June 22, 2012

June 22, 2012

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

DEFENDING FAITH

‘Not a walk in the park,’ 3 FUNDED by the parishioners of the diocese of charlotte THANK YOU!

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Fortnight for Freedom, 5

Ritter named new leader of diocesan schools system, 14

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100-plus gather for rallies, 5

Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit Confirmation celebrations held across western North Carolina,

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‘Speaking truth to power,’ 23 INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes....... 4-13, 17-19 Our Faith............................. 2 Schools......................... 14-15 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................16 U.S. news...................... 3, 20 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news........................21

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Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Pope Benedict XVI

Pope appeals for peace in Nigeria, talks about prayer

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xpressing his “deep concern” about terrorist violence in Nigeria, Pope Benedict XVI urged an end to “the shedding of the blood of so many innocent people.”

Speaking at the end of his weekly general audience June 20, the pope said the terrorist attacks are continuing and are “directed mostly against Christian faithful.”

For months, bombs have exploded at Christian churches in various cities; the attacks were carried out on Sunday mornings when the churches were full. Forty-five people were reported killed June 17 after four churches in Zaria and Kaduna were bombed, and mobs carried out reprisal attacks on Muslims.

The bombings were widely believed to be the work of Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group.

At his general audience, Pope Benedict expressed his hope that all Nigerians would work together, “not following the path of vengeance,” but cooperating to build a “peaceful and reconciled society where the right to freely profess one’s faith is fully safeguarded.”

Among the groups present at the audience was a 37-member delegation from the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps U.S. military wounded in action. When the group’s presence was announced in the Vatican audience hall, thousands of pilgrims gave them a standing ovation.

In his main audience talk, the pope continued his series of reflections on prayer in the New Testament letters of St. Paul, focusing on the opening hymn of praise from the Letter to the Ephesians.

Pope Benedict said it is normal, and natural, that prayer usually involves asking God’s assistance “because we need help, we need other people, we need God.” Even the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus taught the disciples, contains a list of requests, he said.

“But our prayer shouldn’t be exclusively that,” the pope said. “We have reasons to give thanks. If we are a bit attentive, we see that we receive so many good things from God. God is so good to us that it is necessary to say, ‘Thank you.’”

“Prayer, as a way of getting used to being with God, creates men and women driven not by selfishness, a desire to possess or a thirst for power, but by selflessness, a desire to love and a thirst for service. In other words, to be people animated by God, which is the only way to bring light to the darkness of the world.”

St. Irenaeus: Bishop of Lyons, Father of the Church Feast day: June 28 The writings of St. Irenaeus entitle him to a high place among the fathers of the Church, for they not only laid the foundations of Christian theology but, by exposing and refuting the errors of the gnostics, they delivered the Catholic faith from the real danger of the doctrines of those heretics.

Irenaeus was probably born about the year 125, in one of those maritime provinces of Asia Minor where the memory of the Apostles was still cherished and where Christians were numerous. He was most influenced by St. Polycarp, who had known the Apostles or their immediate disciples.

Many Asian priests and missionaries brought the gospel to the pagan Gauls and founded a local church.

To this church of Lyons, Irenaeus came to serve as a priest under its first bishop, St. Pothinus. In the year 177, Irenaeus was sent to Rome. This mission explains how it was that he was not called upon to share in the martyrdom of St. Pothinus during the terrible persecution in Lyons.

When Irenaeus returned to Lyons, it was to occupy the vacant bishopric. By this time, the persecution was over. It was the spread of gnosticism in Gaul, and the ravages it was making among the Christians of his diocese, that inspired him to undertake the task of exposing its errors. He produced a treatise in five books in which he sets forth fully the inner doctrines of the various sects, and afterwards contrasts them with the teaching of the Apostles and the text of the Holy Scripture.

His work, written in Greek but quickly translated to Latin, was widely circulated and succeeded in dealing a death-blow to gnosticism. At any rate, from that time onwards, it ceased to offer a serious menace to the Catholic faith.

The date of death of St. Irenaeus is not known, but it is believed to be in the year 202. His remains were buried in a crypt under the altar of what was then called the church of St. John, but was later known by the name of St. Irenaeus himself. This tomb or shrine was destroyed by the Calvinists in 1562, and all trace of his relics seems to have perished.

— Source: www.catholic.org

A saintly life

The facts of faith

What is the Memorare?

Joseph Bruck Correspondent

The wonderful prayer known as the Memorare is a beautiful way of asking Mary, our Heavenly mother, to intercede for us with her Divine Son. Short and easy to say, this prayer has been used for centuries with needs both great and small.

It’s also a good one for concluding the rosary, recalling Mary’s great love for us all.

Although it’s not clear who exactly wrote the Memorare, it was devoutly used by St. Claude Bernard of Clairvaux, a courageous French priest of the 17th century.

Through it, this holy man was cured of a serious illness, and also had 200,000 copies of the little prayer The icon of Our Lady made for others to of Perpetual Help use. Additionally, he recited it with the poor and even the most hardened of criminals. With such an impressive history, we would do well to pray it ourselves every day.

Mary is a very powerful intercessor for all the faithful, especially since she is none other than the Mother of God. It must have been an immense joy to give birth to Jesus, raise Him as a little child, watch Him grow up, and just be there when He needed her. Through Mary’s tender love and prayers, no matter how sinful we may be, she will always help us draw closer to Jesus Christ, her only Son. I would guess that Jesus and Mary both love the Memorare, and are eager to help us whenever we pray it!

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me.

Amen.

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 24-30

Sunday (The Nativity of St. John the Baptist), Isaiah 49:1-6, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80; Monday, 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18, Matthew 7:1-5; Tuesday, 2 Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36, Matthew 7:6, 12-14; Wednesday (St. Cyril of Alexandria), 2 Kings 22:8-13, 23:1-3, Matthew 7:15-20; Thursday (St. Irenaeus), 2 Kings 24:8-17, Matthew 7:21-29; Friday (Sts. Peter and Paul), Acts 12:1-11, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18, Matthew 16:13-19; Saturday (The First Martyrs of Holy Roman Church), Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19, Matthew 8:5-17

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 1-7

Sunday, Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24, 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15, Mark 5:21-43; Monday, Amos 2:6-10, 13-16, Matthew 8:18-22; Tuesday (St. Thomas), Ephesians 2:19-22, John 20:24-29; Wednesday (St. Elizabeth of Portugal), Amos 5:14-15, 21-24, Matthew 8:2834; Thursday (St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria), Amos 7:10-17, Matthew 9:1-8; Friday (St. Maria Goretti), Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, Matthew 9:9-13; Saturday, Amos 9:11-15, Matthew 9:14-17

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 8-14

Sunday, Ezekiel 2:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6; Monday (St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions), Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22, Matthew 9:18-26; Tuesday, Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13, Matthew 9:32-38; Wednesday (St. Benedict), Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12, Matthew 10:1-7; Thursday, Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9, Matthew 10:7-15; Friday (St. Henry), Hosea 14:2-10, Matthew 10:16-23; Saturday (Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha), Isaiah 6:1-8, Matthew 10:24-33

In the news

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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In Brief Charter report details success following abuse cases ATLANTA — While the Church has taken major steps in addressing allegations of clergy sexual abuse, it must continue to be vigilant in assuring that victims and their families will receive the attention and care they deserve, said the chairman of the National Review Board. In a report marking the 10th anniversary of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” Al J. Notzon III told the U.S. bishops June 13 at their spring meeting that transparency remains a crucial component of building and maintaining credibility among the faithful as well as the public.

He credited the bishops for developing more pastoral responses, rather than being concerned primarily with legal issues when allegations are made.

“In the long run, the strictly legal response caused more pain, did more damage and cost more money,” Notzon said. “The lesson learned by the Church is clear: We must treat those making allegations of sexual abuse with compassion and care. It is not only the best solution, but the right thing to do and an integral part of the Church’s spiritual mission.”

The charter was part of the U.S. bishops’ response to the clergy abuse scandal that was a major concern when they met in Dallas in 2002. Notzon also commended the bishops for readily reporting abuse allegations to law enforcement authorities for investigation, a requirement of the charter.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, addresses the bishops at their annual mid-year meeting June 13 in Atlanta.

At catholicnewsherald.com: View the entire 2012 report on the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

CNS | Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin

Bishops discuss religious liberty, economy, 10-year review of charter Catholic News Service

ATLANTA — During the public sessions of their spring meeting in Atlanta, the U.S. bishops received a 10-year progress report on their abuse charter, voted to draft a message on work and the economy, and heard reports about religious liberty issues in the U.S. and abroad.

They also listened as an Iraqi bishop made an impassioned plea on behalf of Iraq’s dwindling Christian population and called on the U.S. prelates to press the Obama administration to take steps to protect religious rights in the Middle Eastern country.

The meeting was June 13-15, with public sessions the first day and a half; the rest of the time was scheduled for executive session and not open to media coverage.

On the opening day, the bishops voted 171-26 to move ahead with a draft of a message on work and the economy as a way to raise the profile of growing poverty and the struggles that unemployed people are experiencing. It is expected to be ready in time for a final vote at the bishops’ fall meeting in November.

Titled “Catholic Reflections on Work, Poverty and a Broken Economy,” the message would advance the bishops’ priority of human life and dignity to demonstrate the new evangelization in action, explained Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

It would be a follow-up to a Sept. 15, 2011, letter by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, in which he urged bishops and priests across the country to preach about “the terrible toll the current economic turmoil is taking on families and communities.”

Al J. Notzon III, chairman of the lay-led National Review Board, presented a report marking the 10th anniversary of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The charter was part of the U.S. bishops’ response to the clergy abuse scandal that was a major concern when they met in Dallas in 2002.

While the Church has taken major steps in addressing allegations of clergy sexual abuse, it must continue to be vigilant in assuring that victims and their families will receive the attention and care they deserve, Notzon told the bishops.

Meeting that transparency remains a crucial component of building and maintaining credibility among the Catholic faithful as well as the general public, he said.

Despite the successes, Notzon said the Church’s credibility continues to suffer because many Catholics and the broader More community not only online believe clergy sexual abuse remains at a high level At catholicnews but also think that local herald.com: bishops continue to cover In-depth coverage up the problem by not of all the issues the reporting allegations of U.S. bishops discussed abuse to local authorities. at their annual spring “This suggests a trust assembly. problem and must be met with scrupulous adherence to the charter,” he said.

In a presentation on religious liberty issues, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Freedom, acknowledged the U.S. bishops’ “fortnight for freedom” campaign has come under heavy criticism in the secular media, in the blogosphere and by some Catholics as being a partisan political effort.

But the two-week period is meant to be free of politics and will emphasize Church teaching on religious freedom, he said.

The campaign, which takes place June 21-July 4, will be a period of prayer, education and action aimed at explaining how the federal health care contraceptive mandate violates religious principles.

At the end of the discussion on religious freedom BISHOPS, SEE page 4

Defending religious freedom ‘not a walk in the park’ ATLANTA — Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore June 13 acknowledged the U.S. bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign has come under heavy criticism in the secular media, in the blogosphere and by some Catholics as being a partisan political effort. But the two-week period is meant to be free of politics and will emphasize Church teaching on religious freedom, the chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Freedom said in Atlanta. “Already we realize that defending religious freedom is not a walk in the park,” Archbishop Lori said, emphasizing that politics plays no role in the effort.

“We’ve seen some reaction to our work that is sometimes hostile, sometimes unfair and inaccurate and sometimes derisive,” he said.

The upcoming fortnight will CNS | Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin be a period of prayer, education Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore speaks and action aimed at explaining June 13 about religious freedom issues in the how the federal health care U.S. during the mid-year meeting of the U.S. contraceptive mandate Conference of Catholic Bishops in Atlanta. violates religious principles.

The mandate requires most religious employers to provide free health insurance coverage for artificial contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations.

Cautioning that derogatory comments can be discouraging, Bishop Lori encouraged his fellow bishops to maintain their focus on religious rights as established in the U.S. Constitution and to avoid choosing to “soft-pedal” the Church’s basic message.

At catholicnewsherald.com: Daily updates and more coverage of the Fortnight for Freedom campaign.

Year of Faith aims to bring Catholics closer to Jesus ATLANTA — The Year of Faith beginning in October will give Catholics the chance to experience a “conversion” by turning back to Jesus and entering into a deeper relationship with Him, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis said June 13. Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., told the U.S. bishops that the 2012-’13 observance stems from Pope Benedict XVI’s call for a new evangelization and will incorporate TV, radio, social media and numerous online resources to better connect – or reconnect – Catholics with their faith. Special emphasis will be placed on explaining Church teaching through liturgy and prayer, catechetical aids, parish programs, homily guides and online applications and websites.

The Year of Faith opens Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the catechism. It runs through Nov. 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King. Pope Benedict announced the Year of Faith in “Porta Fidei” (“The Door of Faith”), an apostolic letter released Oct. 17, 2011.

At www.usccb.org: Get a free e-book version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, newly produced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

BISHOPS:

Diocesan calendar of events

FROM PAGE 3

Events at St. Basil Eastern Catholic Mission

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks: June 24 – 10 a.m.

Mass for 50th Anniversary of the dedication of the church Holy Infant Church, Reidsville June 25 -27 Bishops’ Province Meeting Charleston, S.C. June 29 – 11:15 a.m.

Mass Belmont Abbey, Belmont

june 24, 1:45 p.m., Ninth Hour of the Divine Office chanted, followed by the Divine Liturgy with Rites of Baptism at 2 p.m.

June 30, 4 p.m., Vigil Vespers and Typika

june 28, 6 p.m., Vigil Great Vespers and Typika for the Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul

Services are held at the Charlotte Catholic High School Chapel, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road

CHARLOTTE pastoral center, 1123 s. church st.

— Entrenamiento de Catequista en español, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

23 de junio — Catechist training in Spanish, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 23

July 7 – 10 a.m.

Ordination to the Diaconate of Jason Christian St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

of St. Faustina’s relic at 3 p.m. and a healing service at 3:30 p.m. RSVP for breakfast and lunch to 336-6441142. Donation of $7 total for both meals is requested.

Brother Konopka, MIC, is a member of the Marian Fathers and Brothers, a religious community that promotes devotion to Divine Mercy. st. MARY CHURCH, 812 Duke st.

ST. ann CHURCH, 3635 park road — Pro-Life Mass, 9 a.m. June 23 ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD

June 30 – 5 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. James Church, Hamlet

visit www.stbasil.weebly.com

— “Legion of Mary” group invites you to join them, Council Room, noon Mondays. Contact Janice Kemble at janicekemble@aol.com or 704-301-7331.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course, 1-5 p.m. June 30. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

— Centering Prayer Group, NLC Room 206, 7-8:30 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays. Contact Bruce Hassett at 704-641-9041 or Janie Normile at 803-396-8016.

— St. Peregrine Healing Prayer service, 7:30 p.m. fourth Thursdays St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East — Military Mass: July 15, starting at 3:30 p.m. A rosary will be prayed starting at 3 p.m. All military personnel are invited to attend and encouraged to come in uniforms.

— English as a Second Language Tutor Training, 6-9 p.m.

June 26. Contact Sister Helen Marie at 336-272-0765. st. PIUS X CHURCH, 2210 N. ELM ST. — Movie: “Bernadette,” Cloister, 8:30 p.m. June 29. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.

— “Catholicism 101” Inquiry Session, 7 p.m. July 2 and 7 p.m. Aug. 7. Contact Tracy Earl Welliver at 336-272-4681.

No registration required.

HICKORY St. Aloysius Church, 921 SECOND St. N.E. — Patriotic Rosary: 10 a.m. Saturday, July 7. Come to this inspiring rosary and join us as we sing patriotic songs and pray for our country, its leaders and its servicemen and women. Contact: Kathy Succop at 828-327-2341 or stalscoordinator@charter.net, or go online to www. staloysiushickory.org.

— Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course, 1-5 p.m. July 14. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — New chapter starting: Men of Veritas, following 9 a.m.

Mass second and fourth Saturdays. Contact Charlie at menofveritas@stacharlotte.com.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — “Ministry Retreat Day”: Faith Formation Retreat for St. Vincent de Paul Church, St. Patrick Cathedral, St. Ann Church, Our Lady of the Assumption Church and St. Michael the Archangel Church, July 14. Contact Aida Tamayo at atamayo@stvincentdepaulchurch.com or 704-554-1622.

GREENSBORO Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 W. Market St. — “Divine Mercy Increases our Trust in God” with Brother Leonard Konopka, MIC: 7 p.m. Friday, June 29. Also, following the 8 a.m. Mass Saturday, June 30, beginning with a breakfast in the cafeteria at 9 a.m. His talk will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the cafeteria with a break for lunch. Following the talk will be veneration

June 22, 2012 Volume 21 • Number 17

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

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org

HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD — An evening with Father David Miller, and a presentation on “The Last Four Things,” 8 p.m. June 29. Bring an appetizer to share. RSVP to Donna Smith at dsmith18@ bellsouth.net or 704-948-1306.

KERNERSVILLE HOLY CROSS CHURCH, 616 S. Cherry ST. — Charismatic Prayer Group, 8 p.m. first and second Fridays. Contact Cesar and Ava Gordola at 336-4540146 or 336-823-7710, or Tony Baludio at 336-297-4862.

WINSTON-SALEM HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 Kinnamon Road — Charismatic Prayer Group, 7:15 p.m. Mondays Our Lady of Mercy CHURCH, 1730 Link Road — Charismatic Prayer Group, 8 p.m. first and second Fridays.

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 28 times a year.

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in the U.S., the bishops affirmed by a unanimous voice vote a recent statement of the USCCB Administrative Committee regarding the HHS mandate titled “United for Religious Freedom.”

In his remarks to the assembly, Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad made an impassioned plea on behalf of Iraq’s dwindling Christian population, and called upon the U.S. bishops to press the Obama administration to take steps to protect religious rights in the Middle Eastern country.

He said the country’s Christians are being targeted by Muslim extremists bent on ridding the country of all religious minorities.

He said in the session presented by the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace that the difficulties Christians face emerged only after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

“As leaders of the Church in the United States,” he told the bishops, “you bear a special responsibility toward the people and Christians of Iraq. In 2003 your government led the war that brought some terrible consequences. The U.S. government can and must do all it can to encourage tolerance and respect in Iraq, to help Iraq strengthen the rule of law and to provide assistance that helps create jobs for Iraqis, especially those on the margins.”

The spring assembly opened with Mass celebrated by Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory at Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica, who urged his fellow bishops to recall the life of St. Anthony of Padua to help them renew religious life. The saint – whose feast day was June 13 – demonstrated a deep devotion to Christ through his preaching.

“Certainly here our contemporary Church ought to seek his assistance since we seem to have lost something of our confidence and vitality in proclaiming the Gospel,” Archbishop Gregory said in a brief homily.

“Unfortunately, we may also have occasionally misplaced clerical integrity and the facility of announcing the good news of Jesus Christ with conviction.

Religious life has suffered confusion and needs serious renewal. That, perhaps, St. Anthony can once again help us to rediscover.”

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facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD Diocese of Charlotte

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Bishop Jugis to preach on religious liberty July 1

Fr. Koterski: Fight is about God-given rights Kimberly Bender Online reporter

CHARLOTTE — In this fight for religious freedom, “we’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for the same treatment that everyone ought to get,” Father Joseph Koterski said.

Father Koterski, a member of the Philosophy Department at Fordham University and the Board of Trustees of Belmont Abbey College, spoke to a crowd at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center June 18 as one of a series of “In Defense of Religious Freedom” talks sponsored

by Catholic Social Services.

This is his eighth year speaking to the Fr. Koterski Charlotte diocese on various topics.

Father Koterski explained that his goal through this conversation on religious liberty is to improve understanding that religious freedom “has roots in us as Americans and as Catholics.” He described how the Bill of Rights and Catholic teaching, both of which describe our Godgiven rights, afford the faithful certain freedoms.

His speech detailed the recent religious liberty issues, including the HHS mandate that requires employers to pay for artificial birth control and sterilization and the latest developments which have prompted “vigorous responses” by the U.S. bishops calling for the faithful to defend religious liberty.

“They see the HHS mandate as having farreaching implications.

It’s larger than just the contraceptive question – while it’s very important.

This is also a teachable moment. It’s something where the issues of contraception and the Church’s teaching need to be discussed. I hope there is further education so the reasons are also known.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald .com: Watch the full webcast of Father Joseph Koterski’s talk.

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Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

More than 100 people gathered in front of the federal courthouse in Charlotte June 8 to join the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally, a national opposition movement to the federal health insurance mandate that nearly all employers must provide free artificial contraception and sterilization coverage in spite of any religious objections they may have.

100-plus gather in Charlotte, Winston-Salem for second religious freedom rallies Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Opponents of the federal contraception mandate in health insurance coverage rallied for a second time June 8 in front of federal courthouses across the U.S., including Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

The “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally was held in 164 cities overall and organized by the Pro-Life Action League in Chicago and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, based in Michigan.

In Charlotte, more than 100 people – mostly women – turned out for the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally outside the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building.

Similar to the first rally held in March, this public vigil and protest aimed to raise awareness about the new federal mandate that will force nearly all employers to provide free contraception in their health insurance plans, despite religious objections.

The mandate – part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – narrowly defines which religious employers may be exempt from the mandate to provide free artificial contraception, abortion-causing drugs and sterilization services as

ones that serve primarily people of their own faith and hire people primarily of their own faith.

Most Catholic employers would not meet the requirements of that exemption, as they serve and hire people of any faith, so they face the stark choice of either going against their beliefs by providing free artificial contraception or risk shutting down.

Speakers at the Charlotte rally included Cindy Brown of Feminists for Life of America, Tami Fitzgerald of the N.C. Values Coalition, pro-life OB/GYN Dr. Matthew Harrison and Father John Eckert of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

The right to free exercise of religion – not just in the pews on Sunday but in the public square and in one’s workplace – is a fundamental right of all people, not a privilege granted by any government, said Cindy Brown of Feminists for Life. As a Catholic woman, she said, she finds it offensive that critics of the U.S. bishops’ outspoken opposition to the HHS mandate label that opposition as a “war on women.”

“What war on women?” Brown shouted to the crowd, which had gathered to listen over the din of construction and lunch-hour traffic in front of the federal courthouse.

“That is categorically absurd.” This isn’t about RALLIES, SEE page 18

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will dedicate his homily on Sunday, July 1, to the subject of religious liberty.

The homily will be delivered during the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

His homily is part of the “Fortnight for Freedom,” a 14day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom. Organized by the U.S. bishops, the campaign will run from June 21 to July 4 and will highlight concerns over threats to religious freedom, both at home and abroad.

The 14 days from June 21 – the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More – to July 4, Independence Day, are designed as a great hymn of prayer for our country, the bishops said when issuing their recent statement “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty.”

Parishes across the diocese have already been sent information about the Fortnight for Freedom, including bulletin inserts and prayer materials.

Go online to learn more At www.usccb.org: More information about the Fortnight for Freedom campaign effort by the U.S. bishops At www.standupfor religiousfreedom.com: Details about the national organized opposition to the HHS mandate

Stay updated online At www. catholicnewsherald.com/ features/religiousfreedom: Explore news, history and the latest local and national stories in the Catholic News Herald’s religious freedom section online: n Learn about all the HHS mandate lawsuits, including the lawsuit filed by Belmont Abbey College and their latest status n Catch up on the full controversy in an HHS timeline n Read a FAQ on religious liberty n Get resources on conscience protection

Our Parishes 6

catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Matthew ‘yoUniversity’ offers summer learning for adults

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Bishops issue legislative alert

SueAnn Howell Staff writer

North Carolina’s two Catholic bishops issued an alert on the Racial Justice Act on June 17. The 2009 law, championed by the bishops, allows death-row inmates to appeal their sentences based on racial bias in the selection of the jury.

Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis and Raleigh Bishop Michael Burbidge have asked more than 5,000 participants in Catholic Voice North Carolina to contact their state senators to ask for a vote against a bill recently introduced by the Republican majority in the state legislature that would effectively nullify the Racial Justice Act. For updates, go online to www.

CatholicVoiceNC.org.

— David Hains, Director of Communication

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobbying group, addresses a capacity crowd at St. Peter Church’s Biss Hall in Charlotte June 9.

Deacon ordination set CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will ordain seminarian Jason Michael Christian to the transitional diaconate during a Mass starting at 10 a.m. July 7 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. This is one of the final steps of preparation for the priesthood. The public is welcome to attend.

Four accepted to seminary CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has accepted the following men into the seminarian program starting this fall: Colton P. Brown, Christopher N. Hamilton, Michael G. Kitson and Gilbert J. Kolosieke. They will attend Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

Parish collects items for USO to help returning soldiers MOORESVILLE — Parishioners of St. Thérèse Church in Mooresville recently contributed to a successful USO collection, organized by the parish’s SWAT ladies. Items collected included canned soda, bottled water, gift cards, sandwich bags, lemonade mix, microwaveable popcorn, oral care items, shaving cream and razors, lip balm, batteries, deodorant, decks of cards, candy, gum, tissues and more.

Brian Levine from the Charlotte USO said he appreciates St. Thérèse parishioners’ generosity. This collection allows the USO center to assist those in need through June and July, two of the busiest transition months for returning soldiers.

— Lisa Cash

Social justice advocate calls for ‘meaningful conversation’ Network leader then derides Church leaders Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Catholics must “find new ways of talking to each other” and “build bridges of understanding” if we are to engage in effective, united political participation that promotes the common good.

That was one of the messages that Sister Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Service and executive director of Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby, emphasized during a three-hour speech she gave at St. Peter Church’s Biss Hall on June 9 – even as she mocked the U.S. bishops and the Vatican hierarchy as being out of touch on “pastoral” issues and derided the bishops’ continued opposition to the federal health insurance law.

Sister Campbell’s talk was the latest in a series of events organized by St. Peter Church’s social justice ministry this year to help educate Catholics on how to apply Church teaching when deciding how to vote. The framework for the series, including Sister Campbell’s talk, was the U.S. bishops’ electoral guide “Faithful Citizenship.”

This was Sister Campbell’s third visit to St. Peter Church in Charlotte. She came previously in 2006 and 2008 also to speak about “Faithful Citizenship.”

This year, it was standing room only in Biss Hall as people anticipated that she might address the recent controversy over Network and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

LCWR UNDER REVIEW

The LCWR, which represents about

80 percent of the 57,000 women religious in the U.S., was reprimanded by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on April 18 in part for not placing enough emphasis on Church teaching regarding the fundamental right to life.

Citing “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life,” the doctrinal congregation announced a major reform of LCWR to ensure its fidelity to Catholic teaching about abortion, euthanasia, women’s ordination and homosexuality.

In its assessment, the Vatican said that “while there has been a great deal of work on the part of LCWR promoting issues of social justice in harmony with the Church’s social doctrine, it is silent on the right to life from conception to natural death, a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the U.S. “Further, issues of crucial importance in the life of the Church and society, such as the Church’s biblical view of family life and human sexuality, are not part of the LCWR agenda in a way that promotes Church teaching.”

A reform of LCWR is now under way.

NETWORK AND THE HEALTH INSURANCE LAW Network was founded in 1971 by 47 women religious and calls itself “a progressive voice within the Catholic community” that advocates on issues of social welfare, economic justice and peace, while also combating poverty, income disparity and racism. Based in Washington, D.C., Network lobbies advocate, SEE page 19

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s largest parish, St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte, is hosting more than eight courses this summer as part of its adult education program. The topics are varied and range from a course in St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises to finding God and deepening Catholic spirituality using modern technology.

Michael Burck, director of adult education at St. Matthew, explains the reason behind the Church’s commitment to summer formation for adults: “St. Matthew has given adult faith formation a major priority in our parish plan, so we are looking to offer as many things as we can throughout the year to help people connect more deeply and in a more profound way with their faith life.”

One of the courses, “Ignatian Spirituality/Finding God in All Things,” will be taught by Barbara Gaddy, an Ignatian Companion of North Carolina and assistant director of development for the diocese.

She has been trained in Ignatian spirituality and directing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

“I plan to incorporate information about the life of Ignatius of Loyola with various elements of the Spiritual Exercises over the four weeks of the course,” Gaddy said.

She plans on giving participants a short period of prayer time during each session to experience the “week” of the Spiritual Exercises they are discussing.

Mark Bartholet, pastoral associate for faith formation at St. Peter Church in Charlotte, will offer a course in July entitled “iPhone Therefore I am: God, Us & Technology.”

Two years ago he wrote a paper on the ethics of text messaging while working on his master’s degree at John Carroll University in Ohio. “I was really intrigued by how our cell phones and all the other technology we are plugged into all the time would affect our spirituality and our connection to God.” He discovered authors who wrote on topics pertaining to these issues and learned some surprising information which he hopes to share with the course participants.

Other courses being offered include: “Screamfree Parenting,” “The Book of Revelation,” “Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop,” “Gettin’ the Word on the WORD (made Flesh that is…)” and “Handing on the Faith.”

Registration is already at 225 people and St. Matthew expects more than 400 adults to participate over the 10week period this summer.

For details, go to www. stmatthewcatholic.org or call Michael Burck at 704-541-8362, ext. 4.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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St. Thomas Aquinas Church celebrates Sacred Heart Enthronement SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Parishioners and clergy from St. Thomas Aquinas Church in north Charlotte gathered on June 15, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, for a special event at the parish: the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart.

More than 200 people attended the ceremony, observing the blessing of the image of the Sacred Heart in the church, praying the consecration prayers, asking for the intercession of the Sacred Heart in their parish family, and giving thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary for their love and protection.

Capuchin Father Remo DiSalvatore, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, officiated.

Geri King, the new ministry head for the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is looking forward to serving families at the parish who wish to have an Enthronement in their homes.

“When I heard about the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and experienced one in the home of my sister and brother-in-law, I knew this was the answer to so many things that are desperately needed in families today,” King said.

“I believe that this lay apostolate will help to build a civilization of love in families by revitalizing faith and love in the home, reconnecting families to the parish, leading families to evangelize to other families, and once again providing the seed-bed for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.”

“When the family says yes to having the Sacred Heart Enthroned in their home, He honors that covenant with His many promises of grace, mercy and love for the family.

I expect great things for our St. Thomas Aquinas Parish family that has embraced this ministry with open hearts.”

To learn more about the Enthronement, go to www.stacharlotte.com/Main/Ministry_ Detail.aspx?MinistriesAndOrganizations=70 or call Geri King at 704-455-6819.

photoS provided by mary A. morales

(Far left) Capuchin Father Remo di Salvatore, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, blesses the image of the Sacred Heart in the church on June 15. (Above) The core team responsible for the Enthronement of the Sacred of Jesus Ministry and special Liturgy at St. Thomas Aquinas Church pose after the Enthronement on June 15.

(From left) Sister Edava, Michelle Hollis (Director of the Faith Formation), Mary A. Morales (Liturgy and Worship Commission Chairperson), Sussy Borrego (Hispanic Ministry Coordinator), Father di Salvatore (Pastor), Ginny Lieto (Evangelization and Communication Commission Chairperson), Geri King (Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Ministry Coordinator) and Kathy Johnson (Education and Faith Formation Commission Chairperson).

Sister Helene Nagle, beloved Sister of St. Joseph for 57 years, passes away St. Ann Church mourns sudden loss SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — A beloved Sister of St. Joseph and member of the St. Ann Church family, Sister Helene Nagle, SSJ, passed away suddenly June 9, 2012. Sister Helene, 76, served as the principal of St. Ann School for 17 years. She remained active at the parish, serving as the stewardship coordinator, while continuing to work in faith formation with the parish and school children.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated June 14, 2012, at St. Ann Church. She was buried at the Villa Cemetery in Flourtown, Pa., on June 18, 2012.

Sister Helene, who grew up in Philadelphia where the Sisters of St. Joseph’s motherhouse is located, knew the sisters well. Her father was one of the volunteers who drove the sisters around in those days. Eventually, Sister Helene also became a driver for them.

Sister Helene was a Sister of St. Joseph for 57 years.

She pronounced her first vows on Aug. 12, 1957, and her final vows on Aug. 12, 1962. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Chestnut Hill College in music and elementary education, she earned a master’s degree in educational administration at Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in counseling and psychology from Chestnut Hill as well.

She served in parishes in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., as well as Vienna, Va., teaching in the Catholic schools there.

She became principal of her old high school in Philadelphia and a school in Washington, D.C. Sister Helene came to the Diocese of Charlotte in 1989, where she taught at St. Leo School before she moved to St. Ann School to become principal in 1991. She retired from St. Ann School in 2008 but still helped the students, especially on Friday mornings, to prepare for their participation at Mass

Sister Helene Nagle, SSJ, is pictured in her convent chapel on the St. Ann Church campus in 2010.

sueann howell | Catholic news herald

at St. Ann Church.

She was a dedicated teacher whose spirituality and sense of humor helped her to lead and inspire all those around her.

She was affectionately known as “Sister Honey,” a nickname that matched her sweet, compassionate and fun personality.

Sister Helene continued to live her vocation as a Sister of St. Joseph by helping the poor and marginalized in the community. She went on missions to Jamaica and Uganda and lived her community’s call to “consider first the dear neighbor” daily in her service to the Church.

In a 2010 article on vocations for the Catholic News Herald, Sister Helene shared that she was drawn to the simplicity, humility and charity exemplified by her order. She fondly recalled the sisters: “I found they were real people, called in a special way. I knew when I entered I belonged,” she said.

She and Sister Judy Monahan, SSJ, lived together in Charlotte for more than 20 years, serving the people of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Villa, 110 West Wissahickon Ave., Flourtown, Pa., 19031-1898.

Father Lynch, formerly of St. Thérèse Parish, passes away MOORESVILLE — Jesuit Father William J. Lynch, who served at St. Thérèse Church in Mooresville for nearly 20 years, died peacefully in the Lord on Sunday, June 10, 2012, at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. He was 94.

Father Lynch was a member of the Society of Jesus for 76 years and a Catholic priest for 63 years.

He served as parochial vicar at St. Thérèse Church from 1991 until 2010.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Thérèse Church on June 13, 2012. He was buried June 19, 2012, at the Woodstock Fr. Lynch Jesuit Cemetery in Woodstock, Md. Father Lynch was born in Reading, Pa., in 1917. The son of Margaret Kearney and William J. Lynch, he was a 1935 graduate of Loyola High School in Baltimore and entered the Jesuit novitiate following high school graduation.

Following a year of studies at the St. Ignatius House of Studies in Manhasset, N.Y., he went to Woodstock College, Md., where he earned his bachelor’s degree in classics in 1941, his licentiate in philosophy in 1942, and his licentiate in sacred theology in 1949. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1948. In 1969, he also earned a master’s degree in classics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Father Lynch began his long career as an educator at St. Joseph Preparatory School in Philadelphia in 1942, where he taught juniors for three years. After ordination, he was assigned FR. LYNCH, SEE page 18

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 OUR PARISHES

(Above) Pictured are friends of Maryfield with the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul alongside the Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, both of which have communities in High Point.

(Left) Bishop Emeritus William Curlin leads Eucharistic Adoration at the Daily Mass Chapel at Maryfield June 10. The adjacent Perpetual Adoration Chapel has offered Perpetual Adoration for 18 years.

Photos by Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald

Maryfield celebrates 18 years of Perpetual Adoration Georgianna Penn Correspondent

HIGH POINT — Many gathered to celebrate 18 years of Perpetual Adoration at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point on June 10. A 1 p.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Emeritus William Curlin on this feast day of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ seemed a perfect way to embrace this gift at Maryfield.

“It is a blessing, it is a gift,” said Sister Lucy Hennessy, SMG, chairman of the Board of Directors, about the opportunity of housing the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at Maryfield for the past 18 years.

Founded by the Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, Maryfield began as a 22-bed Catholic nursing home in 1947. Maryfield is now known as one of the top providers of long-term care in the Triad and is a thriving Catholic retirement community.

Maryfield has many assets to its unique culture of care. It was the first retirement community in North Carolina to establish itself as a “household model” of care which, along with many other aspects, means that residents live in neighborhoods.

There is an independent living neighborhood with streets, yards, duplexes and houses; an assisted living neighborhood, Taylor Village, comprised of condo-style apartments; and even the health care unit is no unit at all. It is made up of several households, each of which has its own kitchen, dining room, den, back garden, front porch, personal cooks and compassionate nursing care.

“Miracles happen here,” shared Edna Corrigan, a long-time friend and supporter of Maryfield.

Corrigan and many others have given much of themselves to Maryfield, but it is what Maryfield gives to them that uplifts their hearts.

“When we have the sense of God in us, things change,” Bishop Curlin shared during his homily.

He said it is through the Eucharist that this happens.

“Heaven in me, Heaven in us, that’s what we’re celebrating today,” he joyfully proclaimed. “We see things not with these eyes, but with the heart.”

The chapel was filled for the special Mass, with folding chairs lining the outside aisles. Many priests, deacons and women religious were there for this glorious day.

Along with an Irish blessing, Bishop Curlin gave a heartfelt thanks to the families and residents who attended, the first Communicants who dropped fresh rose pedals during the Eucharistic procession, the Knights of Columbus, and to the never-ending dedication of the sisters from Ireland whose gift of compassion has sustained this special place.

The day ended with a reception in Norcross Square, a special meeting place between the health care households, a place where friends meet, a place where miracles happen and a place where the “Heaven in us” is celebrated.

To visit Pennybyrn at Maryfield, volunteer or adore, call 336-821-4050 or go to www.pennybyrnatmaryfield.org for more information.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Pentecost Sunday brings faith journey full circle Jewish convert turned deacon assists at Hebrew Mass in Holy Land SueAnn Howell Staff writer

TIBERIAS, Israel — Deacon David Reiser of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte had no idea of the gift he was about to receive when he stepped into St. Peter Church in Tiberias near the Sea of Galilee during a recent trip to the Holy Land.

It was May 27, Pentecost Sunday, and Deacon Reiser expected to attend a Mass said in English. With him were his wife Maria and his brother Gad. But Divine Providence had other plans for this special deacon.

Shortly after they arrived at the church, they were greeted by the pastor, Father Giuseppe Di Nardi of the Order of the Brothers of St. John the Baptist, informing them that Mass would instead be celebrated in Hebrew.

Deacon Reiser was born in Israel and raised in the Jewish faith, so he was delighted when the priest asked him if he would like to assist at Mass using his native language.

It was a very touching moment for Deacon Reiser.

He was 15 when he moved from the Holy Land to Europe before coming to the U.S. at 16. He studied at

a Jesuit college and on Palm Sunday in 1977, he had a personal revelation that Jesus was the Messiah and thus began his journey home to the Catholic Church. “(At Mass, the priest) gave me the Psalm in Hebrew,” Deacon Reiser recalls. “I was able to follow along. Of all days, Pentecost Sunday – how wonderful it was!”

There were about 15 people at Mass, he says, representing the universality of the Church.

“Father (Giuseppi) Di Nardi is from Italy. There was a guitar player from Germany, a flute player from Ireland, a Maronite Catholic refugee from Lebanon, two archeological workers from Mexico and a refugee family from Sudan. My wife is a Spanish-speaking American from Puerto Rico and my brother and I are Hebrew-speaking, originally from Israel.

“All the languages coming together, celebrating the Mass in Hebrew – it was incredible.”

Deacon Reiser, now retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, moved to Charlotte in the 1990s, discovering Our Lady of the Assumption Church.

He attended the Spanish Mass there and befriended Deacon Carlos Medina, who encouraged him to enroll in RCIA. On the feast of Our Lady of the Assumption in 1993, he came into the Catholic Church. Then in January 2011, he became a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte. He also serves as the director of faith formation at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.

The feast of Pentecost now has new meaning for him.

“It was a work of the Holy Spirit to get us there to that church at that time and to serve in my original mother tongue,” he says. “It was very rewarding at the same time. I came full circle.”

(Above) Deacon David Reiser (left) assists at Mass at St. Peter Church in Tiberias on Pentecost Sunday, May 27.

(At left) The interior of the church is pictured.

photos provided by Deacon David Reiser and wikimedia commons

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Photos by Kate D’Amato and Doreen Sugierski

(Above) The mission workers pose with resident Marie Myers for a group photo showing off her freshly-painted home in Bluffton, S.C.

(Right) Jordan D’Amato of the Holy Spirit youth group works with a new friend in her work group. Teens gathered from all across the U.S. to be a part of CHWC.

(Below) Holy Spirit teens pause for a group photo before their first group mission trip.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Photos by Kate D’Amato and Doreen Sugierski

(Above) Wesley Collins paints the window frame outside a home while others work inside.

(Far left) At the start of the week, students and chaperones participated in prayer, and team-building and introduction activities.

(Left) Sharla Sugierski scrapes off old wallpaper before painting her group’s work site.

‘Life-changing’ mission trip with Catholic Heart Work Camp Sharla Sugierski Special to the Catholic News Herald

This past summer I was part of the lucky group who attended Holy Spirit Parish’s first-ever week-long mission trip to Catholic Heart Work Camp in Bluffton, S.C. CHWC’s mission is to revitalize communities and homes for those who are unable to pay for needed repairs. In addition to this, the organization sends strong messages to its participants and leaves them with lasting impressions.

We slept, ate our breakfast and dinner, and had morning and evening programs at a local school. During the programs, we sang, danced, prayed and connected with God and one another. It was an amazing way to share my faith with my friends, old and new.

For the bulk of each day, we worked. At the beginning of the trip we were split into groups of approximately five people we didn’t know and were assigned our homes. Our projects ranged from painting to repairing windows, to doing yard work, to watching kids at day care. We were awed to see people who had next to nothing for themselves have such a strong faith. Our residents prayed with us, helped us, offered us food and drinks; they did whatever it

took to show us their gratitude, even if it meant not having a meal themselves that evening. We saw God that week. In everything we did, we saw Him. In our residents, in each other, in the workers, and in ourselves.

One of my favorite parts was the “Four Corners” experience. The gym lights were turned off, candles were lit, and a reverent mood was set with soft music and personal stories from the staff. Many tears were shed and many eyes were opened. There was a corner for praying for others, one for healing, one for faith, and one for reconciliation. I visited all the corners and was humbled by the powerful impact they had on me. I renewed and strengthened my relationship with God. Praying with a friend, we found new light in ourselves and have had a stronger faith ever since.

It was honestly a life-changing experience. None of us has ever been moved as much as we were on this trip, which is why we are so psyched to go back this summer!

Sharla Sugierski, 16, and the other members of Holy Spirit Church’s youth group will be returning to Catholic Heart Work Camp July 15-21 for another summer mission project. This year they will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to help those in need.

‘We saw God that week. In everything we did, we saw Him. In our residents, in each other, in the workers, and in ourselves.’

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iiiJune 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PA

Receiving the gift of the Holy Spir

Photos by Joanita M. Nellenbach | Catholic News Herald

HAYWOOD COUNTY — (At right) Bishop Peter J. Jugis confirms Cristian Lopez of St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley. Cristian’s sponsor is his grandmother, Celsa C. Oliva.

The sacrament of confirmation was celebrated May 22 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville for a combined class of 21 youths from St. John and St. Margaret of Scotland parishes. (Above) Confirmandi from St. John were: Daniel Cheek, Jacob Cioffi, Mary Escaravage, Molly Escaravage, Jennifer Gamez, Christopher Hill, Jessica Huber, Joshua Jimison, Gabriela Julian, Elizabeth Martin, Dayana Martinez, Maritza Pina and Juan Rios; and from St. Margaret of Scotland were: Matthew Fowler, Sydney Franklin, Cristian Lopez, William McLeod, Erin Peterson, Sinjon Stringfellow, Rylee Yarrington and Ashley Zander.

Photos by Vicki Dorsey | Catholic News Herald

CHEROKEE — Twenty-five people from St. Joseph Church in Bryson City, St. Jude Church in Cashiers and St. Mary Mother of God Church of Sylva (above and center of page) received the sacrament of confirmation June 11 from Bishop Peter J. Jugis during Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee.

Concelebrating the Mass were Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, and Father Alejandro Ayala, pastor of St. Mary Mother of God Church. As Bishop Jugis prepared to anoint the candidates with sacred chrism, sealing them with the gift of the Holy Spirit, he spoke of the light rain that was falling outside: “I am happy to see the rain – it is a reminder of your baptism,” he said.

Photo provided by Annette Tenny and

KING — Father Lawrence Heiney and the families of Good Shepherd Parish in King honored to welcome Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari, abbot of Belmont Abbey an of Belmont Abbey College as the celebrant for the sacrament of confirmation Ap Pictured are Blanca Mares, Megan Fournier, Armando Rodriguez, Abbot Placid Sol Angel Padilla, Luis Bueno, Andrew Solorio and Araseli Valverdi; Juan Landaverde,

ARISHES

rit:

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

Confirmation celebrations held across western North Carolina

LINCOLNTON — Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrated the sacrament of confirmation at St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton in May. PHOTOS BY ANTHONY PERLAS, seroptics.com | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Photos by Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

DENVER — (Left and above) Thirty-three teens at Holy Spirit Church in Denver received the sacrament of confirmation May 9 from Rev. Monsignor Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Maggie Foley receives the sacrament of confirmation with the support of her sponsor Jordan D’Amato.

Deacon James Atkinson and Father Carmen Malacari, pastor, assist Monsignor West.

and Barb Robless

g were nd chancellor pril 21. lari, Luis , not pictured.

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Photo provided by Linda McAdam

LEXINGTON — Thirteen young people at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington received the sacrament of confirmation June 6 from Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

Our schools 14

catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Ritter named diocesan superintendent Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

In Brief

OLM gives books to children for summer reading WINSTON-SALEM — Our Lady of Mercy School’s Helping Hands of Mercy group coordinated a school-wide drive in May and collected more than 540 gently used children’s books for Project HOPE, which works to meet the needs of homeless public school students in Forsyth County. Project HOPE serves more than 700 children in pre-school through high school.

— Lara Davenport

OLG students’ artwork put on display GREENSBORO — During April, artwork crafted by middle school students at Our Lady of Grace School was displayed at Mitchell and Bartlett Orthodontics in Greensboro.

Students explored Mexican and Polish folk art and then designed artwork using those traditional techniques. The art project was funded through a grant from the United Arts Council. Pictured is eighth-grader Karina Sennati with her art.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

St. Leo students perform in talent show WINSTON-SALEM — More than 70 students at St. Leo School in Winston-Salem participated in the school’s annual talent show May 22.

Students performed baton twirling, Irish dancing, tap dancing, unicycle riding, poetry reading, comedy, a puppet show, lyrical dancing, a tae kwon do demonstration, as well as sang and played musical instruments. The eighthgraders were the “grand finale,” singing “We are Done,” a parody of the song “We Are Young” by Fun. — Donna Birkel

CHARLOTTE — Dr. Janice Ritter has been named superintendent of the Diocese of Charlotte schools system effective July 1.

Ritter, formerly the assistant superintendent, has been serving as the interim superintendent since the retirement of Linda Cherry in July 2011.

She has been a member of the diocesan schools staff since 1997.

Over the past six months, a search committee of 10 people – comprised of parents, school leaders, clergy and educators, led by Father Roger K. Arnsparger, diocesan vicar of education, and David Longo, former Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools board member – had been conducting a national search and evaluating applicants including Ritter. Their goal was to have a superintendent named by July 1.

Ritter will be responsible for leading the diocese’s 19 schools, which include the regionalized Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools with its nine schools and separate school board; parishbased schools in Asheville, Gastonia, Greensboro, Hendersonville, High Point, Salisbury and Winston-Salem; and the diocesan high school, Bishop McGuinness in Kernersville.

Ritter served as assistant superintendent from 1999 to 2011, when she stepped in as interim superintendent following Cherry’s retirement. Under her tenure, she was responsible for

overseeing and monitoring Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation for the diocese’s then 18 schools, coordinating testing and curriculum adoption, monitoring teacher licensure, and planning and implementing professional development.

Prior to coming to the diocesan schools office, Ritter served as principal of St. Patrick Elementary School in Charlotte Ritter from 1997 to 1999. She also has worked as an adjunct instructor with Belmont Abbey College’s Adult Degree Program, and as an adjunct instructor with Strayer University, Central Piedmont Community College and Pfeiffer University, where she has taught on curriculum design, classroom management, learning theories and more.

Ritter started out her education career as an art teacher at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School in New Rochelle, N.Y., the school she herself attended as a student. She then taught fourth and fifth grades there before moving to Charlotte.

In Charlotte, she taught at Beverly Woods Elementary School and Starmount Elementary School. She worked for seven years at Sharon Elementary School where she taught primary grades including a multi-age class for kindergarten, firstand second-grade students. She then became assistant principal at Irwin Avenue Open Elementary School in 1996.

She has a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Master of Science in Education with a focus on early childhood education from the College of New Rochelle in New York, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education also from the College of New Rochelle.

A native of New York, she and her husband Gary will celebrate their 39th anniversary in August. They have three sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons.

“I am looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues throughout the diocese, and especially those in the Catholic schools,” Ritter said. “We have outstanding principals and excellent teachers and staff who bring the vision of Catholic education alive in each school. I am confident that together we will build on what we have already accomplished in our schools. One exciting challenge for us as educators is to use technology to bring new learning opportunities to young people in the diocese.”

In his announcement of Ritter’s selection this week, Father Arnsparger said, “I am very grateful to the search committee for the great work it did in considering the applicants for the position of superintendent. We are also grateful to Dr. Ritter for all of the work she has done for our schools in recent years, including her work as the interim superintendent for the last year. I very much look forward to working with Dr. Ritter in the future as we continue to develop our Catholic schools.”

Charlotte-area high schools to provide laptops to students, teachers this fall SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — The Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools System is launching a new initiative in learning this fall at both Charlotte Catholic and Christ the King high schools. For the first time, all students and teachers at both high schools will be using laptop computers – part of a growing trend towards electronically-centered classrooms.

In this “Technology Infusion” or “1:1” initiative, 1,650 Apple MacBook Pro laptops will be distributed to the two high schools when classes begin Aug. 22. The project will cost MACS approximately $2.2 million over three years, and its aim is to boost students’ critical thinking skills, involvement and creativity in the classroom, school district officials say.

The “Technology Infusion” project has been in the planning stages for the past two years, and it follows from the success of a similar, smaller launch at both high schools last year.

Students in social studies and math classes at Charlotte Catholic High started using laptops in the classroom last year, and Christ the King High began offering laptops to 38 students and teachers with great success when it opened last fall in its temporary Mooresville location.

Dr. Dan Dolan, Christ the King High’s principal, said he saw tangible results from incorporating this technology into the classroom last year, including evening office hours online, so teachers were available when students needed help; inviting guest speakers to webinars from their locations, enabling students to meet with university professors and authors no matter the distance; and the start of a relationship with a Catholic school in Canada. Yet, Dolan also emphasized, computers are tools for learning which open new doors and

Timmy Pasi, IT specialist for the Diocese of Charlotte, installs one of 109 new wireless router units at Charlotte Catholic High School on June 19 as part of a technology upgrade at the school for “Technology Infusion.”

sueann howell | catholic news herald

opportunities for learning, not a replacement for good teachers.

“Computers allow greater access – to faculty, to experts in a given field, and to other cultures,” he said. “We want our students to be able to access data, make sense of it, evaluate it and meaningfully apply it to new situations.”

“We need our students to be critical thinkers – and computers can be a valuable tool in that quest,” Dolan said.

Now that emphasis on aiding critical thinking skills using the latest technology is being launched campus-wide at both schools.

Charlotte Catholic High will get more than 1,530 laptop LAPTOPS, SEE page 15

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Telford appointed new principal at Our Lady of Grace School Karen Hornfeck Special to the Catholic News Herald

GREENSBORO — Kurt Telford has been appointed the new principal at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro.

Telford previously served as the principal at West Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem for 11 years. In 2010, he was named Forsyth County’s “Principal of the Year. “ Telford received his bachelor’s degree in history from Central Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Connecticut. He went on to obtain a master’s degree of education from the State University of New York at Geneseo, N.Y. Telford received a North Carolina certificate in educational administration from North Carolina Agricultural and Technology University in Greensboro.

Telford has both taught in and been an administrator in middle and high schools in the New York state school system and in both Guilford and Forsyth counties.

Over the course of his career, Telford

LAPTOPS: FROM PAGE 14

computers, and Christ the King High will get more than 80 laptop computers. The laptops will be leased.

Scott Long, director of information technology for the diocese, is spearheading the technology side of the project. Long said he is working in conjunction with four companies to see it to completion: Smoothwall, Cisco, Presidio and Technocom. Each company will play a pivotal part in executing the new technology plan being implemented at the high schools, he said, adding that this will prompt a huge technology leap forward for the schools.

At Charlotte Catholic High in particular, the project includes more than just new laptops: The school’s computer network is being upgraded, with wireless capability added to each classroom and the common areas, along with a stronger Internet security firewall and content filter.

An on-site computer helpdesk will also be set up at Charlotte Catholic High to respond to questions, repair issues and other needs from students and teachers.

“We are replacing all the networking electronics at the school right now,” Long said. “This is scheduled to be completed by June 28.”

The immediate goal is to set up the new system to handle the increased number of users and provide a reliable, safe Internet service for teachers and students, he noted.

has also served as a Master Teacher at Wake Forest University Master Teacher program.

He was recently one of 40 principals statewide selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Distinguished Leadership in Practice (DLP), a leadership development program for practicing school leaders that was developed by the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals Association in Telford partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and UNC-Learn NC. Our Lady of Grace School will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year and serves children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Located in the heart of Greensboro’s historic Sunset Hills, Our Lady of Grace School has a proud heritage of offering an academically challenging curriculum in a faith-filled environment.

Strategically, MACS officials say, the “Technology Infusion” initiative could lead to “paperless” classrooms for teachers and students, as well as savings on textbook costs for parents.

Dr. Janice Ritter, diocesan schools superintendent, said she sees the “Technology Infusion” project as a way to “greater student involvement in their education” and an outlet for “greater creativity.”

“The project involves a significant financial commitment from MACS as well as parents, and a commitment of time, talent and training on the part of teachers and school administrators. However, school officials are confident that this investment will help us meet our goal of enhancing students’ critical thinking skills as well as their involvement and creativity in the classroom,” Ritter said.

A tuition surcharge of $260 for high school students has been instituted for the 2012-’13 school year to help cover the project’s varied costs.

Teachers in the MACS system have already been training and working with laptops over the past year to help integrate their use in the classroom.

Information about the project and the technology enhancement fee has already been shared with parents, noted Mike Ford, MACS marketing director.

Parents and students will also have the opportunity to attend informational meetings in August about the use of the new technology at the high schools.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV n Friday, June 22, 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 23, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “They Call Him Father In The Five Continents.”

This documentary explores the life and works of St. Josemaria Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei.

In theaters

n Saturday, June 23, 5 a.m. (EWTN) “St. Etheldreda: Abbess Of Ely.” Despite her vow of purity and desire to serve the Lord as a nun, St. Etheldreda is forced into marriage by her father. She miraculously escapes and becomes the Abbess of Ely.

‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ Fast-moving, intensely silly 3-D adventure picks up where the last film in the Madagascar franchise left off, with Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, and pals Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo trying to return to New York City by refurbishing a European circus. Intense action sequences.

CNS: A-I (general patronage), MPAA: PG

‘Brave’ A teenage Scottish princess goes to extreme lengths to break free of custom and convention in this 3-D animated adventure, directed by Brenda Chapman and newcomer Mark Andrews.

Intense action and scenes of peril, use of sorcery, brief rear animated nudity.

CNS: is A-II (adults and adolescents), MPAA: PG

‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ The latest take on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, directed by newcomer Rupert Sanders, is a classic good-vs.-evil fable with splashes of gothic horror and extreme violence, but some welcome religious imagery. Intense action violence and brutality, scenes of sorcery.

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

‘Rock of Ages’ Heavy-metal musical romance, set in 1987, in which an aspiring singer, newly arrived in Los Angeles, finds work as a waitress in a headbangers’ nightclub and falls for a bartender in the same establishment who has show biz ambitions of his own. Negative treatment of religion, misguided values, including a frivolous view of homosexuality, acceptance of premarital sex and a comic portrayal of aberrant sexual behavior.

CNS: O (morally offensive), MPAA: PG-13

Additional movies: ‘Chernobyl Diaries’

n CNS: L (limited adult audience), MPAA: R

‘Prometheus’

n CNS: O (morally offensive), MPAA: R

ARTWORK Provided by ZacHERY Brakefield

“Learn to Count” is one of ABCatholic’s faith-based learning DVDs geared to children aged 6 months and older.

Local media company launches with ‘ABCatholic’ Kimberly Bender Online reporter

A local businessman has felt called to use his talents to start a Catholic company selling faithbased media products for children and families.

Zachery Brakefield, a parishioner at St. Michael Church in Gastonia, said he felt called to leave his job at Saint Benedict Press and recently start his own company: Maximilian Media and its childrenoriented division of ABCatholic opened its doors May 1.

“I really had the urge. I feel that this is the way God is calling me to follow this path. It’s only a month old, and I’m very excited for what we’re doing,” Brakefield said.

The company is based on the belief that media is an art, and through positive art, society can not only be entertained, but enlightened, he said.

With this in mind, ABCatholic’s products feature Catholic-specific Christian imagery, characters and themes to entertain and teach children from birth.

The products educate babies and children from the Roman Catholic standpoint, through DVDs, CDs and an upcoming book.

“It’s like Baby Einstein (a Disney-owned entertainment products marketed to babies and toddlers) – just a Catholic version,” he said. “We’re starting out with the basics. Learning to count, teaching ABCs, and we even have a ‘Baby Latin’ coming out. It’s very basic, but really cute.

“My goal is to be able to touch the lives of little kids from the time they are born. That’s why I started this age group of products. There’s lots of bad media out there, and I want to make a positive

Andy Garcia stars in “For Greater Glory.” Garcia, a Catholic, plays a Mexican Revolution-era general lured out of retirement to fight his government’s severe curbing of religious freedoms.

‘That’s My Boy’

n CNS: O (morally offensive), MPAA: R CNS | ARC Entertainment

More online Online at www.ABCatholic.com: Products available to sample and order.

Parents can also download and print free coloring and activity pages for their children.

impact through media. I wanted to create some good Catholic media, to counter the Hollywood stuff out there.”

Local artists and talent contribute to ABCatholic’s products, including unique and locally produced hymns on “A Marian Lullaby,” an audio CD of peaceful hymns honoring the Blessed Mother. Other products include “Learn to Count” DVD and “Baby Latin,” which presents basic Latin, especially targeted toward young children in their language developmental years.

ABCatholic’s first product, “My Catholic ABCs,” employs bold imagery and bright colors to engage even the youngest Catholics in the Church. The alphabet is presented using traditional letter-wordpicture associations such as “A, Angel” and “B, Baptism.”

Lissette Yellico, a Catholic homeschool mom, said her children thoroughly enjoy the videos.

“The Catholic imagery and lovely music instruct my little ones as well as entertain them,” Yellico said. “I will definitely recommend ABCatholic to all families wanting an edifying alternative to preschool programming.”

‘For Greater Glory’ Powerful historical drama recounting the persecution of the Church in Mexico during the 1920s under the presidency of Plutarco Calles (Ruben Blades) and the popular reactions it provoked.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: R. It is playing at the following locations in the Diocese of Charlotte: Carolina Pavilion 22 in Charlotte, Hendersonville 12 in Hendersonville and Movies @ Birkdale 16 in Huntersville.

n Saturday, June 23, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Life Is Worth Living: The Glory Of Being An American.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen discusses the origin of our rights and liberties, the great value that Americans put upon the human person and then, thirdly, what America’s done for the world. n Sunday, June 24, 2 a.m., Friday, June 29, 10 p.m., and Saturday, June 30, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Rock Of Truth.” The extraordinary story of Bruno Cornacchiola, a modern-day persecutor of the Catholic Church who planned to kill the pope but was converted when the Virgin Mary appeared to him. n Wednesday, June 27, 1 p.m. and Saturday, June 30, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Bernadette Of Lourdes.” A cast of more than 160 Catholic children tells the story of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. n Wednesday, July 4, noon-1:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Closing Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom (Live).”

From Washington, D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and homilist Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia celebrate Mass concluding the “Fortnight for Freedom,” a special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Military Mass planned for July 15 at cathedral CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis will celebrate a Mass for U.S. military personnel at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 15, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. The Mass will be preceded by a rosary at 3 p.m. and will be offered for all military personnel who have died and for those who are now serving. All military are encouraged to attend and wear their uniforms.

Photos of those who have died or who are now serving will be displayed in the cathedral.

To include your service member, please mail their photo (labeling their name and rank on the back) to: Nancy Weber, Office of the Bishop, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203. The deadline to submit photos is July 2. (Please do not send original photographs, as they cannot be returned.)

Order of Malta hosts Day of Formation CHARLOTTE — A Day of Formation was recently held in Charlotte for new candidates discerning a lifelong commitment to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta – commonly known as the Order of Malta. This lay religious order, the fourth oldest order in the Church, has for nine centuries fulfilled its two-fold mission of defending the faith and serving the poor and the sick. During the Day of Formation, held over two days in April, Mass was celebrated by Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey and Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, both Conventual Chaplains ad Honorem of the order. Participants also toured the Belmont Abbey campus and Holy Angels in Belmont, where the order’s Federal Association awarded a $25,000 grant to purchase lift equipment for residents. Members John Gannon and Kathy Tronco of Charlotte and Gary Fly of Greensboro also spoke about the order’s various works of service in the Charlotte region.

About 125 candidates and members from around the U.S. participated in the Day of Formation, hosted by the Charlotte Chapter of the Federal Association of the Order and organized by Jackie S. Gallagher, member of the board of directors and executive committee, and Jerry Schmitt, Regional Hospitaller for the Charlotte chapter. They are pictured above with Bishop Curlin at St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

— Jackie S. Gallagher

Diocese hosts financial training workshops CHARLOTTE — Parish finance personnel from around the Diocese of Charlotte recently attended financial workshops presented by the diocese’s Chief Financial Officer William Weldon, Development Director Jim Kelley, and Wells Fargo Advisors consultant John Granzow. The purpose of the workshops was to review internal control procedures prescribed by the diocese, as well as explain how investments such as endowments, annuities and other planned giving strategies could help strengthen parishes’ finances over the long term by providing additional sources of income.

The Diocese of Charlotte Foundation has made more than $6 million available to the various entities that have endowments, but parishes themselves can set up endowments to boost existing operations or fund future projects. Critical to the success of that, Kelley noted, is simply making people aware that gifts to a specific church or school can be made through estate planning, and that many options exist for these planned gifts.

The diocesan Finance Office sponsors parish financial workshops annually. “The meetings are a unique opportunity for parish financial staff to get together to discuss common issues,” Weldon said. “We cover issues ranging from offertory count procedures to financial reporting, tax compliance and diocesan financial policies.”

The workshops are offered in multiple locations throughout the diocese so they are accessible to all parishes. This year’s meetings were held in Asheville, Kernersville and Charlotte.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

Reed makes Eagle Scout CHARLOTTE — Henry Reed of Boy Scout Troop 9 of St. Patrick Cathedral recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, he installed a new orienteering course at Latta Plantation. He is a rising senior at Charlotte Catholic High School and the son of David and Jennifer Reed.

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Christian standards while possessing selfdiscipline and a consistent work ethic both at school and in the community.

— John Russell

Dining for friends at St. Pius X Anthony Perlas, seroptics.com | Catholic News Herald

Rodriguez earns Eagle Scout LINCOLNTON — Taylor Rodriguez, a parishioner at St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton, recently earned his Eagle Scout rank. For his Eagle Scout project, he constructed a rosary garden on the church grounds. Pictured above is St. Dorothy Church’s pastor, Father Matthew Buettner, blessing the new garden.

St. Matthew to sponsor food drive July 1-14 CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte hopes to collect 160,000 pounds of food and provide 3,000 hours of volunteer service in its annual World Food Drive this July.

The church will be collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations and will host a Stop Hunger Now meal-packaging event on Saturday, July 14, in the Parish Center gym with a goal to surpass the 285,000-plus meals made last year.

GREENSBORO — Parishioners gathered May 19 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro to raise money for the Triad Health Project, a nonprofit organization that provides emotional and practical support to those living with HIV/ AIDS. St. Pius X Community Life Commission hosted a Dining for Friends dinner at the parish and raised more than $3,000. This was the parish’s 16th year participating. The evening ended with a dessert finale at The Terrace at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, where many churches, party hosts and guests brought their donations. Triad Health Project exceeded its goal of $106,000 for the event. For more information, visit www.triadhealthproject. com. Pictured are members of the St. Pius X Community Life Commission: Krisan Walker, Lois Von Der Goltz, Joe Bauer, Awilda DeJesus, Susan Rizzi and Ann Robinson.

— Georgianna Penn, correspondent

SPX grad earns Patriot Award Good Shepherd Parish celebrates end of classes with picnic KING — Good Shepherd Parish in King ended faith formation classes this year with a picnic celebrating the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Children created Holy Spirit fans and mandalas, played games and enjoyed ice cream sundaes. Confirmation class students also received their certificates.

Pictured is young parishioner Emanuel Alcantara showing off his sundae. At the end of the picnic, an Ascension prayer from the parish was written on notes that were tied to balloons and sent out to the world, just as the Apostles went forth after Pentecost to spread the Gospel message following Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

— Annette Tenny, correspondent

Christian Scholar Award presented to SPX graduate GREENSBORO — At this year’s graduation ceremony of St. Pius X School in Greensboro, Courtney Decker (pictured above with Past Grand Knight Walter Kulla and Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church) received the 2012 Christian Scholar Award for being a positive role model while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average, demonstrating strong

GREENSBORO — St. Pius X School graduate Madison Fly of Greensboro recently received the 2012 Patriot Award from the Knights of Columbus Council 11101 for exhibiting the qualities of dependability, leadership, strong moral character and Christian ethics. Fly is pictured above with Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, and Knights of Columbus Council 11101 Past Grand Knight Greg Rachal.

— John Russell We welcome your parish’s news! Please email news items and photos to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@ charlottediocese.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 OUR PARISHES

RALLIES: FROM PAGE 5

access to contraception, Brown noted, but about religious liberty and whether the government can force a religious organization to disavow its beliefs.

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the N.C. Values Coalition, echoed that point.

The HHS mandate will drive out religious institutions from providing any health care coverage – exactly the opposite intent of the health care reform effort.

“Health care reform should never take away religious freedom,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald asked, why isn’t the government partnering with faith-based health care providers – which have been running hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and more, for hundreds of years – instead of partnering with Planned Parenthood, the country’s leading abortion provider, to hand out free birth control pills?

If the HHS mandate is allowed to stand, Fitzgerald noted, then religious employers who do not comply with it will be forced to pay hefty fines. Essentially, she said, they will have to pay for the right to follow their beliefs.

Another speaker at the Charlotte rally was Dr. Matthew Harrison, who recently opened Northgate Family Medicine, a prolife family medical practice.

As a doctor, Harrison said, it is his vocation to care for people and provide the best health care possible to the most people.

This “insidious mandate,” he said, does not help him to accomplish that.

“The government does not understand that we serve others not because of what they believe, but because of what we believe,” he said. “They are not interested in health care. Rather, they are interested in health control.”

Harrison said he has seen too many young women dragged to abortion mills to kill their unborn children, and too many people scared to go to the hospital.

Forcing employers to provide free artificial contraception and sterilization services does not help these women get better health care. The HHS mandate does not ensure that life-saving procedures are affordable and widely accessible – it only turns

FR. LYNCH: FROM PAGE 7

to Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he taught freshmen for a year before returning to St. Joseph’s Prep in 1951 – an assignment that would last 20 years. He taught English, Latin and Greek to juniors and freshmen.

In 1971, Father Lynch was named principal of Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth, N.J. After three years, he was appointed school principal and parish coordinator at St. Ann Parish in Lawrenceville, N.J. That assignment lasted five years.

He continued ministering in New Jersey, as director of religious education and as a high school religion teacher at Holy Spirit Church in Asbury Park (1979), parochial vicar at St. Ann¹s in Browns Mills, (19791981), and as parochial vicar at St. Mary¹s Church in Alpha, where he also worked with a lay ministry group for the Diocese of Trenton (1981-1982).

In 1982, Father Lynch moved to North Carolina, where he served for 30 years until his death. He served as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

What is the HHS mandate?

The HHS mandate is a new federal regulation would require nearly all employers to provide free artificial contraception, abortion-causing drugs and sterilization services in their employees’ health insurance plans.

It is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which sets up new preventative health care coverage specifically for women at no cost. That coverage includes services such as mammograms, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings, but it also mandates free artificial birth control pills, sterilizations and drugs considered by the Church to be abortifacients – all of which are contrary to Catholic teaching.

For a religious employer that does not want to offer such services, the regulation sets out a narrow exemption: An exempt religious employer is one that “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization” under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code. The exact language of the exemption was announced Aug. 1 by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

Since the mandate was announced and reaffirmed by the Obama administration in February, Catholic and other religious leaders across the country are decrying this exemption as too narrowly written – particularly parts 2 and 3 – and violates the Church’s religious liberty. The Church’s ministries do and should go beyond serving and employing Catholics, they emphasize.

doctors into pill dispensers.

“The government wants me to be a gumball machine: Put in your premium and get your gumball,” he said. He emphasized, “I refuse to provide services that harm my patients, and you should refuse to pay for them.”

in Rocky Mount (1982-1986), pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Ahoskie (1986-1989), parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Pinehurst (1990-1991), and St. Thérèse Church in Mooresville beginning in 1991. After serving eight years, Father Lynch continued on at St. Thérèse Church as a pastoral minister until 2010.

“Father Lynch had a great gift for making friends and shared his spiritual values with them. He was a wise and gentle counselor to many. His preaching always provoked thought. He had a great love for protecting God’s environment on earth,” said Jesuit Father Vincent Curtin, pastor at St. Thérèse Church.

He is survived by his brother, Richard Lynch of Glendora, Calif., and by his fellow Jesuits of the Maryland Province. He was preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Thompson of Towson, Md. His fellow priests at St. Thérèse Church would like to thank the staff at Genesis, Mooresville Center, for caring for Father Lynch for the past two years. They also are grateful to Julie Wagner, dear friend of Father Lynch, for aiding him on an almost daily basis.

Cavin-Cook Funeral Home was in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be made at www.cavin-cook.com.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

ADVOCATE: FROM PAGE 6

Congress and promotes policies that aid the poor and the marginalized. Its website states that it partners with other similarly aligned Catholic organizations – including Justice for Immigrants, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, as well as the LCWR and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Network has come under scrutiny because of its vocal support, in conjunction with the LCWR, of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – despite the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ strong opposition to the legislation and the accompanying mandate that nearly all employers must offer free contraception coverage despite conscientious or religious objections.

SISTER CAMPBELL TALKS ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIES In offhand remarks repeatedly during and after her prepared talk about “Faithful Citizenship,” Sister Campbell dismissed the LCWR doctrinal assessment as “a Vatican kerfuffle.” She also scorned the U.S. bishops for their continued opposition to the health insurance law.

In fact, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has supported universal health care since the late 1940s. The U.S. bishops and numerous Catholic organizations oppose the current legislation because it does not sufficiently protect the unborn and it does not contain adequate conscience protections for religious employers who oppose providing free artificial contraception and sterilization coverage.

Sister Campbell also disparaged the U.S. bishops and the Vatican hierarchy as being inexperienced on “pastoral” work, which she said has created a “painfully huge divide” between Church leadership and the LCWR. Bishops need to meet real people with real problems, she said. “Real people change people’s hearts. Theories don’t.”

She acknowledged that the conscience protections originally in the health insurance legislation were inadequate – joking that at the time she was “nervous” to find herself on the same side as the U.S. bishops – but she insisted that the “accommodation” President Barack Obama made in March to appease religious employers opposed to contraception coverage should be enough to settle the issue.

‘FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP’

In her main talk, Sister Campbell stressed the connection between Catholic social teaching – primarily as explained in Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”) – and the U.S. bishops’ statement on “Faithful Citizenship.”

Sister Campbell said civil discourse is the only way for Catholics to move forward and effect real social change.

Catholics must come out of their opposite corners on the right and the left and find common ground in our shared Catholic values, she said.

The dignity of the individual and personal freedom must go hand-in-hand with the importance of community and solidarity with the poor, she said. We are all in relationship with each other, and that brings with it rights and obligations – all of which should come together to foster the common good, she said, frequently quoting from “Faithful Citizenship” and “Caritas in Veritate.”

Justice and charity are at the core of our Catholic beliefs, she noted – and not just during election season. But the

More online At catholicnewsherald.com: Read the entire “Faithful Citizenship” guide.

polarizing of politics in America, she said, is jeopardizing our democracy.

“The challenge is trying to talk to people who think differently,” she said. But we must all reach out and talk about common values – and Catholic social teaching is the way we can do it. That can lead to moments of conversion on both sides, she said.

Sister Campbell admitted that she has felt uncomfortable calling herself “prolife,” even though she stands with Church teaching on the value of all human life from conception to natural death.

She said it is time for “progressive” Catholics – including herself – to speak as if social justice concerns (racism, right to a living wage, environmental protection, sex trafficking, etc.) are as much “life” issues as opposition to abortion.

In fact, since the release of the 2007 edition of “Faithful Citizenship,” the U.S. bishops have taught that while other social issues are important, the protection of all human life through the opposition to abortion must be the top priority for American Catholics: The fundamental right to life necessarily trumps all other social issues.

Sister Campbell questioned many Catholics’ focus on that one issue, criticizing the pro-life movement as not considering the entire spectrum of Catholic social teaching, but then she acknowledged that “progressive” Catholics like herself have contributed to the discord between pro-life and pro-social justice Catholics.

“I have allowed a very narrow perspective on what is life, because I actually feel like I’m going to develop a rash or something if I use ‘life’ in that broader sense,” she said.

She has avoided framing social justice concerns as “pro-life” issues, she said, “because I don’t want to be thought of as in (the pro-life) camp. Because of my pride, as opposed to my faith.”

We need “to reclaim the fullness of our faith,” she said. We need to go beyond left vs. right, socialist vs. capitalist, she said: We are Catholic.

“The wonder of our Church is that we are engaged across culture,” she said.

“Faithful Citizenship” takes our core Catholic beliefs and asks us to apply them in specific ways, balancing our fundamental values against imperfect candidates and policies. Political and policy differences are “painful” to navigate, she noted, but, she added, “Just because we have arguments doesn’t end the fact that we are family.”

“I think this election, we’ve got to model some new ways and we’ve got to find a way forward. I think our faith is the perfect vehicle for being able to talk in some new ways. But I tell you, to talk in new ways takes work. It takes effort. It takes thinking. It takes praying. It takes being open and keeping a soft heart.”

Then she joked, “Have you ever had that sense of, you just want to slap somebody upside the head?” The crowd laughed in response. “Well, I do! All the time! But I keep praying that I can keep a heart modeled on Christ’s heart. ...

“The challenge we have is to ponder the Gospel and have meaningful conversation, the way Jesus did. It ain’t easy.”

— “LCWR under review” information courtesy of Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

LCWR reform not criticism of religious orders, archbishop says; LCWR remains concerned Sartain: Ensuring sound doctrine

Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican-ordered reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is not directed at women’s religious orders or at any individual sisters, nor is it a statement on the general quality of religious life today, said the American archbishop overseeing the controversial measure. Meanwhile, officers of the LCWR have criticized the reform effort and called talks at a Vatican meeting last week “difficult.”

Two days after a meeting with LCWR’s top two officials, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle noted, “The impression is given that the Holy Father or anybody involved is saying something negative about religious women in the United States, which is not the case. This particular task is not about making comments on any particular religious order or religious women in general.”

Archbishop Sartain spoke to Catholic News Service June 14 in Rome, two days after meeting with U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine for the Faith, and the LCWR’s top two officials, Franciscan Sister Pat Farrell, president, and St. Joseph Sister Janet Mock, executive director. None of the parties revealed details of what they discussed, but both sisters later described the conversation as open but “difficult.”

The Vatican-ordered review

In April, the doctrinal congregation appointed Archbishop Sartain to provide “review, guidance and approval, where necessary, of the work” of the LCWR, a Maryland-based umbrella group that claims about 1,500 leaders of U.S. women’s communities as members, representing about 80 percent of the country’s 57,000 women religious. His tenure in that role is to last “up to five years.”

The appointment came the same day the congregation released an eight-page “doctrinal assessment” of the LCWR, citing “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life,” and announced a reform of the organization to ensure its fidelity to Catholic teaching in areas including abortion, euthanasia, women’s ordination and homosexuality.

On June 1, the LCWR’s national board criticized the Vatican’s action as “based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency,” saying it had “caused scandal and pain throughout the Church community and created greater polarization.”

Archbishop Sartain said he regretted “distractions from the outside that include misinterpretations,” and that he was especially “saddened” by the perception “that this particular doctrinal assessment is about American religious life in general or about particular religious orders or about particular sisters.”

“The task that’s been given to me and my brother bishops and others who will eventually help us is specifically about the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, that organization precisely,” he said, “because it has great importance for the relationships among the member religious communities and between those specific religious communities, the Holy See and the bishops’ conference of the United States.”

Archbishop Sartain defended the Vatican’s emphasis on the conference’s approach to doctrine, saying that a proper appreciation of Church teaching is vital even for communities focused on practical service.

“For the Christian life, we’re always trying to delve more deeply into the truth who is Christ, into the mystery of Christ,” he said. “Sound doctrine ... helps us to understand that truth and then to delve into it more deeply in prayer, and to live it more fully in our life every day.”

The archbishop said that the need for sound doctrine “receives a particular focus for priests and religious,” because they have a “vocation in the Church, and so therefore their witness, their teaching and their own life of prayer, all those things should be centered in what the Church believes and then also be a reflection of what the Church believes.”

This applies to all clergy and religious, he said, “whether they are directly involved in catechetical work, in preaching or teaching, or whether they’re involved in hospital work or whatever it might be.”

LCWR calls talks open, but difficult

Top officials of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious said the June 12 meeting at the Vatican “was difficult because of the differing perspectives” they and the leaders of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have.

Following the meeting, Sister Farrell and Sister Mock returned to Maryland and on June 15 briefed the board members of LCWR. Their statement released June 18 said: “While the LCWR officers reported that they were able to express their concerns during the (Vatican) meeting with openness and honesty, they acknowledged that the meeting was difficult because of the differing perspectives the CDF officials and the LCWR representatives hold on the matters raised in the report.”

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In Brief U.S. to stop deporting young adults under DREAM Act-like orders WASHINGTON, D.C. — Repeating over and over that “it’s the right thing to do,” President Barack Obama announced June 15 that effective immediately, the U.S. will stop deporting certain young people who are in the country illegally because they were brought to the U.S. as minors. The action – taken under existing law that allows for prosecutorial discretion – effectively creates an administrative version of the DREAM Act, legislation that enjoys popular, bipartisan support but has long languished in Congress.

“It makes no sense to expel talented young people who for all intents and purposes are American,” said Obama at a news conference from the White House Rose Garden. The new policy will make the system “more fair, more efficient and more just,” he said.

But Congress still needs to act, he added, and the sooner the better, because the changes are only a temporary fix.

Among those hailing the announcement was Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Migration Committee. The young people to whom the action would apply “are bright, energetic, and eager to pursue their education and reach their full potential,” said Archbishop Gomez’s statement. He echoed Obama’s point about needing more permanent action by Congress: “The action by the president today is no substitute for enactment of the DREAM Act in Congress,” he said.

CHA urges expanded religious exemption, asks for government to pay for contraception WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic Health Association, a major supporter of President Barack Obama’s health insurance reform law, is urging the government to expand its definition of religious employers who are exempt from the requirement to provide contraceptives and sterilization free of charge to their employees.

In comments filed June 15 with the Department of Health and Human Services, the top three CHA officials also said the Obama administration should provide and pay for the contraceptives itself if it insists that they must be provided at no cost to women.

The five-page comments were signed by Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and CEO; Robert V. Stanek, who recently completed a term chairing the CHA board; and Joseph R. Swedish, the chairman for 2012-2013. The three said the administration’s proposed “accommodation” that would allow nonexempt religious employers to provide the contraceptives through a third party “would be unduly cumbersome and would be unlikely to meet the religious liberty concerns of all of our members and other Church ministries.” They said the current definition of a religious employer in the HHS rules raises “serious constitutional questions.”

Women religious plan bus tour to highlight needs of poor, hungry in U.S., oppose budget cuts

CNS | Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

Franciscan Sister Pat Farrell, right, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and St. Joseph Sister Janet Mock, left, the organization’s executive director, speak to journalists outside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith following their meeting with U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada and U.S. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain at the Vatican June 12.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of women religious planned to begin a nine-state bus tour June 18 to highlight the work their communities do “to meet the needs of people at the economic margins.” The theme of the tour is “Nuns on the Bus: Nuns Drive for Faith, Family and Fairness.” Network, a Catholic social justice lobby group, is sponsoring the tour, which it said also would draw attention to people who would be affected by proposed cuts in the federal budget. The group was scheduled to start the bus tour in Ames, Iowa, and make stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, where the trip is to end July 2. Along the way, participants planned to visit Catholic-sponsored social service agencies that serve people “who will be further harmed by proposed budget cuts, and they will meet with congressional offices to advocate for a fair budget.”

The House of Representatives adopted a $3.5 trillion budget resolution March 27 that calls for massive spending cuts in nonmilitary programs, such as food stamps. It would turn Medicaid into a block grant program administered by the states, reshape Medicare over the next decade and simplify the tax code by closing loopholes and lowering individual and corporate tax rates. In mid-May, the Senate rejected the House budget plan.

— Catholic News Service

Our world

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In Brief Pope: Being baptized means always saying ‘no’ to Satan ROME — The life of a baptized Christian must be marked by a constant effort to say “yes” to God and “no” to the devil and all of his lies, Pope Benedict XVI said. In baptism, “we are united to God in a new existence, we belong to God, we are immersed in God Himself,” the pope said June 12, opening the annual pastoral convention of the Diocese of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. At the moment of baptism and when baptismal promises are renewed, as at the Easter vigil, Christians renounce Satan, all his works and all his lies, the pope said, offering a 20-minute off-the-cuff meditation on the meaning of baptism.

“Renouncing the glamour of Satan in today’s age means rejecting a culture where truth does not matter” and where “calumny and destruction” reign, he said.

Christians reject “a culture that does not seek goodness, whose morality is really a mask to trick people and create destruction and confusion. Against this culture in which falsehood presents itself as truth and information, against this culture that seeks only material well-being and denies God, we say, ‘no,’” the pope said.

Church bombings claim 45 lives in Nigeria ZARIA, Nigeria — Bishop George Dodo of Zaria was in the middle of his homily June 17 “when we heard a loud explosion.” A car bomb had just exploded near the Cathedral of Christ the King, where the bishop was celebrating the second Mass of the day. Ten people were reportedly killed.

Bombings also were reported at the Evangelical Church of the Good News in Zaria and at churches in Kaduna. Vatican Radio said June 18 that the total death toll from the Sunday bombings had reached 45 and some 100 people were reported injured, either by the bombings or by reprisal attacks afterward.

Vatican set to control new ‘catholic’ Internet domain VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is in line to control the new Internet address extension “.catholic” and decide who is allowed to use it. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit corporation that coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses around the world, announced the Vatican’s formal application June 13 in London. The corporation is overseeing a huge expansion in the number of Internet extensions beyond the standard .com, .org., .edu and .gov.

Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said the Vatican’s move “is a recognition of how important the digital space is for the Church.” The Vatican plans to allow “institutions and communities that have canonical recognition” to use the extension, “so people online – Catholics and non-Catholics – will know a site is authentically Catholic.”

— Catholic News Service

Young people hold a Vatican flag during the closing Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin’s Croke Park June 17.

CNS | John McElroy

Archbishop: Irish Catholics’ faith must form basis of new evangelization Michael Kelly Catholic News Service

DUBLIN — Irish Catholics’ deep desire to strengthen their faith must form the basis of a radical new evangelization, said Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Addressing an estimated 80,000 pilgrims at the closing Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, Archbishop Martin said that “in these eight days the Eucharist has awakened in our hearts something which went way beyond our plans and expectations.” He said high interest in catechetical sessions “tells us just how much thirst there is in our Catholic community to deepen the understanding of our faith,” he said.

To sustained applause, Archbishop Martin said, “Tomorrow we must start our catechesis anew to prolong the fruits of this eucharistic congress through a dynamic of new evangelization.”

Pope Benedict XVI, who addressed the event via a pre-recorded video message, also paid tribute to Ireland’s long history of faith. He also announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress – in 2016 – will be held in Cebu, Philippines.

Dublin’s Croke Park – which usually plays host to traditional Irish sports like Gaelic football and hurling – was transformed into a large open-air cathedral, with pilgrims filling the stadium and pitch area for the Mass celebrated by Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the pope’s representative to the congress and the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny were among the congregation as well as Martin McGuinness, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. Leaders of other Christian faiths also attended.

In his message, Pope Benedict said that “Ireland has been shaped by the Mass at the deepest level for centuries and, by its power and grace, generations of monks, martyrs and missionaries have heroically lived the faith at home and spread the good news of God’s love and forgiveness well beyond your shores.

“You are the heirs to a Church that has been a mighty force for good in the world, and which has given a profound and enduring love of Christ and His Blessed Mother to many, many others,” he said to cheers from the congregation.

Referring to Ireland’s clerical abuse crisis, the pope said, “Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care.

“How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord’s body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of penance have offended in this way?” he asked. “It remains a mystery. Yet evidently, their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ: It had become merely a matter of habit.”

The pope said the Second Vatican Council “was really meant to overcome this form of Christianity and to rediscover the faith as a deep personal friendship with the goodness of Jesus Christ.”

The pope said real liturgical renewal still needs work.

“In a changed world, increasingly fixated on material things, we must learn to recognize anew the mysterious Presence of the Risen Lord, which alone can give breadth and depth to our life,” he said.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The Light of Christ makes everything clear for us

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veryone has times in their life where things do not appear very clearly.

Things get messy, foggy and cloudy.

Similarly, God does the same thing: it could be raining and then – just like that – God makes a clearing in the clouds with a ray of sunshine and even sometimes a rainbow. Suddenly, everything is crystal clear – no more clouds, no more rain, just sunny skies. Even if that moment goes away in an instant, the moment happened, the light is there and it shines.

Maybe it’s for a second, maybe it’s for an entire day.

The important thing is that we recognize these moments when they do happen. Perhaps even more importantly, we should realize who we are with when the sun breaks through the clouds, whether they are with us physically, in spirit or wish they were there in person with us. I was blessed to have one of those moments recently where everything became transparent.

As Catholics, our first Communion is a major event because of what we believe as a community of faith. I made my first Communion when I was in second grade, yet I’d be lying if I said I remembered much of it. I knew it was important, probably because everyone said it was. Now, as an adult, I understand what first Communion means.

My ray of light came as I watched my oldest son Emerson receive his first Communion. I was with some very important people in my life, and to make

The Poor Clares

Ryan Murray a long story short, seeing the process he went through and realizing who I was with made everything come into focus.

I couldn’t help but think of the scene in “A Few Good Men” when Jack Nicholson’s character asks Tom Cruise’s character, “Am I clear?” Cruise answers simply, yet poignantly, “Crystal.”

Emerson’s experience, and my experience through him, made everything clear, crystal clear.

Looking around during Emerson’s first Communion, I realized that I was with family and friends, some Catholic and some not, but all one family in Christ.

Isn’t that what it’s all about, though?

The celebration of love with loved ones gathered at His table?

I saw how meaningful the sacrament was to my son, and I was reminded of how meaningful it continues to be for me.

I can’t help but think that is what God’s plan is. He wants us to see His Son in all of us – and what better way to do it than having us see Him in our own everyday lives, with our own families?

That special day we were blessed with beautiful sunny weather, but even if it had been cloudy, His Son shines through the clouds for us every day.

We just have to look for that “Sonshine” and we’ll find His rainbow.

Ryan Murray is a member of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. Have an idea or comment? E-mail him at murrayrj18@hotmail.com. You can also follow Ryan on his blog at nobonzaboutit-ryan.blogspot.com.

The healing night of the soul

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ystery. Beauty. Brilliant stars peering out of a dark vastness. Romance.

Trust. Silence. Terrifying awe Perhaps these are not the first words that come to mind when we think of the classic phrase in the spiritual life called the “dark night of the soul.” Most likely, many of us dread those words when they appear in our spiritual reading; or perhaps in a haphazard moment of imperfect zeal, we tense up and brace ourselves for what we expect will be a gloomy trial of darkness that we just have to muddle our way through. But these attitudes hold us back from embarking on the most beautiful adventure of our interior lives.

A true and deeper understanding of the dark night of the soul, as taught by the mystic St. John of the Cross, takes us into the depths of the great abyss of God’s mercy and prepares our souls for that which is beyond our greatest expectation or understanding – the divine impact of God. Bear in mind that the journey through the interior life is a divine romance between God and the soul, interwoven with love and with pain. The Beloved, whom we are seeking union with, chose for Himself the marriage bed of the Cross. So it is in the crucible of suffering that God transforms our souls and draws us toward Himself.

This journey towards God begins with an encounter, and God is always the initiator.

As St. John of the Cross pointed out, “If a soul is seeking God, much more is her Beloved seeking her.” Working with the uniqueness of each soul, the Beloved uses a variety of means to initiate this encounter, and in it souls catch a glimpse of His beauty, and they thirst for more.

Such a thirsting causes a person to make choices of detachment from all that is not of God. Even in the face of good and spiritual things, the maturing Christian sees them in light of God and does not cling to them in themselves. They say, “No, I do not need this. I need You.” The soul recognizes its absolute dependence on and need for God. Nothing else offers fulfillment, and the soul empties itself of these extraneous attachments to make room for God. The soul comes to see that it is indeed wounded, and that this wound is in essence the very need for God. Knowing this utter dependence on God, shifting from the senses to the spirit, learning to go beyond oneself and choose the narrow way, and recognizing the value of this selfemptying – such is the remedy that St. John of the Cross offers to the wounded soul. In startling words, this Carmelite friar urges, “Always be inclined toward that which is harder, to what is less ... to wanting nothing ... longing to enter into utter nakedness, and emptiness, and poverty, for Christ.”

He is not saying, “Always choose the most unbearable,” but rather, get to know Christ, see the value of poverty of spirit, and live it.

Dedicated souls may generously follow all these counsels of self-renunciation that originate in the Gospels’ teaching. They

feel they are giving to our Lord and eagerly long for Him to complete His work in them.

But then something unexpected begins to take place – the very foundations a soul stands on seem to crumble beneath one’s feet: A relationship falls apart and you feel rejected and isolated; an illness strips you of the strength and security you had at work; your faith that once brought you so much consolation suddenly brings you humiliation and condemnation in public; prayer no longer offers any feeling or inspiration.

These events are not obstacles to prevent union with God, mere punishment for sin, nor hurdles to overcome.

In these security-shattering events lies the healing darkness offered by God, in which you come to the crushing reality that you are not in complete control.

In bewildering suffering that shakes the very center of a person’s being, now the time is ripe and the space carved out for the impact of God to penetrate the soul’s secret center as the Divine Physician. But at this point, it requires a response from the soul – a response of the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. This response of faith, hope and love defies the human instinct and erroneous impression that in the darkness of the spiritual night, God has become absent to the soul. On the contrary, St. John teaches that “because the role of these three is to withdraw the soul from all that is less than God, consequently they unite her with God.” God is profoundly present during this dark night of healing, but not in the way previously understood. He is beyond what the soul can comprehend, and in this dive of faith and abandonment, paradoxically, God communicates Himself to the soul in this mystery of faith, in this divine romance.

In this divine romance, in the dark night of the soul, St. John emphasizes God’s Presence more than he focuses on mere suffering, and he assures us that any sacrifice is worth this Presence.

Imagine that you are standing at the edge of a dense forest. Compared to the spacious field behind you, the dark forest appears threatening, frightening and dangerous.

What if you get lost? Then you see Christ standing a little bit inside the woods, His intention apparently to enter deep into the woods, but His face turned toward you in eager expectation as if to say, “Come! Follow me.” You know the only way to go is through the dense and unknown surroundings, so you nervously take His hand. You will not see His presence in the same way as before, but you know in faith that He is leading you.

When you rest in that faith, you will see the beauty that can only be found in the dark woods. Enjoy the journey, and believe firmly that the divine impact will take place.

Sister Mary Raphael of the Divine Physician is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. Learn more about the Poor Clares at www.stjosephmonastery.com. This article is a reflection based on the book “The Impact of God” by Father Iain Matthew.

June 22, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Letter to the editor

Deacon James H. Toner

Lennie Cox

Catholics must speak truth to power

A wink and a smile

“

How often, despite calling themselves Christians, do the faithful not in fact make God the central point of reference in their way of thinking and acting, in their fundamental decisions in life? The first response to the great challenge of our time is then the profound conversion of our heart, so that the Baptism that made us the light of the world and the salt of the earth might truly transform us.” I came across this excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI ‘s address to the Pontifical Council for the Laity from Nov. 29, 2011, and began asking myself: How can I experience this profound conversion of heart?

I’m sure there are a variety of approaches; however, my path has been illuminated by our sweet Holy Mother. And who better than Mary to teach me to place Christ at the center of my life?

Curiously, I had actually been drawn to reading more about Mary prior to coming upon the pope’s address.

I had spent time contemplating Mary’s life, learning about her apparitions and reviewing Church dogma.

I even stumbled across a little book well known to many, but foreign to me. It was “Preparation for Total Consecration according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort,” which is a step-by-step guide to prepare oneself for consecration to Jesus through Mary.

It compelled me to continue my search. I was blessed with insight and understanding, and ultimately I consecrated my life to our Holy Mother. However, it was neither a scripted process, nor a formal one. Like all gifts that are given to us by Christ, this journey was created uniquely for me.

I came to understand that by consecrating myself to Mary, I was dedicating every aspect of my life to Christ through Mary, and availing myself to be led closer to Christ through my relationship and devotion to His Mother. While the Church maintains a very special relationship with Mary, it was Mary herself who communicated the devotion to her Immaculate Heart throughout the world when she appeared to three young shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. On June 13, 1917, our Blessed Mother said to Lucia, one of the three: “…God wishes to use you to make me known and loved, to establish throughout the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. To all those who embrace it, I promise salvation, and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by me before His throne.”

While our sweet Mother Mary hasn’t appeared to me, I do believe I have received a wink and a smile encouraging me to continue to share the devotion to her Immaculate Heart and the promise of salvation.

As I learned more concerning the devotion and consecration, I decided to compile my findings in a brochure with illustrations. One of the pictures I selected was a double rainbow. When I see a rainbow, I think of God’s covenant and His love for us. So I figured that a double rainbow would appropriately depict Mary’s participation in that unconditional love and devotion to both Christ and humanity.

Ironically, not long afterwards, I experienced the most beautiful rainbow I’ve seen in years. This rainbow was bright, vivid and so close that I could almost touch it. As I continued driving to weekday Mass, I saw it: it was, in fact, a double rainbow! I had never seen one before, but now over the past several months, I’ve seen three. The most recent was a rainbow that encircled the entire sun with a portion of a double bow below.

Since then, I’ve read that double rainbows often occur, but the second bow is usually subtle and it helps if you know to look for it. I think Mary is much the same. She is always beside Christ, magnifying His glory – you just have to know to look for her. If we look for Mary, she will reveal herself and draw us closer to Christ, converting our hearts and transforming our lives into the light of the world and the salt of the earth by leading us to place Christ at the center of all that we do, think and say.

Lennie Cox is a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

A

s the Fortnight for Freedom begins this week, here are several points for us to consider, beginning with the three key elements to the reasoning behind the U.S. bishops’ initiative: One: Everything we do has a moral character. Because we must not compartmentalize the teaching of Christ (that is, we must live our Catholic faith every day of the week, not just on Sundays), we recognize that our task is to know that teaching, demonstrate love for that teaching, and serve that teaching. Christ is, after all, truth incarnate (John 14:6). As the bride of Christ, the Church is the “pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), and as such has the duty and the right “to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order” (CCC 2032, see also CCC 2246). When the Church proclaims such enduring moral principles, it is not telling the faithful how (or for whom) to vote, but it is calling faithful Catholics to the duty of a citizenship which conforms to the moral law. “Every society’s judgments and conduct reflect a vision of man and his destiny. Without the light the Gospel sheds on God and on man, societies easily become totalitarian” (CCC 2257 and 1896; Col 2:8, Eph 4:14 and Heb 13:9).

Two: Catholics acknowledge our duty to “Caesar” (that is, to society and to the state). We vote, pay taxes, perform military service, and pray for those in authority. As St. Paul tells us: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1; cf. 1 Peter 2:13-14; Titus 3:1; see also CCC 1900, 2238-2240, 2255).

Three: Although we recognize civil authority, our political/civil/social duties are conditional, circumstantial, contingent and contextual – that is, they are necessarily limited, for Christ (not Caesar) is our King. The key passage to consider here is Romans 13:7: “Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Also see CCC 1888, 1902, 2242 and 2256). “Due,” of course, means “proper,” “appropriate” and “deserved.” Civil law which violates God’s law cannot command Christian assent – such assent isn’t “due.” “Authority must be guided by the moral law,” we read in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (396).

Given these three points, consider that: “A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order” (Prv 29:18; cf.

14:34).

The Manhattan Declaration, which was released on Nov. 20, 2009, states, “We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

In 1890, Pope Leo XIII spoke to Catholics then and now: “If the laws of the state are manifestly at variance with the divine law, ... then, truly, to resist becomes a positive duty”; “to obey a ... sin.”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained the idea of just law in his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail”: “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.”

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia also wrote in his book entitled “Render Unto Caesar,” “If we really love this country, and if we really treasure our faith, (then) living our Catholic beliefs without excuses or apologies, and advancing them in the public square are the best expression of patriotism we can give to the nation.”

The American journalist and writer Carl Schurz offered a similar conviction, saying: “My country, right or wrong: if right to be kept right; if wrong, to be set right.”

Finally, the Lord spoke to Solomon, and speaks to us today, when He stated: “If my people ... humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land” (2 Chr 7:14). Amen!

Yes, we should love our country. Yes, we should be patriots. Yes, we should respect our leaders. But as the first pope said, “We must obey God before men” (Acts 5:29; cf.

Ex 1:17, Psalm 118:9 and 146:3; 1 Macc 2:19-22, Dan 3:28, CCC 2044 and 2105).

As Catholic Christians we – as one – must resolutely speak religious truth to political power: You will not tell us how and when to be Catholic. You will not tell us the composition of our conscience. You will not tell us the content of our faith.

You will not tell us the character of our actions based upon that faith. You will not tell us that darkness is light, that bitter is sweet, that evil is good, or that false is true. Viva Cristo Rey! Deacon James H. Toner, who serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, was a political science professor for 35 years before his recent retirement.

Opposition to nuclear weapons is major issue of the day It was heartening to see the small article on nuclear policy in the May 25 edition of the Catholic News Herald, even though its placement did not give it much prominence. And it was even more heartening to see that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has not totally forsaken the major issue of our day in favor of the issues of abortion, homosexuality and birth control. There was a time several decades ago when the U.S. bishops understood the nuclear issue and were confronting it. In recent times, however, in spite of the growing threat of nuclear holocaust, the bishops have been inactive, as least as far as we can determine from the media such as yours.

When, for example, was the last time that your publication carried any news on this subject?

Yet, as Thomas Merton reminded us during the Cold War, the nuclear issue is the main issue with which we should all be concerned. Why? Very simply because with nuclear weapons we have the power, as never in previous history, to blow this planet and all its people into oblivion.

There can be no greater affront to God than to totally destroy God’s creation of the earth and its people.

Kenneth Schammel lives in Cornelius.

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.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 22, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD