings................. 2, 17 TV & Movies..................................11 U.S. news.................................18-19 Viewpoints.............................22-23 World news............................ 20-21

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INSIDE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS AT-HOME GUIDE: A Eucharistic-themed special supplement for families GUÍA DEL CONGRESO EUCARÍSTICO PARA EL HOGAR: Suplemento familiar especial de tema Eucarístico

Our Lady of Mercy, Franciscans part ways after 34 years with grateful celebration 9 Franciscanos dejan Nuestra Señora de la Merced después de 34 años 12

Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Exaltation of the Holy Cross Pope Francis

Through baptism, all Christians are united and equal in Christ

T

here is no place for discrimination or divisive distinctions among people who believe in Christ, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience.

That everyone is made new and equal in Christ overcomes all ethnic, economic and social differences, even between the two sexes, “establishing an equality between man and woman which was revolutionary at the time and which needs to be reaffirmed even today,” he said Sept. 8 to those gathered in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican.

“How many times we hear expressions that denigrate women,” he said, adding that even today women experience a kind of slavery in which “women do not have the same opportunities as men.”

The pope continued his series of talks on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians by looking at what faith in Christ brings.

With faith and baptism, people become new creatures, “clothed” with Christ and children of God in Christ, the apostle writes. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The pope said this shows how “baptism, therefore, is not merely an external rite. Those who receive it are transformed deep within, in their inmost being, and possess new life” with an identity that is so new “that it prevails over the differences that exist on the ethnic-religious level” and social and economic levels.

St. Paul’s teaching was “shocking” and “revolutionary” at a time when distinctions, for example, between slaves and free citizens “was vital in ancient society,” he said. “By law, free citizens enjoyed all rights, while the human dignity of slaves was not even recognized.”

The same thing is happening to many people in the world today, “who do not have the right to eat, who do not have the right to education, who do not have the right to work. They are the new slaves. They are the ones who live on the margins, who are exploited by everyone” and whose human dignity is denied, he said.

“Equality in Christ overcomes the social differences between the two sexes, establishing an equality between man and woman,” he said, calling for a reaffirmation of this truth.

Therefore, “it is decisive even for all of us today to rediscover the beauty of being children of God, to be brothers and sisters among ourselves, because we have been united in Christ, who redeemed us,” he said.

Differences and conflicts caused by separation “should not exist among believers in Christ,” he said.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sept. 14 celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The basilica, named the Martyrium, and the shrine, named the Calvarium, were destroyed by the Persians in 614.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre which now stands on the site was built by the crusaders in 1149.

Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb.

During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.”

To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to

“Discovery of the True Cross”

by Agnolo Gaddi (c. 1380s), a fresco in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority – including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods.

Although believers spoke of the cross as the instrument of salvation, it seldom appeared in Christian art unless disguised as an anchor or the Chi-Rho until after Constantine’s edict of toleration.

More than anything else, however, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a celebration and commemoration of God’s greatest work: His salvific death on the Cross and His Resurrection, through which death was defeated and the doors to heaven opened. As the entrance antiphon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross states: “We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through Him we are saved and made free.”

— CNA/EWTN and AmericanCatholic.org

‘How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life.’

St. Theodore the Studite

Daily Scripture readings SEPT. 12-18

Sunday: Isaiah 50:4c-9a, James 2:1418, Mark 8:27-35; Monday (St. John Chrysostom): 1 Timothy 2:1-8, Luke 7:1-10; Tuesday (The Exaltation of the Holy Cross): Numbers 21:4b-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17; Wednesday (Our Lady of Sorrows): 1 Timothy 3:14-16, John 19:25-27; Thursday (Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian): 1 Timothy 4:12-16, Luke 7:36-50; Friday (St. Robert Bellarmine): 1 Timothy 6:2c-12, Luke 8:1-3; Saturday: 1 Timothy 6:13-16, Luke 8:415

SEPT. 19-25

Sunday: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20, James 3:164:3, Mark 9:30-37; Monday (Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions): Ezra 1:1-6, Luke 8:16-18; Tuesday (St. Matthew): Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13, Matthew 9:9-13; Wednesday: Ezra 9:5-9, Tobit 13:2-4, 7-8, Luke 9:1-6; Thursday (St. Pius of Pietrelcina): Haggai 1:1-8, Luke 9:7-9; Friday: Haggai 2:1-9, Luke 9:18-22; Saturday: Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15a, Jeremiah 31:10-13, Luke 9:43b-45

SEPT. 26-OCT. 2

Sunday: Numbers 11:25-29, James 5:1-6, Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48; Monday (St. Vincent de Paul): Zechariah 8:1-8, Luke 9:46-50; Tuesday (St. Wenceslaus, St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions): Zechariah 8:20-23, Luke 9:51-56; Wednesday (Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, John 1:47-51; Thursday (St. Jerome): Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12, Luke 10:1-12; Friday (St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus): Baruch 1:15-22, Luke 10:13-16; Saturday (The Holy Guardian Angels): Baruch 4:5-12, 2729, Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Our parishes

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Bishop announces theme for diocese’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022 PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte will commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2022, and organizers are already looking ahead to a year full of celebrations.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis has chosen the following theme for the anniversary: “Faith more precious than gold.”

It is taken from 1 Peter 1:7, which states: “so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

“Gold is recognized as a precious commodity, but even more precious to us is the gift of our Catholic faith,” Bishop Jugis noted in a recent letter to clergy announcing the theme. “This coming year is a historic occasion to inspire our parishioners and the larger community to a closer relationship with the Lord.”

The Charlotte diocese was formally established on Jan. 12, 1972, when Bishop Michael Begley was ordained and installed as the first Bishop of Charlotte. The diocese was carved out of the Diocese of Raleigh – splitting North Carolina into two dioceses, each with about 30,000 Catholics at the time. Now, the Charlotte diocese numbers

more than 515,000 Catholics, making it one of the fastest growing dioceses in the United States.

“An anniversary is a fitting time to reflect prayerfully and joyfully on our past, our present, and our future,” Bishop Jugis wrote in his letter.

“The Catholic faith has deep roots in western North Carolina, beginning long before the founding of the diocese. Thanks to the sacrifices, hard work, and devotion of countless missionary priests, consecrated men and women religious, and faithful lay men and women, the diocese was born and has flourished.”

Anniversary plans are still being formulated, but celebrations will kick off with an opening Mass at St.

Charlotte hosts clergy from Atlanta Province for assembly CHARLOTTE — Approximately 100 priests and all of the bishops of the province attended the 2021 Provincial Assembly of Bishops and Priests Aug. 23-25, hosted by the Diocese of Charlotte.

The assembly is held approximately every two years, with the dioceses of the Atlanta Province – Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah and Raleigh – taking turns as host.

Michael Gormley, founder and creator of LayEvangelist.com and producer and cohost of the “Catching Foxes” podcast, was the presenter. He delivered several talks about “Christus Vivit” (“Christ is Alive”), Pope Francis’ 2019 post-synodal apostolic exhortation on young adult and youth ministry.

During an Aug. 24 Mass, Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmeyer PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JAMES SARKIS AND FATHER BENJAMIN ROBERTS encouraged the clergy to follow the Bishops of the Atlanta Province gathered with clergy for Mass Aug. 24 at St. examples of St. Bartholomew and St. Patrick Cathedral, during their biennial Provincial Assembly of Bishops and Priests.

Philip – responding to God’s call in Michael Gormley, founder and creator of LayEvangelist.com and producer and their own lives and then sharing the cohost of the “Catching Foxes” podcast, was the presenter during the three-day Gospel with others, especially young conference. people. we were born, and He The Mass on the Feast of St. remains present in Bartholomew, also called Nathaniel, our lives,” Archbishop was offered at St. Patrick Cathedral in Hartmeyer said. “He Charlotte. is with us in our most Although we know little about St. effective moments and He Bartholomew, he was chosen by God is with us when we make before he was born to bear witness to a mess of things.”

God’s glory, Archbishop Hartmeyer All of us are called to said, reflecting on the passage from holiness, to join in the Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you vision of the apostles, he in the womb I knew you, before you said. were born I dedicated you, a prophet “Our loving God wants to the nations I appointed you.” to show us the great The apostle’s call to follow Jesus things that Nathaniel saw, – just as with their own calling – is a He wants us to see Him in wonderful mystery, he told the clergy the breaking of the bread, present. in the sick and forgotten, “It’s a mystery that we participate in the troubled and in the sinful. He wants us to see in, both as baptized and as ordained,” he said. each other, in each other, especially those whom we Sometimes it involves introducing others to dislike.”

Christ, especially a young person who thinks “The God who knit us in our mother’s womb, who they are called to ministry. Sometimes it means knows us intimately, is always waiting for us, to encountering Christ personally in a deeper way and respond to His call.” then motivating others to “come and see.”

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor “The Lord has known each of us since before

Patrick Cathedral on Jan. 12, 2022. The 2022 Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress will also be a key opportunity for anniversary celebrations.

Events and programs throughout the year will highlight our shared faith and history, and our diocese’s diversity and progress. Plans also include a diocese-wide campaign to inspire “50 Acts of Charity” throughout western North Carolina.

The planning effort is being led by Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor.

“It is worth noting that this golden anniversary celebration is not about the diocese as a Church structure,” Bishop Jugis said. “As the Holy Father’s apostolic delegate said during the installation Mass for the Most Reverend Michael J. Begley, the first Bishop of Charlotte, ‘...the administrative apparatus is not an end in itself, but a means to a higher objective. A diocese is established to unite the faithful in the bond of faith, of charity, of grace and Christian fellowship.’”

Though the presence of the Catholic faith in western North Carolina pre-dates the founding of the diocese in 1972, he said, the anniversary year is an opportunity to “give thanks to Almighty God for His many blessings and to grow closer as brothers and sisters in the faith.”

Judge rules for ex-substitute teacher who opposed Church teaching, claims sex discrimination CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Legal action continues in the case of a former substitute teacher who sued Charlotte Catholic High School, the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system, and the Diocese of Charlotte, claiming his civil rights were violated when the high school decided to stop calling him for substitute teaching work.

Lonnie H. Billard, a retired drama teacher at the high school, alleges in a 2017 federal lawsuit that he was removed from the school’s list of substitute teachers in 2014 because he announced his plans on Facebook to marry his male partner – and because “he is a man who intended to – and did – marry another man.”

The diocese argues the employment action was taken not because of Billard’s sexual orientation but because his announcement on Facebook constituted public advocacy against the Catholic Church’s teaching about marriage – violating the terms of his employment.

Like all religious schools, the diocese says Catholic schools have the right to employ teachers who will support the Church’s mission, including its doctrine on marriage, and cannot be compelled to employ a teacher who publicly opposes those teachings.

Last week, on Sept. 3, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Max Cogburn sided with Billard, ruling that the high school, the school system and the diocese violated the prohibition against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The judge found that Billard “received a harsher punishment than if he had simply expressed positive views of same-sex marriage as a straight person,” and thus was treated differently because of his sex.

He ordered the case be sent to trial to determine appropriate relief for Billard.

The diocese responded that it disagreed with the decision and was considering next steps, which could include an appeal.

“This case is not about sexual orientation or sex discrimination – it’s about Catholic schools having the freedom to employ people who support – or at least won’t publicly oppose – the religious message the schools seek to convey to students,” attorney Josh Davey, whose firm Troutman Pepper is representing the diocese, told the Catholic News Herald.

“Religious schools have the well-established right under the First Amendment, federal law and case law to employ people who LAWSUIT, SEE PAGE 8

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: SEPT. 10 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem SEPT. 14 – 11 A.M. Presbyteral Council Meeting Diocesan Pastoral Center

SEPT. 18 – 5:30 P.M. Mass for the 17th annual virtual Eucharistic Congress St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte (also livestreamed)

SEPT. 23- 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mocksville

SEPT. 19 – 11 A.M. Mass for the 17th annual virtual Eucharistic Congress St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte (also livestreamed)

SEPT. 25 – 10 A.M. Diaconate Ordination St. Mark Church, Huntersville

Diocesan calendar of events September 10, 2021

CONFERENCES

Volume 30 • NUMBER 25

RESPECT LIFE CONFERENCE: 9-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrews Place, Swannanoa. This conference is open to all parish Respect Life coordinators and all who are involved in pro-life work in the Diocese of Charlotte. For details and registration, email Jessica Grabowski at jrgrabowski@ charlottediocese.org or go online to www.ccdoc.org/ respectlife.

1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

704-370-3333 PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

ESPAÑOL UNA VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN POR LA PAZ Y LA JUSTICIA EN NICARAGUA: Los jueves a las 6 p.m., nos reunimos en la Catedral San Patricio para, que en estos últimos meses está pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario y la corona de adoración y reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel. La vigilia de oración es en español. Las próximas fechas serán Sept. 16, 23 y 30.

VIGILIA DE LOS DOS CORAZONES: Primer viernes y sábado del mes, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Únase cada primer viernes del mes a una vigilia nocturna para honrar los Corazones de Jesús y María, orar por nuestras familias, ofrecer penitencia por nuestros pecados y pedir por la conversión de nuestra nación. Para inscribirse a una hora de Adoración, visite www.ProLifeCharlotte.org/ dos-corazones.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

RETURN TO GOD PRAYER MINISTRY: 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, Veterans Park, 201 Huntersville-Concord Road, Huntersville. Come pray at this peaceful, public prayer event with members of the St. Mark Church community.

All are welcome. For details, go to www.returntogodnow. com.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD PARISH MISSION: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26-Wednesday, Sept. 29, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Featuring Father Joseph Aytona, CPM. Mission is open to all, but specifically geared towards women of all ages.

Confessions will be available before and after each night.

For details, call 704-549-1607.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

HEALED AND RESTORED MINISTRY: 7-8:30 p.m., last Monday of the month beginning Sept. 27 until March 28, at St. Mark Church Kerin Center, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. Seven-week Growth and Empowering Program for women. Through prayer, guided exercises, testimony and professional programming, women will experience the true feminine genius as God intended for each of His beloved daughters. For details, visit www.healedandrestored.org and click on “Growth and Empowering Walk” to fill out an interest form or contact Elza Spaedy at info@healedandrestored.org.

33-DAY CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH: Consider

FILE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Mary’s Sons kneelers make their way around diocese CHARLOTTE — Parishioners around the Diocese of Charlotte have the opportunity to pray for our two transitional deacons, Deacon Darren Balkey and Deacon Aaron Huber, on the special Mary’s Sons kneelers that they will receive when they are ordained June 18, 2022.

Here is the upcoming schedule for the kneelers as they are moved to parishes around the diocese this fall: n Sept. 6-13: St. Joseph Church, Bryson City n Sept. 13-27: St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley n Sept. 27-Oct. 11: St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville, and Immaculate Conception Mission, Canton n Oct. 12-18: St. Joan of Arc Church, Candler n Oct. 18-24: St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Mars Hill, and Sacred Heart Mission, Burnsville For more information about Mary’s Sons kneelers, go online to www.MarysSons.org.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter making a consecration to St. Joseph using “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” by Father Donald Calloway, MIC. Starting the 33-day series of prayers on Thursday, Sept. 30, would conclude on Monday, Nov. 1, All Saints Day. Learn more at www. yearofstjoseph.org.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: First Fridays and First Saturdays, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. The next vigil will be Oct. 1-2. Join each First Friday through First Saturday of the month in an overnight vigil to honor the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to offer penance and pray for the conversion of our nation. To sign up for Eucharistic Adoration times, go to www.ProLifeCharlotte.org/two-hearts.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING “Protecting God’s Children” (“Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios”) workshops educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register for training, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are: CHARLOTTE: 7-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 and Oct. 18, St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road (Meet in the

Fellowship Hall) GREENSBORO: 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Sept. 11, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road (video conference session) SWANNANOA: 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrews Pl. (Meet in the overflow seating area in the Ed Building) SUPPORT GROUPS RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for men and women in the diocese. For details: Jackie Childers at 980241-0251 or Jackie.childers1@gmail.com, or Jessica Grabowski at 910-585-2460 or jrgrabowski@charlottediocese.org.

IS YOUR PARISH OR SCHOOL hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

A PRIEST FOREVER

Sept. 25-26 collection funds priests’ retirement and benefits SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — The annual diocesan collection to fund the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Plan will be taken up in all parishes the weekend of Sept. 25-26.

This collection provides for the future pension and retiree health benefits of the 108 priests from our diocese, other dioceses and religious order priests serving the Church in western North Carolina. An additional 25 retired priests benefit from this collection.

“The Diocese of Charlotte provides health care and other assistance that helps our retired priests so they may continue to live their vocations serving in the 92 parishes and missions throughout our diocese,” said Bishop Peter Jugis in his annual letter announcing the collection.

“These 25 retired priests, who each average more than 40 years of priestly ministry, can still be found visiting the sick and imprisoned, praying daily for the people they serve, giving of their time to help with confessions, and celebrating Mass in parishes throughout the diocese,” he noted.

Contributions will help fund the Diocese of Charlotte Priests Pension Trust, the Diocese of Charlotte Retired Priests Health Plan Trust, and the retirement programs of the religious orders and other dioceses that are providing priests to serve in our parishes.

The goal for the priests’ retirement and benefits collection for 2021 is $1.5 million.

The goal is comprised of: 75 percent for pension contributions to diocesan priests’ retirement plans and retirement benefits expenses for retired diocesan priests’ health plans; 17 percent for pension contributions for religious order priests’ retirement plans; 5 percent for administrative fees; and 3 percent for fundraising costs.

The amount assessed each parish is 3 percent of its annual offertory income. In most parishes, the assessment amounts to 20 percent more than the weekly Sunday offertory.

Many people contribute to this collection during the offertory at Mass, but reduced in-person Mass attendance due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic could mean fewer donations to this critical fund.

People are also being encouraged to give online, mail in their donations, or drop them off at their parish offices.

“If you are unable to attend Mass the weekend of Sept. 26, please consider making a gift by mailing in your contribution or making a gift online, Bishop Jugis noted in his letter. “These men remain ‘A Priest Forever’ and now we can respond with gratitude.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAOLA SCILINGUO-MENDOZA

During National Vocation Awareness Week 2018, Father Bob Ferris spoke about his vocation to the priesthood with students at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro.

‘Padre dad’ remains active in retirement SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

GREENSBORO — Father Bob Ferris officially retired in 2014.

Yet this former pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory is still going strong, now serving the Church near his home in the Triad.

“I put 6,500 miles on my car before the COVID-19 pandemic,” Father Ferris says.

He regularly celebrates Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church, St. Pius X Church and other parishes in the Triad. Most recently he filled in at St. Paul the Apostle Church when the pastor, Father Joseph Mack, was on medical leave.

Father Ferris, 83, whose email handle is “padredad,” was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte 20 years ago by then-Bishop William G. Curlin.

A late-in-life vocation, he entered the seminary at 59, many years after his beloved wife Mary Kay passed away. He has six grown children, four of whom are now married, and 10 grandchildren.

In a 2014 interview with the Catholic News Herald about his retirement, Father Ferris acknowledged his late vocation was unusual, but his family has always supported his desire to serve the Church. And, he jokes, “my kids call me ‘Father Father’ or ‘Father Squared.’”

Now retired for seven years, Father Ferris says he can devote more time to his family and his new hobby of woodworking.

“I am busy, but I have time to do other things. Now I have more time to get to know my kids,” he explains. “It was a hard decision to go away from the kids and go to seminary (all those years ago).”

Now that he owns a home in Greensboro, near most of his adult children and their families, he is making the most of retired life with his family.

Father Ferris says they also get to benefit from his woodworking hobby. “I always loved carpentry. I make tables and furniture in my spare time for my kids and myself.”

Lest you think this retired priest spends hours among the

Retired priests like Father Bob Ferris remain active long after retiring from parish ministry. Father Ferris provides spiritual direction, leads mini-retreats and gives talks, makes monthly house calls to bring homebound parishioners Holy Communion, and offers Mass at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point. wood shavings, he runs through a list of all of the wonderful things he has been called to do even after his official retirement – such as providing spiritual direction, leading mini-retreats at parishes, giving talks to men’s clubs, assisting at Cursillo retreats, making monthly house calls to bring homebound parishioners Holy Communion and hear confessions, and occasionally celebrating Mass at the Pennybyrn at Maryfield retirement community and assisted living center in High Point.

“I’m still doing priestly ministry, but not with the administration,” he explains. “It’s my choice (to remain so active), no one forces me to do that. I do it because God calls me. He’s given me good health. I enjoy it!”

Donate online Go to your parish’s website if your parish offers online giving, or give online at www.charlottediocese.org/donate (click on “Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection”).

Gifts made through the diocesan website will be credited to your parish.

For more information, see page 24.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 OUR PARISHES

History of Christ the King Parish Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve African-American Catholics in High Point and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition.

Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, N.Y., to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940.

Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness on Dec. 14, 1941.

During the 1940s and into the ’50s, the Christ the King faith community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950.

The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became more culturally diverse over time. A stainedglass window behind the choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four people representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish’s community today.

Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recall of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close by 1981. The diocese’s Education Office converted the school for use as a day-care center in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day-care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.

Upon the friars’ leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath was appointed to Christ the King Church.

Many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual, educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish have assisted its growth.

Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study, to learn English as a second language, to put their faith into action in the local community, and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners, and the parish’s African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region.

The Women’s Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry.

The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish.

— Christ the King Parish

Pastors Father Bernardine Watson, S.A. 1941-1946 Father Pius Keating, S.A. 1947-1948 Father Bartholomew Paytas, S.A. 1949-1952 Father Stephen Sullivan, S.A. 1952-1954 Father Ignatius McDonough, S.A. 1954-1955 Father Robert O’Farrell, S.A. 1955-1961 Father Bernardine Watson, S.A. 1961-1964 Father Xavier Butler, S.A. 1964-1967 Father Adrian Ramanauskas, S.A. 1967-1974?

Father Peter Tomaino, S.A. 1977?-1985 Father Martin Madison, S.A. 1986-1987 Father Mark Traenkle, S.A. 1988-1989 Father Martin Madison, S.A. 1990-1993 Father John Hoover 1993-1994 Father Phillip Kollithanath 1994-1997

(parochial administrator), 1997-2011 (pastor) Father Gnanapragasam Mariasoosai 2011-2017 Father Joseph Dinh 2017-present

PHOTOS BY JOE THORNTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter Jugis joined the celebration at Christ the King Church in High Point Aug. 29, commemorating the church’s 80th anniversary year and blessing a large outdoor Marian grotto and eight new stained-glass windows featuring images of saints.

A reflection of faith High Point parishioners update historic church to mark 80th anniversary ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

HIGH POINT — The late-summer sun permeated Christ the King’s new stained-glass windows the morning of Aug. 29, imbuing the High Point church with a kaleidoscope of colors that reflect the diversity of the saints portrayed – St. Martin de Porres, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of La Vang – and the parishioners themselves.

“I cannot describe the beautiful melting pot that we have,” said longtime parishioner Dr. John McKinney, who sponsored the St. John Paul II/Divine Mercy window with his wife Linda. “We literally feel like family. You see the colors of their skins and differences in their appearance, but inside we’re the same.

We just feel so unified; there is such love.

To see all the cultures represented in the stained glass just makes it even sweeter.”

Hearts were clearly stirring on this poignant and celebratory day. For the first time since the pandemic began, the parish family gathered in the church

for Sunday Mass, having previously worshiped in the gym to comply with social distancing norms.

The parish also welcomed Bishop Peter Jugis, who offered Mass with Father Joseph Dinh, pastor, as concelebrant in the newly renovated church. Bishop Jugis also blessed the windows and the new Marian grotto in the courtyard, where additional parish families and friends were seated for the celebration.

Deacon Emmanuel Ukattah and three altar servers also assisted during the multilingual liturgy featuring English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The parish choir, which included members of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, led the congregation in hymns, as did the Hispanic choir and musicians.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the colonial-style church’s dedication on Dec. 14, 1941.

EUCHARISTIC PEOPLE

Amid the backdrop of a freshly painted sanctuary featuring intricate stone inlays, Bishop Jugis explained in his

homily the significance of the occasion.

“We come in thanksgiving to God for the innumerable graces that God has bestowed upon us through these 80 years in this place, in these pews, at this altar, all to help us grow in holiness,” he said. “In Old Testament times, it was the custom to celebrate each year a feast to commemorate the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, and now for us in New Testament times, we continue that custom by celebrating anniversaries of the dedication of our sacred buildings.”

Bishop Jugis outlined three reasons a church is dedicated. The first is to set it aside as a place of worship of Almighty God. That is why Bishop Eugene McGuinness specifically came to High Point 80 years ago to dedicate this building, he explained –providing a place for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “Where would we be without the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist: His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity?”

The second reason a church exists is REFLECTION, SEE PAGE 7

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

REFLECTION FROM PAGE 6

for the sanctification of its parishioners, he said. The bishop noted that one grows in holiness gradually and that life involves constant conversion or dying to self and selfish desires. Otherwise, one may stop progressing and even regress spiritually.

He also emphasized the importance of a pure heart above all else, connecting it to the Gospel reading (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) about the Pharisees who were preoccupied with the worldly purification rituals instituted by men. Jesus explained that sin is what defiles, and it originates in the heart.

“You have to remember that the goal of our life, ultimately, is to spend eternity with God forever in heaven,” Bishop Jugis said. “The church building is a dedicated and sacred place where the sacraments root out evil from within.”

Third is the importance of the church’s physical presence in the community, a place the people of East High Point can see as they drive by. The church is there to show that there are Catholics serving and evangelizing the community. From there, Catholics go into the community to explain and live the truths of our faith, he said. “Many people in our society today are so confused about the important moral issues, and we need to bring the truth to them, always in love and charity,” he added, noting examples such as “every innocent little child has an absolute right to life” and that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

WINDOWS INTO THE FAITH

Physical presence is an important aspect of the Catholic faith, and the updated appearance of Christ the King Church has enhanced its role as a beacon of faith and hope in the community. The new stainedglass windows replaced clear windows that had yellowed and offered little protection from the sun. Images of the saints now beautify the windows and are visible both inside and out.

The eight new windows created by BL/ Salem Stained Glass Co. depict Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph, St. John Paul II, St. Francis, St. Patrick, St. Martin de Porres, Our Lady of La Vang and St. Catherine of Siena. They are the result of generous donations from seven parish families and are dedicated to special people in their lives.

Stained-glass featuring Christ the King has adorned the front of the church since 1990.

The Marian grotto and stone sanctuary involved donations from parishioners, as well as Nguyen Brothers Construction, which donated supplies and labor.

The grotto is dedicated to Susan Hoover, who petitioned Bishop McGuinness more than 80 years ago for a church to be built for black Catholics in the community.

Before the construction of the church, Mass was celebrated in her family’s funeral home. Today, the parish family includes people from Vietnam, Rwanda, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan as well as Americans of Hispanic, African, Irish and Polish descent, among others.

In a recent interview, Father Dinh – whose family fled Vietnam for the United States to escape persecution – talked about the history of the church and its

stained-glass windows. “The main purpose was to teach people – to illustrate and to teach people – about the teachings of Jesus Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the life of Jesus. Here, the windows are conversation starters, because with St. John Paul II, for example, you could start talking about Divine Mercy.”

Just ask Dr. McKinney to explain why he and his wife chose the Polish pope: “In honor of our devotion to Divine Mercy and my all-Polish mother,” he said. “Linda and I say the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the rosary every night. I say a decade of my rosary in Polish, as well as ‘Jezu ufam Tobie,’ which is Polish for ‘Jesus, I Trust in You.’ In honor of all my parents and grandparents, I say the first decade of my rosary in English, second in Latin, third in Polish, fourth in Irish, fifth in German – so that covers all the nationalities.”

At 91, Gilbert Carter is the oldest parishioner and unofficial historian of Christ the King Parish. He has a lifetime of stories to tell. Carter’s family joined the parish in 1940, and he and his wife, the late Elaine Carter, were married there and had four children. In his youth, Carter served as an altar boy, and as an adult, he has been a part of many parish events, service projects and sacramental celebrations as well as Knights of Columbus Council 14767.

The Carters donated the window depicting St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian saint who is believed to be of Spanish and African descent. “He’s my brother’s patron saint, Father Martin Carter, the first candidate in the religious life in our family and parish family and the first AfricanAmerican pastor of Our Lady of Victory in

OUR PARISHESI

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Brooklyn,” Carter said of his twin brother, who entered the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1948.

Bill and Lynn Staub donated the St. Patrick window. “My husband has a lot of Irish roots, his grandparents came over on the boat, and we’ve visited the country,” Lynn Staub said. “It was just the natural choice for us.”

“The mountain where St. Patrick was supposed to have tended sheep was where my grandmother’s home was in Northern Ireland,” said Bill Staub.

Lynn Staub added, “It was important to us to participate and donate the window because our children went through all their holy sacraments here. When I walked into church today, it was just beautiful.”

Daphne McAdoo, who was married in the church in 1975 and whose father served the parish as a deacon for many years, was overjoyed to see the improvements to her beloved church and to have her son, Andrew, participate as an altar server for the occasion.

“It was pretty before, but it’s more glamorous. It’s not plain anymore. It was a mission church to begin with, and I’ve always liked that idea because, when you hear of a mission Catholic church, you know they’re all different colors and languages,” she said. “To have it spruced up makes it very appealing to other people.”

Father Dinh highlighted the renovation’s spiritual benefits: “The windows encourage people to come for meditation and praying because they highlight the beauty of the lives of the saints. They feel more and more spiritual and comfortable being here.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 OUR PARISHES

LAWSUIT FROM PAGE 3

will support their religious mission and message,” he said.

Cogburn is the same judge who in 2014 struck down North Carolina’s voterapproved constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Billard’s lawsuit was filed Jan. 11, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on his behalf by the North Carolina affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Charlotte-based law firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen. It contends that Billard was unlawfully discriminated against because of his sexual orientation, his intended same-sex marriage, and “because he does not conform to sexbased stereotypes associated with men in our society.”

In a statement issued the day the lawsuit was filed, Billard’s attorney said the school’s action was discriminatory.

“Lonnie was fired because he announced his marriage to his longtime partner, who is a man, and that is sex discrimination, pure and simple,” said Chris Brook, legal director for the ACLU of North Carolina.

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified in a 6-3 decision that Title VII’s protections against sex discrimination also applied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Billard retired after 11 years from a full-time teaching job at Charlotte

Catholic High School in 2012. He continued working at the high school as an occasional substitute teacher over the next two years, for a total of about 36 weeks, according to the lawsuit.

In October 2014, Billard announced on Facebook that he and his male partner were planning to get married the next May. All employees of the diocese agree upon their employment to follow the diocese’s ethics policy and a personnel policy that requires them to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Catholic teaching holds that marriage can only be the union of a man and woman.

The diocese’s attorney said teachers are a critical part of the mission of a Catholic education, which includes the doctrine on marriage. Religious schools, Davey said, have a right to employ people aligned with that mission.

“The First Amendment, federal law, and recent Supreme Court decisions all recognize the rights of religious organizations to make employment decisions based on religious observance and preference,” the diocese said in a statement following the ruling. “They do not – and should not – compel religious schools to employ teachers who publicly contradict their teachings. The Catholic schools offered by the Diocese of Charlotte exist to provide high-quality education and transmit the Catholic faith to the next generation. Like all religious schools, Catholic schools are permitted to employ educators who support our Church’s teachings and will not publicly oppose them.”

Your Life’s Journey… how will you be remembered?

Establish a legacy that responds to the many gifts God has given you.

PAUL DOIZÉ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Knights turn out at festival KERNERSVILLE — Melvin Littles, a member of Knights of Columbus Council 8509, participated with teams of his brother Knights and their wives in Kernersville’s Honeybee Festival Aug. 21. The Knights collected donations for the L.A.M.B. Foundation of North Carolina Inc., a public charity dedicated to assisting people with intellectual disabilities.

REGISTER NOW! 2021 Benefit Banquet for Room At The Inn

Thursday, October 14, 2021 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. ~ Registration and Cocktails starting at 5:30 p.m.~ Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons (or join us LIVE online) This year’s theme is Life Gives Second Chances Our keynote speaker will be Star Parker Star Parker is founder and president of Cure, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Cure is a non-profit Policy Institute based in Washington DC that fights poverty to restore dignity through messages of faith, freedom and personal responsibility.

The vision of Cure is to preserve, promote and protect the principles of Christianity, the virtues of Capitalism and the rule of law in our Constitution to improve culture, reduce government dependency, and to build race relations.

We hope you will plan to join us to hear her amazing story.

Come and find out what’s happening at Room At The Inn Hear the stories of some of our past clients

Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte

For more information on how to leave a legacy for your parish, please contact Gina Rhodes, Director of Planned Giving at 704/370-3364 or gmrhodes@charlottediocese.org.

~ RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED ~

Dinner is complimentary but a donation will be requested Register online at www.RoomInn.org or contact Marianne at mdonadio@roominn.org or 336.391.6299

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com

— Our Lady of the Angels Province and Conventual Franciscan Father Carl Zdancewicz contributed.

Friars Conventual Franciscan friars who served in the Diocese of Charlotte included: Father Canice Connors Father Conall McHugh Father Edgar Holden Father Curt Kreml Father Jude DeAngelo Father Joseph Madden Father George Sullivan Father Michael McCafferty Monsignor Richard Bellow (now a retired priest of the Charlotte diocese) Father Brad Milunski Father Paul Mizener Father Denis Hackett Father William Robinson Father Gregory Spuhler Father Daniel Quackenbush Father Juan Carlos Hidalgo Father Juniper Alwell Father Mario Giuliano Father Charles Jagodzinski (now chaplain at Wake Forest University) Father Calixto Salvatierra Moreno Father Joseph Angelini Father Daniel Pal Father Carl Zdancewicz

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The Franciscans and Our Lady of Mercy The Conventual Franciscans came to Our Lady of Mercy and Our Lady of Fatima churches in Winston-Salem in 1987.

Conventual Franciscan Father Canice Connors was the first pastor. The friary of Our Lady of Mercy in Winston-Salem was officially established on June 13, 1988.

When the Franciscan friars came to Winston-Salem, the Immaculate Conception Province of the Conventual Franciscans was engaged in foreign mission in Costa Rica and some other areas of the United States, serving the Latino community.

The province was known for its work among the poor in many dioceses under their care. Many of the friars spoke Spanish, and within a few years, Our Lady of Mercy Parish, then located on North Main Street in Winston-Salem, ministered to many immigrant Latinos. The old North Main Street property became too small for the number of parishioners attending and, through the efforts of many, the former Bishop McGuinness High School property was bought from the Diocese of Charlotte.

The Link Road school building was renovated, converting the former Catholic high school to an elementary school, and opened in 2002. After that, the Franciscans oversaw the building of a new church, which was consecrated in 2005.

OUR PARISHESI

In Brief Father Nouck appointed Mount Airy pastor

Franciscan Friars served Our Lady of Mercy Church and Our Lady of Fatima Chapel in Winston-Salem for the past 34 years.

Secular Franciscans held a goodbye dinner in July and Our Lady of Mercy Parish hosted its celebration after Mass Aug. 29.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MIKE BORGERDING AND BETTI PETTINATI LONGINOTTI, OFS

Our Lady of Mercy, Franciscans part ways after 34 years with grateful celebration SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

WINSTON-SALEM — Members of Our Lady of Mercy Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Mission bid farewell Aug. 29 to the Franciscan friars who have guided both faith communities over the past 34 years.

The Conventual Franciscans came to the parish in 1987, with Father Canice Connors serving as the first pastor.

“For the past 34 years, we friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province (formerly the Immaculate Conception Province) have had the privilege of living, working, and churchbuilding with your community of believers at Our Lady of Mercy and Our Lady of Fatima,” said the order’s minister provincial, Conventual Franciscan Father James McCurry, in a letter to parishioners announcing the friars’ departure.

“We are humbled that the Diocese of Charlotte entrusted to us your pastoral care for three and a half decades.”

Our Lady of Mercy Church hosted a goodbye celebration for the friars Aug. 29, the final Sunday before they left the parish. Concelebrating Mass were Father Carl Zdancewicz, pastor, and his fellow friars – Father Dan Pal, parochial vicar, and Father Joseph Angelini – in addition to the provincial vicar, Father Michael Heine.

“The Franciscan friars are grateful for the many years of ministry here in Winston-Salem,” said Father Zdancewicz, who was pastor for the past seven years. “We have made many friends and, hopefully, through our simple lifestyle, we have been good examples of ‘Franciscanism’ to our parishioners.”

Among those influenced by the friars are members of the local Secular Franciscans, a community of laypeople formed as a “third order” within the Franciscans.

Secular Franciscan Betti Pettinati Longinotti has been professed for almost 20 years and a

parishioner for three decades. “I transitioned to this Franciscan parish about 30 years ago.

Attracted to the Franciscan spirituality observed by the friar priests, I desired to inquire to become a Secular Franciscan.”

“I have known all the friar priests that have served us over these past 34 years, and what a blessing – they will be truly missed!” she said.

“The Franciscan friars have been a tremendous support to us, as a third order to our fraternity, in their devotion, companionship, prayerfulness and love to us as Secular Franciscans. They will be dearly missed,” echoed Secular Franciscan Barbara Robless, who is minister of the Fraternity of St. Clare in Winston-Salem.

As a tangible reminder of the care and support of the Franciscan friars over the years, the Secular Franciscans are doing something special: “We plan to plant a dogwood tree behind Our Lady of Mercy with a granite marker as a fraternity (in honor of their service). So thankful,” commented Robert Dorsch, also a Secular Franciscan.

Parishioner Mike Borgerding spoke at the farewell celebration, reminding the friars: “In the days and years to come, whenever we look above the altar during Mass and see Jesus on the cross and the beautiful stained-glass windows nearby, we will also be reminded of St. Francis, St. Clare and of the love that each of you and your brother Franciscans have shown us for these many years.”

In his parting remarks, Father Zdancewicz said, “We have tried to be authentic ministers to the great blend of cultures that make up our wonderful community. … We thank everyone who has made our stay here a very spiritual and faithfilled ministry.”

Our Lady of Mercy Church and Our Lady of Fatima Mission are now served by two diocesan priests appointed by Bishop Peter Jugis: Father David McCanless, pastor, and Father Alfonso Gamez, parochial vicar.

MOUNT AIRY — Father Peter K. Nouck has been assigned by Bishop Peter J. Jugis as pastor of Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy, effective Aug. 31.

Father Nouck has served as parochial vicar of Holy Family Church in Clemmons since 2016.

He succeeds Father Lawrence Heiney, who has retired.

Father Nouck was ordained to the priesthood on April 4, 2002, for the Diocese of Nouck Buea, Cameroon.

Besides his pastoral duties, Father Nouck established the Joseph-Mary Foundation in 2020 to empower young people in Likumba, Cameroon, to become self-reliant and future leaders by supporting their educational and health needs. He was inspired growing up by the efforts of his parents, who spent their minimal resources to provide love, sustenance and education to children lacking the necessities of life.

— Catholic News Herald

Prayers offered in wake of Winston-Salem school shooting WINSTON-SALEM — A Winston-Salem area parish and school responded in prayer following a fatal shooting at a public high school Sept. 1.

One student died after being shot in the incident at Mount Tabor High School.

Authorities later took into custody a suspect, reported to be a student at the school. During their search immediately after the incident, law enforcement briefly placed surrounding schools – including St. Leo School, located about four miles away – on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

Holy Cross Church in Kernersville offered Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy after its Wednesday evening Mass.

Students, staff and families at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville also held a prayer service Sept. 2.

The incident remains under investigation.

— Catholic News Herald

Our schools 10

catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Schools use data in shifting to virtual classes, require face coverings in response to pandemic conditions CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Diocese of Charlotte schools are responding as the more contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus continues to surge, shifting some classes to remote or hybrid learning where needed to prevent virus spread.

Diocesan school leaders are relying on a system of specific metrics aligned with CDC guidance to navigate the changing conditions and decide if and when to shift to hybrid or fully remote learning for 7 to 14 days. So far, COVID-19 data have triggered shifts to some amount of virtual learning in at least four of 19 schools.

This system was used successfully last year, said Dr. Gregory Monroe, diocesan schools superintendent, and enables school leaders to use concrete data in determining their COVID-19 responses.

“The incidence of COVID-19 in our schools has been low and, as one of the largest school systems in North Carolina that provided in-person education five days a week last year, we gained a wealth of experience that has influenced what we’re doing today,” Monroe said.

The metrics vary slightly between the diocese’s 16 elementary/middle and three high schools because of their different characteristics, but all involve

the percentage of students and teachers testing positive, the number of students on quarantine, the identification of clusters, and any evidence or potential for school spread.

For the diocese’s high schools, the decision is made to shift to hybrid instruction if 3-5 percent of the total in-person student population has tested positive, and shift to remote learning if that number reaches 5 percent or higher.

So far, school leaders say, the number of cases has not resulted in a significant shift away from in-person instruction – although some schools have shifted a class, multiple classes and, in one case, an entire school to virtual learning.

Three Mecklenburg Area Catholic elementary schools recently shifted a few classes to remote learning after positive cases were reported. All of the cases were traced to outside sources of infection, Monroe said.

Christ the King High School in Kernersville went virtual Sept. 1 for a week after 26 positive cases turned up in the school community – just at the 5 percent threshold metric.

The high school did not identify any “clusters” of infection (defined as five connected cases in one class) – since the 26 positive cases were dispersed among different classes and grades – yet “we believe it is prudent to proactively shift to remote learning to limit any potential virus spread at the school,” Dr. Carl Semmler, principal, told parents in an Aug. 31 letter.

Face coverings are now required indoors at nearly every school, under most circumstances, in line with local public health and government mandates.

Each school has developed its own procedure for registering exemptions claimed by parents, as spelled out by local public health rules.

Concerns among some parents over mask exemptions at some MACS schools prompted Monroe to write in a Sept. 1 letter: “Although the face covering mandate adopted by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County has raised some concerns, our Christian community has – and must continue to – come together to treat one another with compassion and respect. All Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools are observing the face covering mandate, with exemptions permitted as prescribed by the city-county proclamation. It is up to parents to decide whether an exemption is justified for their children, and we ask that anyone claiming an exemption register with their school office. We also ask that everyone respect the choices families make; we all want our children to be safe and rest assured that our schools will act upon any indication of virus spread.”

Schools are also continuing their focus on enhanced cleaning, frequent handwashing, symptom awareness and contact tracing.

Catholic schools change approach to fund development SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Catholic school leaders, in partnership with the Diocese of Charlotte’s Development Office, are taking a new approach to annual giving for the needs of the 19 Catholic schools in western North Carolina.

Instead of one effort formerly known as the MACS Education Annual Fund, each of the nine Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools will spearhead its own fund development program and determine how best to prioritize donations from year to year. The diocese’s 10 other schools – nine parish-based schools as well as Bishop McGuinness High School – will use the same approach.

Since it was established in 1993, the MACS Education Annual Fund raised approximately $9.5 million for Catholic education.

“From a philanthropy and giving perspective, we decided that our community of families and supporters are eager for their local school to benefit directly from annual fund support. Therefore, we are moving away from the MACS Annual Fund to focus more specifically on individual school fund development,” said Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools, in a letter to the MACS community also signed by Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.

Monroe explained that this new phase of fund development will allow schools to more effectively address their specific individual needs and promote student success in a more prominent way.

“Each school can determine how best to fund priority needs in areas like Catholic identity, technology, curricular resources, cultural enrichment, teacher grants and professional development,” he said.

“I see the individual annual fund appeals being particularly beneficial to older schools with more established local legacies,” said Michelle Kuhn, the new principal of St. Ann School in Charlotte. “St. Ann is a special place that has been incredibly important to area Catholic families for decades.”

She hopes that by reaching out directly to families – inviting alumni back to the school to see all of the updates that have been made and giving them an opportunity to reminisce about their years spent at St. Ann School – more people will want to invest in current needs and future success of the school.

“In addition to a robust annual fund, I would like to see a substantial St. Ann Endowment upon which we can draw for scholarships,” she added.

All 19 schools will receive guidance from Ben Hoke, the new development director for Catholic schools. He will assist each school to focus on enhanced funding initiatives and dynamic annual, major, and planned giving programs for strengthening each school community.

“We are designing plans to increase involvement and financial support,” Hoke said. “My goal is to help each school raise more money, both immediately and long term.”

Kelley believes the new partnership with each school principal, their staff and leadership volunteers will “aim to customize a school-by-school approach to fully realize a stronger culture of teamwork and philanthropy.”

Mix

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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On TV n Saturday, Sept. 11, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Metanoia.” Filmed in the Holy Land, this series explores important aspects of conversion, and it begins with a fundamental question. Jesus wants to make sure the disciples know who He is before they begin their grueling journey.

In theaters

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Sprightly wit paces the elegant martial-arts showdowns in this Marvel Comics-derived adventure, directed and co-written by Destin Daniel Cretton. To the amazement of his best friend and co-worker (Awkwafina), a mild-mannered, ambitionless San Francisco parking valet (Simu Liu) turns out to be the superhero of the title, trained from his youth to be a semi-supernatural warrior. Decades after he fled China as a teenager to get away from his ruthless gang leader father, the theft of an amulet that his mother gave him before she was murdered by a band of her husband’s enemies draws him back to his homeland, with his bestie in tow, and once again embroils him in family tensions, including the resentment his younger sister continues to harbor over his abandonment of her in childhood. Behind an overly-elaborate mythos and a lot of bloodless action lies a basic story of good versus evil, though one that gains moral subtlety from the fact that dad’s latest scheme, which his children eventually come together to oppose, is the product of a delusion and is fueled by grief and the desire to be reunited with his spouse rather than by any wicked intention. Frequent stylized violence, nonscriptural religious ideas, at least one use of profanity, a few milder oaths, about a half-dozen crude terms, a couple of crass expressions, an obscene gesture.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

‘PAW Patrol: The Movie’ Pleasant big-screen version of the Nickelodeon cartoon series about a rescue crew of puppies led by a preteen boy (voice of Will Brisbin). After the egotistical politician (voice of Ron Pardo) who has long been their nemesis is corruptly elected mayor of a nearby city, the team relocates there from the smaller community they previously served and struggles to cope with the series of potential disasters to which his incompetent scheming gives rise. As they do so, they gain the help of an enthusiastic dachshund (voice of Marsai Martin) with an abundance of local knowledge but find their tasks complicated by the self-doubts troubling the German shepherd who serves as their policeman (voice of Iain Armitage). Director and co-writer Cal Brunker serves up a breezy, tenderhearted adventure with built-in lessons about the nature of heroism and the value of cooperation. Characters in peril, brief, extremely mild scatological humor.

CNS: A-I (general patronage); MPAA: G

Other movies n ‘Candyman’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘The Night House’: CNS A-III (adults); MPAA: R

n Saturday, Sept. 11, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Mother Teresa.” The second of a two-part drama about Mother Teresa, whose calling to serve the “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta was legendary.

Part 2.

CNS | ARCHDIOCESE OF SEOUL

A painting depicts 103 Korean martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984, seen in this Aug. 19, 2008, photo. The remains of the first three of 124 other Korean martyrs, beatified in 2014, were recently identified.

South Korean diocese says remains of first Catholic martyrs recovered CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

SEOUL, South Korea — The mortal remains of the first three Korean Catholic martyrs have been recovered more than two centuries after their deaths, announced the Diocese of Jeonju.

Ucanews.com reported that following historical research and DNA tests, it has been confirmed that the remains are of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sangyeon, both beheaded in 1791, and Yun’s brother, Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was martyred in 1801. Bishop John Kim Sontae of Jeonju made the announcement during a news conference Sept. 1.

During his visit to South Korea in 2014, Pope Francis beatified the three along with 121 other martyrs persecuted and killed during the rule of the Joseon dynasty in Korea.

Bishop Kim said the remains were recovered in March in Wanju, on the outskirts of Jeonju, near the burial ground of family members of another beatified person that was being converted to a shrine.

“The discovery of the remains is a truly amazing and monumental event,” the bishop said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

“This is because our Church, which has grown on the foundation of the bloodshed by martyrs, has finally found the remains of the people who began the history of martyrdom.”

The diocese said the remains showed cuts made by a sharp object around the necks of Paul Yun Ji-chung and Kwon, and around the neck, upper arms and left femur of Francis Yun Ji-heon.

Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592, when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers, according to Church sources. It started as a lay movement. Korean Yi Seung-hun, who was baptized in China in 1784, began to baptize others that year.

As the faith began to spread, Catholics faced persecution and hardships from rulers who viewed the religion as a subversive influence. Korean rulers began to see Catholicism as a false religion that denied Confucian ethics and invited Western imperialism to the country, ucanews.com reported.

The persecution in the late 18th and 19th centuries saw thousands of Catholics murdered for refusing to renounce their faith. The largest persecution in 1866 produced some 8,000 martyrs.

Among the most famous martyrs was Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Koreanborn Catholic priest and patron saint of clergy in Korea, who was beheaded in 1846 at the age of 25.

In 1984, during his visit to South Korea, Pope John Paul II canonized 103 martyrs, including St. Andrew Kim, and nine French missionaries who had been martyred in the 19th century.

The Korean Church is celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of St. Andrew Kim this year.

Church officials say South Korea has about 5.6 million Catholics – about 8 percent of the population – spread in three archdioceses, 14 dioceses and a military ordinariate.

n Sunday, Sept. 12, 10:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Pope Francis in Slovakia: Ecumenical Meeting.” Live from the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava, Slovakia. n Thursday, Sept. 16, 12 p.m. (EWTN) “Shawn’s Eyes.” Documentary on Shawn Riney, a man born with Down Syndrome, and how his life touches the hearts of families who know him. n Friday, Sept. 17, 11:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Natural Family Planning: Embracing the Marital Gift.” NFP expert, Damon Owens continues his study of the history, science and theology of Natural Family Planning with a look at the importance of NFP physicians.

n Saturday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Padre Pio: Between Heaven and Earth.” Live action movie about the miraculous life of the saint Padre Pio, whose spiritual gifts made him a powerful witness for Christ and a profound spiritual director for 21st century society. Part 1 of 2. n Sunday, Sept. 19, 6 a.m. (EWTN) “Angelus with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis leads the world in the recitation of the Angelus, live from Rome. n Thursday, Sept. 23, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “Miracles of Padre Pio.” Host Michael O’Neill explores the extraordinary miracles of the greatest wonderworking saint in modern history, and the many intercessory cures and favors that have been attributed to him.

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 12

Padre Julio Domínguez

Realidad que duele

¡

Hola!, tiempo sin verlos, ¿cómo han estado?

- ¡Muy bien gracias a Dios!

- Ya no los hemos visto en Misa ni en las actividades parroquiales.

- La verdad hemos tenido miedo. Desde que esta pandemia estalló decidimos guardarnos en casa para evitar el contagio.

- Oh, entiendo. ¿Y cómo le hicieron con el trabajo? Me imagino que tenían bastantes ahorros para pasar el año.

- No, ¡que bueno fuera! Tuvimos que arriesgarnos y seguir en pie de lucha.

- Oye, ¿pero no les hizo mal tanto encierro? Digo, no poder ver ni a la familia debió haber sido terrible.

- No, como cree. Claro que nos reuníamos, pero aclaro, ¡pura familia para estar seguros!

- Oh, me imagino que son pocos hermanos.

- Seis hermanos con sus familias.

- Ah, OK. ¿Y cómo le hacían con la comida, la gasolina y todo lo demás?

- No pues, ni modo de quedarnos en casa a que nos lo trajeran. ¡Tuvimos que ir y arriesgar!

- Oye, pero vi en tus redes sociales que fuiste al bautismo de tu compadre. Y andabas de bailador en la boda de fulano.

Digo, no te estoy acusando, pero pues sabes que las redes publican todo y todos las ven.

- Es que esta pandemia fue tan dura, que el encierro nos estaba matando. Y además vinieron a buscarnos de padrinos y no podíamos decir que no. Pero nuevamente, la mayoría eran pura familia, y a todos se les avisó que si se sentían mal no fueran. Y yo se que tiene sus riesgos, ¡pero necesitábamos un tiempo de diversión!

MORALEJA

La pandemia no le quitó la fe a nadie, vino a mostrar solamente a los que no han comprendido el valor del Santo Sacrificio de la Misa.

Jesus dijo, trabajen por el alimento que les dará la vida eterna, el que les dará el Hijo del Hombre. En ningún lugar lo encontraremos sino en la Santa Misa.

En la celebración litúrgica se reúnen también los hijos de Dios, por lo tanto también somos familia. Venimos a adorar a Dios y podemos guardar todas las medidas posibles de seguridad.

No me digan que no vienen por la pandemia, no vienen por la gran falta de fe y sobretodo de amor a Dios.

En todos lados estamos vulnerables a coger este virus y aun así no nos paralizamos. ¿Por qué nos hemos paralizado en la vida espiritual exactamente ahora que más necesitamos rezar, precisamente ahora que la economía DOMÍNGUEZ, PASA A LA PÁGINA 24

FOTO CORTESÍA MARÍA CRUZ

Los frailes franciscanos fueron agasajados con una despedida al término de la última Misa que celebraron en Nuestra Señora de la Merced. “Los frailes apoyaron los esfuerzos del V Encuentro Nacional de Ministerio Hispano de donde pudimos aprender, juntos como iglesia en salida, las grandes necesidades a las que nos enfrentamos como pueblo sacerdotal, profeta y rey. Hasta el día de hoy seguimos con estos esfuerzos”, dijo Alex Moreira, ex coordinador del ministerio hispano de esa parroquia.

Franciscanos dejan Nuestra Señora de la Merced después de 34 años SUEANN HOWELL Y CESAR HURTADO CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

WINSTON-SALEM — El 29 de agosto, feligreses de Nuestra Señora de la Merced y la Misión Nuestra Señora de Fátima se despidieron de los frailes franciscanos que guiaron ambas comunidades de fe durante los últimos 34 años.

Los Franciscanos Conventuales llegaron a la parroquia en 1987, siendo el Padre Canice Connors el primer párroco.

“Durante los últimos 34 años, los frailes de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles hemos tenido el privilegio de vivir, trabajar y edificar iglesias con su comunidad de creyentes en Nuestra Señora de la Merced y Nuestra Señora de Fátima”, dijo el ministro provincial de la orden, el padre franciscano conventual James McCurry, en una carta dirigida a los feligreses antes de la partida de los frailes.

“Nos sentimos honrados que la Diócesis de Charlotte nos haya confiado su cuidado pastoral durante tres décadas y media”, agregó.

La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Merced organizó una celebración de despedida el último domingo antes de que los frailes dejaran la parroquia. En la Misa de celebración estuvieron el Padre Carl Zdancewicz, párroco, y sus compañeros frailes - los Padres Dan Pal, vicario parroquial y Joseph Angelini, además del vicario provincial, Michael Heine.

“Los frailes franciscanos estamos

El obispo anunció el tema para las celebraciones del 50 aniversario de la diócesis en 2022 PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITORA

agradecidos por los muchos años de ministerio aquí en Winston-Salem”, dijo el padre Zdancewicz, quien fue pastor durante los últimos siete años.

“Hemos hecho muchos amigos y, con suerte, a través de nuestro estilo de vida sencillo, hemos sido buenos ejemplos de ‘franciscanismo’ para nuestros feligreses”.

Entre los influenciados por los frailes se encuentran los miembros de los Franciscanos Seglares locales, una comunidad de laicos formada como una “tercera orden” dentro de los franciscanos.

“Los frailes franciscanos han sido un gran apoyo para nosotros, como tercera orden de nuestra fraternidad, en su devoción, compañerismo, oración y amor por nosotros como franciscanos seglares. Se les echará mucho de menos ”, dijo la franciscana seglar Barbara Robles, ministra de la Fraternidad de Santa Clara en Winston-Salem.

María Cruz, secretaria del Ministerio Hispano de la parroquia, dijo que extrañará la humildad, servicio y proyección a la comunidad de los franciscanos. Llegada hace 11 años la región, expresó que la calidad y preocupación por la formación espiritual de los fieles que expresaron los sacerdotes salientes era impresionante.

“Nos daban cursos bíblicos, talleres para que estuvieramos preparados, tuvieramos conocimiento y maduráramos en nuestra fe”; además, el Padre José, “era casi como nuestro fotógrafo que siempre estaba presente

CHARLOTTE — La Diócesis de Charlotte conmemorará su 50 aniversario en 2022, y los organizadores esperan un año lleno de celebraciones.

El Obispo Peter J. Jugis ha elegido el siguiente tema para el aniversario: “La fe es más preciosa que el oro”. Está tomado de la primera carta de Pedro 1:7, que dice: “la prueba de la fe de ustedes, más preciosa que el oro que perece, aunque probado por fuego, sea hallada que resulta en alabanza, gloria y honor en la revelación de Jesucristo”.

“El oro es reconocido como un bien preciado, pero aún más valioso para nosotros es el don de nuestra fe católica”, señaló el Obispo Jugis en una carta reciente al clero anunciando el tema. “Este año que viene es una ocasión histórica para inspirar a nuestros feligreses y a la comunidad en general a una relación más cercana con el Señor”.

La Diócesis de Charlotte se estableció formalmente el 12 de enero de 1972, cuando el Obispo Michael Begley fue ordenado e instalado como el primer Obispo de Charlotte. La diócesis se separó de la Diócesis de Raleigh, dividiendo Carolina del Norte en dos diócesis, cada una con unos 30.000 católicos en ese momento.

Ahora, la Diócesis de Charlotte cuenta con más de 515.000 católicos, lo que la convierte en una de las diócesis de más rápido crecimiento en Estados Unidos.

“Un aniversario es un momento apropiado para

FRANCISCANOS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 24

OBISPO, PASA A LA PÁGINA 15

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

13

SACERDOTES PARA SIEMPRE

Colecta del 25 y 26 de septiembre financia jubilación y beneficios de sacerdotes

El cardenal nicaragüense Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano ora al celebrar Misa en la Catedral Metropolitana de Managua el pasado 31 de julio de este año, al conmemorarse el primer aniversario del atentando contra la capilla de la Santísima Sangre de Cristo que fue destruída en un incendio provocado.

SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

SERVICIO CATÓLICO DE NOTICIAS

Nicaragüenses oran por su país CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — Preocupados por los momentos difíciles que vive el país centroamericano, decenas de nicaragüenses residentes en Charlotte se congregan cada jueves a las 6 de la tarde en la Catedral San Patricio para orar por su país.

Carlos Medina, diácono nicaragüense que sirve en la catedral, dijo que durante la jornada de oración se reza el Santo Rosario, “luego la Cadena de Adoración y Reparación al Santísimo y concluímos con la plegaria de San Miguel Arcángel”, amparo contra la perversidad y asechanzas del demonio, “rogando a Dios y sabiendo que no nos va a dar lo que le pedimos sino lo que necesitamos”, y sobretodo “fortaleza para aceptar lo que Él nos manda, lo que Él sabe que necesitamos”.

Debemos,dice, “amar lo que Él quiere y querer lo que Él ama”.

El Diácono Medina no abriga muchas esperanzas de ver restablecida la vida democrática en su país.

“Ellos pudieron triunfar por las armas, pero nadie los va a poder botar por las armas porque nadie le dará armas a la gente de oposición que está tratando de luchar en contra de ellos. Ni siquiera Estados Unidos”.

“Los líderes del país se han dedicado a llenarse los bolsillos sin darle oportunidad al sufrido pueblo. Si el país entero está marginado y explotado, ha sido por la obra de sus mismos líderes que se han apoderado de la riqueza”, dijo.

CRISIS POLÍTICA

Según informó el Servicio Católico de Noticias, recientemente el Arzobispo de Managua, Cardenal Leopoldo Brenes, señaló durante la homilía de la Misa celebrada el domingo 15 de agosto en la Catedral de Managua, que su país vive “momentos bastante difíciles” a pocos meses de las elecciones de noviembre, en medio de una ola de detenciones a líderes opositores y candidatos presidenciales, y el reciente allanamiento del diario opositor La Prensa, el más antiguo e influyente del país, al día siguiente de que el medio denunciara la retención de papel y suspendiera las ediciones impresas.

Los directivos del diario son investigados, según una nota de la policía, por “fraude aduanero y lavado de activos”.

La Comisión de Justicia y Paz de la Arquidiócesis de Managua señaló que la ciudadanía debe exigir el respeto del voto popular en las elecciones generales del 7 de noviembre, en las que el presidente de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, que se mantiene en el poder desde 2007, busca reelegirse por cuarta vez consecutiva.

“El proceso electoral que debería ser una fiesta cívica se vive con temor e incertidumbre porque no existen

condiciones para unas elecciones democráticas”, observó la comisión.

Hasta la fecha tres partidos opositores han sido eliminados y 32 opositores detenidos, entre ellos ocho precandidatos a la presidencia y vicepresidencia acusados en su mayoría de “traición” a la patria.

Entre los detenidos se encuentran los precandidatos presidenciales Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Félix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Miguel Mora, Medardo Mairena y Noel Vidaurre.

En junio pasado, los obispos católicos del país ya habían planteado sus preocupaciones sobre Nicaragua y pidieron en una carta “evitar la institucionalización en nuestra patria de restricciones arbitrarias e ilegales de las libertades ciudadanas y la persecución de la oposición y los medios de comunicación”.

“Preferimos y queremos un sistema democrático para Nicaragua”, en el que haya una “división de poderes del estado” porque “es el principio del estado de derecho ... el principio en el que la legislación es soberana y no la arbitraria voluntad de los hombres”, dijeron los obispos.

“Es necesario construir una Nicaragua basada en la paz, la justicia y el respeto a los derechos humanos, rechazando todo lo contrario a estos principios y trabajando juntos, conscientes de los pilares de la paz, la justicia y el perdón”, expresaron.

CONSAGRACIÓN A MARÍA

Ante la crítica situación, el Cardenal Brenes renovó la consagración de Nicaragua al Inmaculado Corazón de María con una oración en la que pidió que la nación “sea capaz de encontrar caminos de tolerancia y de comunión, de fraternidad y de paz”.

“A ti, Purísima Señora, consagramos nuestra patria, Nicaragua, en estos momentos de incertidumbre. Toma a Nicaragua entre tus manos y acógenos en tu corazón.

Ayúdanos a saber dialogar entre nosotros, a luchar por la dignidad de todos los seres humanos, a no dejar de tener hambre y sed de justicia, a ser hombres y mujeres tolerantes y constructores de paz”, dijo.

La consagración se realizó dos días después de que Ortega declaró que “algunos curas son hijos del demonio”, debido a que fueron mediadores ante la represión del régimen contra las protestas del año 2018.

Participe Todos los jueves, a las seis de la tarde, puede congregarse en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte, N.C. 28203, para orar por Nicaragua. Para mayores informes llame al 704-334-2283 en horas de oficina.

CHARLOTTE — La colecta anual diocesana para financiar el Plan de Beneficios y Jubilación de Sacerdotes se llevará a cabo en todas las parroquias el fin de semana del 25 al 26 de septiembre.

La colecta ayuda a apoyar a los sacerdotes jubilados de la diócesis y a financiar la jubilación futura de otros. Actualmente hay 108 sacerdotes diocesanos y de órdenes religiosas que sirven a la Iglesia en el oeste de Carolina del Norte. Otros 25 sacerdotes están jubilados.

“La Diócesis de Charlotte brinda atención médica y asistencia a nuestros sacerdotes jubilados para que puedan continuar viviendo sus vocaciones sirviendo en las 92 parroquias y misiones de nuestra diócesis”, dijo el Obispo Peter Jugis en su carta anual anunciando la colecta.

“Estos 25 sacerdotes jubilados, cada uno con un promedio de más de 40 años de ministerio sacerdotal, todavía se encuentran visitando enfermos y encarcelados, orando diariamente por las personas a las que sirven, dando su tiempo para ayudar con confesiones y celebrando Misa en las parroquias de toda la diócesis”, señaló.

Sus contribuciones ayudarán a financiar el Fideicomiso de Pensiones de Sacerdotes y del Plan de Salud de Sacerdotes Jubilados de la Diócesis de Charlotte, así como los programas de jubilación de las órdenes religiosas y otras diócesis que están proporcionando sacerdotes para servir en nuestras parroquias.

La meta para la colecta de jubilación y recaudación de beneficios de los sacerdotes para 2021 es de $1.500.000. pensión a los planes de jubilación de los sacerdotes diocesanos y gastos de beneficios de jubilación para los planes de salud de los sacerdotes diocesanos jubilados; 17 por ciento para contribuciones de pensión para planes de jubilación de sacerdotes de órdenes religiosas; 5 por ciento para gastos administrativos; y el 3 por ciento para los costos de recaudación de fondos.

La cantidad tasada en cada parroquia es el 3 por ciento de sus ingresos anuales del ofertorio.

En la mayoría de las parroquias, la evaluación asciende a un 20 por ciento más que el ofertorio dominical semanal.

Muchas personas contribuyen a esta colecta durante el ofertorio en Misa, pero la reducción de la asistencia a la Misa en persona debido a la prolongada pandemia de COVID-19 podría significar menos donaciones a este fondo crítico.

En su lugar, se anima a las personas a donar online, enviar sus donaciones por correo o dejarlas en las oficinas de su parroquia.

“Si no puede asistir a Misa el fin de semana del 26 de septiembre, considere hacer una donación enviando su contribución por correo o haciendo un aporte en línea, señaló el Obispo Jugis en su carta. “Estos hombres siguen siendo ‘sacerdotes para siempre’ y ahora podemos responder con gratitud”.

Done online Visite el website de su parroquia si ofrece donaciones online, o realice donaciones online en www.charlottediocese.org/donate (haga clic en “Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection”). Las donaciones hechas a través del website diocesano se acreditarán a su parroquia.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Católicos deben ser prudentes al comprar cosas usadas

Sergio López

C

La Música

antar es orar dos veces, dice la conocida frase atribuída a San Agustín. Y, aprovechando su festividad este 28 de agosto, reflexionamos sobre esta frase que nos ha animado, guiado a través de los siglos, y que nos alienta a todos los que de alguna manera estamos sirviendo durante la Misa a dar y orar lo mejor que podemos en el canto que se eleva hasta el cielo en nuestra iglesias.

La Iglesia desde sus inicios ha tenido en alta estima el canto. Ya San Pablo recomendaba a los fieles que esperaban la venida del Señor, a que cantaran juntos salmos, himnos y cánticos inspirados (Col 3:16), y a que todo lo que pudieran hacer, hacerlo en el nombre de Jesús, dando gracias a Dios Padre por medio de Él (Col 3:17).

Con frecuencia escuchamos que hay que tocar música alegre, música que se sienta. Sin embargo, debemos tener muy en cuenta que la música sagrada tiene importancia dentro de la liturgia. No se trata que la música se sienta, sino que la música nos ayude a encontrar esa paz y unión con Jesucristo Eucaristía, Jesucristo comunión.

Aprender música es relativamente fácil, lo difícil es comprometerse a ejecutar lo que por herencia eclesial se nos ha dejado. Para hacerlo, tenemos que salir de nuestra zona de comodidad y estudiar lo mejor que podamos para comprometernos a tocar la música que fue compuesta exclusivamente para lo sagrado.

Hoy en día existen muchos y variados ritmos, así como canciones y cantos, pero si decimos que “cantar es orar dos veces”, normalmente cuánto tiempo le aplicamos a la preparación de esa oración, de ese canto. Todos los ministerios de música estamos llamados a aplicarle tiempo a la preparación del canto, para que tratemos de discernir, analizar, filtrar lo que se puede o no tocar.

No se trata de tocar música “alegre”, se trata de preparar tu oración, tu canto. El Concilio Vaticano II enseña que los fines de la liturgia son la glorificación de Dios y la santificación de los fieles.

Y, que para lograr su plena eficacia es necesaria la participación plena, conciente y activa de los fieles. Por ello estableció que se fomentaran las aclamaciones del pueblo, las respuestas, la salmodia, las antífonas y los cantos.

Por eso es importante que los ministerios de coros, sobre todo los que de alguna manera dirigen, se esfuercen en comunicarse con los fieles mediante las prácticas de los cantos antes de la Santa Misa. En este momento todo es importante, llegar a tiempo, la buena planeación de la celebración, el aprender técnicas de comunicación con la asamblea y sobre todo saber un poco de musicalidad.

“Cantar es orar dos veces”. Si, pero los músicos en la liturgia estamos llamados a algo más, a dar no el 80 por ciento o el 90 por ciento, estamos llamados a darlo todo: el 200 por ciento, a prepararnos, a seguir estudiando o buscando asesoría en la música sacra, y ¿por qué no?, a aprender nuevos instrumentos, como el órgano.

Por eso quisiera invitarlos a promover un encuentro de Coros o Ministerios de Música dentro de nuestra Diócesis, para conocernos y ayudarnos a crecer y mejorar un poco en nuestra participación dentro de la Liturgia.

Contacta a tu coordinador de Vicariato para que podamos darle forma a este encuentro en el futuro.

SERGIO LÓPEZ es coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Winston-Salem.

El Padre Gabriel Salazar advierte que, antes de comprar cosas usadas hay que examinarlas detenidamente y, ante la duda, descartar su compra.

Si se trata de una imagen santa, hay que llevarla ante el sacerdote para que la bendiga, recomendó. Cuando se compran artículos de procedencia desconocida, no se sabe exactamente cuál ha sido el uso previo que se ha dado a la prenda o artículo.

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

THOMASVILLE — Se avecina el cambio de la temporada veraniega por la estación otoñal, tiempo que es aprovechado por muchas personas para limpiar sus hogares, efectuar renovaciones, descartar muebles, utensilios, juguetes, ropa usada, herramientas y enseres que no han sido utilizados por mucho tiempo, ya no tienen utilidad práctica en casa o simplemente están fuera de moda.

Sin embargo, lo que son restos para algunos pueden resultar tesoros para otros, y es muy común que por esta época se realicen los llamados “garage o yard sale” para intentar obtener un dinero de las cosas que iban a ser descartadas o donadas a bazares de caridad.

Otros prefieren alquilar un puesto en un mercado de pulgas o flea market, donde muchos latinos acuden a efectuar diversas compras atraídos por los bajos precios.

A estos establecimientos normalmente se acude en fines de semana y regularmente acompañados por toda la familia. Es un momento para compartir mientras, de pasada, se aprovecha la ocasión de encontrar una prenda de vestir económica, juguetes en buen estado para los niños y algún adorno para el hogar.

Pero, ¿es seguro comprar para nuestro uso personal o introducir a nuestro hogar objetos decorativos de los que no conocemos su uso previo o procedencia? ¿Es conveniente hacerlo?

PRUDENCIA

El Padre Gabriel Carvajal, pastor de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Caminos en Thomasville, advierte que en esta sociedad, “muchas personas van tras del dinero sin importar lo que sea”, y en ocasiones podría darse que algunas personas ofrezcan a la venta bienes que sean producto del dinero mal habido o “negocios chuecos” a los que ningún católico debería prestarse.

“Desde el punto de vista cristiano, hay normas y guías y se debe ser muy cuidadoso”, afirma.

“Hay limitaciones, hay cosas que no se deberían ver, decir ni oír, y debemos estar atentos en todo momento para proteger nuestro cuerpo y nuestra alma”, añade.

Cuando se compran artículos de procedencia desconocida, no se sabe exactamente cuál ha sido el uso previo que se ha dado a la prenda o artículo.

En algún caso extremo, inclusive podría haber sido objeto de uso en prácticas satánicas de magia, adivinación,

IMAGEN REFERENCIAL PIXABAY

hechicería, santería y brujería.

Es conocido que en algunas prácticas de santería se utilizan imágenes y objetos sagrados para ser profanados durante sus cultos satánicos.

Por ello, el Padre Carvajal dice que el católico debe ser prudente. “Yo los envío como ovejas en medio de lobos; por tanto, sean astutos como las serpientes e inocentes como las palomas, nos dice Mateo 10:16”, recomendando que “no hay que meterse en lo que no se busca”.

¿EXISTE LA BRUJERÍA?

El sacerdote católico colombiano Juan Gonzalo Callejas dice que no creer en la brujería no es una forma de defenderse de ella, pues “la brujería desata una fuerza diabólica que actúa independientemente del nivel de conciencia que se tenga sobre su existencia. De lo contrario, no reaccionaría ante oraciones”, como ha visto que sucede.

Para protegerse de ella, el Padre Callejas asegura que la fe detiene todo, como un chaleco antibalas. “Pero si mi fe es poca, es como protegerse con una camiseta ante una 9 milímetros”.

El famoso teólogo español José Antonio Fortea, refiriéndose a los maleficios y hechicería, afirma que nadie puede arrebatar nada, ni objetos ni vidas ni salud ni fama ni ilusión.

“Nadie puede arrebatar nada de la mano de mi Padre”.

El fallecido sacerdote italiano Gabriele Amorth, quien ejerció como exorcista en Roma, al escribir sobre el maleficio dijo que éste tiene la presunción de entregar

el propio objeto (elementos inanimados, animales y sobre todo personas) al poder o la influencia del demonio, “siendo un signo sensible de la voluntad de perjudicar y es un medio ofrecido a Satanás para que imprima su fuerza maléfica”.

El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, en su numeral 2117 expresa que “todas las prácticas de magia o de hechicería mediante las que se pretende domesticar potencias ocultas para ponerlas a su servicio y obtener un poder sobrenatural sobre el prójimo, aunque sea para procurar la salud, son gravemente contrarias a la virtud de la religión.

Estas prácticas son más condenables aún cuando van acompañadas de una intención de dañar a otro, recurran o no a la intervención de los demonios”.

PREVENIR Y NO LAMENTAR

El Padre Carvajal recomienda, siguiendo la primera carta de Pablo a los Tesalonicenses 5:21, “antes bien, examínenlo todo cuidadosamente y retengan lo bueno”. “Quien inocentemente peca, inocentemente se condena”, asegura, por lo que es conveniente, si se va a comprar alguna cosa usada, revisarla bien antes, rociarle agua bendita antes de ingresarla a su hogar, y si se trata de una imagen santa, llevarla ante el sacerdote para que la bendiga.

“Existe el mal, y también existe el malo. Hay que estar constantemente en oración y vivir en gracia. Pues el que no vive en gracia, vive en desgracia”, finalizó.

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Antorcha Guadalupana ya está en camino

Recaudaron fondos para la escuela

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO

CHARLOTTE — El domingo 5 de septiembre se encendió el fuego de la Antorcha Guadalupana que acompañará el camino de peregrinaje de la Morenita del Tepeyac, “visitando a todos sus hijas e hijas para curarles, consolarles, animarles y darles esperanza durante esta pandemia”, dijo la Asociación Tepeyac en un mensaje publicado en su página de Facebook.

Tras la celebración de la Eucaristía en la Basílica de Guadalupe, ubicada en Ciudad de México, las imágenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y San Juan Diego, que encabezarán la Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana México a Nueva York 2021, fueron bendecidas.

La antorcha, fuente de luz que representa el mensaje de unidad y esperanza de miles de familias separadas por una frontera, será portada por aproximadamente 8.000 corredores, que en relevos cruzarán nueve estados de la República Mexicana y 13 estados de la Unión Americana.

Se tiene previsto que el 20 de octubre cruce la línea fronteriza entre México y Estados Unidos por Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, para llegar a Laredo, Texas.

Como es usual, se espera que la comitiva que porta la antorcha y las imágenes sagradas llegue a Nueva York el 12 de diciembre, día central de la fiesta de la Virgen Morena.

Son ya 19 los años que la Asociación Tepeyac en Nueva York ha coordinado sin interrupción los esfuerzos y colaboración de los devotos de la Virgen de Guadalupe, para honrar a la Reina de México. Con ello, afirman, esperan “lograr más unidad entre los mexicanos que viven en ambos lados de la frontera” y especialmente en este año ruegan “que sea la Morenita la que ilumine a los legisladores de los Estados Unidos”, para que a la brevedad posible se dé inicio al proceso de legalización de los ‘Dreamers’, las personas que llegaron como menores a Estados Unidos, así como también la legalización de los trabajadores agrícolas.

Este año, el 24 de junio, uno de los fundadores de la Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana, el Padre Gustavo Rodriguez Zárate, falleció en la Ciudad de Puebla, Puebla, México. El Padre Rodríguez, fue vicario de Santa Rita, Tlahuapan; Chietla; y Santa Clara, en Puebla. También fungió como asesor diocesano del movimiento de Jornadas de Vida Cristiana y coordinador del equipo diocesano de Pastoral Juvenil.

Fue párroco de San Juan Evangelista, Zacapala; Santa Clara Ocoyucan; y de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción en la colonia Aquiles Serdán.

Se desempeñó como coordinador de la Pastoral de la Movilidad Humana de la Arquidiócesis de Puebla, destacándose como gran promotor del respeto a los derechos humanos de los migrantes que atraviesan México hacia Estados Unidos, por más de 25 años.

RECEPCIÓN LOCAL

Esteban Sánchez, quien tiene a cargo la organización de actividades en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, confirmó que nuevamente este año han tomado la responsabilidad de recibir la Antorcha Guadalupana en sus instalaciones.

Regularmente, los organizadores locales reciben la Antorcha proveniente de GreenvilleSpartanburg, Carolina del Sur, en Grover, población ubicada entre los límites de Carolina del Sur y Carolina del Norte, cerca a la interestatal 85, para luego trasladarla hasta su parroquia, ubicada al oeste de Charlotte.

El Padre Hugo Medellín recordó que el año pasado, debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, la antorcha e imágenes fueron trasladadas en vehículos descubiertos, sin ser la antorcha portada por corredores. Aún se desconoce cuál será la modalidad de transporte este año, nos precisó.

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CHARLOTTE — La Escuela Católica Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) pasó la última semana de agosto dedicada a celebrar actividades que mostraran a los alumnos a vivir con entusiasmo y carácter a través del deporte y los concursos. El evento se tituló “Sports City Worldwide”. Se recaudaron $7.500 para fondos que se destinarán a gastos internos y aulas. El nuevo director de la escuela, Tyler Kulp, prometió cortarse el cabello si recaudaban la meta propuesta.

No solo se dejó cortar el pelo por algunos de los estudiantes, sino que además terminó bañado con agua de colores. ¡Felicidades OLA! FOTO CORTESÍA FRAVELIN CUESTA

FOTO CORTESÍA PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ

Encuentro de damas de la Familia Emaús

FOTO CORTESÍA ALEKSANDRA BASANIK

Donaron Vida NORTH WILKESBORO — La Iglesia San Juan Bautista de la Salle, organizó conjuntamente con la Cruz Roja una jornada de donación de sangre. Los hermanos Ramiro y Nicol Zúñiga son unos de muchos que se acercaron a donar sangre. Una nueva jornada se realizó el 5 de septiembre, de 10 de la mañana a 3 de la tarde, recibiendo nuevos generosos donantes de Vida.

OBISPO VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 12

reflexionar con oración y alegría sobre nuestro pasado, presente y futuro”, escribió el Obispo Jugis en su carta.

“La fe católica tiene raíces profundas en el oeste de Carolina del Norte, desde mucho antes de la fundación de la diócesis. Gracias a los sacrificios, el trabajo arduo y la devoción de innumerables sacerdotes misioneros, religiosos y religiosas consagrados, y fieles laicos y laicas, nació y floreció la diócesis”.

Los planes de aniversario aún se están formulando, pero las

HICKORY — Del viernes 27 al domingo 29 de agosto, se llevó a cabo un encuentro muy espiritual y hermoso del grupo Familia de Emaús, dirigido espiritualmente por el P. Julio C. Domínguez, Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano y director espiritual de este movimiento apostólico.

La reflexión de la reunión estuvo basada en la explicación teológica y litúrgica de la Santa Misa. Más de 180 mujeres de este grupo se dieron cita para reflexionar no solo en la Misa sino también en la espiritualidad del movimiento. Las hermanas tuvieron la oportunidad de convivir, rezar juntas, jugar, encontrarse y compartir experiencias con hermanas de muchas parroquias de nuestra diócesis. En los tres días de encuentro, disfrutaron también de un concierto de música y, por supuesto, de la celebración diaria de la Santa Misa y la Liturgia de las horas. Todas ellas regresaron a sus parroquias con mucho entusiasmo y dispuestas a seguir viviendo su fe y ayudando a otras muchas personas a hacer lo mismo.

Durante las charlas del fin de semana se enfatizó mucho el tema de la familia y el papel que tienen como principales educadoras de sus hijos en lo que respecta a la fe y los valores morales. Finalmente, muchas de ellas venían preparándose para consagrar sus vidas al Señor de la Misericordia y el P. Julio hizo el hermoso ritual de consagración al término del encuentro. Felicidades a este grupo espiritual y a todos los demás grupos apostólicos de nuestra diócesis que se esfuerzan en llevar la evangelización al pueblo de Dios.

celebraciones comenzarán con una Misa de apertura en la Catedral San Patricio el 12 de enero de 2022. El Congreso Eucarístico de la Diócesis de Charlotte en 2022 también será una oportunidad clave para las celebraciones de aniversario.

Los eventos y programas a lo largo del año destacarán nuestra fe e historia compartida, así como la diversidad y el progreso de nuestra diócesis. Los planes también incluyen una campaña para inspirar “50 actos de caridad” en todo el oeste de Carolina del Norte.

El esfuerzo de planificación está dirigido por Monseñor Patrick Winslow, vicario general y canciller.

“Vale la pena señalar que esta celebración del aniversario de oro no se trata de la diócesis como estructura de

la Iglesia”, dijo el Obispo Jugis. “Como dijo el delegado apostólico del Santo Padre durante la Misa de instalación del Reverendísimo Michael J. Begley, primer Obispo de Charlotte, ‘... el aparato administrativo no es un fin en sí mismo, sino un medio para alcanzar un objetivo superior. Se establece una diócesis para unir a los fieles en el vínculo de la fe, la caridad, la gracia y el compañerismo cristiano’”.

Si bien la fe católica en el oeste de Carolina del Norte, y muchas parroquias, es anterior a la fundación de la diócesis en 1972, dijo, el año del aniversario es una oportunidad para “dar gracias a Dios Todopoderoso por sus muchas bendiciones y acercarnos más como hermanos y hermanas en la fe”.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre Oración de San Juan Pablo II ¡Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Patrona de Cuba! ¡Dios te salve, María, llena de gracia!

Tú eres la Hija amada del Padre, la Madre de Cristo, nuestro Dios, el Templo vivo del Espíritu Santo.

Llevas en tu nombre, Virgen de la Caridad, la memoria del Dios que es Amor, el recuerdo del mandamiento nuevo de Jesús, la evocación del Espíritu Santo: amor derramado en nuestros corazones, fuego de caridad enviado en Pentecostés sobre la Iglesia, don de la plena libertad de los hijos de Dios. ¡Bendita tú entre las mujeres y bendito el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús!

Has venido a visitar nuestro pueblo y has querido quedarte con nosotros como Madre y Señora de Cuba, a lo largo de su peregrinar por los caminos de la historia.

Tu nombre y tu imagen están esculpidos en la mente y en el corazón de todos los cubanos, dentro y fuera de la Patria, como signo de esperanza y centro de comunión fraterna. ¡Santa María, Madre de Dios y Madre nuestra!

Ruega por nosotros ante tu Hijo Jesucristo, intercede por nosotros con tu corazón maternal, inundado de la caridad del Espíritu.

Acrecienta nuestra fe, aviva la esperanza, aumenta y fortalece en nosotros el amor.

Ampara nuestras familias, protege a los jóvenes y a los niños, consuela a los que sufren.

Sé Madre de los fieles y de los pastores de la Iglesia, modelo y estrella de la nueva evangelización. ¡Madre de la reconciliación!

Reúne a tu pueblo disperso por el mundo.

Haz de la nación cubana un hogar de hermanos y hermanas para que este pueblo abra de par en par su mente, su corazón y su vida a Cristo, único Salvador y Redentor, que vive y reina con el Padre y el Espíritu Santo, por los siglos de los siglos.

Amén.

Cada 8 de septiembre, los fieles devotos en Cuba y Miami celebran la Fiesta de la Virgen de la Caridad, declarada patrona de Cuba el 10 de mayo de 1916 por el Papa Benedicto XV y cuya venerable imagen tiene más de 400 años de antigüedad.

La fiesta solemne suele ser celebrada a lo grande en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre en Cuba, y también en Miami, donde el año pasado se celebró el vigésimo aniversario de la proclamación de la Ermita de la Caridad como santuario nacional.

Este año, la Arquidiócesis de Miami informó sobre la celebración de los 60 años de la llegada a Miami de la bendita imagen de Virgen de la Caridad que se venera en la Ermita, que llegó de Cuba escondida en una maleta justamente el 8 de septiembre de 1961, por lo que el tema escogido para esta ocasión es: “60 Años de la imagen de Virgen de la Caridad con su Pueblo del Exilio”.

Al igual que el año pasado, la pandemia de COVID-19 no permitió que la fiesta se realice con una presencia masiva de los fieles como es tradición; sin embargo, los devotos en Estados Unidos organizaron actividades en su honor con ciertas restricciones, como una novena, procesión vehicular, vigilia artística, peregrinación al santuario y Misa Solemne.

APARICIÓN MILAGROSA

A unos 16 kilómetros al oeste de Santiago de Cuba, se encuentra situada la villa de El Cobre, fundada el año 1598. Al sur de esta región se encuentra el Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad. Cuenta la tradición que en una mañana de 1628 salieron de Barajagua a la bahía de Nipe a buscar sal, dos indígenas, de apellido Hoyos y un esclavo negro de diez años de edad. Llegados a este lugar vieron que era imposible recolectar la sal por lo agitado que estaba el mar.

Buscaron refugio y al cabo de tres días pudieron embarcarse en una canoa y dirigirse a las salinas de la costa. No hacía mucho que navegaban, cuando descubrieron sobre las olas un objeto blanco, que se imaginaron sería el cadáver de alguna ave marina. Sin embargo advirtieron con gran sorpresa que el objeto flotante era una imagen de la Virgen María colocada sobre una tabla. Tomaron la imagen depositándola en la canoa y leyeron en la tabla una inscripción que decía: “Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad”. Llevaron la Virgen en la canoa y luego de recoger la sal, volvieron a Barajagua donde ya había llegado la noticia del hallazgo. La imagen fue trasladada al altar mayor de la iglesia parroquial, donde un hombre de fe llamado Marías de Olivera ofreció dedicarse a su servicio.

La imagen de la Virgen de la Caridad es pequeña y su rostro es redondo. En el brazo izquierdo sostiene al Niño Jesús quien en una mano tiene un globo terráqueo.

El 10 de mayo de 1916, el Papa Benedicto XV, la proclamó Patrona de la isla y el 30 de diciembre de 1936 el Papa Pío XI la coronó canónicamente.

Posteriormente, en un viaje realizado por Juan Pablo II a Cuba en 1998, coronó con gran dignidad a la Virgen como Patrona de Cuba.

RUMBO A LA LIBERTAD

El pasado mes de julio de este año, cuando sucedieron protestas populares en Cuba que fueron reprimidas con dureza por la dictadura comunista, el Arzobispo de Miami, Monseñor Thomas Wenski, celebró una Misa en FOTO FACEBOOK HERMITA DE LA CARIDAD la que pidió ante la imagen de la Virgen de la Caridad En la imagen se aprecia la última gran celebración organizada en Miami en 2019 para honrar a la Virgen de del Cobre, patrona de Cuba, que interceda por el pueblo la Caridad del Cobre. Este año 2021, debido a las restricciones sanitarias por la pandemia de COVID-19, se de la isla que reclama por su libertad y el fin de la realizó una procesión vehicular que recorrió las calles y vecindarios de la ciudad acercando la milagrosa dictadura de 62 años. imagen a los fieles latinoamericanos que la recibieron con banderas de México, Cuba, El Salvador y otras “¿Qué mejor sitio para orar por Cuba que a los pies de naciones. la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre? Que en este santuario que reconstruyeron sus hijos para venerarla y para, con “Con esta premisa y con la ayuda de Dios, que llegue cuanto su amorosa intercesión, mantener vivo en sus corazones el anhelo de antes para Cuba la hora de la libertad, del derecho y la verdadera regresar a una patria libre”, dijo Monseñor Wenski. reconciliación que brota de la verdad y de la justicia”, dijo Monseñor La Misa se celebró en conmemoración de los 37 cubanos que Wenski. fallecieron tratando de escapar de Cuba hace 27 años en el remolcador Al final de su homilía, pidió a “Jesús, verdadero liberador del género ‘13 de marzo’, pero que fue hundido por el régimen castrista. humano”, que “haga brillar para Cuba una nueva aurora de esperanza, “Venimos a pedirle una vez más, a la patrona de Cuba, que interceda en que los valores del reino de Dios se arraiguen en el corazón, en las ante su hijo Jesucristo, por todo un pueblo que ha decidido reclamar mentes de todos los cubanos”, y que “la Virgen de la Caridad nos una sus derechos y que ha puesto la proa de su destino, rumbo a la bajo su manto de amor para que verdaderamente lleguemos a ser todos libertad”, dijo el Arzobispo de Miami, quien recordó las palabras del hermanos”.

Papa San Juan Pablo II durante su visita a Cuba en 1998: “Los cubanos — Información extraída del Servicio Católico de Noticias, son y deben ser los protagonistas de su propia historia personal y ACIPRENSA y la Arquidiócesis de Miami nacional”.

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Lecturas Diarias

“Descubrimiento de la Cruz Verdadera”, de Giambattista Tiepolo (c. 1740-’45)

12-18 SEPTIEMBRE

Domingo: Isaías 50:5-9, Santiago 2:1418, Marcos 8:27-35; Lunes (San Juan Crisóstomo): 1 Timoteo 2:1-8, Lucas 7:1-10; Martes (Exaltación de la Cruz): Números 21:4-9, Filipenses 2:6-11, Juan 3:13-17; Miércoles (Ntra. Sra. de los Dolores): 1 Timoteo 3:14-16, Juan 19:25-27; Jueves (Santos Cornelio y Cipriano): 1 Timoteo 4:12-16, Lucas 7:36-50; Viernes: 1 Timoteo 6:2-12, Lucas 8:1-3; Sábado: 1 Timoteo 6:1316, Lucas 8:4-15

19-25 SEPTIEMBRE

Domingo: Sabiduría 2:12, 17-20, Santiago 3:16–4, Marcos 9:30-37; Lunes (Andrés Kim y compañeros mártires): Esdrás 1:1-6, Lucas 8:16-18; Martes (San Mateo): Efesios 4:1-7,

11-13, Mateo 9:9-13; Miércoles: Esdrás 9:5-9, Lucas 9:1-6; Jueves (Pío de Pieltrecina): Hageo 1:1-8, Lucas 9:7-9; Viernes: Hageo 2:1-9, Lucas 9:18-22; Sábado: Zacarías 2:5-9, 14-15, Lucas 9:43-45

26 SEPTIEMBRE-2 OCTUBRE

Domingo: Números 11:25-29, Santiago 5:1-6, Marcos 9:38-43, 45, 47-48; Lunes (San Vicente de Paúl): Zacarías 8:1-8, Lucas 9:4650; Martes: Zacarías 8:20-23, Lucas 9:51-56; Miércoles (Arcángeles Miguel, Gabriel y Rafael): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Juan 1:47-51; Jueves (San Jerónimo): Nehemías 8:1-4, 5-6, 8-12, Lucas 10:1-12; Viernes (Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús): Baruc 1:15-22, Lucas 10:13-16; Sábado (Santos Ángeles Custodios): Baruc 4:5-12, 27-29, Mateo 18:1-5, 10

Knights of Columbus Caballeros de Colón Considere unirse a más de dos millones de miembros de la orden católica laico más grande del mundo al registrarse hoy en:

KofC.org/joinus

fe | familia | fraternidad POR UN TIEMPO LIMITADO MEMBRESÍA EN LÍNEA GRATUITA Utilice El Código De Promoción (MCGIVNEY2020)

Then I heard the Voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?

Who will go for us?”

“Here I am;” I said, “Send me!”

-Isaiah 6:8 With Gratitude to Almighty God, the Diocese of Charlotte joyfully announces Ordination to the Holy Order of Deacon, to be conferred through the Invocation of the Holy Spirit and the Imposition of hands by His Excellency, Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte on Saturday, the twenty-fifth of September, Two Thousand and Twenty-One at ten o’clock in the morning at St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville, NC

To Be Ordained: Joseph Christopher Becker Eduardo Montes Bernal Carl Frederick Brown Charles David Hindbaugh Todd Michael Labonte John Philip Langlois Thomas Patrick Martin William Sylvester Melton, Jr. Francisco Luna Piña Herbert Antonio Quintanilla Joseph Bernard Smith Margarito Franco Torres All guests are requested to be seated in the church by nine thirty in the morning.

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Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Former Cardinal McCarrick pleads not guilty; two more lawsuits filed RHINA GUIDOS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick pleaded not guilty Sept. 3 in a Massachusetts court, where he is facing three counts of sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s.

Local news reporters posted video on Twitter of the 91-year-old McCarrick, wearing a face mask and slowly heading toward Dedham District Court with the aid of a walker as protesters shouted at him.

He was not taken under custody but was ordered to post $5,000 bail and have no contact with the alleged victim or children.

The former high-ranking Church official also was ordered not to leave the country and surrendered his passport.

His next court appearance is Oct. 28.

The day before the arraignment, a former employee and a former priest of the Archdiocese of Newark filed lawsuits alleging unpermitted sexual contact by McCarrick for incidents in 1991.

The Massachusetts case is the first time, however, that McCarrick has faced criminal charges for assault of a minor, alleged to first have taken place at a wedding reception in 1974 and continued over the years in different states. Massachusetts allows for a pause of the statute of limitations in criminal cases “when (the) defendant is not usually

and publicly resident,” says the website Findlaw.com “This is to prevent criminals from avoiding the consequences of their crimes by simply running, hiding and waiting out the authorities,” it explains.

Because McCarrick, who didn’t live in Massachusetts, left the state, it put in place the “pause” needed for authorities to file charges against him for incidents that allegedly took place almost 50 years ago.

The state prosecutor, addressing the judge hearing the case, said McCarrick had immersed himself into the fabric of the victim’s family, using his status as a priest to access and prey on the boy.

“He specifically used the act of confession to get the victim away from his parents and from his siblings and then would sexually assault the victim during that time frame,” the prosecutor said.

In a statement on the day of the arraignment, the Archdiocese of Boston praised the legal action.

“Today’s legal proceeding is an important step in revealing the truth in a just and consequential manner,” it said, noting that McCarrick’s canonical conviction resulted in his dismissal from the priesthood.

“Today he stands before the people of the Commonwealth through the judicial system to answer the serious charges against him,” the statement said. “We are grateful that the survivor in the

Massachusetts case and all survivors, who have the courage to come forward, bring to light the crimes alleged.”

The statement also said that archdiocesan leaders were praying for “all impacted by this case and for all survivors of clergy sexual abuse that they are able to experience healing and know of God’s endless love for them today and always.”

Others have publicly accused McCarrick of abusing them as children, too, but charges weren’t pursued in many cases as the statute of limitations in those localities had run out. However, many of them said they or their families and sometimes priests, over the years, reported the suspected abuse to high-ranking Church officials who did nothing.

In 2018, however, the Archdiocese of New York found an allegation that McCarrick had abused a 16-year-old altar server in New York in 1971 “credible and substantiated” and turned the case over to the Vatican.

McCarrick was dismissed by the Vatican from the clerical state in 2019 following an investigation of accusations that he had

abused multiple children early on in his career of more than 60 years as a cleric, and that he also had abused seminarians as a bishop in New Jersey.

In November 2020, the Vatican issued a report attempting to understand, why, if Church officials knew of the abundant allegations against him, they allowed the abuse to continue, and why the Church elevated him to a cardinal.

The report showed that McCarrick had a deep friendship with St. John Paul II, who, as pope, heard about the sex abuse accusations against the cleric when he considered naming him archbishop of Washington in 2000 but believed him when he denied wrongdoings. He made him a cardinal a few months later in 2001.

“This is a landmark moment in the fight against clergy abuse and we hope that this news will inspire vigilance among parishioners and change among Church leaders,” said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, in a Sept. 2 press release.

McCarrick has in the past denied allegations against him.

Job Posting

Payroll Administrator The Diocese of Charlotte is seeking a full time Payroll Administrator. Areas of responsibility include oversight and review of payroll for all diocesan entities and select parishes and schools, training payroll staff across the diocese, assisting in the processing of payroll for Mecklenburg Area Catholic schools, the largest single employer of the Diocese of Charlotte, maintaining confidential payroll records, providing payroll reports to management, and other duties as required.

Requirements include: • Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.

• At least four years’ experience in payroll processing.

• At least one year’s experience in a payroll supervisory position.

• Excellent computer skills - specifically with Excel.

• Experience with PrimePay payroll software - a plus.

Please send resume and salary history/requirements by September 17, 2021 to: Mason Beaumont, Controller, Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203-4003, or email to mtbeaumont@rcdoc.org.

The Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

CNS | EDUARDO MUNOZ, REUTERS, CNS | HANDOUT, COURTESY CHRISTINA KNAUSS

We can’t let people forget 9/11, says retired FDNY captain Above, people in Jersey City, N.J., look at The Tribute in Light installation from Liberty State Park Sept. 11, 2020, marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City. As the nation marks 20 years since the terrorist attacks, those affected – including a retired New York Fire Department captain – are urging people to remember and honor the memory of the thousands of people who died that day. Thomas Damore (left, pictured at ground zero in 2001) currently lives in Murrells Inlet, S.C., where he is a parishioner at St. Michael Church. He spent 50 days working in the rubble at ground zero, and will never forget the experience.

In his mind, he goes back to a day when fire, smoke, debris and death rained from a blindingly clear blue sky over New York City and back to the days he spent climbing over piles of twisted metal where fires still burned, pushing aside piles of concrete and other debris, searching, always searching for anything left of thousands of people who perished in an instant at ground zero. “Most of the year I don’t think too much about it, but beginning at the end of August, I can’t help but think back to that time,” Damore says. “I can still hear the machines that were working to dig out all the debris. I can still smell the burning debris and when we were getting close to a body, you would get the smell of decay. I conjure that up, too. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like it was 20 years ago. Sometimes it seems like a thousand.”

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief High court rules against blocking Texas’ 6-week abortion ban WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a late-night decision Sept. 1, the Supreme Court ruled against blocking a Texas law banning abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. The 5-4 vote, issued with a one-paragraph unsigned opinion, said the challengers to the Texas law – which went into

effect Sept. 1 – did not adequately address the “complex and novel antecedent procedural questions” in this case. “This order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas’ law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts,” the opinion said, leaving open the possibility that the state’s abortion providers could challenge it in other ways. The Texas Catholic Conference said the action marked the first time since Roe v. Wade that the nation’s high court “has allowed a pro-life law to remain while litigation proceeds in lower courts.” President Joe Biden criticized the court’s action and said in a Sept.

2 statement that his administration will look at “what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe.”

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of September: Rev. Msgr. Thomas Burke – 2001 Rev. Msgr. Arthur Duncan – 2002 Rev. Gregory Eichenlaub, OSB – 1975 Rev. James King – 1978 Rev. John J. Murray – 1997 Rev. Edward F. O’Doherty – 1998 Rev. Bernard Rosswog, OSB - 1999

Vatican: No truth in abuse claims against Brooklyn bishop NEW YORK — The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has determined that allegations of sexual abuse of a minor against Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn were found “not to have the semblance of truth.” The finding was announced Sept. 1 by the Archdiocese of

New York, which had initiated an investigation into the allegation under the norms issued by Pope Francis in 2019 to address allegations against bishops. After the announcement, Bishop DiMarzio reiterated that the allegation was false, a stance he has maintained since it was first made in November 2019.

— Catholic News Service

Business Manager

Holy Cross Catholic Church, Kernersville, NC Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kernersville, NC, is seeking a full-time manager of business and finance. As a person of faith committed to the gospel values and responsible stewardship of resources, the Business Manager is an administrator in support of the pastor's goals and objectives for the parish and helps the parish fulfill its mission and purpose. Administrative responsibilities include the areas of finance, facilities, purchasing, cemetery sales, and human resource management.

An undergraduate degree in business/finance or related field is required; at least two years’ experience in non-profit financial administration and CPA, preferred. Position start date: November 2021. More detailed information at CatholicJobs.com, job ID# 11015146556.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Vatican releases guidance for dioceses to begin synodal path CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has issued the preparatory document and a “handbook” for dioceses as part of the global Church’s preparation for the 2023 assembly of the Synod of Bishops, discussing the theme, “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”

“Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: ‘It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium,’” the document said.

As such, the preparatory document and its questions are “at the service of the synodal journey, especially as a tool to facilitate the first phase of listening to and consulting the people of God in the particular Churches in the hope of helping to set in motion the ideas, energy and creativity of all those who will take part in the journey, and to make it easier to share the fruits of their efforts,” it said.

“The purpose of this synod is not to produce more documents. Rather, it is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength

to our hands for our common mission,” the preparatory document said.

The handbook or “vademecum” offers guidelines for bishops and those helping facilitate the synodal process locally on how they can best listen to and consult with Catholics and the wider community, particularly those on the margins of society, as well as Christians and non-Christians.

The materials were released Sept. 7 at a news conference at the Vatican and online in English and Spanish at the synod’s official website: synod.va/en.html and synod.va/es.html.

Pope Francis is scheduled to formally open the synod process at the Vatican Oct. 9-10, and the bishop of every diocese should open the process in his diocese Oct. 17. The diocesan phase runs until April.

The materials present a number of questions to help prompt reflection, input and ideas from as many people as possible.

The questions fall under 10 general themes, and people can address what is most pertinent to their situation and “share with honesty and openness about their real-life experiences, and to reflect together on what the Holy Spirit might be revealing through what they share with one another,” the document said.

Some suggested questions include: “To whom does our particular Church ‘need to listen to’” and “how are the laity, especially young people and women, listened to?

How do we integrate the contribution of consecrated men and women? What space is there for the voice of minorities, the discarded, and the excluded? Do we identify prejudices and stereotypes that hinder our listening? How do we listen to the social and cultural context in which we live?”

However, the basic and most fundamental question guiding the whole process is: “How does this ‘journeying together,’ which takes place today on different levels – from the local level to the universal one – allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to her; and what steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?” the document said.

Speaking at the Sept. 7 news conference, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, and others explained the main objectives and characteristics of a synodal process, which is “a spiritual process” that requires listening to the Holy Spirit as well as to each other.

“The synod will succeed or fail to the extent to which we rely on the Holy Spirit,” the cardinal said.

He urged reporters to offer “correct communication” of what the synod and synodality are about, including not painting it as “a parliament” or as different sides playing against each other “in which the one who has more strength influences or subjugates the other.”

When asked about the possibility of allowing women to vote in a Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Grech said he felt troubled by so much focus being on “the vote,” saying “it is not the vote that matters.”

What matters is the larger process that involves the entire people of God coming together to find common ground, which is not easy, he said. “So perhaps we have to insist more on how we can dialogue, converse, discern together in order to possibly reach this harmony,” find consensus and not depend so much on the votes cast during the later phase of a synod.

Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, one of two undersecretaries to the Synod of Bishops, will be the first woman with a right to vote at a meeting of the Synod of Bishops. In March, when she was appointed, Cardinal Grech said permitting her to vote in a synod was “a major milestone” and was something

that should not be limited to just this one institution or just to voting rights.

Myriam Wijlens, a canon lawyer and Synod of Bishops consultor, told reporters that women need to “present themselves” and speak up “courageously” during this consultation phase. It will also be important to listen to what women from non-Western cultures are saying, she added.

The handbook said even though dioceses will be asked to spend six months doing extensive outreach and consultation with as many people as possible, the synodal process “is not a mechanical data-gathering exercise or a series of meetings and debates.”

“Synodal listening is oriented toward discernment,” in which people listen to each other, to their faith tradition and to “the signs of the times in order to discern what God is saying to all of us,” it said.

Widespread participation is an important part of the diocesan process, the document said, with no one being excluded. “We must personally reach out to the peripheries, to those who have left the Church, those who rarely or never practice their faith, those who experience poverty or marginalization, refugees, the excluded, the voiceless, etc.”

This will require creativity, especially in parts of the world where restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are still in place, it added.

All the feedback generated throughout the listening process should be gathered into a “synthesis” after each gathering, followed by a “synthesis” to be written for each diocese and ultimately for each bishops’ conference.

Bishops’ conferences and the synods of the Eastern Churches will provide a synthesis of all the local feedback to the Synod of Bishops, and all of that material will be the basis for the writing of two working documents.

Bishops and auditors will then gather with Pope Francis at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 to speak and listen to one another on the basis of the process that began at the local level.

The handbook said the synthesis “does not only report common trends and points of convergence, but also highlights those points that strike a chord, inspire an original point of view, or open a new horizon.”

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September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Mexican bishops express sorrow after abortion decriminalized MEXICO CITY — The Mexican bishops’ conference expressed sorrow over a unanimous Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion, while other Church leaders called on Catholics to “not to be indifferent” on issues of life. The court ruled unanimously Sept. 7 to invalidate sections of a law in northern Coahuila state.

The law imposed sentences of up to three years in prison for women terminating pregnancies; observers say the court decision sets precedent and will lead to decriminalization across the country. The decision also removed criminal sanctions for abortion providers. The motion approved in the court, according to Justice Norma Piña Hernández, “concludes there are no public reasons with scientific support that allow equating the embryo with a person with rights.” After the

court decision, the bishops’ conference tweeted, quoting from a conference document published Aug. 12: “Those of us convinced of the value of life have no need for a murderous law such as the one that is being approved ... We hope that your option for life is not conditional on an ideology, rather is motivated by faith, hope and love.”

Pope: Euthanasia legislation is sign of ‘throwaway culture’ VATICAN CITY — Increasing calls to legalize euthanasia in several European countries are signs of a “throwaway culture” gaining popularity, Pope Francis said. “What is (deemed) useless is discarded. Old people are disposable material; they are a nuisance... The old, the terminally ill, and unwanted children, too; they are returned to the sender before they are born,” the pope said in a Sept. 1 interview with COPE, the radio station owned by the Spanish bishops’ conference. In March, Spain’s parliament passed a law legalizing euthanasia, making it the fourth European country to legalize physician-assisted suicide after Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Norway allow for what is known as “passive euthanasia.”

— Catholic News Service

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Job Posting Senior Accountant The Diocese of Charlotte is seeking a full time Senior Accountant. This position will supervise a staff of at least one employee. Areas of responsibilities include monthly close, financial statement preparation, general ledger maintenance and reconciliations, journal entries, accounts payable, cash receipts, payroll, budgeting, fund accounting and year-end audit work.

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• Excellent computer skills - specifically with Excel.

• Experience with Blackbaud software - a plus.

• Supervisory experience preferred.

Please send resume and salary history/requirements by September 17, 2021 to: Mason Beaumont, Controller, Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203-4003, or email to mtbeaumont@rcdoc.org.

The Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Fred Gallagher

Deacon David Powers

Reflecting 20 years after 9/11

Reverting to beauty

W

hen speaking of my faith journey, I have referred to myself, only partly in jest, as a “revert,” as opposed to a convert. A revert is a cradle Catholic who ventured off and then swam back across the Tiber, returning home to Rome and the loving embrace of Holy Mother Church.

At a particularly crucial time for me, I was talking with a friend who was a Benedictine monk, a man who had helped save my life. I spent a few minutes telling him my doubts about the faith, then said, “But do you think it’s OK to go to Mass for no other reason than it is beautiful?” With a wry grin he said, yes, he thought that was OK. What he knew and I didn’t was that eventually I would come back to the Catholic Church for good. But I did so less because of theology and more because of beauty – beauty in a sense which is hard to describe because it is so tied to theology. There is first the beauty of the theological precepts that serve as the foundation of our faith: grace, incarnation and transubstantiation. I refer also to the sacraments themselves, to the angels, and to the Communion of Saints, those canonized and those springing forth into eternity from our own homes. All these theological notions are, to be sure, beautiful.

They come alive in visual art, in music, in poetry, in the movements of sacred ritual and custom that guide our worship and, in particular, in the Mass itself. Once I began to contemplate these tangible forms of beauty, the connections between beauty and faith began to inform my mind and heart on a deeper level.

I remembered as a young man traveling in Europe and standing before astounding masterpieces of religious art. At the Galleria dell’Accademia, in Florence, I walked down a hallway of unfinished Michelangelo sculptures to the prize in the rotunda at the end: David, the most impressive statue I could ever imagine.

At one museum I saw, on a wall two rooms opposite from where I had entered, a face that drew me in. I skipped the two rooms of priceless art and went directly to El Greco’s portrait of Christ. Something reached inside me that would take decades to unfold.

The classical music of Christendom reverberates in the acoustics and ambiance of high-ceilinged sanctuaries. From Gregorian chant to Mozart Masses, the faith found witness and expression in beautiful, stirring sound. And yet I have also heard reverential joy in the celebratory jazz Mass composed by Dave Brubeck. In the sad chords of the blues, I have heard the lonely walk of Christ to His cross.

Dana Gioia, a contemporary Catholic poet and scholar, has charted some of the characteristics of artists expressing a Catholic worldview. For instance, Flannery O’Connor, one of the foremost short story writers of the 20th century, very seldom wrote about Catholics but embodied in her work a kind of mysticism

and sacramentality representative of that worldview. In “The Catholic Writer Today,” Gioia identifies those traits as a focus on “humanity struggling in a fallen world”; a “longing for grace and redemption with a deep sense of human imperfection and sin”; a view of reality as being “mysteriously charged with the invisible presence of God”; and a “mystical sense of continuity between the living and the dead.” This is the beauty sought by a Catholic worldview.

Then there are the poets, going back to the Psalms, to the poetic flares of St. Paul in his letters, to Dante Alighieri and his “Divine Comedy,” up to Gerard Manley Hopkins in modern times. The 21st century has seen poets such as Czesław Miłosz (Poland), Paul Claudel (France), Seamus Heaney and Patrick Kavanaugh (Ireland), Denise Levertov and Paul Mariani (U.S.) and, of course, Dana Gioia himself.

The crowning achievement, however, of high art and theology coming together would have to be the Mass itself. The Holy Sacrifice has history, from the catacombs to our current controversies. I am one of the last of a generation to serve the Traditional Latin Mass as a child, so I did have a taste of it. With the Novus Ordo, a different culture emerged. Some say perhaps we sacrificed beauty for utility, although there were truly legitimate and even beautiful trade-offs.

I fear, however, that instead of promoting unity within the Church, Pope Francis’ recent document “Traditionis Custodes” may do anything but that by placing limitations on “extraordinary” liturgies.

Yes, some have used the Traditional Latin Mass as a platform for their rejection of Vatican II. And yes, sometimes the “piety” of Traditional Latin Mass enthusiasts comes across as manufactured, with a twist of condescension. But I have a feeling most of those with a new or renewed interest in the Traditional Latin Mass are young people who never had the chance to attend one as a kid and who are seeking what I was seeking when I asked if I could go to Mass because it was beautiful.

Souls yearn for beauty. Just as I have experienced the exquisite beauty of our faith in many varied expressions, I hope we will still be able to experience the Traditional Latin Mass as a singular embodiment of theology and beauty, wedded to symbolism, reverence and humility.

Seeing what stirs people and responding in charity seems the right approach – with the Novus Ordo and the Traditional Latin Mass; with the wealth of varied artistic expression in visual art, music and literature informed by a Catholic worldview; with our need for transcendence; with an appreciation and love for the greatest poem there is, the Incarnation. Let us all find a way to revert to beauty.

FRED GALLAGHER is an author and editor-in-chief with Gastonia-based Good Will Publishers Inc.

“Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.”

(Sirach 28:2)

O

n this 20-year anniversary of 9/11, one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, I would like us all to reflect on these words of scripture from the Book of Sirach and to decide where we are in terms of our ability to forgive grievous acts directed toward us, our country, or even our Church.

Twenty years ago I was sitting in my office in the Pentagon – and had just witnessed the second plane crashing through the World Trade Center on television news – when I heard a loud explosion and saw a fireball reflected outside my window. I thought someone had exploded a bomb, not knowing that a plane had flown into the Pentagon.

It was a day of great terror but also of great sacrifice and heroics by those who helped the injured, by police and fire responders, and by concerned individuals who stepped in to help others.

I made my way to the center of the building and into the courtyard, and after a while I and others were led outside into the parking lot. From there, we ran to Crystal City, Va., away from the Pentagon parking lot, as we heard that another airplane was on its way to Washington, D.C. (this was the plane that was taken down by the passengers over Pennsylvania). We were in a panic.

Sometime later I learned that the nose of the plane ended up in the basement of the Pentagon directly under my thirdfloor office. If the plane had not hit the ground and bounced before striking the building, I would not be alive today, along with hundreds more in the Pentagon.

We lost several coworkers and others I had known personally, and thinking about why they died and I lived bothered me for the first few months after the incident. Some people said, “Why did God kill so many people that day?” The response is that God killed no one on 9/11; it was the free will of men filled with hate and revenge that killed the people on 9-11. Revenge added to hate is like gasoline poured on a fire – it makes the fire burn hotter.

It took me a long time to get in touch with my feelings about the men who did this horrible act and about the men who backed them and rejoiced over the carnage. I could either go on hating them for their actions, or I could pray for their conversion from their misguided teachings. The Book of Sirach tells us: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail.” (Sir 27:30-28:1).

Jesus teaches us in Matthew’s Gospel that our heavenly Father will pay each of us back for our misdeeds unless we

forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts (Mt 18:35). We should take some time to try to understand this teaching.

The story in Matthew 18 tells us that God forgave the greater debt, as illustrated by the king forgiving the servant a huge amount – one that was impossible for the servant to pay back. This same servant, upon being asked to forgive a fellow servant’s debt of a smaller amount, refused to do so.

Jesus erased all of our sins on the cross and has forgiven us by His holy sacrifice. Should we do any less for those who have wronged us? As Catholic Christian men and women, boys and girls – people of God – we need to examine our feelings toward those who harm us or who do harm to others.

We do not have to tolerate the terrible actions of others, but as the priest in my childhood parish always said, “Hate the sin and not the sinner.”

One example of profound forgiveness that I will never forget is that of Bud Welch. His 23-year-old daughter, Julie Marie, was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, that killed 167 people. For the first few months after Julie Marie’s death, Welch was filled with rage against those who had done it. He started drinking and getting himself more and more worked up while having feelings of revenge against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the accused bombers. Then one day, he felt his life was out of control and he had to do something about it because he recognized that what he had been doing up to that point had done him absolutely no good whatsoever. He remembered that Julie Marie had been against the death penalty. So he started thinking about how his daughter, a Catholic and daily communicant, would have reacted, and his feelings of anger started to change.

He realized that Tim McVeigh had done this act out of hatred and revenge for what McVeigh saw as the government’s “erroneous” actions at Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993, when 82 Branch Davidians and four ATF agents lost their lives.

Welch knew that if he persisted in his hatred of McVeigh, he would just be perpetuating the same revenge as McVeigh had. He wondered where it all would end if no one put a stop to it.

Welch went on to meet McVeigh’s father and give him comfort during McVeigh’s trial and execution. He began to campaign against the death penalty.

I met Welch at a Peace and Justice conference in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1999.

After I heard him speak, I knew I had to examine my feelings of hatred and revenge against the Oklahoma City bombers.

Fast-forward to the events of 9/11.

After Welch’s example, I knew that I could not harbor feelings of revenge POWERS, SEE PAGE 24

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Deacon Matthew Newsome

W

ith COVID-19 cases again spiking due to the Delta variant, vaccine mandates are becoming more common in schools and workplaces. This has led to debate over the ethics of such mandates and whether Catholics should be afforded a religious exemption. Confusion has arisen due to conflicting messages being put out by different U.S. bishops.

Some in the Church appear to encourage Catholics to seek religious exemptions to such mandates. Bishops in Colorado on Aug. 6 provided their priests with a template religious exemption letter. This is in sharp contrast to the Archdiocese of New York, which on July 30 issued a directive stating “there is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the (COVID-19) vaccine,” and further saying that priests “should not be active participants” in assisting Catholics to obtain such an exemption. The bishops of Los Angeles and San Diego have issued similar statements.

Why the mixed message?

I believe it stems from a failure to distinguish between religious exemption and conscientious objection. To understand the difference between these categories, let’s look at another example. Let’s say our nation is at war and the draft has been reinstated. Imagine I am a Quaker. One of the tenets of the Quaker religion is pacifism. Quakers oppose any and all use of violence as evil and contrary to God’s will. To be drafted into military service would put me in a position where I would be required to do something directly contrary to the teachings of my faith. I could therefore claim a religious exemption to the draft, saying, “I cannot serve in the military because I am a Quaker.”

Let’s look at the same example but this time I am a Catholic. The Catholic Church does not teach universal pacifism. In fact, the Church teaches that “the defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2265). The Catholic Church in fact has a long and noble history of sending soldiers into harm’s way to defend those in need. I could not therefore say, “I cannot serve in the military because I am a Catholic.” There is no teaching of the Catholic Church that would preclude military service.

But what if I thought the war in question was unjust? What if the judgment of my conscience – formed in line with the Catholic Church’s teaching on just war theory and respect for human life – was that it would be immoral for me to serve

Religious exemption or conscientious objection?

in this particular war? I may not be able to claim religious exemption, but I could claim to be a conscientious objector.

According to the US Department of Defense, conscientious objection refers to a sincere and firmly held objection due to “religious training and/or belief,” which includes “deeply held moral or ethical

however. But let’s be clear what we are talking about. There may be many reasons for not wanting to be vaccinated, from legitimate medical concerns to erroneous belief in wild conspiracy theories involving government microchips; but conscience involves the judgment of reason regarding the moral quality of an action (CCC 1778).

‘While judgments of the Church’s competent authorities on the COVID-19 vaccine are not infallible, and Catholics in good faith may disagree, we nevertheless have a filial obligation to give them due consideration when forming our own conscience on this matter.’ belief” even when not characterized as being religious (Department of Defense, Instruction 1300.06).

The difference is between saying, “I cannot do this because I am Catholic” and “I cannot do this because it violates my conscience.” This is an important distinction because conscience is a matter of individual judgment and Catholics may in good faith arrive at different conclusions in matters of conscience.

Let’s look at how this applies to vaccine mandates. To qualify for a religious exemption from a vaccine mandate, it would need to be against the teaching of one’s faith to receive the vaccine.

For example, practitioners of Christian Science eschew most medical interventions because of their belief that sickness is an illusion that can be remedied by prayer.

For Christian Scientists, receiving medical treatment is tantamount to lack of faith.

This is manifestly not the position of the Catholic Church.

While one could say, “I cannot receive this vaccine because I am a Christian Scientist,” one would not be justified in saying, “I cannot receive this vaccine because I am a Catholic,” especially given the fact that Pope Francis himself has been vaccinated, as have many other prominent leaders in the Church. The Holy Father even recorded a public service announcement for Italian television urging people to get vaccinated!

This is why some bishops, like the archbishop of New York, are saying there is no basis for Catholics to receive a religious exemption from vaccine mandates.

This does not mean that individual Catholics should not be granted an exemption on the basis of conscience,

To claim an exemption based on conscience means one judges reception of the vaccine to be immoral, that is, sinful. Whether that judgment is right or wrong, the Church teaches that no one should be forced to act against the judgment of one’s conscience (“Dignitatis Humanae,” 3; also see CCC 1782 and 1790). For this reason, one also has a grave duty to ensure one’s conscience is properly formed.

The moral objection being raised to the COVID-19 vaccines stems from their connection with the sin of abortion. All of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available or in development have at some point in their testing or production utilized human cell lines originating from fetal tissue obtained from abortions that took place in the early 1970s. The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave moral evil. The question of conscience is whether receiving these vaccines constitutes cooperation with the sin of abortion to a degree that would make the recipient of the vaccine morally culpable.

This question is relevant not only to vaccines but in all manner of societal life that involves us to some degree or another in the morally questionable actions of other individuals. To help us navigate these often muddy waters, the Church has a well developed tradition of distinguishing between formal and material, and proximate and remote degrees of cooperation. (In short, while formal cooperation with evil is never permitted, material cooperation can be tolerated, especially when it is remote).

We lack the space to go into detail on how these principles apply specifically in the case of COVID-19 vaccines, but the

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers.

We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity.

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

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judgment of the Church’s authorities in this regard is that the connection with abortion is sufficiently remote that reception of the COVID-19 vaccines is morally acceptable. This judgment has been articulated by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (December, 2020), the USCCB Committee on Doctrine and the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities (December, 2020), as well as our own Bishop Peter Jugis (March, 2021). Pope Francis has even called receiving the vaccine “an act of love” that protects not only one’s own health, but the health of other vulnerable members of society (Aug. 18, 2021).

Further, this judgment is consistent with the Church’s teaching regarding other vaccines developed from these cell lines, including vaccines against Rubella (measles), Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis A, and certain polio and rabies vaccines, all of which the Church has judged to be morally permissible, especially when alternatives are lacking.

While these judgments of the Church’s competent authorities are not infallible, and Catholics in good faith may disagree, we nevertheless have a filial obligation to give them due consideration when forming our own conscience on this matter. At the end of the day, if the judgment of your conscience is that it would be a sin for you to receive the vaccine, even though the connection with abortion is material and remote, the teaching of the Church is that you should not be forced to violate your conscience.

This would constitute a conscientious objection to the vaccine, and not a religious exemption, because there is not a specifically Catholic reason that would preclude a person from being vaccinated.

In a letter published in the Catholic Times (Aug. 30, 2021), Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., wrote, “Moral objections of conscience should be respected, but should not require a letter from a priest or other clergyman, since the objection is based on the person’s individual personal conscience, not some specific tenet of the Catholic faith.”

The right to conscientious objection applies to everyone, not just Catholics, regarding any matter of moral judgment, not just vaccine mandates. Finally, I would note that Catholics compelled to receive a vaccine that in their judgment is morally problematic are not guilty of sin.

The sin lies with those forcing others to violate their conscience, not those whose conscience is violated.

DEACON MATTHEW NEWSOME is the Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University and the regional faith formation coordinator for the Smoky Mountain Vicariate.

Join the conversation online The Catholic News Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

POWERS

DOMÍNGUEZ

FROM PAGE 22

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 12

and hatred toward those who took the lives of so many innocent people that day and, had it not been for the grace of the Almighty Father, would have taken my life as well.

My dear friends in Christ, I ask you examine your own feelings about those misguided men who put so many people to death on 9/11. I ask you to look deep within yourselves and to try to change any feelings of hatred that you still might feel toward them. When we say the Lord’s Prayer at any time this week, I ask you to try to understand what it is we are asking God to do when we say the words, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we look at those words another way, we see that we are saying, “Father, if I don’t forgive others for the wrongs they may have done to me, then Father, don’t forgive me either the wrongs I do.” Those are some very serious words we are praying when we say the Lord’s Prayer, and they match the lesson Jesus taught in Matthew 18: We will be punished unless we forgive our brothers and sisters from our heart.

I ask that you and I pray together that we will all learn how to forgive those who have wronged us, that we examine ourselves and try to let past hurts be healed. I pray we learn not to hold grudges or to hate others for what they have done to us or to others that we may know.

My heart cries out for those victims of 9/11 and their families.

On the 20-year anniversary of that dark and evil day, let us remember the victims, their families and those heroes who responded by cleansing our hearts of all evil wishes and by filling our souls with the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Let us be grateful for the members of the military who have put their lives on the line defending our country for the past 20 years in response to this senseless act of violence. Let us pray for the repose of the souls of all who died on 9/11 and those in the military who were lost during 20 years of war, for the continued healing of those injured, and for the recovery and mental healing of their families.

May the God of mercy free us all from our sins of anger, hatred and revenge so the cycle of sin and violence has a chance of coming to an end! May God bless you all. Amen.

en cualquier momento puede colapsar, precisamente en este mismo momento en que los valores cristianos están puestos en la duda y en tribunal de una mentalidad cada vez más atea y permisiva?

Podremos dar mil excusas queridos amigos católicos, pero la verdad es que nos hemos visto ridiculos, tanto obispos, sacerdotes, fieles laicos y en fin toda la Iglesia, por no haber respondido con

DEACON DAVID POWERS serves at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe.

FRANCISCANOS VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 12

en todos los eventos” y luego, “se tomaba el tiempo de visitar a cada uno de los que aparecíamos en las fotos, y tenía el detalle de regalarnos una copia de ellas”.

Cruz también destacó el papel de los sacerdotes durante la pandemia, cuando recibieron en sus hogares cartas enviadas por ellos en las que expresaban su preocupación por la salud por física y espiritual de los fieles, siempre animándoles a seguir adelante.

Por su parte Alex Moreira, joven que sirvió como coordinador del ministerio hispano de la parroquia por tres años y que asistiera como delegado al V Encuentro por la Diócesis de Charlotte, dijo que los frailes fueron instrumentales para su desarrollo como laico comprometido. “Me alentaron y apoyaron en todo momento para tomar formación con SEPI y los programas diocesanos. Esta formación me ayudó a establecer una comunicación abierta con los frailes sobre las necesidades de la comunidad hispana en la parroquia” y a “navegar dos realidades culturales bajo una pastoral de conjunto”.

“Gracias a los frailes por su amistad y servicio

mucha más oración durante la pandemia y mucha más acción después de ella.

Nos hace falta darnos cuenta que en tiempos de tribulación necesitamos más la oración, y que en esté tiempo que vivimos necesitamos arriesgar para poder salvar, necesitamos morir para poder resucitar.

Que todos nosotros, recibamos luz y fuerza del Espíritu Santo para darnos cuenta de nuestra triste realidad, y despertemos a la necesidad de hacer algo por recobrar el camino de santidad de la Iglesia.

Así sea.

EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ es director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

“Hemos hecho muchos amigos y, con suerte, a través de nuestro estilo de vida sencillo, hemos sido buenos ejemplos de ‘franciscanismo’ para nuestros feligreses”. — Padre Carl Zdancewicz a nuestra comunidad de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia. Que Papá Dios los bendiga en sus nuevos ministerios”, finalizó.

Nuestra Señora de la Merced y la Misión Nuestra Señora de Fátima son ahora servidas por dos sacerdotes diocesanos designados por el Obispo Peter Jugis: Padre David McCanless, párroco, y Padre Alfonso Gámez, vicario parroquial.

2021 Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection Your contribution to the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection provides for the future pension and retiree health benefits of the 108 priests from our diocese, other dioceses and religious orders who are currently involved in active ministry and serving the faithful of western North Carolina.

The collection will be taken up at all Masses during the weekend of September 25-26, 2021 You can also make a gift online at: charlottediocese.org/donate, then click Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection

Thank you for your support!

A Priest Forever

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

“As I have loved you.”

“Como yo los he amado.”

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

— John 13:34 — Juan 13:34

Eucharistic Congress 2021 The Diocese of Charlotte’s 17th annual Eucharistic Congress may have been canceled, but you and your family can still use this time to learn more about the Eucharist — the source and summit of our Catholic faith. We hope you enjoy this special Eucharistic-themed supplement with details about livestreamed Masses with Bishop Jugis and pre-recorded speaker talks, as well as information about Eucharistic Adoration, the science behind Eucharistic miracles, and special content for kids.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’

— Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324, referring to Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church), 11

‘How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment.’

— St. John Chrysostom

‘When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then.

When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now.’

— St. Teresa of Calcutta

‘In the Holy Eucharist we become one with God like food with the body.’

— St. Francis de Sales

Bishop Peter Jugis leads Benediction at the 2013 Eucharistic Congress. For the second consecutive year, the largescale in-person event has been canceled because of the pandemic.

Instead, the bishop will celebrate Mass streamed live from St. Patrick Cathedral for the people of the Diocese of Charlotte.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

On the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel: Join Bishop Jugis for a votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, or 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 19.

17th Eucharistic Congress shifts to online/parish-based program PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s 2021 Eucharistic Congress is shifting to an online and parish-based program over the weekend of Sept. 17-19 because of the worsening pandemic.

North Carolina public health officials reported that as of Sept. 8, 14,894 people have died from COVID-19 and 3,790 people remain hospitalized.

Approximately 61 percent of eligible North Carolinians have been fully vaccinated.

In a Sept. 4 message to clergy, volunteers and others who help to organize the annual diocesan event, Father Roger Arnsparger, chair of the Eucharistic Congress planning committee, noted the rising rates of infection as the reason for the decision to cancel the in-person event.

The annual Eucharistic Congress typically attracts 10,000 to 15,000 people to the Charlotte Convention Center.

The City of Charlotte, which owns the convention center, currently does not have a limit on mass gatherings that would prohibit the in-person event, but Eucharistic Congress organizers said the high risk of virus spread was of grave concern. In addition, safeguarding people’s health at a large indoor gathering would be difficult – even with efforts at enforcing the city’s indoor face covering mandate and implementing multi-layered health measures throughout the exhibit hall space.

This is the second year the in-person Eucharistic Congress has been canceled. The 16th annual event was also held online and in many parishes last year because of the

pandemic.

Father Arnsparger noted that parishes may look for ways to celebrate during the Eucharistic Congress weekend of Sept. 17-19, to foster unity and devotion to the Eucharist.

“Keeping in mind local public health guidance and exercising prudence, ideas from last year include leading a Holy Hour or outdoor Eucharistic Procession with your First Communicants, giving a talk, or sharing a written message on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist,” he said.

As he did last year, Bishop Peter Jugis will offer a Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, and 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, which will be streamed live from St. Patrick Cathedral on the diocese’s YouTube channel.

About the cover The cover features a depiction of the “The Last Supper” by Benedetto Caliari (circa second half of the 16th century). Bishop Peter Jugis chose this image to illustrate the theme of the 2021 Eucharistic Congress: “As I Have Loved You,” from John 13:34.

In St. John’s Gospel, what’s known as the “Book of Glory” begins with Chapter 13. In this chapter we are invited to understand the “Washing of the Feet,” the Last Supper/Holy Mass and the “New” Commandment to love with divine love.

After having washed their feet, Jesus tells His disciples: “I give

you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The in-person Eucharistic Congress has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte are being encouraged to celebrate our devotion to the Eucharist locally in parishes and at home.

— Catholic News Herald

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com EUCHARISTIC

El Obispo Peter Jugis imparte la Bendición durante el 2018 Congreso Eucarístico. Por segundo año consecutivo, el multitudinario evento presencial ha sido cancelado debido a la pandemia. En su lugar, el obispo celebrará una Misa que será transmitida en vivo para los fieles de la diócesis de Charlotte desde la Catedral San Patricio.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

En el canal de YouTube de la Diócesis de Charlotte: Únase al obispo Jugis para una misa a las 5:30 p.m. Sábado 18 de septiembre o domingo 19 de septiembre a las 11 a.m.

Congreso Eucarístico cambia a programa virtual/parroquial PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITORA

CHARLOTTE — El Congreso Eucarístico 2021 de la Diócesis de Charlotte ha cambiado a un programa online y parroquial durante el fin de semana del 17 al 19 de septiembre debido al empeoramiento de la pandemia de COVID-19.

Funcionarios de salud pública de Carolina del Norte informaron que hasta el 8 de septiembre, 14,894 personas habían muerto por COVID-19 y 3,790 personas permanecían hospitalizadas.

Aproximadamente el 61 por ciento de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte elegibles han recibido las dos dosis de vacuna.

En un mensaje enviado el 4 de septiembre al clero, voluntarios y otras personas que ayudan a organizar el evento diocesano anual, el Padre Roger Arnsparger, presidente del comité de planificación del Congreso Eucarístico, señaló el aumento de las tasas de infección como la razón de la decisión de cancelar el evento en su modalidad presencial.

El Congreso Eucarístico anual generalmente atrae de 10.000 a 15.000 personas al Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte.

La Ciudad de Charlotte, propietaria del centro de convenciones, actualmente no ha establecido un límite para las reuniones masivas que prohibiría el evento en persona, pero los organizadores del Congreso Eucarístico dijeron que el alto riesgo de propagación del virus era motivo de gran preocupación. Adicionalmente,

salvaguardar la salud de las personas en una gran reunión interior sería difícil, especialmente con la logística que implica el cumplimiento del mandato de la ciudad del uso de mascarilla facial en espacios cerrados, y la implementación de los varios niveles de medidas de salud en el espacio de la sala de exposiciones completamente abarrotado.

Este es el segundo año que se cancela el Congreso Eucarístico presencial. El evento en 2020 también se llevó a cabo online y en parroquias debido a la pandemia.

El Padre Arnsparger señaló que las parroquias pueden buscar diferentes maneras de celebrar durante el fin de semana del Congreso Eucarístico, para fomentar la unidad y devoción a la Eucaristía.

“Teniendo en cuenta la orientación de las autoridades de salud pública locales y el ejercicio de la prudencia, las ideas del año pasado incluyeron dirigir una Hora Santa o una Procesión Eucarística al aire libre con sus Primeros Comulgantes, dar una charla o compartir un mensaje escrito sobre la Presencia Real de Jesús en la Eucaristía”, escribió en su mensaje al clero.

Como lo hizo el año pasado, el Obispo Peter Jugis ofrecerá Misa a las 5:30 p.m. del sábado 18 de septiembre y a las 11 a.m. del domingo 19, que se transmitirán “en vivo” desde la Catedral San Patricio por el canal de YouTube de la diócesis.

Los tres oradores hispanos invitados al Congreso Eucarístico, Sra. Lupita Venegas,

Padre Edwin Romo García y Gustavo Adolfo Mejía, han acordado presentarse para dialogar personalmente con los feligreses en algunas actividades parroquiales durante ese fin de semana. También grabarán sus mensajes que estarán disponibles por nuestras redes sociales el sábado 18 de septiembre a partir de las tres de la tarde.

Actividades parroquiales programadas Viernes 17 de septiembre, Iglesia San Luis Gonzaga, Hickory.

6:30 p.m. Charlas de Lupita Venegas y el Padre Romo. Hora Santa.

Viernes 17 de septiembre, Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino, Charlotte.

7 p.m. Charla de Gustavo Mejía.

Sábado 18 de septiembre, Iglesia Santa María Auxiliadora, Shelby 9:30 a.m. a 12 p.m. Jornada con el Padre Romo y Lupita Venegas. Procesión Eucarística y Hora Santa.

Sábado 18 de septiembre, Iglesia Sagrado Corazón, Salisbury 6:30 a 10 p.m. Programa con el Padre Romo y Lupita Venegas. Hora Santa y Santa Misa celebrada por el Padre Julio Domínguez.

Los organizadores trabajan diligentemente para ofrecer la posibilidad de seguir estas presentaciones a través de las redes sociales de las parroquias que gentilmente acogen a los oradores invitados.

CONGRESSI

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“Si nos detuviéramos por un momento para considerar atentamente lo que ocurre en este Sacramento, estoy segura que el pensamiento del amor de Cristo por nosotros transformaría la frialdad de nuestro corazón en un fuego de amor y gratitud”.

— Santa Ángela de Foligno

“La Eucaristía, presencia salvadora de Cristo en la comunidad de los fieles y su alimento espiritual, es lo más preciado que la Iglesia puede tener en su camino a lo largo de la historia”.

— San Juan Pablo II, ‘Iglesia de Eucaristía’, 2003

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

‘He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.’

ENGLISH PROGRAM Starting Friday, Sept. 17, the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/ DioceseofCharlotte) will feature recorded talks by the following speakers originally scheduled to appear in the English Track at the Eucharistic Congress. And don’t miss the livestreamed Mass for the virtual Eucharistic Congress on YouTube at: 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, or 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 19. Subscribe to the channel or follow the Catholic News Herald on Facebook and Twitter to get a reminder alert when the Masses are live. Videos will also be shared on the official Eucharistic Congress website: www.goeucharist.com.

Dr. William Thierfelder Theme: ‘My Imitation of Christ’

Thierfelder

— St. Peter Chrysologus

‘Only through the Eucharist is it possible to live the heroic virtues of Christianity: charity, to the point of forgiving one’s enemies; love for those who make us suffer; chastity in every age and situation of life; patience in suffering and when one is shocked by the silence of God in the tragedies of history or of one’s own personal existence.’

— St. John Paul II

Dr. Bill Thierfelder is currently in his 18th year as president of Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts institution founded in 1876, located 10 miles west of Charlotte.

Under his leadership enrollment has more than doubled, 30 facilities have been built or refurbished including the addition of an off-site campus, and the College has gained national recognition for its Catholic and Benedictine mission and identity as well as its academic and athletic excellence.

Prior to his appointment as president of Belmont Abbey College, Dr. Thierfelder successfully led and transitioned fitness legend, York Barbell Co., from a manufacturer to a solutions-based partner providing sales, marketing, product development and logistical services to mass

merchants and major sporting goods retailers throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Dr. Thierfelder was also a principal in Joyner Sports Medicine Institute, a physical therapy corporation he helped conceptualize, found, and develop. He has also served as executive director of the Player Management Group, a sports representation company that provided contract negotiation, financial management, legal, career planning and sports medicine services to professional athletes. He has helped thousands of athletes, including many at the Olympic and professional THIERFELDER, SEE PAGE 15

Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC Theme: ‘Consecration to St. Joseph in the Year of St. Joseph’

Calloway

A Michigan native and Catholic convert, Father Donald Calloway was ordained a priest for the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary on May 31, 2003, at The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass.

Before his conversion to Catholicism, he was a high school dropout who had been kicked out of a foreign country, institutionalized twice, and thrown in jail multiple times. After his radical conversion he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, M.Div. and S.T.B. degrees from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, and an S.T.L. in Mariology from the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio.

Father Calloway has written many academic articles and is the editor of two books: “The Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church” (Marian Press, 2004) and “The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body” (Marian Press, 2005). He is also the author of seven books, including “Mary of Nazareth: The Life of Our Lady in Pictures” (Ignatius Press, 2015), “Rosary Gems: Daily Wisdom on the Holy Rosary” (Marian Press, 2015), and “Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon” (Marian Press, 2016).

His favorite saints are the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, his guardian angel and St. Michael the Archangel, and his favorite devotions are the rosary and, of course, the Divine Mercy.

Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla Theme: ‘St. Gianna and Pietro Molla: My Saint Mom and My Holy Dad. Living by Their Powerful Example of Love’

Molla

In less than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a mother and a saint! She was born in Magenta near Milan, Italy, the 10th of Alberto and Maria Beretta’s 13 children.

An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement, she also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia, eventually specializing in pediatrics. In 1952, she opened a clinic in the small town of Mesero, where she met engineer Pietro Molla. Shortly before their 1955 marriage, she wrote to Pietro:

“Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and women.” Over the next four years, the Mollas had three children: Pierluigi, Mariolina and Laura. Two pregnancies following ended in miscarriage. Early in her final pregnancy, doctors discovered she had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform the complete hysterectomy they recommended, which would have killed the child. Seven months MOLLA, SEE PAGE 15

HEY, KIDS: ENTER OUR ESSAY CONTEST! Write an essay of no more than 300 words on the following: What does Jesus’ gift to us in the Holy Eucharist mean to you personally?

This contest is open to children in middle school through high school grades. One entry per person. Essays may be submitted in English or Spanish.

Email your essays to catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org no later than 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 29. Please be sure to include the author’s name, age or grade, parents’/ guardians’ names, and parents’ best daytime

phone number. Put as the email subject line “Eucharistic Congress essay.”

Catholic News Herald staff will judge the entries and select winners based on: how clearly, originally and persuasively the writer expresses themselves; their explanation of how their Catholic faith is important to them; and grammar and style.

Winners in each language category will each receive a $50 gift certificate to Chick-fil-A. Questions? Call the Catholic News Herald at 704-370-3333.

EDITOR’S NOTE: And be sure to check out the puzzles and coloring pages on pages 10-14.

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.com EUCHARISTIC

PROGRAMA EN ESPAÑOL Estamos felices de anunciarles que los tres oradores hispanos invitados al Congreso Eucarístico, Sra. Lupita Venegas, Padre Edwin Romo García y Gustavo Adolfo Mejía, han acordado presentarse para dialogar personalmente con los feligreses en algunas actividades parroquiales durante ese fin de semana. También grabarán sus mensajes que serán emitidos por nuestras redes sociales (YouTube y Facebook) el sábado 18 de septiembre (en horario que confirmaremos más adelante). n El viernes 17, a las 6:30 p.m. Lupita Venegas y el Padre Romo darán sus charlas en la Iglesia San Luis Gonzaga en Hickory. Le seguirá una Hora Santa. n El mismo día, a las 7 p.m. Gustavo Mejía se presentará en la Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino en Charlotte.

n El sábado 18, de 9:30 a.m. a 12 p.m. se desarrollará una jornada en la Iglesia Santa María Auxiliadora en Shelby, donde participarán el Padre Romo y Lupita Venegas.

También se ofrecerá Procesión Eucarística y Hora Santa.

n A las 6:30 de la tarde, un programa similar se llevará a cabo en la Iglesia Sagrado Corazón en Salisbury. La Hora Santa y la Santa Misa serán celebradas por el Padre Julio Domínguez.

Tema: “Eucaristía: Servicio, Entrega y Amor” Nacido en Monterrey Nuevo León, México, y ordenado como sacerdote el día 15 de agosto del 2016. Ejerce su ministerio sacerdotal en la Arquidiócesis de Monterrey como vicario parroquial en la parroquia de Cristo Rey y Santuario de la Santísima Trinidad.

El Padre Edwin alcanzo su licenciatura en Teología Dogmática en la

Universidad de la Santa Cruz en Roma. Tiene mucha experiencia en conferencias y cursos de educación teológica. Actualmente es profesor en el seminario Arquidiocesano de Monterrey impartiendo varios cursos de Teología Dogmática. Es también Censor Eclesiástico en la Arquidiócesis.

Gustavo Adolfo Mejía Tema: “Jóvenes, El Reto de Presentar el Amor de Cristo”

Mejía

Laico completamente comprometido con la evangelización sobre todo con la juventud, pero abriendo su espacio de trabajo a muchos campos del anuncio de la buena nueva.

Su preparación académica esta centrada sobre todo en la Teología del Cuerpo y Psicología. Esto le ha abierto las puertas a ser consejero para muchas personas que

asisten a sus conferencias, así como a los talleres de entrenamiento que ejerce.

A través de los años ha alcanzado gran experiencia en la predicación y ha participado en canales como EWTN, María Visión, conferencias en el extranjero y maestro en programas como los que ofrece SEPI.

Lupita Venegas Leiva Tema: “Amor, Según el Querer de Cristo”

Venegas

Psicóloga con maestría en terapia familiar y diplomada en Ciencias de la Familia con reconocimiento de la Pontificia Universidad de Roma.

Nació en noviembre de 1963 en La Paz, BCS, México. Fue la primera de 4 hijos nacidos en el seno de una familia católica cuyos padres, pertenecientes al Movimiento Familiar Cristiano, supieron transmitir sus convicciones con la congruencia de sus vidas y el conocimiento cierto del Magisterio de la Iglesia.

Practica la consulta privada atendiendo a familias con el enfoque sistémico e incursiona en medios de

comunicación en 1999. Funda la asociación civil Valora, Conciencia en los Medios, cuyo fin es llevar el Evangelio a través de radio, televisión, prensa y cine. Produce y conduce los programas: ‘Desde el corazón’, ‘Para Florecer’ y ‘Alégrate’ en diversas radiodifusoras y televisoras. Es autora de los libros: ‘Despierta Mujer Dormida’ y ‘Desde El Corazón’. Ha grabado CDs con meditaciones y charlas que motivan al crecimiento personal eficazmente. Imparte conferencias en México, Centro y Sudamérica y Estados Unidos.

CHICOS, ¡PARTICIPEN EN NUESTRO CONCURSO DE ENSAYOS! Escribe un ensayo de no más de 300 palabras sobre lo siguiente: ¿Qué significa para ti el regalo de Jesús para nosotros en la Sagrada Eucaristía?

En este concurso pueden participar niños y jóvenes de middle y high school. Se recibe solo un ensayo por persona y puede estar escrito en inglés o español.

Los ensayos se reciben en el correo electrónico catholicnews@charlottediocese. org. La fecha límite de entrega es el miércoles 29 de septiembre a las 5 de la tarde.

Por favor, no olvides de incluir tu nombre, edad, grado escolar, nombre de tus padres/ tutores y un número de teléfono para llamar

5

“De todas las devociones, adorar a Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento es el más grande de los sacramentos, el más querido por Dios y el más útil para nosotros”.

— San Alfonso María de Ligorio

P. Edwin Alberto Romo García

Romo

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a tus padres durante el día. En el espacio de “asunto” o “subject” escribe “Ensayo del Congreso Eucarístico”.

El equipo de Catholic News Herald juzgará los trabajos y seleccionará a los ganadores basado en cuán clara, original y persuasivamente se expresan los autores; la explicación de cómo su fe católica es importante para ellos; además de considerar gramática y estilo.

Los ganadores en las categorías de inglés y español recibirán un gift card de Chick-fil-A por 50 dólares. ¿Preguntas? Llama a Catholic News Herald al teléfono 704-370-3333.

“Aquí en la tierra es imposible realizar un acto más meritorio que visitar a menudo a Jesús en la Eucaristía.

Si tomas todas las buenas obras realizadas por todos los humanos que han vivido en toda la historia, las pones una sobre otra y las multiplicas por un millón, no igualarían el mérito, la virtud y el valor de una Misa. El sacrificio Eucarístico es el mérito infinito de Cristo, su valor infinito.”

— Santa Teresa of Ávila

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

‘With all the strength of my soul I urge you young people to approach the Communion table as often as you can. Feed on this bread of angels whence you will draw all the energy you need to fight inner battles.’

— Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

‘Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest of the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.’

— St. Alphonsus Liguori

‘Here on earth it’s impossible to perform a more meritorious act than visiting Jesus often in the Eucharist. If you took all of the good works done by all of the humans who have ever lived in all of history and stacked them all up and multiplied them by a million, they wouldn’t equal the merit, the virtue and the worth of one Mass.

The Eucharistic sacrifice is Christ’s infinite merit, infinite value.’

— St. Teresa of Avila

St. Mark Church in Huntersville is among many parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte that offers regular Eucharistic Adoration so that people may come by and spend time with Jesus who is Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY AMY BURGER

Make time for Eucharistic Adoration Prayer and meditation before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament are great ways to spend time with Him. Ask Him for graces for yourself or for loved ones, reflect on His Word, or just keep Him company.

All of our churches are open for people to come in and pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. Many also have specific times during the day or week for adoration of Our Lord exposed in the monstrance, known as Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction.

This can include homilies by a priest, readings from Scripture, hymns such as “O Salutaris Hostia” and “Tantum Ergo,” and time for quiet adoration, after which the priest blesses the congregation in a Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by recitation of the Divine Praises.

Countless religious, including many saints and popes over the centuries, have extolled the great spiritual blessings and benefits we can derive from Eucharistic Adoration. St. John Paul II, calling it “a great treasure of the Catholic faith,” noted that “it nourishes social love” and encouraged all Christians to visit Jesus regularly in the Blessed Sacrament as “we are all called to abide in the presence of God.”

Looking for a virtual option?

Perpetual Adoration is also offered online! One exemplary site is Marytown – the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a pilgrimage site and sacred space in Libertyville, Ill. At the heart of Marytown is Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, considered one of the most beautiful pilgrimage sites in the nation. The chapel has been a sanctuary of perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament since 1928. Perpetual Adoration is available 24/7 on their YouTube channel and linked from their website, www.kolbeshrine.org.

Did you know?

Two Eucharistic-themed hymns you’ll hear at Exposition and Benediction were composed by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century: “O Salutaris Hostia” and “Tantum Ergo.”

The renowned saint and Doctor of the Church composed the text of “O Salutaris Hostia” for the feast of Corpus Christi, established by the Church in 1264 to honor Our Lord in the Eucharist (in His Body and Blood).

It actually comprises the last two stanzas of a larger hymn that he wrote about Our Lord’s institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper and His Passion. It is often sung during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. The text is given below in Latin with an English translation: O salutaris Hostia, Quae caeli pandis ostium: Bella premunt hostilia, Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino Sit sempiterna gloria, Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in patria. Amen.

O saving Victim, opening wide, The gate of heaven to man below!

Our foes press on from every side; Thine aid supply, thy strength bestow.

To Thy great name by endless praise, Immortal Godhead, one in Three; Oh, grant us endless length of days, In our true native land with Thee. Amen.

In “Tantum Ergo,” St. Thomas Aquinas pays homage to Our Lord both in the Eucharist and in His glory in the Trinity. It comprises the last two stanzas of “Pange Lingua,” a hymn he also wrote for the feast of Corpus Christi. This hymn plays an important part in the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. “Tantum Ergo” is usually sung before the Benediction when the priest blesses the congregation with the monstrance. It is given below in Latin with an English translation: Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui.

Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail, Lo! o’er ancient forms departing Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail.

Genitori, Genitoque Laus et jubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. Amen.

To the everlasting Father, And the Son Who reigns on high With the Holy Spirit proceeding Forth from each eternally, Be salvation, honor blessing, Might and endless majesty. Amen.

— www.ourcatholicprayers.com

More online On www.catholicnewsherald.com: How to go to Eucharistic Adoration, how and when to genuflect, and other questions answered

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A message from h

‘We break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live forever in Jesus Christ.’

The amazing science of recent Eucharistic miracles

— St. Thomas Aquinas

THE MIRACLES IN THE AGE OF SCIENCE

JEANNETTE WILLIAMS ASCENSION PRESS

— St. Ignatius of Antioch

‘The Sacrament of the Body of the Lord puts the demons to flight, defends us against the incentives to vice and to concupiscence, cleanses the soul from sin, quiets the anger of God, enlightens the understanding to know God, inflames the will and the affections with the love of God, fills the memory with spiritual sweetness, confirms the entire man in good, frees us from eternal death, multiplies the merits of a good life, leads us to our everlasting home, and reanimates the body to eternal life.’

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W

hen we think about Eucharistic miracles, we may be tempted to think that most of them are unsubstantiated stories that only happened in the “old days” and couldn’t happen today in our age of science.

The last few decades, however, have seen a surge in Eucharistic miracles which cannot be explained by science. And in most of these recent miracles, the Eucharist turns into human flesh and blood.

The consistency among the scientific results is startling. Let’s begin with the oldest-known verifiable case of the Eucharist transforming into physical flesh and blood – the Miracle of Lanciano, which took place in 750 A.D. and underwent testing in the 1970s. The facts of this case are stunning.

THE MOST REMARKABLE MIRACLE OF THE MIDDLE AGES

In 750 A.D., a priest experienced a terrible temptation to doubt the True Presence while he was saying Mass. As he pronounced the words of consecration, the bread and the wine transformed into what appeared to be flesh and blood.

In 1970, more than 1,200 years later, scientists began a thorough examination of the miraculous substances, and in 1973, the United Nations’ World Health Organization began their own barrage of five hundred tests, which took 15 months. The scientific tests revealed: n The coagulated substance is human blood, type AB, with the same protein distribution as found in normal, fresh blood. n The Host is human muscular striated tissue of the myocardium, left ventricle (heart); arteries, veins, the branch of the vagus nerve and adipose tissue all can be identified. n Like the blood, the flesh is also living tissue, because it “responded rapidly to all the clinical reactions distinctive of living beings.” n Most remarkably, the blood is divided into five unequal-sized parts, and yet each part weighs exactly 15.85g, and all parts together also weigh the same 15.85g.

After their tests, the Medical Commission of WHO and the UN reportedly published results in 1976, stating: “Science, aware of its limits, has come to a halt, face to face with the impossibility of giving an explanation.”

It’s hard to imagine the UN would get involved with a religious miracle nowadays, let alone admit defeat in explaining it away.

Until the 1990s, Lanciano was the only proven case of the Eucharist turning into human flesh. Other cases have not been tested with modern scientific equipment, nor have the many dozens of bloodstains on corporals and chalices that have been preserved and are venerated as having come from bleeding hosts. But in 1992, the miracles started happening again. n 1992 and 1996, Buenos Aires, Argentina: In 1992, consecrated particles left on the corporal were put into water to dissolve and locked in the tabernacle, as the Church prescribes for disposing of consecrated hosts. One week later, they had changed into a red substance. Then again in 1996 after a consecrated host fell to the ground and was also put in water to dissolve, it was found a few days later to have turned into a bloody substance. Both cases were sent to be tested by the archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was none other than our future Pope Francis. n 2006, Tixtla, Mexico: During a retreat, a religious sister who was distributing Communion looked down and noticed that one of the Hosts had begun to bleed and transform. n 2008, Sokolka, Poland: A consecrated Host fell to the ground during Communion and was put in water and locked in a tabernacle to dissolve. A week later, most of the Host was dissolved except for a red “clot” that remained. n 2013, Legnica, Poland: A consecrated Host fell and was put in water and locked in a tabernacle. Two weeks later a red spot covered one-fifth of the undissolved Host.

STARTLING SCIENTIFIC RESULTS

Each of these occurrences received intensive study with highly advanced technology. In several cases, doctors did not know the source of the material. And yet, in all the cases, the same results were found, and are consistent with the results of Lanciano, providing even more details due to more advanced science: n The blood is human, type AB; human DNA was found; white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and mycrophages were present, indicating fresh blood; in the Tixtla miracle, the blood clearly emanated from within, because the blood on the surface had begun to coagulate but the interior blood was still fresh, as with a bleeding wound. n The flesh is human myocardium tissue of the left ventricle of an inflamed heart. In the miracles from Argentina and Poland, there was evidence of trauma from the presence of thrombi, indicating repeated lack of oxygen; lesions present showed rapid cardiac spasms typical in the final phases of death. n In the Sokolka miracle, the remaining host is tightly interconnected with the fibers of human tissue, penetrating each other inseparably – as if the bread were transforming into flesh.

“Even NASA scientists, who have at their disposal the most modern

analytic a thing,” experts.

Dr. Fre who exa of the sa white bl at the m When and deep Why h in the pa refusing Jesus in touch an now doin So man So here’s believe i “reason.

But m blessed s with the the whol (Catechi Script 11:27. Ye It’s as to us, “I’ crucifixi have rem remain c thirst for

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If Our in order alone sh “Let us g Poor Jes Go to c Euchari so that y thirst.” A for – it w

Eucharistic Miracles: Evidence of the Real Pre RONALD RYCHLAK CATHOLIC ANSWERS

At every Catholic Mass, following the command of Jesus Himself, the celebrant raises the host and says, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you.” Then he lifts the cup and says, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

The doctrine of transubstantiation, the teaching that bread and wine are converted into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, is difficult. When Christ first told His followers of it, many rejected Him. But Jesus did not soften His statement or correct their misunderstanding. He simply repeated His command to the disciples at the Last Supper. Some Christians today still have trouble accepting this teaching.

Throughout history, though, many people have reported miracles that brought them back to the truth.

The Church has recognized over 100 Eucharistic miracles, many of which occurred during times of weakened faith in transubstantiation.

One of the earliest was recorded by the Desert

Fathers in Egypt, among the first Christian monks.

One of these monks had doubts about the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine.

Two of his fellow monks prayed for his faith to be strengthened, and they all attended Mass together.

According the account they left behind, when the bread was placed on the altar, the three men saw a small child there. When the priest put out his hand to break the bread, an angel descended with a sword and poured the child’s blood into the chalice. When the priest cut the bread into small pieces, the angel also cut the child into pieces. When the men drew near to receive Communion, the skeptical man alone received a morsel of bloody flesh. Seeing this, he became afraid and cried out: “Lord, I believe that this bread is your flesh and this chalice your blood.” Immediately the flesh became bread, and he took it, giving thanks to God. The other monks then had a great insight into the miracle that takes place at each Mass. They explained, “God knows human nature and that man cannot eat raw flesh, and that is why He has changed His Body into bread and His Blood into wine for those who receive it in faith.”

BLOODSTAINED CLOTHS

In 1263, a German priest known as Peter of Prague

was struggling with the doctrine of tran While he was saying Mass in Bolseno, Ita to stream out of the host and onto the co moment of consecration. This was repor investigated by Pope Urban IV, who conc miracle was real. The bloodstained linen at the cathedral in Orvieto, Italy. Many E miracles are like the one experienced by in which the host turns into flesh and blo Pope Urban had already associated w Eucharistic miracle. Years earlier, Bles Cornillon, in Belgium, had a vision in w a full moon that was darkened in one s voice told her that the moon represente at that time, and the dark spot showed feast in honor of Corpus Christi was m the liturgical calendar. She reported th local Church official, the archdeacon o became Pope Urban IV. Remembering Juliana’s vision as he bloody miracle reported by Peter of Pr commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to c Office for the Mass and Liturgy of the H new feast dedicated to devotion of the E liturgy of Corpus Christi (more fully d pretty much how we celebrate it today.

IC CONGRESS

heaven?

cal techniques, would not be able to artificially recreate such ” affirmed Dr. Sobaniec-Lotowska, one of the examining

ederick Zugibe, a forensic doctor at Columbia University amined the Argentinian miracle, did not know the source ample and told the doctor who brought it to him: “If lood cells were present (in the heart tissue), it is because moment you brought me the sample, it was pulsating.” he learned the source of the sample, he was shocked ply moved. has the Lord suddenly multiplied Eucharistic miracles ast few decades? Are we, like Doubting Thomas, g to believe unless we see, touch and feel for ourselves? n His love for Thomas condescended to let him see, nd feel His wounds in order to believe. Perhaps He is ng the same for us. ny young people have rejected religion as “unscientific.” s the science to prove our faith. Others say they don’t in religion because it’s just opinion or contrary to .” Here’s quantifiable, measurable, physical evidence. more is going on here. The Church teaches: “in the most sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together e soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, le Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained’” ism of the Catholic Church 1374). turally, we see this in John 6:48-58 and 1 Corinthians 10:16 and et the Eucharist is transforming into human heart only. if Jesus, by transforming into a human heart, is crying out ’m here! I love you! My heart yearns for you! Was not my ion enough to prove my love for you? See, then, and believe. I mained hidden in the Eucharist for these 2,000 years that I may close to you. Please, approach me. Receive me. Quench my r your love.”

ALL WE RESPOND TO THIS PLEA FROM HEAVEN?

r Lord has condescended to make Himself so evident to us r to be heard above the noise of our modern world, gratitude hould impel us to respond. In the words of St. Gemma Galgani: go to Jesus. He is all alone and hardly anyone thinks of Him. sus.” confession. Receive Him in Communion. Spend time in istic Adoration. Learn more about the Mass and the Eucharist you may appreciate Him more. On the Cross, Jesus cried out, “I As many saints have told us, it was not water He was thirsting was you. Quench His thirst.

— Reprinted with permission from Ascension Press, available online at www.ascensionpress.com.

esence

nsubstantiation. aly, blood began orporal at the rted to and cluded that the n is still exhibited Eucharistic y Peter of Prague, ood. with a ssed Juliana of which she saw spot. A heavenly ed the Church that a great missing from his vision to a of Liège, He later

verified the rague, Urban compose the Hours for a Eucharist. This defined in 1312) is .

A BRIGHT LIGHT

With some Eucharistic miracles, the host emits a bright light. In 1247, for instance, a woman in Santarem, Portugal, was concerned about her husband’s faithfulness. She went to a sorceress, who promised the woman that her husband would return to his loving ways if the wife would bring a consecrated host back to the sorceress. The woman agreed.

At Mass, the woman managed to obtain a consecrated host and put it in a kerchief, but before she could return to the sorceress, the cloth became bloodstained. This frightened the woman. She hurried home and hid the cloth and host in a drawer in her bedroom. That night, the drawer emitted a bright light.

When her husband saw it, the woman told him what had happened. The following day, many townspeople came to the house, attracted by the light.

The people reported the events back to the parish priest, who went to the house. He took the host back to the church and put it in a wax container where it continued to bleed for three days. The host remained in the wax container for four years. One day when the priest opened the tabernacle door, he saw that the wax had broken into numerous pieces. In its place EVIDENCE, SEE PAGE 15

September 10, 2021 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

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‘Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament ... There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, that every man’s heart desires.’ ­— J.R.R. Tolkien

‘If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.’

— St. Maximilian Kolbe

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 10, 2021 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

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The Eucharist

EDITOR’S NOTE: Answers are located on the back page.

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The Eucharist

EDITOR’S NOTE: Answers are located on the back page.

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THIERFELDER

MOLLA

FROM PAGE 4

FROM PAGE 4

levels, achieve dramatic improvements in their athletic performances.

He received master’s and doctoral degrees in Sports Psychology and Human Movement from Boston University.

He is a licensed psychologist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties, a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sport Psychology Registry. He is a former NCAA Division I Coach, National Champion, and a two-time All-American from the University of Maryland.

He is an inductee of the Sports Faith International Hall of Fame, which includes world-class athletes, coaches, and team owners, such as George “Papa Bear” Halas, Vince Lombardi, Wellington Mara and Brian Piccolo.

Dr. Thierfelder has also led the fight for religious freedom and has testified before the U.S. Congress in matters related to religious liberty. He is the author of “Less Than A Minute To Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business and Everyday Life” with foreword by Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Dr. Thierfelder was born and raised in New York City.

He is a Knight of Malta and currently lives just outside of Charlotte with his wife Mary, a Dame of Malta, and their 10 children.

EVIDENCE FROM PAGE 9

was a crystal container with the blood inside.

The house where the miracle took place was converted into a chapel in 1684. Even today, on the second Sunday of April, the incident is re-enacted in the Church of St. Stephen in Santarem. The reliquary that houses the miraculous host rests above the tabernacle in that church, and it can be viewed year-round from a set of stairs behind the main altar.

Faith, of course, should not be based on miracles alone. Several of the recorded miracles

later in April 1962, Gianna Emanuela Molla was born at the hospital in Monza, but post-operative complications resulted in an infection for her mother. The following week she died at home, and was buried in the cemetery of Mesero.

Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. She is the patron saint of mothers, physicians and unborn children. Her feast day is celebrated April 28.

Gianna Emanuela went on to become a physician herself. She says the world needs “my mother’s life with us, and perhaps today more than ever – her exemplary Christian life, her witness (and) her sacred respect for life.” She added, “Life is … the most sacramental gift we always honor, respect and defend.”

Dr. Molla, who formerly worked as a geriatrician in Italy, now works full-time at the Saint Gianna Foundation to honor and share her mother’s memory, example, testimony and spirituality.

are very old, and it may be possible to dismiss them. There is no doubt, though, that reports of these miracles have strengthened the faith of many in the instructions given by Christ and provided avenues for contemplation of the miracle that takes place at every Mass.

— Originally published in June 2019. Reprinted with permission from Catholic Answers (online at www.catholic. com).

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CONGRESSI

‘At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’

— Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), 47

‘Holy Communion is the shortest and surest way to Heaven. There are others, innocence, for instance, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; generous endurance of the trials of life, but when they come we weep and ask to be spared. Once for all, beloved children, the surest, easiest, shortest way is by the Eucharist. It is so easy to approach the holy table, and there we taste the joys of Paradise.’

— St. Pius X

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