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Number
atholic NEWS HERALD &
2000
15,
Volume 10
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1
Serving Catholics
n
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i
in
Western North Carolina
in
the Diocese of Charlotte
Sisters celebrate
d
century of service Open wide the
Crisis in the
doors to
Prayers for peace continue as Christmas nears
3
ASHEVILLE is
...Page
Beatitudes
visit the children and teens at the juvenile center and prison inmates
illustrated for this
Advent venture.
and attend meetings. She
Pictured are sixthgraders Michael Troy and Andy Tinson. See story,
16
page
several sisters
/.
£
who work
is
one of
in various
ministries in the western area of the diocese, continuing the lOO-year
presence of the Sisters of Mercy, of the Americas Regional Community of North Carolina. On Dec. 10, the sister community gathered for the centennial celebration to reflect, remember and recognize the women religious who have performed their ministries in
4.
Local News v VU
Mercy Urgent Care and her work involves all as-
pects of service in the Asheville area. During the course of a week, Sister Maria Goretti may serve as chaplain for staff and patients at the four urgent care centers under Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Inc.,
the students
where he spent 58 years
Sister
official title
mission effectiveness liaison with
Inc.,
and peace awareness project.
misses arctic region
— Mercy
the Sisters of
were among themes
Priest
M. PRICE
Maria Goretti Weldon's
a justice
The
ALESHA
Staff Writer
Students at Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte decorated their classroom doors recently as part of
Holy Land
...Page
By
Christ...
Photo by Alesha M. Price
From Eden
See
MERCY,
page
8
to Asheville Jubilee pilgrimage
takes
group
to
Creche re-enactment spreads Christmas By ELLEN NEERINCX
historic basilica
SIGMON
Correspondent
? 0 0
*
.Page
5
HICKORY of Assisi
first
— When
St.
Francis
re-created the scene of
the birth of Jesus on Christmas
Eve
year 1223, it gave many of the local people in Greccio, Italy, a chance to actually see and feel the conditions in which he was born. The Secular Franciscan Order of Hickory gave people in this area the same chance Dec. 10 at the Catholic Conference Center. Members of the group organized a live nativity called "The Crib at Greccio," similar to the one that St. Francis did himself, with the help of the choir and youth group from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Newton. Although St. Francis did his re-creation in a cave or grotto on the side of a mountain, the nativity here was held in front of the barn on the conference center in the
Parishes pray for life during national prayer service ...Page
7
Every Week Entertainment .Pages Editorials
10-11
& Columns ...Pages
12-13
property.
Denny
in the original re-creation.
Members
of the youth group of St.
Robert Cusick played Joseph, and Nicholas Sadowski was a quiet but wide-awake baby Jesus. The program ended with a procession into the conference center
Those present sang "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" on their way inside. This is the first time that the Secular Franciscan Order has done
for refreshments.
Joseph's played the other parts in the nativity. Several of them were dressed
a full-scale presentation of the Crib
as shepherds or Franciscan brothers.
many,
Maria Schell played the part of Mary,
at Greccio. "It will be the first of
we hope," said Frank Cogger, a member of the order, t
Schell played the part
of
St.
Francis, and presented the Prayer
of
St.
Francis with only one loud inter-
ruption from a braying donkey.
jy^ Coming next week:
with Schell reading comments according to St. Francis that expanded on the meaning of each phrase of the prayer. Bill Brockhoff, a member of the Secular Franciscan Order, gave a short history of St. Francis and the Crib at Greccio. He said that St. Francis sang the gospel account of the birth of Jesus
spirit
Two
donkeys, a cow, and several sheep and goats were part of the re-enactment.
Bishop Curlin's Christmas Message
Many people brought their children to watch the program and to see the animals. The choir and the audience sung several Christmas hymns, and the audience recited the Our Father one phrase at a time, alternating
Photo by Ellen Neerincx Sigmon
A nativity re-creates the scene of
Christ's birth as envisioned
by
St. Francis.