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News & Herald
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Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina
in the
Diocese of Charlotte
Volume 3 Number 21
•
January 28, 1994
Diocesan Administrator Calls Abortion 'Horrendous Holocaust' By CAROL
HAZARD
Associate Editor
CHARLOTTE
—
Msgr. John
J.
for the life
a special
Mass Offered
for an
End
main
the
new
year,
many
grandparents. The youngest among us is
Shawn Crosby from
9-year-old
deem it the better part of to ask who is the oldest.
Kernersville.
wisdom
not
I
Throughout the morning Marty Ambrose and his wife, Betty, distribute coffee and breakfast rolls. Ambrose is our bus captain, a member of St. Lawrence Knights of Columbus that sponsored our journey. He has already done an incredible amount of work putting the trip together. After
Ambrose
makes announcements regarding our
mistake."
People can stop the killing of unborn children but it will take sacrifice, said Msgr. McSweeney. "It must be done by you and me ... No matter what seven judges or a thousand say, God's voice can not be stifled. The voice of Jesus Christ on earth will not remain
said.
all
these killings never has
ticularly
makes an impression,
on newcomers.
"I'll
ment. Following the homily, Father Sheridan, pastor of
St.
Ed
Gabriel, an-
tims of abortion?"
nounced the winner of the
Msgr. McSweeney asked Catholics to mourn the more than 29 million babies who have been killed by the horror
Schools Respect Life Contest. Jessica Renaghan, a fifth grader at St. Ann Catholic School, was presented with a Bible and plaque for her poem, "A Right
last
21 years.
To
first
Catholic
Life."
a parishioner and faith formation teacher at St.
John Church in Waynesville. "This
place
is
awesome."
In his homily, Cardinal
James
Hickey archbishop of Washington, commends all those who have attended the ,
Mass
despite the severe weather.
He
expresses the Church's opposition to national health care reform that includes
enormous, stern and muscu-
past the bus
lute
Fields.
fitting subject for
ment agencies in Washington these last two days, and we find that to be the case
press forward on problems that contribute to abortion, such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of values and unemployment or underemploy-
use a teenage word," says Ann Simmons,
an image of justice and abso-
windows and piles in the Someone mentions that snow has closed many businesses and govern-
McSweeney. Moreover,
par-
lar Christ;
Near Richmond, Va., snow swirls
voice." Continue to be heard, said Msgr.
have to
ceiling, an
me play cards
Despite pro-abortion forces, legis"beginning to listen to our
lators are
.
inevitably
the rosary.
gion, the teens in front of
silent."
for
and listen to tapes on shared headphones. Barbara Freedman, an Asheville storyteller, leads us during the day in saying
ing, sleeping, discussing politics or reli-
said slaves
Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine
taxpayer-funded abortion. He encourages all those present to continue their opposition to abortion and any attacks on human life. As Cardinal Hickey speaks, I find myself looking again and again at the mosaic of Christ on the
timetable, people pass the hours read-
were the prop"We must make our leaders and government realize that they have made another terrible it
erty of land owners, he said.
portant perhaps than keeping abortion
"We have come to celebrate life and
of the Immaculate Conception is packed Thursday evening with worshippers who have come to march and pray The shrine
The Supreme Court erred 1 00 years ago when
challenges confront us, none more im-
mankind witnessed the horrendous holocaust of innocent victims that goes on right now this very hour. Who mourns these innocent vic-
we are a mixed bag this day, heavy both on teenagers and white-haired
McSweeney.
the legal fiction of a right
day more perish."
of abortion in the
our age
"They created
children have lost their lives and every
"With
Mass
"playing God," said Msgr.
Msgr. McSweeney was the principal celebrant and homilist at the diocesanwide Mass concelebrated by retired Bishop Michael J. Begley and 14 priests from the Diocese of Charlotte.
the history of
the nation's capital, the Vigil
justices
legalized abortion in 1973 were
to abortion. Since then, millions of God's
couple as one. (See the special marriage supplment following Page 6 of
on our arrival, taking our supper at a Hot Shoppe in a deserted shopping mall. Despite bitter cold and icy streets in
our battle for the unborn."
on the issue of
silent or inactive"
Walter and Lynn Kreiling light a unity candle, symbolically joining the
Thursday, Jan. 20, and 38 of us from the Diocese of Charlotte roll through the cold Carolina countryside on a bus bound for the Annual March For Life in Washington D.C. In terms of
in
abortion, the diocesan administrator said.
lina."
It is
God has given us and hopeful
The seven Supreme Court
who
Abortion shows complete disregard for human life, Msgr. McSweeney said. "The 20th Century will go down in history as the century of the Holocaust. Life is very cheap." Consider the lives lost during two world wars, the millions of Jews killed by Hitler, the ethnic cleansing occurring in Bosnia and the murders "here in Charlotte, North Caro-
By JEFF MINICK
succeed
Abortion Jan. 23 at St. Gabriel Church. "No one who calls himself or herself a follower of Jesus Christ can re-
McSweeney
38 From Diocese On Pilgrimage To Washington March For Life
to
to
out of health care reform," Msgr.
JOANN KEANE
We should leave here grateful
nable sin" and urged parishioners to be a voice for abortion's innocent victims
"As we enter
Photo by
the death of innocent victims of
abortion.
at
this issue.)
mourn
McSweeney called abortion "an abomi-
power. Christ's judgment seems a meditation on this
evening before the march. Msgr. John
SeeMarch, Page 7
special
J.
Mass
McSweeney, diocesan End Abortion.
to
administrator, chats withTheresa Nagel following the
Photo by
CAROL HA