Feb. 3, 2023

At a glance

February 3, 2023

Volume 32 • NUMBER 9

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

5things you need to know this week

FIND SOLACE IN THE SEVEN SORROWS

In her recent release, “A Blessing in Disguise: Miracles of the Seven Sorrows Rosary,” best-selling author and Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza explains Mary’s teachings on how to pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary for greater wisdom, strength and forgiveness. She also illustrates its efficacy through real-life stories of miraculous healings of all kinds. Order a copy from your favorite bookstore.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ICONOGRAPHY

In honor of the Feb. 11 feast of St. Paschal, learn more about the art of iconography by reading or signing up for a workshop. Known for combating the heresy of iconoclasm, which rejected and destroyed religious images, St. Paschal offered refuge to Greek monks escaping the iconoclasts’ persecution in the 9th century and transferred relics from the catacombs to Roman churches.

FUN FARE FOR THE FEAST OF ST. VALENTINE

This St. Valentine’s Day treat your loved ones to heart-shaped foods and other festive fare with this roundup of easy recipes from CatholicMom. com, featuring popular picks such as brownies, pizza and more. They had us at bacon hearts! Visit www.catholicmom.com/articles/easyvalentines-recipe-roundup

SEEK THE INTERCESSION OF ST. JULIUS I

St. Julius I became pope on Feb. 6, 337, and is known for returning St. Athanasius to his rightful place as the Bishop of Alexandria after facing fierce opposition from the Arians, known for their heretical

EDITOR: Spencer K. M. Brown

704-808-4528, skmbrown@charlottediocese.org

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EDITORIAL TEAM: Kimberly Bender

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Annie Ferguson

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SueAnn Howell

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THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

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CONVERSATION STARTER

Help children focus on Love Himself this St. Valentine’s Day by creating a scripture-themed craft using the words of John 3:16 written in nine lines on a piece of paper. On nine small paper hearts or conversation hearts write the letters to spell “Valentine” and affix them to the corresponding letters on each line of the scripture verse. For more details, go to www.catholicicing.com/john-316-valentine-craft.

Diocesan calendar of events

ESPAÑOL

HORA SANTA : 7-8 p.m. Todos los jueves del mes con excepción de los primeros jueves. En la Capilla del segundo piso, Family Life Center en St. Patrick, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

VIÑEDO DE RAQUEL: ¿Es usted o un ser querido que busca la curación de los efectos de un aborto anterior? Los retiros de fin de semana son ofrecidos por Caridades Católicas para hombres y mujeres en todas las regiones de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Para obtener información sobre los próximos retiros, incluidos retiros en las diócesis vecinas, comuníquese con Karina Hernández: 336267-1937 o karinahernandez@live.com.

VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN: 6 p.m. los jueves, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Nos reunimos para una Vigilia de Adoración por la Paz y la Justicia en Nicaragua, que en estos últimos meses están pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario, la hora santa de

reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel.

PRAYER SERVICES

ANOINTING OF THE SICK 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road, Mint Hill. Includes a special Mass for those who wish to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick. For details, call Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

HELPERS OF GOD’S PRECIOUS INFANTS: 8 a.m. Mass followed by 9 a.m. Procession for Life and prayer, St. Patrick Cathedral Family Life Center, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Saturday, Feb. 11. Father Ernest Nebangongnjoh will lead a procession by car to the abortion facility. For details, visit www.charlottehelpers.com.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: After 9 a.m. Mass every third Sunday at Mother Teresa Pro-Life Memorial, St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte. HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST LUKE MISSION (UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH) : Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 3 p.m. Sundays at St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden. For details, email ucmcanton@gmail.com.

belief that Jesus was not God. The pope also is said to have built a church in honor of St. Valentine. Ask St. Julius to intercede for us today in guarding the Church against false teachings.

— Annie Ferguson

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

PROTECTING CHILDREN: Protecting God’s Children (Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios) workshops educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. Upcoming workshops:

GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road (virtual session)

TALKS

‘THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SAVED MY MARRIAGE’: 8:30 a.m. Mass and 10 a.m. conference Saturday, Feb. 4, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte, with Dr. David Anders, host of the EWTN program “Called to Communion.”

‘THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF SUFFERING’ 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. A talk by Elza Spaedy, director of the Healed and Restored ministry in Huntersville. RSVP to Sister Luicia at 704-523-4641 or email stanncharlotte@rcdoc.org.

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

FEB. 4 – 11 A.M.

Mass for World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life

St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte

FEB. 6-7

Diocese of Charlotte

Colloquium of Priests

Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

FEB. 19 – 10 A.M.

New Church Dedication

Mass & Blessing

St. Luke Church, Mint Hill

The Dark Night of the Soul: When even saints feel separated from God

Even the holiest of saints can feel a lack of spiritual consolation from God. Often temporary, it may endure for a long time – even one’s whole life.

Called “noche oscura del alma” by the Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross, “the dark night of the soul” is one’s spiritual state after the withdrawal of God’s illuminating grace. St. John of the Cross coined the term when he wrote a poem that narrated the journey of the soul to mystical union with God.

A form of purification for those called to a high degree of sanctity, the soul is put in the “obscure night” or the “great desolation.” Its “dark” nature emphasizes the normal condition of spiritual sight, dimly lit by the light of Faith, whereas a person in this purification is deprived of much of this light.

The Catechism explains it as a form of spiritual dryness:

“Dryness belongs to contemplative prayer when the heart is separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. This is the moment of sheer faith clinging faithfully to Jesus in His agony and in His tomb. ‘Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if dies, it bears much fruit.’ If dryness is due to the lack of roots, because the word has fallen on rocky soil, the battle requires conversion.” –Catechism of the Catholic Church 2731

Many famous saints have gone through these spiritual crises, even enduring for most of their life. St. Paul of the Cross endured for nearly 45 years before recovering. Doctor of the Church St. Thérèse of Lisieux was in the dark night over doubting the existence of eternity, famously saying to other nuns at her convent, “If you only knew what darkness I am plunged into.”

The dark night of St. Teresa of Calcutta may be the most extensive such case on record. She endured from 1948 almost until her death in 1997.

Mother Teresa described, “In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me – of God not being God – of God not existing. I find no words to express the depths of the darkness.”

GEORGE RYAN writes a blog for www.uCatholic.com.

Our faith

God’s love in the luminous darkness

So many people find this time of year quite difficult. The days are short and cold, and the nights seem endless. The anxieties of this world become louder in our ears, and the glare of social media is blinding. Sleep can be a difficult friend to find at these times. She may come for a while but always seems to leave at 3 a.m. Why 3 a.m.? I don’t know. But I think she is reminding me to speak to Our Lord, who had a difficult 3 o’clock hour as well. Lying awake in the inky pitch of night can feel lonely and disconcerting, but then I ponder the words of Gerard Manly Hopkins as he considered the “luminous darkness.” What is the loving presence that surrounds me? The love of the Father who never leaves my side. The love that even consoled the fevered mind of an artist like Vincent Van Gogh, who could see in the luminous darkness a beautiful starry night.

St. Paul shares a secret of enduing the darkness of this season with the Philippians. He tells them, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7). The peace of God in our hearts and minds – isn’t that what we long for when we are in the darkness? St. Paul continues, “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about those things” (Phil 4:8). The secret is to reject the fears exaggerated in our 3 a.m. minds and look up to the skies to see the brilliance of our Creator’s work, of the luminous darkness, of stars and planets, of the moon and perhaps even fog or rain, and all created by the loving hand of God our Father. As we surrender ourselves, our fears and anxiety, our sadness and needs to His Divine Will, we will begin to see the truth of Zachariah’s canticle. “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Pope Francis

FEB. 5-11

Sunday: Isaiah 58:7-10, 1 Corinthians

2:1-5, Matthew 5:13-26; Monday (St. Paul Miki and Companions): Genesis 1:1-19, Mark

6:53-56; Tuesday: Genesis 1:20-2:4a, Mark

7:1-13; Wednesday (St. Jerome Emiliani, St. Josephine Bakhita): Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17, Mark 7:14-23; Thursday: Genesis 2:18-25, Mark 7:24-30; Friday (St. Scholastica): Genesis 3:1-8, Mark 7:31-37; Saturday (Our Lady of Lourdes): Genesis 3:9-24, Mark

8:1-10

Christians must not “put pressure on others” to convert or induce in them “feelings of guilt,” but take a weight off their shoulders through joyfully sharing the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

At his general audience Jan. 25, the pope explained that Jesus frees people from all forms of oppression and that this freedom is cause for joy.

“Oppressed is the one who feels crushed by something that happens in life: illness, struggles, burdens on the heart, feelings of guilt, errors, vices, sins,” said Pope Francis. “Let us think, for example, about feelings of guilt. How many of us have suffered from this?”

“If someone feels guilty about something they did and they feel bad,” he said, “the good news is that with Jesus this ancient evil of sin, which seems unbeatable, no longer has the last word.”

“God forgets all of our sins, He has no memory of them,” the pope said. Even if someone repeatedly commits the same sins, God also “will always do the same thing: forgive you, embrace you.”

Pope Francis added that Christians must be joyful in sharing the Gospel, since “the faith is a stupendous love story to be shared.”

Bearing witness to Jesus, he said, involves communicating “a gift so beautiful that words cannot express it. But when joy is missing, the Gospel does not come through” since the Gospel itself is a proclamation of joy.

“A sad Christian can speak about beautiful things, but it is all in vain if the message he or she conveys is not happy,” he said.

FEB. 12-18

Sunday: Sirach 15:15-20, 1 Corinthians

Matthew 5:17-37; Monday: Genesis

Hebrews 11:1-7, Mark 9:2-13

FEB. 19-25

Sunday: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Matthew 5:38-48; Monday: Sirach 1:1-10, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday (St. Peter Damian): Sirach 2:1-11, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (St. Polycarp):

Christians are called to be guides who lead others to accept God’s love. For Christians, he said, “life is no longer a blind march to nowhere” determined by chance, health or even finances, but an invitation to love.

Pope Francis urged Christians to joyfully share the message to the poor and said that God calls on each person to make themselves interiorly poor.

The quickest way to encounter Jesus, he said, is to “put yourself in need: in need of grace, in need of forgiveness, in need of joy, and He will come to you.”

Christians must not be oppressed by guilt, but filled with joy

DEACON CARL F. BROWN serves at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem.

“Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, 1889

St. Patrick Cathedral aims for renovation milestone by Holy Week

CHARLOTTE — With significant progress on renovations of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, the historic building may reopen to parishioners just in time for Holy Week and Easter.

Renovations began last fall to repair water damage to the interior plaster ceiling and walls, and to address other deterioration in the 84-yearold church.

Renovations also include replacement of failing roofing and flashing, replacement of concrete parapet caps, and repair of gutters and underground storm drainage systems.

“We’re pleased at how the renovation work is progressing, thanks to the cathedral’s leadership and our strong construction partners,” said Emmett Sapp, director of construction for the Diocese of Charlotte. “There are always challenges whenever you work on an historic structure, and we not only want to restore the function of the building but we are committed to retaining the character that makes St. Patrick distinctive and preserving it for future generations.”

Work will resume after Easter, but Sapp said the diocese does not anticipate another longterm closure of the church.

Built as a parish church in 1939, St. Patrick was elevated to serve as the cathedral when the Diocese of Charlotte was founded in 1972.

A cathedral serves as the seat, or home church, of the bishop in a diocese.

Over the eight decades since the church was built, signs of the building’s age became apparent with cracks occurring in the plaster throughout the building interior.

Minor renovations occurred over the years, however, recognizing the need for broader repairs, the diocese included the restoration of the cathedral as one of the projects to be funded by its 2015 “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign.

Meanwhile, the diocese also recently formed a committee to consider the feasibility of building a new cathedral to provide a more functional facility and serve a growing Catholic population well into the future.

Diocese adopts new construction process to enhance capital projects, stewardship

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Faced with tremendous growth and the increasing complexity of construction projects, the Diocese of Charlotte has created a new construction management process to enhance collaboration and strategic investment in capital projects across the diocese. The process brings together all stakeholders from parishes, schools and the diocese who are involved in construction projects costing $1 million or more to hone plans early in the process, so that everyone is working toward a common vision.

“We’ve seen so much growth in our diocese that it’s critical for us to ensure our building program will efficiently and effectively accommodate our needs for new schools, churches and other projects,” said Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, and the architect of the new approach. “A key element is for parishes, schools and the diocese to get aligned early and check-in often so we can produce the best possible result and make the best use of the Church’s resources.”

The new process promotes the engagement of stakeholders and requires teamwork from the initial project concept through completion of construction and dedication of a space. The diocese and the parish or school involved form a single team to execute plans established during a strategic planning process.

As part of the new approach, the diocese restructured and divided the growing responsibilities of its properties staff to create two departments:

n The Office of Construction will oversee major building projects and offer project management services at the diocese’s 92 parishes and missions, 20 schools, and diocesan facilities.

n The Office of Properties will handle real estate acquisition and disposition, small to mid-size renovations and construction, and maintenance and preservation of an array of schools and other diocesan properties.

Emmett Sapp, who served as construction manager for the Properties Office for more than four years, will lead the new Construction Office. He will oversee two project managers as his team assists pastors, Catholic schools administrators, and capital project stakeholders through the streamlined process to plan and execute large capital projects.

Most recently, Sapp and his team oversaw the completion of the $6.4 million Fulford Athletic & Activity Center at Christ the King High School in Huntersville.

Sapp is excited about his new role and the promise of the diocese’s new approach. “We work to establish a common vision from the beginning, before we start spending a lot of time, effort and financial resources on a project,” he said.

The diocese began dissecting and rebuilding the process nearly two years ago, with input from stakeholders across the diocese.

“With the committed leadership and personal attention of Monsignor Winslow, the team dedicated significant time and attention toward improving project

outcomes and experiences by developing a process that is very structured and clear –so parishes and schools will know, at any time, where their projects stand and what next steps are,” Sapp said.

Monsignor Winslow likens the process to “a directory at a mall. I want to be able to look at the map and say, ‘I am here,’ at any given moment in the process.”

Sapp is part of the team that developed a new Capital Construction Team handbook for use by parishes currently considering capital projects. St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro, Holy Spirit Parish in Denver and Our Lady of the Mountains Mission in Highlands are all using the handbook to guide their ongoing capital projects. The team will finalize the handbook this summer after receiving feedback from those pilot parishes.

Over the past four and a half years, the diocese has assisted in executing 28 major capital projects totaling around $76 million. Ten projects with a combined cost of $22 million are expected to be completed in 2023. Sapp is also tracking 33 projects with an expected cost of $161 million with completion dates beyond 2023.

— Catholic News Herald

Construction workers are restoring the 84-year-old St. Patrick Cathedral, repairing water damage and replacing sections of the roof and gutters, to help preserve the historic church for years to come.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JAMES SARKIS

The current church will continue to be used for Mass during the construction of a new, Baroque-style church for Our Lady of the Mountains.

A capital success Highlands church meets ‘audacious goal’

Members of Our Lady of the Mountains raise $7.5M in pledges for new church

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

HIGHLANDS — When Our Lady of the Mountains Mission launched its first capital campaign in more than 30 years, those involved were optimistic. It was the middle of 2022, and parishioners felt hopeful and supported the idea of building a new church for the growing resort community nestled high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Their hope was well-founded.

The campaign committee – which includes Father Jason Barone, parochial administrator, and Berney Kirkland, pastoral council chairman, as well as Greg Thompson and David Goodrow, campaign co-chairs – had done their research and gauged the support of Our Lady of the Mountains’ 240 registered families, most of whom are seasonal members.

“The results were consistently encouraging, and Father Barone proved to be an excellent ‘salesman’ for the project,” Kirkland said.

In less than six months, they received $7.5 million in pledges, the minimum amount needed for the $10.7 million project. As of mid-January, $3 million has been collected, and all pledges are on schedule for the campaign.

Now their hope is well-funded.

“The support of our community has filled me with humility and gratitude,” said Father Barone. “As we began this project, Building a Beacon of Catholic Faith, I committed myself never to lose sight of the reason for all this work: to glorify God and sanctify souls. Prudence and hard work are essential, but so are prayer and providence.”

The campaign committee members agreed.

“We have felt the Holy Spirit blessing our efforts throughout the campaign,” Kirkland added. “I was optimistic from the outset, but I did not anticipate that we would achieve this amazing level of success, and in such a short time. It was an audacious goal for us, but the timing was right.”

Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte, has called the capital campaign the most successful ever conducted by a parish in the diocese.

“Over the past 35 years, our office has assisted parishes and schools with more than 270 capital campaigns. Our Lady of the Mountains has raised more than the other 270 campaigns, and no other church in our diocese’s history has ever raised that much in a single campaign. Congratulations to Father Barone, their campaign leaders and their parishioners for their extraordinary results.”

The present church, built in the 1950s and expanded in the late 1980s, presented challenges to the growing congregation. The new, Baroque-style church will be built adjacent to the existing church on the mission’s 2.5-acre property.

Fundraising to reach the ultimate goal of $10.7 million will continue at a lower profile in 2023.

Father Barone assembled a Construction Advisory Committee of experienced parishioners to help guide him as work moves forward.

Final drawings of the 9,000-square-foot church with a capacity of 300 will arrive soon from McCrery Architects of Washington, D.C. Groundbreaking is expected in early 2024.

The new building will have several amenities the current church lacks, including a choir loft, Marian shrine and dedicated spaces for a confessional, baptismal font and sacristies, some of which donors have specifically funded. In addition, the new church will have a narthex where parishioners can gather for fellowship before and after Mass.

The idea to build a Baroque-style church frequently came to Father Barone in prayer. He noted that they didn’t need a large church and thus had the financial potential to pull off a church in the Baroque style, which is often cost prohibitive.

The style also seemed appropriate based on where the Church is in ecclesial history, Father Barone said. He noted that Baroque architecture came out of the Counter-Reformation, when the Holy Spirit was stirring the Church to renewal after many decades of seeming decline and division from the Protestant Reformation.

“It’s the story of a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Father Barone explained. “We’ve seen many scandals and bad press the past couple decades. It seems as though the Church is and will remain in decline, but that’s not the case.

“Our Lord, who promised the gates of hell would never prevail and that He would remain with His Church until the consummation of the age, has not abandoned us but is already stirring renewal and growth, the evidence of which we see throughout our diocese with the growth of vocations and parishes. I want this church to tell that story.”

In Brief

Converging Roads healthcare conference coming this spring

CHARLOTTE — Medical professionals, students and interested laypeople are invited to the sixth annual Converging Roads healthcare ethics conference on Saturday, March 25, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Gain a comprehensive knowledge of practicing medicine under a Catholic ethos while earning up to 7 hours of CME/ CNE credits. Join national and local experts either in person or online to discuss topics rooted in the Hippocratic and Catholic ethical tradition. For more information or to register, go online to www.bit.ly/cr23-cnc.

Winston-Salem

native

named to Redemptorists’ leadership

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province elected a new leadership team to serve during the 2023’26 term that includes Father John Olenick as provincial vicar. Father Olenick was born and raised in WinstonSalem and worked at the Winston-Salem Journal and then for R.J. Reynolds before entering the Redemptorist congregation in 1996. He was ordained a priest in 2003, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The new members of the Ordinary Provincial Council will guide the missionary activities of the Baltimore province. The elected leadership team assumes leadership under the Redemptorist theme “Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer.”

The Redemptorists are a religious congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori in Naples, Italy. More than 4,000 Redemptorists are currently working with the poor and most abandoned in nearly every part of the world. More than 150 Redemptorist priests, brothers, and students represent the Baltimore province in the United States. Redemptorist priests staff two parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte: St. James Church in Concord and St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis.

— Spencer K.M. Brown

Olenick

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OUR LADY OF THE MOUNTAINS MISSION

MARCH FOR LIFE

Life marches on

In a post-Roe world, Marianne Donadio of Room At The Inn reflects on her epic, 35-year journey marching for life

MARIANNE DONADIO AND ANNIE FERGUSON Catholic News Herald

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Looking out over the National Mall on Friday, Marianne Donadio watched crowds of joyful people at the first March for Life after the overturning of Supreme Court decisions that had legalized abortion nationally.

She soaked in the poignancy of the moment as memories of marches past came flooding back – vivid flashes of the people, sights, sounds and sensations over the three decades that she has been advocating and marching for life in our nation’s capital.

Between listening to the reverent hum of all-night rosaries, sleeping in the crypt of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, marching in the snow and bitter cold, carrying her six children in tow some years – and even appearing as a pro-life advocate on national television with the president of the United States – Donadio had seen and done a lot. Then Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer. Donadio is a steadfast ambassador for life. She is the vice president and chief development officer of Room At The Inn, a Catholic maternity home in Greensboro that provides comprehensive services to pregnant women experiencing homelessness, helping give them the support they need to choose life for their babies.

Her work brought Room At The Inn national attention in 2018, when she appeared with the president on national television. Just after that, she told The Catholic News Herald the tide was turning in favor of life in the United States. Remembering her prophetic comments, the Catholic News Herald asked Donadio to reflect on her 35-year odyssey of marching for life in Washington, D.C.

Here is her story:

THE EARLY DAYS

My first March for Life was just before I turned 16, in 1987. I went on a combined trip of the Our Lady of Grace youth group and the foreign exchange students from the Greensboro public schools.

As a recently arrived immigrant from England and a young Catholic, I felt like a bridge between the two groups. We took a bus up to D.C. and stayed several nights on a school gym floor in sleeping bags. The trip included a lot of sightseeing, which was great. The march was a small part of the itinerary but a big part of what made the trip important to me.

A winter storm blew through while we were there. Cars were almost buried along the side of the route as we marched for life. I remember thinking that the world must have gone mad and that it was crazy that abortion had been legal for more than 10 years!

In 1991, I returned to the March for Life with my friend from church, Monica Pollard, who also attended UNC-G with me. It was her first time there, and she was very affected by it. Later that year, Cardinal John O’Connor founded the Sisters of Life. She joined the new order after graduating from college that summer.

A few years ago, I received a call from Monica – now known as Sister Faustina – asking if Room At The Inn could take a mother from New York who desperately wanted to move away because her family was pressuring her to get an abortion. The young woman came to stay at Room At The Inn and had a beautiful baby boy. She remained at Room At The Inn while earning her bachelor’s degree, and now she is doing very well, having married and made a new life for herself and her family in North Carolina.

crowd were set up in the crypt and the Mass was livestreamed downstairs on bigscreen TVs. Sadly, this meant people could no longer sleep in the basilica overnight.

Since then, I’ve stayed with friends or in hotels. One year, we stayed at the Theological College at the Catholic University of America.

Some years were so cold there were hypothermia warnings and medical tents set up everywhere. In subsequent years, I made sure to bring extra packs of “hot hands,” gloves, scarves, hats, thermals and

get a pro-life president and a pro-life majority in the House and the Senate, then this will be done and dusted,” but pro-life politicians came and went and not much happened.

TURNING POINT

That changed when Donald Trump became president. Whether you are a fan or not, you cannot deny that he did what he said he would do as far as the pro-life promises he made during his campaign. The hope among pro-lifers became tangible. There was an air of excited anticipation at the March for Life that hadn’t been present for many years.

I remember telling the Catholic News Herald in 2018 that I felt the tide starting to turn toward life. You see, 2018 was a very special year for me. That was the year Room At The Inn was recognized by the president at the White House in a historic speech from the Rose Garden that aired on national television and at the rally before the march began.

I and two of my children, Benedict and Maria, were called to the podium where then-President Trump was speaking as he shared with the world the mission of Room At The Inn and my own unexpected pregnancy at 17 with my eldest son, Benedict. I was fortunate to have the support of my parents during my pregnancy, and I wanted every woman who found herself in a similar situation to know that she could have the support she needs to choose life as I did.

I can see that because I trusted God, He took my scary situation and turned it into what has become my life’s work. And it is incredibly fulfilling work – raising six children with my husband and working to protect the unborn and their mothers. It eventually led to that moment in 2018 as well. To be recognized on a national scale was unfathomable. I never even dreamed of something like that.

A WATERSHED MOMENT

Four and half years passed after my national television debut.

I have been to the National March for Life most years. Sometimes on buses, sometimes in vans, sometimes just driving up in my own car. In the early days, the basilica allowed pilgrims to sleep downstairs after the Vigil Mass the evening before the march. It was a very special experience to be able to take part in Eucharistic Adoration during one of the Holy Hours, then to lie there in the crypt among fellow Catholic pro-lifers listening as everyone prayed the rosary throughout the night.

GROWING PAINS

The march grew and grew over the years. Because of the growing numbers attending the Vigil Mass, chairs for the overflow

socks for myself, my husband and our six kids. Of course, during those times it would be unseasonably warm, and we would have to lug all that extra stuff around with us as we navigated escalators and trains using strollers as carts. It was always worth it.

One thing that really strikes me about the March for Life is the wonderful bond among the thousands of marchers. There is such a feeling of unity for the cause.

People are friendly and helpful, and you really feel an almost familial connection with these strangers.

Over the years, our feeling of hope, and trust that we could make a change in the laws of our land, seemed to grow and then wane. I remember thinking, “If only we can

Then the big news dropped this summer. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. I remember the moment I heard the news. It was June 24, 2022. I had been driving and listening to music when the news first broke, so I didn’t hear about it until I arrived at the home of Albert Hodges, my dear friend and co-worker in the pro-life movement for 35 years. It was so beautiful and fitting that he was the one who told me.

Though the problem of abortion is far from solved, it would be wrong not to celebrate the enormous milestone of overturning the so-called constitutional right to abortion. It is true that there have always been abortions, legal or otherwise, and sadly, they will probably continue to occur no matter what the law says. However, it is important that, as a civilized society, we recognize the dignity of human life and create laws that protect life.

With that said, the most important thing we can do is always welcome new life with love and support, so that every woman feels she can choose life – and have it abundantly.

ANNIE FERGUSON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Marianne Donadio of Room At The Inn and St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem contemplates the arc of the pro-life movement’s efforts at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.

MARCH FOR LIFE

Catholics from across North Carolina join tens of thousands of people from around the country to pray and march for life Jan. 20 in the nation’s capital.

STEVEN SHEPPARD | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Carolina Catholics pray, march for life in nation’s capital

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholics from across North Carolina hopped on planes and buses or loaded up the family car to join tens of thousands of people from around the country to pray and march for life on Jan. 20 in the nation’s capital.

The national March for Life is held annually to coincide with Jan. 22 anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in the United States for 50 years. That decision was overturned last June with the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, returning the power to each state to create laws surrounding abortion.

This year, the 50th annual national March for Life included a rally at the National Mall and a march that went from the National Mall – not to the steps of the Supreme Court building as in past years, but to the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building.

North Carolinians were also encouraged to attend a Mass celebrated by the Charlotte and Raleigh dioceses at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception before the 1 p.m. march.

Raleigh Bishop Luis Zarama was the main celebrant for the North Carolina Mass. Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, was homilist.

During his homily, Monsignor Winslow said, “As Christians, our goal has never been just about overcoming legal hurdles that moves us toward a more just society. Our goal is to convert minds and hearts; to pull aside all the misguided rhetoric so that every man, woman and child would see and reject abortion for what it is … one that hurts society, fathers, mothers and children.”

He emphasized that our goal isn’t to prevent abortion by making it illegal. Rather, “Our goal is to prevent abortion by exposing this ghoulish and dark practice so that it becomes reprehensible to all reasonable people of good will.”

“Today we are especially grateful for God’s many and continued blessings,” he said. “Today we thank God for His help. Today we ask for more. And whatever lies ahead, we are motivated by the words of Mother Teresa: ‘We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful.’”

Glen, a

N.C. Catholics urged to contact legislators to support pro-life legislation

diocese’s Office of Family Life. “I am at the March for Life to pray for my state, where abortion is still legal, and for anyone who needs help,” she said.

“I’m here because I believe life starts at conception and Jesus has given us His life and His love and it’s something to fight for,” explained Emmanuel Arias of St. James the Greater Parish in Concord.

Benedictine Father Elias Correa-Torres, a monk of Belmont Abbey, attended the national march for the first time. He accompanied more than 60 students from Belmont Abbey College.

“This trip is one way of emphasizing to the students the responsibility they have of standing up for important issues in our society, and of being able to communicate their beliefs well in the public square,” Father Elias said.

“And I think this type of trip contributes to the formation of our students, toward becoming informed and active members of society, agents for the common good. It is certainly in conformity with the part of the college’s mission of helping our students lead lives of integrity, become responsible citizens, and be a blessing to themselves and to others,” he added.

Youth from Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury at the march spoke of the need to continue to support a culture of life.

Mary Chaney, a junior in high school, attended the March for Life for the fifth time. “This year, it’s felt especially important to come because we’ve overturned it, but not quite. So, we need to come out here and show we’re still fighting for this, and we still have an opinion on it, we still want to achieve this beautiful end (a culture of life).”

Mary’s mom, Susan Chaney, attended the march for the seventh time. She recalled a couple of pivotal moments over the years.

“I remember the first year we came, I asked my friend, ‘Does this change anything?’ And a few years later, we were walking up Constitution Avenue during the march and I asked Father John (Eckert) if it changes anything. He said, ‘I don’t know, but I know it changes me. It changes us.’ The importance of coming here is the collective witness, but it’s also inside. It’s making that pilgrimage.”

More online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : See more photos from the March for Life D.C.

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Family Life is encouraging Catholics to contact their representatives in the N.C. General Assembly to support the proposal of a “heartbeat bill,” under discussion by Republican leaders, and to expand support for mothers and families.

A “heartbeat bill” would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected (around 6 weeks’ gestation), and an alternative proposal would restrict abortion at 13 weeks’ gestation.

State health data show around 85% of abortions in North Carolina take place before 13 weeks, so a heartbeat bill would save more lives than the alternative, said Father Peter Ascik, director of the Family Life Office.

Related news

ON PAGE 23: Some states pursue abortion protections while pro-life advocates plan for state rallies

“It is vital for Catholics to contact their state legislators and urge them to pass the broadest possible protections for the unborn child and, at the same time, to expand support for mothers and families,” Father Ascik said.

Similar bills have been introduced in state legislatures around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court last summer ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States. Abortion policy decisions have since reverted to states, prompting ballot measures and a flurry of legislative activity around the country.

ON PAGE 27: Father Peter Ascik reflects on the pro-life movement’s new frontier of advocacy

North Carolina allows abortion within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and after 20 weeks in cases of a health emergency. Democratic leaders have said they will work to maintain access to abortion.

Between April and August of 2022, the number of abortions performed in North Carolina increased by 37%, according to a report from the Society of Family Planning, as more women traveled from surrounding states where abortion has become more restricted.

Last spring, Bishop Peter Jugis urged parishes to increase their pro-life advocacy at the state level and to do more to help mothers in need. In particular, he is encouraging Catholics to participate in Walking with Moms in Need, a parish-based outreach program launched nationwide in 2020 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that accompanies women through all stages of pregnancy and in the initial years of parenthood.

— SueAnn Howell

Make your voice heard

At www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators : Enter your full street address (including city) and press “Enter” to find and contact your state legislators, asking them to support a “heartbeat bill” protecting unborn children and to expand support for pregnant and parenting mothers.

Deanna

member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte, rode the bus sponsored by the

PHOTO PROVIDED

Benedictine Father Elias Correa-Torres (above left) and Belmont Abbey College students attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.

Peter Jugis presented a decree Jan. 12 declaring the Daughters of the Virgin Mother a “Private Association of the Christian Faithful,” in the temporary chapel in the Family Life Center at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Founder, Sister Mary Raphael (at right of Bishop Jugis), and the sisters are pictured with him and their spiritual advisor, Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, after Mass.

Religious group takes next step in Church recognition

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — The Daughters of the Virgin Mother, a Gastonia-based group of religious sisters committed to supporting the priesthood and vocations in the Diocese of Charlotte, is one step closer to formal recognition as a religious community of the Catholic Church.

On Jan. 12, the anniversary of the founding of the diocese, Bishop Peter Jugis presented a decree declaring the group a “Private Association of the Christian Faithful,” moving the Daughters along in the Church’s process of becoming a fully recognized religious community.

Bishop Jugis presented the decree to the group’s founder, Sister Mary Raphael of the Divine Physician, at the closing Mass of the diocese’s 50th anniversary year in Charlotte.

Formed in 2015, the Daughters of the Virgin Mother tend to practical and spiritual needs of men preparing for the priesthood, as well as those already ordained. They serve in local parishes, assist pastors, prepare meals, and maintain the household for 21 seminarians and their formation leaders at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly.

The group also helps the diocese’s Vocations Office in organizing the “Duc In Altum” summer vocation discernment camp for young women at Belmont Abbey College. They encourage, advocate and pray for religious vocations throughout the diocese, and they teach and share the faith with young women each month at Belmont Abbey College and St. Ann Parish in Charlotte.

In presenting the decree, Bishop Jugis noted, “After some discernment that it might possibly be the work of the Holy Spirit, we have granted her (Sister Mary Raphael’s) request that they be elevated to the next level, a Private Association of the Faithful, that grants special recognition in canon law.”

Bishop Jugis commended Sister Mary Raphael for discerning the will of the Holy Spirit in everything related to the group’s work, and he noted that other women have been attracted to that same mission.

“It’s been an experiment – you feel that. We knew we were in the experimental

Special Mass to honor religious brothers and sisters, jubilarians

CHARLOTTE — All are invited to come out and say “thank you” to all the consecrated men and women who serve in the diocese during the annual Mass for World Day for Consecrated Life. Bishop Peter Jugis will offer the Mass at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte.

Established by then-Pope John Paul II in 1997, this annual celebration is held in conjunction with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas Day, commemorating the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles. Similarly, consecrated men and women are called to spread the light and love of Jesus Christ through their unique witness of selfless service.

The World Day for Consecrated Life was celebrated by the universal Church on Feb. 2, and parishes across the diocese will celebrate over the weekend of Feb. 4-5 in order to highlight the work and legacy of consecrated men and women in the western half of North Carolina.

stage,” Sister Mary Raphael said. “Receiving the decree from the bishop, it felt like our father was saying, ‘I give you my blessing’ and the Church looks upon this now. She recognizes his daughters.”

The Daughters of the Virgin Mother have eight women in various stages of formation: one postulant, two novices and four who have taken temporary vows. Only Sister Mary Raphael has made final vows, giving her life in service to the Church as a Daughter of the Virgin Mother.

“The distinctive mission of the Daughters of the Virgin Mother…is to actively serve Christ the High Priest through His ordained priests, and those aspiring to it, by assisting in their spiritual and practical needs with an evangelical availability animated by a life of contemplative prayer in the image of Our Lady,” Sister Mary Raphael said.

Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary, serves as the Daughters’ spiritual advisor. He applauds the “joyful, balanced atmosphere that is created by the presence of the sisters” amid the flourishing seminarian program. With its membership increasing, the Daughters of the Virgin Mother has outgrown its Loreto Convent in Gastonia, prompting the purchase of a second property in Belmont, called the Bethany Convent. Renovations are under way so that all of the members can live in community under one roof.

The Daughters’ growth, the bishop’s decree and the future convent have inspired the sisters to pray even more fervently for the diocese and for an increase in priestly and religious vocations, Sister Mary Raphael said.

As for the next step – petitioning Rome to become a religious community – that is up to the Holy Spirit, she said, and not on any specific timeline. “I will be docile to the Holy Spirit. I will be patient, always working in collaboration with our bishop, listening to his advice.”

Learn more

At www.daughtersofthevirginmother.com : Find out more about the Daughters of the Virgin Mother and their work

Bishop Jugis also will recognize consecrated men and women who are celebrating milestone, or “jubilee,” anniversaries in 2023. Jubilarians this year include Trappist Sister Genevieve Durcan (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) and Franciscan Sister Jane Russell (Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis), who are both celebrating 60 years of professed religious life.

— SueAnn Howell

Prayer for religious brothers and sisters in the diocese

For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits. Amen.

Monk professes solemn vows

BELMONT — On Jan. 14, the monastic community of Belmont Abbey celebrated the profession of solemn vows (also known as final vows) by Brother Bede McKeon. The celebration occurred during the regular 11 a.m. daily Mass at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. The Mass was open to the local community of Belmont and the community of Belmont Abbey College. Brother Bede was accompanied by his mother, father and brother, who participated in the Mass as lectors and gift bearers. Abbot Placid Solari concelebrated the Mass alongside 13 priests who joined the community to witness the monk’s profession of vows and entrance into the community. Brother Bede now joins the monks at Belmont Abbey as a full member of the Benedictine order and will take on the duties that come with the vocation to consecrated life. He is pictured above laying prostrate before the altar, part of the rite of profession.

TROY HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUAN MALAGON CASTANON

Dorothy Day challenges us to ‘do the work’ of Jesus, her granddaughter says

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Fierce. Heroic. Provocative. Pious. Granny.

These are just some of the words Kate Hennessy uses to describe her late grandmother, Dorothy Day – Catholic activist, journalist and Catholic Worker Movement cofounder.

Hennessy delivered St. Peter Parish’s 23rd annual Kennedy Lecture Jan. 28, speaking via Zoom from her home in Ireland to an audience of over 120 people. She shared personal memories of growing up with Day, working alongside her and other family members at the Catholic Worker farm in upstate New York and the Catholic Worker house in New York City.

Day died in 1980, when Hennessy was 20, yet her grandmother’s Catholic witness remains alive.

“When you encountered Dorothy Day, you spent the rest of your life wondering what just hit you,” Hennessy said.

lived a bohemian lifestyle and became a radical activist – campaigning for women’s suffrage and against World War I, befriending anarchists and communists, going on hunger strikes and being thrown into jail.

Then in her 20s, Day had a “physically brutal” abortion in a futile attempt to save a relationship, and she feared she was sterile.

So Day saw this new pregnancy as a miracle and didn’t want to squander it, Hennessy said. “She wanted to live a life that was full of meaning, that was sacramental.”

While pregnant, Day began exploring Catholicism and attending Mass. Tamar was born in 1926, and the next year she had Tamar baptized. Day followed suit in 1928. Day’s newfound Catholic faith and the teachings of Jesus became the anchor of her life’s work.

That work included opening soup kitchens and farms in New York to feed the growing number of poor during the Depression, protesting wars, lambasting Nazism and antisemitism, marching for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., picketing for farm workers’ rights with Cesar Chavez, and opposing nuclear weapons. She also kept up a furious pace of writing.

“Prayer, the sacraments and the works of mercy fueled her,” Hennessy said.

DAY AND SAINTHOOD

After the U.S. bishops’ enthusiastic endorsement in 2012, the Vatican is considering Day for sainthood. Pope Benedict XVI has cited her as “a model of conversion,” and Pope Francis has praised her “passion for justice.”

Day herself disdained being called a saint, famously remarking, “Do not call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.”

Hennessy said Day adored the saints, especially St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Avila. But being labeled a saint puts someone on a pedestal –out of reach and avoidable.

“Don’t put me up there and walk away,” Hennessy said Day would insist. “For us to honor her, we cannot dismiss her. We really have to be brave. We have to look inwards: who are we and what is our work?”

DAY, BEAUTY AND LOVE

Anti-human trafficking event set for Feb. 8

CHARLOTTE — Modern-day slavery is a chronic problem in North Carolina, and this month Catholics are being urged to learn more about how to help fight it.

Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world. According to the United Nations, nearly 40.3 million people are victims of modern slavery, of whom 24.9 million are trapped in forced labor and sexual slavery and 15.4 million subjected to forced marriage. In the U.S., about 20,000 women and children are coerced into exploitative labor or sex work each year.

North Carolina public safety data consistently ranks the state among the top 10 states for human trafficking. More than 250 cases of human trafficking in the state were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2022 – but many more cases go unreported, state officials say.

The Nine Provocations of Dorothy Day

1. Make yourself deeply uncomfortable.

2. Follow your conscience. Listen to that still, small voice within.

3. Find your vocation. You will know your vocation by the joy it brings you.

4. Face your fears.

5. Make friends with failure. We all fail, but we have to persevere. Perseverance is one of the greatest virtues.

6. Open yourself up to beauty. Let it transform you.

7. Don’t do it alone. Create a community through love.

8. Take delight in the humorous. Laugh at yourself.

9. Pray – abundantly, extravagantly, and in any way you can.

“She was so powerful,” Hennessy recalled, but not in a political sense. “Her power really was the power of presence, it’s the power of authenticity. What you saw was who she was.”

Day stood nearly 6 feet tall, with piercing blue eyes and a no-nonsense attitude, Hennessy said.

“She was provocative, she could really challenge people,” Hennessy said, listing what she calls the “Nine Provocations of Dorothy Day.”

“If she’s not scaring the bejeezus out of you, then you’re not listening to her.”

DAY’S CONVERSION AND VOCATION

Day converted to Catholicism shortly after the birth of her daughter Tamar, Hennessy’s mother.

Day had grown up nominally Christian and became an Episcopalian as a teenager, but as a young adult

Day introduced Hennessy to one of her favorite writers, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky’s words “the world will be saved by beauty” was one of Day’s favorite quotes, and Hennessy made it the title of her 2017 biography of Day. Day loved literature, art and music, especially opera, Hennessy said, with a childlike joy. Even in her work amid dire poverty and injustice, “Granny had a very heightened sense of finding beauty wherever she could.”

“Beauty is the language of God, it is the language of Love, it is what opens our hearts,” Hennessy said. “When we open our hearts to it – when we allow it in fully, without protecting ourselves – we will be transformed.”

Day was called – and calls us – “to see people as they really are, as God sees them.”

“We are saved by beauty every day, but we’re just not paying attention,” Hennessy said.

“This way of perceiving the world fully engaged –not judgmental, not rejecting – this was something my grandmother was able to do, even up to her death.”

Asked how people should view her lasting legacy, Hennessy said Day would reply, “Stop it. Look to yourselves. Do the work.”

“Respond to the need at hand,” Hennessy said. “One of her favorite questions was: ‘What can we do in the here and now?’” – especially in the face of seemingly insurmountable problems.

Visit people in prisons, hospitals and migrant labor camps. Feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, Hennessy said. “Find what moves you.”

More online

At www.stpeterscatholic.org/kennedy-lecture : Watch the recorded 2023 Kennedy Lecture, hosted by St. Peter Parish and sponsored by Thomas and Richard Kennedy in memory of their parents, Keith and Joan Kennedy

Learn more

At www.ccdoc.org/education

Get more details about the Feb. 8 anti-human trafficking event in Lenoir At www.ccdoc.org/humantrafficking : Find more information, resources and how to get involved with anti-trafficking organizations

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte is highlighting this issue at a free program on Wednesday, Feb. 8 – the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of trafficking victims. People are encouraged to come and pray and learn more about how to spot the signs of human trafficking in our community.

It will be held 6:15-7:15 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, located at 328-B Woodsway Lane N.W. in Lenoir. The event will include a bilingual prayer service to pray for victims of human trafficking, followed by an information session to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking.

It is being sponsored by Catholic Charities’ Human Trafficking Awareness Committee and St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Committee emphasizes that human trafficking is often right in front of us: in massage parlors, nail salons, construction sites and in the hospitality industry. It’s also found behind the scenes, on farms and in factories where our favorite goods and products come from. It is present online, where vulnerable women and children are targeted, groomed and exploited by the pornography industry. Working toward eliminating human trafficking is a top priority for the Catholic Church. Catholic social teaching proclaims the dignity of every human person and the sanctity of all human life.

Pope Francis has said, “Modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, and organ trafficking, is a crime against humanity. Its victims are from all walks of life but are most frequently among the poorest and most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.”

— Catholic News Herald

Report trafficking hotline

Suspect an incident of human trafficking or need help for a potential victim? Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Who was St. Josephine Bakhita?

Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy. Once Josephine was freed, she became a Canossian nun and dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. She was declared a saint in 2000. Her feast day, Feb. 8, is now also celebrated as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.

Bakhita

A portrait of Dorothy Day in 1969 by Richard Avedon. In her 70s at this time, Day remained a vocal social activist and campaigner. The same year this photo was taken, she joined Cesar Chavez and picketing farm workers in California, where she had to jump to avoid a speeding car swerving in her direction.

Hennessy

Our schools Tradition and excellence

Diocese of Charlotte celebrates Catholic Schools Week

ANNIE FERGUSON arferguson@charlottediocese.org

For one week each winter, spirit-filled students in Catholic schools across the country take a break from the everyday to celebrate the unique educational gifts offered at their schools.

Bishop Peter Jugis illustrated some of these gifts in a video message shared with students across the Diocese of Charlotte.

“We’re growing,” he said. “The Diocese of Charlotte now has nearly 8,000 students and 800 teachers and staff at 20 Catholic schools. We are united in one mission: to pursue excellence in all that we do, forming students to be disciples of Jesus who exemplify the virtues of faith, hope and charity.”

Bishop Jugis lauded the students’ service to the community, especially during the 50th anniversary of the diocese in 2022.

“From organizing food drives, to cleaning up parks, to collecting comfort items for people experiencing homelessness, your efforts made the anniversary very special, and illustrate why we are one of the fastest growing Catholic school systems in the nation. Our schools offer a rigorous, fully accredited education that develops the whole child and prepares students for success.”

For nearly 50 years, Catholic Schools Week, organized by the National Catholic Education Association, has provided an opportunity to showcase the positive impact Catholic schools have in the lives of students, families and their local communities. This year’s national theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

Festivities for schools in the Diocese of Charlotte included special school Masses, community service projects, open houses, and days honoring the nation, those with religious vocations, service men and woman, teachers and parents.

Other spirit-building activities and traditions abound, including the wellloved faculty vs. student volleyball and basketball games.

More online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : Find more coverage of Catholic Schools Week, including many more photos and videos

STUDENT-FACULTY MATCHUPS

Charlotte Catholic High School held their faculty-student basketball game Feb. 3, and Christ the King High School in Huntersville is hosting a faculty-student volleyball game. Other games will be hosted at various Catholic elementary and middle schools.

Basketball is especially competitive at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, and Catholic Schools Week has a special way of bringing out the fun for the entire school.

Faculty members and students sign up to play against each other in a 30-minute game with a running clock. Members of the school’s basketball teams are barred from

playing in the faculty-student game and instead serve as referees and coaches.

The game was an exciting finale to the fun-filled week, with students and faculty packed into the gym on Friday, Feb. 3, the last day of Catholic Schools Week.

Bishop McGuinness Senior Class President Tate Chappell said she looked forward to seeing athletic trainer Brittany Price, play in their faculty-student basketball game.

“I know how much she loved it in high school,” Chappell explained. “As a basketball player for Bishop McGuinness, I love watching students and teachers playing the game I love, while most importantly having fun with it.”

Organized by Student Council Moderator and history teacher, Lee Coble, the game is highly anticipated among students as they are not allowed to play until their senior year. The student roster is capped at 15 due to overwhelming interest in facing their teachers on the court.

The faculty members are slightly less enthused.

“We usually have a pretty good turnout faculty-wise with somewhere between six and 10,” Coble said. “A lot of people will say they’ll only play in emergency situations.”

The game typically features a half-time performance from the cheerleaders and the crowd doing the “roller coaster” in the stands. Coble said there are usually some “shenanigans with scoring” and a lot of humor from students commenting during the game with the mics.

Throughout the week leading up to the game, a fair amount of “trash talk” between the students and teachers circulated through the halls – all in good fun, of course.

Before the big game, Ryan Porter, a senior, said he was looking forward to “dunking on my history teacher.” He added, “I am so

blessed to be in an environment where we can have this fun event.”

There’s also a bit of a myth about Coble scoring 50 points in one of the past games.

“I enjoy watching the teachers try to hoop. I am looking forward to dropping 50 on Mr. Coble’s head,” Senior Riggs Handy said with a good-natured laugh. “Mr. Coble can’t guard me.”

Sofia Wolff, Student Council executive treasurer and a cross country and track athlete added, “I love when the superintendent [Dr. Gregory Monroe] plays in the game because he’s a great basketball player, and the students are always surprised. I look forward to seeing what hidden skills the teachers have when they’re playing basketball. It’s always shocking.”

(Left) Students at Immaculate Heart of Mary School greet parishioners before Sunday Mass Jan. 29 to kick off Catholic Schools Week.

(Below) Our Lady of Grace students serve donuts to parishioners after Sunday Mass Jan. 29. St. Matthew School students write notes to military personnel and seniors in local nursing homes on Jan. 30.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

TROY HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Students celebrate and dress up for career day at St. Gabriel School in Charlotte.

TROY HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Above, from left) St. Mark students pray the rosary to kick off Catholic Schools week. St. Michael students show love for their school with a decorated bulletin board. Charlotte Catholic students pray the rosary.

(From left) St. Patrick students assemble snack bags for Charlotte Rescue Mission. Our Lady of Mercy students honor Scouts and all those who serve the WinstonSalem community. Christ the King High School students show their appreciation to parents during the morning carpool. Denise Hallet of Sacred Heart’s School Leadership Council and Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander pose with SGA/Student Body President Maya Villalobos, who accepted a signed declaration on behalf of the school from Alexander to kick off Catholic Schools Week at Sacred Heart School Jan. 30.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CHRIST THE KING, OUR LADY OF MERCY, SACRED HEART AND ST. PATRICK SCHOOLS

(Right) Students at Our Lady of Assumption School in Charlotte write cards of gratitude to service men and women.

TROY HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Father John Putnam, chaplain of Christ the King High School, and Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools, cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony Jan. 19 for the Fulford Athletic & Activity Center. The 21,800-square-foot facility includes a full-sized court and two cross courts in the gymnasium, expanded seating for more than 720 spectators, men’s and women’s locker rooms for home and visiting teams, and performing arts space.

TROY HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Power and promise of Catholic education’ play out in new Fulford Athletic & Activity Complex

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

HUNTERSVILLE — The joy was palpable as hundreds of Christ the King High School students and staff excitedly filed into the new Fulford Athletic & Activity Complex Jan. 19 for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing.

They were joined in the gymnasium featuring royal blue bleachers by dozens of family members, donors and clergy to mark the blessing of the 21,800-squarefoot building. It includes a full-sized court and two cross courts in the gymnasium, expanded seating for more than 720 spectators, men’s and women’s locker rooms for home and visiting teams, and athletic director’s and trainers’ offices.

“This is such a wonderful day for Christ the King,” said Principal Dr. Carl Semmler. “What could be better than opening this palatial gathering space, which will bring together athletes, fans, worshippers, musicians, thespians and families?”

Father John Putnam, school chaplain and pastor of St. Mark Church in Huntersville, conducted the blessing and ribbon cutting on behalf of Bishop Peter Jugis, who was unable to attend.

He commented that the creation of the high school over these many years, and now the new multipurpose facility, “shows how willingness, and patience and obedience to God can bring about something that is tremendous and something that can be a blessing for years and years to come.”

This $6.4 million project is the second major expansion in the high school’s 12-year history. Donors gave generously to help make the dream of this facility a reality.

The facility’s namesakes, George and Pattie Fulford, knew the value of a Catholic education growing up in Virginia, and they felt compelled to help Bishop Jugis and the Catholic Schools Office build both the high school and the original gymnasium addition.

“We are so pleased that the enrollment

has grown so much that a larger facility was needed for athletics and other activities,” Pattie Fulford said. “We think the new Fulford Athletic & Activity Complex is wonderful, and we’re proud to be part of the growth for all students at Christ the King.”

Athletic Director Markus Duckworth believes the new complex will take the school’s athletic program to the next level. “It gives us more space for our athletes to work out, it allows our coaches to run more efficient practices, and it makes the game day experience much more enjoyable for our fans. Because of this, I believe we will see our teams reach new heights and continue to compete at a very high level,” he said.

Senior Will Zuhosky, a member of the basketball team, is in awe of the new facility. “The new gym is jaw dropping. It brings out a whole new level of excitement and enthusiasm from the community and it’s fulfilling to see all of the hard work put in by so many different people finally come to fruition. Christ The King is a special community filled with generous and determined families, and this beautiful

gym shows that.”

Brooke Lamp added, “As a student and a cheerleader, it has been an amazing experience to be able to come together with the community in our own new gym. It feels like an incredible fresh start with all the benefits of our new facilities, and I am looking forward to continuing to make memories in the new gym.”

The gymnasium is also home to a fullsize stage with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems for student performances and school-wide events.

“Having this performance space means everything to the drama students,” said Sarah Varricio, a member of the language arts staff who assists with theatrical performances. “Up until now, we have had to rehearse in the hallways, cafeteria and common areas, as well as rent a performance space. Now they have a proper stage, and already I can see how proud they are.”

Julie Caperton, a parent, donor and member of the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Board, offered a few remarks during the presentations. “Dr. Semmler said that all of this is for all of you, our students, our Crusaders, but really it is much bigger than that. What all of this is for is the future Crusaders who will be in this building, in this gym. That will go on for decades,” she said.

Caperton told current students she hoped they would send their children and grandchildren to this school. “That is really what we felt (would happen by building the facility). It’s the power and the promise of a Catholic education for generations to come.”

More photos online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com : Check out more photos from the ribbon-cutting and dedication event

Arts & entertainment Sinner and sage

Despite troubled life, Caravaggio mastered spiritual meanings

CAROL GLATZ Catholic News Service

Considered one of Caravaggio’s best masterpieces, “The Entombment of Christ” was confiscated by the French for their newly opened Louvre Museum as Napoleon swept down the Italian peninsula in the late 18th century.

The painting was one of more than 100 works of art Pope Pius VI was forced to give up as part of a peace treaty between Revolutionary France and the Papal States in 1797.

However, when the masterpiece was returned in 1816, it did not end up back in its original home: a side chapel in the Oratorians’ Santa Maria in Vallicella Church, also known as “Chiesa Nuova,” in Rome. Pope Pius VII instead put it safely in his picture gallery, where it can be admired today as part of the Vatican Museums’ vast collection. While the canvas, which measures 10 feet by 6.6 feet, survived the plunder, its deeper meaning and function as an altarpiece is usually lost on most visitors. As Quatremère de Quincy, a French architect who fiercely opposed taking art away from Italy, warned in 1796: “Eradicating the context in which a work was created irreparably impairs its legibility.”

To explain how to read Caravaggio’s piece “in situ,” the Oratorians invited Alessandro Zuccari, a leading expert on Caravaggio and professor of art history at Rome’s La Sapienza University, to give a lecture at their church on Jan. 24.

The massive oil painting was commissioned to decorate the wall above the altar in a chapel of the church. Completed in 1603, the work shows Nicodemus and the apostle John struggling with the heavy, lifeless body of Jesus to place him on an anointing stone and prepare his body for the entombment.

Caravaggio used Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica for inspiration, Zuccari said, and created a similarly striking form of Jesus draped helplessly in someone’s arms and included a similar hand holding him up, gripping his flesh by the wound on his side. It was also a nod to his namesake, he said. Born Michelangelo Merisi, Caravaggio wanted to be the Michelangelo Buonarroti “of the new century” and “emulate and outdo the great masters” with his new style.

In Caravaggio’s Entombment, three women are looking on with their own personal expression of grief and different gestures of prayer: the Blessed Virgin Mary

extends her arms wide like a cross, Mary Magdalene bows her head and Mary, the wife of Clopas, throws her arms up and gazes toward the heavens.

Bathed in bright light, the crucified Jesus is the painting’s focal point, but his finger is firmly touching the anointing stone below with its sharp cornerstone edge glinting in the light and jutting out toward the viewer, Zuccari said. It is the prophetic sign of victory over death in Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

However, when the painting can be seen at the altar during Mass, the genius of Caravaggio’s composition truly comes through, Zuccari said. A copy of Caravaggio’s Entombment was put above the altar in 1797. The copy “is not exactly the best,” he said, “but it is at least useful” for

getting an idea.

Father Maurizio Botta, an Oratorian priest at the parish, demonstrated the effect for Catholic News Service Jan. 25. The painting’s cornerstone falls precisely at the center of the altar where the priest stands.

When the priest elevates the host, it appears as if he is reaching up to receive the body on the wall and suddenly, for the congregants kneeling, Nicodemus’ eyeline is focused on the host, not the viewer – both critical cues for the faithful to understand the moment.

Father Botta explained he does the same demonstration during catechism classes to show the children “the relationship between Christ’s body and him alive in the Eucharist.”

Oratorian Father Simone Raponi, the organizer of the lecture with Zuccari, told Vatican Radio that Caravaggio really understood “the modern sense of spirituality” promoted by the Oratorian’s founder St. Philip Neri. So much attention has been given to Caravaggio’s “difficult” personality and behavior, that his reputation as “the cursed artist” or as an anti-conformist further risks “removing Caravaggio from the real authentic (artistic, spiritual and cultural) context in which his work emerges and matures,” he said Jan. 20.

“In my opinion, he understood the meaning of modern spirituality: the divine can be glimpsed in reality” and not sought out in the abstract and what is beyond this world, he said.

Caravaggio was very close to and collaborated with members of the Oratorians while in Rome, he said, and understood the order’s charism.

It is not known whether Caravaggio ever met St. Philip, who died in 1595, Father Raponi said, but there is a legendary exchange between the two, which, whether it actually occurred or not, offers a life lesson.

He said, “St. Philip tells Caravaggio: ‘I see two wolves inside of you, one fighting the other, trying to tear each other apart.’ And the painter asks: ‘Which one will win?’ St. Philip responds, ‘The one you feed more.’”

St. Philip saw faith as something that had to come from within as an intimate relationship with God and to grow by “nourishing the soul,” he said.

“So, these lights and shadows that you somehow find in Caravaggio’s paintings, these two wolves, perhaps, that struggle, St. Philip teaches that the nourishment should be given to the light in Caravaggio’s life and in our lives,” he said.

“Get your ducks in a row!”

CNS | CAROL GLATZ

A copy of Caravaggio’s “The Entombment of Christ” is displayed Jan. 25 in Rome’s Santa Maria in Vallicella Church. The original, which is now in the Vatican Museums, was painted by Caravaggio in 1603 to be an altarpiece at the chapel of the Pieta at the church.

The 2023 DSA: A call to change lives

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Following Christ’s example of serving the needs of others, and how we can assist them through acts of charity, is at the heart of this year’s Diocesan Support Appeal that kicks off the weekend of Feb. 4-5.

The theme for the 2023 campaign, “To Serve is to Love,” is inspired by Philippians 2:5-9. This Scripture passage speaks of Christ’s humility and His gift of self for all of humanity.

“We are called to follow Christ’s example of humbly regarding others as more important than ourselves and to serve one another with love and compassion,” Bishop Peter Jugis said in his appeal letter to parishioners.

The DSA campaign supports more than 50 ministries and programs throughout western North Carolina. Programs include the seminarian formation program, which has seen enrollment triple over the past six years, and the Campus Ministry program, which impacts Catholic students at 18 local colleges and universities as they deepen their faith.

OFFICES AND MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY THE DSA

Where does your money go?

purpose of the Diocesan

Support

The DSA campaign also significantly funds the vital work of Catholic Charities, which served more than 18,700 people last year with emergency aid, counseling, housing support and more.

In addition, the DSA supports multicultural ministries, the permanent diaconate, the annual Eucharistic Congress and the diocese’s Office of Family Life, which includes marriage preparation, natural family planning and Respect Life ministry.

Last year, parishioners contributed more than $6.3 million – exceeding the campaign’s goal.

This year’s DSA goal totals $6,526,380, with each parish and mission pursuing a goal based on its offertory collections.

Parishes that exceed their goal receive a rebate for 100 percent of the additional funds collected. Parishes that fall short of their goal make up the difference from their operating budgets.

Since 1987, parishioners have invested nearly $136 million to the Church’s mission of charity and pastoral care, changing the lives of over 1 million people.

“I ask you to prayerfully consider making a financial contribution to the 2023 DSA and support these ministries that serve our growing community in so many remarkable ways,” Bishop Jugis concluded in his letter. “As always, we give thanks to God for His love and mercy, which inspire us to serve our brothers and sisters in need.”

30% EDUCATION Campus Ministry Catholic Schools Office Young Adult Ministry Youth Ministry Faith Formation Office: Catechetical Certification Diocesan Catechetical Conference In-Services RCIA Special Needs Resource Group Totus Tuus 7% OTHER Eucharistic Congress Office of Family Life: Marriage Preparation Natural Family Planning Respect Life 30% CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE Burial Assistance Case Management Disaster Relief Elder Ministry Food Pantries Housing Permanency Services Legal Immigration Services Mental Health Counseling Pregnancy Support & Adoption Refugee Services Social Concerns & Advocacy Stay the Course Supportive Services for Veteran Families Transition Out of Poverty Wee Care Shoppes Youth Empowerment Opportunity Program 14% MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES African American Affairs Ministry Hispanic Ministries 7% DSA CAMPAIGN COSTS 12% VOCATIONS Permanent Diaconate Seminarian Education NOTE: THIS INFORMATION REFLECTS PROJECTED 2023 DSA FUNDING FOR $6.5 MILLION WHICH IS ALLOCATED TO THESE OFFICES AND MINISTRIES.

How to support the DSA

PLEDGE: Make a pledge in response to a mailing you receive or in-pew appeal at your local parish. An individual DSA pledge may be paid in up to 10 installments by EFT, credit card or check. Pledging allows you to make a greater gift over time. You will receive monthly reminder statements in the mail or by email until your pledge is paid, or until Dec 31, 2023

DONATE ONLINE: Donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa, either with a one-time gift or set up a pledge with monthly gift payments via credit or debit card. (If you give online, please do not complete a pledge envelope at your local parish. This could result in having two gift records.)

SCAN TO DONATE: Scan the QR code on this page to donate securely online.

payable the

the

years request

director email

payable to the “DSA” and note the name of your parish in the memo line of check. Do not send cash through the mail.

STOCK DONATION: Make a donation of publicly traded securities and receive tax benefits for giving appreciated stock. Instructions are online at www.charlottediocese.org/ways-to-give.

CONTRIBUTION: For donors over 70 1/2 years of age, contact your financial advisor to request a charitable distribution from your IRA.

INQUIRIES: Contact David Walsh, associate director of development, at 704-370-3302 or email dvwalsh@rcdoc.org

Campaña DSA 2023: Un llamado a cambiar vidas

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Seguir el ejemplo de Cristo de atender las necesidades de los demás, y cómo podemos ayudarlos a través de actos de caridad, es el corazón de la Campaña de apoyo diocesano de este año que comienza el fin de semana del 4 y 5 de febrero.

El tema de la campaña 2023, “Servir es amar”, está inspirado en la Carta de San Pablo a los Filipenses 2: 5-9. Este pasaje de la Escritura habla de la humildad de Cristo y de su don de sí mismo por toda la humanidad.

“Estamos llamados a seguir el ejemplo de Cristo de considerar humildemente a los demás como más importantes que nosotros mismos y a servirnos unos a otros con amor y compasión”, dijo el Obispo Peter Jugis en una carta a los fieles.

La campaña DSA apoya a más de 50 ministerios y programas en toda la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Vea online

Los programas incluyen el programa de formación de seminaristas, que ha triplicado la inscripción en los últimos seis años, y el programa de Ministerio Universitario, que impacta a los estudiantes católicos en 18 colegios y universidades locales a medida que profundizan su fe.

En www.youtube.com/ dioceseofcharlotte : Vea el video del 2023 DSA

La campaña DSA también financia significativamente el trabajo vital de Caridades Católicas, que sirvió a más de 18,700 personas el año pasado con ayuda de emergencias, asesoramiento, apoyo de vivienda y más.

Además, el DSA apoya los ministerios multiculturales, el programa de diaconado permanente, el Congreso Eucarístico anual y la Oficina de Vida Familiar de la diócesis que incluye la preparación matrimonial, la planificación natural y el ministerio de Respeto a la Vida.

El año pasado, los feligreses recaudaron más de $6.3 millones, superando la meta de la campaña.

La campaña de DSA de este año totaliza $6,526,380, y cada parroquia y misión tiene una meta determinada en base a su colecta de ofertorios.

Las parroquias que superan su meta en donaciones reciben un reembolso del 100 por ciento de los fondos adicionales recaudados. Las parroquias que no alcanzan su meta en donaciones por parte de los feligreses compensan el déficit por medio de sus presupuestos operativos.

Desde 1987, los feligreses han invertido casi $136 millones en la misión de caridad y cuidado pastoral de la Iglesia, cambiando la vida de más de un millón de personas.

“Les pido que, en oración, consideren hacer una contribución financiera al DSA 2023 y apoyen estos ministerios que sirven a nuestra creciente comunidad de muchas maneras”. El obispo concluyó en su carta, “Como siempre, damos gracias a Dios por su amor y misericordia, que nos inspiran a servir a nuestros hermanos y hermanas en necesidad”.

Padre Julio Domínguez

Carta a los feligreses

Queridos hermanos, con gozo y alegría hemos pasado las fiestas navideñas con todos los eventos que durante este tiempo celebramos. De corazón deseo que el tiempo de Navidad haya traído muchas bendiciones para ustedes, como lo es la alegría y la paz en sus hogares y personalmente en sus vidas.

Hemos comenzado ya el tiempo Ordinario y al parecer todo vuelve a la rutina diaria del trabajo, escuela, y vida de familia. Sin embargo, quiero invitarlos a que este tiempo lo hagamos extraordinario, y eso lo lograremos cuando intencionalmente vayamos viendo todas las gracias que el Señor nos va dando en nuestras vidas.

Como ustedes saben, hemos terminado la celebración del 50 Aniversario de nuestra diócesis. Y con todas las celebraciones de este año de gracia, ahora toca preguntarnos, ¿hacia dónde nos queremos dirigir como familia diocesana? Durante el año de gracia también tuvimos la oportunidad de participar en el Sínodo que el Santo Padre pidió a nivel universal y muchos de ustedes tuvieron la gracia de aportar su opinión de lo que esperaban como diócesis para ser una mejor Iglesia, en la cual se viva en Cristo y se revitalice la fragancia de Cristo en todos los sectores en que la Iglesia actúa.

Tenemos que recordar también que nuestro obispos nos invitaron a comenzar el proceso de reavivamiento de la santa devoción a la Eucaristía, y que, siendo una diócesis tan eucarística, queremos participar plenamente con nuestro obispos y sacerdotes y salir al encuentro, invitación y motivación de cientos de hermanos que aún no han experimentado lo que es el don de la Eucaristía.

En estos domingos que hemos pasado del tiempo Ordinario, hemos visto como Jesús bajó para ser bautizado por San Juan, y después de que fue reconocido como el Cordero de Dios que quita el pecado del mundo, y de haber escuchado esa dulce voz del Padre que confirmó que era su Hijo amado, Jesús se lanzó a su misión, invitando a todos los hombres y mujeres a la conversión. De este mismo modo, la Iglesia universal hace un llamado a todos sus hijos a que no dejen que la rutina diaria les adormezca el sentido de discipulado, sino más bien que lo ordinario lo vuelvan extraordinario en el celo apostólico y entusiasmo de proclamar de una manera nueva, con el testimonio de vida, con nuestras palabras, con nuestra profunda devoción y vida de fe, que Jesucristo sigue en medio de nosotros y con nosotros, invitando a miles de almas a buscar su salvación y encontrarla en la fuente de vida que es Cristo, nuestro Señor.

El tiempo ordinario nos indica que no todo es fiesta, sino que tenemos que ponernos en acción. Invito a todos los agentes y lideres parroquiales, a los grupos y movimientos eclesiales a darse cuenta de la necesidad que tenemos de la evangelización y formación. Ojalá que este año que comenzamos sea de mucho fruto espiritual, en el cual crezcamos en nuestra devoción al Santísimo Sacramento y en nuestra participación en la misión constante y continua de la Santa Iglesia Católica.

¡Bendiciones en este nuevo año!

EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ es Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Católicos de Carolina del Norte oraron y marcharon por la vida en la capital de la nación

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Católicos de Carolina del Norte viajaron en aviones, autobuses y automóviles familiares uniéndose a decenas de miles de personas de todo el país para orar y marchar por la vida el 20 de enero en la capital de la nación

La Marcha Nacional por la Vida se lleva a cabo cada 22 de enero, coincidiendo con el aniversario de la decisión de la Corte Suprema Roe vs Wade de 1973 que legalizó el aborto en los Estados Unidos durante 50 años. Esta fue revocada en junio pasado con la decisión de la corte en Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization, devolviendo el poder a cada estado para crear leyes sobre el aborto.

Este año, la 50 Marcha Nacional por la Vida incluyó un mitin en el National Mall y una marcha que fue desde el National Mall, no hasta los escalones del edificio de la Corte Suprema como en años anteriores, sino hasta los escalones del edificio del Capitolio de los Estados Unidos.

También se alentó a los habitantes de Carolina del Norte a asistir a una Misa celebrada por las diócesis de Charlotte y Raleigh en la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción, antes de la marcha programada a la 1 de la tarde.

El Obispo de Raleigh, Luis Zarama, fue el celebrante

principal de la Misa de Carolina del Norte. Monseñor Patrick Winslow, vicario general y canciller de la Diócesis de Charlotte, fue el homilista.

Durante su homilía, Monseñor Winslow dijo que, “como cristianos, nuestro objetivo nunca ha sido solo superar los obstáculos legales que nos mueven hacia una sociedad más justa. Nuestro objetivo es convertir mentes y corazones; dejar de lado toda la retórica equivocada para que cada hombre, mujer y niño vea y rechace el aborto por lo que es... un acto que perjudica a la sociedad, a los padres, a las madres y a los niños”.

Enfatizó que nuestro objetivo no es prevenir el aborto haciéndolo ilegal. Más bien, “nuestro objetivo es prevenir el aborto exponiendo esta práctica macabra y oscura para que se vuelva reprensible para todas las personas razonables de buena voluntad”.

“Hoy estamos especialmente agradecidos por las muchas y continuas bendiciones de Dios”, dijo. “Hoy damos gracias a Dios por su ayuda. Hoy pedimos más. Y lo que sea que nos espera, estamos motivados por las palabras de la Madre Teresa: ‘no estamos llamados a tener éxito, estamos llamados a ser fieles’”.

Deanna Glen, miembro de la parroquia Santo Tomás de Aquino en Charlotte, viajó en el autobús patrocinado por LA VIDA, PASA A LA PÁGINA 17

STEVEN SHEPPARD | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Católicos de todo Carolina del Norte se unieron a decenas de miles de personas de todo el país para rezar y marchar por la vida el 20 de enero en la capital del país.

FOTOS DE CORTESÍA

El padre benedictino Elias Correa-Torres (arriba a la izquierda) y los estudiantes de Belmont Abbey College asisten a la Marcha por la Vida en Washington, D.C., el 20 de enero.

Misa Especial para honrar a las hermanas

y hermanos religiosos

CHARLOTTE — Todos están invitados a expresar su gratitud a la totalidad de mujeres y hombres consagrados que sirven en la Diócesis de Charlotte, durante la Misa anual del Día Mundial de la Vida Consagrada. El Obispo Peter Jugis ofrecerá la misa especial a las 11 de la mañana del sábado 4 de febrero en la iglesia San Vicente de Paúl en Charlotte.

Establecida por el Papa Juan Pablo II en 1997, esta celebración anual de la Iglesia se lleva a cabo junto con la Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor, también conocida como Día de la Candelaria, que conmemora la venida de Cristo, la Luz del Mundo, a través del encendido simbólico de velas.

Del mismo modo, los hombres y mujeres consagrados están llamados a difundir la luz y el amor de Jesucristo a través de su singular testimonio de servicio desinteresado.

la Oficina de Vida Familiar de la diócesis. “Estoy en la Marcha por la Vida para orar por mi estado donde el aborto sigue siendo legal y por cualquier persona que necesite ayuda”, dijo.

“Estoy aquí porque creo que la vida comienza en la concepción y Jesús nos ha dado Su vida y Su amor y es algo por lo que luchar”, explicó Emmanuel Arias, de la parroquia Santiago el Mayor en Concord.

El Padre Benedictino Elías Correa-Torres, monje de la abadía de Belmont, asistió a la marcha nacional por primera vez.

Acompañó a más de 60 estudiantes de Belmont Abbey College.

“Este viaje es una forma de enfatizar a los estudiantes la responsabilidad que tienen de defender temas importantes en nuestra sociedad y de poder comunicar bien sus creencias en la plaza pública”, dijo el padre Elías.

“Creo que este tipo de viaje contribuye a la formación de nuestros estudiantes, a convertirse en miembros informados y activos de la sociedad, agentes del bien común. Ciertamente está en conformidad con la parte de la misión de la universidad de ayudar a nuestros estudiantes a llevar vidas de integridad, convertirse en ciudadanos responsables y ser una bendición para ellos mismos y para los demás”, agregó.

La hermana dominica Jessica Jurado, de la parroquia Santo Tomás de Aquino en Charlotte, se unió a la Marcha por la Vida con los feligreses de la Iglesia Sagrado Corazón en Salisbury. Ella es directora del ministerio juvenil en su parroquia.

“La vida es un don precioso de Dios, por lo que estamos

tratando de promover la vida”, dijo la hermana Jurado. Los jóvenes de Sagrado Corazón se expresaron sobre la necesidad de continuar apoyando una cultura de la vida.

“El aborto debe terminarse”, dijo Matthew Herman, estudiante de tercer año de secundaria. “Creo que es la mejor manera de salir y decirle a nuestro gobierno que las cosas deben suceder. Por supuesto, Roe vs Wade fue revocado, eso es genial. Pero todavía tenemos que decirle a los 50 estados que el aborto debe ser revocado”.

Mary Chaney, también estudiante de tercer año de secundaria, asistió a la Marcha por la Vida por quinta vez. “Este año, se siente especialmente importante venir porque lo hemos revocado, pero no del todo. Por tanto, tenemos que venir aquí y demostrar que todavía estamos luchando por esto, y todavía tenemos una opinión al respecto, todavía queremos lograr este hermoso fin (de una cultura de la vida)”.

La madre de Mary, Susan Chaney, asistió a la marcha por séptima vez. Recordó un par de momentos cruciales a lo largo de los años.

“Recuerdo que el primer año que vinimos, le pregunté a un amigo: ‘¿Esto cambia algo?’ Y unos años más tarde, estábamos caminando por Constitution Avenue durante la marcha y le pregunté al Padre John (Eckert) si eso cambia algo. Él dijo: ‘No lo sé, pero sé que me cambia. Nos cambia”. La importancia de venir aquí es el testimonio colectivo, pero también es algo interior. Está realizando esa peregrinación”.

Más fotos online

En www.catholicnewsherald.com : Vea más fotos y video de la Marcha por la Vida D.C.

El Día Mundial de la Vida Consagrada fue celebrado por la Iglesia Universal el jueves 2 de febrero, y las parroquias de la diócesis lo celebrarán durante el fin de semana del 4 y 5 de febrero para resaltar el trabajo y el legado de los hombres y mujeres consagrados en la zona occidental de Carolina del Norte.

El Obispo Jugis reconocerá a hombres y mujeres consagrados en la diócesis que estén celebrando aniversarios importantes o de “jubileo” en 2023. Los jubilares de este año incluyen a la hermana trapense Genevieve Durcan (Orden de los Cistercienses de la Estricta Observancia) y la hermana franciscana Jane Russell (Hermanas de la Tercera Orden de San Francisco), quienes celebran 60 años de vida religiosa profesa.

La iglesia San Vicente de Paúl está ubicada en 6828 Old Reid Road en Charlotte.

—

SueAnn Howell

Ore por nuestras mujeres y hombres religiosos

Se invita a las personas a orar por todos las hermanas y hermanos religiosos en honor del Día Mundial de la Vida Consagrada el fin de semana del 4 al 5 de febrero. Esta es una oración sugerida:

“Por los consagrados a Dios por los votos de castidad, pobreza y obediencia, para que busquen vivir más intensamente sus promesas bautismales y tengan la gracia de perseverar en su compromiso con el Señor, sirviendo con corazón abierto y espíritu dispuesto. Amén”.

Let’s keep talking. Sigamos hablando.

THE ORATORY Center for Spirituality

434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586 Rock Hill, SC 29731-1586

(803) 327-2097

rockhilloratory.org

oratorycenter@gmail.com

America’s Real Sister Act

The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States

Shannen Dee Williams

Saturday, February 11, 2023 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon

For most people, Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act is the dominant interpretation of an African American nun and the desegregation of white Catholic sisterhood in the United States. In this talk Dr. Williams will explore the story of America’s real sister act: the story of how generations of Black women and girls called to the sacred vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience fought against racism, sexism, and exclusion to become and minister as consecrated women of God in the Roman Catholic Church. In so doing, she will turn attention to women’s religious life as an important battleground in the long African American struggle for freedom, justice, and human dignity.

Dr. Shannen Dee Williams is Associate Professor of History at the University of Dayton. She is the author of Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Struggle (2022)

Suggested Donation: $25

This program will be available in person and on-line.

When registering, please indicate the chosen option.

Registration for America’s Real Sister Act may be made in one of the following ways:

Through the Oratory website: www.rockhilloratory.org

Go to Center for Spirituality / Events OR

By email to oratorycenter@gmail.com with America’s Real Sister Act in the subject line.

cosponsored by St. Mary Parish in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

La diócesis adopta un nuevo proceso de construcción para mejorar los proyectos y administración

SUEANN HOWELL sahowell@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — Frente al enorme crecimiento y la creciente complejidad de los proyectos de construcción, la Diócesis de Charlotte ha creado un nuevo proceso de construcción para mejorar la colaboración y la inversión estratégica en proyectos de capital en la diócesis.

El proceso reúne a todas las partes interesadas las parroquias, escuelas y la diócesis que están involucradas en proyectos de construcción que cuestan $1 millón o más para perfeccionar los planes al principio del proceso, para que todos trabajen hacia una visión común. Hasta el momento, la Oficina de Propiedades diocesanas facilitaba proyectos de construcción. “Hemos visto tanto crecimiento en nuestra diócesis que es fundamental para nosotros asegurarnos de que nuestro programa de construcción se adapte de manera eficiente y efectiva a nuestras necesidades de nuevas escuelas, iglesias y otros proyectos”, dijo Monseñor Patrick Winslow, vicario general y canciller de la diócesis, y el arquitecto del nuevo enfoque. “Un elemento clave es que las parroquias, las escuelas y la diócesis se alineen temprano y se registren con frecuencia para que podamos producir el mejor resultado posible y hacer el mejor uso de los recursos de la Iglesia”.

El proceso promueve la participación de las partes interesadas y requiere trabajo en equipo desde el concepto inicial del proyecto hasta la finalización de la construcción.

n La Oficina de Construcción supervisará los principales proyectos de construcción y ofrecerá servicios para proyectos en las 92 parroquias y misiones de la diócesis, 20 escuelas e instalaciones diocesanas.

n La Oficina de Propiedades se encargará de la adquisición y disposición de bienes raíces, renovaciones y construcciones pequeñas y medianas, y mantenimiento y preservación de escuelas y otras propiedades diocesanas. Emmett Sapp, quien se desempeñó como gerente de construcción de la Oficina de Propiedades durante más de cuatro años, dirigirá la nueva Oficina de Construcción. Supervisará a dos gerentes de proyectos mientras su equipo ayuda a pastores, administradores de escuelas católicas y partes interesadas en proyectos de capital a través del nuevo proceso para planificar y ejecutar grandes proyectos. Más recientemente, Sapp y su equipo supervisaron la finalización del Centro

Atlético de Actividades de Fulford de $6.4 millones en Christ the King High School en Huntersville.

Sapp está entusiasmado con su nuevo papel y la promesa del nuevo enfoque de la diócesis. “Trabajamos para establecer una visión común desde el principio, antes de comenzar a gastar mucho tiempo, esfuerzo y recursos financieros en un proyecto”, dijo.

La diócesis comenzó a diseccionar y reconstruir el proceso hace casi dos años, con aportes de las partes interesadas de toda la diócesis.

“Con el liderazgo comprometido y la atención personal de Monseñor Winslow, el equipo dedicó mucho tiempo y atención a mejorar los resultados y experiencias del proyecto mediante el desarrollo de un proceso muy estructurado y claro, para que las parroquias y las escuelas sepan, en cualquier momento, dónde se encuentran sus proyectos y cuáles son los próximos pasos”, dijo Sapp.

Sapp

Monseñor Winslow compara el proceso con “un directorio en un centro comercial. Quiero poder mirar el mapa y decir: ‘Estoy aquí’, en cualquier momento dado del proceso”.

Sapp es parte del equipo que desarrolló un nuevo manual del Equipo de Construcción para uso de las parroquias que actualmente están considerando proyectos de capital. La parroquia San José en Asheboro, la parroquia Espíritu Santo en Denver y la Misión Nuestra Señora de las Montañas en Highlands están utilizando el manual para guiar sus próximos proyectos.

El equipo finalizará el manual este verano después de recibir comentarios de esas parroquias.

En los últimos cuatro años, la diócesis ha ayudado a ejecutar 28 grandes proyectos de capital por un total de alrededor de $76 millones. Se espera que diez proyectos con un costo combinado de $22 millones se completen en 2023. Sapp también está rastreando 33 proyectos con un costo esperado de $161 millones con fechas de finalización más allá de 2023. “Nuestro objetivo en la Oficina de Construcción”, dijo Sapp, “es utilizar nuestra experiencia profesional para atender las necesidades de nuestra creciente comunidad católica en alineación con la visión del obispo y el liderazgo pastoral local”.

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of February.

Bishop Michael J. Begley – 2002

Rev. Edward Beatty – 1990

Rev. Kenneth Geyer, OSB – 2012

Rev. Lawrence Hill – 1985

Rev. David Kessinger – 2021

Rev. Msgr. Anthony Kovacic – 2015

Rev. Kieran Neilson, OSB – 2019

Rev. Arthur Pendleton, OSB – 2020

Rev. Joseph J. Waters - 2015

Giving appreciated stock to your parish, Catholic school, agency, the diocese or the Foundation creates a gift that will benefit your desired beneficiary and provide you tax benefits.

For more information, go to www.charlottediocese.givingplan.net or call Gina Rhodes at 704/370-3364.

Welcome the Stranger… join the Catholic Charities team as we help refugees and immigrants succeed in their new life, reach self-sufficiency, and integrate into our Charlotte community. Please note that these positions are based in Charlotte.

Supervisor, Refugee Youth and Employment Programs: Provide program management services and support the staff of our Refugee School Impact Program (ensuring the academic success of refug ee school-aged children) and Employment Programs (providing job training and job seeking support and collaborating with employers). Full-time. Bachelor's Degree and relevant work experience necessary.

Refugee Case Aide, School Impact Program: Assist staff in the implementation of After School and Summer Camp activities, and provide one-on-one tutoring/mentoring to refugee children. Part-time, 20 hours/ week. Experience working with children preferred; valid driver’s license required.

Visit ccdoc.org/jobs for more information on joining the Catholic Charities team.

Administrative Coordinator

The Diocese of Charlotte, Office of Development is currently accepting applications for a 30-hour week (benefits-eligible), Administrative Coordinator to support the Director of Planned Giving/Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Office of Development staff.

The position requires a professional who can work independently, communicate well with donors, and can successfully work in an environment that requires multitasking.

This individual will administer endowment funds, provide records management, and provide general administrative support to the Foundation and development staff.

Knowledge and Experience

•Associate degree or greater in related field

•Three years’ experience in administrative support

•Preferred experience in Raiser’s Edge or other database software

•Proficient in MS Office

• Solid planning and organizational skills

•Ability to work both independently and as a part of a larger team

•Strong written and verbal communication skills

Please submit letter of interest and resume to: Gina Rhodes, Office of Development gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or mail to: 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, Nc 28203

e Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

SERGIO LÓPEZ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La primera quincena de enero se llevó a cabo la elección del comité del Ministerio Hispano en la parroquia Nuestra Señora del Rosario en Lexington. Los flamantes miembros, que tomaron la posta del liderazgo hispano en los diferentes ministerios y equipos de apoyo parroquial, juramentaron sus cargos el domingo siguiente a la elección durante la Misa dominical.

San Pablo Miki y compañeros mártires

En el año 1549 San Francisco Javier llegó al Japón y convirtió a muchos paganos. Para 1597 eran varios los miles de cristianos en aquel país. Y llegó al gobierno un emperador cruel que ordenó que todos los misioneros católicos debían abandonar el Japón en el término de seis meses. Pero los misioneros, en vez de huir, se escondieron para seguir ayudando a los cristianos. Fueron descubiertos y martirizados brutalmente. Los que murieron el 5 de febrero del año 1597 en Nagasaki fueron 26. Tres jesuitas, seis franciscanos y 16 laicos católicos japoneses, que eran catequistas y se habían hecho terciarios franciscanos.

Los mártires jesuitas fueron: San Pablo Miki, un japonés de familia de la alta clase social, hijo de un capitán del ejército y muy buen predicador; San Juan Goto y Santiago Kisai, dos hermanos coadjutores jesuitas. Los franciscanos eran: San Felipe de Jesús, un mexicano que había ido a misionar al Asia; San Gonzalo García que era de la India; San Francisco Blanco; San Pedro Bautista, superior de los franciscanos en el Japón y San Francisco de San Miguel.

Entre los laicos estaban: un soldado: San Cayo Francisco; un médico: San Francisco de Miako; un coreano: San Leon Karasuma, y tres muchachos de trece años que ayudaban a misa a los sacerdotes, los niños San Luis Ibarqui, San Antonio Deyman, y San Totomaskasaky, cuyo padre fue también martirizado.

A los 26 católicos les cortaron la oreja izquierda, y así ensangrentados fueron llevados en pleno invierno a pie, de pueblo en pueblo, durante un mes, para escarmentar y atemorizar a todos los que quisieran hacerse cristianos. Al llegar a Nagasaki les permitieron confesarse con los

sacerdotes, y luego los crucificaron, atándolos a las cruces con cuerdas y cadenas en piernas y brazos y sujetándolos al madero con una argolla de hierro al cuello. Entre una cruz y otra había la distancia de un metro y medio.

Testigos de su martirio y de su muerte lo relatan de la siguiente manera: “Una vez crucificados, era admirable ver el fervor y la paciencia de todos. Los sacerdotes animaban a los demás a sufrir todo por amor a Jesucristo

sus palabras y sus buenos ejemplos a perdonar a los que nos han ofendido, yo declaro que perdono al jefe de la nación que dio la orden de crucificarnos, y a todos los que han contribuido a nuestro martirio, y les recomiendo que ojalá se hagan instruir en nuestra santa religión y se hagan bautizar”.

y la salvación de las almas.

Al Padre Pablo Miki le parecía que aquella cruz era el púlpito o sitio para predicar más honroso que le habían conseguido. Dijo, “llegado a este momento final de mi existencia en la tierra, seguramente que ninguno de ustedes va a creer que me voy a atrever a decir lo que no es cierto. Les declaro pues, que el mejor camino para conseguir la salvación es pertenecer a la religión cristiana, ser católico. Y como mi Señor Jesucristo me enseñó con

Luego, vueltos los ojos hacia sus compañeros, empezó a darles ánimos en aquella lucha decisiva; en el rostro de todos se veía una alegría muy grande, especialmente en el del niño Luis; éste, al gritarle otro cristiano que pronto estaría en el Paraíso, atrajo hacia sí las miradas de todos por el gesto lleno de gozo que hizo. El niño Antonio, que estaba al lado de Luis, con los ojos fijos en el cielo, después de haber invocado los santísimos nombres de Jesús, José y María, se pudo a cantar los salmos que había aprendido en la clase de catecismo. A otros se les oía decir continuamente: “Jesús, José y María, os doy el corazón y el alma mía”. Varios de los crucificados aconsejaban a las gentes allí presentes que permanecieran fieles a nuestra santa religión por siempre.

Luego los verdugos sacaron sus lanzas y asestaron a cada uno de los crucificados dos lanzazos, con lo que en unos momentos pusieron fin a sus vidas.

La Iglesia Católica los declaró santos en 1862.

— Condensado de ACI Prensa

Al Padre Pablo Miki le parecía que aquella cruz era el púlpito o sitio para predicar más honroso que le habían conseguido.

FOTO DOMINIO PÚBLICO

‘El martirio de San Pablo Miki y compañeros”, por un autor japonés anónimo | “The martyrdom of Saint Paul Miki and companions,” by an anonymous Japanese author (c. 1635)

Evento contra la trata de personas programado para el 8 de febrero

CHARLOTTE — La esclavitud moderna es un problema crónico en Carolina del Norte, y este mes se insta a los católicos a aprender más sobre cómo ayudar a combatirla.

La trata de personas es la segunda empresa criminal más grande del mundo. Según la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU), casi 40.3 millones de personas son víctimas de la esclavitud moderna, de las cuales 24.9 millones están atrapadas en trabajos forzados y esclavitud sexual y 15,4 millones sometidas a matrimonio forzado. Según informes de la Organización Mundial del Trabajo (OIT), aproximadamente 50 millones de personas son víctimas de la esclavitud.

En Estados Unidos, cada año, alrededor de 20,000 mujeres y niños son explotados y obligados a realizar trabajos o trabajo sexual.

Los datos de seguridad pública de Carolina del Norte clasifican constantemente al estado entre los 10 principales estados para la trata de personas. Más de 250 casos de trata de personas en el estado fueron reportados a la Línea Nacional de Trata de Personas en 2022, pero muchos más casos no se denuncian, dicen los funcionarios estatales.

Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis Charlotte está destacando este tema en un programa gratuito el miércoles 8 de febrero, la fiesta de Santa Josefina Bakhita, patrona de las víctimas de la trata. Se anima a las personas a asistir, orar y aprender más sobre cómo detectar los signos de la trata de personas en nuestra comunidad.

Se llevará a cabo de 6:15 a 7:15 p.m. en la Iglesia San Francisco de Asís, ubicada en 328-B Woodsway Lane N.W. en Lenoir. El evento incluirá un servicio de oración bilingüe para orar por las víctimas, seguido de una sesión informativa para crear conciencia sobre el tema de la trata de personas.

Está siendo patrocinado por el Comité de Concientización sobre la Trata de Personas de Caridades Católicas y la Parroquia San Francisco de Asís.

El Comité de Concientización sobre la Trata de Personas enfatiza que la trata de personas a menudo está justo frente a nosotros: en salones de masajes, salones de uñas, sitios de construcción y en la industria de la hospitalidad. También se encuentra detrás de escenas, en granjas y en fábricas de donde provienen nuestros productos y productos favoritos. Está presente en línea, donde las mujeres y los niños vulnerables son atacados, preparados y

explotados por la industria de la pornografía. Trabajar para eliminar la trata de personas es una prioridad para la Iglesia Católica. La doctrina social católica proclama la dignidad de cada persona humana y la santidad de toda vida humana.

El Papa Francisco ha dicho: “La esclavitud moderna, en términos de trata de personas, trabajo forzado y prostitución, y tráfico de órganos, es un crimen contra la humanidad. Sus víctimas son de todos los ámbitos de la vida, pero con mayor frecuencia se encuentran entre los más pobres y vulnerables de nuestros hermanos y hermanas”. — Catholic News Herald

Línea directa de denuncia de trata

¿Sospecha de un incidente de trata de personas o necesita ayuda para una víctima? Comuníquese con la Línea Nacional de Trata de Personas al 1-888-373-7888. También puede enviar un mensaje de texto al 233733. Para mayor información puede visitar www.humantraffickinghotline.org

¿Quién fue Santa Josefina Bakhita?

Josephine Bakhita nació en Sudán en 1869. Fue secuestrada cuando era niña y vendida como esclava en su país de orígen e Italia. Una vez que Josefina fue liberada, se convirtió en monja canosiana y dedicó su vida a compartir su testamento de liberación de la esclavitud y consolar a los pobres y sufrientes hasta que falleció en 1947. Fue declarada santa por el Papa Juan Pablo II el 1 de octubre del año 2000. Su fiesta, el 8 de febrero, ahora también se celebra como el Día Internacional de Oración y Conciencia contra la Trata de Personas.

Lecturas Diarias

FEBRERO 5-11

Domingo: Isaías 58:7-10, 1 Corintios 2:1-5, Mateo 5:13-16; Lunes (Memoria de San Pablo Miki y compañeros, mártires): Génesis 1:1-19, Marcos 6:53-56; Martes: Génesis 1:20-2:4, Marcos 7:1-13; Miércoles (San Jerónimo Emiliano y Santa Bakhita): Génesis 2:4-9, 15-17, Marcos

7:14-23; Jueves: Génesis 2:18-25, Marcos

7:24-30; Viernes (Memoria de Santa Escolástica): Génesis 3:1-8, Marcos

7:31-37; Sábado (Nuestra Señora de Lourdes): Génesis 3:9-24, Marcos 8:1-10

FEBRERO 12-18

Domingo: Eclesiástico 15:15-20, 1 Corintios 2:6-10, Mateo 5:17-37; Lunes: Génesis 4:1-15, Marcos 8:11-13; Martes (San Cirilo y Metodio): Génesis 6:5-8, 7:1-5, 10, Marcos 8:14-21; Miércoles: Génesis 8:6-13, 20-22, Marcos 8:22-26;

Jueves: Génesis 9:1-13, Marcos 8:27-33; Viernes: Génesis 11:1-9, Marcos 8:34-9:1;

Sábado: Hebreos 11:1-7, Marcos 9:2-13

FEBRERO 19-25

Domingo: Levítico 19:1-2, 17-18, 1 Corintios

3:16-23, Mateo 5:38-48; Lunes: Eclesiástico 1:1-10, Marcos 9:14-29; Martes (San Pedro Damián): Eclesiástico 2:1-11, Marcos 9:30-37; Miércoles (Miércoles de Ceniza): Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corintios

5:20-6:2, Mateo 6:1-6, 16-18; Jueves (San Policarpo): Deuteronomio 30:15-20, Lucas

9:22-25; Viernes: Isaías 58:1-9a, Mateo

9:14-15; Sábado: Isaías 58:9b-14, Lucas

5:27-32

The Best Week Ever

.

Bakhita

Our nation

Vietnamese priest ordained auxiliary bishop for Atlanta

NICHOLE GOLDEN OSV News

ROSWELL, Ga. — “God will provide,” is the episcopal motto of Atlanta’s newest auxiliary, Bishop John Nhan Tran, ordained Jan. 23 in a joyous afternoon Mass at St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, Georgia.

Bishop Tran most recently served as pastor at Mary Our Queen Church in Mandeville, Louisiana, in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Many members of his congregation made the trip to witness the ordination. Pope Francis appointed then-Father Tran to serve Atlanta in October. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, read the apostolic letter as part of the Rite of Ordination.

“Bishop-elect Tran has distinguished himself in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, especially as a pastor,” read the nuncio, as reported by The Georgia Bulletin, publication of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

His “personal story is quite moving,” noted Archbishop Pierre.

Bishop Tran was born in 1966 in Vietnam. He and his family left their country amid the ravages of war and received refugee status in the United States. The bishop’s mother died when he was 2 years old, his father was shot and imprisoned by communists, and a brother died after stepping on a land mine.

“Throughout his life and ministry he has shown remarkable patience and perseverance, and maintained his faith in God. His life experience has prepared him for this point, and the Divine Master has been shaping and forming him even through suffering into a masterpiece,” said Archbishop Pierre.

Bishop Tran is now one of two Vietnamese-American bishops serving the U.S. Catholic Church. Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen is an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Orange, California. The nuncio noted that Bishop Tran’s ordination is “also a sign of the great diversity in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the rich contribution of the Vietnamese faithful here.”

The Office of Planning and Research for the Archdiocese of Atlanta estimates that 50,000 Vietnamese-Americans live in the metro area.

In his homily, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM

Conv., expressed gratitude for the gift of a new auxiliary bishop and reflected on the spirit of rejoicing in Atlanta, New Orleans and the land of Vietnam. The ordination, noted the archbishop, was taking place during the celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year.

Just as God gave the prophet Jeremiah the strength to speak the truth, He will aid Bishop Tran, said the archbishop.

“God has called you to shepherd His people. The consolation is that when God calls us He also equips us. He gives us everything we need to succeed in our mission of serving Him. To whomever I send you, you shall go – even

to Atlanta,” he said as the congregation laughed.

“The deepest identity of a bishop is to be a companion of Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Hartmayer.

Prayer is essential in shaping the daily life of a bishop, he instructed.

“Without prayer, we lose our focus and our true sense of purpose. My dear brother John, you are a man of prayer. Therein, lies your strength,” said the archbishop.

Following the homily, Bishop Tran promised to faithfully carry out the Office of Bishop, was anointed with sacred chrism, and was invested with the signs of the office –the ring, miter and crosier.

Co-consecrators of the ordination were New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond and Archbishop-emeritus Alfred Hughes. They joined Bishop Tran for the Te Deum (“We praise you, Oh God”). The archdiocesan choir beautifully chanted the Te Deum from the choir loft of the Roswell parish as the bishop made his way down the center aisle of the sanctuary, blessing the people.

The new bishop spoke at the conclusion of Mass. “I am humbled by your presence, and my heart is filled with profound gratitude,” he said.

Bishop Tran gave thanks to the bishops attending, former parishioners, family and organizers of the Mass and for those watching the ticketed Mass by livestream. “May God bless each of you as you have blessed me today,” said Bishop Tran.

New translation tweaks to sacrament of penance take effect this Lent

GINA CHRISTIAN OSV News

The experience of the sacrament of penance in the Roman rite will be slightly different this Lent, thanks to approved changes in the English translation set to take effect in a few weeks. Starting Ash Wednesday – which takes place this year on Feb. 22 – the prayer of absolution will include three modifications, so that the revised version will read as follows:

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself and poured out [formerly “sent”] the Holy Spirit for [previously “Holy Spirit among us for”] the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God grant [instead of “give”] you pardon and peace.

And I absolve you from your sins in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The new text was adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during its Spring 2021 meeting, with the Vatican’s Dicastery (then-Congregation) for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approving the text in April

2022. As of April 16, 2023, the Second Sunday of Easter known also as Divine Mercy Sunday, the revised formula for absolution is mandatory.

“The essential part of the absolution formula has not changed,” said Father Andrew Menke, executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat for Divine Worship, during an Oct. 25, 2022, webinar cosponsored by his office and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions.

During his presentation, Father Menke admitted the bishops had debated whether the minor changes were worth undertaking. However, he said the consensus favored striving for a more accurate translation from the Latin. Father Menke noted penitents “who can be a little scrupulous” might panic if priests -- many of whom “have said this prayer literally thousands of times” – inadvertently use the old form of absolution.

“They might be concerned (that absolution) doesn’t count,” he said. Yet he stressed that “the heart of the sacrament” remains intact, and the absolution is still valid.

While not a major alteration, the update to the text nonetheless offers “a wonderful opportunity to reiterate and teach the importance of the sacrament of penance

as a staple for living the Christian life,” Father Dennis Gill, director of the Office for Divine Worship at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, told OSV News ahead of a Jan. 31 webinar he plans to give on the topic. “It’s also a wonderful opportunity to catechize about the sacrament itself.”

Father Menke noted in his October 2022 webinar that the updates are part of a broader effort by the Vatican to ensure accuracy in the translation of liturgical texts.

“It’s not due to anything against the Latin texts,” he said. “It’s based on the fact that the Holy See instructed the bishops of the world at the beginning of the 21st century that our translations needed to be more accurate.”

Liturgical texts have been revised throughout Church history under papal direction: St. Pius V modified both the breviary and the missal in response to the Council of Trent, while St. Pius X, Pope Pius XII and St. John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council, all significantly furthered such efforts.

Noting several difficulties in the practical application of Vatican II’s liturgical reforms, St. John Paul II stated in his 1998 apostolic letter “Vicesimus Quintus Annus” the need “to remedy certain

defects or inaccuracies, to complete partial translations … (and) to ensure respect for the texts approved.”

The 2001 document “Liturgiam authenenticam,” issued by the Vatican’s then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, developed the scope of the project, which first resulted in the 2011 full retranslation of the Roman Missal.

Since then, “we’ve dutifully been going through the books one by one with the assistance of ICEL (the International Commission on English in the Liturgy) and preparing new editions of these books,” said Father Menke in his presentation.

New English translations of liturgical books have been completed for confirmation (2015), matrimony (2016), exorcism (2017), the dedication of a church (2018), the blessing of oils (2019), the baptism of children (2020) and ordination (2021).

The updates do not imply that “the (older versions) are heretical,” Father Menke said Jan. 30. “It’s just that Church authorities have determined we might do better.”

The translation process is rigorous, with opportunities for bishops to review and reconsider the proposed updates, he added.

CNS | JOHNATHON KELSO, THE GEORGIA BULLETIN

Atlanta’s newest auxiliary, Bishop John Nhan Tran, greets the faithful after his episcopal ordination Mass at St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, Ga., Jan. 23. Processing behind him are Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans, and retired Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans.

In Brief

Over Catholic protests, Minnesota lawmakers pass right to abortion law, send to governor

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In a party line vote, Democrats in the Minnesota Senate passed a bill 34-33 in the early morning hours of Jan. 28 to place a right to abortion for any reason and without a limit on viability into state law. The House approved the measure Jan. 19 and Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, was expected to sign the bill into law. Pro-life and pro-abortion advocates gathered in large numbers outside the Senate chambers at the State Capitol in St. Paul shortly before the debate began about noon Jan. 27. In that debate, which stretched over 15 hours, Democrats rejected multiple Republican amendments to the Protect Reproductive Options, or PRO Act, before the final vote on Jan. 28.

Washington state bishops condemn ‘extreme’ abortion constitution proposal

SEATTLE — A proposed amendment to Washington’s constitution that would allow the “right” for an abortion to be performed “at any point” up to the birth of a baby is an “extreme proposal” that lawmakers must reject, said the state’s five Catholic bishops. The Senate-House

Joint Resolution ignores the right to life of an unborn baby, they said in a Jan. 24 statement. The proposal goes far beyond what current state law allows on abortion: It is legal only until the point of viability of the unborn child.

“As Catholics we must take this opportunity to speak up for the unborn and in support of life,” the bishops said, encouraging Catholics to contact the governor and state legislators.

“We must state what we believe is the heart of God on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves.”

With national March for Life behind them, pro-life advocates plan for state marches, rallies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the national March for Life in the nation’s capital marking the Roe v. Wade anniversary behind them, pro-life advocates are gearing up for March for Life events in a number of states in the months ahead. With its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion to the states in overturning its 1973 Roe ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Roe “was an act of judicial activism – stealing the rights of the states to democratically decide the issue of abortion,” the March for Life organization in Washington said in a statement. “With the end of Roe, comes a return of power to the states.

By marching in our states, we show our local leaders that we the people want protective, life-affirming laws for both the unborn and their mothers.” To date, marches have been planned in these state capitals: Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 1; Phoenix, Feb. 23; Sacramento, California, March 6; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Oct. 16; and Lansing, Michigan, Nov. 8.

Our world

Polish family’s martyrdom paves way for beatification

PAULINA GUZIK OSV News

KRAKOW, Poland — Urszula Niemczak keeps a regular schedule. At least twice a week she carefully checks whether winter decorations or fresh flowers growing in the summer on a historical gravesite of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their children look good and are well watered. She and her granddaughters take care of the grave in Markowa, in southeastern Poland. Niemczak’s husband is Wiktoria Ulma’s nephew.

“This is my obligation to this family that I entered, to the sacrifice the Ulmas made for all of us,” Niemczak said.

Józef and Wiktoria Ulma secretly gave shelter to eight Jews for almost two years in German-occupied Poland, hiding them from the Nazi regime during the Second World War. The Ulmas had seven children, including the unborn child in Wiktoria’s womb.

The Nazis, informed by a local policeman that Jews were being hidden in the household, came early in the morning March 24, 1944, right before Easter.

First, they killed all eight of the Jewish fugitives. Then they shot Wiktoria and Józef.

“Kids were watching as their parents and the Jewish people they cared for were being shot,”

Pope preaches peace, cooperation, resilience to a Congo ‘gasping for breath’

CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) -- The people of Congo are more precious than any of the gems or minerals found in the earth beneath their feet, yet they have been slaughtered by warmongers and exploited by prospectors, Pope Francis said.

“This country, so immense and full of life, this diaphragm of Africa, struck by violence like a blow to the stomach, has seemed for some time to be gasping for breath,” the pope said Jan. 31 at a meeting with Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and other government leaders.

Poverty, internal displacement, crime and violence plague the Congolese people. The United Nations and human rights organizations say more than 100 armed groups are operating in the country, sowing terror particularly in the east.

“Diamonds are usually rare,” he said, “yet here they are abundant. If that is true of the material wealth hidden in the soil, it is even more true of the spiritual wealth present within your hearts,” he said. “For it is from hearts that peace and development are born, because, with God’s help, men and women are capable of justice and of forgiveness, of concord and reconciliation, of commitment and perseverance in putting to good use the many talents they have received.”

“May violence and hatred no longer find room in the heart or on the lips of anyone, since these are inhuman and un-Christian sentiments that arrest development and bring us back to a gloomy past,” he said.

Wiktoria

Ulma

Mateusz Szpytma, vice president of Polish Institute of National Remembrance, told OSV News. He added that “after a short discussion among themselves,” the Nazi officers decided to shoot the children too. The Vatican confirmed the martyrdom of the Ulma family, including their unborn child, on Dec. 17, 2022, clearing the way for all nine members of the Ulma family to be beatified. For the first time in history, an unborn child is on the path to sainthood. Their family life was documented in a number of photographs taken by Józef. At the time of their death in 1944, the oldest, Stasia (Stanislawa) was 8; Barbara, 7; Wladyslaw, 6; Franciszek, 4; Antoni, 3; and Maria, under 2.

In 2016, the Museum of the Ulma Family, dedicated to the Poles who hid and protected Jews during the Nazi occupation, was opened in Markowa. Józef’s pictures are one of the most valuable parts of the exhibition.

“The remarkable family memorabilia is the Bible, opened to the parable of the good Samaritan,” Szpytma told OSV News. The museum also keeps Stasia’s blood-stained school notebook. Szpytma was a founder of the museum and is himself a descendent of the Ulma family. He also was the one that discovered their story for the world.

“It was an obligation I had as a historian and as a family member – my grandmother was Wiktoria’s sister,” he said. In 1995, Israel gave the Ulmas the title of Righteous Among Nations, an honorific used by Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews. Their sainthood cause was begun in 2003. In the case of martyrs, the typical requirement of a miracle prior to beatification is waived, though one is required for canonization. Regarding their recognition as martyrs, “There was a question about the child not being baptized but the notion throughout the process was that the little one was baptized not by water, but by blood,” Szpytma told OSV News. Sources in the village confirmed to historians that Wiktoria started to give birth to the seventh child upon her death. Poland was the only country in occupied Europe during the Second World War where the death penalty was imposed on anyone that decided to give shelter or in any way help Jews survive.

“It’s important next generations remember about the Ulma family sacrifice, about Jews killed with them, so that we never forget that they all died because of lack of love in the hearts of the murderers, ” Urszula Niemczak said.

Yet, according to the U.S. State Department country report, for Africa “regional stability and security is dependent on durable peace” in Congo, “the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa,” one bordering nine other nations and home to diamonds and vast mineral reserves. It also has the largest Catholic population in Africa and has the sixth most Catholics of any nation after Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States and Italy.

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets from the airport to the city center, cheering as the pope passed by in the popemobile.

Speaking to several hundred leaders in the garden of the Palais de la Nation, his official residence, President Tshisekedi told the pope that the welcome and harmony that had characterized Congo for centuries has, in the past 30 years, “been undermined by the enemies of peace as well as terrorist groups, mainly from neighboring countries.”

“Indeed,” he told the pope, with “the inaction and silence of the international community, more than 10 million people have had been their lives taken from them atrociously. Innocent women, even pregnant ones, are raped and disemboweled, young people and children have their throats slit, families, the elderly and children are condemned to brave fatigue and exhaustion, wandering far from their homes in search of peace because of the atrocities committed by these terrorists in the service of foreign interests,” who want to exploit the countries natural resources.

Pope Francis, responding to the president, added that Congo is suffering from a “forgotten genocide,” one the world must recognize. Returning to his prepared text, the pope chose diamonds as the key image in his first speech in Congo, insisting that “you, all of you, are infinitely more precious than any treasure found in this fruitful soil!”

In a speech frequently interrupted by applause and shouts of “Amen,” the pope urged the Congolese people to demand the respect they deserve; he pleaded with the country’s political leaders to put the common good ahead of greed and a lust for power; and he begged the international community to help Congo, not plunder it.

Referencing both the loss of life and the term for diamonds mined to finance conflict, the pope said that “the poison of greed has smeared (Congo’s) diamonds with blood.”

The developed world, he said, “often closes its eyes, ears and mouth” to the tragedy occurring in Congo while greedily buying up coltan, a mineral used in mobile phones, and other natural resources from the country.

“Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa,” Pope Francis insisted to applause and the stopping of feet. “Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.”

At the same, the pope did not let the Congolese off the hook, especially those who promote members of their own ethnic group or political party to the detriment of their neighbors, “thus nurturing spirals of hatred and violence.”

“From a chemical standpoint, it is interesting that diamonds are made up of simple atoms of carbon which, if differently bonded, form graphite: in effect, the difference between the brilliance of the diamond and the darkness of graphite comes from the way the individual atoms are arranged,” he said.

Different ethnic groups or cultural traditions do not create tension automatically, but it depends on people and the way they choose to live together, the pope said. “Their willingness or not to encounter one another, to be reconciled and to start anew makes the difference between the grimness of conflict and a radiant future of peace and prosperity.”

CNS | PAUL HARING

People cheer as they wait for Pope Francis to pass on a road near the international airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Jan. 31.

OSV NEWS PHOTO | COURTESY POLISH INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL REMEMBRANCE

Ulma poses for a picture with one of their children. Józef and Wiktoria

secretly gave shelter to eight Jews for almost two years in German-occupied Poland. The Ulmas are on the path to beatification with the Vatican declaring them martyrs Dec. 17, 2022.

the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

U.S.-born priest to lead Vatican body overseeing selection of world’s bishops

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has chosen Chicago-born Archbishop Robert F. Prevost of Chiclayo, Peru, to succeed Canadian Cardinal Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The Vatican announced Jan. 30 the retirement of Cardinal Ouellet and the appointment of Archbishop Prevost.

The archbishop, who is 67, holds degrees from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. An Augustinian friar, he joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and largely worked in the country until in 1999 when he was elected head of the Augustinians Chicago-based province. From 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide order. In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru. As prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Archbishop Prevost will lead the Vatican body responsible for recommending to the pope candidates to fill the office of bishop in many of the Latin-rite dioceses of the world. Recommendations made by the dicastery are typically approved by the pope. Archbishop Prevost has been a member of the dicastery since November 2020.

Pope Francis condemns ‘spiral of death’ in the Holy Land

VATICAN CITY — The “spiral of death” that has materialized in the Holy Land in recent days threatens the little remaining trust that exists between Israelis and Palestinians, Pope

Francis said. Speaking to a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus prayer Jan. 29, the pope said he was “greatly pained” to learn of the death of 10 Palestinians killed during an Israeli anti-terrorism raid Jan. 26 and a shooting outside of a Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven Israelis Jan. 27.

Pope Francis noted that “dozens of Palestinians have been killed in firefights with the Israeli army” since the start of the year, and he called on the Israeli and Palestinian governments to “immediately” find a way to end the violence with “dialogue and the sincere search for peace.”

Pope clarifies remarks about homosexuality and sin

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality is not a crime, and that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin, in a written response to a request for clarification about his remarks during a recent interview with the Associated Press.

In an interview with the agency televised and published in Spanish Jan. 25, the pope had said “being homosexual is not a crime. It is not a crime.” He defined as “unjust” laws that criminalize homosexuality or homosexual activity and urged Church members, including bishops, to show “tenderness” as God does with each of His children.

In the interview the pope said, “We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity. Being homosexual is not a crime. It is not a crime.”

Then, he voiced an objection to that statement, followed by how he would respond to that objection, saying, “’Yes, but it is a sin.’ Fine, but first let us distinguish between a sin and a crime.”

Asked by U.S. Jesuit Father James Martin, editor of Outreach.faith, for a clarification, Pope Francis said: “When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.”

— OSV News

DISCOVER THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE

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Planned Giving Officer

The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time Planned Giving Officer. This position is responsible for securing planned gifts to support ministries of the Diocese of Charlotte, cultivate relationships with current and new Catholic Heritage Society members, and increase endowment gifts to the Foundation Diocese of Charlotte that support the Diocese of Charlotte.

Must be willing to travel within the Diocese of Charlotte.

Knowledge and Experience:

• BA/BS degree required

• 3 to 5 years of demonstrated experience in professional fund development;

3 years planned giving experience preferred

• Excellent relationship building skills: ability to work effectively with parishioners, prospects, and parish leaders

• Proficient in MS Office

• Excellent organizational and attention to detail skills

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently

• Experience in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge/NXT and WealthEngine preferred

Please submit letter of interest and resume to:

Gina Rhodes, Office of Development

gmrhodes@rcdoc.org or mail to:

1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, Nc 28203

e Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Bob Gordon Field Agent

Rel y on the Knights of Columbus to protect your famil y ’ s future.

Admitting weakness allows grace to work in us

In a recent issue of “The Way,” a spirituality journal of the British Jesuits, a writer compared the 12 steps of Alcoholic Anonymous with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Both recognize that without a Higher Power, God, in my life, my life can easily follow the wrong path and even spin out of control.

Alcohol is commonplace in the financial industry and, though the writer was not an addict, he recognized that he “used the bottle to self-medicate during times of stress, anger, or anxiety. … [Alcohol] was the mode by which business at times was done. … I had friends who were regulars at bars, and I often met for a social drink. But after one Sunday of having too much, I decided to put down the bottle.” (The Way, 61,2, April 2022, p. 65).

Going to his first AA meeting, he found the members gruff. More importantly, “These members shared their deepest and truest selves, their brokenness and their desire to be whole, more than I had ever experienced. I better understood God’s revelation to St. Paul: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor 12:9).”

We all need God, even when our lives have not spun out of control. This is what the Hebrews learned at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Some weeks after Moses had gone up onto the mountain, the people waiting in the desert became restless. They wanted a god like the Egyptians and the Canaanites had, so they asked Aaron to fashion a golden calf for them to worship. They abandoned the one true God to create their own false god. Our world is not much different. People move away from our Triune God to follow gods of human making, whether those gods be alcohol or drugs, sex or material goods, power or pride, social media or internet games, peer groups or media or sports icons. We think that we are in control but, like alcohol, these things begin to control us.

But God is merciful, and by turning to Him, we can be restored to sanity and to real freedom. The God of the Gospel is the father, who is prodigal in his love for his foolish son (Luke 15:11-32). God loves all of His sons and daughters, and He wants to reveal what is true, good and loving to us. We are loved sinners who need to admit how these things often control us so that we might turn our lives over to God and be freed to grow in Jesus’ way. By admitting our sins and weaknesses, we can allow grace to work in us and bring us to new life.

This is what Paul shares with Timothy and with us. He is saying that “I am Paul, and I am a sinner.” “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. Indeed, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 1:13-14). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these, I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all His patience as an example for those who would come to believe in Him for everlasting life” (1 Timothy 15b-16). Like St. Paul, we are called to admit our sins and weaknesses so that God’s love might bring us forgiveness, healing, and strength. As the psalmist says, “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me” (Psalm 51:4). This is the gift that our loving God has for each of us.

Let us pray: Loving God, we come to You not in power but each in our own weaknesses and struggles. We need You, for without You our lives easily go astray. In Your mercy be our rock foundation. Should we stray, bring us back. In You alone will we find our peace. Amen.

It’s good to let the jeering skulls laugh

Like St. Teresa of Avila, I have a skull on my desk. Two, actually – one plain and one riotously decorated in green and purple. I think they’re funny; they remind me not to take myself, or the world, too seriously. When I have tied myself into knots due to some perceived weakness or spent more than a minute brooding because I feel ignored, the skulls jeer at me with all of their teeth and whisper from the prophet Isaiah, “All flesh is grass. … The grass withers, the flower fades” (Is 40:6-7). In our high-stimulus society, keeping to an “all flesh is grass” philosophy can bring balance and perspective. It’s of a piece with something I’ve read about St. Bernadette Soubirous: When an exalted sister within her community would disparage the visionary of Lourdes due to her lack of stature or her poor education, Bernadette would say, “Move along, creature” – to herself, as well as to her tormentor. “Only Christ matters.”

“Move along, creature” is, like the smiling skulls, a fine way of reminding ourselves not to invest too much into our hurt feelings or our offense-taking. It reminds us that passing human stupidities and insults (I am redundant) ought not to command too much real estate in well-grounded souls. Social media have conditioned us to believe that everything we do, everything we think, every bit of umbrage we feel and every thoughtless slight offered by some stranger at a distant keyboard must be marked and then responded to by others – voted up or down in the virtual circus of chaotic consensus through which we waste so much time. We moderns do take ourselves very seriously. We bore others with details of our diets, we fret over our retirement planning or our workout schedules. How much is too little, how much is too much? Will any of this ever be enough?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be fit or to plan for some future day when (with any luck) all the workouts and investments will have paid off and you’re ready to slow into retirement. But while we’re doing all that, it’s worth recalling a wry old Jewish maxim: “You make plans; God laughs.”

All our efforts to last another day, or decade, and to live in relative comfort are contingent upon controls that, ultimately, we do not possess. How often have we heard that someone who “did everything right” in terms of diet and exercise suddenly succumbed to a heart attack that came out of nowhere? How many stories can we recite about someone’s life savings being lost to an unforeseen market turn?

Mostly, we are powerless over the vagaries of life. Rather than disturbing us, that reality should help Christians embrace a daily mindset of pragmatic surrender. Yes, we are responsible for ourselves, for our families, our bodies, our neighbors. We are spirit and matter and so, to a point, material considerations do matter.

But our lives are brief (“our years are 70, 80 if we are strong” says Psalm 90), and our control is, in part, illusory. St. Philip Neri reminds us, “All God’s purposes are to the good,” and they ultimately prove themselves to be right and just. We tend to forget that when we’re stressing over schedules, taking our every mistake to heart or letting someone else’s rudeness ruin our day.

Which is why it is good to keep a smiling skull around -- to help us laugh at ourselves as we remember that all flesh goes the way of the grass that fades and the flower that withers.

JESUIT FATHER JOHN MICHALOWSKI is the parochial vicar at St. Peter Parish in Charlotte.

ELIZABETH SCALIA

Jesuit Father John Michalowski Elizabeth Scalia

“The Conversion of Saul” by Guido Reni (c. 1615-1620), on display in the Spanish royal collection at El Escorial.

Father Peter Ascik

Pro-life movement embraces new frontier of advocacy

We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life.

We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every young woman is given the help she needs to recognize the problem of pregnancy as the gift of life.”

These words from a speech by the late Father Richard John Neuhaus were on my mind as I led a pilgrimage to the Jan. 20 National March for Life in Washington, D.C. They perfectly sum up the purpose and the message of this annual pro-life gathering.

The March for Life began in Washington, D.C., in 1974, one year after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout the country. It has been repeated every year since, around the anniversary of that Supreme Court decision. In recent years the March for Life movement has expanded to other cities across the nation – including Charlotte and Raleigh.

This year was the 50th National March for Life. On this significant anniversary, participants had the joy of celebrating the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade this past June.

the help she needs to recognize the problem of pregnancy as the gift of life.”

We must increase our support for pregnant mothers who are vulnerable to abortion.

The pro-life movement has always supported pregnant moms. The daily work of almost 3,000 pregnancy resource centers providing support and material resources to moms across the country is proof of this.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, MiraVia offers housing for pregnant students and serves moms in all circumstances at their outreach center in Charlotte. Pregnant and parenting mothers experiencing homelessness find shelter at Room At The Inn in Greensboro and Catherine’s House in Belmont.

Catholic Charities partners with hundreds of agencies across our diocese to support families through all stages of life and has recently expanded its “Wee Care” program, which provides diapers and baby supplies at several locations. These efforts are joined to those of dozens more pregnancy resource centers caring for women across our state.

Most-read stories on the web

As in years past, the joy and energy of thousands of high school and college students filled the air, mixed with a diverse crowd of families and people of all ages.

Priests, deacons, and religious men and women were everywhere, giving witness to God’s love for every human life.

We peacefully marched from the National Mall to the Capitol Building and past the Supreme Court. Our message? “We shall not weary, we shall not rest” – because we know our pro-life work is not over.

The end of Roe is a great step forward. But now the work of the pro-life movement must expand.

It must expand “until every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life.”

We must expand our advocacy to the capitals of all 50 states. Every state is now free to adopt laws that protect the unborn child. But these laws will not be passed without persistent advocacy for the right to life.

We must increase our advocacy in the U.S. Congress as well. Nothing in the Dobbs decision prevents a federal law from being passed that outlaws abortion – or that legalizes the procedure through all nine months of pregnancy.

It is more important than ever to hold our politicians accountable for the policies they support, lobbying them to protect life from the moment of conception until natural death and withdrawing our support if they fail in this task.

The pro-life movement must likewise expand “until every young woman is given

We must build on this support for mothers, especially in North Carolina, which saw a 37% increase in abortions between April and August 2022, after the Dobbs decision in June, as women traveled here from states where abortion has become more restricted, according to a report by the Society of Family Planning. Multiple parishes in our diocese have begun the Walking with Moms in Need program, which guides parishes in providing practical help to pregnant and parenting moms in their local communities. Every parish can embrace this program by following the step-by-step guide available at walkingwithmoms.com.

Finally, in the wake of Dobbs, we must expand our pro-life witness to those around us – friends, family and co-workers. We must share the good news that society doesn’t have to choose between mother and child – we can and should love them both.

And we must proclaim the merciful message that God’s forgiveness and mercy are available to those whose personal history includes abortion. Rachel’s Vineyard retreats are offered regularly in our diocese for women and men seeking healing from past abortions.

Next year, we will march for life again. We will march in Charlotte, Raleigh, and in Washington, D.C. We know our work will not be finished next year – or the next. But the Dobbs decision has shown us that real progress is possible. It has shown us at that the prayers, the witness, the support for the unborn and their mothers, and the loving conversations with friends all bear fruit.

We saw them bear fruit at the Supreme Court last year. And we are eager to see the fruit they will bear in the future.

Pope Francis

From online story: “Marriage is a gift from God that benefits everyone, pope says”

From Jan. 1 through press time on Feb. 1, 27,819 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 41,092 pages. The top five headlines in January were:

n March for Life: ‘God does amazing things’ 1,191

n Salisbury parish pulls out all the stops for dedication of new digital organ 664

n Bishop Jugis closes out 50th anniversary year, announces patroness.................................. 638

n Principal undergoes ‘buzz cut’ after school raises $15,500 for MiraVia

497 n Bishop updates St. Matthew parishioners on case involving former pastor ......................... 420

The Catholic News Herald has reached the Facebook feeds of more than 65,000 people in English and Spanish during the past month. The most talked about post? Coverage of Bishop Jugis closing out the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary year and announcing Mary, Mother of God as the diocese’s official patroness. Join the conversation: www.facebook.com/ CatholicNewsHerald.

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FATHER PETER ASCIK is director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Family Life and pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby.

‘Marriage should not be idealized, as if it existed only where there are no problems.’

‘The end of Roe is a great step forward. But now the work of the pro-life movement must expand.’

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City: Winston-Salem ourladyofmercyschool.org

336.722.7204

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Salisbury salisburycatholicschool.org

704.633.2841

ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Charlotte saintpatrickschool.org

704.333.3174

ST. ANN CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Charlotte stanncatholic.org

704.525.4938

ST. LEO CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Winston-Salem stleocatholic.com 336.748.8252

ST. GABRIEL

CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Charlotte stgabrielcatholicschool.org 704.366.2409

ST. MATTHEW CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Charlotte stmattwildcats.com 704.544.2070

ST. MARK CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Huntersville stmarkcatholicschool.net 704.766.5000

ST. MICHAEL CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Gastonia stmichaelcs.com 704.865.4382

ST. PIUS X CATHOLIC SCHOOL

City: Greensboro spxschool.com

336.273.9865