Our parishes
August 3, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
Federal judge dismisses Belmont Abbey College’s HHS lawsuit
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief Polish Mass to be celebrated CHARLOTTE — A Polish Mass in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa will be offered Saturday, Aug. 25, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, celebrated by Conventual Franciscan Father Jacek Leszczynski and assisted by Deacon James Witulski. Confessions in Polish will be available starting at 10 a.m. The Mass will include traditional Polish hymns, and children will wear native Polish attire to honor Mary. A reception will follow in Aquinas Hall, hosted by the Polish community, featuring Polish food. All are welcome to come experience the Mass in the native tongue of Blessed John Paul II. St. Thomas Aquinas Church is located at 1400 Suther Road in Charlotte. For details, contact Mary Witulski at 704-628-7209.
Retreat held for catechists CHARLOTTE — Sister Johanna Paruch, Ph.D., professed with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, and a professor at the Catholic University of Steubenville, Ohio, was the retreat speaker at the annual St. Vincent de Paul Ministry retreat July 14. This year the retreat was attended by approximately 90 catechists and members of other parish ministries from eight parishes. The theme of the retreat was the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI in his apostolic letter “Porta Fidei.” The Year of Faith starts on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, which is Oct. 11, and ends on Nov. 24, 2013. — Ruben Tamayo
Vigil for liberty planned CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick Cathedral invites all the faithful to a period of continuous Eucharistic Adoration from Monday, Sept. 3, to Thursday, Sept. 6, coinciding with the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. This time of Adoration and prayer will focus on petitions for our country, our leaders and ourselves in atonement for our sins and for the future of our nation. Among these petitions are the right to live, unthreatened by government mandate, from natural conception to natural death, and for the freedom of conscience and the unhindered worship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Volunteers may sign up for as many hours as they like during the four-day vigil. Go online to www.stpatricks.org.
3
Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
Photos by SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, leads a funeral service for an aborted baby girl at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets in uptown Charlotte July 27.
Aborted baby featured at DNC protest Open-casket funeral held in uptown Charlotte Patricia L. Guilfoyle and SueAnn Howell Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — A dead baby girl lay naked in a tiny white coffin July 27 on the square at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets. It was an open-casket funeral meant as a shocking statement about the ultimate evil of abortion. Witnessed by about 150 people, the outdoor funeral and demonstration at Independence Square capped a weeklong anti-abortion campaign in Charlotte ahead of the Democratic National Convention. For protest organizers, displaying the baby’s remains at the sidewalk demonstration conveyed a stronger message than any photos or pamphlets ever could. But the event was like nothing local Catholic pro-life leaders had done before, and no local pro-life leaders attended. The service was led by national pro-life advocate Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who flew in from his home in Texas to participate. The overall anti-abortion protest campaign was organized by Operation Rescue/Operation Save America, based out of Concord, N.C. The group identifies itself as a Christian movement dedicated to ending abortion, a “holocaust presently ravaging our nation,” according to its website. It is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and other than Father Pavone, no Catholic clergy or pro-
BELMONT — A federal judge has dismissed Belmont Abbey College’s lawsuit against the Obama administration that had challenged the federal contraception mandate, but lawyers for the Benedictine college in Belmont say they will continue the fight. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the District of Columbia dismissed Belmont Abbey’s case July 18, saying that the college did not have standing to bring the case to court, nor could it demonstrate it had been harmed yet by the contraception mandate. The contraception mandate – issued in August 2011 by the federal Department of Health and Human Services as part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – requires nearly all employers to provide free artificial contraception and sterilization coverage in their insurance plans. There is a narrow exemption for employers who object to providing these services on religious grounds, namely if they serve or hire people primarily of their own faith. The contraceptive mandate takes effect for new health plans and those that undergo significant changes Aug. 1, 2012 – unless the narrow religious exemption applies or a one-year “temporary enforcement safe harbor” applies. Following an outcry over the contraceptive mandate from Catholic institutions across the country and the U.S. bishops this past spring, the Obama administration established the “safe harbor” period to allow those employers that do not provide contraceptives for religious reasons time to figure out how they will comply with the mandate. SUIT, SEE page 17
Learn more online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: — Read the federal court’s complete ruling — Read the full HHS mandate A demonstrator lays a carnation next to the little white casket of “Baby Choice” following the funeral. The baby girl was later buried in a Catholic cemetery at Staten Island, N.Y., Father Pavone said. life ministry leaders participated in the demonstration. Organizers said the campaign, conducted at several sites around the city July 21-28, FUNERAL, SEE page 6
— How does the HHS mandate affect the Diocese of Charlotte? — See a timeline of key events in health reform — Keep up with the latest religious freedom news At www.becketfund.org: — Read more about Belmont Abbey College’s case — See details of the other 22 lawsuits