April 12, 2013

April 12, 2013

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

Despite struggling economy, parish offertory collections up 3.9% in 2012, 5

Foster a faith-filled family

EASTER JOY INSIDE: Images and coverage of Holy Week and Easter,

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Tools for building a domestic church,

2-3 INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes.................. 4-11 Schools......................... 12-13 Scripture readings............ 3 TV & Movies.......................14 U.S. news...........................16 Viewpoints................... 18-19 World news....................... 17 Year of Faith.................... 2-3

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‘We’re all children of God’ Knights wash men’s feet at local homeless shelter on Holy Thursday,

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At Easter pope calls Christians to be channels of mercy, justice, peace, 17

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Year of faith

catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Being Christian means acting, loving like Christ A Christian isn’t a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, “act like him, love like him,” Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.

More than 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the audience April 10; the crowd included a group whose presence Pope Francis described – with a smile – as “very important”: directors of Argentina’s San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team, his favorite team since he was a child.

In his main audience talk, the pope continued a series of audience talks that Pope Benedict XVI had begun for the Year of Faith, reflecting on basic Christian beliefs.

Being a Christian, he said, means allowing Jesus “to take possession of our lives and change them, transform them, free us from the darkness of evil and sin.”

Jesus’ death and resurrection has a practical impact on believers, “just like a house built on a foundation; if this gives out, then the whole house falls.”

Through the Resurrection, the pope said, “we are freed from slavery to sin and become children of God.” Being a child of God, a believer, isn’t something Christians can set in a corner of the room and ignore most of the time. It implies a relationship with God that is deepened daily through prayer, reading the Bible, receiving the sacraments – “especially penance and the Eucharist” – and through acts of charity, he said.

“And God treats us like sons and daughters. He understands us, forgives us, embraces us and loves us even when we make mistakes.”

The pope told those at the audience not to listen to voices that try to tell them that God doesn’t matter or give in to the temptation of “putting God aside and ourselves at the center.”

Peace and joy come from knowing one is loved by God. “God is our strength. God is our hope.”

Pope Francis said sadness and the temptation of despair is strong in today’s world, so Christians have an obligation to be “visible, clear, brilliant signs of hope.”

“How many times in our lives have our hopes been dashed? How many times have the expectations we carried in our hearts not been realized? Christian hope is strong, certain, solid on this earth that God has called us to walk on and is open to eternity, because this hope is built on God who is always faithful.”

“The Holy Family with a Palm Tree,” by Raphael, 1506, on display at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh

Foster a faith-filled family A family prayer for the Year of Faith O God our Father, in Jesus you call all Christian families and homes to be signs of living faith.

By the light of the Holy Spirit, lead us to be thankful for the gift of faith, and by that gift may we grow in our relationship with Jesus, your Son, and be confident witnesses to Christian hope and joy to all we meet.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Tools for building a domestic church Handing on the faith is a privileged and joyful task of parents, but it can seem daunting at times. That’s why the Year of Faith, which began Oct. 11, 2012, is such a blessing. During this time the whole Church focuses on nurturing the gift of faith we received at baptism.

According to the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: “The family, is so to speak, the domestic church.” (“Lumen Gentium,” 11) This means that it is in the context of the family that we first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek His will for us.

There’s much that your family can do, right at home, to help deepen your relationship with Christ. Here are a few suggestions to consider during this Year of Faith: n Pray daily as a family and read from Scripture – before meals, and in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the Church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well. n Pray a family rosary (each member leads a decade, and everyone shares intentions). n Display a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom. n Make the sacraments a regular celebration – take the whole family to confession and Mass. n Begin family traditions based on the seasons

‘Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ’s redeeming power and the saving activity of the Church, so that this love may lead the spouses to God with powerful effect and may aid and

celebrated in the liturgical calendar. n Make your vacation a holy pilgrimage by visiting the shrines and saints of the places you visit. n Make worshiping God a priority. Never miss Mass, even while traveling. (Go to www.MassTimes.org to find a church near you.) n Teach stewardship and charity to your children, through word and example. n Demonstrate love for your spouse, your children, your neighbors and the world. Remind children that they are loved by God and have been given gifts to serve others. n Talk freely about the presence of God in the joys and sorrows of your life. n Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons and lay ministers. n Participate in the lay ministries and activities of your parish. n Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.

FAMILY, SEE page 20

strengthen them in sublime office of being a father or a mother. For this reason Christian spouses have a special sacrament by which they are fortified and receive a kind of consecration in the duties and dignity of their state.’

— “The Church in the Modern World (“Gaudium et Spes”)

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Patron saints of families

Other online resources for your Year of Faith

here’s a saint for everyone, and families are no different. Here are a few noteworthy examples for your family to learn more about. There is the familiar and beloved St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, and St. Francis of Assisi, who’s on everyone’s minds these days with the election of Pope Francis. But go beyond the obvious: Some of these saints led treacherous lives and died either because of family struggles or they gave their lives to protect their families. Some had difficult marriages or suffered from domestic abuse, some grieved the loss of children, and some were killed by their in-laws. And you thought your family had issues...

Patron saints of families n St. Joseph: Feast day, March 19 n St. Francis of Assisi: Feast day, Oct. 4 n St. Maximiliam Kolbe: Feast day, Aug. 14

Patron saint of dysfunctional families n St. Eugene de Mazenod: Grew up with parents who fought constantly amid interference from his grandmother and a neurotic maternal aunt, who never let his father forget that they brought the money to the family. His parents’ eventual divorce – very unusual for the late 18th century – and exile from the French Revolution, left him mostly on his own growing up amid the idle rich. Had a mystical experience at the foot of a cross on Good Friday 1807, became a priest, ministered to the sick, prisoners, the poor and the overlooked young, and went on to found the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Feast day, May 21.

Patron saints of large families n St. Margaret of Scotland: While fleeing the invading army of William the Conqueror in 1066, her family’s ship wrecked on the Scottish coast. They were assisted by King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland, whom Margaret married in 1070. They had eight children including two saints. Founded abbeys and used her position as queen of Scotland to work for justice and improved conditions for the poor.

Feast day, Nov. 16. n St. Adelaide of Burgundy: Promised at age 2 in an arranged marriage as part of a treaty, then married at 16 to the king of Italy and soon widowed after her husband was probably poisoned by his successor to the throne. The successor ordered Adelaide to marry his son; she refused and was jailed.

The German king Otto the Great freed her, they married and reigned together for 20 years. When her second husband died, her step-son and her inlaws mistreated her. Feast day, Dec. 16. n St. Clotilde: Married young to King Clovis of the Salian Franks while he was still a pagan; she brought him to the faith in 496. They had three sons. Following Clovis‘s death in 511, her sons fought for years over the kingdom. To escape the constant murder and intrigue,

she retired to Tours, France, where she spent her remaining years caring for the poor and sick. Feast day, June 3. n St. Dagobert II: When his father, the king of Austrasia, died his throne was stolen and Dagobert was kidnapped and exiled to England, where he married an English princess. Eventually recalled to Austrasia for a supposed reunion, he died in a “hunting accident” that most considered a murder. Feast day, Dec. 23. n Blessed Dorothy of Montau: Married at age 17 to a wealthy swordsmith who abused her.

Bore nine children, all but one of whom died young. Became a nun after her husband’s death and had such a great devotion to the Blessed Sacramant that the Eucharist “agitated her like boiling water; had she been allowed, she would willingly have torn the host from the priest’s hands to bring it to her mouth...” Feast day, June 25 or Oct. 30. n Blessed Ivetta of Huy: Born to family that was wealthy but indifferent to the faith. Forced into an arranged marriage at 13.

Mother of three, though one died in childhood. Widowed at 18. She turned away all suitors to care for lepers for 11 years while she raised her children. Had an ongoing dispute with her father over her charitable spending, which he considered excessive. Feast day: Jan. 13. n St. Leonidas of Alexandria: Father of seven sons, the eldest of whom was the philosopher Origen, whom he raised and taught. Philosopher and rhetorician.

Imprisoned and beheaded in Egypt in 202.

Feast day: April 22. n St. Nicholas of Flüe: Soldier who distinguished himself in combat; reported to have fought with a sword in one hand, a rosary in the other. At age 30 he married Dorothy Wiss and they had 10 children. Became a hermit, and was reported to have had the gifts of prophecy and of inedia (surviving for 19 years solely on Holy Communion). Feast day: March 21. n St. Vladimir of Kiev: Pagan who had seven wives, established temples, and participated in idolatrous rites, possibly involving human sacrifice, before converting to Christianity around 987. He was baptized, took the patronal name Basil, then ordered the Christian conversion of his domains, Kiev and Novgorod. Expanded education, judicial institutions, and aid to the poor. Feast day: July 15.

— Sources: www.saints.sqpn.com and www.catholiconline.com

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 14-20

Sunday: Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19; Monday: Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-29; Tuesday: Acts 7:51—8:1, John 6:3035; Wednesday: Acts 8:1-8, John 6:35-40; Thursday: Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday: Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday: Acts 9:3142, John 6:60-69

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www.annusfidei.va The official Vatican site for the Year of Faith, this is a must-see for your own journey. Here you’ll find: – the full text of “Porta Fidei,” Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter announcing the Year of Faith – the full text of all the Vatican II documents, including the four constitutions: “Dei Verbum,” “Lumen Gentium,” “Sacrosanctum Concilium” and “Gaudium et Spes” – catechetical talks by Pope Benedict on the Apostles and saints, the Church Fathers, leading Catholic women, medieval theologians, and prayer

www.usccb.org At the U.S. bishops’ website, check out a video series on the Year of Faith, download Catholic prayers and catechetical resources for free, search the Catechism of the Catholic Church, get games for kids, check out resources for families, and more.

‘My Year of Faith’ app An app with daily content updates to help you to a deeper understanding of Catholicism, an increased prayer life, and reflections and thoughts from nationally known Catholic bloggers, writers and speakers – including blogger Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom. com. Produced by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the app is available for iOS (iPhones, iPads) and Android (smartphones, Kindle Fire) for 99 cents.

Don’t have a smartphone? Follow the companion blog at www.myyearoffaith. com.www.vcat.org A website featuring “Video Catechism for Teens,” produced by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in association with Outside da Box. Besides the video series on the Nicene Creed, check out free resources geared toward youths and young adults.

www.archmil.org/year-of-faith.htm In the weekly video series “C4: Ignite Your Catholic Faith,” Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Auxiliary Bishop Donald J. Hying talks about a “hunger of the human heart.” (The “C4” represents “Christ and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”) Posted every Friday, the two-minute videos explaining the Catechism are aimed at Catholics in their 20s and 30s.

www.crs.org/yof Learn how Catholic Relief Services proclaims the Gospel through justice and charity and explore ways to make the Year of Faith a richer, more fulfilling time of renewal and spiritual discovery.

www.flocknote.com/caTechism Read the Catechism over the course of this year: Get daily reflections from the Catechism to your email inbox, for free.

www.OnceCatholic.org SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 21-27

Sunday: Acts 13:14, 43-52, Revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30; Monday: Acts 11:1-18, John 10:1-10; Tuesday (St. George and St. Adalbert): Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday (St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen): Acts 12:24-13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday (St. Mark): 1 Peter 5:5-14, Mark 16:15-20; Friday: Acts 13:26-33, John 14:16; Saturday: Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 28-MAY 4

Sunday: Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5, John 13:31-35; Monday (St. Catherine of Siena): Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday (St. Pius V): Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday (St. Joseph the Worker): Genesis 1:26-2:3, Colossians 3:14-15, 17, 23-24, Matthew 13:5458; Thursday (St. Athanasius): Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday (Sts Philip and James): 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Saturday: Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21.

A general website geared for people who have left their Catholic faith behind for various reasons. Produced by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, Ohio. It offers resources and FAQs on Church teaching, reconnects people with local communities, and features online forums.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE — Healing Retreat: Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Weekend, April 26-28, sponsored by Catholic Social Services Respect Life Program. Retreat will be held in the Asheville area and is open to both men and women beginning their healing journey after an abortion.

For more information, contact Carla at 828-342-4655.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: April 14 – 8 a.m.

Holy Mass Catholic Daughters of the Americas State Convention Charlotte April 15 – 9 a.m.

Holy Mass and Reflection Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

BELMONT — Walk For AIDS: To raise AIDS awareness and funds for our most vulnerable neighbors living at House of Mercy: Saturday, April 13. For details, contact Marjorie Storch at 704-825-4711 or visit www. thehouseofmercy.org.

April 17 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville April 19 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Americas Church, Biscoe April 21 – 11 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Christ the King Church, High Point April 23 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro

QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES Church, 503 North Main St. — Community Breakfast: 8-11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, in the Family Life Center. Everyone welcome.

— Faith Formation Group, “Triple B”: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. All parish members 45 years old and younger are welcome to attend. For details, e-mail qoatripleb@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE

April 25 – 4 p.m.

Holy Mass Catholic Leadership Conference Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, Charlotte

ST. ANN CHURCH, 3635 PARK ROAD — Family Rosary: 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 3. Father Joshua Voitus of St. Vincent De Paul Church will be presenting. The rosary will be prayed in Latin, Spanish and English. Everyone is invited to an evening of fellowship and prayer. Ice cream social following Service. RSVP at ccwg2013familyrosary. eventbrite.com.

April 27 – 4:30 p.m.

Holy Mass Stewardship Day Embassy Suites, Concord

St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road

April 28 – 10:30 a.m.

Holy Mass 40th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination of Father Peter Tan Van Le St. Joseph Vietnamese Church, Charlotte April 29 – 7:00 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Spirit Church, Denver

ST. EUGENE CHURCH, 72 CULVERN ST. — Day of Faith Formation and Fellowship entitled, “Alive in the Promise: The New Evangelization and the Year of Faith”: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 13. Father Robert Williams will be presenting. All parishioners in the Asheville area are welcome to attend. To register, contact Tracy Jedd at 828-254-5193.

— “The Resurrection through the Eyes of the Evangelist”: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the Mini-Hall. Presented by David Galusha, MRE. Wine and cheese reception to follow.

— Peacemaking Workshop: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in the Austin Hall. The movie “Soldiers of Conscience” will be shown, followed by lunch and a brief discussion. Adults and high school students only. For details, contact Shea Barja at 704-451-3629.

— “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry,” a talk designed to help people stop worrying and to trust in God: 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 24. Presented by author and radio host Gary Zimak.

— Jazz music program: Saturday, May 11. Featuring regional jazz instrumental artists as well as vocalists from the St. John Neumann Parish choir and from

Northwest School of the Arts. They will present selections from Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concerts” and Peppie Calvar’s “Mass of Reconciliation.” For reservations, call the parish office at 704-536-6520.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Protecting God’s Children workshop: 1:30-4 p.m.

Sunday, April 14, in the New Life Center Banquet Room. This program is intended to educate, recognize and prevent sexual abuse. Pre-registration is required at www.virtus.org.

— Crisis Assistance Ministry Poverty Simulation: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 21. The simulation is a guided experience, exposing participants to realities of poverty, including the complex world of government services. Registration required. To register, e-mail Heather King at hking@stmatthewcatholic.org.

— Open discussion group for mothers, “Called to be Mom”: 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, April 25. All mothers are welcome. Contact Kerry Long at 704-243-6319.

— Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) meetings: Held on the third Monday of every month. Meetings will provide information on the entire conversion process and include detailed Q&A sessions. For details, call Tom Lindemuth at 704-543-7677.

— Living the Faith Book Club: Second Thursday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Everyone welcome.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — 6th Annual Multicultural Festival: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Friday, May 18. Experience the music, entertainment, crafts, cultural artifacts and sampling of food from countries all around the world. For details, contact the parish office at 704-549-1607.

— “Divine Mercy Holy Hour”: Exposition and readings from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: 7-8 p.m. every first Friday. For questions, contact Paul Deer at 704-948-0628.

— “Rosary for Life”: Join the Respect Life group to pray each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7 p.m. To participate, contact Gretchen Filz at gfilz10@ ses.edu or 704-919-0935.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1-5 p.m. April 20. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

St. and Sunset Drive. Parking available on site. For details, contact Jim Hoyng 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman 336-848-6835.

Immaculate heart of Mary church, 4145 Johnson st.

— Adult Faith Formation classes entitled, “Vatican II Today”: 7:15-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, April 24-May 8. All adults are welcome.

— Annual Walk/Run: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 27.

Sponsored by the Pregnancy Care Center to support the unborn and their parents. To participate or get details, contact Lisa Hubbard at 828-306-0606.

HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD — Catholics Come Home program beginning April 21: Individuals interested in becoming Catholic or have been away from the Church are encouraged to attend. For details, contact Kathleen Rose at kmr10@ earthlink.net.

GREENSBORO — Walk for Life: 9 a.m. Saturday, April 20. Sponsored by the Pregnancy Care Center Walk for Life 2013, to support women and men during and after pregnancy.

To participate, register at www.firstgiving.com/GPCC. For details, call 828-274-4901.

ST. MARY CHURCH, 812 DUKE ST. — Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group “Servants of Light”: 10 a.m. Saturdays. Everyone welcome.

ST. PIUS X Church, 2210 North elm st.

— Afternoon discussion presented by Grief Ministries, “Seasons of Hope”: 1:45-4 p.m. Sundays, April 14-May 19, in the Kloster Center. Anyone mourning the loss of a loved one is encouraged to attend. To register, call the parish office at 336-272-4681.

WINSTON-SALEM — Freedom Rally: 6-7:30 p.m. April 15, in the Forsyth Tech West Campus. Keynote speaker Dr. Greg Brannon will speak about the Affordable Care Act and the HHS mandate from a physician’s perspective.

Dr. Greg Brannon, also an OB/GYN and a U.S. Senate candidate, will speak about the Constitution. For details, contact WISFC Patriots at wsfcpatriots@ reagan.com.

ST. Leo the Great church, 335 Springdale Ave.

HAYESVILLE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY Mission, 1433 HWY. 64 WEST — Bereavement Group: 10-11:30 a.m. Meets on Wednesdays, April 17-May 22. For details, call Shirley Moran at 706-896-1358.

HIGH POINT — Pro-Life Rosary to pray for an end to abortion: 9 a.m.

Saturday, May 4, rain or shine, at 901 North Main

— Women’s retreat, “Blessed Are You: The Beatitudes Walk”: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 20. Sarah Hart will be presenting. For registration information, call 336724-0561 or e-mail mgschumacher@stleocatholic. com.

Is your parish or school hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

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April 12, 2013 Volume 22 • Number 12

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 ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

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April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Despite struggling economy, parish offertory collections up 3.9% in 2012

CSS reaccredited for international adoptions SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Parish offertory collections in 2012 were up 3.9 percent over the previous year despite the economic challenges that parishioners still face.

The total amount collected from the diocese’s 92 parishes and missions in 2012 was $47,128,165, up from $45,352,982 in 2011.

Sixty-five parishes reported an overall increase in their weekly offertory collections, and 27 parishes saw a decrease. Of the parishes that saw an increase, 35 had an increase of more than 5 percent. The median parish offertory collection totaled $249,451 for the year.

The offertory collection numbers are compiled annually by the Diocese of Charlotte Finance Office, both for the calendar year as well as the diocese’s fiscal year which runs from July 1 to June 30. The data are used to help estimate parish goals for diocesan funds such as the Diocesan Support Appeal and Priest Retirement Collection. Diocesan and parish officials also look closely at offertory collection trends in considering capital campaign budgets.

“E-giving” which gives parishioners the ability to have their weekly offertory donation electronically debited from their checking account, is growing in popularity in parishes around the country. Parishioners can still place their parish offertory envelope in the basket at Sunday Mass, simply checking the “electronic giving” box on the outside of the envelope.

St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte, the largest parish in the diocese with more than 8,600 registered families, became one of the first parishes to offer e-giving 10 years ago.

The parish has seen a steady increase in both the number of dollars donated to the offertory through e-giving and the percentage of its offertory collected via e-giving. For example, 8 percent of the offertory was collected through e-giving when the parish began offering it in 2003. Now, e-giving accounts for 27 percent of the parish’s offertory collection.

According to Catholic News Service, one company, Faith Direct, has said its client parishes are seeing revenue increases as high as 30 percent.

More than 1,000 families at St. Matthew use the e-giving service provided by Faith Direct.

“Protestant churches are definitely doing this and, I would suggest, are far ahead of the Catholic community,” said Brian Walsh, founder and president of Faith Direct in Alexandria, Va. “The offertory itself has been part of the Church for 2,000 years. We see this as a natural progression.”

Other companies such as Our Sunday Visitor and Vanco Services also provide electronic giving options to parishes.

Jane Balbirnie, chief financial officer for St. Matthew Parish, states several reasons why e-giving is growing in popularity.

One is convenience and ease of use – parishioners can use either credit card or draft directly from their checking account through the e-giving vendor, Balbirnie said.

“This way even those parishioners who are COLLECTIONS, SEE page 15

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Photos by SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Chuck Elgin, Grand Knight from Knights of Columbus Council 10852 at St. Matthew Church, washed the feet of men at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte March 28, in remembrance of Christ’s washing His disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, and the Knights handed out socks and shoes as well. See a video featuring the Knights in action online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

‘We’re all children of God’

Knights wash men’s feet at local homeless shelter SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Michael, a homeless Vietnam veteran who is wheelchairbound, called himself blessed after a group of Knights of Columbus from Charlotte visited and prayed with him and other men at a homeless shelter during Holy Week.

The Knights, members of Council 10852 at St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte, washed Michael’s feet, gave him new socks and shoes, and reminded him that Jesus loves him. Their visit on Holy Thursday March 28, the commemoration of the Last Supper and Jesus’ example of washing His disciples’ feet, took on a whole new meaning for the Knights and the 150 men they spent time with at the shelter that day.

The Knights prepare and serve dinner every month to the homeless men who stay at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, but for Holy Week they wanted to do something special. Partnering with the nonprofit group Samaritan’s Feet, they handed out new socks and athletic shoes to everyone.

For the Knights, the Squires of Circle 4466 and the Columbiettes who assisted them, it was more than just an opportunity to provide the men much needed footwear. It was an opportunity to be Christ to those men, to show them compassion and live the core principles of their fraternal organization: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

Knight Ed Craig explained why he wanted to be a part of the Holy Thursday effort: “With the Last Supper Jesus said, ‘I’m modeling what I want you to be’ ... Being part of the Knights of Columbus is all about charity and giving. We do a lot of fundraising, but this is where the rubber hits the road. I feel this is so close to what

we’re really about, which is giving and charity.”

Craig greeted each man at the shelter warmly, introducing himself and explaining why he wanted to wash their feet if they would allow him, saying, “We’re washing your feet as Jesus washed His Apostles’ feet. We’re all children of God. We’re all equal.”

He, like many of the Knights, also asked if he could pray with the men before they left, bowing heads and joining hands in a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Craig said he hopes the men at the shelter realize that the Knights are not so different from them. He also hopes the Knights realize they are closer to these men than they may think.

“We realize in talking to them, we’re all God’s children. It doesn’t matter where we are economically,” he explained.

Brian Becker, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte and first degree Knight from St. Matthew Church, also participated in this inaugural outreach.

“On Holy Thursday we’re trying to mold ourselves into the mission Christ gave us in the Last Supper,” Becker said. “I think going into the Triduum and starting off with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper tonight, a lot of people will do the washing of the feet in the parish, but this gives us a chance to actually realize what Jesus did apart from the ceremonial foot washing that happens during the liturgy. This might teach us more of what Jesus meant. This is one of those situations where you come to learn.”

Rick Caron, who helped organize the Holy Thursday corporal work of mercy, felt blessed to be able to give away 151 pairs of socks and shoes to the men during the two hours they spent at the shelter. They also KNIGHTS, SEE page 15

CHARLOTTE — The local Catholic Charities agency, Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Charlotte, has been reaccredited by the Council on Adoption for the U.S. State Department as a Hague Adoption Convention approved agency. This is the first reaccreditation for CSS, which specializes in pre- and postadoption placement services for the diocese.

The Hague Adoption Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of InterCountry Adoption established standards to safeguard the interests of children adopted internationally. Hague Convention approved agencies like CSS specifically aim to prevent the abduction, sale or trafficking of children, and they work to ensure that international adoptions are in the best interests of the children involved.

CSS’ adoption program uses best practices set by the Hague Adoption Convention to perform home studies, evaluate prospective adoptive parents and conduct background studies and reports on the children being considered for adoption.

“Home studies are a critical component in adoptions,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, director of CSS for the diocese. “The prestudies are important in that they actually help determine whether families ‘fit’ and if it (the placement) is appropriate.

That’s a role we continue to play even though we’re not a placing agency now.”

CSS stopped making international adoption placements itself in 2011, but it continues to serve 40 families that have already adopted children and it is also working with one family still in the process of adopting a child. CSS continues to offer domestic adoptions, preplacement assessment services for families seeking to adopt and post adoption services.

CSS placed more than 900 children through international adoptions over the past two decades. The diocese’s adoption program was established in 1948. Domestic adoption services and pregnancy support are provided regardless of religious affiliation, and CSS offers traditional, confidential or open adoption plans.

To learn more, go to www. cssnc.org or contact Sharon Davis, program supervisor, at swdavis@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3218.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 OUR PARISHES

College students: Looking for a summer adventure?

EMBRACE the Faith, the Cross, the Mission ABRAZAR la Fe, la Cruz, la Misión

Learn more about Crossroads’ Walk Across America on April 18

Diocesan Youth Conference XXXVI XXXVI Conferencia Junvenil Diocesana

April/Abril 26–28, 2013 Ridgecrest Conference Center • Black Mountain, North Carolina Special Guests/Invitados especiales:

Sisters of Life • BrotherBrother • Ceili Rain Cost $________________

Contact:____________________

‘Embrace the Faith, the Cross, the Mission’

Diocesan Youth Conference to be held April 26-28 BLACK MOUNTAIN — The 36th annual Diocesan Youth Conference promises to bring high school youth from around the diocese together during this Year of Faith to “Embrace the Faith, the Cross, the Mission.”

Hundreds of youth are expected to attend the conference April 26-28 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville.

The weekend’s events include theme-centered workshops led by youth and adults, musical entertainment by BrotherBrother and Ceili Rain, and speakers from the Sisters of Life.

The workshops will address issues such as moral decisionmaking, Theology of the Body, virtues education, prayer and maintaining faith for youth who will be going off to college in the fall.

Daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation will also be offered during the conference.

The cost of the conference is $130 per person.

To get more information and to register, contact Paul Kotlowski, director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte, at pjkym@ymail.com or call 704-370-3211.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

Photos by Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald

Father Michael Klepacki is celebrating 35 years of priesthood this year. Last week he celebrated Mass at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. Pictured with him above are parishioners Warren Kidd (left) and Tom Wofford (right).

‘It has really been something’ Father Klepacki traveled the world to serve God, country over the past 35 years SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

ASHEBORO — For a man who once thought he wanted to be doctor, the past 35 years serving as a priest have given Father Michael Klepacki an opportunity to bring healing of a spiritual kind to men and women around the globe.

It has been quite an adventure for this Asheboro native and former parishioner at St. Joseph Church who was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Charlotte at St. Joseph Church on Holy Thursday in 1978 by then Bishop Michael F. Begley.

Father Klepacki began his priestly ministry at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, then served as pastor in Spruce Pine, Burnsville and Linville before moving to St. Joan of Arc Church in Asheville, where he spent another six years.

Then his vocation took him out of the diocese: he became a chaplain with the U.S. Navy.

For 22 years he traveled the world with the Navy and the Marines – going to Japan, the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey, Greece, the Persian Gulf and Guam – as well as serving at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, on the USS Baton aircraft carrier in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Va. “We’d get on the helicopters (from the USS Baton after Hurricane Katrina) and fly all day and all evening into New Orleans the first six weeks after the hurricane,” he recalls. “That was terrible … I’m a critical instant stress debriefer, and I would fly on the missions and at night I would debrief all the flight crews and the rescue squads.”

During his military career Father Klepacki also took helicopters to go from ship to ship to celebrate Mass for the men and women in uniform. And he often slept on the ground just like the troops serving both at home and overseas.

“Sleeping on the ground on a rock at Camp Lejuene is the same as sleeping on the ground in Romania,” Father Klepacki jokes as he fondly

remembers his military service.

He also headed up a new office at the Navy, serving as the commanding officer of a fleet ministry program, training and assigning 22 chaplains to ships and battle groups for the deployed and enlisted religious programs.

His last overseas appointment took him to Guam, where he was the force chaplain for the Naval region there.

Father Klepacki is back in the Charlotte diocese now, filling in at parishes all over the western half of North Carolina and doing something he says he’s always wanted to do: helping out his brother priests.

“It’s so good to be back home! I’ve always had a desire to be a priest for priests somehow. So what I do is cover parishes when the priests need to get away, when they’re sick, so every weekend I am usually somewhere different.”

He says he enjoys meeting parishioners at the diverse parishes he visits.

“I get to see so many people, which is great! It’s neat – it’s like having multiple parishes.”

Father Klepacki likes remaining active and being a help to other priests.

He also offers a bit of advice for the laity and also for men discerning a call to the priesthood: “If you see someone who you think might have a vocation, bring it up with them,” he says. That’s what happened to him, when he switched from eyeing a medical career to a priestly vocation after a Baptist preacher once encouraged him to pursue the priesthood if he was feeling called to it.

He adds, “And if you are a man who feels you may have a vocation, seek out a priest you feel comfortable with. See what they do. Take a trip to a seminary. Find someone you can talk to. Don’t keep it inside.”

BELMONT — While some awareness walks last just a morning or perhaps a short weekend, Crossroads Pro-Life “Walks Across America” each summer raise awareness of the pro-life message from the West Coast to Washington, D.C., and hundreds of cities in between.

Most noticeable to the public are their bold shirts that proudly state “PROLIFE.” On Thursday, April 18, Allison Lattie, director of Crossroads Pro-Life, will speak at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont to recruit volunteers for this summer’s Walk Across America.

Last summer, Kathlene Gorman walked on the southern leg of the three nationwide walks that all end in Washington, D.C. The southern walk comes through Charlotte in the beginning of August.

“There’s no way that I could tell you that walking was always easy – there was extreme hot and cold temperatures, tall mountains, and the obvious challenge of long distances to walk,” Gorman said. “But these things are all fleeting, minor trials of the body.

The spiritual growth that comes from experiencing Christ ... It has forever changed my life for the better.”

“There are still spots available for men and women, but there is a great need for men to step up for the challenge of this summer’s walks,” explained Lattie. “We’ve had BAC students participate in our walks in the past, and they have been a great asset to their teams. We’re really hoping to have more students participate this summer!”

Volunteers – who are welcome to walk for the whole summer or for part of the summer – must be older than 18 and can be recent or current students.

From May to August, Crossroads volunteers walk in teams around the clock, stopping to pray at abortion facilities and to speak at parishes along their routes from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

Join the walk To learn more about walking this summer with Crossroads Pro-Life, come to the Mezzanine room in the Student Commons at Belmont Abbey College at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 18.

For details, email Ryan Eyrich at ryandeyrich@abbey.bac.edu or check out Crossroads Pro-Life online at www.crossroadswalk.org.

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Easter 2013 More coverage online With His death, Jesus becomes new Passover Lamb CHARLOTTE — The Gospel of John gives a very specific chronicle of the last hours of Jesus’ life and His death on the cross – and not just by happenstance, Bishop Peter Jugis noted during his Good Friday reflection.

St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte was filled almost to standing-room only with the faithful gathering with Bishop Jugis to commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion and death during a somber Good Friday service March 29. The day’s observance included a simple Communion service and veneration of the cross.

In John’s Gospel, the author wanted to explain God’s actions in closely connecting the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus with the Jewish feast of the Passover, demonstrating clearly that Jesus is the new Passover Lamb, Bishop Jugis said.

The faithful processed into churches for the Easter Vigil Mass carrying candles, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world and has conquered death and darkness through His Resurrection.

‘You cannot remain the same after having received Jesus’

Photos by SueAnn Howell and Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Jugis: Live the Easter spirit of joyful hope every day Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Christ’s resurrection from the dead promises us new life in heaven and gives us joyful hope to endure the struggles of this world, Bishop Peter Jugis preached on Easter.

Hundreds of faithful gathered inside St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte March 30 to usher in Easter with the Vigil Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord, starting with the lighting of the Paschal candle, the people’s procession into the darkened church, and the chanting of the Easter Proclamation.

The Easter liturgy is replete with messages of God’s love for us and His intention to draw us near to Him, making us a new creation and giving us new hearts through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of His only Son, Bishop Jugis noted, so that we may enjoy eternal life with God our Creator and Father.

This is the “good news” of the Gospel, which gives us joy and hope, he said.

“It is evident as we have seen in this celebration that Christianity is a joyful religion, because Jesus is risen from the dead and is with us now. He is not dead, He is alive and He is with us now.

“That joy is evident in the very first days of the Church when the Apostles and the holy women encountered the Risen Savior. He came to them, and they were able to talk with Him, to touch Him with their own hands, and to eat a meal with Him. Their joy knew no bounds.

“It reminds me of the joy that St. Paul expresses in his letter to the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.’”

(Philippians 4:4-9) Jesus remains with us here today, Bishop Jugis reiterated. After all, Christ’s last words were: “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the world.”

Bishop Jugis continued, “Christianity is also a religion of hope.

Because Jesus is risen from the dead, we have the hope of life beyond death – the hope of eternal life with Him in heaven, a real hope which is found in a historical, concrete reality of Jesus’

physical rising from the dead glorified. That is the basis of our hope for eternal life in heaven with Him, and the hope of our own resurrection.

“Jesus met death head on and He trampled it underfoot, opening for us the real hope of eternal life.

“That joyful hope certainly does describe our celebration this evening and tomorrow on Easter,” he said, adding, “That joyful hope describes our celebration every Sunday. It describes every day of the week. It describes who we are as Christians, as Catholics – ‘living in joyful hope,’ as we say in the Communion rite, ‘for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.’ It characterizes everything we do.”

And all of it originates with the Resurrection on Easter.

“That is the amazing good news of Christianity,” Bishop Jugis said, which we should proclaim every day: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, redeeming us from sin and death.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote that the Resurrection “opens up a new dimension of human existence,” Bishop Jugis also noted. “It opens up the reality of our own resurrection from the dead one day, which never would have been possible if Jesus had not risen first from the dead.”

Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice as the Passover Lamb makes it possible for us to live in closeness to God as He originally intended from the creation.

During Easter we also share in the joy of those coming into full communion with the Church, through baptism and the reception of the other sacraments of initiation, he said, and all Catholics renew their baptismal promises at Easter – “celebrating our new life in Christ, our Risen Savior, as members of His Body.”

As members of His Church, we experience the grace of the sacraments and the first fruits of the Holy Spirit here on earth, he added. In this way, “the resurrection has already begun in us.”

“I wish each of you God’s peace and God’s blessing this Easter feast day, in which we’re celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior.

“Let us live the Easter spirit of joyful hope, which sustains us through the tears and the sorrows of this world’s struggles. Christ our Savior is risen, and we live a new life in Him.”

CHARLOTTE — Each time we receive the Eucharist we experience the profound, mysterious and infinitely deep love that God has for each one of us – a love that Jesus also expressed for the Father and for us by His sacrifice on the cross, Bishop Peter Jugis noted in his homily for Holy Thursday.

Bishop Jugis reflected on the intimate love between the Father and the Son and how that love is shared with us continually in the Eucharist, during his homily for the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated March 28 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday began the three holy days preceding Easter, known as the Triduum, and the Mass commemorated the institution of two sacraments of the Church: the Eucharist and the priesthood.

Promises renewed, holy oils blessed at chrism Mass CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis and more than 90 priests from around the Diocese of Charlotte celebrated a chrism Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral on March 26.

During the Mass, the priests renewed their priestly promises and witnessed Bishop Jugis bless the holy oils that are used in the anointing of the sick and the candidates for baptism, as well as the sacred chrism used in the sacraments of initiation, holy orders and the dedication of churches and altars.

Pilgrimage of the 7 Churches Correspondent Mary Worthington takes a pilgrimage around Charlotte on Holy Thursday, demonstrating that you don’t have to go to Rome for this tradition.

More photos At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Photos from Holy Week and Easter On the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel: A slideshow of Easter celebrations

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Easter 2013

Photo provided by Martha Hannah

On Friday, March 15, at St. Luke Church in Mint Hill, students from the middle school youth group performed living Stations of the Cross for the parish. Using the script from the Way of the Cross for Young People, nine students narrated and performed the stations: Sally Leugers, Gina Scott, Josha Fadok, Emily Esarove, Alyssa Dimock, Victoria Swain, Lily Balcerek, Sarah Esarove and Luke Fadok.

Photo provided by Amy Burger and Denise Romaniello

Fifth-graders at St. Mark School in Huntersville organized and performed in a living Stations of the Cross during Lent. Those taking part included Ethan Schneider, Ann Thompson, Vittorio Iannielli, Finian Curran, Kathryn Tolone, Jane Frances Edmiston, Doug Abell, Matthew White, Maranda Patterson, Peyton Porges, Christopher Camatcho, Nathan Chambers, John Welsh, Jack Martel, Shay Huber, Elizabeth White, Andrew Blattner, Brandon Webster and James Edmiston.

(Right) Hispanic parishioners at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury put on a Via Crucis Viviente outdoors on Good Friday.

Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

Photo provided by Done Espina

Father Peter Fitzgibbons officiates at Easter Mass at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle on March 31.

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Members of St. Basil Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Charlotte had Holy and Great Friday Vespers in the chapel at St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte. During the Eastern rite vespers service, the faithful also venerated a burial shroud, recalling Christ’s death and burial on Good Friday.

Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

Father Carmen Malacari, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Denver, washes the feet of 12 parishioners on Holy Thursday, a ritual that was part of the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Easter 2013

Kathy Roach | Catholic News Herald

Young members of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point go searching for 3,000 Easter eggs that were hidden on the parish grounds as part of the church’s Easter celebrations.

Photo provided by Lara Davenport

Kindergartners at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem celebrated Easter this week with their annual Easter Bonnet parade. With the help of their teachers, the students prepared for the day by making their own bonnets with wrapping paper and decorated them at home. Then dressed in their Easter best, the class paraded through the hallways on Monday and even visited the businesses across the street from the school. Seventh-graders helped their pre-K buddies with their annual Easter egg hunt as well. The pre-K followed bunny tracks through the school, leading out to the yard where they found eggs that the Easter bunny left for them.

(Left) Father WIlbur Thomas, pastor of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, blesses and lights the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil Mass on March 30.

Tim Reid | Catholic News Herald

Photo provided by Mary “Annette” Morales SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, anoints Catholics receiving the sacrament of confirmation during the Easter Vigil Mass on March 30. Approximately 900 people entered the Church in the Diocese of Charlotte this Easter, receiving the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and first Holy Communion) during the Easter Vigil Mass.

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter Jugis blesses and lights the Paschal candle before the start of the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral on March 30. Hundreds gathered at the cathedral for the liturgy to usher in the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte celebrated the Eastern and Central European tradition of the “Blessing of the Easter Baskets,” called “Swieconka” in Polish, last Holy Saturday. Deacon James Witulski blessed the Easter baskets containing a sampling of Easter bread, butter, horseradish, eggs, sausage, ham, salt, cheese and a candle that were brought by the parishioners.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

AIDS epidemic and need for compassion and care. Walk participants are invited to raise donations for this event to help care for residents at House of Mercy.

Participants may register on the Sisters of Mercy campus at 9:30 a.m. April 13. Music will be provided by DJ Buddy Love. House of Mercy President Stan Patterson will welcome participants at 10 a.m. along with House of Mercy Board Chair Maggie Baucom and Sister of Mercy Jill Katherine Weber. A picnic reception with music and dancing will follow the walk on the House of Mercy grounds. See www. thehouseofmercy.org for details.

Cursillo program planned

Benedictine monk ordained a deacon BELMONT — Benedictine Brother Elias Correa-Torres was ordained to the diaconate April 3 during Mass at Mary Help of Christians Basilica, on the campus of Belmont Abbey Monastery, in Belmont. The ordination Mass was celebrated by Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari and Bishop Peter Jugis.

Brother Correa-Torres was born in Oklahoma and made his final, or solemn, profession of vows as a Benedictine monk in 2012.

Before coming to Belmont Abbey, he studied meteorology at Florida State University and earned his doctorate in that field. Upon completion of his studies, he accepted an opportunity to be one of the four co-founders of a new weather forecast service, Weather Predict, which originated in Florida and then relocated to Raleigh. After working with Weather Predict for eight years, he decided to enter the monastery at Belmont Abbey. In the summer of 2009, he made his first profession of vows.

Since becoming a monk, he has taught courses in meteorology and mathematics at Belmont Abbey College.

20th Annual Walk for AIDS to support low-income residents living with AIDS BELMONT — On Saturday, April 13, hundreds of concerned citizens will gather for House of Mercy’s 20th Annual Walk for AIDS in Belmont.

The three-mile walk through downtown Belmont will raise AIDS awareness and funds to benefit House of Mercy, a nonprofit residence providing a home and nursing care for low-income persons living with AIDS. The Sisters of Mercy founded this AIDS ministry 22 years ago to address the growing

CHARLOTTE — The Cursillo Community of the Diocese of Charlotte is host for this year’s “Regional Spring Encounter,” April 26-27 at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. Catholics from Florida to Mississippi will be attending the Friday night and Saturday sessions to hear interesting witness speakers share their faith journeys. All are welcome – you don’t have to be a “Cursillista” to attend. The program will conclude with vigil Mass at St. Matthew Church.

More information about the encounter and registration forms can be found at www.cursillo. org/region7, or contact Mary Phipps at mary. phipps@wellsfargo.com or 704-231-1611.

SJN to host educational talk CHARLOTTE — St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road in Charlotte, will present “The Resurrection through the Eyes of the Evangelists” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the church’s Gathering Area and Mini-Hall. The speaker will be David Galusha, MRE. Following the presentation there will be a wine and cheese reception.

— Al Tinson

Learn more about Ephesus and Vatican II councils CHARLOTTE — Coetus Fidelium of Charlotte will host an evening reflection by the Very Rev. John Berg, Superior-General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), on the topic “Ephesus, Vatican II and the Year of Faith,” on Thursday, May 2, from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. Father Berg’s talk will compare different aspects of two ecumenical councils, the Council of Ephesus and the Second Vatican Council, in light of the Year of Faith. Father Berg will also discuss various issues related to the Mass and traditions of the Church, and will answer questions. Learn more and register for this free event at www. eventbrite.com/event/5802141361.

— Chris Lauer

Jefferson raises money for Operation Rice Bowl JEFFERSON — Faith formation classes at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson competed with each other to raise money during Lent for Operation Rice Bowl. They raised a total of $283.15. The winning class celebrated with a pizza party.

— Patrick J. Hession

Knights honor Guilford County first responders GREENSBORO — The Piedmont Council 939 of the Knights of Columbus hosted an awards ceremony and dinner March 23 to recognize first responders from the Greensboro Police Department, Greensboro Fire Department, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and Guilford County Emergency Medical Services who had been selected by their management and peers.

This year’s recipients were: Greensboro police officer T.V. Moore (presenter, Capt.

James Hinson); Greensboro fireman Rodney L. Holt (presenter, Capt. Brett Combs); Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer Carl Harper (presenter, Lt. Johnny Maynard); and Guilford County EMS worker Robert A. Clark (presenter, Deputy Director Jim Albright). They

Holy Family Columbiettes hold Major Degree CLEMMONS — A Major Degree Exemplification of the Columbiettes was held Feb. 16 at Holy Family Church in Clemmons, with 18 ladies honored.

Ladies receiving their exemplification are pictured (standing, from left): Kathleen Dundon, from Holy Cross in Kernersville; Carole Wailes, from Bishop Greco in Clemmons; Diane Frankerfield, from Holy Cross; Lisa Ramerez, from St. Matthew in Charlotte; Carol Zellner, from Holy Angels in Mt. Airy; Mickey Bueno, from St. Matthew; Patti Olejniczak, from St.

are pictured above with Piedmont Council 939 Grand Knight Chris Frank.

Each of the presenters described the accomplishments of the recipients, and the recipients received plaques stating, “For Outstanding and Distinguished Services Performed for the Citizens of Greensboro/ Guilford County.” Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes also expressed his appreciation for the recognition that the Knight of Columbus provide to these first responders.

Father Eric Kowalski, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, provided a blessing and prayer before the meal.

The Knights’ awards program is a tradition dating back to 1973.

Matthew; and Judy Hoots, Marianne Schmitt, Denys Davis and Caroline Schmitt, all from Holy Cross; (seated, from left) Judy Patrick, from St. Matthew; Linda Judson, from St. Matthew; Norma Jean Clausen, from Holy Cross; Sheila Yeck, from St. Matthew; Mary Schened, from Holy Angels; and Lucia Morillo and Peggy McGrath, from Holy Family.

The Columbiettes are a Catholic ladies organization affiliated with Knights of Columbus councils. The first auxiliary in North Carolina was formed in 1992 at Holy Family Church with Knights Council 9499. North Carolina now has 10 auxiliaries with several others being formed.

— Maggie Herbstritt

Let’s keep talking.

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

11

SEVEN GIFTS

SJN hosts Lenten mission CHARLOTTE — Internationally known inspirational singer and motivational speaker Al Barbarino, recently led a three-day Lenten Mission at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte. He challenged those attending the mission to aggressively defend the Catholic faith from attacks on the fundamentals of Catholicism including the Eucharist as the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, and on reverence for Mary as the mother of Jesus.

He also called for the need for faithful Catholic witness to counter the moral challenges facing our nation today. Pictured above with Barbarino is Katherine Luna, a member of the St. John Neumann Church choir.

Jazz music program to be held CHARLOTTE — The music ministry at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte, in collaboration with Dragon’s Breath and Northwest School of the Arts, will present selections from Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concerts” and Peppie Calvar’s “Mass of Reconciliation” on May 11 at St. John Neumann Church, located at 8451 Idlewild Road in Charlotte. It will feature regional jazz instrumental artists as well as vocalists from the St. John Neumann choir and from Northwest School of the Arts.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased in advance by calling the parish office at 704-536-6520.

Proceeds will benefit the Diocesan Priests’ Retirement Fund and Dragon’s Breath’s scholarship fund for graduating seniors pursuing careers in the arts.

Fine Catholic Merchandise

BLD Charlotte serves the elderly

www.sevengiftsltd.com

KERNERSVILLE — The Mission Apostolate of BLD Charlotte led 12 adults and 16 youth members from the Holy Cross Church in Kernersville in spending time with the residents at Kerner Ridge Nursing Home in Kernersville March 10.

“Bukas Loob Sa Diyos” is a Filipino name; in English, the name translates to “Open to the Spirit of God.” The original name reflects BLD’s country of origin, the Philippines. Today, however, members of the BLD community live throughout the world. A large number of members are to be found in North America, and call Canada and the United States home. The community is Catholic in its essence, charismatic in its activities and faithful to the Magisterium of the Church.

Their evening started with a Gospel reading and prayers at Holy Cross Church, then a short trip to Kerner Ridge Nursing Home. Everyone played bingo and competed for prizes, having fun and fellowship together.

celebrated Mass and presented awards to Boy Scouts on March 17 at the annual Boy Scout Camporee at Piedmont Scout Reservation, Camp Bud Schiele, in western North Carolina.

Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and their families attended the Mass. Pictured with the Scouts and Bishop Jugis are Knights of Columbus from Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews, led by Assistant District Marshal Richard S. Hamel from the Western District 4th Degree Assemblies, which provided an honor guard.

from Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington presented donations March 9 to two local charities from proceeds of the Least Among My Brethren (LAMB) program. The LAMB Chairman, Knight Frank Greco, presented checks to the Special Olympics and to Davidson County Workshop. Both charities help people with intellectual disabilities. The Knights work throughout the year to gather this money for such charities.

Spring Spectacular Come check out our New Spring Items Gifts for Baptism - First Communion – Confirmation - Graduation- Special Offers

SPECIAL EXTENDED HOURS THIS WEEKEND ONLY April 19, 20 and 21 10-6 Friday and Saturday 11-5 Sunday

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— Linda McAdam

27th ANNUAL

SPRING FLING FOR SENIORS!

— Al Tinson

sponsored by Catholic Social Services Elder Ministry Come join senior adults from all around the diocese for a day filled with lots of activities:

Boy Scouts recognized RUTHERFORDTON — Bishop Peter Jugis

LAMB donations made LEXINGTON — Knights of Columbus 12481

Fun! Excitement!

Fellowship! Laughter!

Thursday, April 25, 2013 Catholic Conference Center – Hickory Check in starts at 9am / Program starts at 9:45am Closing Mass at 2:40pm with Fr. Ed Sheridan Registration deadline: Monday, April 15th

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

St. Matthew Catholic Church - Charlotte Check in starts at 9:15 am / Program begins at 10am Closing Mass at 2:50pm with Msgr. John McSweeney Registration deadline: Monday, May 6th

Cost is $15 per person (includes lunch).

Please make checks payable to Catholic Social Services. You may register as a group or individually. Mail your check to: Catholic Social Services – 1123 S. Church St. – Charlotte, NC 28203 – attn: Sandra Breakfield.

For more information: Sandra Breakfield 704-370-3220 / Sherill Beason 704-370-3228

Our schools 12

catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, agreed to match any donations Cutlip raised.

— Ray and Leigh Marr

In Brief

Lincoln-Douglas Debate), Ryan Kennedy (fifth place, Novice Congress), Alex Prys (second place, Novice Public Forum), Bobby McBride (second place, Novice Public Forum), Matthew Morales (coach), Frankie Pray (10th place, Varsity Congress) and Zack Johnson (10th place, Open Duo Interpretation); and (back row) John Woodcock (coach), Marco Baeza and Nicholas Firr. Not pictured is Tom Dickerson (10th place, Open Duo Interpretation).

— Mary A. Morales

OLG students visit nation’s capital Charlotte Catholic students perform well in state debate tourney Christ the King student raises money for Make-A-Wish Foundation MOORESVILLE — Hannah Cutlip, a sophomore at Christ the King High School in Mooresville, celebrated her 16th birthday recently by hosting a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in lieu of receiving birthday gifts. Attending her party were classmates as well as neighborhood friends. With donations plus matching funds from several businesses, Cutlip raised $3,000.

In addition, James Anderson, a former

CHARLOTTE — Ten members of the Charlotte Catholic High School Debate and Speech Team competed in the two-day Tarheel Forensic League State Tournament March 22-23 held at North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville.

Seven out of the 10 members received awards.

The relatively new team competed against 366 students from 32 experienced teams from all over the state. Charlotte Catholic ranked ninth in the Governor’s Cup Overall Sweepstakes Awards and fifth in the Steven Davis Debate Sweepstakes.

Pictured are: (front row) Daniel Chavez, Mary A. Morales (head coach and facilitator), Angeline-Marie Morales (sixth place, Varsity

GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace School’s eighth grade travelled to Washington, D.C., in February for four days. Their tour included stops at the Lincoln Memorial (pictured above), Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the U.S. Capitol Building.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

Mighty Tigers get big win

Dentist visits OLG GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace School’s kindergarten class recently welcomed Greensboro dentist Dr. Enrico Silva to their classrooms to talk about dental health.

Students learned about the importance of good habits and how to practice preventive dental care.

GASTONIA — St. Michael School’s Boys varsity basketball team not only became Conference League Champions, but now number one Conference Tournament Champions in their league. Their coach Charlie Miller and the team were recently presented a trophy for the school for winning each championship. They played Back Creek Christian Academy on Feb. 14, with a winning score of 51-46.

Pictured are the St. Michael team and eighthgraders Joshua Helton and Joseph Glisson presenting the trophies to Principal Joseph Puceta. Joseph Glisson and Joshua Helton were named All-Conference players and received a medal.

— Chrissy Glisson

— Karen L. Hornfeck

Carrie Kirkpatrick Memorial Golf Tournament “Captain’s Choice”

Presented by Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church

TRADITION GOLF COURSE 3800 Prosperity Church Road

Monday, May 20, 2013 Registration: 7:30am - Shotgun start 9:00a.m.

Cost: $90 per player The price includes 18 holes of golf, riding cart and lunch.

Sponsors and players can make donations/ preregister at golfdigestplanner.com/22603-CarrieKirkpatrickGolf

Call 704-375-4339 for more information.

The proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit the hungry and homeless in our local area.

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

CALL TO PRAYER

FOR LIFE, MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency Respect Life Program

In this Year of Faith, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have called for a nationwide effort to advance a movement for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty through prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty has five components: • Monthly Eucharistic Holy Hours in cathedrals and parishes • Daily Rosary by families and individuals • Special Prayers of the Faithful at all Masses • Fasting and abstinence from meat on Fridays • A Fortnight for Freedom in June/July 2013 Join the movement! www.usccb.org/life-marriage-liberty

BUILD UP THE CHURCH ONLINE! Are you a website designer who understand the power of the internet to connect with people? The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte seeks a full-time webmaster to build and maintain its websites and further its mission of evangelization and outreach.

Photo provided by Kathleen Durkin

Diaper derby an outstanding success ASHEVILLE — Asheville Catholic School collected more than 8,000 diapers during its annual “Diaper Derby” last month.

The donated diapers are given to Catholic Social Services, where they are given out to families in need. The fourth grade alone collected 1,730 diapers – that’s about 67 per student! Pictured above is the fourth grade’s “Leaning Tower of Diapers.” Diapers and personal care products are always needed by Catholic Social Services for the numerous families it assists through its food pantries. To donate or learn more, go online to www.cssnc.org.

Inside Sales Positions

SPX celebrates championships GREENSBORO — The St. Pius X Comets varsity girls basketball team went undefeated for the season, won their PECSSA conference championship and went on to win the Shamrock Tournament held in Charlotte Feb. 15-17, where six states and 32 teams were represented. They finished their season 33-0.

Pictured are: Coaches Alex Errington, Head Coach Kristin Shelton, Derrick Heard, Pete Lindsey and Mariana Lawrence. Players are (from left, seated) Nora Schmedes and Emma Heard, (back row) Emma Smith, Marina Essa, Clare Register, Mahlon Brady, Jillian Heard, Captains Cassidy Kreber and Mary Regeis, Maeve Adams, Ella Hackett, Ava Casper and Bridget Lowdermilk.

— Jean Navarro

A division of Good Will Publishers in Gastonia, NC is hiring 3 people in April for inside sales positions as Market Managers in our direct sales division.

Candidates will cultivate new accounts and will be primarily responsible for generating new business. Position requires strong interpersonal skills, phone skills and disposition. Base salary + commission and incentives with benefits.

Forward cover letter and resume to: Ed Pankus, VP

epankus@beyondthisday.com

Call 704-884-3369

to leave a detailed message.

Working knowledge of Joomla, Apache, Linux, HTML/HTML 5, PHP, CSS, Java, Microsoft OS, IIS, Google Analytics and web security a must. Bachelor’s degree preferred, with 2+ years’ experience as webmaster. EOE. Email resume and salary history by April 30th to IT Director Scott Long, selong@charlottediocese.org. No phone calls, please.

13

Mix 14

catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters ‘The Host’

‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ In this explosion-laden, ear-splitting 3-D sequel to 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” the president (Jonathan Pryce) has been kidnapped, and the imposter (Arnold Vosloo) who has assumed his identity is bent on world domination. But first the villain must spring his nefarious commander (Luke Bracey) from prison and eliminate his main opposition: the elite fighting force of G.I. Joes led by by Dwayne Johnson. Pervasive action violence, brief gore, a handful of crude terms.

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

Ponderous, dramatically inept science fiction tale in which alien spirits have taken over the bodies of most human beings. When a young resister (Saoirse Ronan) is captured, her soul remains, even after the forced infusion of an extraterrestrial consciousness, and she gradually convinces the increasingly sympathetic invader to return to, and aid, the band of earthling fugitives with whom she had been on the run. Earnest good intentions and honorable themes concerning tolerance, nonviolence and altruism cannot save writer-director Andrew Niccol’s screen version of Stephenie Meyer’s novel from the fatal absurdity of its heroine’s split personality.

Much action violence, fleeting gore, a suicide theme, cohabitation, a couple of crass terms.

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

Additional reviews: n ‘Jurassic Park 3-D’: CNS A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor’: CNS A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Evil Dead’: CNS A-O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

Seeking healing and forgiveness after an abortion?

Experience God’s love and compassion once again –

On TV n Sunday, April 14, 6 a.m. (EWTN) “Regina Caeli with Pope Francis.” Pope Francis recites the glorious prayer to Our Lady Queen of Heaven: the Regina Caeli. n Monday, April 15, 6:30-7 p.m. (EWTN) “Let Us Love: Feeding the Hungry and Caring for the Mentally Ill.” A visit to the Vatican home of the Missionaries of Charity where they feed the hungry and care for the mentally ill. The program also features stories of the order’s founder, Mother Teresa, recounted by Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin of Indianapolis. n Tuesday, April 16, 6;30 p.m. (EWTN) “Let Us Love: A New Generation of The Missionaries of Charity.” Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo summarizes his lessons on charity and encourages us all to become Missionaries of Charity. He also visits the Novitiate House in Rome where a new generation of Missionaries is being prepared. n Thursday, April 18, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Reflections of Glory: The Origins of Icons.”

Catholic viewers are given an inspiring look at the history, development and meaning of iconography. n Friday,April 19, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love.” St. Gianna Molla was a physician, wife and mother who refused an abortion, despite knowing that this pregnancy could result in her death. n Saturday, April 20, 9:43 p.m. (EWTN)

“Lebanon: A Spring In The Desert.” Lebanon once had a Christian majority, but because of war, economic hardship and the rapid spread of Islam, this is no longer the case. Even so, the growing instability has not prevented an increase of vocations in the Catholic Church in Lebanon. n Monday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Founders of Church Orders – St. Dominic.” The story of St. Dominic, who was born in Caleruega in the Castilian province of Burgos and founded the Dominican order. n Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Founders of Church Orders – St. Francis of Assisi.” The story of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most popular Catholic saints. He founded a new order embracing poverty, and with the help of St. Clare, a female Franciscan order was also founded, known as the Poor Clares. n Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Founders of Church Orders – St. Ignatious Of Loyola.” A look at St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits became a key factor in the defense of the Catholic Church and her teachings at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. n Friday, April 26, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Founders of Church Orders – St. Bernard of Clarvaux.” The story of St. Bernard, who sought admission into the newly founded Cistercian order, which he reformed to such an extent that he is considered as one of its founders. He was also known in history to have preached the Second Crusade.

Women’s Retreat with Sarah Hart

Blessed Are You: The Beatitudes Walk

Upcoming Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat - (open to both men and women)

Exploring the Beatitudes through the stories of the Gospels

ASHEVILLE AREA: April 26–28 Info: Carla – 828-342-4655 cwool76@frontier.com

Saturday, April 20, 2013 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

You may also want to visit Rachel’s Vineyard Web site at www.rachelsvineyard.org.

Bishop Begley Parish Center Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church 335 Springdale Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27104

Retreat fee: $20.00

(includes materials, continental breakfast and lunch)

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

Respect Life Program 704-370-3229 Family Life Office Catholic Social Services Diocese of Charlotte

Please register by phone 336.724.0561 or by email: mgschumacher@stleocatholic.com Join us for a day of spiritual renewal with Sarah Hart!

Sarah will walk with us through the beatitudes through lectures, music and prayer.

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

KNIGHTS: FROM PAGE 5

left another 79 pairs of socks and shoes at the shelter to be distributed to more men later.

The smiles on the men’s faces and the camaraderie in the room during the Knights’ visit spoke volumes about the success of the outreach.

Michael said he greatly enjoyed the interaction with the Knights. “I am blessed,� he said.

Said Caron, “The shelter staff was ecstatic and so very grateful. They had never seen or heard so much joy from the men.�

In thanking the Knights, Squires and Columbiettes for their participation in the outreach, Caron said, “Please pray for the men at the shelter during this Easter Triduum, that we may have given them some hope and confirmed in their minds that they are not alone and Jesus loves them very much.

COLLECTIONS: FROM PAGE 5

not so tech-savvy have the ability to use the program,� she said. “They simply fill out a paper enrollment form and send directly to the vendor. However, those who are accustomed to paying their bills online find it convenient to log in to the secure website to sign up for the program, as well as make changes whenever desired to their level of giving. As online bill paying becomes more and more common, parishioners look for this convenience in their charitable giving as well.�

Balbirnie emphasized that e-giving “dovetails nicely with our stewardship emphasis – giving is planned, not a spur of the moment ‘in pew’ decision.�

She said she also thinks that e-giving

“Hopefully, we may have helped some return to the Church and grow closer to Christ!�

Founded in Connecticut in 1892 by now Venerable Father Michael McGivney, there are more than 14,000 Knights of Columbus Councils and 1.8 million members in the United States and throughout the world.

‘This might teach us more of what Jesus meant. This is one of those situations where you come to learn.’

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&DUPHOD $ 'XSXLV ([HFXWLYH 'LUHFWRU

— Brian Becker

Seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte and first degree Knight from St. Matthew Church

can be used by families to model good stewardship to their children – giving cards are provided by the vendor to place in the baskets on Sundays stating “We give through Faith Direct.� “This way the tangible action of placing our gifts before the altar continues to be made visible to our children.�

Families can also utilize credit card reward programs in conjunction with their charitable giving. All types of credit cards are accepted, so families can take advantage of the reward programs associated with their preferred card. “One-time gifts are (also) possible through a link on our website – Faith Direct provides a link to add to the home page of your website for one-time giving.

This has been useful for those who would like to donate for a memorial, or are visiting our parish. A QR Code link is always located in our bulletin.�

Celebrate and pray for the priesthood

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

Give thanks for the upcoming ordination of Jason M. Christian to the priesthood and for continued growth in priestly vocations in the Diocese of Charlotte!

Share your personal message in the June 22 edition of the Catholic News Herald, where it will appear on the full page feature "Celebrating Our Priests."

Example:

704-841-1160

South Charlotte & Union County, NC

704-549-4010

Bathing / Dressing Assistance

Mecklenburg & Cabarrus Counties

803-610-4200

York, Lancaster & Chester Counties, SC

15

Thomas and Jane Smith St. Ann Parish We will be praying for you as you begin your ministry.

Cost: $25 (A portion of all proceeds will go to the diocese's Seminarian Education Fund.)

Send your message and check (payable to Catholic News Herald) BY JUNE 10 to:

Catholic News Herald Attn: Celebrating Our Priests, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203

Include your message today! Call Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan: 704-370-3332

Our nation 16

catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief USCCB: Selling contraceptives to all ages ‘simply wrong’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — An April 5 decision by a New York federal judge to lift age limits on purchases of over-the-counter emergency contraceptives should be “appealed and overturned,” the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops says. “No public health consideration justifies the unregulated distribution of such drugs to children,” said Deirdre McQuade, spokeswoman for the USCCB’s Secretariat for Pro Life Activities. “Many studies have shown that wider access to ‘emergency contraception’ among young people does not reduce pregnancy or abortion rates, but can contribute to higher rates of sexually transmitted disease.”

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn, N.Y., said that within 30 days, the Food and Drug Administration must make emergency contraceptives available to women of all ages. The morning-after pill, also called “Plan B,” uses large doses of birth-control pills to prevent conception up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of Plan B to women 18 and older; three years later, a court ruling made it available to women 17 and older without a prescription. Until Korman’s ruling, anyone younger still needed a prescription.

Archbishop: Traditional marriage ‘important for the social good’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — Traditional marriage between one man and one woman is really about the good of children and families, and the “good of families” is about “the good of society,” said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

“That’s in the natural order, that’s the way marriage exists in nature, that’s why marriage is important for the social good,” said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco. “Nature promotes a child having a father and a mother. There’s no way a child could come into the world other than with a father and a mother.” The Catholic Church opposes same-sex “marriage” “because we favor preserving the definition of marriage in the law as it exists naturally. What we’re really opposed to is marriage redefinition. Our opponents in the debate ... favor not expanding the right of marriage but redefining it to be something different from what it is to include the union of two people of the same sex. One could ask, ‘Well why should it stop there, why can’t it include other types of unions, such as multiple partners?’”

— Catholic News Service

April push for immigration reform kicks off with rallies, marches Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands of people in Miami, New Jersey, Boston, California, Illinois and other places gathered in early April to call for immigration reform legislation, to urge an end to deportation policies that separate families, and generally to open a nationwide push for immigration-focused changes aimed at Congress and the White House.

Those events – several of them held April 6 or 7 – led up to an April 10 rally on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. There, thousands of people called on Congress to move faster on comprehensive immigration reform legislation that is seen to have the best chance for passage since the 1980s.

Another theme of speeches at the afternoon rally, and of the messages participants brought to Congress in lobbying meetings that day, was a push to change current deportation policies, which end up separating families across borders, said supporters of the events.

The so-called “gang of eight,” a bipartisan panel of senators working on an immigration reform bill intended to appeal to both parties had hoped to release their draft legislation soon after returning from a two-week break April 8.

Advocates working with the senators and their staffs on the bill told reporters April 8 that the bill wasn’t quite ready but that perhaps it would be introduced by the end of this week.

“We’ve been here before, said Gustavo Torres, executive director of the social services organization CASA de Maryland, who helped organize the April 10 rally, in an April 8 teleconference.

In 2006, massive rallies and marches around the country drew hundreds of thousands of people to call attention to a then-pending immigration bill that ultimately went nowhere.

“But this time it’s different,” said Torres. He cited the November election results in which Latino voters helped re-elect President Barack Obama and provided a crucial margin in electing other Democrats as well.

“Politicians learned in the last election cycle, you ignore Latinos and immigrants at your own peril,” he said.

In a teleconference the previous week in which faith and labor leaders focused on how families are affected by current policies, Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that keeping families together is a crucial social element of the immigration system.

“We need to be mindful that family unity strengthens the social backbone” of the country, he said.

A proposal to require immigrants already in the United States to go home in order to legalize their status, for example, would be one more way the immigration system separates families, Appleby said.

“If the goal here is to get people regularized, we shouldn’t put up barriers to making that happen,” he said. “If we give people a half loaf, this issue is going to fester into the future.”

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka on that teleconference noted that labor and business leaders had come to a consensus about how to expand the number of visas available annually.

But, he added, “family reunification is a core tenet of our immigration policy in the labor movement.”

“Some are trying to pit economic interests against families,” Trumka said, as if the value of admitting a worker’s brother, sister or child is less important than another worker.

“That’s backward,” Trumka said. “Strong families are critical to economic growth,” but more importantly, he added, it’s a moral value.

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“American immigration policy must recognize that employment and family reunification are integrated,” Trumka said.

In addition to the rallies before April 10, dozens of cities hosted local events the same day, and more actions are planned in coming weeks, particularly around May 1, a traditional day for workers’ rights events.

Bishops support immigration reform North Carolina’s two bishops have been speaking in favor of immigration reform for several years, and several parishioners from the Diocese of Charlotte traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to participate in the immigration rally. They included Mercy Sister Rose Marie Tresp, director of justice for the South Central Community, and immigration attorney Tanya Powers.

Both Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh favor comprehensive reform that secures America’s borders while at the same time provides for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents.

In 2006 the bishops of the Carolinas and Georgia signed a letter calling for reform of the nations immigration laws. In the letter the bishops said, “We ask you to see the faces of the children separated from their parents. We ask you to hear the cries of the workers who daily risk serious injury laboring in the factories and fields. We ask you to feel the fear in the hearts of those who are not safe in the neighborhoods where they live.”

More recently, Bishops Jugis and Burbidge have alerted participants of Catholic Voice North Carolina, asking them to support the DREAM Act to allow children of undocumented residents to enter military service or receive a college education.

— David Hains, diocesan director of communications

Our world

April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

At Easter pope calls Christians to be channels of mercy, justice, peace Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — With Jesus’ resurrection “love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious,” Pope Francis said in his first Easter message “urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”).

“Let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish,” the pope said after celebrating Easter morning Mass March 31.

Pope Francis offered special prayers for peace in Syria and the rest of the Middle East, for an end to violence in Africa – especially in Mali, Nigeria, Congo and the Central African Republic – and in Asia, particularly on the Korean peninsula. He prayed for “peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century.”

Pope Francis said he would like to bring the good news of Christ’s resurrection to each person on earth, “to every house and every family, especially where suffering is greatest: in hospitals, in prisons.”

Easter, he said, “means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom.”

He told people, “Jesus is risen, there is hope for you; you are no longer in the power of sin, evil.” Easter “is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness.”

However, he said, that passage must be renewed in every age and in every human

Pope Francis delivers his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 31.

CNS | L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

heart.

“How many deserts, even today, do humans beings need to cross – above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbor, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us.”

“God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones.”

Pope Francis urged people to join him in praying to be transformed by the power of God’s love and mercy and to help “change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace.”

In his homily for the Easter Vigil, Pope Francis spoke about how the women had gone to Jesus’ tomb with sorrow and love to anoint his body. But, he said, “something completely new and

unexpected happens.”

They find the tomb empty, and they are confused and afraid, the pope said.

“Doesn’t the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don’t understand, we don’t know what to do.

Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us.”

Like the women at the tomb, he said, often “we are afraid of God’s surprises,” yet “He always surprises us.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he said, “let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives. Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up.”

More headlines from Pope Francis Read more statements from the new pope online at www.catholicnewsherald.com: Pope urges Catholics to let grace transform, work through them

Pope recites St. Peter’s Gospel professions of faith at apostle’s tomb

At Rome’s cathedral, Pope Francis celebrates God’s patience

Pope recognizes martyrs from communist, fascist regimes

Image on Turin shroud is reminder of God’s love, pope says in message

Can’t chant, can’t speak English?

Pope says it’s because he’s tone-deaf

Pope says women’s love makes them privileged witnesses of Christ

Pope washes feet of 12 young detainees to serve them ‘from the heart’

Pope Francis tours excavated area near St. Peter’s tomb

Meekness sows harmony in church; gossip sows division, pope says

Constant complaining keeps one from noticing Jesus’ presence, pope says

Holy Week is time to follow Jesus in search of lost sheep, pope says

Pope: Confession is place to experience mercy, grace

Pope, U.N. head meet, discuss crises in Syria, Korean peninsula

At Rome’s Colosseum, pope says cross is God’s response to evil

Ready - 2 - Retire™?

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Pope urges doctrinal office to act ‘decisively’ against abuse VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis reaffirmed the importance of responding decisively to the problem of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy and called on the Vatican office dealing with suspected cases to continue carrying out its mandate. During an April 5 meeting with Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the pope discussed the office’s various responsibilities. However, he made a particular point of highlighting its work to counter clerical sexual abuse, telling Archbishop Muller he wanted the congregation to continue with the policies retired Pope Benedict XVI wanted and “to act decisively concerning cases of sexual abuse,” the Vatican said in a written statement released after the meeting.

In Easter messages, Mideast church leaders call for peace BEIRUT — In Easter messages, Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East highlighted the need for an end to the war in Syria, now entering its third year. Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, appealed “to the disputants in Syria, who are so intent in demolishing the homes of peaceful citizens, (the country’s) institutions and history, and the killing of dozens of innocent people a day ... we appeal to them to put away their arms and refuse the money given to them from the outside world, whose interest is only to demolish Syria and other Arab countries.”

Cardinal Rai urged Syrians “to draw closer to God and to sit at the negotiation table with courage.” The cardinal also called on countries that border Syria to coordinate the reception of and aid for refugees and warned Lebanon not to be used as a passage for weapons.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said March 14 that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had reached 1 million.

Bishop: North Korea’s threats might aim to increase aid

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MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea said North Korea’s recent threats of aggression may be an attempt to shore up foreign aid while preserving pride. “It is our presumption that they wish to draw out some financial assistance from abroad without conceding their pride or self-esteem,” Bishop Peter Kang U-Il of Cheju, South Korea, said in an April 9 email.

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Dr. Ronald Thomas

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‘Inclusivism’ is not Catholicism

deceptive ideology permeating our culture today has certain features of the Catholic faith, but is in fact very remote from it. This ideology is called “Inclusivism.” “Inclusivism” has convinced even many Catholics that the goodness of a thing is measured by how “inclusive” it is. In other words, “inclusivity” is supposed to be an unalloyed good, the opposite of which is bigotry, “hate” and narrowness.

Inclusivism is problematic on the level of logic.

Including something presupposes excluding something else. For instance, a man might “include” in his family his new daughter-in-law, because she has married his son; but, he is thereby excluding every other woman his son might have gone out with – as well as the neighbors next door, and a whole world of others – when he is determining the meaning of membership in his family.

“Inclusivists,” in a self-contradictory way, exclude those who think there really is, routinely, something to exclude in terms of belief, behavior and belonging in groups and in society.

The problem is that “Inclusivists” seize one pole of the include-exclude dichotomy and make it something of an absolute. Interestingly, we don’t really have an “Exclusivist” ideology problem, since to exclude things for the sake of excluding them would be frankly silly, but, then, so is “Inclusivism.”

Some Catholics are hoodwinked by this term “Inclusivism” and by “Inclusivist” ideology because they think it relates to Catholicism, which supposedly includes everything and everyone. A closer look tells a different story.

The word “Catholic” comes from two Greek words, “kata” and “holon,” and means “according to the whole.”

So, “wholeness,” not “inclusivity,” is a synonym for Catholic and for the Catholicity of our faith. As St. Cyril of Jerusalem put the matter, the Catholic Church is potentially the Church of the whole world, and treats every sort of spiritual malady with every sort of spiritual gift that comes from God. It proclaims the whole Gospel without omissions or additions, and excludes every partial depiction of the truth, whether it be from within the Church or from without.

The “wholeness” of the Catholic faith routinely excludes error, vice, lies and deception. Catholicism is about the wholeness of the truth and total sanctification on the model of Jesus Christ. It is important to note that, spiritually speaking, Catholicism also excludes mediocrity, tepidity, cowardice and sentimentality. If it did not, we would not strive to eliminate these things from our lives, which we absolutely must do if we are to follow Christ as He deserves.

Many Catholics think that “Inclusivism” is a way to practice their faith, but what a Catholic needs above all is a way to discern truth from error. We have this in its fullness from the Magisterium of the Church, but the

individual Catholic also needs a method of looking into his own life to see if truth is truly taking root, or, whether it is being choked by error, selfishness, sloth or an overriding pursuit of pleasure. This examination is an arduous task, requiring wisdom and right judgment, which, we know, cannot merely come from ourselves.

“Inclusivism” short-circuits this process, just as much as it stokes a kind of intellectual laziness. “Inclusivism” promotes a sort of boneless moral posture and a sprawling and confused sense of the true value of things.

The current crisis of “inclusion” in the Boy Scouts

‘It is never easy to be hated and despised, but for Catholics the experience is increasingly common as society tilts toward ever more deviant behavior and disordered affections.’ of America focuses these reflections. Various forces inside and outside the Boy Scout organization have been agitating for the removal of the ban against the participation of active homosexuals among the ranks of the Scouts and, more importantly, among the ranks of Scout leadership. The sop thrown to tradition-minded scouts and leaders in the proposed change is that each troop would be able within itself to choose how to answer the inclusion issue.

The problems here are that: n Scouting is a largely inter-troop activity, such as at summer camps, Jamborees, etc. n Contact with homosexually active men is virtually assured for all scouts by a change in the policy, n The traditional morality encoded in Scouting for more than a century would be declared morally bigoted in the course of time, as a new norm becomes the status quo.

Thus “Inclusivism” is capable of a radical exclusion of what has gone before in society. The secret of “Inclusivism” is that it wishes to put itself in charge of what is included or excluded and to do so without the interference of tradition, moral norms and faith in general. It is becoming an old game in our society, but it is

ceaselessly played.

Catholics have been able to participate in Scouting because, at the least, Scouting represents a broad historical and inter-faith consensus about moral life and about the sacred character of the family. Absent that, Catholics cannot in good conscience participate in the organization, especially under the transparently false and cynical assurance that they can order their own troops as they wish.

Here, again, we come face to face with the intellectual weakness of the “Inclusivist” position. Where does “inclusion” stop? Would polygamy, bank robbery, pedophilia, animal cruelty, and a host of other ills become “includable” just because a vocal minority in support of these things could be assembled? Could the Boy Scouts become officially atheist? Under the “inclusion” argument, there is no reason why this could not be the case. Clearly the only things that could be excluded are what the Western, Christian tradition has understood to be moral, reverent, healthy and worthy of emulation.

For our purposes we could truly say that everything could be “included” but Catholicism. This is simply the invocation of the old ABC rule – Anything But Catholicism – which is vigorously operative in our current cultural climate.

Theologically speaking, the worldviews of “Inclusivism” and Catholicism are not compatible because “Inclusivism” seeks a universality essentially defined apart from the Christian gospel and the Catholic Church. In other words, it thinks itself more inclusive than God, and on better terms. God’s and the Church’s terms are defined as narrow or hateful or inquisitorial.

Such an instance of the wrath of “Inclusivism” against the wholeness of truth and healing found in the Church recently affected the life of our new, beloved Pope Francis.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was an implacable foe of the effort to create the institution of “gay marriage” in the nation. As he told the group of Argentinian Carmelites whose assistance in prayer he sought for the struggle: “Here, the envy of the Devil, through which sin entered the world, is also present, and deceitfully intends to destroy the image of God: man and woman, who receive the mandate to grow, multiply, and conquer the earth. Let us not be naïve: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention (which is) destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a “move” of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.” The president of the Argentine republic, a nominal Catholic named Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, pilloried Francis’s views as a reminder of the “medieval times and the Inquisition.” Even some of his own priests abandoned THOMAS, SEE page 20

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April 12, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Letter to the editor

Lenten thoughts on prayer, fasting and mercy Deacon James H. Toner

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On Christian Realism

e Catholics often find ourselves trying to chart a wise and balanced course between justice and mercy, between solemnity and a touch of appropriate humor, between the classical and the contemporary. So it is with the law of love and the fact of sin.

As there is an enduring connection between truth and freedom, so is there an abiding connection between love and order. I cannot, for example, conjugally love another man or another living man’s wife; to do so leads to disorder – to sin. We are called to love – and “in the evening of life,” as St. John of the Cross told us, “we will be judged on love alone.” “Love,” St. Augustine wrote, “and do what you will.” But if we love rightly (as he knew), then we will not err in our subsequent moral judgment and action. Proper love is, in a word, prudent.

We are summoned to what is known in Catholic moral theology and in classical political theory as prudence, which simply means wise choosing. It means doing the right thing for the right reason in the right way and at the right time – even in politics. (Read more about prudence and the other cardinal virtues in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1804-1809.)

In 1937, Pope Pius XI warned the world against the Nazi menace and, implicitly, against any ideology which makes an idol of politics: “Whoever exalts ... the State ... or the depositories of power ... distorts and perverts the order of the world planned by God; he is far from the true faith in God and from the concept of life which that faith upholds” (“Mit Brennender Sorge,” 8) (Read more about authority and how it is derived from God for promoting the common good: CCC 1897-1912.)

When politicians or military leaders seek to exalt themselves, they thereby seek to diminish God. By contrast, the Christian humbly holds that God must increase, and he must decrease, as St. John the Baptist once said.

As Catholics, we must challenge any ideology which seeks to replace God with political superstition. Catholic political thinking that is too optimistic commits the error of presumption.

Catholic political thinking that is too pessimistic commits the error of despair. We have the task of charting a wise and balanced course between what powers we delegate to Caesar and what powers we deny to Caesar. As the catechism tells us, Caesar is not the Lord (CCC 450).

That sense of balance, largely lost over the past half century, may be called Christian Realism, which informs us that: n We are sinners in a disordered world (see CCC 1739, 401). n Excessively or imprudently to trust the secular culture is to invite moral and political catastrophe. n The chief purpose of political institutions is to enable our reason and to impede our passion – as James Madison put it in 1788, because we are not governed by angels, we had better oblige the government to control itself (Federalist No. 51). n The safest political course lies in preventing the accumulation of power, which tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as the Catholic Lord Acton so famously said. n If and when we depart from balance of power in either domestic or foreign politics, we invite the reign of chaos. n Among the gravest errors in politics is expecting, through political or economic adventure, to create a paradise on earth, because, in granting any political leader unrestrained

power, we are Frankensteins who create monsters. n “Without the light the Gospel sheds on God and man, societies easily become totalitarian” (CCC 2257; also see 1896 and 1923).

Once upon a time a pharaoh captured an explorer. In the evening, the explorer was told that he would be put to death unless he could give pharaoh two immutable laws before the morning. All through the night, the explorer

‘Christian Realism does not trust political leaders, whether liberal or conservative, for the former look to a future which may unlink itself from the wisdom of the past, and the latter look to a past which may unlink itself from the hope of the future.’ thought and prayed. Come morning, he had his incontrovertible answers: “This, too, shall pass,” he said. The pharaoh could not challenge that truth. But what would be the second? Said the explorer: “Don’t ever expect too much.” The explorer lived.

When we expect politics or economics to deliver redemption, we expect what never was and never will be. When we endow political leaders with the power they crave in order to give us the heaven they promise, we will have only the hell they will deliver. Only God can bring good from evil; only God can make all things new; only God is the alpha and the omega.

The totalitarians of the Left and of the Right share a common hatred of Christian Realism.

They share a common hatred of the Lord, for we must always obey God before men. All political power must be conditional, circumstantial, contingent – never absolute, concentrated, or unrestrained. Christian Realism does not trust political leaders, whether liberal or conservative, for the former look to a future which may unlink itself from the wisdom of the past, and the latter look to a past which may unlink itself from the hope of the future.

Christian realists know that all countries and parties will wither and die, but individual souls are eternal. With G.K. Chesterton, they know that “nothing is important except the fate of the soul.”

And with Samuel Johnson, they know “how small the part of all that human hearts endure can laws or kings either cause or cure.”

Deacon James H. Toner serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

In my Lenten preparations, I was reading an article by Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio about St. Peter Chrysologus. (I would recommend this short homily by one of our early Church Fathers to everyone: Go online to www.crossroadsinitiative.com.)

In Dr. D’Ambrosio’s introduction, he says, “One of the greatest preachers of the early Church explains the key penitential practices of Lent – prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or mercy. Saint Peter Chrysologus declares that Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, and mercy receives. He shows how prayer, mercy and fasting are one, and they give life to each other. This reading is used by the Roman Catholic Church for the Office of Readings in Lent ... St. Peter Chrysologus was the bishop of Ravenna, Italy in the middle of the 5th century. His sermons were so inspiring that he was given the title ‘Chrysologus’ (Greek for ‘goldenworded’) and was eventually declared a ‘Doctor of the Church’.”

The homily focuses on our life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (part of mercy). This leads us to see that what is asked of us as Christians is so much more than just saying we believe, or attending Mass each Sabbath, but requires a repetition of actions on our part throughout our lives. The proof is in the pudding.

How do we go about practicing these essential facets of our Christian life? We need not go any further than to turn to the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.

Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-6) And in Matthew 6:16-18: “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

We are to conduct our praying, fasting and giving for an audience of one, God the Father. We are not to strive to gain the attention of others to be able to say, “see what I have done,” as did the Pharisees. Doing so rewards you with pennies on the dollar, as the attention gained will be the sum total of your reward. It is far better for each of us is to do all in as much privacy and secrecy as possible so that others are not drawn to our conduct. That way we can receive the full recompense from our Father who loves us so much and is pleased with us when we show our love for Him through these unseen and unknown actions.

Now we know the what and the how of being penitent before our Father. We have but to do it. Not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. Are you already living these actions? If not, can you, will you repent (change) to show our Father how much you love Him? We all need His love and His mercy, but how much are you willing to do to show your humble desire for it? Remember: Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve, but Mercy is when He doesn’t give us what we do deserve!

Dave Gerhardt serves as the community life director at St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory.

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 12, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

THOMAS: FROM PAGE 18

him in the struggle. The Church was not successful preventing gay “marriage” in Argentina, but it was faithful to the wholeness of Christ’s Church, which includes everything there is of the truth and excludes every remnant of evil and error.

It is never easy to be hated and despised, but for Catholics the experience is increasingly common as society tilts toward ever more deviant behavior and disordered affections. The Catholic attitude toward what is licit and good appears increasingly irrational in a society that takes as its highest value what James Kalb calls “the equal satisfaction of desire.”

Additionally, there is a conspiracy of silence regarding moral norms, which many Catholics feel uneasy about breaking, especially in the face of being called bigoted, “mean” or “phobic.”

As the Catholic ethos privileges kindness and compassion, some Catholics feel that they must be committing a sin if their proclamation of the truth encounters resistance, opposition and rancor.

But as the forces of “Inclusivism” gain the upper hand in a radical remaking of social norms, Catholicism and all of its works will be demonized or, at best, marginalized, for the foreseeable future.

Sensitive souls see a very difficult road ahead.

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In the activity of theology, it is important that we place our concerns in the highest possible context: God intends His Catholic Church for the salvation of the very world that resists its claims, its morals and its gifts. “Inclusivism” is the effort to create the “heaven on earth” of secularism.

The Catholic Church brings the unique person of Jesus Christ to bear on every aspect of life. “Inclusivism” wants to hold the keys to its kingdom very tightly, admitting the very few who pass the muster of an anti-morality and who demonstrate the proper narcissism.

The Catholic Church embraces the kind of weakness that understands the need and the value of a supernatural Gift.

“Inclusivism” celebrates the power that bends the wills of men and women to a “new world order” made for the strong.

The Catholic Church connects with eternal life; “Inclusivism” with the shortterm satisfaction of desires oriented toward the things of this world only.

The Catholic Church has a purpose for the whole world, “Inclusivism” merely seeks to uproot the things it had no hand in creating.

Pope Francis is right: “Inclusivism” simply seeks to be destructive of the plan of God. The love of God is definitively focused in Jesus Christ, and the Catholic Church is the sacrament of Christ’s love. There is not a more complete demonstration of the love of God than through fidelity to Christ’s Church. “Inclusivism” does not match this; it is rather a very weak human counterfeit of universal divine love and an empty promise of fulfillment without the fullness of charity in Christ.

The redemptive, Eucharistic Heart of Christ is the real answer to the generosity we desire to show to the world, and the Catholic Church – with all of its spiritual and moral truth – is the true and lasting work of that Sacred Heart. Catholics tempted toward an easy “Inclusivism” need to realize that their membership in the Body of Christ is already the fullness of truth and charity that they seek.

Dr. Ronald Thomas is an assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College.

FAMILY: FROM PAGE 2

More resources online n ForYourMarriage.org: Read practical advice on how to improve your relationship with your spouse, tips on dealing with common marital issues such as finances, intimacy and child rearing; how to prep for bringing young children to Mass; and much more, with content updated daily. n Domestic-church.com: Get more ideas on how to build your home as a domestic church, including activities, crafts, essays and stories from families like yours. n USCCB.org: Prayer resources, daily Scripture readings, educational videos, and explanations of Catholic teaching on all the issues of the day — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

‘The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the “domestic church” where God’s children learn to pray “as the Church” and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the Church’s living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit.’

— Catechism of the Catholic Church 2685

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