July 26, 2002

Page 1

Lord,

love your

I

commands.

Let

me

ac-

your kindness comfort cording to your promise

to

your

New

servants. Let your compassion

come

me thatTmay

to

your law

is

— Psalm

my

knights

live, for

council upholds

delight.

119:57, 76-77

NEWS

&

old traditions

HERALD

...page

SERVING CATHOLICS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA IN THE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE

JULY 26, 2002

VOLUME

11

5

N9 40

Young people

Children share faith in Vacation Bible School

urged to flavor

GERALD POTKAY

By REV. MR.

bland world with

hope of Christ

Correspondent

GREENSBORO

By'CAROL ZIMMERMAN Catholic

News Service

TORONTO

(CNS)

cation Bible School

Christ Jesus." The bishop, president of

U.S.

Conference

of

Catholic Bishops, spoke to at least 9,000

on the

youths

floor of

who

sat

Va-

School.

a

way

"The parents really enjoy having this special time with their children, while the kids enjoy the variety of activities associated with the program," said Wilson. "The church profits by establishing a Bible-based background as a foundation for

is

what looked

old gymnasium at Toronto's Exhibition Place. The bishop focused his talk on the day's theme, "You are the salt of the like an

According to Laura Wilson,

program director of this

particular event for the last

two years, hands-on experiences laced with prayer, crafts, drama skits, singing

and urged the crowd on qualities of salt in their daily lives as Christians not only by bringing flavor and meaning to the world, but by restoring it, as earth,"

to take

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

saline solution restores those

who

students participating in this year's Vacation Bible

of bringing the youth of local parishes together to learn about God, Jesus, the saints and the Bible. Each parish has its own methods, styles and creativity for how the messages of Jesus and the Bible are taught and learned. The forum used at Our Lady of Grace Church Vacation Bible School, which took place July 7-12, utilized an approach similar to one used using stories by Jesus and objects with which people were familiar.

Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, 111.., urged young people "nof to be afraid to be seasoning for a bland world" and to bring it flavor "with the hope of

the

work with the almost 120

Adult volunteer Peggy Culkin works with her daughter Maggie and John Paul Stepkowski, two students at Vacation Bible School at Our Lady of Grace Church July 7-12.

are sick.

"You young people are the saline solution that our

and a lot of interaction have been very successful with the pre-school through fifthgrade students.

Wilson coordinated the

the faith."

While the student volunteers, ranging from grades eight to 10, were accumulating hours for their confirmation obligations, they seemed to enjoy and learn from the experience as much, if not more, than the younger participants. David Peters, a youth crew leader in charge of the registration table with Wilson, said, "It's a good experience for the children. They gather into the classes and

we

try to

make

their experi-

ences fun."

Debbie

Griffin,

an adult

program with parent and upper-student volunteers to

See BIBLE SCHOOL, page

13

world so desperately needs," he told them.

He

said Christ's call for

First chancellor recalls life in

his disciples to be like salt in

their influence upon the world still holds true for believers today, perhaps with even greater necessity.

By KEVIN

and

is

still

flavorless,

quite insipid

perhaps more

desiccated with

its

moral direction and even hope. We are dry, brittle and often hopeless because we have lost contact

Msgr. Joseph

re-

it

S.

Showfety

well. Retiring in

By 1971, though, more and more Catholics were moving to North Carolina, and thenBishop Vincent S. Waters saw the need for a second diocese.

"Bishop Waters said

18

when

0£6£ jo Zd

»6S

respected him."

Begley asked him to be chancellor of the Charlotte diocese.

Father Showfety twice

Our Lady

congratulations, but "on both oc-

he was out of the rec-

do, but the church will not be

of Grace

Church, where the soon-to-bebishop was pastor, to offer his

tory," said

The

It

Msgr. Showfety. was Bishop Begley who

was granted,

got in touch with him during a

Back in May 1955, when Father Showfety was ordained to the priesthood at Sacred

and the Diocese of Charlotte was born in 1971, with Bishop Michael J. Begley as its first

snowstorm, three days after the new diocese was announced.

Heart Cathedral

shepherd.

walk,"

in Raleigh, the

petition

"He was the

perfect choice,"

tuh

^m

hmm nosii! NO II 331103 3N

transitional ...page

7

deacons

Here is the future bishop of

Charlotte calling me." Bishop

I want to church in Hendersonville,'" said Msgr. Showfety. "He said, 1 know you

called

casions,

Raleigh Diocese, which spanned

3n

rang.

60,000, he would petition Rome," Msgr. Showfety said.

Bishop ordains two

\m-mz

the

Msgr. Showfety said. "He was known by the priests, and they

Catholic population reached

of the diocese's founding.

DAY,

PAGE

Start-

he looked back on 47 years of priestly ministry that included time as the Diocese of Charlotte first chancellor. "Those were great years," he said

lack of

WORLD YOUTH

of North Carolina, had

25,000 Catholics.

July,

focus,

See

all

ing a diocese from scratch

members

so today than ever before," he said. "In fact, our society is

MURRAY

GREENSBORO

"The society in which we live, my young brothers and sisters,

E.

Associate Editor

ministry said, 'Mike,

"I

build

built

a

(new)

by you.

I

want you

in

Charlotte.'" It was a post young Joseph Showfety couldn't have pre-

dicted

when he

first

considered

"I'm outside cleaning off the side-

got

Msgr. Showfety said. "I house the phone

in the

...

See

MSGR. SHOWFETY, PAGE 8

Local youth take

Mercy sister

international

fulfills

honors

in

dance

competition

...page

childhood

6ream...page20

9


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