June 21, 2019

June 21, 2019

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

Bishops OK plans to implement Pope Francis’ rules to combat sex abuse 18A Young men consider: Where are they going?

Annual Quo Vadis Days retreat draws more than 80 participants

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INDEX

Contact us...................................4A Español.....................................10-13A Events calendar..........................4A Our Faith......................................2A Our Parishes.......................... 3-9A Schools..................................14-15A Scripture readings.....................2A TV & Movies............................... 16A U.S. news...............................18-19A Viewpoints...........................22-23A World news.......................... 20-21A

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‘Imitate Padre Pio’ in holiness During Mass and veneration of St. Pio’s relics, people urged to pray for priests, increase in vocations Hasta siempre Padre Vicente El Padre Finnerty deja Charlotte después de 24 años en la diócesis

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Protests continue against new Charlotte Planned Parenthood facility 8A

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INSIDE Vocations: In His Presence

Our faith 2A

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Holy Spirit conducts symphony of communion

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ike an orchestra conductor leading a symphony of different sounds and harmonies, the Holy Spirit creates a masterpiece of unity and communion that extols God’s love, Pope Francis said.

In creating this harmony, the Holy Spirit “makes the Church grow by helping it go beyond human limits, sins and scandal,” the pope said June 19 during his weekly general audience.

“The Holy Spirit is the creator of communion, He is the artist of reconciliation who knows how to remove the barriers between Jews and Greeks, between slaves and free people, to make them one body,” he said.

Continuing his series of talks on the Acts of the Apostles, the pope reflected on the gift of the Holy Spirit received, which the apostles received on Pentecost and was manifested in gusts of wind and tongues of fire descending upon them.

The wind that blew through the cenacle was “an eruption that does not tolerate” closed doors but instead bursts them wide open, he said.

Fire, which throughout biblical tradition is a symbol of God’s presence, immediately descends upon the apostles, thus “purifying and revitalizing them,” he added.

“The Church is therefore born of the fire of love, a fire that burns at Pentecost and manifests the power of the word of the Risen One imbued with the Holy Spirit,” the pope said.

“The new and definitive covenant is no longer based on a law written on tablets of stone, but on the action of the Spirit of God who makes all things new and is engraved in the hearts of the flesh.”

Pope Francis said that God continues to pour His Spirit upon Christians today, drawing the faithful to Him through “divine attraction,” and He “seduces us with His love” so that all may receive a new life through Him. “Let us ask the Lord to make us experience a new Pentecost, which will open our hearts and tune our feelings with those of Christ,” the pope said, “so that we may announce without shame His transforming word and bear witness to the power of love that calls to life all who encounter Him.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Egyptian champion of orthodoxy Feast day: June 27 On June 27, Roman Catholics honor St. Cyril of Alexandria.

An Egyptian bishop and theologian, he is best known for his role in the Council of Ephesus, where the Church confirmed that Christ is both God and man in one person. The Eastern churches celebrate St. Cyril of Alexandria on June 9.

Cyril was most likely born in Alexandria, the metropolis of ancient Egypt, between 370 and 380. From his writings, it appears he received a solid literary and theological education. Along with his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, he played a role in an early fifth-century dispute between the Egyptian and Greek churches. There is evidence he may have been a monk before becoming a bishop.

When Theophilus died in 412, Cyril was chosen to succeed him at the head of the Egyptian Church. He continued his uncle’s policy of insisting on Alexandria’s preeminence within the Church over Constantinople, despite the political prominence of the imperial capital. The two Eastern churches eventually reestablished communion in approximately 418.

Ten years later, however, a theological dispute caused a new break between Alexandria and Constantinople. Cyril’s reputation as a theologian, and later Doctor of the Church, arose from his defense of Catholic orthodoxy during this time.

In 428, a monk named Nestorius became the new Patriarch of Constantinople. It became clear that Nestorius was not willing to use the term “Mother of God” (“Theotokos”) to describe the Virgin Mary. Instead, he insisted on the term “Mother of Christ” (“Christotokos”).

During the fourth century, the Greek Church had already held two ecumenical councils to confirm Christ’s eternal preexistence as God prior to his incarnation as a man. From this perennial belief, it followed logically that Mary was the mother of God. Veneration of Mary as “Theotokos” confirmed the doctrine of the incarnation, and Christ’s status as equal to the God the Father.

Nestorius insisted that he, too, held these doctrines. But to Cyril, and many others, his refusal to acknowledge Mary as the Mother of God seemed to reveal a heretical view of Christ which would split him into two united but distinct persons: one fully human and born of Mary, the other fully divine and not subject to birth or death.

Cyril responded to this heretical tendency first through a series of letters to Nestorius (which are still in existence and studied today), then through an appeal to the pope, and finally through the summoning of an ecumenical council in 431. Cyril presided over this council, stating that he was “filling the place of the most holy and blessed Archbishop of the Roman Church,” Pope Celestine, who had authorized it.

The council was a tumultuous affair. Patriarch John of Antioch, a friend of Nestorius, came to the city and convened a rival council which sought to condemn and depose Cyril. Tension between the advocates of Cyril and Nestorius erupted into physical violence at times, and both parties sought to convince the emperor in Constantinople to back their position.

During the council, which ran from June 22 to July 31 of the year 431, Cyril brilliantly defended the orthodox belief in Christ as a single eternally divine person who also became incarnate as a man. The council condemned Nestorius, who was deposed as patriarch and later suffered exile. Cyril, however, reconciled with John and many of the other Antiochian theologians who once supported Nestorius.

St. Cyril of Alexandria died on June 27, 444, having been a bishop for nearly 32 years. Long celebrated as a saint, particularly in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1883.

— Catholic News Agency

Daily Scripture readings JUNE 23-29

Sunday (The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ): Genesis 14:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11-17; Monday (The Nativity of St. John the Baptist): Isaiah 49:1-6, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80; Tuesday: Genesis 13:2, 5-18, Matthew 7:6, 12-14; Wednesday: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Matthew 7:15-20; Thursday (St. Cyril of Alexandria): Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16, Matthew 7:21-29; Friday (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus): Ezekiel 34:1116, Romans 5:5-11, Luke 15:3-7; Saturday (Sts. Peter and Paul): Acts 12:1-11, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18, Matthew 16:13-19

JUNE 30-JULY 6

Sunday: 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21, Galatians 5:1, 13-18, Luke 9:51-62; Monday (St. Junípero Serra): Genesis 18:16-33, Matthew 8:18-22; Tuesday: Genesis 19:15-29, Matthew 8:23-27; Wednesday (St. Thomas): Ephesians 2:19-22, John 20:24-29; Thursday (Independence Day): Genesis 22:1-19, Matthew 9:1-8; Friday(St. Anthony Zaccaria, St. Elizabeth of Portugal): Genesis 23:1-4, 19, 24:1-8, 62-67, Matthew 9:913; Saturday (St. Maria Goretti): Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29, Matthew 9:14-17

JULY 7-13

“St. Maria Goretti”

by Giuseppe Brovelli-Soffredini (1929)

Sunday: Isaiah 66:10-14, Galatians 6:14-18, Luke 10:1-12, 17-20; Monday: Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 9:18-26; Tuesday (St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions): Genesis 32:23-33, Matthew 9:32-38; Wednesday: Genesis 41:55-57, 42:57, 17-24, Matthew 10:1-7; Thursday (St. Benedict): Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29, 45:1-5, Matthew 10:7-15; Friday: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30, Matthew 10:16-23; Saturday (St. Henry): Genesis 49:29-32, 50:1526, Matthew 10:24-33

Our parishes

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Oberammergau Passion Play featured on upcoming pilgrimage KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The 2019 Quo Vadis Days retreat concluded with Mass at Belmont Abbey’s Mary Help of Christians Basilica June 14.

Young men consider: Where are they going?

Annual Quo Vadis Days retreat draws more than 80 participants SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

BELMONT — Dozens of young men from around the Diocese of Charlotte descended upon Belmont Abbey College June 10-14 for the diocese’s annual five-day vocations discernment camp called “Quo Vadis Days.”

The goal of Quo Vadis Days is to challenge young men to ask the fundamental question, “quo vadis,” or “where are you going?” while equipping them with the tools and opportunity to discern God’s will for their life.

Priests and seminarians of the diocese interacted with more than 80 young men during the week-long camp that included talks by clergy, seminarians and others about the vocations to the priesthood, marriage and fatherhood.

The young men also toured the construction site of St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly on June 11.

The site is located near Belmont Abbey College, where the seminarians pursue their bachelor’s degrees while beginning discernment of a vocation to the priesthood.

Father John Putnam celebrated Mass for the retreat participants June 12 at Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Belmont. He also served as homilist, tailoring his message to the young men, who ranged in age from 15 to 19, as they discern which vocation God may be calling them to in their lives.

During his homily, Father Putnam reflected on the reality and the importance of fatherhood. The saints, he said, show the way by how they sacrificed everything for the Gospel.

“That willingness of sacrifice is something we all need to be aware of,” Father Putnam said. “Because, to some degree, it is part and parcel of manhood. Each of us, whether we know it or not, we want to sacrifice ourselves for something.”

He shared that there are two forms of fatherhood: physical and spiritual.

“Both of them are very important because natural fatherhood impacts how we understand spiritual fatherhood. In both aspects of fatherhood, fidelity and holiness are absolutely essential,” he said.

He stressed that each of them needs to understand that they were made in the image and likeness of God, are a son of God and are beloved of God. “I hope what each of you gleans during your time at Quo Vadis is that interior desire to spend yourselves in something greater than yourselves,” he said.

Phillip Icard of St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte, 17, is a rising high school senior. This is his second year attending Quo Vadis Days.

“The first year I really wanted to look for a way to cement my faith,” Icard said. “I was a little uneasy about whether I believed in God or not. After the first year, I knew what it meant to be Catholic, so I wanted to come back and grow in my faith even more.”

First-time retreat participant Hayden Raines, 15, is a rising junior. “I’m enjoying the retreat very much.

Praying and the Adoration chapel are my two favorite things,” he said.

The retreat has drawn nearly 600 attendees over the past seven years.

“We have a fantastic group of young men here this year,” said Father Jason Barone, diocesan vocations promoter. “I hope they take away not only a lot of useful tools to help them to discern why God has placed them on this earth, but also an experience of fellowship and fraternity with other serious-minded young men who take their faith and their vocation seriously as well.

“I hope that experience is able to stay with them and fortify them, and during their times of difficulties that it helps them become better men – no matter what God has in store for them.”

CHARLOTTE — The faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte will have a rare chance to see the Oberammergau Passion Play as part of an 11-day pilgrimage that also includes stops in Prague and Krakow next May. Since 1634, the play has been performed every 10 years.

Starting at the time when the Black Plague was sweeping through Europe, the villagers of Oberammergau vowed to perform the Passion of Christ every decade if the town was spared from the disease. Generations of villagers have been honoring this pledge for centuries.

The Passion Play performance follows Christ from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem through His trial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. It is performed in an open-air stage in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau, Germany, about 60 miles from Munich.

Father Adrian Porras, pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Arden, and Dr. Frank Villaronga, diocesan director for evangelization and adult education, will lead the pilgrimage May 20-30, 2020, to see the 42nd production of the Passion Play.

“It’s a huge spectacle. The play itself is an act of faith and thanksgiving. It’s also seen as an act of worship,” Villaronga said. “The Passion will be the theme of the pilgrimage as we journey through Eastern Europe.”

More than 2,000 citizens of Oberammergau are involved in the acting, singing, music and technical support. Men grow out their hair and beards to look authentic to the time period, and costumes are handmade.

The five-hour play happens five days per week during its six-month run. The performance runs from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is then a dinner break, and the play resumes at 8 p.m., until 10:30 p.m.

Some other highlights of the pilgrimage include a visit to the castle that was an inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle in Disney World, the world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle; the Marian pilgrimage shrine of Altotting, also known as the Lourdes of Germany; Auschwitz and Wadowice, the birthplace of St. John Paul II. The pilgrimage also happens at another unique time: the celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s birth. The pilgrimage includes a stop at the museum located in his family house and the church where he was baptized.

The pilgrimage will feature daily Masses and stops at many Marian sites, Villaronga said.

Villaronga, who has led several tours to the Holy Land, said he thought about adding the Passion Play to a Holy Land pilgrimage.

“Instead of visiting the place where the Passion took place and then seeing the Passion Play, this Eastern European pilgrimage will allow pilgrims to experience the play and then see how the Passion is played out in the world today,” he said.

This trip isn’t just a sight-seeing trip, it’s a pilgrimage, Villaronga stressed.

“It’s a journey taken by faith. It’s an encounter with God,” he said. “The Passion Play builds on that. In the Passion, we really celebrate the core of our salvation.

Sin continues to be a reality in the world today. That’s why I wanted to make sure we visited Auschwitz. We need to see such an instance of sin in the world.”

Because of the limited number of tickets available for the play, space is limited for this pilgrimage. Those wanting to participate are encouraged to sign up early.

“We live our faith story every year at Holy Week,” Villaronga said. “We’ve seen all of this before, but not on this scale. It is not just the Passion. It is the Passion in the context of salvation history.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Get more details and a link to register for the pilgrimage to the Oberammergau Passion Play plus Prague and Krakow May 20-30, 2020, as well as see a trailer of the Passion Play

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: JUNE 22 – 10 A.M. Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood St. Mark Church, Huntersville

JUNE 24-26 Province Meeting of Bishops Raleigh

JUNE 27 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon JUNE 30 – 5 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro

Diocesan calendar of events June 21, 2019 Volume 28 • NUMBER 19

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

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

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

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

ESPAÑOL 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: 336-267-1937 / 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.

DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR: 7 p.m. each first Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

The Divine Mercy Holy Hours are celebrated year-round (except for Lent) and consist of Eucharistic Adoration, readings from the diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the sung chaplet of Divine Mercy and benediction.

Is Divine Mercy needed today? St. John Paul II had this to say: “There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights, to the holiness of God.” The Lord told St. Faustina: “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.” For details, call Paul Deer at 704-577-3496.

24-HOUR ADORATION: First Friday of every month at Good Shepherd Mission, 105 Good Shepherd Dr., King. For details, call the parish office at 336-983-2680.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING NFP INTRODUCTION AND FULL COURSE: 1:30-5 p.m.

Saturday, July 20, St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte. Topics include: effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting.

Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.

RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-370-3230.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 10 a.m. Saturday, July 6, 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion, and feel free to invite anyone who would be morally supportive of this very important cause. For details, email Jim Hoyng at Ajhoyng@hotmail. com or Paul Klosterman at Pauljklosterman@aol.com.

MORNING REFLECTION, ‘TOOLS OF PRAYER’: 8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, July 20, in the parish Life center at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2203 West Market St., Greensboro.

Presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski. Mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m. Registration requested by Wednesday, July 17. To register, call the parish office at 336-274-6520, or Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org.

MORNING REFLECTION, ‘THE EXAMEN PRAYER’: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 23, in the Bishop Begley Parish Center at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem. Presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski. Registration requested by Thursday, July 18.

To register, call Mary Beth Young at 336-724-0561, ext.

227, or Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org.

VIGIL OF TWO HEARTS: First Fridays and First Saturdays, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Join us each First Friday through First Saturday of the month in an overnight vigil to honor the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to pray for our families, to offer penance for our sins, and to pray for the conversion of our nation. Sign up for Eucharistic Adoration at www.

ProlifeCharlotte.org/two-hearts.com. Sponsored by C-PLAN of Charlotte.

‘Protecting God’s Children’ workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are: CHARLOTTE: 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road FRANKLIN: 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22, St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St. MOORESVILLE: 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 1, St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Road SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP, ‘SENIOR FRAUD & SCAMS PREVENTION’: 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 7, in the Fellowship at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road., Greensboro. Presented by A. Mercedes Restucha-Klem, Outreach & Policy Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Justice-Public Protection Section. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. For details and registration, contact Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220 or sabreakfield@ charlottediocese.org.

FIRST FAMILY ENCOUNTER: Friday-Saturday, June 21-22, Winston-Salem. Mission to offer the family a chance to rekindle and affirm each family member’s love and relationship with one another, led by spiritual director Monsignor Paul Schetelick. For details and registration, call Aimee Pena at 908-510-0053 or Lith Golamco at 732-453-4279.

‘I FIRMLY RESOLVE’ SERIES OF TALKS BY FATHER MATTHEW KAUTH: Seven-day online devotional series designed to help you get your life on the right spiritual track. Free viewing at www.catholiccompany.com/goodcatholic/about-family-resolve.tr.

SUPPORT GROUPS RACHEL’S VINEYARD: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Rachel’s Vineyard weekend retreats are offered by Catholic Charities for men and women in the western, central and eastern regions of the Diocese of Charlotte. For details about upcoming retreats, contact Jackie Childers at 980-241-0251 or Jackie.childers1@gmail.com, or Jessica Grabowski at 910-585-2460 or jrgrabowski@ charlottediocese.org.

YOUNG ADULTS ASHEVILLE THEOLOGY ON TAP: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Asheville region. For details, check them out on Facebook, Twitter or MeetUp. ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA: www.saintlawrencebasilica. org/young-adult-ministry.

CHARLOTTE AREA: Groups for Catholics in their 20s and 30s, single or married, are active on MeetUp at www. meetup.com/charlottecatholicyoungadultministry OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION CHURCH: on Facebook at “Our Lady of Consolation Young Adult Ministry” ST. GABRIEL CHURCH: https://stgabrielchurch.org ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH: call Meg VanGoethem, 815-545-2587 or visit www.4sjnc.org/faith-formation/ adult-ministry/young-adult-ministry ST. LUKE CHURCH: www.stlukechurch.net/youngadult-ministry ST. MARK CHURCH: on Facebook at “The Young Adult Ministry of St. Mark” ST. MATTHEW CHURCH: on Facebook at “Young Adult Life: A St. Matthew Ministry” or visit www. stmatthewcatholic.org/youngadultministries ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL: on Facebook at “The Cathedral of St. Patrick - Young Adult Ministry” ST. PETER CHURCH: Look them up on Facebook: “St Peter 20s and 30s Ministry” ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH: online at “Aquinas’ Finest,” www.stacharlotte.com/finest HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH IN DENVER: call Nicole Lehman, 704-607-5207. St. Michael Church in Gastonia: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Gastonia area. Meets once a month. Online at www. stmichaelsgastonia.org/young-adult

IS YOUR PARISH OR SCHOOL hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions is 10 days before desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI 5A

‘Imitate Padre Pio’ in holiness During Mass and veneration of St. Pio’s relics, people urged to pray for priests, increase in vocations PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — The scene looked like one of Padre Pio’s famed Masses at the monastery where he lived, San Giovanni Rotondo, in southern Italy – hundreds of people crammed inside the church and spilling out of every doorway, just trying to catch a glimpse of the holy Franciscan monk who bore the wounds of Christ.

Except this was not Italy. It was St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte June 11. Nevertheless, Padre Pio was there – several of his relics were on the altar – and more than 500 people had come to attend a Solemn High Mass celebrated in his memory.

The Mass in the Extraordinary Form was offered by Father Joseph Matlak, pastor of St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Parish in Charlotte, assisted by Deacon Britt Taylor and seminarian Harry Ohlhaut as subdeacon.

People from across the Diocese of Charlotte and beyond came for the Mass on Pentecost Tuesday and to venerate the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, as Padre Pio is more formally known.

The relics tour, sponsored by the Saint Pio Foundation, included his glove; crusts of the wounds, cotton gauze with blood stains, a lock of his hair, his mantle, and a handkerchief soaked with his sweat just hours before he died.

Also present for the Mass and veneration of St. Pio’s relics were young men from St. Joseph College Seminary, some of whom comprised the schola for the Mass, and participants of the diocese’s 2019 Quo Vadis Days vocations retreat underway this week.

It was to the college seminarians and the retreat participants that Father Matlak directed his homily on the vocation and importance of the priesthood.

As he looked out at the hundreds of people packed inside the cathedral, Father Matlak said, “Any young men out there, if you feel God is calling you, I can only advise you from my personal experience – and I resisted God for many years – go, because you don’t know how happy it will make you. God gives you happiness, and you’re happy only when you do His Will – whether that’s to become a priest or become something else.

“From the heart, I can tell you that the vocation of the priesthood, the vocation to be one with the Eucharist on the altar, is one of the most challenging things that a man could ever do, but also one of the happiest. And I can tell you from my personal experience there is nothing – nothing! – that compares to being at the altar.”

Christ, he continued, “calls you individually, and He says, ‘You! Come and follow Me. You do what I do, because you are members of the Body of Christ, you are members of the Church.’”

“The most important thing is that you imitate Padre Pio in giving himself to God, because he loved God, because he loved the

(Above) Hundreds of people came to see St. Pio’s relics, with lines stretching around the cathedral throughout the day. (Below) The Mass in the Extraordinary Form, offered by Father Matlak, drew hundreds more people. The cathedral was filled beyond capacity for the special liturgy, with people standing outside all three entrances. The crowd was estimated at more than 500.

PHOTOS BY SUEANN HOWELL AND PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, as Padre Pio is more formally known, were at St. Patrick Cathedral for veneration June 11. After Mass that evening, Father Joseph Matlak blessed the congregation with a reliquary containing a glove that the holy monk used to cover the stigmata wounds on his hands.

Church, because he wanted to contribute … to making the Church holy.”

Father Matlak noted that in the Old Testament, a priest’s role was to offer a sacrifice to God in thanksgiving, for the expiation for sins, and intercession on behalf of the people. A priest was also God’s suffering servant, offering the sacrifice with “a humble and contrite heart.”

In the New Testament, Christ takes on this role perfectly, Father Matlak continued, offering not just a temporary animal sacrifice but a final and complete sacrifice of Himself.

“The priesthood of the old was temporary.

It gets culminated, it gets summed up, it gets fulfilled in the One that the New Testament calls the Eternal High Priest.”

“In His suffering on the cross, He was made perfect and that was what saved us.

That was the source of our salvation,” he said.

Christ gave the Church the gifts of the Eucharist and the priesthood to enable us today to be present in His sacrifice on Calvary, through the Eucharist.

“The priesthood exists for one thing, and one thing only – just like in the Old Testament, to offer sacrifice, but this time it is a different sacrifice. It is the one eternal sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and when a priest stands here at the altar he stands at the foot of the cross,” he said.

St. Pio, “who was so conformed to the Lord crucified on the cross” that he bore the stigmata and was a victim soul, loved the Mass and he loved Christ, Father Matlak said.

“That man lived our faith completely in himself and in his life. For him, being a priest, the Mass was the center of everything.”

St. Pio recognized the reality of Calvary in the Eucharist, actually seeing the angels and saints around the altar at every Mass.

“Think for a moment what marvelous mystery is taking place around this altar,”

Father Matlak said. “If we could only see with our eyes what is happening here, we would be on our knees. We would be here every day if we could!”

Pray for priests and for an increase in vocations, Father Matlak entreated.

“Nowadays it’s not easy to be a priest,” he said. “Once upon a time it was a privileged thing, but not anymore. I want you to remember that every man that you see enter (the priesthood) is going into a burning building, and doing it freely.

Why? Because they love the Eucharist and because they love Christ, and because they love the priesthood.”

“We need your prayers,” he said. “We’re all members of the Body of Christ and we need one another.”

He prayed, “May God give us priests, may God give us good priests, and may God give us holy priests.”

At the end of Mass, Father Matlak blessed everyone present with the reliquary containing St. Pio’s glove, which the holy monk wore to cover the wounds of the stigmata.

St. Pio was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, and baptized Francesco Forgione. He first expressed his desire for priesthood when he was 10. The future saint entered the Capuchin order when he was 15, taking the name Pio. He was ordained a priest in 1910 at the age of 23.

During his lifetime, Padre Pio was known as a mystic with miraculous powers of healing and knowledge and who bore the stigmata, wounds that correspond to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. They can appear on the forehead, hands, wrists and feet. The stigmata remained with him until his death on Sept. 23, 1968.

Pope John Paul II canonized him in 2002.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 OUR PARISHES

Sister Mary Agnes Solari, 70 years a Sister of Mercy, passes away aged 87 BELMONT — Sister Mary Agnes Solari, a Sister of Mercy for 70 years, died June 11, 2019, at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont. She was 87.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated June 15, 2019, in the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, followed by interment in the Belmont Abbey cemetery.

She was born in Richmond, Va., the youngest of four children. Her parents, Frank and Agnes Solari Feeney Solari, and her sisters, Jean and Mary, preceded her in death.

She is survived by her brother, Frank Solari, and sister-in-law Joan; 15 nieces and nephews; and several great-nieces and great-nephews. She also was the cousin of Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey and Father James Solari, chaplain at Maryfield in High Point.

In 1949, she entered the Sisters of Mercy with 11 other young women. This was the beginning of the now famous “’49ers” and began her 70 years of commitment to religious life, a life of prayer, ministry and companionship interspersed with joy.

Sister Mary Agnes graduated from St. Gertrude’s High School in Richmond and earned a baccalaureate degree from Belmont Abbey College and a masters degree in education and supervision from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She was a well-known and popular teacher at St. Patrick’s School in Charlotte, St. Michael’s School in Gastonia, St. Mary’s School in Wilmington, and Our Lady of Lourdes School in Raleigh. She also served as principal of schools in Charlotte, Raleigh and Asheville.

After years of teaching, she attended Seattle University in Washington to prepare for an extended ministry. In 1979, she worked in campus ministry at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College. Her commitment to teaching continued, and she tutored students at the Evelyn Mack Day School in Charlotte.

Her service to the Sisters of Mercy included her time as director of formation and novices.

She also was named a trustee of Sacred Heart College in Belmont.

Sister Mary Agnes was known and cherished for her sense of humor. She brought joy and surprises to her settings and friends. She could sing and play the violin.

She loved animals of all kinds, except bugs, and was famous for having a pet pig. One year she was given a baby pig by her pastor, not realizing how large it would grow. The pig enjoyed convent living until the time came for him to be given to a farm, where he would have pig peers. This little pig brought, among other things, many laughs and a sweet memory of Sister Mary Agnes.

Her motto in religious life was “What is This to Eternity?” She wrote her meaning of this: “In bad times – with help, we can get through it – don’t give up. In good times – don’t get too caught up that you lose sight of what’s important.”

Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, 500 Sacred Heart Circle, Belmont, N.C. 28012.

McLean Funeral Home of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AL TINSON

Having fun at Camp SOAR CHARLOTTE — More than 100 Charlotte Catholic High School students volunteered at the 19th annual Camp SOAR June 10-14 at the Levine Jewish Community Center. The week-long event brought together more than 375 campers and 400 volunteers with intellectual disabilities for a fun week of sports, arts and crafts, fitness and health and fellowship.

Building continues at St. John the Evangelist Parish WAYNESVILLE — Several new building projects have been completed or are under way at St. John the Evangelist Church.

MARIAN GROTTO

Kevin Wenzel, a Boy Scout and high school junior in Waynesville, has nearly completed his Eagle Scout project to build a Marian grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in thanksgiving for prayers answered to buy a lot adjacent to the church. The .42-acre site will serve as a much-needed recreation field for the parish’s youth and families, according to Father Richard Sutter, parochial administrator.

The grotto will feature a four-foot Carrara marble statue of Mary that is due to arrive from Italy next month.

the effort, emphasizing the theme “Our Faith Can Move Mountains!” from Matthew 17:20.

“The families and youth of this Smoky Mountain Vicariate Parish of ours are truly grateful for the support, prayers and encouragement of all,” he said.

MONUMENT TO THE UNBORN

Near the grotto, the newly-purchased land for the family and youth recreational field has been cleared of trees and project leaders hope to grade and complete a retaining wall in the coming weeks.

Fundraising continues for the eventual construction of a gymnasium on the site that young people throughout Haywood County can use.

Father Sutter notes that the only gym in Waynesville is at First Methodist Church in Waynesville, and its youth evangelization program is growing.

“It is my hope and dream that we will have the gym facility for an afterschool program similar to that of First Methodist, a program for youth that focuses on offering a leadership program for middle school age youth with high school mentors leading and college-age parish staff directing the program.

So much we can do for the youth in these mountains with the proper facilities!” he said.

He continues to encourage support and donations for

A special “monument to the unborn” is being added to the parish’s cemetery and columbarium – thanks to a bequest from a parishioner upon their death. The monument will be a dedicated burial space for stillborn children.

The monument’s centerpiece will be a five-foot Sacred Heart of Jesus statue carved from Carrara marble. For the month of June, Father Sutter and parishioners have been praying to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of the effort: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart more like yours.”

The monument also includes a water fountain featuring the scripture passage “Rivers of Living Water will flow from His Heart” from John 7:39 around its base.

Plans call for Carrara marble angel statues to flank the Sacred Heart statue and water fountain, once funds are raised.

“This effort in the church cemetery will ultimately help create a special space of prayer and reflection, especially for those who are mourning the passing of a loved one,” Father Sutter said.

The project is expected to be complete in July.

— Catholic News Herald

SJE high school youth to attend pilgrimage

Summer concerts scheduled

WAYNESVILLE — This summer, high school parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Church will have the opportunity to take a “Southern Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage” to New Orleans July 7-11.

The four Southern Catholic Heritage Pilgrimage Series was founded

by Father Charles Byrd at Our Lady of the Mountains Church in Jasper, Ga. The series offers teens four pilgrimages over the course of their four summers of high school. These four pilgrimages are consecutive and are repeated at the end of every four-year cycle. They are specifically designed to help teens understand the rich heritage they enjoy as Southern Catholics, and to give them opportunities to see the various colonial cultures that formed our unique part of the world.

The four destinations are: St. Augustine, Fla.; the Chesapeake Bay Area; New Orleans; and Savannah, Ga. SJE youth will experience a tailor-made series to meet their needs.

They will also attend Steubenville ATL, sponsored by Life Teen in Atlanta on their return trip.

Waynesville parishioner and up-andcoming musician Sammie Bernardi, 19, has been commissioned by the parish to sing at select Masses in June and July at the Waynesville parish, Wednesday night youth programs and a summer parish outdoor concert that will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 6, on the outside cement balcony of the old church.

Bernardi is also accompanying the teens on their New Orleans pilgrimage and trip to the Steubenville Atlanta Teen Conference.

Details about the summer concert and other events are on the parish’s website, www.stjohnrcc.com.

RECREATION FIELD

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI 7A

‘St. Anthony’s Bread’ Endowment created at St. Pius X Church SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

GREENSBORO — The Family of Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, has established an endowment to honor a favorite saint of his family. His late parents, Tony and Rose Marcaccio, worked throughout their lives to practice kindness to their neighbor, so it was a natural choice to endow their devotion to St. Anthony of Padua who is known for his ministry of preaching and charity.

“My parents were part of the Greatest Generation,” Monsignor Marcaccio said. “They were children during the Depression and lived through World War II.” He believes this contributed to their practice of charity towards others.

“My parents were very generous and welcoming. We always had people to our home. Mom would invite the person who was alone, an elderly person or an exchange student to our home for the holidays. Mom and Dad would help with meals and deliver Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, and volunteer throughout the year with senior Meals on Wheels,” he recalled.

In April, the Marcaccio family established the St. Anthony Bread Endowment to benefit the poor in the Greensboro and Asheville vicariates.

“The idea of an endowment goes way back to miracles attributed to St. Anthony. People gave things in charity because they felt the intercession of this great saint in their lives. It was a way of thanking him.”

Monsignor Marcaccio and his family wanted to honor his parents’ memory with something that would speak to the kind of people they were. “When someone passes, you can only have so many flowers, so when my dad died we erected a marble statue of Our Lady on the grounds of Saint Pius in his memory.”

This new endowment carries forward works of charity that both his parents believed in so deeply.

For more information To learn more about the St. Anthony Bread Endowment at St. Pius X Church, contact the parish at 336-272-4681.

Interested in setting up an endowment?

Individuals can establish an endowment in the diocesan foundation by leaving a bequest in their will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity.

For details about setting up an endowment to benefit the Church in western North Carolina, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or email gmrhodes@charlottediocese.org.

Disbursements from the endowment set up through the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte Foundation will be allocated around the feast of St. Anthony, June 13.

“The endowment which we have funded will hopefully achieve with family bequests my personal goal of a million dollars. The income from the endowment would feed the poor,” Monsignor Marcaccio said, “providing a significant aid in buying groceries for them, especially if we leverage its purchasing ENDOWMENT, SEE PAGE 17A

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARYANN LUEDTKE

Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio holds a relic of St. Anthony during a special celebration at St. Pius X Church June 13.

Christian joy motivates people to act in faith GEORGIANNA PENN CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — More than 100 parishioners and dames and knights of the Order of Malta gathered June 13 at St. Pius X Church for Mass, followed by a special Italian dinner and presentation celebrating the feast day of St. Anthony. The Italian feast was prepared by Knight of Malta Sal Giaimo and friends, with proceeds benefiting the St. Anthony Bread Endowment established by the Marcaccio family.

Dr. Alessandro Rovati of Belmont Abbey College, who gave a presentation entitled “Encountering Christ: The Gospels and Christian Morality,” noted, “It was so beautiful to start this evening with Mass, for it put at the center the Lord and His Presence, because the more we are centered in Christ, the more we will be led to go out and announce Him.” Reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical

“The Joy of the Gospel,” Rovati focused on a “return to the essentials.” Rather than a legalistic set of rules, we must return to Christ’s love, he said. “We are created for what the Gospel offers us… love for others and friendship with Christ.” It is “from love the commandments are born.”

God always waits for us, he said. “He seeks to get involved with each of us. All we need is a desire to take a step towards God. There are embers of a desire for God in all of us.”

He referred to John 21, explaining that when we take a step towards God, He is there waiting for us, “therefore, Christian morality is a response… It’s in always getting up, thanks to God’s hand.”

If we focus too much on the faith as a list of rules, if we take away the awe, then we end up being Christians without Christ, he said.

Rovati said Pope Francis suggests “at least JOY, SEE PAGE 17A

On World Refugee Day, Charlotte man is thankful for his new life, career KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Fortine Masambeta is achieving his dreams while being a role model for his brothers and sister.

None of it would have been possible if he was still a refugee in South Africa, he says.

“Working as an engineer and having my family here means the world to me,” he says. “It is a dream come true.

Everything I didn’t have in South Africa, I have it here.

I couldn’t get opportunities in my field in South Africa.

When I got here, I got them.

“With my family, life wasn’t easy because of financial problems. It means a lot to me to have what we have now.

I’m grateful. This is what I wanted from the start, and I’m getting it.”

Welcomed by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte in 2017, Masambeta is sharing his story as World Refugee Day is celebrated.

To mark the day, Charlotte will hold a cultural celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Galilee Center, located at 3601 Central Ave. The free festival includes performances, activities, information and food from the diverse populations that arrived as refugees and now call Charlotte home.

Since the 1990s, Charlotte has become home to about 17,000 refugees from more than 50 countries.

World Refugee Day is to celebrate refugee resilience

and raise awareness of their presence on local and international stages. It is observed annually on June 20.

Masambeta, now 25, was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but his family fled in search of peace when he was just a child.

He completed a mechanical engineering degree in South Africa, but some of his credits didn’t transfer to the United States. Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Office helped him enroll at Central Piedmont Community College to complete his degree.

An employment specialist worked with him on his resumé and applying for internships. He is currently completing a paid internship with Keller USA. “As a design intern, I draft whatever they ask of me.

From a steel table to something complicated with wiring,” he says. “I’m really enjoying it.”

Being a refugee in South Africa was challenging for Masambeta and his family.

“I wouldn’t say it was a good life,” he says. “There were good things happening, and there were a lot of bad things happening. I was denied opportunities because I was a refugee and discriminated against.”

His family struggled financially, Masambeta explains, as jobs for refugees were hard to come by.

“You have to hustle to make money, which isn’t easy,” he says.

Masambeta says it also wasn’t easy to leave his family behind in 2017 to come to Charlotte, but he was excited to come to the “land of opportunity.” His parents, three

brothers and one sister were able to seek asylum in the United States in May 2018, although they were settled in Connecticut. The family was reunited in January, and Masambeta was able to bring them all to Charlotte, where they live together again.

“It’s exciting. The whole time, I didn’t have peace until they came,” he says. “When my family came, it was like 10 times better.”

His siblings are attending local high and middle schools, and Masambeta says he hopes he can be a good role model for them as they decide their futures.

“They will have opportunities as they move forward as well,” he says. “I believe they can have the world, too. My younger brothers are looking at me. If I can do it, they can do it.”

Compared to his refugee experience in South Africa, Masambeta says he’s been treated very well in Charlotte.

“Catholic Charities made sure we had a place to live and made sure we have a job. Even if it was not what we wanted in the first place, it’s a job to get you started,” he explains.

Now that he and his family are together, Masambeta says he is most excited to start his chosen career.

“I wanted to be an engineer,” he says. “This is the right way. I’m going to school and getting experience. There’s nothing more exciting than that.”

More online At www.ccdoc.org/services/refugee-language: Learn more about Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s resources for refugees

8A

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 OUR PARISHES

Pro-life advocates fight proposed Charlotte noise ordinance CHARLOTTE — Pro-life groups are rallying to oppose new regulations on free speech outside of local abortion clinics.

The Charlotte City Council will vote Monday, June 24, on proposed changes to the city’s noise ordinance that would create 200-foot “quiet zones” around the property line of medical facilities, schools and houses of worship when they are open.

The new ordinance would ban the use of sound amplification equipment and limit any sound deemed “unreasonably loud” or disturbing to “health, peace, or safety” of people at the facility.

Changes to this ordinance have been proposed to address those assembling outside A Preferred Women’s Health on Latrobe Drive.

Pro-life advocates are concerned that these changes would curb free speech, as many pro-life groups regularly pray, witness, counsel and sing outside the abortion clinics – activities that produce noise levels that could be challenged.

Speaking at recent council meetings, Father Peter Ascik of St. Matthew Church pointed out that for abortion clinic supporters, a pro-life presence is disturbing.

Others highlighted the need to protect the freedom of pro-life sidewalk counselors to communicate with women and men in crisis.

“Please don’t consider pro-life groups noise,” said Sally Vest. “Consider us, help.

We are the last chance for a mother to do the right and noble thing. We offer support, clothes, diapers, medical help, financial help and even a place to stay during her pregnancy. We offer emotional support after an abortion.”

Andrea Hines challenged the Council to recognize that the noise ordinance unfairly burdens one side of the abortion debate. “It’s the job of the government to keep a fair and balanced approach to controversial issues between its citizens,” she said. “There should be no winners or losers.”

The City Council has tried to crack down on pro-life activists before. In 2017, then-mayor Jennifer Roberts called it a “top priority” to modify the city code to hinder pro-life vigils at Latrobe Drive by creating buffer zones, a new sign or noise ordinance and the elimination of public parking near the clinic.

A further effort by city officials to seize signs used by pro-life demonstrators at the Latrobe abortion mill led one local prolife group, Cities4Life, to file a complaint in federal court charging the city with discriminatory enforcement of its sign ordinance.

With the upcoming vote on the sound ordinance, the city is set to implement the third pillar of Robert’s plan, pro-life advocates say.

The City Council is pushing ahead with the changes despite the results of a community survey, which indicated that a majority of respondents felt that the current ordinance was sufficient.

Pro-life leaders invite people to join in praying the rosary outside at 5:30 p.m. before the June 24 City Council meeting, 600 E. 4th St., and then staying to attend the meeting. People who want to speak at the public forum before the vote may sign up with the city clerk. Finally, fasting and prayer are requested in support of this and all pro-life efforts in the diocese.

— Charlotte Truth and Life Coalition contributed.

John Redmond, an elder at The City Church, was among those who spoke June 15 at a pro-life rally near Planned Parenthood’s new Charlotte facility.

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Protests continue against new Charlotte Planned Parenthood facility PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — A rally against Planned Parenthood’s new Charlotte location drew more than 300 people June 15 to Cherry Park.

The “Save Our Children” rally brought together pro-life advocates from Catholic and Protestant churches and organizations. It was organized by faith-based grassroots organizations including the Douglass Leadership Institute, the Black and Brown Coalition and the Church of God in Christ Family Life Initiative. Members of St. Ann Parish were also there with their pastor, Father Timothy Reid.

The clergy condemned abortion as a sin and as genocide against African-Americans, and they called Planned Parenthood “merchants of death.”

They called on people to combat abortion by supporting resources for pregnant women in need, educating people, and praying for a conversion of hearts.

Prayer must be at the heart of the pro-life movement, the speakers emphasized – for all life to be valued, for people to repent of the sin of abortion, and for God to have mercy on the City of Charlotte.

“My heart breaks for this community, this city,” said Davon Alexander of True Life Fellowship Church in Matthews. “We cannot be silent. We must stand as a church. We must stand as the People of God.” “In this nation, for 46 years, 65 million children’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been denied,” said Pastor Leon Threatt of Christian Faith Assembly in Charlotte.

“There are two great failures, I believe, that we face today: first, is the discovery of how to take life from within the womb... But I think the greatest failure of our generation is somehow we’ve learned to live with it and to be quiet while it’s occurring.”

White and black pastors prayed together at the rally, emphasizing that abortion is not a racial issue but “a Gospel issue.”

But pastors of majority African-American congregations noted that a majority of women who obtain abortions in Charlotte are African-American, and the city’s three abortion facilities are located in mostly black communities. Planned Parenthood’s new facility is located in the historically African-American Cherry neighborhood.

Of the 22,677 abortions in North Carolina in 2017, 45 percent (10,269) were African-American. Mecklenburg County is the state’s abortion capital – there were 9,912 abortions in Charlotte in 2017, more than anywhere else in the state.

“The number-one killer among ethnic minorities, among black folks, in our country is abortion,” said the Rev. Kevrick McKain, one of the rally organizers. “It’s time that it end during our generation, not someone else’s generation.”

“We’re killing the future of African-Americans,” said Reggie Isaac of Victory Christian Center, who was among those urging people to vote only for pro-life candidates in upcoming elections.

“America needs to repent. We can’t sin and kill this many people

and think we can get away with it.”

“We shall fast, we shall pray,” said John Redmond, an elder with The City Church of Huntersville.

As it was Father’s Day weekend, many speakers emphasized the critical role fathers must play in protecting and building up their families.

Women wouldn’t seek abortion so readily, they noted, if the father of their unborn child accepted responsibility to care for that child.

“Fathers, we cannot allow social media, music and fashion to raise our children,” said one pastor. “We must have fathers taking their rightful place in their homes.”

Following the speeches, people marched silently down Torrence Street to Planned Parenthood’s expanded Charlotte Health Center, which is expected to open in July, then stopped and prayed outside the tall iron fence surrounding the facility.

Get involved n 54-Day Rosary Novena: Pray the rosary daily from Friday, June 21, to Wednesday, Aug. 14 (the feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe, patron saint of the pro-life movement, and the Vigil of the Assumption) with the intention of closing Planned Parenthood’s three locations in the diocese: Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem. Then offer your Holy Communion on the Assumption, Aug. 15, a holy day of obligation, for this intention. Organized by the Carolina Pro-Life Action Network (C-PLAN). For details go to www.prolifecharlotte.org/event/rosarynovena or email Mike FitzGerald at info@prolifecharlotte.org. n 40-Day Vigil: The daily vigil outside the new Planned Parenthood in Charlotte has been extended indefinitely. Sign up at www.signup.com/ client/invitation2/secure/2799555/true#/invitation so that at least one person per day silently prays for one hour outside Planned Parenthood’s location at 700 S. Torrence St. n Pray a Memorare: For the protection of the unborn and that the new Planned Parenthood in Charlotte may not open. The goal is for 2.35 million Memorares be offered to Our Lady by Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption. Keep track of your numbers prayed and record them at www.signupgenius.com/go/8050e4dada629a5ff2-stop.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

(in English and Spanish) at www.usccb.org/ ReligiousFreedomWeek, and a short video on the theme of religious freedom may be viewed at www.usccb.org/freedom.

— Joseph Purello

Religious Freedom Week 2019 starts June 22 “Religious Freedom Week 2019: Strength in Hope,” sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will take place June 22-29 to promote the importance of preserving the essential right of religious freedom, for now and the future, for Catholics and for those of all faiths. The week begins with the Feast of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, ends with the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, and includes the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

The chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., encourages Catholics to pray and act in support of religious liberty at home and abroad during the week. The theme for this year, “Strength in Hope,” is taken from the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity: “Among the trials of this life they find strength in hope, convinced that ‘the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us’ (Rom 8:18)” (“Apostolicam actuositatem,” 4).

Daily prayer and reflection resources for each day of Religious Freedom Week are available

Camp CARE receives donation CHARLOTTE — Camp CARE is the latest beneficiary of Son Fest, a major community event and fundraiser held at St. John Neumann Church. Proceeds from each year’s event go to a non-profit agency in the Charlotte area.

Camp CARE (Cancer Ain’t Really the End) provides a week-long summer camp and yearround activities to children who have or have had cancer and their families in the Charlotte area. The camp and activities throughout the year are for kids in all stages of the treatment journey: on- or off-treatment, in remission or fighting relapse, no symptoms or side effects,

Do you have a car sitting in a driveway catching leaves? Maybe it will not start or needs a major repair. Catholic Charities benefits from the donation of your vehicle. Donate your vehicle and receive a tax benefit!

Call 1-855-930-GIVE today!

CCDOC.ORG

Donate Your Car Make your car go the extra mile.

Donate your car to Catholic Charities to help fund programs for those in need. All vehicle makes, models and years welcome.

Truck, boat, RV and motorcycle donations accepted.

855.930.GIVE (4483) www.ccdoc.org/CARS Catholic Charities relies on your direct support to help fund its various ministries.

OUR PARISHESI 9A

and those with physical and mental challenges.

The week-long summer camp provides a normal camp experience for children with cancer and their siblings aged 6-16.

Staffed 24/7 by medical professionals, this week of summer camp allows the campers the chance to get away from the realities of living with cancer – while still being under medical supervision at all times. The campers will get to participate in camp activities like tubing, arts and crafts, swimming, a talent show, a dance, and so much more! Most importantly, campers will have the chance to meet new friends and connect with others who are undergoing the same things that they are going through, while having a great time away from home for a week.

Camp CARE’s executive director, Carrie Keuten, and her husband Bob recently were presented a check for $3,155. Also pictured are camp director Mike Daly and Son Fest committee members Terri Wilhelm, Patti Matys and Anthony Morlando.

For more information about Camp CARE or to donate, visit www.campcare.org.

Risk & Insurance Manager The Diocese is currently accepting resumes for a “Risk & Insurance Manager” position within the Diocesan Properties & Risk Management Department.

The Risk & Insurance Manager will be required to perform a wide range of insurance and risk management tasks, and be directly involved in and accountable for implementing effective Risk Management strategies throughout the diocese.

This position is directly responsible for developing risk management policies and procedures, providing training throughout the diocese in safety, security, and risk management, have direct responsibility for diocesan insurance policies, be involved in claims management, while overseeing the implementation of risk solutions with the goal of reducing preventable claims.

Requirements include: • Bachelor’s degree or greater in relevant field required.

• Ten years minimum related experience required.

• Certified Risk Manager (CRM) or Associate Risk Manager (ARM) certificate is a plus.

• Computer skills and knowledge of relevant software including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat Pro, PowerPoint, and Publisher.

• Knowledge of principles and practices of risk management activities such as risk transference, loss control, asset protection, employee safety, workers’ compensation programs, etc.

• Knowledge of claims processing techniques and budgetary practices and controls.

• Strong communication skills – both written and verbal.

• Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills.

• Ability to work both independently and with a team.

• Strong written, verbal and inter-personal skills.

Please submit your professional resume and salary history by June 30, 2019 to: Anthony J. Morlando Diocesan Director of Properties & Risk Management Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 1123 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203 Or email directly to ajmorlando@charlottediocese.org.

The Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 10A

Hasta siempre Padre Vicente Padre Vincent Finnerty

El buen pastor

C

ómo podemos ser mejores ovejas y mejores pastores? Nos toca el papel de ser buenas ovejas y todos nosotros tenemos el papel de ser también el buen pastor en las vidas de los demás.

Primero ovejas. La oveja escucha y sigue. Hace muchos años conocí un obispo que me dijo: ‘Sabes Vicente, cada noche, antes de acostarme, le digo al Señor, si me permites despertarme mañana te prometo que te voy a despertar a tí en mi corazón”.

Una manera de ser mejores ovejas es rezando esa pequeña oración.

Segundo, a ustedes, ¿cómo ser buenos pastores?

El pastor es el que ama, que guía, que protege.

Nuevamente estamos de acuerdo, ¿pero cómo se puede vivir esto más plenamente cada día?

Todos tenemos un crucifijo. En el cuarto, en la oficina o uno chiquito en el bolsillo. Si miramos al crucifijo, Él nos va a decir qué se requiere para dar, amar y proteger.

Dice Lucas en su Evangelio que el buen pastor deja las 99 ovejas para buscar a la oveja perdida.

Hay personas que necesitan más escucha, más tiempo, más comprensión, más amor. Y cuando estas personas se presentan en nuestras vidas la tendencia es decir: ‘mira, ya viene ese latoso’.

Cuando estaba en México trabajé con ‘Las hijas de la caridad’, un grupo de monjas. Recuerdo el caso de Javier, un muchacho que murió a los 19 años de SIDA. A los cinco años lo prostituyeron con una gente a la que le gustan los niños.

Eventualmente la familia lo abandonó en las calles y llegó a una casa de ‘Las hijas de la Caridad’.

Allí encontró a Sor Consuelo, quien fue la persona que le tendió esa manita cuando buscaba alguien que lo escuchara.

Una vez pregunté a Sor Consuelo por qué gastaba tanto tiempo en Javier. “Se me hace que cuando nació Javier, él tenía una mamá que lo arrullaba en sus brazos. Ahora que no está esa mamá, se me hace a mí que me toca hacerle ver que todavía está en los brazos de Dios y todavía Dios lo está arrullando”, respondió.

Si nosotros vemos que esta persona que es latosa, que fastidia, como mi hermano, mi papá o mi mamá, a lo mejor nuestra atención sería muy distinta.

Yo crecí en una finca. Mi mamá horneaba pan dos veces por semana y todos nosotros crecimos comiendo pan. Imaginen mi alegría cuando llegué a la Ciudad de México y encontré una panadería en cada esquina de la ciudad.

En México, la gente cuando ve a una persona que muy buena, le dice “eres bueno, como el pan”.

Leo, más adelante en esta Misa, vas a tomar en tus manos el Pan de Vida, y espero que cada vez que tomes ese Pan de Vida en tus manos, que todos recuerden que no solamente eres el pastor sino también un buen pastor.

Mi oración por todos ustedes y en particular para Leo es que cada día de tu vida puedas despertar a Jesús en tu corazón, que esa cruz te recuerde siempre de la generosidad y el amor de Dios que nos envía hacia la persona más fregada y que, al final del día, la gente pueda decir, “ese Padre si es bueno, como el pan”.

Texto condensado de la homilía del PADRE VICENTE FINNERTY del domingo 2 de junio.

El Padre Vincent Finnerty deja Charlotte después de 24 años en la diócesis algunos años, en 1999, se dejó de distribuir.

Al Padre Vicente también se le debe la expansión del Centro Hispano y el desarrollo de la parroquia Nuestra CHARLOTTE ­— El pasado domingo 2 de junio, después de Señora de Guadalupe en el oeste de la ciudad. La celebración pronunciar su última homilía en la primera Misa celebrada de ‘La Morenita del Tepeyac’ cada 12 de diciembre en el por el Padre Leo Tiburcio, una vocación local impulsada Coliseo Bojangles es otro de sus logros. por él mismo, el Padre Vicente Finnerty dejó la parroquia Pero muchos de sus aportes, quizás el mayor número, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte. permanece en silencio, oculto bajo su propio pedido de anonimato. Sin embargo, como él mismo nos lo dijo una vez, la comunidad hispana de Charlotte sabe que si tiene un problema serio, “siempre va a encontrar apoyo aquí, en la Lupita”.

En aquella ocasión el Padre Finnerty nos comentó que su familia, de escasos recursos, era muy numerosa y, gracias a una beca, pudo formarse para luego ser sacerdote. Su vocación lo puso en camino de la orden de San Vicente de Paúl y sus viajes a Latinoamérica lo hicieron ver una realidad de pobreza material y riqueza espiritual que desconocía, naciendo su amor e interés por los hispanos.

A los 27 años fue enviado a Panamá, después de ser ordenado sacerdote en mayo de 1979. En 1986 se le trasladó a México donde fue director espiritual del seminario vicentino. Tras su asignación en Charlotte ha sido trasladado por su congregación al estado de Alabama.

Gracias a la colaboración de un grupo de jóvenes de su parroquia, pudimos acceder a testimonios de feligreses como Haydeé García, quien conoce al Padre Vicente desde su llegada a Charlotte. Ella y otros fieles fueron invitados a trabajar a su lado. “Para mí es mi pastor, mi guía espiritual, mi amigo, mi hermano, mi papá y un miembro de mi familia”, dijo.

Otto García, feligrés, dijo haber aprendido del Padre Vicente la humildad y el servicio al prójimo. “Lo extrañaré y siempre estará en mis oraciones”, anotó.

“Nunca podré decir con palabras el significado que ha tenido en mi vida y la de mi familia”, dijo Hortensia González (nombre ficticio para proteger la identidad de la persona), quien confiesa atender “no mucho” a Misa. “El Padre Vicente nos ayudó en momentos muy difíciles, cuando mi esposo tuvo problemas con Inmigración. Su recuerdo seguirá siempre conmigo mientras viva”, dijo muy emocionada.

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Según información extraoficial, el Obispo Peter El Padre Vicente llegó a Charlotte en mayo de 1995, invitado por el Obispo Curlin para Jugis habría recibido de la orden Vicentina la dirigir la Pastoral Hispana. Expandió el Ministerio Hispano, desarrolló de la parroquia recomendación de nominar al también sacerdote Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y estableció la celebración de ‘La Morenita del Tepeyac’ vicentino, Padre Gregorio Gay, como pastor de la cada 12 de diciembre en el Coliseo Bojangle’s, entre muchos otros logros. parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, quien tomó interinamente la posición de pastor desde la partida vacacional del Padre Vicente.

Padre Vicente había dejado ya la parroquia hace algunos El Padre Gregory Gay, C.M. nació en Baltimore el 8 de meses y se encontraba en descanso vacacional por un tiempo. octubre de 1953. Ingresó a la Congregación de la Misión Para quienes tuvieron el gusto de conocerlo y trabajar de Vicentina en agosto de 1973. Educado en el Seminario de María cerca con él, pese al entusiasmo y alegría que ponía en las Inmaculada en Northampton, PA, recibió el grado Master en acciones y proyectos que emprendía, se encontraba un poco Divinidad y Teología. Fue ordenado el 24 de mayo de 1980 como cansado. miembro de la Provincia Oriental de Estados Unidos.

Siguiendo su estilo modesto y de pocas palabras en cuanto a su trabajo se refiere, el Padre Vicente no pudo encontrar un momento para conversar sobre su trabajo y logros durante su permanencia en la Diócesis de Charlotte, la que “Hoy mi corazón se dirige hacia la gratitud y la esperanza. Quiero se remonta a mayo de 1995, cuando invitado por el Obispo unir mi corazón con el de Jesús. Te doy gracias Padre porque has William Curlin, llegó a la Ciudad Reina para hacerse cargo ocultado estas cosas de la gente sabia y bien entendida de este de la Pastoral Hispana. mundo, y la has revelado a la gente sencilla, la gente pobre, la Con el padre Vicente se impulsó a nivel diocesano gente que no cuenta para nada. Hoy encuentro una convicción en la publicación de ‘Comuniquémonos’, un suplemento mi corazón, a veces apenas latiendo, a veces con muchas ganas de informativo en español que se agregó a las páginas de salir del pecho. Es la convicción que creo”. nuestra publicación, ‘The Catholic News and Herald’, como CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

Palabras del Padre Vicente

era llamada anteriormente. Lamentablemente, después de

— Padre Vicente Finnerty

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Tocaron tema del abuso sexual En junta de primavera, obispos respondieron a crisis CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BALTIMORE — Durante la reunión de primavera de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos del 11 al 13 de junio en Baltimore, Maryland, los obispos votaron para implementar el documento ‘Vos Estis Lux Mundi’ (‘Ustedes son la luz del mundo’), emitido por el papa Francisco en mayo para ayudar a la Iglesia Católica a proteger a sus miembros del abuso y que sus líderes rindan cuentas.

Los obispos prometieron responsabilizarse ante los compromisos incluidos, incluyendo una política de cero tolerancia ante el abuso.

También votaron a favor del “protocolo sobre las disponibles restricciones no penales a obispos”, el que explica las opciones canónicas disponibles para los obispos cuando un obispo retirado renuncia o es destituido “debido a una conducta sexual inapropiada con adultos o grave negligencia en su gestión, o en caso posterior a su renuncia si fuese encontrado que ha actuado de ese modo o no tomó acción”.

Por votación se aprobó la implementación de un sistema de información por terceros, que permitiría que las personas reporten confidencialmente denuncias contra obispos por abuso, a través de una línea telefónica gratuita y por internet. El sistema, el que estaría a cargo de una empresa externa contratada por la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos, debe estar funcionando a

más tardar el 31 de mayo de 2020.

El arzobispo Christophe Pierre, nuncio apostólico en Estados Unidos, señaló que existía un deseo entre los obispos en Estados Unidos de actuar rápidamente en noviembre pasado para abordar la nueva crisis de abuso sexual por parte del clero, pero el aplazamiento de los votos en este tema permitió que la iglesia estadounidense participe más plenamente en la cumbre del Vaticano sobre la protección de menores que se realizó en febrero.

El presidente de la Junta Supervisora Nacional, Francesco Cesareo, hizo un llamado a una mayor participación del laicado en las acusaciones de abuso que se investigan o en la respuesta a los reportes de abusos en contra de los obispos.

Cesareo dijo que “reforzar la auditoría brindaría la posibilidad de mejorar los métodos existentes en sus diócesis para proteger y sanar”. “Ahora es el momento de aumentar las exigencias en el cumplimiento, a fin de asegurar que los errores del pasado no se repitan”.

La Junta Supervisora Nacional y el Consejo Asesor Nacional, presionaron a los obispos para que insten a los representantes del Vaticano a difundir los documentos sobre la investigación entorno a la conducta impropia de Theodore E. McCarrick, el ex cardenal que fue expulsado del sacerdocio a principios de este año.

Además, los obispos analizaron las próximas elecciones, la crisis en la frontera

Durante la reunión de primavera de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE.UU quedaba claro que los prelados tenían que responder a la crisis de abuso sexual en la iglesia y, en el último día de su encuentro, aprobaron una serie de procedimientos para iniciar este proceso.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

y el tema de los jóvenes adultos que abandonan la iglesia.

Se les instó a hacer más para solidarizarse con el sufrimiento de las familias inmigrantes, acompañarles espiritualmente como párrocos y manifestar apoyo a las medidas legales que buscan ayudarles.

De cara a las elecciones presidenciales de 2020, el documento trimestral de los obispos estadounidenses que ofrece

orientación a los votantes sobre la enseñanza social católica no cambiará, pero será complementado con una breve carta y cuatro videos de 90 segundos que reflejan la enseñanza del papa Francisco.

En el día final del encuentro, los obispos también aprobaron el texto para actualizar lo que se refiere a la pena de muerte en el Catecismo Católico de Estados Unidos para Adultos, y hacerlo acorde al modificado catecismo universal.

Obispos apoyan legislación para protección permanente de Dreamers y Tepesianos CONDENSADO DE CNS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — El Obispo Joe S. Vásquez, de Austin, Presidente del Comité de Migración de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos recibió con agrado la aprobación por parte de la Cámara de Representantes del “American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6)”, una legislación que proporcionaría un camino hacia la ciudadanía para los beneficiarios que califiquen de los Programas de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA), Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) y Salida Forzosa Diferida (DED).

“Este es un gran paso para los Dreamers (Soñadores amparados por DACA) y los titulares de TPS que han llamado a los Estados Unidos su hogar, pero que han estado trabajando y viviendo en la incertidumbre durante años”, dijo el Obispo Vásquez. “Los beneficiarios de DACA, TPS y DED están trabajando para fortalecer nuestras comunidades y parroquias y son contribuyentes vitales para nuestro país. Damos la bienvenida al voto de hoy e instamos al Senado a que adopte esta legislación que brinda protección permanente a los titulares de DACA, TPS y DED”.

En marzo, el Comité de Migración emitió un comunicado de apoyo firmado por el Obispo Vásquez en el que explicaba los beneficios de la propuesta de ley y urgía a los legisladores a actuar favorablemente.

“Mis hermanos obispos y yo creemos en la protección de la dignidad de todo ser humano, especialmente de los niños

y las familias. Los Obispos Católicos hemos apoyado a los Soñadores y a los poseedores de TPS, así como a sus familias.

Reconocemos y admiramos a estas personas como colaboradores en nuestra economía, en el estándar académico de nuestras universidades y como líderes en nuestras parroquias. Es nuestro deber moral, y por el interés de nuestra nación, protegerlos y permitirles alcanzar el pleno potencial que Dios le ha dado”, expresaba el documento.

A finales de mayo, durante una gala organizada por Servicios Legales Católicos en Miami, el arzobispo de Miami, Thomas G. Wenski, que ha estado involucrado en temas de inmigración por muchos años, dijo que el sistema migratorio actual está convirtiendo a los inmigrantes en una “subclase aprobada legalmente”, parecida a lo que hicieron las leyes de Jim Crow a los afroamericanos en los años después de la Guerra Civil.

Añadió que los “Dreamers”, los jóvenes que califican para quedarse en el país bajo la Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Niñez, vinieron a los Estados Unidos de niños y están pidiendo la ciudadanía.

“Hablan como (norte) americanos; comen como (norte) americanos, y piensan como (norte) americanos”, dijo. “Debemos concederles la oportunidad de soñar como (norte) americanos”.

Mientras tanto, la crisis en la frontera sur con México ha llevado al límite los servicios de atención de Caridades Católicas y otros servicios diocesanos a la multitud de migrantes que llegan huyendo de la violencia social y económica existente en sus países, especialmente

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Miembros del grupo Members of the Border Network for Human Rights and Border Dreamers and Youth Alliance protestan frente a una corte federal de los Estados Unidos en El Paso, Texas. El apoyo por una regularización migratoria ha sido constante por la USCCB. centroamericanos.

Un experto nacional resumió la situación en dos palabras: “Bastante dura. Caridades Católicas y los servicios diocesanos están abrumados”.

William Canny, director ejecutivo de

Servicios de Migración y Refugiados para la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos, añadió una nota de esperanza: “Pero hay un enorme espíritu de voluntariado. Así que estamos a presión, pero nos sentimos bien”.

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 12A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La familia misionera Apóstoles de la Palabra en Charlotte celebró el 41 aniversario de su fundación con la presencia de su actual director, el sacerdote mexicano Jorge Luis Zarazúa. Durante la cita se ofrecieron charlas de formación, testimonios, concursos bíblicos, música católica, representaciones escénicas, bailables, comida típica y la venta de publicaciones y artículos religiosos.

Apóstoles de la Palabra recordaron a su fundador CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Con una reunión en la cafetería de la escuela San Gabriel en Charlotte, y teniendo como ticket de ingreso el solo mostrar la Biblia, la familia misionera Apóstoles de la Palabra festejó el 41 Aniversario de su fundación el pasado sábado 8 de junio, teniendo como invitado especial al sacerdote Jorge Luis Zarazúa, director espiritual del movimiento misionero.

Los asistentes compartieron la celebración de la Santa Misa y rindieron un homenaje especial a su fundador, Padre Flaviano Amatulli Valente, quien cumplió recientemente el primer aniversario de su fallecimiento, ocurrido el viernes 1 de junio de 2018 en la ciudad de México.

Durante la cita, que se extendió desde las nueve de la mañana hasta las cinco de la tarde, se ofrecieron interesantes charlas de formación, testimonios de conversión, divertidos concursos bíblicos, música católica, breves representaciones escénicas, bailables folklóricos, deliciosa comida típica y la venta de publicaciones, camisetas y artículos religiosos de la familia misionera.

Antes de estar disponible para confesiones, las que llevó a cabo junto al Padre Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, vicario de la Iglesia San Gabriel, el Padre Jorge Luis Zarazúa se dirigió a los presentes para recordar los fundamentos de acción del movimiento misionero iniciado por el Padre Amatulli.

El Padre Zarazúa acentuó la importancia del conocimiento de la fe y evangelización a través del conocimiento bíblico y la apologética o defensa de la fe. “Biblia para todos y Biblia para todo; todo con la Biblia y nada sin la Biblia”, dijo recordando la famosa frase del Padre Amatulli.

“Muchas personas me han contado que sus familiares dejaron la Iglesia

Católica para convertirse en miembros de sectas de los hermanos separados. ¿Qué les pasó?, me preguntan. Yo les digo que seguramente, cuando tuvieron un problema y se alejaron de la Iglesia, quien los visitó fue un hermano separado”, dijo Zarazúa, acentuando la responsabilidad de nuestra Iglesia al no atender las necesidades de sus propios miembros.

“Para defender la posición de nuestra Iglesia, para defender nuestra fe”, añadió, “no es necesario tomar una posición agresiva frente a nuestros hermanos separados”. Sugirió que debemos ser respetuosos de sus posiciones, “pero firmes ante la verdad de nuestra fe católica”.

Respecto a su cargo como director, en reemplazo del Padre Amatulli, dijo que se trata de una tarea difícil debido al gran trabajo que llevó a cabo el fundador de la obra. “Me da tranquilidad haber trabajado mucho tiempo junto al Padre Amatulli”, como haber entendido la esencia de su inspiración, colaborado en la publicación de libros, “y haber recibido el encargo de parte de él mismo”, señaló.

Resaltó también la expansión de la misión en casi todo Estados Unidos y el crecimiento en Centroamérica, “muy en especial en Guatemala, donde estamos expandiendo el movimiento apostólico y hemos sido muy bien recibidos por la comunidad”.

Los Apóstoles de la Palabra han instalado un centro misionero en Mount Holly, donde desde 2013 reciben a hermanas consagradas y jovencitas en formación que participan en la tarea de evangelización en un amplio territorio que, entre otros, incluye los estados de Carolinas del Norte, Carolina del Sur y Georgia.

Más online En www.facebook.com/CNHespañol: Vea un video con la entrevista al Padre Jorge Luis Zarazúa

Con una Misa celebrada por el Padre Innocent Amasiorah, la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Consolación recordó la fiesta de Pentecostés. Al son de tambores, con cánticos en varios idiomas y ataviados con coloridos trajes tradicionales, la feligresía, mayormente afroamericana, participó con alegría del descenso del Espíritu Santo.

EL ESPÍRITU SANTO DESCENDIÓ EN LA IGLESIA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA CONSOLACIÓN

Hermosa celebración dominical por fiesta de Pentecostés CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Ni la intensa lluvia impidió que la fiesta de Pentecostés tomara verdadera forma de celebración católica el pasado domingo 9 de junio en la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, al noroeste de Charlotte.

Durante la Misa de 11 de la mañana, cientos de fieles entonaron la canción del ofertorio ‘Gracias Señor’ en idioma inglés, francés, swahili, igbo, yoruba, hausa, zulú y español, recordando la llegada del Espíritu Santo en forma de lenguas de fuego sobre los Apóstoles, permitiéndoles hablar en muchos idiomas (Hechos 2: 1,11).

Al son de tambores y un magnífico coro, el Santo Sacrificio de la Eucaristía dio inicio con una procesión que abrieron danzantes ataviadas con trajes tradicionales de diferentes etnias de África, seguida por un bosque de banderas que representaba las nacionalidades de los fieles de la parroquia.

Luego desfiló un grupo de jóvenes graduados de diversos niveles educativos, para cerrar con el paso de niños portando dones del Espíritu Santo que antecedieron el ingreso del celebrante y los servidores del altar.

Después de los ritos de inicio vendría la presentación del Libro del Evangelio, una tradición del oeste de África. Danzantes al ritmo de tambores acompañaron a una mujer que llevaba en sus manos el Libro del Evangelio, quien se lo entregó al celebrante, padre Innocent Amasiorah, sacerdote invitado que regularmente trabaja en el Ministerio del Campus Católico de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte.

Durante su homilía, el Padre Innocent dijo que “hoy es una fiesta para dar gracias”, pues en este día muchos pueblos, de muchas religiones, llegan hasta Jerusalén a celebrar Pentecostés.

“Dios nos ha dado este día como manifestación de su Gloria en la vida de las personas y en todo el mundo”, añadió.

Para nosotros los cristianos, señaló,

“la fiesta de Pentecostés toma un nuevo significado con la llegada del Espíritu Santo”, lo que la hace muy importante, tanto así como para ser la segunda fiesta en importancia dentro del catolicismo, “solamente precedida por la Semana Santa”.

“Porque si Cristo nació, de manera milagrosa, y luego murió y no fue resucitado después de morir, todo hubiera terminado ahí”, pero Cristo fue encarnado y resucitado, “en esencia el mismo milagro que explica su llegada a nosotros”.

Luego el Padre Innocent dio cuenta de las innumerables veces en las que se relata la presencia del Espíritu Santo en las Escrituras, tanto en el Antiguo como en el Nuevo Testamento. Haciendo un recuento desde el Libro del Génesis hasta el Apocalipsis, incluyendo también lo que relata la Sagrada Tradición de la Iglesia, dijo que “El Espíritu Santo, tercera persona de la Santísima Trinidad”, Dios en esencia, es quizás la persona de la Trinidad que, pese a su importancia y presencia en nuestras vidas, con seguridad es la que “menos tenemos presente en nuestras oraciones”.

“Le rogamos a Dios Padre, pedimos a Nuestro Señor Jesucristo pero, ¿quién de nosotros le dedica una oración al Espíritu Santo?, preguntó.

Por ello, luego pidió a la feligresía que ore con mayor frecuencia y devoción al Espíritu Santo, especialmente ahora que la Iglesia, en términos generales, atraviesa momentos de confusión y ataques.

Al término de la Misa y después que el Padre Innocent se presentara y explicara sus ocupaciones regulares, los recién graduados que desfilaron al inicio de la celebración fueron llamados al frente y presentados a la congregación, mencionando sus logros académicos. Todos recibieron una cerrada ovación.

Algunos de los presentes se pusieron de pie para mencionar a sus hijos que también habían conseguido un logro académico al término de este año escolar.

PENTECOSTÉS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 17A

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

San Luis Gonzaga

La fiesta de Corpus Christi CONDENSADO DE ACIPRENSA

partir del siglo XIV. En Estados Unidos y en otros países la solemnidad se celebra el domingo después del domingo de la Santísima Trinidad.

En la fiesta del Corpus Christi los cristianos atestiguan su

A fines del siglo XIII surgió en Lieja, Bélgica, un Movimiento Eucarístico cuyo centro fue la Abadía de Cornillón fundada en 1124 por el Obispo Albero de Lieja. Este movimiento dio origen a varias costumbres eucarísticas, como por ejemplo la Exposición y Bendición con el Santísimo Sacramento, el uso de las campanillas durante la elevación en la Misa y la fiesta del Corpus Christi.

Santa Juliana de Mont Cornillón, por aquellos años priora de la Abadía, fue la enviada de Dios para propiciar esta Fiesta.

La santa nació en Retines, Bélgica, en 1193.

Quedó huérfana muy pequeña y fue educada por las monjas Agustinas en Mont Cornillon.

Cuando creció, hizo su profesión religiosa y más tarde fue superiora de su comunidad.

Murió el 5 de abril de 1258.

Desde joven, Santa Juliana tuvo una gran veneración al Santísimo Sacramento. Y siempre anhelaba que se tuviera una fiesta especial en su honor. Este deseo se dice haber intensificado por una visión que tuvo de la Iglesia bajo la apariencia de luna llena con una mancha negra, que significaba la ausencia de esta solemnidad.

Juliana comunicó estas apariciones a Mons.

Roberto de Thorete, el entonces obispo de Lieja, también al docto Dominico Hugh, más tarde cardenal legado de los Países Bajos y a ARZOBISPADO DEL CUSCO En Cusco, Perú, durante la fiesta de Corpus Christi salen en procesión quince imágenes de santos Jacques Pantaleón, que más tarde sería Papa y vírgenes provenientes de igual número de parroquia, encabezada por una carroza de plata que Urbano IV. El obispo Roberto se impresionó porta la Custodia. favorablemente, invocó un sínodo en 1246 y ordenó que la celebración se tuviera el año siguiente. gratitud y recuerdo por tan inefable y verdaderamente divino Mons. Roberto no vivió para ver la realización de su beneficio, por el que se hace nuevamente presente la victoria orden, ya que murió el 16 de octubre de 1246, pero la fiesta se y triunfo de la muerte y resurrección de Nuestro Señor celebró por primera vez al año siguiente el jueves posterior Jesucristo. a la fiesta de la Santísima Trinidad. Más tarde un obispo La celebración, introducida en Latinoamérica por los germano conoció la costumbre y la extendió por toda la actual conquistadores españoles, se conmemora en sur, centro y Alemania.

Norteamérica con particular devoción y expresiones de fe El Papa Urbano IV tenía la corte en Orvieto, un poco al norte multitudinarias a través de procesiones y Misas solemnes. de Roma. Muy cerca de esta localidad se encuentra Bolsena, En Latinoamérica, especialmente al sur del continente donde en 1263 o 1264 se produjo el Milagro de Bolsena: un americano, la fiesta fue rápidamente asimilada por las sacerdote que celebraba la Santa Misa tuvo dudas de que la culturas indígenas, debido a las celebraciones que se Consagración fuera algo real. Al momento de partir la Sagrada realizaban en honor al Sol durante el solsticio de invierno, que Forma, vio salir de ella sangre de la que se fue empapando ocurre el 21 de junio. el corporal. La venerada reliquia fue llevada en procesión a En Cusco, Perú, capital del imperio incaico, es la fiesta Orvieto el 19 junio de 1264. Hoy se conservan los corporales religiosa más importante donde en el día central se lleva a -donde se apoya el cáliz y la patena durante la Misa- en cabo una fastuosa procesión con quince imágenes de santos Orvieto, y también se puede ver la piedra del altar en Bolsena, y vírgenes provenientes de igual número de parroquias del manchada de sangre.

Cusco, encabezada por una carroza de plata que porta la El Santo Padre movido por el prodigio, y a petición de varios Custodia. obispos, hace que se extienda la fiesta del Corpus Christi, En Cuenca, Ecuador, se conmemora el Corpus Christi fijándola para el jueves después de la octava de Pentecostés desde aproximadamente 1557. Los fieles de la ciudad le rinden y otorgando muchas indulgencias a todos los fieles que homenaje durante siete días o ‘septenario’ con procesiones, asistieran a la Santa Misa y al oficio. misas, comparsas con danzantes indígenas y juegos El Papa Clemente V, en el Concilio General de Viena (1311), pirotécnicos en el centro de la ciudad. ordenó una vez más la adopción de esta fiesta. En 1317 se México no se queda atrás en la celebración que se festeja en promulga una recopilación de leyes -por Juan XXII- y así se todos los estados. Sin embargo, también se conmemora con extiende la fiesta a toda la Iglesia. tristeza la llamada Masacre de Corpus Christi, o El Halconazo Ninguno de los decretos anteriores habla de la procesión con ocurrida en Ciudad de México el 10 de junio de 1971, cuando el Santísimo como un aspecto de la celebración. Sin embargo una manifestación estudiantil fue reprimida violentamente y, estas procesiones fueron dotadas de indulgencias por los Papas según informes periodísticos de esa época, fueron asesinados Martín V y Eugenio IV, y se hicieron bastante comunes a más de 120 jóvenes estudiantes entre 14 y 22 años.

Lecturas Diarias JUNIO 23-29

Domingo (Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo): Génesis 14:18-20, 1 Corintios 11:23-26, Lucas 9:11-17; Lunes (Nacimiento de San Juan Bautista): Isaías 49:1-6, Hechos 13:22-26, Lucas 1:57-66, 80; Martes: Génesis 13:2, 5-18, Mateo 7:6, 12-14; Miércoles: Génesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Mateo 7:15-20; Jueves (San Cirilo de Alejandría): Génesis 16:1-12, 15-16, Mateo 7:21-29; Viernes (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús): Ezequiel 34:11-16, Romanos 5:5-11, Lucas 15:3-7; Sábado (Santos Pedro y Pablo): Hechos 12:1-11, 2 Timoteo 4:6-8, 17-18, Mateo 16:13-19

JUNIO 30-JULIO 6

Domingo: 1 Reyes 19:16, 19-21, Gálatas 5:1, 13-18, Lucas 9:51-62; Martes (San Junípero Serra): Génesis 18:16-33, Mateo 8:18-22; Martes: Génesis 19:15-29, Mateo 8:23-27; Miércoles (Santo Tomás): Efesios 2:19-22, Juan 20:24-29; Jueves (Día de la Independencia): Génesis 22:1-19, Mateo 9:18; Viernes(San Antonio, Sta. Elizabeth de Portugal): Génesis 23:1-4, 19, 24:1-8, 62-67, Mateo 9:9-13; Sábado (Sta. María Goretti): Génesis 27:1-5, 15-29, Mateo 9:14-17

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JULIO 7-13

Domingo: Isaías 66:10-14, Gálatas 6:14-18, Lucas 10:1-12, 17-20; Lunes: Génesis 28:1022, Mateo 9:18-26; Martes (San Agustín Zhao Rong y compañeros): Génesis 32:2333, Mateo 9:32-38; Miércoles: Génesis 41:55-57, 42:5-7, 17-24, Mateo 10:1-7; Jueves (San Benedicto): Génesis 44:18-21, 23-29, 45:1-5, Mateo 10:7-15; Viernes: Génesis 46:1-7, 28-30, Mateo 10:16-23; Sábado (San Enrique): Génesis 49:29-32, 50:15-26, Mateo 10:24-33

Conoce al santo protector de los jóvenes estudiantes CONDENSADO DE ACIPRENSA

El 21 de junio es la fiesta de San Luis Gonzaga, patrono de la juventud cristiana y protector de los jóvenes estudiantes, quién pasó por muchos sufrimientos en la “vida de lujo” que tuvo que experimentar, hasta que escuchó un “llamado especial”.

San Luis Gonzaga nació en 1568 en Italia en una familia noble. Su madre, preocupada por las cosas de fe, lo consagró a la Virgen y lo hizo bautizar. Mientras que al papá sólo le interesaba el futuro mundano del hijo y que fuese soldado como él.

San Luis frecuentaba mucho los cuarteles y allí aprendió la importancia de ser valiente, pero también adquirió un vocabulario rudo. Su tutor le hizo ver al pequeño que ese lenguaje era grosero, vulgar y blasfemo; por lo que el muchacho jamás volvió a hablar de ese modo.

Poco a poco fue creciendo en la fe y a los nueve años hizo un voto de castidad. Cuando tenía trece conoció al Obispo San Carlos Borromeo, quien quedó impresionado con la sabiduría e inocencia de Luis y le dió la Primera Comunión.

Algunos historiadores afirman que el ambiente que se vivía en la nobleza y sociedad de aquel entonces estaba lleno de fraude, vicio, crimen y lujuria. Por lo que San Luis se sometió a un orden riguroso y prácticas de piedad constantes, sin descuidar sus responsabilidades en la corte.

Por asuntos de su padre tuvo que viajar a España y en la iglesia de los jesuitas en Madrid oyó una voz que le decía: “Luis, ingresa en la Compañía de Jesús”. Su madre tomó con alegría los proyectos de Luis, pero el papá montó en cólera y no aceptó fácilmente la inquietud vocacional de su hijo.

Más adelante, después de que se le envió a diversos viajes y dio cargos importantes, el papá tuvo que ceder y escribió al general de los jesuitas diciéndole: “Os envío lo que más amo en el mundo, un hijo en el cual toda la familia tenía puestas sus esperanzas”.

San Luis ingresó al noviciado de la Compañía de Jesús. Allí continuó con sus penitencias y mortificaciones que ya habían afectado su salud.

Con el tiempo se convirtió en un novicio modelo, se mantuvo fiel a las reglas y siempre buscaba estar en los oficios más humildes. En ocasiones, durante el recreo o en el comedor, caía en éxtasis.

Por aquel entonces la población de Roma se vio afectada por una epidemia de fiebre, los jesuitas abrieron un hospital donde los integrantes de la orden atendían. Luis empezó a mendigar víveres para los enfermos y logró cuidar de los moribundos hasta que contrajo la enfermedad.

Se recuperó de ese mal, pero quedó afectado por una fiebre intermitente que en pocos meses lo redujo a un estado de gran debilidad.

Acompañado de su confesor San Roberto Belarmino, se fue preparando para la muerte.

En una ocasión cayó en una alegría muy intensa y se le reveló que moriría en la octava del Corpus Christi. Con la mirada puesta en el crucifijo y el nombre de Jesús en sus labios, partió a la Casa del Padre alrededor de la medianoche, entre el 20 y 21 de junio, con tan sólo 23 años de edad.

Our schools

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 14A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Sacred Heart students learn about coastal biology, history SALISBURY — Hillary Shores’ seventhgrade science class at Sacred Heart School recently enjoyed three days of learning at the North Carolina coast.

While there, they visited the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores for a “behind the scenes” tour. Students learned how state biologists work to save turtles that nest along the shoreline.

Their guide showed them the filtration system and explained how they help clean the Bogue Sound. Students were able to look closely at an octopus, sea horses, sting rays, jellyfish and other aquatic wildlife. They even had the opportunity to watch sharks get fed. On their second day, students participated in a five-hour ocean studies tour of Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout National Seashore. There, they learned about the ecology and history of all the North Carolina barrier islands and lighthouses. They learned how hurricanes play a vital role in shaping and changing the islands, and were able to observe how Hurricane Florence changed the landscape – especially the pine trees.

Their final stop was Fort Macon before heading back home to Salisbury. The park superintendent gave them a history lesson about the fort and demonstrated how to load and shoot a musket. They were able to explore the fort and understand the importance of Fort Macon during the 18th and 19th centuries when the North Carolina coast was in danger of being attacked.

— Robin Fisher

Essay winners honored for focus on today’s life issues HIGH POINT — Immaculate Heart of

Mary School graduates were recognized for winning entries in the school’s Annual Respect Life Essay Contest at a year-end Mass and closing ceremonies June 4.

Essayists presented papers on a variety of highly visible life issues of the day. These were reviewed by a panel of five judges who awarded winning recognition to the three top entries, with first place going to Mikayla Ebel on the subject of abortion, second place to Michael D’Amborosio on euthanasia, and third place to Chris Kelly on suicide.

Organized by Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’s Respect Life committee, under the guidance of Dr. Maryann Leonard, chair of the school’s English Department, the contest is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Bishop Haley Council 4507. The annual contest encourages graduating eighth-graders to think about important moral life issues as they prepare to enter high school.

— Donald Barrett

Five CCHS faculty honored with Sister Paulette Williams Awards CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School recently honored the latest winners of the Sister Paulette Williams Awards for Outstanding Service.

The awards were presented at the commencement exercises May 31.

The 2019 winners are Nell Baker (English), Carolyn Hilderbrand (Science), Jen Murlless (Counseling), Joanne Winters (Mathematics) and Dana Zimmer (History).

Each winner was awarded $5,000 from the CCHS Foundation.

“We congratulate these dedicated teachers,” said Principal Kurt Telford.

“These awards validate, honor and encourage these educators. They are an expression of thanks for all these teachers do every day, above and beyond what is expected, to make a difference in the lives of our young people and our school community.”

In 2016, the CCHS Foundation established the Sister Paulette Williams Awards to recognize members of the Charlotte Catholic faculty whose exceptional dedication, knowledge and commitment inspire students to learn.

The CCHS Foundation named the awards in honor of Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, who played a key role in building up Catholic education in Charlotte. She was a teacher at CCHS for five years, assistant principal for two years, and principal for 20 years.

“Her leadership, dedication, guidance, and vision built our school into what you recognize today – a community leader in academics, arts, and athletics,” Telford said.

Any current member of the CCHS community – teachers, staff, parents, and students – may nominate a faculty member for the Sister Paulette Awards.

All are encouraged to participate, and each year, more than 50 nominations are received. A five-person committee, consisting of two CCHS Foundation board members, two past Sister Paulette Award winners, and one administrator, review the nominations and recommend the winners to the CCHS Foundation Board for confirmation.

— Carolyn Kramer Tillman

Mixer named interim superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools CHARLOTTE —Debbie Mixer, who currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools, has been named interim superintendent effective June 17.

She takes over in an interim capacity to succeed Dr. Janice Ritter, who is retiring this month after serving as superintendent of diocesan schools since 2012.

Mixer’s experience in Catholic education spans nearly two decades. She started her career with the diocesan school system in 2003, serving as assistant principal at St. Matthew School in south Charlotte until 2005. Mixer then worked as a learning support teacher at St. Mark School in Huntersville during the 2005-’06 academic year. She served as the principal of St. Patrick School in Charlotte from 2006 to 2017.

She has served as assistant superintendent of diocesan schools for the past two years.

“The Diocese is pleased that Ms. Mixer is ready to continue her dedicated service to the Catholic Schools,” noted Father Roger Arnsparger, vicar of education, in his announcement.

“I am honored to be asked to serve in this capacity,” Mixer said.

A search committee process will be formed and timeline for filling the position of superintendent will be announced in the near future, Father Arnsparger noted. The search process will invite applications from qualified people from within the diocese and beyond.

The Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools are comprised of 19 schools Mixer across the diocese, educating students from prekindergarten to 12th grade.

Their mission is to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and to provide a religious and academic program that allows each student to develop spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially, so that each is prepared to live and serve in a changing society as a selfrespecting citizen.

— Catholic News Herald

SPX middle school students step out to aid others GREENSBORO — St. Pius X middle school students know a thing or two about stewardship. Throughout much of the month of May, St. Pius middle schoolers have ventured out of the classroom to share their unique talents of kindness, compassion and spirituality with those who may not have been given the same opportunities that they enjoy on a daily basis.

St. Pius X middle school religion teacher, Bill Parker, led his sixth-graders to the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro May 3 to help with the annual Special Olympics of Greensboro. Students enjoyed cheering on participants, recording times and scores, and giving recognition to the student athletes.

A week later Parker led his eighth-grade classes to Gateway Education Center of Greensboro to host the Gateway Prom. This prom was given as a special party for the students at Gateway, a school for students with special needs. St. Pius X middle school students enjoyed pushing wheelchairs around the dance floor as they sang along with the DJ and danced with the students served by Gateway.

There were no wallflowers here as SPX students, acting as the hands and feet of Jesus, made sure every student at the Gateway Prom felt important and loved.

Parker said the highlight of the afternoon was a conga line started by the students that encompassed all the participants dancing or wheeling around the perimeter of the gym.

Stewardship is a large part of the academic program for St. Pius X middle schoolers. In April, students were each given $10 by the school’s PTO and challenged to “pay it forward” in some way within the community. Students enjoyed being creative with their resources, as individuals and working as groups, to combine their money to use in the community in diverse ways. Through this “pay it forward” project, students were able to assist organizations like Reelin’ For Research and the American Red Cross.

Parker hopes that in the future his students can continue to grow their stewardship beyond the walls of his classroom to continue to assist the community in meaningful ways.

— April Parker

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

College students receive $17,000 in Pitman scholarships SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Seventeen college students who are Catholic parishioners in North Carolina have each been awarded a $1,000 George Pitman Scholarship from the George Pitman Endowment Fund.

The endowment was established by the late George Warren Pitman, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who once lived in Charlotte. He made the scholarships available to applicants who reside in either Mecklenburg County or the town of Dunn.

Pitman, a renowned designer, built a successful business in the Carolinas and Virginia before passing away in 2007 at the age of 79. For more than 30 years, he ran his design firm, George Pitman Inc., from his beautiful home in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood. He was a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., and Bright’s School of Design in Chicago, and he bequeathed $1.2 million of his fortune to establish an endowment that funds need-based scholarships to Catholic students who also wish to earn an undergraduate degree.

Through the George Warren Pitman Scholarship Fund, college-bound Catholics can apply for renewable awards of up to $1,000, depending on the type of college (two-year, four-year or vocational) they plan to attend.

Two of the college students are rising sophomores and will receive the scholarship for the second time this fall.

One attends Duke University and the other

is attending Lenoir-Rhyne University.

The 15 incoming freshmen scholarship recipients are attending universities such as: Appalachian State; North Carolina State; UNC-Chapel Hill; Wake Forest; Georgetown University; Catholic University; Notre Dame University; University of Florida; The College of Charleston; University of Dayton; UCLA; High Point University; and Queens University.

The application period for the George Pitman Scholarship runs from Dec. 3 to March 1. (For more information, contact Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte, at 704-370-3301 or jkkelley@charlottediocese.org.)

“Mr. Pitman’s transformative gift continues to benefit Catholic students to attend a college or university of their choice,” Kelley said.

He added, “More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands of dollars to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”

Those like Pitman who make a planned gift that benefits the diocese or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society. The Catholic Heritage Society is comprised of more than 1,100 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation in their wills.

Since 1994, the foundation has distributed more than $9.5 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.

Eternal Life Apostolate

902 W. Stephen Foster Ave • Bardstown, KY 40004 1 800 842 2871 • www.lifeeternal.org Presents

The 2019 Church Teaches Forum

“Be Transformed by the Renewal of Your Mind, That You May Discern What is the Will of God” (cf. Romans 12:2) July 12th and 13th, 2019 at The Galt House Hotel 140 N. Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke Celebrant of Friday Mass Homily/Keynote

Father Benedict O’Cinnsealeigh, S.T.D. “The Splendor of Christian Chastity”

Father Patrick Winslow, J.C.L. “Humanae Vitae: The Gift of Love”

Father Anthony Brausch, Ph.D. “The Strength of Married and Celibate Love”

Father Roger Arnsparger Celebrant 11:30 Mass and Homily

School Principal Immaculata Catholic School Hendersonville, NC

Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville, NC is seeking a school principal for the 2019-20 school year. Candidates must be a practicing Catholic and support and uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church in both word and deed.

The candidate must have a Master’s degree or higher in Educational Administration or equivalent, and have, or be eligible for a NC principal license. Working knowledge of Spanish is preferable.

Send cover letter, application, resume and professional license to: Business Manager Immaculate Conception Catholic Church 208 Seventh Ave. W. Hendersonville, NC 28791 businessmanager@icwnc.com

Friday, July 12, 2019 MASS: 5:30 p.m.

Banquet:

Principal Celebrant: Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke 7:00 p.m., followed by Keynote Address

Saturday, July 13, 2019, Welcome 8:00 a.m.

Presentation: 9:15 a.m. His Eminence Cardinal Burke 10:15 a.m. Fr. Benedict O’Cinnsealeigh, STD MASS: 11:30 a.m. Principal Celebrant: Fr. Roger Arnsparger 1:00 p.m. LUNCH Presentation: 2.00 p.m. Fr. Patrick Winslow, J.C.D. 3:00 p.m. Fr. Anthony Brausch, Ph.D.

Friday Evening Banquet (fish or chicken) $50 Saturday: Conference $15, Lunch $20

Call Eternal Life at 1 800 842 2871 or 502-348-3963, for reservations/tickets.

please make checks payable to: Eternal Life 902 W Stephen Foster Avenue • Bardstown, KY 40004 wjsjmj@bardstowncable.net • www.lifeeternal.org

15A

Mix

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 16A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

‘Late Night’ Partly based on Mindy Kaling’s own experiences as a TV scribe trying to get her voice heard in an all-white, all-male writers’ room. Facing cancellation (by network head Amy Ryan) and replacement (by pottymouthed comedian Ike Barinholtz), the veteran host (Emma Thompson) of the titular show takes Kaling’s character on as the single “diversity hire” in a cynical scheme to create a veneer of multiculturalism. The workplace in which the newcomer finds herself is not so much hostile as clueless, an old-boy network made up of figures beset by anxious tics and neuroses. She strives to freshen the

program’s presentation, which works well until a sex scandal threatens to derail everyone’s career. Occasional profanities, some rough and crude language.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: R

‘Dark Phoenix’ Marvel Comics-based sci-fi adventure, set mostly in 1992, in which a member (Sophie Turner) of the X-Men team of mutants comes close to dying during a mission to save the crew of the space shuttle but instead emerges from the experience endowed with cosmic powers she cannot control. As she goes rogue, endangering the lives of her comrades, her plight causes tension within the group. Wellcatechized older teens as well as grown-ups will likely be able to cope with the script’s celebration of the substitute family to which the most prominent characters have chosen to belong as well as its grandiose but passing attribution of godlike abilities to Turner’s enhanced superhero. Pervasive combat violence with some gore, a few profanities and milder oaths, at least one rough term, a single crude expression.

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

Other movies: n ‘Emanuel’: CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: Not Rated n ‘Men in Black: International’: CNS: A-III (Adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Shaft’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

Catholic Book Pick

On TV

Editor’s note: Introducing “Catholic Book Pick,” a regular feature of recommended Catholic reading from Katie DeMoss, publicity director for Charlotte-based TAN Books and former reporter for the Catholic News Herald.

n Friday, June 21, 2 p.m.

(EWTN) “The Fatherhood of God and Man.” A discussion of the crisis of understanding in the Church and society regarding fatherhood.

“Defending Boyhood: How Building Forts, Reading Stories, Playing Ball, and Praying to God Can Change the World” by Anthony Esolen Boys and boyhood are under attack from all sides, the outcome of which is evident in a variety of problems plaguing society today: under-education, under-achievement, under-employment, crime, addiction to pornography, an increase of children born out of wedlock, and so much more.

“Defending Boyhood” addresses the many threats our sons face from the promoters of political correctness, as well as misguided efforts to blur the distinctions between boys and girls.

Using his trademark prose and style, references to Scripture and pop culture, as well as drawing from his own all-American boyhood, Anthony Esolen prescribes a return to sanity in an insane world and shows the parents of boys how to raise clean, confident and manly sons.

At www.tanbooks.com: Order your copy of “Defending Boyhood.” Catholic News Herald readers enjoy 20 percent off their order – use the exclusive coupon code “CNH20.”

n Saturday, June 22, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Saint Peter.” The story of the life of St. Peter, the man chosen by Christ to lead His Church as the first pope.

Featuring Omar Sharif. Part 1. n Sunday, June 23, 1 p.m.

(EWTN) “Solemnity of Corpus Christi Mass and Procession from Rome.” Pope Francis presides over the Solemn Mass of Corpus Christi and the Eucharistic Procession of Corpus Christi, live from Rome. n Saturday, June 29, noon.

(EWTN) “Solemnity of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.” Pope Francis celebrates the Solemn Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul, live from Rome. n Monday, July 1, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Knights of the Cross.” Witness the events that formed young Blessed Junipero Serra from his birth in Mallorca to sailing to the New World and the people who greatly influenced him.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

PENTECOSTÉS

JOY

ENDOWMENT

FROM PAGE 7A

FROM PAGE 7A

three things for the way we understand, study and teach Christian morality.

“First, Francis emphasizes that the foundation of Christian morality is the relationship with the Lord and not one’s own capacity for coherence and perfection. Second, Francis shows us that Christian morality is the response to God’s gratuitous initiative and not faithfulness to some abstract principles, for it is the encounter with God’s love that liberates people from narrowness and self-absorption, transfiguring their lives and leading them onto a path that has distinctive moral implications. Third, Pope Francis indicates that Christian morality is not a matter for isolated individuals but rather a response to Christ’s initiative that always implies embarking on a communal journey.”

As a professor at a Catholic college, he believes one of the greatest challenges to the Church today is young people who “suffer a terrible passivity,” not asking questions or even knowing what questions to ask. They lack a burning desire for life, meaning and joy, he said.

“The desire for joy, the desire for happiness is part of the fabric of our very being, which means we cannot take it apart, we cannot take it outside of us,” he said. If this hole is not filled with Christ, the true source of joy, then it will be filled with fleeting things. “And so our hope is that the newness and the surprising life that Christ makes possible will burst through us. Our hope is that the mystery of the Holy Spirit will never abandon us.”

In his concluding remarks, Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio spoke of Christian joy, noting Mother Teresa’s remark that “joy is the net with which we catch souls.” Holiness and joy are alluring, he said, and while some may not know the questions to ask, they will notice when someone has the answer.

power. I would love to see that be the case. This is something for my parents and the poor. My parents always acted in charity, and this endowment continues that legacy.”

He believes it will also continue the legacy of St. Anthony’s intercession in the lives of others and their response in charity.

“Many of us have felt the charity of the intercession of the saints in our lives,” he noted, “and this could be a way to ‘pay it forward.’

“Think of the impact this could have on a person’s life when they are most in need, maybe even despairing, to have the help they need to hope again. I think that would be fantastic. Because of this bequest people my parents never knew, people I will never know…. even generations long after us, will benefit

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 12A

Tras el desfile de salida, el Padre Innocent recibió el saludo de la feligresía en la puerta del templo.

Posteriormente, aprovechando la importante fecha, se realizó un festival internacional en el Centro de Vida Familiar adyacente a la parroquia.

Los organizadores agradecieron la colaboración de la familia parroquial, los miembros del ministerio de música, al Sr. Gary Mumford y sus tambores africanos, miembros de la comunidad de la Diáspora Continental Africana, miembros de la comunidad caribeña y, en general, a los miembros de todas las regiones de Estados Unidos.

Victoria Okonkwo, feligresa de la parroquia, nacida en Nigeria y que reside en Charlotte desde hace once años, dijo haber estado feliz en la celebración, “que es todo lo que importa”. “Esta Iglesia es para todos, para gente de Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Cuba, México, Filipinas, América y muchos otros países. Me he sentido como si estuviera en Nigeria. Todo es como tradicionalmente se hace en casa, en Nigeria”.

Más online En www.facebook.com/ CNHespañol: Vea un video sobre esta celebración

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from the kindness we commit to today.”

St. Pius X Church has 12 endowments totaling more than $1.5 million to benefit the people of the Diocese of Charlotte.

“We encourage parishes to set up multiple endowments to benefit their parish, school, ministries or the diocese – similar to what St. Pius X Parish has done – or encourage their parishioners to set up endowments in their estate plans,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director.

Kelley also noted, “Eight of the 12 endowments that St. Pius X has are named in honor or memory of individuals, which more and more people are doing to leave a legacy to loved ones.”

Monsignor Marcaccio is adamant that the endowment continues the living tradition of the saints in his life.

“St. Anthony was known for his preaching and for his charity and for living the truth in love. He was known to have said, ‘Let our words teach and our actions preach.’ And that is what the endowment is set up to do.”

Our nation

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 18A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SUMMARY: U.S. BISHOPS’ SPRING ASSEMBLY Bishops OK plan to implement ‘motu proprio’ on abuse BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops approved a plan to implement the “motu proprio” “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”) issued in May by Pope Francis to help the Church safeguard its members from abuse and hold its leaders accountable. The “motu proprio” was one of the measures that came out the Vatican’s February Vatican summit on clergy sexual abuse attended by the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences. The implementation plan passed 281-1, with two abstentions, June 13, the last day of the bishops’ June 11-13 general meeting in Baltimore. “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” established “procedures for reporting complaints of sexual abuse of minors or of vulnerable persons by clerics or by members of institutes of consecrated life or societies of apostolic life,” said Bishop Robert P. Deeley of Portland, Maine, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance. “The ‘motu proprio’ likewise holds Church leaders accountable for actions or omissions relating to the handling of such reports.”

Bishops approve third-party reporting system BALTIMORE — A nationwide third-party system for receiving confidential reports of “certain complaints” against bishops took a step closer to being implemented during

the bishops’ spring general assembly. They voted overwhelmingly to authorize the implementation of a system enabling people to make reports through a toll-free telephone number as well as online. The system, operated by an outside vendor contracted by the USCCB, would be in place no later than May 31, 2020.

Anthony Picarello, USCCB associate general secretary, presented the reporting system plan, noting that it would meet the requirements of Pope Francis’ “motu proprio.” Among its mandates, the document requires dioceses and eparchies worldwide to establish “one or more public, stable and easily accessible systems for submission of reports” before June 1, 2020.

Bishops pass 10-point plan to acknowledge ‘episcopal commitments’ BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops approved 2171 a 10-point statement, “Affirming Our Episcopal Commitments,” June 13 during their general meeting in Baltimore in which the bishops hope to regain “the trust of the people of God.” In 2002, the bishops approved a “Statement of Episcopal Commitment,” in which they declared that the provisions of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” applied to them as well. But a stronger response was called for after last summer’s revelations of the decades-long abuses committed by Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal who was laicized earlier this year, and the release in August of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on a months-long investigation into abuse

claims against clergy and Church workers in Pennsylvania dating back to 1947.

Cardinal DiNardo said he and his fellow bishops were “grateful for the opportunity to meet with a group of survivors. Their testimony reminds us of the unfathomable pain they have endured, and the need for vigilance in extinguishing the evil of sexual abuse from our Church once and for all.”

Protocol approved for bishops facing claim of abuse BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved June 13 a measure that would enable bishops to apply restrictions in the life and ministry of retired bishops accused of sexual abuse or who failed to take necessary measures to prevent abuse. If a credible accusation of sexual misconduct has been reported against a retired bishop, his successor may act to limit the retired bishop’s scope of ministry, including the celebration of the sacraments and the right to be buried in the diocesan cathedral.

USCCB president, other bishops meet with abuse survivors BALTIMORE — Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with Bishop Timothy L. Doherty of Lafayette, Ind., chairman of the bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, and Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Va., met with three survivors of clergy sexual abuse late June 12. The meeting took place as the U.S. bishops were gathered in Baltimore for their spring general assembly June 11-13 where they focused on implementing bishop accountability measures in response to the abuse crisis in the Church. In a statement after the meeting,

Greater lay involvement called for as Church tackles abuse BALTIMORE — National Review Board chairman Francesco Cesareo offered the bishops recommendations he said will strengthen the Church’s response to the abuse crisis. The recommendations included a call for a greater role for laity in investigating allegations of abuse or reaction to reports of abuse against bishops. Cesareo also said National Review Board members recommend a thorough review of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” and a revision in the audit process regarding diocesan implementation of the charter, which governs the Church’s response to clergy abuse allegations. Strong measures are necessary to show that while progress has been made since the charter’s adoption in 2002, the bishops would demonstrate that they are serious in their response to clergy abuse in response to the mistrust and serious questions laypeople still harbor.

More online

— Catholic News Service

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read more coverage of the U.S. bishops’ spring general assembly

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For more information on how to leave a legacy for your parish, please contact Gina Rhodes, Director of Planned Giving at 704/370-3364 or gmrhodes@charlottediocese.org.

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In Brief Calif. dioceses urge lawmakers to reject confession bill LOS ANGELES — Using social media, preaching, newspaper columns and letters read at Mass, the Los Angeles Archdiocese and California’s other Catholic dioceses planned a special push over the June 15-16 weekend asking Catholics to urge their representatives in the state Assembly to reject a confession bill. S.B. 360 – which passed in the California Senate May 23 in a 30-2 vote – would force priests to disclose information about child sexual abuse that they learn when they are hearing another priest’s confession or when hearing the confession of a co-worker. The bill is expected to have a vote in the lower house, the California State Assembly, in September. “Our lawmakers have good intentions. They want to prevent child abuse,” Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said in a letter June 10. “But there is no evidence that this legislation will do that. Instead, it threatens a practice that is essential to our faith and religious identity.” “We need your help to protect this sacrament of the Church and to keep confession sacred,” he said.

The Church in California set up a new website, KeepTheSeal.com, which is a hub that gives people easy access to materials about S.B. 360 as well as a way to send emails to legislators.

Missouri’s only abortion clinic can stay open at least to June 21 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A circuit court judge

in St. Louis ordered the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services June 10 to allow the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis, Missouri’s only abortion clinic, to stay open at least until June 21, when he said the agency must decide if it will renew the facility’s license.

If it closes, Missouri would be the first state without an operating abortion facility since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973.

Women who want an abortion would have to go to neighboring Illinois. Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer set a new hearing for the morning of June 21. His most recent ruling followed his earlier temporary restraining order he handed down to allow the clinic to remain open until June 4. That action came after the state health department said the facility would have to close May 31 because it failed to make changes the department said were necessary to have its license renewed. The state agency had informed Planned Parenthood May 20 that it might not renew the clinic’s yearly license due to its failure to comply with regulations.

Southern Baptists wrestle with sex abuse crisis of their own BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As the U.S. Catholic bishops met in Baltimore to discuss new mechanisms to hold themselves accountable on sex abuse, the Southern Baptist Convention was wrestling with the same vexing issue at its annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. Rocked by media reports that revealed Southern Baptist pastors, church employees and volunteers sexually abused more than 700 people, most of them children, over the past two decades, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination took new steps to expel member churches that cover up or mishandle sexual abuse allegations. “This was a defining moment for the Southern Baptist Convention,” said the Rev. J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Greear told reporters that the Southern Baptist Convention

wants to ensure that its member churches are safe environments for children and vulnerable people, and that the convention will consider “all solutions” that could include advocating for legislation to amend statute of limitations on sex abuse crimes. “We are going to be people who are marked by awareness, transparency, a willingness to own mistakes that are made and a desire to treat each other charitably,” he said.

Retired Wyoming bishop faces Vatican trial on abuse allegations CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne will face a Vatican trial for allegations that he sexually abused several minors years ago. Cheyenne Bishop Steven R. Biegler announced June 12 that such a trial of the retired prelate would take place.

Bishop Biegler included Bishop Hart’s name in a list of all Catholic clergy with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable persons for whom the diocese had files and who were in active ministry from 1950 to the present in the diocese. Bishop Hart is one of 11 clergy on the list. After the prelate’s name, the listing states: “Pope Francis imposed restrictions and authorized a penal process.” Alessandro Gisotti, interim director of the Vatican press office, confirmed June 13 that “an administrative penal process by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, authorized by the Holy Father, has begun regarding Bishop Hart.”

Most U.S. adults: Abuse not more common among Catholic leaders WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite the slew of abuse allegations and cases surfacing within the Catholic Church, most U.S. adults actually do not think that sexual abuse of children is more common among Catholic priests and leadership than it is among any other adult groups. The

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abuse crisis also has caused some Catholics to attend Mass less often and decrease donations to the Church, although some personally supported their local parish priest. A June 11 Pew Research Center report revealing statistics about what Americans, and particularly American Catholics, believe about abuse in the Catholic Church. According to the survey, 57 percent of U.S. adults believe sexual abuse of children is equally as common among Catholic clergy as it is among other adults who work with children. However, when surveying only non-Catholics, Pew found that only 44 percent believe that sexual abuse is equally as common among Catholic leaders as other adults working with children. Further, among Catholics, 68 percent believe this is not a uniquely Catholic problem. Of all U.S. adults, 92 percent have heard about the scandal and 79 percent believe it reflects an ongoing problem, while only 12 percent believe that it is in issue of the past.

Pro-lifers decry ‘extreme’ abortion bills CHICAGO — Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law June 12 an abortion bill that Illinois’ Catholic bishops said eliminates “even minimal limitations on abortions under previous law” and whose passage by the legislature marked “a sad moment in our history as a state.” Across the country in Vermont June 10, Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed a similarly expansive abortion measure into law. Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of the statewide Diocese of Burlington had said the law “goes far beyond Roe v. Wade.” Catholic Conference of Illinois, the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops, labeled it “an extreme measure” and its passage “a grave tragedy and a collective moral failing.”

— Catholic News Service

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Our world

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 20A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

What’s in a name: Vatican questions use of term ‘viri probati’

Pope advances sainthood causes for U.S. priest, martyrs CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis advanced the sainthood cause of Father Augustus Tolton, who was the first African American diocesan priest in the United States and founder of the first black Catholic parish in Chicago.

Signing decrees issued by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes June 11, Pope Francis also formally recognized the martyrdom of three Catholic laywomen who were nurses for the Red Cross and were killed during the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War. The decree for Father Tolton’s cause recognizes that he lived a life of heroic virtue.

Father Tolton had been born into slavery in 1854 on a plantation near Brush Creek, Missouri. After his father left to try to join the Union Army during the Civil War, his mother fled with her three children by rowing them across the Mississippi River and settling in Quincy in the free state of Illinois.

There, he was encouraged to discern his vocation to the priesthood by the Franciscan priests who taught him at St. Francis College, now Quincy University. However, he was denied access to seminaries in the United States after repeated requests, so he pursued Tolton his education in Rome at what is now the Pontifical Urbanian University.

He was ordained for the Propaganda Fidei Congregation in 1886, expecting to become a missionary in Africa. Instead, he was sent to be a missionary in his own country and returned to Quincy, where he served for three years before going to the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1889.

Despite rampant racism and discrimination, he became one of the city’s most popular pastors, attracting members of both white and black Catholic communities. He spearheaded the building of St. Monica Church for black Catholics and worked tirelessly for his congregation in Chicago, even to the point of exhaustion. On July 9, 1897, he died of heatstroke on a Chicago street at the age of 43. He was known for persevering against all odds in pursuit of his calling and quietly devoted himself to his people, despite great difficulties and setbacks.

Pope Francis also formally recognized the martyrdom of Maria Pilar Gullon Yturriaga, Octavia Iglesias Blanco and Olga Perez-Monteserin Nunez, members of Catholic Action who volunteered to serve wounded soldiers on the Asturian front in northern Spain. The women refused to leave the wounded unattended even though the area was about to come under the control of populist fighters. All the patients, the doctor and chaplain were killed, and the three nurses were assaulted, raped and shot on Oct. 28, 1936.

VATICAN CITY — While the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon aims to highlight the damage wrought by climate change and exploitation, the possibility of ordaining married men to minister in remote areas of the rainforest continues to garner more attention.

Among the suggestions proposed in the 45-page working document for the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, published by the Vatican June 17, was the request “to study the possibility of priestly ordination for elders – preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by the community – even if they have an established and stable family.”

However, when asked why the document did not use the standard Church term “viri probati” (“men of proven virtue”) to describe married candidates for the priesthood, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, told journalists June 17 that he was perplexed at the media’s continued use of the phrase.

“It’s a different thing,” the cardinal said regarding the document’s proposal. “For me, I think (the term ‘viri probati’) is a bit abused.”

In drafting the working document, he said, the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops wanted to emphasize that while the subject of ordaining married men would be studied, the Church continues to affirm the importance of celibacy for priests.

Responding to a journalist’s question about ordaining married men, Bishop Fabio Fabene, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, said the call for a study on the matter was a direct response “to the suffering of the people, above all those in the most remote areas, due to the lack of the Eucharist.”

“The working document responds to this suffering by recalling, first of all, the principle that the Eucharist makes the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist,” he said.

He also reminded journalists of what Pope Francis said about ordaining married men of proven virtue during his news conference in January with journalists flying back to Rome from Panama with him. Pope Francis told reporters that celibacy “is a gift to the Church” and that he did not agree with allowing “optional celibacy.”

“My personal opinion” is that optional celibacy is not the way forward, the pope told reporters Jan. 27. “Am I someone who is closed? Maybe, but I don’t feel like I could stand before God with this decision.”

However, on the flight as well as in a previous interview, Pope Francis also said he was open to

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studying the possibility of ordaining married men for very remote locations, such as the Amazon and the Pacific islands where Catholic communities seldom have Mass because there are no priests.

Pope Francis made headlines in 2017 when he raised the possibility of studying the ordination of married “viri probati,” even though his response fell clearly in line with the thinking of his predecessors.

In an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, published in early March 2017, the pope was asked if allowing candidates for the priesthood to fall in love and marry could be “an incentive” for combatting the shortage of priestly vocations. “We have to study whether ‘viri probati’ are a possibility. We then also need to determine which tasks they could take on, such as in remote communities, for example,” the pope told Die Zeit.

Expressing a willingness to discuss the possibility of allowing married men to become priests was hardly groundbreaking; the topic has come up repeatedly at meetings of the Synod of Bishops – especially those held in 1971 and 2005 – and has been discussed by both Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. In addition, the Catholic Church already has married priests – thousands of them. Most of the Eastern Catholic Churches always have ordained married men in their traditional homelands and, in 2014, the Vatican granted permission for such ordinations to be celebrated anywhere the Eastern Catholic communities were present.

In the Latin-rite Catholic Church in 1981, St. John Paul issued a “pastoral provision” allowing former Anglican priests who were married to be ordained as Catholic priests. Pope Benedict expanded that provision with his 2009 apostolic constitution, “Anglicanorum coetibus,” establishing personal ordinariates for former Anglicans, including married priests.

While married Eastern-rite priests are part of the Church’s tradition, when the popes allowed for the ordination of married former Anglican ministers, they did so affirming that the general rule for priestly celibacy in the Latin rite continues.

In the same way, Vatican officials said studying the possibility of ordaining married elders in the Amazon does not call into question the importance of celibacy, but is a call for the Church to take a closer look at a possible solution for a specific need.

Bishop Fabene said the call for a study was a direct response to the suffering of indigenous Catholics living in remote areas of the Amazon and, along with promoting indigenous vocations to the priesthood and religious life, is meant “to bring an encounter of the sacramental presence in those communities.”

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June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Quebec passes Canada’s strictest secularism bill QUEBEC CITY — A new law in Quebec prohibits the wearing of religious symbols or clothing by some government employees, including public school teachers, state lawyers, judges and police officers. The National Council of Canadian Muslims announced June 17 it will legally challenge the new bill. “Late last night the Quebec government legalized discrimination on the basis of religion,” wrote the organization. It called the last-minute amendments about the surveillance provisions of workplaces “deeply troubling.” Quebec’s majority government passed the bill, 75-35, using closure June 16 after long hours of deliberation. Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Simon Jolin-Barrette introduced Bill 21 March 28. It sparked controversy and heated debates; many feared it might alienate some citizens, especially Muslim women.

Victoria bishops become ‘conscientious objectors’ MELBOURNE, Australia — As euthanasia becomes legal in Australia’s Victoria state, its bishops said Catholic health care services will not cooperate with the facilitation of suicide.

“We cannot cooperate with the facilitation of suicide, even when it seems motivated by empathy or kindness,” Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne, Bishop Paul Bird of Ballarat, Bishop Patrick O’Regan of Sale and Bishop Leslie Tomlinson of Sandhurst said in a June 14 pastoral letter. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act takes effect June 19 in Victoria. Any resident of the southeastern state over 18, with a terminal illness and with less than six months to live can request a lethal dose of medication under the new legislation. “All of us who hold a principled opposition to euthanasia are now, in effect, conscientious objectors,” they said.

Paris archbishop celebrates first Mass in Notre Dame since fire PARIS — The archbishop of Paris wore a hard hat as he celebrated the first Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral since a huge blaze devastated the landmark building in April.

The Mass was celebrated in the Chapel of the Virgin June 15 by Archbishop Michel Aupetit to mark the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral’s altar, an event that usually takes place June 16 each year. About 30 invited guests – mostly clergy, cathedral employees and building contractors – wore protective headgear because of dangers of falling masonry, although the Virgin chapel, situated behind the choir, had been designated as safe. In his homily, Archbishop Aupetit did not mention the fire but stressed the purpose of Notre Dame as a place of Christian worship, and not an ornament of the secular state.

Vatican: Gender ideology is opposed to faith, reason VATICAN CITY — Catholic schools must help parents teach young people that biological sex and gender are naturally fixed at birth and part of God’s plan for creation, said the Congregation for Catholic Education. In a document published June 10, the congregation said the Church and those proposing a looser definition of gender can find common ground in “a laudable desire to combat all expressions of unjust discrimination,” in educating children to respect all people “in their peculiarity and difference,” in respecting the “equal dignity of men and women” and in promoting respect for “the values of femininity.” And while great care must be taken to respect and provide care for persons who “live situations of sexual indeterminacy,” those who teach in the name of the Church must help young people understand that being created male and masculine or female and feminine is part of God’s plan for them. The document, “Male and Female He Created Them: Toward a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education,” recognized a distinction between “the ideology of gender,” which it said tries to present its theories as “absolute and unquestionable,” and the field of scientific research on gender, which attempts to understand the ways sexual difference is lived out in different cultures.

Pope to nuncios: Be men of God, not luxury-seeking diplomats VATICAN CITY — Apostolic nuncios are called to be men of faith focused on proclaiming the Gospel and shunning the power and corruption that can come from the luxurious trappings of their diplomatic status, Pope Francis said. The pope met June 13 with more than 100 Vatican diplomats, who serve either as nuncios – ambassadors – or as the Holy See’s permanent observers at U.N. and other international agencies. The nuncio represents

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the pope and while the nuncio, like anyone, may have “reservations, sympathies or antipathies,” a good nuncio cannot be a “hypocrite” and engage in back-stabbing, Pope Francis said in prepared remarks. The pope’s words came after

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The Washington Post published an interview with Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former nuncio to the U.S. who published a document in 2018 criticizing the pope.

— Catholic News Service

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SUMMER BIBLE INSTITUTE Sunday, July 14 – Friday, July 19

The Summer Bible Institute is an annual opportunity to come together to study and reflect on the Scriptures. Two program tracks are offered:

New Testament (Mornings) Presented by: Stephen Binz Sacred Texts and Sacred Places: A Biblical Theology of Pilgrimage

We will experience armchair pilgrimages in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary, Peter and Paul. With a sacramental understanding of pilgrimage, we can realize how to experience every place as sacred and all of life as pilgrimage.

Old Testament (Evenings) Presented by: Alice Camille

That Nothing May Be Wasted: On the Trail of Shiny Bits of Scripture This week we will look at, and pose some questions about, things like clothing, trees, water, animals and children – things we might overlook but have a meaningful place in our understanding of the Bible.

$175 – Tuition Both Courses $90 – Tuition Single Course $250 – Room & Board Stephen Binz is a biblical scholar and award winning author of over 50 books as well as a popular speaker. He also frequently leads pilgrimages to biblical sites and sacred places throughout the world. Along with graduate degrees from the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, he is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Alice Camille is a nationally known writer, religious educator and speaker. She has a Master of Divinity degree from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. In addition to numerous books, she writes regularly for U.S. Catholic and Give Us This Day as well as Exploring the Sunday Readings for over two decades.

ViewPoints

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 22A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Robert Barron

Kelly Henson

June: A month for ‘Pride’ or a burning heart?

M

y daughter and I were searching for a ball cap for her recently. She didn’t want a rainbow on it because she likes to have her own style, and she was baffled that every piece of children’s clothing seemed to have rainbows on it. The LGBTQ Pride movement has certainly succeeded in seducing major retailers, library and community programming and even many churches into participating in their displays and educational initiatives this month.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the quality of “Pride” is the antidote to shame, violence and exclusion that we need. Any attempt at cultural unity that is centered on the comfort of one’s self to act without limits will fail because it will only increase one person’s autonomy at the expense of another’s.

However, in our home and in our Church, there is a different theme established for the month of June.

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart marks the capstone of a series of feast days celebrating the love of God during this month. June is the month of the Sacred Heart, and I can’t think of a theme more relevant for our divided world.

Many factions in our world cry out, “See me! Hear me! Affirm me!” To them, and to every soul with hidden sufferings, the Sacred Heart affirms: I see you. I know you.

I love you. I have felt your joys and your sorrows and entered into the depths of your brokenness and offered you healing. Let me teach you how to love.

The antidote to a world full of shame and shaming is not pride, it is humility. True humility, as made manifest in the Sacred Heart, is the prerequisite both for giving and for receiving authentic love. Humility knows and loves the other in a holistic way, supporting them through their struggles and temptations but never stooping to identify the beloved by those failings.

In order to respect the true rights of every individual, we must engage in a campaign of humility. I believe Christ, under the particular image of His Sacred Heart, has already launched this initiative and invites us to spread His message of hope.

In Jewish thought, the heart represented the entire interior life of man. Building upon this, early Christians devoted themselves to contemplation of the Person of Christ – particularly to His wounded side during His Passion. This figure of speech of the Heart of Christ as a symbol for His full identity took more definite form in the second millennia A.D. For instance, St. Albert the

‘The antidote to a world full of shame and shaming is not pride, it is humility.’

Great beautifully connected the image of the Sacred Heart with the entirely selfless gift of the Eucharist in the 13th century.

Several visionaries solidified the devotion to the Sacred Heart as a particular wish of Our Lord for His beloved children. Mechthild of Medeburg (13th century), St. Gertrude the Great (13th century), St. Catherine of Siena (14th century) and, famously, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (17th century) all received visions that were essential to further a blossoming devotion to the Heart of Christ.

More recently, in 1966, Pope Paul VI affirmed that devotion to the Sacred Heart is “the most efficacious means to contribute to that spiritual and moral renewal of the world called for by the Second Vatican Council.”

Devotion to the Sacred Heart helps us to reconsecrate ourselves and our families to Christ at this time of year. Family life exposes the depths of our woundedness and the capacity of our love. Christ is the only one who can heal those wounds, purify our love and give us the strength to understand and serve each other in truth and selfless charity. Dedicating yourself and your family to His Heart is a concrete act of receptivity to those graces, which He longs to pour into our daily lives.

A brief internet search will familiarize families with a devotion that can be easily woven into the month of June, no matter how many swim meets and vacations are already planned. Celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (meat permitted, even though it is on a Friday) on June 28 and pray a personal consecration to the Sacred Heart.

You can use the “Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart” composed by Pope Leo XIII or the poignant “Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” composed

by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Our Lord promised “peace in the family” and abundant graces for families who place an image of His Sacred Heart prominently in their homes and consecrate themselves to Him. The “Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” prayer throws open the door to God’s blessings. Or, you can invite your parish priest to your home to perform a traditional house blessing and ask that a consecration to the Sacred Heart be included in the devotions.

The devil is utterly defeated by selfless love because it is a reality he cannot comprehend.

In 1986, Pope John Paul II encouraged families, “Welcome the presence of the Heart of Jesus, we seek to draw from Him the true love that our families need. The family unit has a fundamental role in the construction of the civilization of love.”

In uniting ourselves with the Sacred Heart, we take a side with the source of love, life and healing.

KELLY HENSON is a Catholic writer and speaker who explores the art of integrating faith into daily life. She, her husband and their four children are parishioners of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro, and she has worked for more than 15 years with teens, children and families as a missionary, youth minister and teacher. She blogs at www. kellyjhenson.com.

Paul on the Areopagus: A master class in evangelization

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he account of St. Paul’s address on the Areopagus in Athens, found in the 17th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, is a sort of master class in the evangelization of the culture, and anyone engaged today in that essential task should read it with care.

The context for Paul’s speech is his mission to Greece, which began when he crossed over from Asia Minor to the mainland of Europe. As the great Catholic historian Christopher Dawson indicated, this transition of an itinerant Jewish preacher from one side of the Aegean to the other would not have excited the interest of commentators of the time, but nevertheless constituted one of the most decisive events in history, for it signaled the introduction of Christianity to Europe and, through Europe, to the rest of the world. A first lesson for us: the evangelist never rests, for the call of the Lord is to announce the Good News to the ends of earth.

After spending time in Macedonia, Philippi and Thessalonica, Paul eventually made his way south to Athens. Though his preaching in the north met with some success, it also stirred up fierce opposition. He was arrested and imprisoned in Philippi and chased aggressively out of Thessalonica by an angry mob. From the beginning up to today, Christian proclamation has been opposed and Christian preachers have braved danger.

But I want to emphasize the fact that Paul went to Athens, arguably the most important cultural center of the ancient Roman world. If Jesus’ great commission is to be honored, culture must be evangelized.

Upon arriving, Paul made a beeline to the synagogue, for his Good News is that God, in Christ Jesus, had fulfilled all of the promises He made to Israel.

He knew Jews were in the best position to understand what he was talking about. We find here another crucial lesson for present-day evangelizers: do not forget the unbreakable connection between Jesus and the Jews. When we speak of Jesus in abstraction from Torah, temple, prophecy and covenant, He devolves rather rapidly into a mildly inspiring teacher of timeless truths. But when we announce Him as the climax of the story of Israel, our listeners’ hearts catch on fire.

Next Paul, went out “in the marketplace and spoke with those who happened to be there.” Sons and daughters of Israel might be those best disposed to accept Paul’s message, but the Gospel is meant for everyone. Thus, his evangelization was extravagant, indiscriminate, offered on the streets and from the rooftops, to anyone willing to listen. Ours should have

a like character. I’ve always been a fan of street preaching – just getting up on a corner or on a soapbox and announcing Jesus. Will you be roundly mocked? Sure.

But so was Paul. And in demonstration of the full extent of his outreach, we are told that Paul talked with some of the “Stoics and Epicureans” – the leading philosophical voices of that time and place. The evangelist must be, as Paul himself said, “all things to all people,” capable of speaking to the most ordinary and the most sophisticated.

When he arrived at the Areopagus – a rocky outcropping just below the Parthenon – Paul delivered a celebrated speech. In accord with the old rhetorical device of “captatio benevolentiae” (“capturing the good will of one’s audience”), Paul complimented the Athenians on their spirituality: “I see how extremely religious you are in every way.” There is more here, of course, than mere courtesy, for Paul is in fact appealing to what the Fathers of the Church would later call “logoi spermatikoi” (“seeds of the Word”) – hints, echoes and indications of the Logos that is fully disclosed in Christ. “For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’”

At the same time, Paul didn’t simply affirm the society he was addressing.

Standing just below the Parthenon – the most impressive temple in the ancient world, which housed a massive sculpture of the goddess Athena – Paul announced, “The God who made the world and everything in it, He who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands.” That must have gotten their attention! There were indeed seeds of the word in the Athenian culture, but there were idolatrous practices and errant theologies as well.

The canny evangelist, moving through the culture of his time, assimilates what he can and resists what he must.

The dichotomy, so often invoked today, between being “open” to the culture or a “warrior” against it is too simplistic.

One might think that, in the wake of his magnificent address, Paul brought in boatloads of converts, but in fact the payoff was pretty slim: “When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, ‘We will hear you again about this.’” Only a handful of people were willing to give Paul the benefit of the doubt – and yet, they were the seeds of the faith that would spread throughout the world.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI 23A

In defense of exaggerated Marian devotion Joe Heschmeyer

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rotestants aren’t the only ones who find Catholic devotion to Mary a bit over-the-top sometimes. A lot of Catholics find other Catholics, including great saints like Alphonsus Liguori and Louis de Montfort, to be a little “much” when talking about the Virgin Mary. I get it. Take the Salve Regina, for example: it calls Mary “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” How is that kind of effusive flattery theologically defensible? After all, our Life and our Hope is Jesus Christ.

Part of the answer is cultural and rhetorical. It’s not a coincidence that the most schmaltzy or exaggerated-seeming statements about Mary tend to come from Romance-language speakers (the Italians, French and Spanish, especially).

But even more than that, these kind of lines come from devotional writings, meaning that they’re more like love letters to the Blessed Virgin Mary than they are carefully-worded theological treatises. Blessed John Henry Newman, a comparatively stuffy Englishman, points this out brilliantly: “And of all passions love is the most unmanageable; nay more, I would not give much for that love which is never extravagant, which always observes the proprieties, and can move about in perfect good taste, under all emergencies. What mother, what husband or wife, what youth or maiden in love, but says a thousand foolish things, in the way of endearment, which the speaker would be sorry for strangers to hear; yet they are not on that account unwelcome to the parties to whom they are addressed. Sometimes by bad luck they are written down sometimes they get into the newspapers; and what might be even graceful when it was fresh from the heart, and interpreted by the voice and the countenance, presents but a melancholy exhibition when served up cold for the public eye.

“So it is with devotional feelings. Burning thoughts and words are as open to criticism as they are beyond it. What is abstractedly extravagant, may in particular persons be becoming and beautiful, and only fall under blame when it is found in others who imitate them. When it is formalized into meditations and exercises, it is as repulsive as love-letters in a police report.

Moreover, even holy minds adopt and become familiar with language which they would never have originated themselves, when it proceeds from a writer who has the same objects of devotion as they have; and,

‘It’s uncomfortable even to write that parts of the Bible are exaggerated, because it’s so deeply ingrained within us that things are either literally true or else they’re false.’ if they find a stranger ridicule or reprobate supplication or praise which has come to them so recommended, they feel it as keenly as if a direct insult were offered to those to whom that homage is addressed.”

The parody band Flight of the Conchords has a (slightly-racy) song called “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room,” in which the singer compliments a girl by saying things like “I can tell that you are the most beautiful girl in the ... room,” and “when you’re on the street, depending on the street, I bet you are definitely in the top three good-looking girls on the street.”

The joke is that these carefully nuanced statements make for terrible compliments.

A man in love ought to think and speak of his beloved as if she’s the most beautiful woman on earth. Newman’s point is true of all devotional language, but in a special way of the way Catholics speak and think about Mary. Criticizing Catholics for exuberantly praising their mother Mary is like criticizing a child for buying a “#1 Dad” mug for his father.

Some of you, in reading this, might object. Shouldn’t we be careful not to exaggerate or use over-the-top or flowery language? No. There are two reasons for this. First, it limits the fullness of human emotional expression. Exaggeration for effect is a great way to emphasize a point, and it’s arbitrary to demand that it not be used. Second, rejecting exaggeration thwarts our ability to understand the Bible ... because the Bible employs exaggeration.

Parts of the Bible are metaphoric, but it’s important to recognize that parts of the Bible are also exaggerated. Exaggeration is a part of Jewish culture just as much as it is part of Mediterranean cultures. There’s a nod to this fact in 1 Samuel 18:6-8, after David kills Goliath: “As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs of joy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang to one another as they made merry, ‘Saul

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My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.”

Drax only has two categories: literal or lies. And so he doesn’t understand a lot of what’s going on around him. Watching him struggle is how it feels to watch a lot of religious debates. If you said that it was “raining cats and dogs out there,” he would denounce you as a liar because there weren’t actual animals falling from the sky. But now imagine that before you can respond, one of your friends jumps to your defense by saying that yes, actual animals did fall from the sky. The whole debate would be so surreal and so far off the mark of what you actually meant, and yet that’s exactly how many atheistChristian debates go, in which people get bogged down debating whether a particular number is literal or false, as if those are the only two categories. That’s Drax Christianity.

And Drax Christianity is accompanied by outspoken Drax atheism. So, for example, after Ross Douthat explained to Bill Maher (an atheist) that the Bible was never intended to be understood as a science textbook, and that even the earliest Christians recognized this, Maher responds bizarrely: “So, you’re giving yourself license to say that some of the Bible is bull– ... But the Bible does say, it’s funny, it says, ‘this is 100 percent true.’ And the Bible says ‘you have to take it like that. Now, if it’s not 100 percent true, I would say the whole thing falls apart.”

Maher only has two categories; either it’s literal in the way that a science book is, or it’s a lie. He cites to some (imaginary) Bible verses about how the Bible is “100 percent true” and therefore “you have to take it like that,” and concludes that it therefore can’t have any non-literal language. He’s a Drax atheist. He just doesn’t understand how normal people talk.

Can exaggeration be dangerous? Yes. But as Blessed Cardinal Newman points out, exaggeration is dangerous when it’s not recognized as such, when we treat a love letter like a police report. But the solution to that isn’t to resort to Drax Christianity or to quash all exaggerations and flourishes. It’s to recognize that there are a billion good reasons to embrace the fullness of human expression, including exaggeration, and to claim even exaggeration for Christ.

has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?’”

David has killed one guy, and the women are accrediting him with killing “tens of thousands.” Saul is annoyed by this, not because it’s not literally true, but because they only credit him with killing “thousands.” Remember this when you read the incredible body counts at certain parts of the Old Testament. The Jews did things with numbers that we Englishspeakers don’t usually do.

Jesus uses a similar kind of rhetorical exaggeration in Matthew 18:8-9, in a passage that on its face would literally advocate mutilation: “And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.”

But of course, we don’t find the followers of Christ mutilating themselves, or (for example) gouging out their eyes when they struggle with pornography. And speaking of mutilation, St. Paul says in Galatians 5:12 that he wishes that those preaching mandatory circumcision would just castrate themselves. He’s obviously exaggerating for effect. He doesn’t literally hope that will happen.

Nevertheless, it’s uncomfortable even to write that parts of the Bible are exaggerated, because it’s so deeply ingrained within us that things are either literally true or else they’re false. There’s a scene in the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie in which Peter tries to use a metaphor around the alien Drax, and Rocket explains “His people are completely literal. Metaphors go over his head.” Drax then replies “Nothing goes over my head.

JOE HESCHMEYER is an instructor at the Holy Family School of Faith Institute for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and blogs at www.shamelesspopery.com.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 24A CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM, NEW YORK

STAY WITH US, LORD

– LUKE 24:29

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U S,

LO R D –

LU 24:29

S TAY

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KE

September 6 & 7, 2019 Charlotte Convention Center For information, to volunteer or K-12 track registration: www.goeucharist.com

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Mark your calendar for the 15th Eucharistic Congress

June 21, 2019

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org

In His Presence

Stay With Us, Lord. — Luke 24:29

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PHOTO PROVIDED

St. Joseph College Seminary students recently visited the construction site of the permanent college seminary in Mount Holly. Construction work and fundraising efforts on the $20 million project have picked up pace since ground was broken last September on the site near Belmont Abbey College. Enrollment is also on the rise and expected to be more than two dozen, although it’s too early to report an official number yet for this fall.

‘Called to be bold and decisive’ More are accepting the call to serve the Lord with courage

About the cover This year’s Vocations cover features the tabernacle and sanctuary lamp in the chapel at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center. The tabernacle features an embossed design of a mother pelican feeding her baby pelicans with her own blood. The symbol is an ancient legend, adopted by the early Christians and recorded in the Physiologus, a second-century Christian work from Alexandria, Egypt.

According to the legend, in time of famine the mother pelican wounded herself, striking her breast with her beak to feed her young with her blood.

For Christians, the pelican symbolizes Jesus our Redeemer, who gave His life for our redemption and the atonement He made through His passion and death. Moreover, Jesus continues to feed us with His body and blood in the Eucharist.

— Photo by Tim Faragher, Catholic News Herald. Source: www.catholiceducation.org

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SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

he Diocese of Charlotte ordained its first priest in 1974, only two years after it was established, and since then the number of clergy has continued to grow as the diocese has grown. The diocese’s four bishops – starting with the first bishop, Bishop Michael Begley, and continuing to current Bishop Peter Jugis – have encouraged the faithful to support people pursuing religious vocations and to pray for an increase in vocations.

Those prayers and that support – seeds planted in fertile ground – have brought the Presence of Christ to every corner of western North Carolina. And the diocese is

experiencing a vocations boom, with more people discerning the priesthood, permanent diaconate and religious life especially over the past decade.

As the Catholic population living in western North Carolina has swelled from about 35,000 when the diocese was established in 1972 to today’s estimated 450,000, the number of people serving the local Church has also increased.

In the diocese’s 92 parishes and missions, 81 diocesan priests and 135 deacons are at work serving the people of God in western North Carolina – up from 72 priests and 96 deacons just a decade ago. Nearly two dozen religious orders also serve in the diocese.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

A record number of 1,400 young people attended the Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage April 6 at Belmont Abbey, a day of reflection, prayer, formation, vocation awareness and fellowship.

Reflecting on the 2019 Eucharistic Congress theme “Stay With Us, Lord,” in his Holy Hour homily, Bishop Peter Jugis explained that the passage from Luke 24:29, the account of two dejected disciples on the road to Emmaus, is a petition that we continue to pray to the Lord – and a prayer that He grants us through the gift of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. “What an answer to prayer that is, when we say ‘Stay with us’ … His Real Presence. Jesus says, ‘OK, I will stay with you.’ What a gift He has given to each one of us,” he said.

‘We are called to be bold and decisive in seeking God’s plan for our lives.

Gazing out at the vast “ocean” of vocation, we cannot remain content to repair our nets on the boat that gives us security, but must trust instead in the Lord’s promise.’

Pope Francis PHOTOS BY DOREEN SUGIERSKI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PRIESTLY FORMATION

This fall, it is anticipated that the diocese will have 39 men studying for the priesthood, including 15 seminarians at three major seminaries in the U.S. and Rome and more than two dozen students anticipated at St. Joseph College Seminary in Charlotte.

Opened in 2016, St. Joseph College Seminary has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood, as young men have responded to the opportunity to study and discern a religious vocation close to their homes and parishes. It will be the only college seminary located between northern Virginia and southern Florida.

Enrollment growth has been faster than the diocese had anticipated, from eight students in its first year to 20 during the 2018-’19 academic year. The college seminary has attracted men from across the diocese, with eight of the diocese’s 10 vicariates represented.

Intensified interest in the college seminary has prompted the diocese to expand housing for enrollees near the campus of St. Ann Church. The students already fill three houses adjacent to the church, and a fourth house is being refurbished to accommodate more this fall.

Last September, the diocese broke ground on a site about two miles from Belmont Abbey College as a permanent home for the college seminary, and construction is well under way. The structural steel was recently erected for the residential wing of the building, and the first- and second-floor concrete slabs were poured for the residential wing. In July workers will start the exterior masonry, and if weather cooperates, the framing and roofing should be complete and windows installed by the end of that month. Plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough-in work will be at least half finished by then, too.

The two-story, Gothic-style building is expected to be substantially completed in March 2020.

It will include a chapel, classroom, library, conference rooms, a kitchen and refectory (cafeteria), faculty offices, and a guest room for speakers and visiting priests. It will also include 40 dorm rooms or “cells” for the college seminarians. The original plans called for 20 cells, but enrollment at the college seminary has already exceeded that projection.

The college seminary continues to enjoy steady growth as its permanent location starts to take shape, and not only with climbing enrollment. The fundraising campaign recently surpassed $9.5 million of its $20 million goal, including two donors who committed a total of $3 million.

The increasing interest in priestly vocations is welcomed by Bishop Jugis, who has commented, “Although the number of priests serving our diocese has increased by 76 percent since it was founded in 1971, the number of Catholics has grown by 900 percent. Adding to that, we have had 13 priests retire in the last 10 years, and still 27 more are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

Though we’ve been blessed with many good and holy priests, we need more to meet the needs of our rapidly growing flock.”

On June 22, Bishop Jugis will ordain three more men as priests for the diocese. A local vocation himself, the Charlotte native is celebrating his 36th anniversary of ordination: he was ordained on June 12, 1983, by St. John Paul II at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

This year also marks his 16th anniversary as the fourth bishop of Charlotte.

2019 World Day of Prayer for Vocations message

Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary, is astonished by the number of men who are discerning a call to the priesthood. “What we did know was that vocations often spring up in a heart at that time when a young man begins to ask the question, ‘What will I live for?’ What we didn’t know is that 31 men in four academic years would look at our new, fledgling seminary and say, ‘That is what I will live for. I will live for Christ as His priest.’”

“The numbers have simply been astounding and there is no end in sight,” Father Kauth said. “Now we must build so that we might be under one roof instead of many. They have answered the call to sacrifice, and now we must answer the call to support.”

PERMANENT DIACONATE

From 1980, when the Diocese of Charlotte established a Permanent Diaconate ministry, to today, the permanent diaconate has similarly flourished as the diocese has also grown. Nineteen men were ordained by Bishop Begley as the first class of permanent deacons on May 29, 1983. The past two ordinations, in 2014 and 2018, saw a total of 31 men ordained permanent deacons for the diocese.

In the diocese there are now 135 permanent deacons who are responding to the ministry of the Word, of the Altar, and of Charity. And the steady stream of men interested in the permanent diaconate continues, with 13 men in the formation class. These men are currently being reviewed for institution into the role of lector this August, and the list of inquirers continues to grow for future aspirants.

CONSECRATED RELIGIOUS

When the Diocese of Charlotte was established in 1972, 15 religious communities of men and women were active in the diocese. Today, there are 23 communities spread across western North Carolina. Currently there are 128 active women religious ministering across western North Carolina. Parishes around the diocese are witnessing parishioners, young men and women, entering religious orders – courageously answering “yes” to the call from the Lord.

‘COURAGE TO TAKE A RISK’

In his message for the 2019 World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis said: “Every vocation is a summons not to stand on the shore, nets in hand, but to follow Jesus on the path He has marked out for us, for our own happiness and for the good of those around us.”

The Lord’s call makes those who answer His call to serve the Church in the priesthood and religious life “bearers of a promise and, at the same time, asks of us the courage to take a risk, with Him and for Him,” he said.

Embracing this promise naturally demands courage.

“The first disciples, called by Jesus to be part of something greater, ‘immediately left their nets and followed Him’ (Mk 1:18).

Responding to the Lord’s call involves putting ourselves on the line and facing a great challenge. It means being ready to leave behind whatever would keep us tied to our little boat and prevent us from making a definitive choice. We are called to be bold and decisive in seeking God’s plan for our lives. Gazing out at the vast ‘ocean’ of vocation, we cannot remain content to repair our nets on the boat that gives us security, but must trust instead in the Lord’s promise.”

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Vocation resources If you or someone you know is contemplating a religious vocation, check out the following general resources online.

Talk with your pastor, read up on consecrated life and the various communities that exist, and contact religious communities that interest you.

Many offer “come and see” days or retreats that are good opportunities to learn more and meet others who have already accepted God’s call to religious life.

For young men and women, there are also summer discernment retreats offered by the Diocese of Charlotte and hosted at Belmont Abbey College: Quo Vadis Days for young men, and Duc in Altum for young women. Check them out online at www.charlottediocese.org/ vocations.

And don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Diocesan vocations office Father Christopher Gober, Director of Vocations: 704-370-3327, vocationsmail@ charlottediocese.org

General information n www.foryourvocation.org: Set up by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, dedicated to the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life for both men and women. They are also on Facebook and YouTube. There are resources for parents and teachers, questions to ask yourself if you feel God is calling you, see videos of vocation stories from priests and religious all over the U.S., and much more. n www.religiouslife.com: The Institute for Religious Life’s website, with plenty of resources for both men and women interested in a vocation or those who wish to support religious life. n Not sure what religious communities are out there that might be a good fit for you? Check out: www.religiousministries. com. Search this database to find a men’s or women’s religious community, whether you wish to become a priest, nun, brother or lay missioner, or just want to find out more about living a religious life. n www.cloisteredlife.com: Aims to bring to attention the gift of cloistered and monastic life in the Church, sponsored by the Institute for Religious Life.

Religious communities for men n www.cmsm.org: The Conference of Major Superiors of Men serves the leadership of the Catholic orders and congregations of the more than 17,000 vowed religious priests and brothers in the U.S. n www.religiousbrotherhood.com: Sponsored by the Institute for Religious Life specifically to increase awareness of the specific charism of religious brotherhood in the U.S.

Religious communities for women n www.cmswr.org: The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) is a canonically approved organization, founded in 1992, to promote religious life in the U.S. n www.lcwr.org: The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the U.S.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Three men to be ordained priests June 22 The Diocese of Charlotte welcomes three new priests this weekend, as Bishop Peter Jugis ordains three seminarians to the priesthood during the Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Transitional Deacons Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gamez Jr. and Britt Taylor will all receive the sacrament of holy orders during the two-hour Mass.

Deacon Michael Carlson, a parishioner of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He is the son of Rock and Julianne Carlson.

Deacon Alfonso Gamez Jr., a parishioner of Immaculate

Conception Church in Hendersonville, studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He is the son of Jose and Ana Maria Gamez.

Deacon Britt Taylor, a parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, also studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He is the son of Rick and Terri Taylor.

A light reception after the ordination Mass will be held in the Monsignor Kerin Family Life Center adjacent to the church, located at 14740 Stumptown Road.

The faithful are also invited to attend a Holy Hour for the ordinands before their ordination. The Holy Hour will start at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at St. Patrick Cathedral, located at 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Meet our three new priests Father Michael Carlson

Father Alfonso Gamez Jr.

Home parish: St. Ann Church, Charlotte Birthplace: Merced, Calif.

Birthday: Nov. 21, 1988 Raised in: Mariposa, Ca. Family: Parents Rock and Julianne Carlson; siblings Melissa Lewis, Charles Carlson, Christina Broodno, Jonathan Carlson, Kaitlyn Brittain College: Concordia University, Irvine Ca. Degree: Business administration–

Home parish: Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville Birthplace: Clyde, N.C. Birthday: Sept. 16, 1990 Raised in: Hendersonville Family: Parents Jose Alfonso and Ana Maria Gamez; sibling, Diana Castillo College: University of North CarolinaCharlotte Degree: Bachelor’s degree in political

finance Pre-Theology/Theology: Pontifical North American College in Rome Summer assignments in the diocese: Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Monroe; St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte; St. Therese Church, Mooresville

science Pre-Theology/Theology: Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Francis of Assisi Church, Lenoir; St. Joseph Vietnamese Church, Charlotte; St. Elizabeth Church, Boone

CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?

Carlson: I enjoy playing the violin, jogging, hiking, fishing, reading theology, philosophy and classical literature, studying languages and cooking.

CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?

Carlson: I had an initial interest in the priesthood when I was 9 years old and would serve Mass at my hometown parish of St. Joseph’s Church. However, I did not seriously consider a vocation to the priesthood until after college.

CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?

Carlson: The example of my family has helped to sustain me through their untiring support and zeal. In a particular way, the pastors who have mentored me during parish summer assignments. Their examples of holiness and daily priestly service are truly inspiring. Finally, the examples of so many religious and laity whom I have encountered during assignments or various diocesan events. Their prayers, encouragement and excitement for the faith has motivated me during these years of study, and has helped prepare me for priestly ministry.

CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about serving as a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte?

Carlson: Through summer parish assignments as a seminarian, as well as through many diocesan events such as the Eucharistic Congress, I have had the privilege to meet many of the individuals who form our Catholic community in the Diocese of Charlotte. Offering Mass and the sacraments is the very best way I can think of to give thanks to and to serve all of these people who have been so instrumental in my vocation to the priesthood.

CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?

Gamez: I enjoy watching documentaries and going to the movies with my brother seminarians. I also like studying languages and learning about different cultures.

CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?

Gamez: Throughout college, I had a deep desire to serve the Lord and the Church and to learn more about my faith. I simply cultivated this desire by becoming more involved in activities and theological study, and it led me to the realization that I wouldn’t want to spend my life any other way than to come to know Christ more deeply every day, and to share this knowledge and love of Him with others.

CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?

Gamez: Father Patrick Hoare was the first priest who invited me to consider a vocation to the priesthood and he was always very available to answer my questions. Father Patrick Winslow was also extremely instrumental in my discernment. He taught me how to serve Mass and eventually how to serve as master of ceremonies. In my senior year of college, every day before going to class, I would go to Mass and serve with him and after Mass I would ask him random theological questions about priesthood and the faith. He was always very attentive to my questions and this has always left a great impression upon me.

CNH: What would you like to say to young men who may have a call to the priesthood?

Gamez: My advice to any man who is considering a vocation to the priesthood is to not be afraid and to courageously step forward and see through the experience if indeed God is calling you to live out a life as a priest.

CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about serving as a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte?

Gamez: First, I would like to express my profound gratitude to our bishop, vocations board and the faithful of the diocese who have always supported and encouraged me on this journey. I am very excited to come back home after being in seminary for the past six years to serve the people in our diocese and to help them encounter Christ.

Father Britt Taylor Home parish: St. Matthew Church, Charlotte Birthplace: Atlanta, Ga. Birthday: Sept. 5, 1990 Raised in: Charlotte Family: Parents Rick and Terri Taylor; siblings Ashton and Mike Taylor College: University of North CarolinaCharlotte Degree: Bachelor’s degree in anthropology, N. C. State University Pre-Theology/Theology: Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Eugene Church, Asheville; Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury; St. Elizabeth Church, Boone; St. Ann Church, Charlotte CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?

Taylor: I enjoy watching and playing sports. The main sport that I play is golf, which I have played since middle school.

CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?

Taylor: I realized around the second grade when I first started altar serving. This does not mean I was ready to enter seminary, but the idea was in my mind. I found other distractions but ultimately towards the end of college I found myself drawn more than ever to the priesthood and so entered seminary.

CNH: Who has helped you (mentored you) or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary?

Taylor: Father Pat Cahill was the first priest I really started to talk to about the process of becoming a priest and the idea of having a vocation while I was at Charlotte Catholic High School.

After being in seminary, all of the priests at my various summer assignments have been tremendous mentors and I have learned so much from each of them. Within seminary, Father Brian Becker was a great mentor. He was always one who was willing to help not just me but all of the younger seminarians. All of this, of course, began with my parents, though. Looking at their pursuit of holiness started this desire within me to want to deepen my relationship with the Lord.

CNH: What would you like to say to young men who may have a call to the priesthood?

Taylor: Do not be afraid. I remember during my early years of discernment the prospect of becoming a priest was very daunting.

The only way to overcome this fear is to stay close to our Lord in prayer. For me the easiest way to do this was to pray the rosary daily.

Pray the rosary as often as you can and entrust your vocation to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady will not lead you in the wrong direction.

CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about serving as a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte?

Taylor: I am most looking forward to officially getting my ministry started here in the diocese. Through my six years at seminary, I had to focus on the people of Charlotte that I would one day be serving to help me through tests and papers. Focusing on them, rather than the stress of schoolwork, helped remind me that ultimately I am not doing this for myself. I am doing this to serve God’s Church and, in particular, the people here in the diocese. After having the people be my motivating factor for so long, I am excited to get to work with the people and in service of the people in the diocese.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Prayerful best wishes on the occasion of your ordination to the Holy Priesthood.

Special prie-dieus, or kneelers, that will be given to the three men being ordained priests for the Diocese of Charlotte this year have been on tour around the diocese, enabling the faithful to pray for the men and sign journals conveying their well-wishes.

The kneelers are commissioned each year for the ordinands by the lay apostolate Mary’s Sons.

PHOTO PROVIDED

First Masses for the newly ordained to be held June 23 CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s newly ordained priests will celebrate their first Masses at their home parish: n Father Michael Carlson will celebrate his first Mass at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 23, at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. n Father Alfonso Gamez Jr. will celebrate his first Mass at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville. n Father Britt Taylor will celebrate his first Mass at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

The newly-ordained men carefully selected their vestments and chalices for their first Masses. Bishop Peter Jugis blessed their vestments and chalices after Vespers June 20 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

Hear why they selected the particular vestments and chalices and who will vest them at their ordination on June 22: Father Michael Carlson: My chasuble is a Gothic-style. An important symbol on the chasuble will be the Auspice Maria symbol. It is formed by intertwining the letters A and M and means “under the protection of Mary.”

Devotion to Our Lady helped me respond to this vocation. This symbol is my way to honor and thank her publicly. The symbol is also a way of including my home parish of St. Ann Church, which has helped to nourish my vocation to the priesthood.

The chalice is a Baroque style and was recently re-discovered at the parish of St. Joseph Church. While respecting a historical restoration, a few small gems will be added to the chalice to commemorate my paternal grandmother, family members, as well as the parish of St. Joseph’s. My hope is that these gems will help me keep in mind St. Monica’s request of her son St. Augustine to “remember me at the altar of the Lord.”

Father Stephen Bulfer will vest me at the ordination. He was the pastor of St. Joseph’s in Mariposa, Calif., during most of my youth. He helped teach me to serve Mass and was an everpresent figure in our small town. His faithfulness in offering the sacraments and joyful witness to Christ undoubtedly had a profound impact upon me and helped lead me to the priesthood.

Father Alfonso Gamez Jr.: My chasuble is a Gothic-style chasuble, ivory with red embroidery. The embroidery is in the form of the cross of St. Andrew. What I like most about

my chalice is that it dates from 1928. I wanted something that had a history behind it, to have a connection with the past. I think that’s meaningful and it communicates a sense of perseverance. The world events my chalice lived through is incredible to think about.

Capuchin Franciscan Father Robert Pérez is vesting me at my ordination. He has served as parochial vicar at my home parish for the past four years, and while his time there has been brief, his impact has made an immense and lasting impression. He has shown us an example of selfless dedication in ministry that I hope to emulate.

Father Britt Taylor: My vestments are white and gold with red lining for the feast of Corpus Christi. The main feature on the chasuble is the emblem of the pelican on the back. This depiction of Christ is one of the most beautiful images and one that is not well known in my opinion. In the wild, when she cannot find food, a mother pelican will pluck her feathers and feed her chicks with her blood so that they might survive. This image is used by the Church because this is exactly what Christ does for us.

He feeds us with His Body and Blood so that we might live. This emblem ties in with the red lining to remember the Blood that Christ gives us at each Mass.

The chalice, given to me by my parents, has a number of images from Our Lord’s life etched into it. There are scenes from the Transfiguration and the Nativity, all the way to His death and Resurrection. The thing that stands out to me is the image of Mary at the foot of the cross. Having a tremendous devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, this chalice spoke to me immediately. Surrounding this image, my mom has placed two diamonds from her engagement ring as well as the diamond from my grandmother’s engagement ring. Their stones, along with the image of the Blessed Mother, remind me of the women in my life who helped get me to the altar as a priest.

Father Jason Barone is going to vest me at my ordination. I had Father Brian Becker vest me for my diaconate ordination and I picked him because he was my mentor throughout seminary. He was the big brother I looked up to and helped me through the seminary formation program. I chose Father Barone for similar reasons. Whereas Father Becker guided me through seminary, Father Barone has become one of my closest priest friends and mentors.

Father Barone has helped with the transition from seminary into priestly ministry.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Fr. Michael J. Carlson

Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Jr.

Fr. Britt A. Taylor

“If some of you hear the call to follow Christ more closely, to dedicate your entire heart to Him, like the Apostles John and Paul...

be generous, do not be afraid, ...because you have nothing to fear when the prize that you await is God Himself, for Whom, sometimes without ever knowing it, all young people are searching.”

- Saint John Paul II

Office of Vocations Diocese of Charlotte Father Christopher Gober Director of Vocations

(704) 370-3327 1123 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203-4003 vocationsmail@charlottediocese.org

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

In Brief Support our seminarians’ education and priests’ retirement Our seminarians’ education is possible thanks to the generosity of parishioners who give to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, through the Seminarian and Priests’ Continuing Education second collection on Easter Sunday, and those who contribute gifts to the Seminarian Education Campaign. Sixteen endowments in the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte are also designated for seminarian education.

For information on making a gift to support seminarian education, contact Jim Kelley, director of development, at 704-370-3301 or jkkelley@ charlottediocese.org.

Each September, people have the opportunity to celebrate the faithful service of our retired diocesan priests, as well as show gratitude to the priests currently serving in the diocese, by contributing to the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits second collection. Each parish is assessed 3.5 percent of its annual offertory collection to raise the funds needed to support priests’ retirement and benefits. The second collection helps the parishes pay this assessment. Three endowments in the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte are also designated for priests’ retirement.

For information on establishing endowments for seminarian education or priests’ retirement, contact Kelley at 704370-3301 or jkkelley@charlottediocese. org.

Interested in becoming a permanent deacon?

Have you thought God might be calling you to serve the Church as a deacon? Would you like to know more about the process involved in becoming a permanent deacon? The Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of the Permanent Diaconate continuously collects names of men who are inquiring into the diaconate. If you are interested in finding out more, call Deacon Scott D. Gilfillan at 828-327-7441 or email sdgilfillan@ catholicconference.org. The diocese starts a new formation class every four years. Before being selected for diaconate formation, a man has to complete the two-year Lay Ministry program offered by the diocese. Details and more information can be found at www.charlottediocese. org/permanent-diaconate.

Learn more about your faith through the Lay Ministry program Interested in learning more about the faith as an adult, becoming a catechist or religion teacher, or discerning the possibility of becoming a permanent deacon? The diocesan Lay Ministry Office offers a two-year program with classes in Arden, Charlotte, Greensboro, Lenoir and Sylva. Lay Ministry classes will begin in the fall of 2020. The application process will begin in May 2020. For details, go online to www.charlottediocese. org/ev/adult-education or contact Dr. Frank Villaronga at 704-370-3274 or favillaronga@charlottediocese.org.

— Catholic News Herald

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Above) Bishop Peter Jugis congratulates Deacon Jonathan Torres after his ordination June 8 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. (Facing page) Bishop Jugis lays his hands on Torres’ head and prays the prayer of ordination over him, thus consecrating him as a deacon.

Be a model of holiness, diocese’s newest deacon told SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — During his ordination Mass June 8, the Diocese of Charlotte’s newest deacon was encouraged to persevere in his formation for the priesthood and to follow Jesus Christ as his model of holiness.

Jonathan Torres was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Peter Jugis at St. Patrick Cathedral, during a Mass that drew more than 19 priests, 14 deacons, seminarians and hundreds of faithful.

Torres is a seminarian at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and his ordination to the transitional diaconate marks one of the last steps on his journey to the priesthood.

At the start of the ordination rite, the diocese’s vocations director, Father Christopher Gober, attested to Torres’ preparedness for ordination. Torres was then called from his parents’ side to stand before the bishop at the steps of the altar.

Bishop Jugis then stated, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our savior Jesus Christ, we choose this man to the order of the diaconate.”

Everyone gathered replied, “Thanks be to God,” and broke into a thunderous round of applause.

During his homily, Bishop Jugis entreated Torres to be a model of holiness for others.

“Today the sacrament of holy orders marks you with an indelible spiritual character which configures you to Christ the servant, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom

for many,” the bishop said. “You are consecrated by the laying on of hands and established in the state of holiness by the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Holiness is expected of the clergy, he continued. The people of God want the sacred ministers of the Church to be models of holiness for them, to serve them in holiness, and to inspire and help them to greater holiness.

“They have a right to expect this holiness because of the grace of the Holy Spirit that is communicated in the sacrament of holy orders,” Bishop Jugis said.

“In these very challenging times in the Church, everyone must make a renewed commitment to holiness – and especially the clergy. Holiness restores the beauty of Christ’s bride, the Church, which has been soiled by abuse and scandals. Holiness comes through union with God. He is the Holy One!” Bishop Jugis then spoke to Torres about the responsibilities he will assume in the role of deacon: to discharge his duties with humble charity; to hold fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience; to maintain and deepen his prayer life through the Liturgy of the Hours; and to conform his way of life to serve the people of Christ.

“May the good Lord help you to persevere faithfully in this resolve that you promise.

Jesus is your model of holiness,” he said.

Bishop Jugis also explained to Torres that “the Lord has given you the gift of celibacy so you may offer the whole of your life, your love to the Lord, your service. Celibacy is a sign of pastoral charity, offering yourself pastorally in charity to serve others. Celibacy is a source of great spiritual fruitfulness in

the Church and in the world.”

After the homily, Torres stood before the bishop and publicly affirmed his intention to serve him and the Church. Then he prostrated himself before the altar as Bishop Jugis knelt in prayer and the faithful chanted the Litany of Supplication (also known as the Litany of the Saints).

Torres then arose and approached the bishop, who laid hands on Torres’ head and prayed the prayer of ordination over him, thus consecrating him as a deacon.

Deacon Torres was vested by Father Patrick Winslow, his pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. He received a stole, a sign of the deacon’s office of service, and the dalmatic, the outer garment used in the liturgy.

The newly-vested deacon then again approached the sanctuary, receiving the Book of the Gospels from Bishop Jugis and a fraternal kiss of peace to welcome him to his new role in the Church.

In his closing remarks to Torres, Bishop Jugis said, “Jonathan, a whole new life now opens before you – the life of being a deacon of the Church. You will now change by the action of the Holy Spirit.”

Deacon Torres will serve at St. Therese Church in Mooresville this summer until he returns to the Pontifical College Josephinum this fall to complete his final year of formation.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos, video highlights and Bishop Jugis’ complete homily from the June 8 ordination Mass

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Meet Deacon Jonathan Torres Deacon Jonathan Torres is the son of John and Lucy Torres of Huntersville. He is the oldest of eight children. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Belmont Abbey College and studied theology at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?

Deacon Torres: Growing up, I always wanted to get married and have a family like my parents did.

It was my brother Matthew who always wanted to be a priest. As fate would have it, Matthew is now married and has three kids, while I’m but a year away from becoming a priest.

During my time at Belmont Abbey, I began to study literature, which did wonders for my faith.

While I grew up in a good Catholic family, my experience of Catholicism had become rather dull.

For years, the practice of my faith felt too routine.

Studying literature at Belmont Abbey helped me see how beautiful my Catholic faith was. In particular, reading Dante’s “Divine Comedy” was a major factor in me coming to love my faith in a new way. I had known the truths of my faith all my life, but it wasn’t until I experienced its beauty expressed in classic literature that I began to desire God more. Needless to say, my faith, which had become mundane, had now become something I was passionate about. Having a good group of friends at Belmont Abbey to discuss new ideas we learned in our literature, philosophy and theology classes was something that consumed all of my time.

After graduating I wanted to be a novelist, where I could express the same beauty that inspired me to live an all-consuming Christian life. I landed an editing job at St. Benedict Press, where I worked with renowned professors from all around the country to create Catholic Courses, a video lecture series that discussed topics such as history, literature, philosophy, theology and scripture. It fit well with my love of literature and my Catholic background. However, after working there for a

year, I felt something lacking in my life.

In the summer of 2013, a good friend of mine entered the seminary. When he came back the next summer to begin his first summer assignment, he invited me to dinner with a few priests of Charlotte – Fathers Patrick Winslow, Matthew Kauth and Timothy Reid. Something happened during that dinner. It was as though scales fell from my eyes, and I saw before me men who did not live compartmentalized lives.

During my year at St. Benedict Press, I felt like I had divided my life in a very unattractive way; I had my faith-life on Sunday, my work-life during the week and my social-life on the weekends. I knew I wanted something more – something more full and encompassing. The life of a priest was the answer to that desire.

Further, the concepts of epic adventures, perilous journeys and a hero’s quest for goodness that I fell in love with in so many stories in the literature that enkindled the fire for my faith, found its fulfillment in the priesthood. The idea that I could experience life to the fullest in a single day (from baptizing a child, to celebrating a wedding, to presiding over a funeral) filled me with awe.

CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?

Deacon Torres: My parents have done so much for me over the years, from passing down the faith, to supporting me in my vocation. A simple “thank you” would not suffice. I feel like responding to the call to the priesthood is a way in which I can give back to those who have first given to me. Even beyond my parents, there have been so many people – friends, priests, fellow parishioners at numerous parishes in the diocese – who have given me more than I deserve. They have opened their homes to me, supported me financially, and have shown me love in so many different ways. I feel extremely grateful for this opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much throughout my life.

On the 35th Anniversary of your ordination, your parish family at St. Luke would like to extend our Blessings and Congratulations to our pastor Father Paul Gary.

Thank you for your dedication and service to our parish!

St. Luke Catholic Church 13700 Lawyers Road Mint Hill, NC 28227 www.stlukechurch.net

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PHOTOS BY PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Top left) Bishop Bohdan Danylo lays hands on deacon candidate David Rinehart while Basilius Magnus also kneels before the altar during their diaconate ordination June 16. (Above) Kevin Bezner reverences the Book of the Gospels, held by Bishop Bohdan, during his ordination to the priesthood. (Left) Newly-ordained Father Kevin Bezner gives his first priest blessings after his ordination. (Below left) Bishop Bohdan prays over a kneeling Magnus while holding his omophorion, a symbol of his ecclesiastical authority similar to a pallium, over the deacon candidate’s head. Father Kevin gives his first priest blessing to Bishop Bohdan.

‘Give witness to Christ’ First Eastern Catholic priest ordination held in western N.C. PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — “Axios! Axios!”

Chanting these ancient Greek words, hundreds of people gathered inside St. Thomas Aquinas Church June 16 acclaimed three men worthy of holy orders during a special ordination Mass for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat, whose territory includes North Carolina.

Kevin Bezner was ordained a priest, and Basilius Magnus and David Rinehart were ordained deacons by Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo, who leads the Parma, Ohiobased eparchy or diocese.

The Mass, or Divine Liturgy, was the first Eastern Catholic rite priest ordination to take place in western North Carolina, and only the second deacon ordination.

The congregation included members of St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Church in Charlotte, which

has grown steadily since its founding in 2006 and now occupies a dedicated space at St. Thomas Aquinas Church to accommodate its rising number of families.

Bishop Bohdan acknowledged the community’s growth in remarks at the end of Mass.

“It is a joy for us here in the community of St. Basil the Great,” he said.

Reflecting on Christ’s Ascension, which he called “one of the most beautiful scenes” in the Bible, Bishop Bohdan said Christ calls each of us today to go out and proclaim the Gospel just as He commissioned the Apostles.

“The same mission is given to us – to preach the Good News of Christ, to bring people closer to Him,” he said.

The newly-ordained Father Kevin and Deacons Basilius and David are fruits “brought forth from among you, the living community,” Bishop Bohdan noted, not dropped magically from out of nowhere.

Follow their example and the example of the saints and martyrs, he urged, in giving one’s life totally to Christ.

“Give witness to Christ,” he urged.

The Pontifical Mass drew clergy from around the region, including Atlanta and from St. Nicholas Mission in Cary, as well as from the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh.

Priests and deacons from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte who have supported St. Basil the Great Church and its new mission in Canton were also present for the celebration.

Former Canton resident Mike Hoey, who has known Father Kevin for years, credited his efforts to develop the Eastern Catholic mission for people living in the Asheville area. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated about once a month in Canton, hosted at the Charlotte diocese’s Immaculate Conception Mission.

“I marvel at his dedication and how his spirituality has grown,” Hoey said before receiving a blessing from the new priest.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

(Left) Deacon Basilius Magnus holds his orarion, or diaconal stole, while chanting during the Divine Liturgy. (Below) The Pontifical Divine Liturgy drew clergy from around the region, including Roman rite clergy from the Diocese of Charlotte.

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THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE COUNCIL

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

“IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR PRIESTS”

OFFERS CONGRATULATIONS TO: Fr. Michael J. Carlson Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Jr. Fr. Britt A. Taylor

Father Kevin Bezner Kevin Bezner was born in Bainbridge, Md., in 1953. From elementary to high school, he attended Catholic schools in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Roger Williams in 1975, master’s degrees from the University of Maryland in 1976 (American Studies) and 1989 (English), and a doctorate in English and Creative Writing from Ohio University in 1991. He has worked as a daily newspaper reporter, college professor, and communications manager, writer and editor in banking.

He earned a certificate in spiritual direction from the Center for Spirituality and Ministry at Sacred Heart University, an advanced catechist certificate from Catholic Distance University, and a certificate in lay ministry from the Diocese of Charlotte in 2012.

He completed the eparchy’s Diaconate Formation Program and was ordained a deacon in 2014. That same year, he also completed a master’s in theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. In preparation for ordination to the priesthood, in May he completed the Ongoing Formation program at Byzantine Catholic Seminary.

Deacon Basilius Magnus Many have asked whether “Basilius Magnus” is his real name or a “pseudonym,” and if it is inspired by “St. Basil the Great.” The answer to both questions is yes, he says. “My parents gave me that name when I was born, and I got to know the reason on my eighth birthday when my dad sent me a birthday gift of a book titled ‘Friends of Jesus’ with the icon of St. Basil the Great on its cover. One statement that I succinctly remember from that book is: ‘The Cathedral where St. Basil celebrated the liturgy was always

packed with faithful waiting to hear his homily.’ I knew that my parents prayed and wished me to inherit St. Basil’s spirit and charisma.”

He studied the organ in elementary school and played from middle school through college.

He also contributed in theological discourses in ecumenical forums (of mostly pastors, theologians and seminary professors) such as Partners in Ministry and Indonesian Pastors Network. After moving to the United States, he became immersed in the Eastern Catholic tradition, especially its emphasis on mysticism, contemplation and a meditative prayer life.

At St. Nicholas Mission in Cary, where he has been assigned, he served as an altar server and reader before completing the eparchy’s Diaconate Formation Program at Holy Apostles Institute.

He and his wife Nora have three children, Fidelia, Vitus and Andrea.

Deacon David Rinehart David Rinehart is a native of Tennessee. His father’s job took the family to Washington, D.C., where they became members of St. Gabriel Parish. Their neighborhood included the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Catholic University of America. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army “and made a career of it serving in numerous assignments worldwide.”

A lifelong learner, he earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and management from Excelsior University of New York and associate’s degrees in criminal justice and general education from Central Texas College.

A member of St. Nicholas Mission, he served in many positions including altar server before graduating from the eparchy’s Diaconate Formation Program at Holy Apostles Institute, where he now serves as administrator.

A resident of Fayetteville, he survives his wife Fabiola and has two sons, David and Francis.

Fr. Michael J. Carlson

Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Jr.

Fr. Britt A. Taylor

On their Ordination as Priests for the Diocese of Charlotte Special Congratulations also to: all priests, deacons & religious Who are celebrating the anniversary of their service To the faithful of the diocese of charlotte

www.kofcnc.org

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 10B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Three Sisters of Mercy celebrate their 70th jubilee EMILY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT

BELMONT — On May 25, Sisters of Mercy Mary Julia Godwin, Jeanne Margaret McNally and Mary Agnes Solari celebrated a major milestone in their vocation to Christ and His Church: their platinum jubilee. They marked 70 years of religious life, which spans more than a third of the history of their order founded in 1831 by Venerable Catherine McAuley.

Since entering the Sisters of Mercy in 1949, they have contributed in a myriad of ways to their community, making an impact on so many lives through their work – in orphanages, hospitals and schools, with marriage counseling, to people with special needs, in college and high school administration.

Each Sister has given her life to helping others to the best of her ability, through the grace of Jesus Christ. Their lives are a testimony to the power of Christ’s love demonstrated through His Church and through the particular charism of the Sisters of Mercy.

SISTER MARY JULIA GODWIN

Aside from her recent Jubilee, Sister Mary Julia Godwin is proud of another facet of her life: her family was among the first Catholic families in eastern North Carolina. “In 1863, John Monck, mygreat-grandfather from Newton Grove, became Catholic and I am descended from that family. He was received into the Catholic Church and all of his family did afterwards,” she describes.

Although John Monck didn’t know it, that decision would have a lasting impact on the life of his descendant.

Sister Julia arrived in Belmont on July 15, 1949, after becoming better acquainted with the Sisters of Mercy through a chance encounter.

She recalls, “After high school, I was at Mercy Hospital for two years studying nursing. One day while at the hospital, I met a lovely Sister named Carmelita Barrett. She was my mentor, really. She was always teasing me, telling me, ‘You’d make a wonderful nun!’ I had thought about it, but not given it any serious

consideration. One day she had left her habit off, and I tried it on. She came back and caught me with it on, which pleased her to no end.” It wasn’t long before the young nursing student professed her vows as a Sister of Mercy.

Her ministries have included education, Catholic orphanages in Raleigh, and specializing in working with those with special needs, such as the residents of Holy Angels, where she served for 16 years. She has taught locally at St. Gabriel and St. Patrick schools in Charlotte, St. Michael School in Gastonia, St. Leo School in Winston-Salem, Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, and St. Eugene School in Asheville. She also went a bit farther away, teaching at St. Agnes School in Greenport, Long Island, N.Y. But it was her service at Nazareth Orphanage in Raleigh that has meant the most to her.

“Because I was very young, my work at the orphanage really shaped me,” she says. “I fell in love with that kind of work.

There was a lot of learning, but I loved it and it really shaped me for working at Holy Angels in Belmont.”

Now aged 91, Sister Mary Julia says the key to a long life, apart from “eating well and getting enough sleep,” is happiness.

“For one thing, I never worried about getting old. That never bothered me! I didn’t let little things bother me, either.

The last 70 years have all been so happy, and I know that God has intervened to keep me busy and interested in what I was doing. I have put my life into my work and never thought about going off and doing something else. I was always committed.”

SISTER JEANNE-MARGARET MCNALLY

Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally is a native of New York and a canon lawyer who also holds a doctorate in psychology from The Catholic University. Her calling came when she read about the Sisters of Mercy and the rich missionary opportunities in North Carolina.

“What drew me to the Sisters of Mercy was the missions they were doing, because less than one-tenth of one percent of people were Catholic in North Carolina at that time,” she recalls. Nursing was also in Sister Jeanne-

Margaret’s background, and she remained busy with nursing and administrative work. She served as director of the school of nursing at Mercy Hospital for 18 years and worked as a college administrator at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has also served as a tribunal judge for the Diocese of Charlotte and the Archdiocese of Miami, besides serving as president of the Sisters of Mercy and on the Board of Trustees for Belmont Abbey College. Additionally, she taught at Barry University in Miami and Sacred Heart College in Belmont.

Each role she has taken on throughout her 70 years of ministry has affected and shaped her in a different way, she says.

“Nursing was very significant, but probably the administration as well, because I just seemed to flow naturally into it. They all shape you in some manner, because it changes your thinking. Between nursing and psychology and law, I’m always getting a better understanding of people all the time. That’s my job! There wasn’t anything I would have changed, and not many people can say that. That was a constant blessing.”

What has been the secret to her happiness?

“Every experience can be a blessing if you allow it to be; if you’re open for it,” Sister Jeanne-Margaret says. “The blessing was that I began thinking more rationally – your whole cognitive development changes with your experiences, but you have to be open to it.” And above all, renewing her commitment to God on a daily basis has been a critical aspect of her 70 years of service as a Sister of Mercy.

“I made a commitment to renewing my vows every single day. Even in marriage, you have to constantly renew that commitment, because psychologically your whole personality changes as the years go by. Everything is always going to change, every day. You have to constantly renew that commitment within the circumference of who you are and what you are right in the moment.” she says.

Looking back over 70 years of vocational service can be both delightful and aweinspiring, both for the Sisters themselves and for those who serve with them and encounter them in ministry. Sister Jeanne-Margaret adds that it can also be bittersweet.

“There were 12 of us and we were known as the ’49ers. However, when we celebrated recently, we were the only ones left still living.”

Congratulations to Deacon Joseph Denzler for

10 years of faithful service to our parish.

May God continue to bless you in the years ahead!

St. John Neumann Catholic Church 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte, NC 28227 www.4sjnc.org

Fr John Starczewski

“The rest,” adds Sister Mary Julia, “now belong to the Lord.”

SISTER MARY AGNES SOLARI

One of their fellow ’49ers was able to celebrate her 70th jubilee before quietly passing away June 11, surrounded by her fellow Sisters and family.

Sister Mary Agnes Solari’s name is a familiar one, as her cousins are Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari at Belmont Abbey Monastery and Father Jim Solari, chaplain of Maryfield in High Point.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Belmont Abbey and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from UNC-Chapel Hill. She had a long career in teaching and school administration. Her work included teaching at St. Patrick School in Charlotte, Charlotte Catholic High School, St. Mary School in Wilmington, St. Eugene School in Asheville, and Evelyn Mack Day School in Charlotte. She also served as principal of St. Patrick’s and St. Eugene’s. In addition, she served on the faculty and in Catholic campus ministry at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.

Although she has departed this life, her legacy will be remembered by the Sisters of Mercy and all those touched by her ministry over the years, especially reflecting on her motto in religious life: “What is This to Eternity?” She explained it as: “In bad times – with help, we can get through it – don’t give up. In good times – don’t get too caught up that you lose sight of what’s important.”

Learn more At www.sistersofmercy.org: Find out more about the 9,000-plus women who are Sisters of Mercy and the work they do around the world

Congratulations!

Deacon Joseph Denzler

Faithful Friar Fr. John Starczewski – 15 Years

and

Deacon Joe Denzler – 10 years On your ordination anniversaries

Thank you for your service and dedication!

With love from all the Sir Knights at

SJN Msgr. Lawrence Newman K of C Fourth Degree Assembly 2208.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

11B

Franciscan Father Louis Canino celebrates 50th jubilee SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

STONEVILLE — Franciscan Father Louis Canino, director of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, entered religious life as a teenager. This year he celebrates the 50th anniversary of his priestly ministry.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., his social and spiritual life growing up was centered around his family’s vibrant Catholic parish.

“By the time I was around 6 years of age, I wanted to be a priest. In short, I admired our pastor so much,” Father Canino says. “When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, ‘Father Walsh.’”

He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a teaching order founded by St. John Baptiste de la Salle. He then entered St. Joseph’s Seraphic Seminary in upstate New York, which was run by Franciscans for those seeking a Franciscan vocation.

Father Canino was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Amleto Cicognani on Sept. 13, 1969, at the Franciscan monastery in Washington, D.C. His openness to go where he was asked enabled Father Canino to take assignments at St. Joseph’s Monastery in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and twice at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston. He also juggled several roles at once, including roles as provincial councilor, rector of St. Anthony Shrine, director of the Province’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation efforts and oversaw ministry to the poor at St. Francis House in Boston in the mid-1980s.

Father Canino has served as the director of the Franciscan Center in Greensboro since 1990. He has also served at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center since 2005.

“My greatest fulfillment in my priestly or Franciscan ministry has been how the Lord has used me as His instrument in helping others to love Him more and to grow in their faith,” Father Canino says.

He shares that the greatest lesson he has learned in his 50 years as a priest is that “we are not fully in control of

Franciscan Father Louis Canino is director of the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ST. FRANCIS SPRINGS PRAYER CENTER

our lives. Sometimes the Lord puts a lot of twists and turns in it and it doesn’t always turn out the way we would like.”

He adds, “I have realized in trying to pursue the ‘dream’ of my life is that God’s timing and mine are not always in sync.”

His advice to anyone discerning a religious vocation?

Congratulations to Fr. John Starczewski on 15 years of Priestly Ministry May God continue to bless you in the years ahead!

St. John Neumann Catholic Church 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte, NC 28227 www.4sjnc.org

“If someone felt that they were called to religious life or the priesthood, I would offer them the same advice that I received over 50 years ago: ‘If God is inviting you to follow Him this way, isn’t it best to at least pursue this vocation to see if it’s the right fit?’”

— Franciscan Friars, Holy Name Province contributed.

Reverend Monsignor Christopher J. Schreck, Rector, and the seminarians, faculty and staff of the Pontifical College Josephinum send congratulations and prayerful best wishes to Alumni

FAther michAel cArlson FAther AlFonso GAmez AlAnis FAther Britt tAylor Ordained to the Holy Priesthood June 22, 2019 Ad Multos Annos!

7625 North High Street Columbus, Ohio

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 12B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘No two days are alike’ Father Kessler celebrates 35 years of priesthood SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

PHOTO PROVIDED

Over the course of his 35 years of priestly ministry, Father Thomas Kessler spent five years as a missionary in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

STATESVILLE — According to Father Thomas Kessler, pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church, “no two days are alike” in the priesthood. Father Kessler, a native of Allentown, Pa., celebrated 35 years of priestly ministry May 12.

He recently shared some insights about his life and his ministry with the Catholic News Herald.

“I am a cradle Catholic,” he says. “My deceased parents were devout Catholics. By God’s grace, my 10 siblings and I have followed their example and have kept the faith.”

Father Kessler remembers that he thought about the priesthood during the second grade and again around the ninth grade.

“When I was 19 to 21 years old, I worked as a structural steel salesman in Philadelphia. I went to daily Mass and felt that I was called to the priesthood,” he recalls.

He studied for four years at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. “I then studied four years of theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., where I received a Master of Divinity.”

Father Kessler was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown on May 12, 1984, by then-Bishop Thomas Welsh of Allentown.

Upon his ordination, Father Kessler served as a parochial vicar of a parish in West Reading, Pa. He then spent five years as a missionary in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

When he returned to the U.S., he served as an administrator at Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pa. He was then named director of pastor formation at the Major Seminary of St. Paul in the Archdiocese of Minneapolis in St. Paul, Minn.

Father Kessler’s assignments in the Diocese of Charlotte over the years include serving as administrator of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton; parochial vicar of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte; pastor of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem; and pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe.

Father Kessler says what he loves most about his priestly ministry is “the diversity of the vocation. No two days are alike.”

What has he learned over the course of the past 35 years ministering as a priest? “A lesson that I have learned is that one never stops learning. Each day is a new adventure and a gift from God.”

The parishioners of Saint Matthew Catholic Church are very grateful for the dedication of our priests and clergy.

We especially celebrate and honor the following jubilarians:

Monsignor John McSweeney for 45 years as a priest

Deacon William Griffin for 20 years as a deacon Deacon Gary Schrieber for 5 years as a deacon Deacon Jack Staub for 5 years as a deacon We are delighted to celebrate with our own parish son, Britt Taylor, who will be ordained on June 22.

Please join Father Taylor for his Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, June 23, at 12:30 pm at St. Matthew Catholic Church.

Monsignor McSweeney

Deacon William Griffin

Deacon Gary Schrieber and Deacon Jack Staub

Father Britt Taylor

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

13B

Father Starczewski celebrates 15 years of priestly ministry SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — A native of Utica, N.Y., Father John Starczewski is now pastor of St. John Neumann Church. He celebrated his 15th anniversary of priestly ordination on June 5.

A cradle Catholic, born to an Episcopalian mother and Catholic father, he was taught the faith at his home parish of St. Stanislaus where he also attended grade school under the instruction of the Felician Sisters.

Father Starczewski says he realized the call to the priesthood shortly after becoming an altar boy in the fourth grade, when he was 9.

“It was a simple call that the priesthood would be a good life for me,” he recalls. “I struggled with the call for 30 years, becoming a chemical engineer in the meantime. Finally after joining the Knights of Columbus and beginning to pray more, I began to understand why God was calling me.

“I was the rich young man in the Gospel walking away sad. When I realized that, I pursued my vocation.”

Father Starczewski attended Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass., from 2000 to 2004.

He was ordained a transitional deacon along with Father Robert Conway and Father Timothy Reid in December 2003 by Bishop Peter Jugis – the bishop’s first diocesan transitional deaconate Mass after becoming the fourth bishop of Charlotte. The men were also the first diocesan priests to be ordained by Bishop Jugis in June 2004.

Father Starczewski has had several

assignments in the diocese over the past 15 years.

He served as parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte from 2004 to 2006. Then he served as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro from 2006 to 2007.

In 2007, he was named pastor of St. James Church in Hamlet and Sacred Heart Mission in Wadesboro. In 2011, he served as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville until 2017.

He has served as pastor of St. John Neumann Parish for the past two years.

Father Starczewski has also served on the diocese’s Presbyteral Council several times and was vicar forane of the Salisbury Vicariate from 2016 to 2017.

He says, “The most enjoyable part of my priestly ministry is meeting, getting to know and working with so many good people, especially when I have been able to help them in their faith.”

He shares that some of the most meaningful lessons he has learned in the past 15 years since his ordination are that a priest has to “be willing to be with the people. Don’t have something between you and them, like the sacristy door or the pulpit. Always thank the people for what they give or do for the parish. Always try to do your best for the people and the parish.”

His advice to men discerning a vocation to the priesthood?

“Pray a lot with scripture,” he says. “I wouldn’t have found my vocation without the Gospel of Matthew. When Father Christopher Gober, diocesan director of vocations, was ordained he told me also and it helped me a lot.”

For men discerning a call to the priesthood, he advises, “Have faith and take the leap.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

Father John Starczewski was among those who were the first diocesan priests to be ordained by Bishop Peter Jugis in June 2004.

14B iiJune 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com

CATHOLIC N

Celebrating our 2 5 YEARS

10 YEARS

Father Paul Buchanan Father Noah Carter Father Paul McNulty

Father Benjamin Roberts Father Richard Sutter

Priests

25 YEARS

30 YEARS

35 YEARS

Father Michael Kottar

Father Conrad Hoover Father Joseph Mack

Father Jerome Chavarria, C.Ss.R. Father Paul Gary Father Peter Fitzgibbons Father Philip Kollithanath Father Thomas Kessler

55 YEARS

60 YEARS

Father Francis Forster, OSB Father Arthur Pendleton, OSB

Father Gabriel Meehan

Deacons

5Y

Deacon Guillermo J Deacon James Deacon Sigfrido A. De Deacon Joseph Deacon Michae Deacon John A. H Deacon Thomas E. M Deacon Marco

Deacon Thomas D. Sanctis Deacon C. William Schreiber Deacon Gary J. Schrieber Deacon Miguel P. Sebastian Deacon Jack G. Staub Deacon Ruben Tamayo Deacon James P. Trombley Deacon Emmanuel O. Ukattah Sr.

20 YEARS

25 YEARS

Deacon William G. Griffin Deacon Richard G. Voegele Deacon Bernardino (Wilson) Velez

45 YEARS

Deacon Michael Dennis Leahy

Deacon James Philip Cooper Deacon Richard McCarron

Women religious

25 YEARS

Sister Sheila Richardson, ESA Sister Ginsy Simon, SVP

Deacon Deacon Ro Deacon R

Sister Katherin Sister

NEWS HERALD

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

2019 Jubilarians 15 YEARS

20 YEARS

Father Jean Pierre Lhoposo Father Robert Conway Father Timothy Reid Father John Starczewski

Father Ricardo Sanchez Father Patrick Winslow

40 YEARS

45 YEARS

50 YEARS

Father Carl Kaltreider Father Vincent Finnerty, CM

Monsignor John McSweeney

Father Louis Canino, OFM

YEARS

J. Anzola s E. Bozik ella Valle h A. Diaz el F. Goad Harrison McGahey os Mejias

10 YEARS

Deacon Joseph C. Denzler

15 YEARS

Deacon Daniel J. Hoffert Deacon Webster A. James Deacon Robert E. Morris Deacon James H. Toner Deacon James H. Witulski

30 YEARS

n Thomas Jerome Kak onald Timothy Ritchey Ramon Eiberto Tejada

50 YEARS

ine Francis French, SP r Emma Yondura, SSJ

40 YEARS

Deacon Gordon Lawrence Forester Deacon William Stanley Shaw Deacon John Edward Sims

70 YEARS

Sister Mary Julia Godwin, RSM Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally, RSM Sister Mary Agnes Solari, RSM

15B

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 16B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish celebrates local priest’s ordination CÉSAR HURTADO HISPANIC REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — On June 1, the Congregation of the Mission celebrated the priestly ordination of Luis Romero and Leo Tiburcio, the first two men ordained in the Eastern Province since 2010.

Vincentian Father Alfonso Cabezas, Bishop Emeritus of Villavicencio, Colombia, presided over the ordination at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia.

For the two men, the occasion marked the culmination of 10 years of rigorous theological study, instruction in Vincentian spirituality and work in the order, which was founded by St. Vincent de Paul.

Father Leo Tiburcio’s first assignment will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte, where he first discerned his priestly vocation years ago.

Leo Tiburcio Ordaz was born in 1978 in Santa María Zacatepec, Cholula, Puebla, México.

The third of nine children of Felipe Tiburcio and Herlinda Ordaz, he left México in 1994 to go to New York, where for more than six years he worked in Turkish restaurants, until the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 meant the end of his job.

Looking for new horizons, he traveled to Atlanta, where he settled for two years and continued to work in restaurants. At the end of 2004, he requested a job transfer to Charlotte, but after arriving he had a hard time trying to find a local church where he could practice his faith. God led him to the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he said.

After assisting at a men’s retreat and joining the parish’s youth group, he received an invitation from Father Vincent Finnerty, then pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to enter a house of discernment.

His answer was simply: “Father, I do not want to be a priest; I rather want to get married and have children.”

But after much thought, he entered the house of discernment in 2005, only to leave after six months.

Sick and stressed out, Tiburcio decided to earn his GED and take English classes. He returned to work and started

Finnerty, Father Hugo Medellín and Father Gregorio Gay. Father Finnerty delivered the homily, his final one to the parishioners whom he has served for many years in the Diocese of Charlotte. Father Finnerty is retiring and leaving after 24 years for a small parish in Alabama.

He offered many recommendations to the new Father Tiburcio, joked with him and greeted the young priest’s family.

At the end of the Mass, Father Tiburcio addressed a few words to parishioners. After thanking them “for the faith you put in me” since his arrival to the parish in 2004, he recognized the support of his parents, who instilled in him the faith from his childhood, and especially to Father Finnerty, who supported and encouraged his call to a religious vocation.

CÉSAR HURTADO | Then the young priest showed CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD everyone the greeting card that parishioners had given him in 2009, before he left for the seminary in New York. He has kept it all these years: “There are many beautiful things that you told me here, your prayers, your support,” he told them.

Then he took a white cloth from his pocket – the maniturgium, a white linen cloth that the newly ordained priest’s hands are wrapped with after being anointed by the bishop in the ordination rite.

Father Tiburcio started to explain, “When my mom comes to God’s presence, God will say, ‘I gave you life, what have you given Me?’ Then she is going to take out this cloth and will say, ‘I gave you my son’ and then ... Mom,” but he became too emotional to continue. He went to embrace his mother, who was crying as she listened to the words of her son.

After the Mass, Father Tiburcio was greeted by parishioners and everyone enjoyed a lunch prepared by the parish.

Vincentian Father Leo Tiburcio, a vocation that emerged in the youth group at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, celebrated his first Mass with Fathers Vicente Finnerty, Gregorio Gay and Hugo Medellín June 2.

Father Tiburcio has been assigned to the parish where his desire for service to God was born.

dating a girl – but he could not ignore God’s whispering to him, calling him to the priesthood. Confused, he decided to speak with Father Finnerty again.

“God is calling you for a vocation that is not marriage, but you are free to say yes or no,” the pastor told him.

Two months later, he returned to Father Finnerty but this time his discernment process would be more serious: he would enter the Vincentians’ seminary in New York.

In 2014, Tiburcio moved to Philadelphia, where he completed his studies and pronounced his temporary vows.

In 2018, he offered his perpetual vows and was ordained to the transitional diaconate.

The day after his priestly ordination in Philadelphia, Father Tiburcio came home to Charlotte and offered his first Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church – side by side with the other Vincentian priests of the parish: Father

‘Everything about this life is so pure and so good’ Siblings with vocations share their story SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — St. Joseph College seminarian Jose Palma and his younger sister, Jessica, have a unique sibling bond.

Both have answered the call to serve the Lord in a vocation in the Church. Jose is in his third year of seminary now. Jessica is a postulant with the Daughters of the Virgin Mother, which supports seminarians and priests of the diocese in prayer and works.

These young adults recently provided some insights on their vocations and how a shared desire to serve the Lord has brought them closer.

CNH: Can you tell us what your family faith life growing up was and how that may have had an impact on your vocations?

Jose: At first for a while we weren’t faithful Catholics, we were lukewarm.

When I was about 12 (and Jessica was 5) we had a complete family conversion, which was great. This is the fruit of that. God had given my parents and my older sister a conversion – a conversion to God to be able to pay attention to Him and to pay attention at Mass.

From that point on, from my perspective, everything changed. We were going to Mass more faithfully, at church more regularly, and prayer was very much encouraged.

I think that definitely prepared the way for me to be able to discern to enter the seminary. We took the faith seriously. We embraced the wholeness of the Catholic

faith. That was crucial. To know that my parents were praying for us and with us, that definitely impacted me later in life.

Jessica: I was maybe about 16 when things started stirring up in my spiritual life. I think I owe it a lot to my parents for their prayers for us, and always praying for us and for our futures – letting God’s Will happen.

CNH: What does it feel like to know that you are supporting each other (in your vocations)?

CNH: What is it like living your vocation now?

Jose: These past three years in seminary, I can honestly say they have been the happiest years of my life. There is a certain sense of fulfillment. I came in expecting a lot; you’re nervous, scared. But coming in there was a sense of peace. The formation is phenomenal. It challenges you.

I was happy the very first day I came in. I said, ‘This is awesome!’ We have a lot of great guys. We spend a lot of time in prayer. It is difficult. You are adjusting to a very strict schedule. You are adjusting to a different prayer life. Before I entered seminary, I thought I had a decent prayer life. You come in and it’s like you really have to try, to dig deep.

There are difficulties in seminary, but it’s like normal life. It’s like anything else – you just have to keep going. You have to remember the Lord brought you here and He will get you through anything.

Living out the vocation is fantastic. We have a great fraternity. The guys are really awesome. We have great conversations. We play sports together. For us guys, it’s great to be able to play sports every day, to just

Jose Palma and his sister Jessica Palma hang out. Above all, to pray together. We challenge each other.

Jessica: I have only been in the convent seven months. It’s been really good. There is a certain peace that I feel ever since I entered. It has been so good. The sisters are great. They are very welcoming. The community life that we live, we mold well together. We all go out and do our work, and then we come back and we pray and have dinner and recreate.

We can be together, pray together, console our God and make friendships with Our Lady. When we come out of prayer, it is like fresh air that you just took in and then you don’t have to worry about worldly things.

I actually just tried on the habit because I am going to get clothed in October. It’s exciting! Everything about this life is so pure and so good.

Jose: It gives me a sense of joy, and I am obviously proud of my sister. It gives me great peace, great joy, to know I have my own sister in a convent that prays for priests in a diocese which I am a seminarian in. And God willing, I will be a priest.

It gives me a lot of joy and fills me with a lot of hope to know I am supported.

There is something very special to know that my own sister, with whom I lived all my life, whom I used to feed, is now in a convent praying for me, offering sacrifices for me for the work that God wants me to do. I know we understand each other very well.

Jessica: It has put a lot into perspective.

I get to watch him in his vocation to the priesthood. It’s hard to explain. He’s my brother. It is a special bond we have, we understand each other without saying words.

At first, for me, it was a little awkward.

Our vocations were colliding. Whenever you enter a vocation, you don’t expect to see family. Over the months, it normalized itself. It became tender.

The idea that we switch prayers – he prays for me and I pray for him – it’s just neat that I entered a convent that supports the priesthood.

It’s hard to explain. There are so many graces and beautiful things going on.

There’s no way to explain it and do it justice.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

17B

A SHARED MINISTRY

Deacons and their wives reflect on service to the Church SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — For the past 36 years, the Diocese of Charlotte has been blessed with men who have been committed to serving the Church as permanent deacons.

They, along with their wives, have led countless ministries serving to educate the faithful and to assist the poor, the sick, the homeless, the refugee and the imprisoned.

To date, 117 deacons have been ordained by the four bishops of the diocese.

Two deacons among those celebrating special anniversaries this year, recently shared insights about the life of a deacon in the Church as they and their wives live out their vocations.

Deacon Miguel and Ana Sebastian serve at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton.

The Sebastians are the parents of three children who were very young when Deacon Sebastian entered diaconate formation in 2009. The couple admits it was a sacrifice to juggle the formation and the busy life of a young family, but they say God always found a way for them to attend formation classes.

“During those years our three children were still little and it wasn’t easy to leave them by themselves at home,” Deacon Sebastian says. “It was one of the difficulties for us as parents, and the diaconate formation as well was difficult.

“But I thank God for my lovely wife, Ana, who was so positive and helpful in my life.

She worked very hard with me during this process of discernment and formation to the diaconate ministry.”

He was ordained on May 31, 2014, by Bishop Peter Jugis.

Deacon Sebastian assists his pastor, Father Ken Whittington, at Mass, proclaiming the Gospel in English and in Spanish.

“I love my ministries,” he says. “I like preaching the Word of God. I also take care for the sick and teach the truth about our faith to candidates in the RCIA program in Spanish.”

Ana embraces her role as support to her husband and her parish.

“I pray a lot. That is one of my strongest things I do. I pray for him,” she says. “I pray for what God wants for him and to let it happen. I always tell Miguel, ‘If that

is what God wants, let it be done.

Not our will. Let God work through you.’”

Deacon Sebastian says his additional ministry is in the Hispanic community, where the Lord is using him in many different ways such as preaching and accompanying people through their sorrows and difficulties.

“My wife and I are so grateful in serving the Lord in this capacity, because God has strengthened our faith and our marriage as well.

The Lord has been blessing us abundantly.”

Deacon Sebastian encourages more men to discern this vocation in the Church, he says, “because the Lord needs men to say yes to Him.” Deacon Daniel and Linda Hoffert serve at St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa and are celebrating the 15th anniversary of his diaconal ordination.

Deacon Hoffert was ordained for the Diocese of Raleigh on Nov. 12, 2004, by Bishop Joseph Gossman – that diocese’s first class of deacons.

He and Linda have five children who, when they began the formation process, ranged from a toddler to a high school student. He was working for IBM as an engineer and Linda was a full-time elementary school teacher.

Both were extremely active in parish Deacon Miguel and Ana Sebastian Deacon Daniel and Linda Hoffert ministries, marriage preparation and RCIA particularly.

“At that time we were building our because we always were closely involved people, sharing their witness to Christ in third house, and we had three children in with our church community.” the world. It is clear faith is neither dead sports,” Deacon Hoffert adds. “At the time Since going through the diaconate nor dying in the world. Being a deacon of discernment there were 150 men who formation together, he said, he and Linda gives us access and the ability to share with had applied to the new deacon formation “are much better educated in our Catholic others in the hope we can strengthen them program, and they accepted 14 men this faith and traditions. We also enjoy the on their life’s journey.” first class of deacons.” sharing with the rest of the deacon Deacon Hoffert also believes that in life The Hofferts moved to the Charlotte community,” he says. the times which seem the most difficult diocese in 2014, and since then they have “God did an excellent job of matching us yield the greatest rewards. “God loves the continued to serve tirelessly at their parish up back when we first met in 10th grade in servant and as He told the disciples when in Swannanoa. high school, and we have enjoyed our life He washed their feet, the servant was the When asked what it has been like to together through the good times and the greatest, not the one being served. To be a serve the Church, Deacon Hoffert admits hard times,” Deacon Hoffert says. “We are deacon is to be a servant for God before all that, since his ordination, “it is different able to share more prayer time now than in other things.” for Linda sitting in the pew without me, the past, as we have more free time to do so He advises men interested in pursuing as we have always attended Mass together without our child-rearing obligations.” a vocation to the diaconate to apply. “The from the time we married. But other than In their service to the Church, they Church will help you discern if this is right that, things have not really changed much say they “have met many great Christian for you,” he says.

Ritcheys say diaconal ministry has brought them closer in marriage KERNERSVILLE — Deacon Tim and Rory Ann Ritchey of Holy Cross Church are celebrating 30 years of ministry to the Church this year.

Deacon Tim Ritchey went through formation for the permanent diaconate from 1985 to 1989 at a seminary in Denver, Colo. At the time, he and his wife Rory Ann had two boys, one married and one in high school. Both he and Rory Ann also owned their own businesses, he a financial company and Rory Ann an interior decorating company.

“Working full time, attending classes and doing homework” was challenging, Deacon Ritchey recalls, as well as making time for their family. “Rory Ann attended all the classes with me,” he notes.

But they successfully completed the formation process, and he was ordained on June 24, 1989, by Denver Archbishop J. Francis Stafford.

Deacon Ritchey served the Denver Archdiocese until moving to the Diocese of Charlotte in 2004, where he serves at Holy Cross Parish. Over the years, he has served the Church in numerous ways – baptismal preparation, RCIA, marriage preparation, nursing home and hospital visits, funeral services – as well as serving in prison ministry and

as a police chaplain, and in ministry to the deaf.

Serving the Church as a married couple, the Ritcheys say, has strengthened their marriage.

“It has brought us closer, if that was possible,” Deacon Ritchey says. “We only knew each other seven months when we got married 52 years ago because my squadron had orders for Vietnam.”

Their Catholic faith, and their hands-on ministry to the People of God, “has got us through family issues with our children and grandchildren, work issues, and health issues with me being in a wheelchair for eight years,” Deacon Ritchey says.

“We love the people. We are really close and loved by the people at Holy Cross and we love them. They are our family.”

What advice do they have for couples in the Church who may be discerning this vocation and service to the Church?

“Wives need to be supportive, as it’s a couples ministry,” he says. “The men in my class whose wives didn’t support them did not make it through formation.”

Deacon Tim and Rory Ann Ritchey

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 18B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Witulskis encourage people to rely on the Holy Spirit as one’s guide in life CHARLOTTE — The Holy Spirit is in charge so any good deacon and his wife will humbly and prayerfully follow His Will in whatever they do, modeling the example set by the Blessed Virgin Mary.

That’s one of the lessons the Witulskis have followed throughout their marriage and their ministry to the Church.

Deacon James and Mary Witulski have served at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte for the past eight years. While Deacon James Witulski recently celebrated his 15th-year anniversary of his ordination, he is very happy that he was incardinated in 2015 (in which he officially became a deacon of the Diocese of Charlotte).

Deacon Witulski entered diaconate formation at the age of 47, relying upon God’s providence to work out the challenges. He and Mary had two college-aged children, and was working full-time. He was also volunteering in his home parish, serving on a church committee that assisted people in financial need. He was also a lector at daily and Sunday Mass, volunteered at a mission that served the homeless, and served the dying at a hospice.

“Having to balance roles of husband, father, full-time employee and student along with deepening my prayer and spiritual life” was a challenge, he describes. “Although being pulled in various directions can be challenging, it is the prayer life that keeps one focused and grants the grace to manage one’s commitments.”

“I remember my spiritual advisor, a holy priest telling me, ‘If they accept you into the Diaconate Formation Program, it’s Our Lady.’ Then four years later, he said, ‘If they ordain you, it’s Our Lady.’ Therefore, I recognize that it is Our Blessed Mother who has guided and protected me in my formation and in my life as an ordained deacon.”

Deacon Witulski served at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church after his ordination in 2004 for the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y. Masses were offered in English, Polish and Latin.

The Witulskis value their Polish heritage, and they brought that love for all things Polish to Charlotte when they moved here in 2011.

“Our Lady of Czestochowa, patroness of Poland, St. John Paul II and St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and the Divine Mercy devotion have a special place in our hearts,” Deacon Witulski says. “For the past seven years we have organized a Polish Mass in honor of Our Lady and these saints at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. These Masses have been attended by as many as 600 of the faithful.”

They also organize other Polish devotions such as the Blessings of the Easter Baskets or “Swieconka” on Holy Saturday.

Moving to Charlotte was a blessing, Deacon Witulski says, and another sign of the Holy Spirit at work.

“Mary was born in Kinston, a small city in rural eastern North Carolina but moved to Utica, N.Y., when she was 10 years old. She had fond memories of the South and on our visits to North Carolina, she always expressed a desire to return someday. I said, ‘Mary, let me know when you want to move.’ Mary replied with a smile, ‘I am ready now.’

“On Jan. 15, 2011, I drove to Albemarle, to my small, unfurnished apartment, while Mary remained up north while trying to sell our house in the midst of a recession.

In October 2011, our house in Rochester was sold and we purchased a house in Union County.”

After first moving to the area, Deacon Witulski served Masses for Father Peter Fitzgibbons at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle. In March 2011, Bishop Peter Jugis assigned him to serve at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, where he has ministered since.

“Mary and I feel truly blessed to reside and serve in the Diocese of Charlotte,” Deacon Witulski says.

Besides their work in fostering Polish Catholic devotions at their parish, the Witulskis are active in a variety of other diaconal ministries.

“As a youth, I remember thinking that if I could bring one person to Christ and His Church, my life would be worthwhile. Therefore, I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to bring souls to Our Master,” Deacon Witulski says.

“The typical ministries of a parish deacon are amazing blessings in themselves – such as performing baptisms, marriages, funerals and preaching. However, performing these sacraments for my children, grandchildren, parents, other family members and friends has been especially moving and has touched my heart.”

He adds, “I believe the Holy Spirit inspires any deacon to serve in new and various ways. Therefore, over the years I have been called to lead a Divine Mercy Holy Hour on First Fridays, lead a men’s retreat, work with young couples in preparation for marriage, which has given me great hope

as well.

“My wife Mary and I both believe that our faith has been strengthened as we are surrounded by faith-filled people who have shared their personal stories and struggles.

By us lending a caring and listening ear and by meeting people where they are at, we have experienced where the Holy Spirit has used us to spread the message of Christ’s love, hope and mercy to those around us.”

Mary Witulski says she has been drawn to a more active role and participation in events and devotional practices in the Church, especially praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet on First Fridays, participating in the diocese’s Eucharistic Congress, monthly Our Lady of Fatima processions at the parish, and talks and retreats alongside her husband.

“My involvement in the Church encouraged her to venture out of her own comfort zone,” Deacon Witulski adds.

“Although she does not consider herself as someone who is prone to volunteer, nonetheless she taught and prepared children for first confession and Holy Communion for five years in our previous home parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Rochester. She also became an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and lector and continues as a reader at St. Thomas Aquinas.

She has served as the Polish Tent Coordinator at the annual World Feast Celebration held at St. Thomas Aquinas, which celebrates and showcases the various cultural backgrounds of the parishioners. Mary also reached out to the Polish community of Charlotte and obtained a Polish choir and helps organize our annual Polish Mass and reception held each August at St. Thomas Aquinas.”

DOREEN SUGIERSKI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Mary Witulski feels she has After a Mass that was celebrated in Polish, Deacon James Witulski (left) and Mary Witulski (third from met and made many new friends left) lead a procession of relics of the three Apostles of Divine Mercy – St. John Paul II, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and Blessed Father Michael Sopocko, the spiritual advisor and confessor of St. Faustina – at St. through her husband’s diaconate ministry.

Thomas Aquinas Church in 2018.

“These friendships have enriched our lives as we share a strong bond in our Catholic faith,” she says. in our youth and the future of our Church, meet with couples needing spiritual guidance and to be open to where Mary shared there are challenges in being married to a deacon, especially when a deacon still works full-time and I am being led to serve.” also tries to fulfill his many responsibilities in service to the In 2014, Deacon Witulski was assigned as Liaison for Church. Nonetheless, she strongly feels that the blessings of Catholic Jail Ministry for the Mecklenburg County, with being a deacon’s wife far outweigh the struggles. the charter to create a Catholic presence in the jails. He has been guided by the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother, “While we don’t spend every moment together, we serve the Church as a couple where we can,” Deacon Witulski he says, and greatly aided by his pastor Father Patrick says. “We do many faith-related activities together, which Winslow and the leaders of the Permanent Diaconate in turn enhances our marriage. We also participate in program, first the late Deacon Ron Steinkamp and now many enjoyable secular activities such as dancing, but the Deacon John Martino.

“This jail ministry has brought forth much spiritual core and foundation of our marriage is our faith. My faith has deepened because of Mary’s solid Catholic faith and fruit,” he says. “Without going into much detail, I personally meet with male and female inmates of all faiths. she has shared the same about me.”

What advice do they have for couples who may be I also have formed a brotherhood of 28 solid Catholic discerning this vocation and service to the Church? volunteers I send to the jails. They are to see the face of Christ in each inmate that they meet. Their mission is to “First of all, it is important to remember that through the Holy Spirit, there are many ways to serve God and His ‘teach hope’ and to tell each inmate that no sin is greater Church. There is one Spirit and many gifts, but some men than the mercy of God if one repents.” are called to a ministry of service through being ordained “While we don’t proselytize, two inmates after our as a deacon. When a deacon is ordained, he receives an instruction and guidance have entered the Catholic faith.

This brought me great joy because I remember as a youth imprint or ‘character’ upon his soul which cannot be removed. I have experienced this personally because as I thinking, ‘If I can bring one soul to Christ and His Church, reflect upon my ordained life, the Holy Spirit has led me to my life is worthwhile.’ Their entrance into the Church has serve others in many ways I had not thought possible. This brought tears to my eyes. This is the beauty of the gift of is no accomplishment of mine because I am a sinful man, the diaconate.”

“God has plans for us that we can never imagine,” but it is the work of the Holy Spirit as He promised that day I was ordained 15 years ago.

Deacon Witulski emphasizes. “These opportunities to “Therefore, if any man is reading this article and has serve Our Master and every person whom He loves would heard the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit to consider life not be possible for me personally without being blessed as as an ordained deacon, I encourage him and his wife to an ordained deacon in His Church.”

The diaconate has strengthened the Witulskis’ marriage, prayerfully discern this gentle urging.”

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

34 permanent deacons mark their jubilee anniversaries teaching the faith and serving many hours in pastoral care. On Jan. 15, 2018, he was granted retirement while maintaining all faculties.

Currently in his 40th year of diaconal service, Deacon Sims and his wife Cheryl remain active in parish activities in many ways.

DEACON JOHN MARTINO SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

This year we celebrate the jubilee anniversaries of 34 permanent deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte. In these deacons, we see men who have come from different family, social and work backgrounds. Their individual stories are different, but their call to serve God is represented in the oneness of the diaconate.

It is in this diversity that they bring their backgrounds, and many diverse gifts and talents to the One God, the One Church, and the One Faith they love. The Holy Spirit has led these 34 deacons throughout their lives and continues to guide them today in serving God and those He calls them to serve.

In knowing these deacons, I am sure they would tell you it is the ministry of Jesus, not their ministry, that we celebrate in recognizing their jubilees. Through prayer each day, they are thankful for God’s presence in their lives, within their families, and in their call to serve the Church.

It is with that sense of humility that we thank God for these deacons, their wives and families. We thank them for the many hours of service they give to our parishes and ministries throughout the diocese and where the Holy Spirit leads them. Today, we celebrate the ministry of 34 deacons, but even more importantly, we celebrate the ministry of Jesus in these deacons who bring Jesus to those they serve in their ministry of the Word, the Altar and Charity.

DEACON JOHN MARTINO serves as director of the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program.

45 YEARS

Deacon Michael Dennis Leahy, 79, and his wife Judy live in Put In Bay, Ohio, where they both are active in parish activities. He was ordained for the Diocese of Toledo on June 1, 1974, by Bishop John A. Donovan. During his 45 years of ministry, he has served in the dioceses of Toledo, St. Augustine, Fla., and Charlotte, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

While in Florida, he was incardinated into the Diocese of St. Augustine on Oct. 4, 1994. Eleven years later, in 2005, Deacon Leahy and his wife Judy moved to North Carolina, serving at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Mars Hill along with Sacred Heart Mission in Burnsville. In 2014, he was assigned to St. Elizabeth in Boone and he retired effective July 8, 2015. Through the years he has been mainly involved in prison ministry and parish administration.

Currently he is a seasonal deacon for the diocese, remains active as a deacon and serves as a parish administrator in the Diocese of Toledo where his ministry began 45 years ago.

40 YEARS

Deacon Gordon Lawrence Forester, 96, was ordained for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., on June 9, 1979, by Bishop John R. McGann. After his ordination he was assigned to St. Brigid Parish in Westbury, N.Y., where he served for nine years. Upon his arrival in North Carolina in 1988, he was assigned to St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Greensboro and on July 27, 1990, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte. For the past 31 years, he has been a member and served as a permanent deacon at the same parish. In 2008, he retired but maintains active status and extension of all faculties. Through these 40 years he has been involved in efforts such as diocesan charismatic renewal, hospital and bereavement support group ministries. He lives in Greensboro, where many parishioners at his parish continue to benefit from his ministry.

Deacon William Stanley Shaw, 74, and his wife Ann live in Whittier. He was also ordained

30 YEARS

“Praying Hands,” circa 1600, by Peter Paul Rubens

The Deacon’s Prayer God our Father, I thank you for the love and care you show to me and my family, and for calling me to serve you as a deacon in the Church.

May your Holy Spirit guide me in my home life, in my employment, and in my ministry to your people.

I ask for understanding of others and compassion to all. Help me to know the gifts you have given me, and show me how to use them in serving others.

Bless me with the humility needed to accept rejection, the ability to discern Your will, and the peace of mind that comes with serving You as You would have me do.

I pray for my brother deacons, the men in the diaconate formation program and those being called.

I pray for their wives and families, and their special needs. I pray for our pope, our bishops, priests, religious, parish communities and all peoples. May we serve each other in love and with understanding.

Give me the courage, strength and grace to help build a world of justice and peace through Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

on June 9, 1979, for the Diocese of Rockville Centre by Bishop McGann. Deacon Shaw’s first assignment was to St. Sylvester Parish in Medford, N.Y., where he was well respected by his parish and committed to service.

After relocating to Greensboro in 1990, he was assigned to St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Greensboro and on Sept. 4, 1996, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte.

Having served St. Paul for 14 years, he was then assigned to St. Pius X Parish in 2004. Through the years his ministry has focused on adult education, as a mentor in deacon formation, and in being an advocate and assessor for the diocesan tribunal. In moving to the western part of North Carolina in 2017 with his wife Ann, Deacon Shaw was appointed to serve St. Joseph Parish in Bryson City and Our lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee. It is here that he serves alongside his son, Father Peter Shaw.

In 2018 with a foundation in his parish efforts, he has taken on a new diocesan responsibility as director of Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley. He and his wife Ann are active in parish work and in support of many diocesan ministries and events.

Deacon John Edward Sims, 76, was ordained for the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., on Sept. 28, 1979, by Bishop Frank Harrison at Our Lady of Angels in Endwell, N.Y. Upon ordination Deacon Sims was assigned to the parish of his ordination and became active in youth ministry. During his ministry at Our Lady of the Angels, he was also involved in small group ministries, baptismal and marriage preparation and spiritual renewal. Due to his employment Deacon Sims and his wife Cheryl relocated to the Charlotte area. In 1995 he and Cheryl took up residence in Mooresville, where Deacon Sims was assigned to St. Therese Parish. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte on March 19, 1999. While at St. Therese Parish, his diaconal duties have entailed leading the RCIA program, participating in liturgical functions,

Deacon Thomas Jerome Kak, 85, lives in High Point. Deacon Kak was ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte on June 11, 1989, by Bishop John F. Donoghue and assigned to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point, where he served for 19 years. He was granted retirement on June 1, 2008, and is no longer active in ministry.

Deacon Ronald Timothy Ritchey, 73, and his wife Rory Ann live in Walkertown. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Denver by then Archbishop J. Francis Stafford on June 24, 1989. Upon ordination, he was assigned to Holy Cross Parish in Thornton, Colo., where his ministry focused on a ministry of charity to the incarcerated. In addition to Holy Cross Parish, he was also assigned to St. Rose of Lima Parish in Denver. After moving to North Carolina, Deacon Ritchey was granted faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte in 2007 and was assigned to Holy Cross Parish in Kernersville, where he continues to serve the parish in the ministries of word, altar and charity. He and Rory Ann remain active in parish activities and at the diocesan level are involved in diaconate events.

Deacon Ramon Eiberto Tejada, 66, and his wife Ana live in Winston-Salem. On Jan. 21, 1989, he was ordained for the Diocese of Santiago, Dominican Republic, by Bishop Roque Antonio Adames Rodriguez. He served in the Diocese of Santiago for 11 years before moving to the United States in 2000, where he is now a permanent U.S. resident. After coming to the U.S., he first served in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish. In 2013, he was granted faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte and assigned to Our Lady of Mercy Parish, where he currently serves. His primary diaconal ministry is to the Spanish-speaking community, for whom he conducts baptismal preparation, performs baptisms, does charismatic retreats, and responds to other parish needs. Deacon Tejada participates in diaconate retreats and shows a willingness to serve where called.

25 YEARS

Deacon James Philip Cooper, 62, and his wife Katheryn live in Greensboro. Deacon Cooper was ordained for the Archdiocese of Washington on Sept. 17, 1994, by then Archbishop James A. Hickey, Archbishop of Washington. His first assignment after ordination was to Mother Seton Parish in Germantown, Md., where he served for eight years and was responsible for baptismal preparation, helped prepare couples for marriage, worked with the parish youth ministry efforts, and more. Upon their arrival in North Carolina in 2002, Deacon Cooper was assigned to St. Pius X Parish, where he continues to serve. His diaconal approach is very welcoming and because of this he works with couples preparing for marriage, adults in RCIA, and families as part of preparation for baptism. At the diocesan level he actively participates in liturgical and educational events and actively supports and is involved in the formation of deacon candidates.

Deacon Richard McCarron, 73, and his wife Susan live in Davidson. He was ordained on May 21, 1994, for the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., at St. Francis Cathedral by Bishop Edward T. Hughes. After ordination Deacon McCarron DEACONS, SEE PAGE 20B

19B

Wives of deacons: Ordinary women, extraordinary lives The unsung hero of a married man who is called to the diaconate is the wife of the permanent deacon. We sometimes lose sight of the role she plays both within the family and as part of the ministry of her deacon husband.

It is worth the time to reflect on her calling to be the wife, the mother, and the woman behind the deacon. In journeying with her husband, through formation and as an ordained deacon, she shares in the joys, sorrows, challenges and blessings of diaconate life within the vocation of married life.

As stated in “The Deacon Wife’s Prayer,” when she says “yes” to her husband being ordained a deacon, she says “yes” to supporting and sharing him with those he is called to serve. In prayer she seeks God. Through God, the wife seeks help in understanding her own gifts, and in how the Lord is calling her to use those gifts within her family and in her own calling to love and serve others as Jesus did.

As we see within our own deacon couple community, there is a realization that there is no single model or role that a wife follows. Each wife must determine through prayer and reflection what her response to her husband’s role as a deacon is going to be.

Circumstances are always different for each couple and the needs of their families. At times, a wife is already quite active in formal ministry before her husband ever becomes a deacon.

In other cases, a wife is drawn into a form of team ministry with her husband. While in still others, the wife chooses not to exercise any sort of public ministry.

In every case the deacon couple – husband and wife – find their own unique response to the diaconate in their lives. With prayer, God calls married couples to a life of diaconal service rewarding to husband, wife and family.

— Deacon John Martino. Excerpts included from USCCB Publication No. 5-617.

The Deacon Wife’s Prayer Lord, I said “yes” when my husband was ordained a deacon.

The “yes” meant my support, my love, my sharing him as he serves our brothers and sisters. Thank you for our marriage and our life together. I ask for Your help in my supporting him in his service to others as a deacon. I know You love me, Lord, as Your unique creation. You have gifted me in many ways. Help me to know my gifts and to use them wherever You desire – within my family circle, and in this world when I am called to love and serve others as Jesus did.

Amen.

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 20B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

DEACONS FROM PAGE 19B

was assigned to his home parish, St. Augustine of Canterbury in Kendall Park, N.J. He served there 19 years in various roles including chaplain to the Outreach Ministry, consultant to the Pastoral Board, and along with his wife directed the pre-Cana ministry.

Deacon McCarron also served as director of Pastoral Life and Campus Ministry and was a teacher at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen for nine years. After moving to North Carolina, he was assigned to St. Mark Parish in Huntersville in 2013. With his generous and caring spirit and with a certification in bereavement ministry, he has established and continues to maintain the bereavement program at the parish.

Over these past six years, his ministry has benefited many St. Mark parishioners. Along with his wife Susan, they are active in many parish and diocesan events.

he serves the English and Hispanic communities with his main focus being on the Hispanic community.

15 YEARS

Deacon Daniel J. Hoffert, 66, and his wife Linda live in Alexander. He was ordained for the Diocese of Raleigh on Nov. 12, 2004,

by Bishop Joseph Gossman at his home parish, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Apex. He served there for nine years and then in 2013 he was assigned to St. Matthew Parish in Durham, where he also served as director of the Avila Retreat Center. Under his leadership the retreat center showed continued growth and his dedicated service as a deacon in the Raleigh diocese was noted by Monsignor David Brockman, vicar general. Later, he and his wife

ordained for the Diocese of Bridgeport by then Bishop William E. Lori on June 12, 2004. After his ordination he was assigned to St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Ridgefield, Conn., where he served for seven years.

After moving to North Carolina, he and his wife Regina became members of St. Pius X Parish, where he was involved with the parish bereavement group and where he and his wife were teachers in parish faith formation. On Nov. 30, 2011, he was granted faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte and was assigned to St. Pius X. During his time of ministry his visits to the sick have shown his pastoral caring and compassion.

As noted by many, his ministry to the sick is a blessing to the parish where he continues to serve and remain active with his wife.

20 YEARS

Deacon William G. Griffin, 76, and his wife Lillian live in Waxhaw. He was ordained for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on May 22, 1999, by Bishop McGann and assigned after ordination to St. Kilian Parish in Farmingdale, N.Y., where his hard work was often recognized by those he served.

After moving to North Carolina, they became members of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte. In 2009 Deacon Griffin received faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte and was assigned to his home parish. For the past 10 years he has continued his hard work as a deacon in the varied ministries of the parish, in which he visits homeless shelters, hospitals, and shut-ins, conducts baptismal preparation, performs baptisms, and serves at funerals. On Jan. 16, 2018, Deacon Griffin was granted retirement while maintaining faculties and continuing to serve and participate in parish, diaconate and diocesan events, rites and activities.

Deacon Richard G. Voegele, 78, and his wife Regina live in Hendersonville. Deacon Voegele was also ordained on May 22, 1999, for the Diocese of Rockville Centre by Bishop McGann and his first assignment was at St. Rosalie Parish in Hampton Bays, N.Y., where he served for 18 years. He was also granted faculties for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., in 2004 and served as a seasonal deacon for St. Sebastian Parish.

Upon moving to Arden, he was granted faculties and assigned to St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville in 2007. He served there until he moved to Hendersonville, where he was assigned to Immaculate Conception Parish. In 2015, he was granted retirement while maintaining all faculties.

Currently in his 20th year of diaconal service, Deacon Voegele serves and participates in many parish activities.

Deacon Bernardino (Wilson) Velez, 76, and his wife Maritza live in Landis. He was ordained on Nov. 27, 1999, for the Diocese of Scranton, Pa., by Bishop James C. Timlin at St. Peter Cathedral. After ordination he was assigned to St. Gabriel Parish in Hazleton, Pa., where he served from 1999 to 2014, and then from 2014 to 2017 he served at Holy Name of Jesus Parish, also in Hazleton. In both parishes he carried out a vibrant apostolate to the Latino community. In 2017 he and his wife Maritza moved to Landis to enjoy the milder climate. He was granted faculties in the Diocese of Charlotte and assigned to St. Joseph Parish in Kannapolis. In March 2018 he retired, but he continues to participate in liturgical functions and ministerial activities. At the parish

he was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte and on March 5, 2019, Deacon Toner was granted retirement while retaining his faculties in ministry.

Deacon James H. Witulski, 67, and his wife Mary live in Monroe. Deacon Witulski was ordained for the Diocese of Rochester on May 22, 2004, by Bishop Matthew H. Clark. His first diaconal assignment was to St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Rochester, where he was pastoral minister/religious education coordinator. After serving the parish for more than six years, he and his wife Mary decided to move to Monroe to be closer to their family. On March 1, 2011, Deacon Witulski was granted faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte and assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte.

In addition to his parish responsibilities, in 2014 he was appointed the liaison for Catholic Jail Ministry for Mecklenburg County. In this role he has developed a seasoned group of volunteers and personally ministered to those in need.

Deacon Witulski was incardinated into the Diocese of Charlotte on March 10, 2015.

For over eight years now, Deacon Witulski and his wife Mary have coordinated and participated in parish activities at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, where he continues to serve as deacon.

10 YEARS

Deacon Joseph C. Denzler, 73, and his wife Erlinda live in Monroe. He was ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn on May 23, 2009, by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

After ordination, Deacon Denzler was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Queens Village, N.Y., where he was moderator of the parish lectors and participated in the parish outreach program. In late 2012 Deacon Denzler and his wife moved to North Carolina, and on May 16, 2013, he was granted faculties for the Diocese of Charlotte and assigned as deacon to St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte. Deacon Denzler and his wife Erlinda remain active in the events and activities of the parish where he serves, as well as with diocesan events and activities.

5 YEARS FILE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Sixteen men were ordained permanent deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte on May 31, 2014, during a standingroom-only Mass at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Those men are marking their fifth anniversary in ministry this year, serving at parishes throughout the Diocese of Charlotte. moved to the Diocese of Charlotte and in 2016 he was assigned to St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa. He actively serves as deacon, and with his wife Linda he participates in many parish activities, diaconate liturgies and educational events.

Deacon Webster A. James, 69, and his wife Celia live in Denver. Deacon James was also ordained on Nov. 12, 2004, for the Diocese of Raleigh at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish by Bishop Gossman. After ordination Deacon James was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Goldsboro. His first assignment was as Catholic chaplain at Wayne Memorial Hospital and at a hospice center in eastern North Carolina. At St. Mary Parish he also served as director of faith formation. He served the Goldsboro parish for 12 years, and then he and his wife Celia decided to move to the Diocese of Charlotte to be closer to their family. In 2016, Deacon James was granted faculties to serve the Diocese of Charlotte and was assigned to Holy Spirit Parish in Denver. He and his wife Celia participate in the many activities of the parish and are active in deacon formation, and diocesan events and activities.

Deacon Robert E. Morris, 74, and his wife Regina live in Greensboro. He was

Deacon James H. Toner, 73, and his wife Rebecca live in Stokesdale. Deacon Toner was ordained at the U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel on May 8, 2004, by Bishop Michael J. Sheridan for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. After ordination he served for about six weeks at the chapel of his ordination, and then went on to be granted faculties for the Archdiocese of Military Services. He then served in Alabama, assigned to the Maxell Air Force Base Chapel in Montgomery. After 4 years he and his wife Rebecca returned to home in Connecticut. In 2008 Deacon Toner was granted faculties for the Archdiocese of Hartford and assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Wethersfield, Conn. In 2008 he was also granted approval to teach at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell within the Diocese of Norwich.

In 2010 to be closer to family, Deacon Toner and his wife Rebecca moved to North Carolina, where he was granted faculties and assigned to Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro. He is a noted professor, teacher and writer in the areas of ethics and Church doctrine. He has taught many future priests and deacons, and most recently for the Diocese of Charlotte has taught for the lay ministry and deacon formation programs. On May 21, 2014,

The following deacons were ordained by Bishop Peter J. Jugis on May 31, 2014, for the Diocese of Charlotte: Deacon Guillermo J. Anzola, 68. His first assignment after being ordained was to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe.

At the parish his diaconal responsibilities focus on both liturgy and charity. He prepares couples for marriage, witnesses weddings and performs baptisms. He leads the RCIA efforts for the Spanish-speaking community and is active as an advocate for the diocesan tribunal. Deacon Anzola participates in parish ministries including visiting homeless shelters, hospitals and nursing homes. His Hispanic ministry has extended into involvement into the Cursillo movement. Deacon Anzola currently serves as spiritual advisor of the Spanish Cursillo for the Diocese of Charlotte. He and his wife Nora live in Charlotte, are active in their parish, and participate in diaconate and diocesan events.

Deacon James E. Bozik, 62. A resident of Pineville, Deacon Bozik was assigned to St. Peter Parish in downtown Charlotte after ordination. His service was a welcome addition to the parish, and he has become very active in serving the parish community in many ways. Besides serving at Mass, he is involved in airport ministry, makes hospital, nursing home and shut-in visitations, serves as a spiritual guide, is an advocate for the diocesan tribunal, serves as DEACONS, SEE PAGE 21B

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

DEACONS FROM PAGE 20B

a spiritual director at men’s retreats, leads RCIA sessions, and helps in sacramental preparation. At the diocesan level Deacon Bozik serves on the diocesan Association of Deacons board, and is active in participating in diocesan liturgies and events.

Deacon Sigfrido A. Della Valle, 56.

His first assignment was to Immaculate Conception Parish in Forest City, his home parish, where he served both the English and Spanish communities. After three years there, Deacon Della Valle was assigned to St. Joan of Arc Parish in Candler, where he remains involved in its varied ministries especially to the ever-growing Hispanic parish population.

Deacon Della Valle has also become involved in the diocesan Hispanic Emmaus Ministry, and in 2018 he was assigned to Hispanic ministry to work with Father Julio Dominguez in the western part of the diocese to serve as spiritual director for Emmaus retreats. Deacon Della Valle and his wife Sonia live in Lake Lure.

Deacon Joseph A. Diaz, 65. He and his wife Carol live in Charlotte. Upon his ordination, Deacon Diaz was assigned to his home parish, St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, where he has been involved in many aspects of homeless, homebound and nursing home ministries. His outreach ministry is extensive as he also serves as coordinator for the parish’s “Room in the Inn” ministry. Deacon Diaz is also responsible for the training and scheduling of liturgical ministers at the parish. In 2017 he was appointed regional coordinator of the permanent deacons in the Charlotte region. In this role he and Carol are active in diaconate formation initiatives and events. At the diocesan level, Deacon Diaz has also served as spiritual director for a Cursillo Weekend.

Deacon Michael F. Goad, 58. After ordination he was assigned to his home parish, St. Gabriel in Charlotte. He and his wife Lisa live in Matthews and are very active in the many activities of the parish where he seeks to be of service in any area of need. Deacon Goad has embraced his role as deacon, serving over the past five years in roles such as sacristan, altar server trainer, clerical liaison to faith formation at St. Gabriel School, and faith formation and RCIA teacher. He also conducts baptismal preparation classes and performs baptisms, and is employed by the parish. At the diocesan level, Deacon Goad has served on the diocesan Association of Deacons board.

Deacon John A. Harrison, 61. His assignment after ordination was to his home parish of Holy Family in Clemmons, where he and his wife Anne live. Deacon Harrison is involved in performing baptisms, witnessing weddings, conducting funeral services, and benediction as well as preparing people for reception of the sacraments. He currently leads the parish’s faith formation program and is confirmation team leader. In outreach ministries he participates in visitations to hospitals, nursing homes and the homebound. At the diocesan level, Deacon Harrison serves on the diocesan Association of Deacons board, and is active in participating in deacon formation and diaconal events.

Deacon Thomas E. McGahey, 65. He and his wife Nancy live in Cornelius. Upon ordination, he was assigned to St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, where he and his wife

Nancy are active parishioners. In serving at the altar, Deacon McGahey serves at Mass and for benedictions as well as performs baptisms, and leads novenas to Mary. Always willing to use his carpentry skills at the parish, he made a needed platform for the altar. In service to others, Deacon McGahey helps in RCIA ministry, in visitations to hospitals and nursing homes, and in leading the homebound Eucharistic ministry. At the diocesan level, Deacon McGahey has served on the diocesan Association of Deacons board and helped with the most recent permanent deacon ordination.

Deacon Marcos Mejias, 63. He and his wife Yvonne live in Winston-Salem. After ordination, Deacon Mejias was assigned to Holy Family Parish, his home parish. In serving the parish he was involved in the Hispanic RCIA program and served at the altar in performing baptisms, witnessing weddings, leading benedictions, and presiding at funerals. After two years, in 2016 he received a new assignment to Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro, where he now is involved in sacramental preparation and assists in the Latin Mass.

Deacon Mejias currently works for the parish school and is active as the deacon for the Diocesan Youth Conference.

In 2016 Deacon Mejias was appointed regional coordinator for the Permanent Diaconate of the Triad region. In this role, he and his wife Yvonne serve their local deacon family, are active in the diaconate formation program, and participate in many diocesan liturgies and events.

Deacon Mejias also helps in fostering involvement of the Hispanic community.

Deacon Thomas D. Sanctis, 64. After ordination, he was assigned to St. Ann Parish in Charlotte, where his service involves many aspects of the liturgy including baptisms, weddings, Communion services, benedictions, and funerals. In addition, his ministries of charity involve visits to those in need and spiritual guidance upon request. In the area of formation, he is involved in the parish’s RCIA program and in the area of family life. Deacon Sanctis has made presentations and has been a speaker on the topics of “marriage communication” and “living a life of balance.” He and his wife Teresa live in Charlotte and are active in the life of their parish, as well as the diaconate formation program.

program, is involved in deacon formation efforts and attends many deacon and diocesan-wide programs and liturgies. He and his wife Marilyn live in Matthews.

Deacon Miguel P. Sebastian, 47. He was assigned to his home parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton, after being ordained. As his pastor says, he is a valuable resource to the Spanish-speaking community and the entire parish. His willingness to serve is evident from his participation in the RCIA, soup kitchen, and hospital visit ministries. Deacon Sebastian spends much time in providing family and individual spiritual guidance to the Spanishspeaking community. He and his wife Ana live in Morganton, where both are active in parish activities as he serves the Spanishand English-speaking communities. Deacon Sebastian and his wife also encourage Hispanic permanent diaconate formation candidates and their wives.

Deacon Jack G. Staub, 62. After ordination he was assigned to his home parish, St. Matthew, where he is very active in the formation needs of its members.

Deacon Staub serves as the assistant coordinator of RCIA, and is involved in young adult ministry, Bible studies, the Divine Mercy Holy Hour devotion, Gospel reflections for the parish bulletin, and spiritual guidance to parishioners. In outreach ministry, he visits the homeless shelter and serves at the local soup kitchen.

At the diocesan level he participates in deacon functions and permanent deacon formation initiatives, and attends diocesan events and liturgies. Deacon Staub and his wife Susan live in Charlotte.

Deacon Ruben Tamayo, 64. After ordination he was assigned to his home

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parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Charlotte.

Deacon Tamayo is on the staff and serves in liturgical, formation and outreach ministries at the parish level and is always available to help the pastor and parishioners. As stated by his pastor, he has an authentic care for both the people and truths of Christ which manifest in all that he does. At the diocesan level, both he and his wife Aida have made presentations and teach deacon candidates and their wives within the deacon formation program and are always ready to help where needed. They live in Charlotte.

Deacon James P. Trombley, 67. After ordination, he was assigned to his home parish of St. Mary Help of Christians in Shelby, where he and his wife Carole are very active. He performs baptisms, serves at funerals, reaches out to parishioners through hospital, nursing home and shut-in visitations and works in the local soup kitchen. In addition he also serves in prison ministry at the Marion facility. At the diocesan level, Deacon Trombley is part of the team that serves in ministry at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport each week and is an advocate for the diocesan tribunal.

Both Carole and Deacon Trombley are active in diaconal formation efforts and other diaconal and diocesan events and liturgies.

Deacon Emmanuel O. Ukattah Sr., 68.

After ordination he was assigned to St. Mary, his home parish, in Greensboro.

There he is involved in the various needs of the multicultural parish as called upon by his pastor. He has become involved in conducting baptismal preparation and in performing baptisms, as well as performing hospital visits. Deacon Ukattah and his wife Martina live in Greensboro.

ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF YOUR ORDINATION

Deacon C. William Schreiber, 59. He and his wife Brenda live in Hickory, where after ordination, he was assigned to St. Aloysius Parish. Deacon Schreiber and his wife Brenda are active members of the parish, where he actively serves in sacramental preparation ministries, baptisms, marriages, funerals and benediction. He also serves as a local hospital chaplain, and makes hospital, nursing home and homebound visits. Deacon Schreiber is involved in youth ministry and is a member of the parish core team for Life Teen. In addition he has been an EDGE presenter and participated in the annual Diocesan Youth Conference. In this role he was presented with the 2019 St. Pope John Paul II diocesan award for his involvement with youth. In 2016 he was appointed regional coordinator for permanent deacons in the Hickory region.

Deacon Gary J. Schrieber, 57. After ordination he was assigned to his home parish of St. Matthew, where he serves as chaplain to the Boy Scouts, is involved with the altar server ministry, and serves at the Divine Mercy Holy Hour. In addition he teaches classes for RCIA ministry, and makes shut-in and hospital visits.

At the diocesan level he was involved in presenting during the deacon aspirancy

Deacon Rich McCarron — 25 years Father Noah Carter, Deacon Tom McGahey & Father Paul McNulty — 5 years

Vocaciones

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 22B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

FOTO PROPORCIONADA

Los estudiantes del Seminario Universitario San José visitaron recientemente el lugar de construcción del seminario universitario permanente en Mount Holly, cerca a Belmont Abbey College. El trabajo de construcción y los esfuerzos de recaudación de fondos en el proyecto de $ 20 millones se han acelerado desde que se colocó la primera piedra en septiembre pasado. Las inscripciones están en aumento y se espera que sean más altas que este año, aunque aún es prematuro reportar una cifra oficial para este otoño.

‘Llamado a ser audaz y decidido’ Muchos aceptan el llamado a servir al Señor con coraje

“Estamos llamados a ser audaces y decididos en la búsqueda del plan de Dios para nuestras vidas. Al observar el vasto ‘océano’ de la vocación, no podemos contentarnos con reparar nuestras redes en el bote que nos da seguridad, sino que debemos confiar en la promesa del Señor”.

Papa Francisco

Mensaje por el día mundial de oración por las vocaciones 2019

SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

L

a Diócesis de Charlotte ordenó su primer sacerdote en 1974, solo dos años después de su creación, y desde entonces el número de clérigos ha seguido creciendo en la misma medida que la diócesis. Los cuatro obispos, comenzando por el primero, el Obispo Michael Begley, terminando con el actual, Obispo Peter Jugis, han alentado a los fieles a apoyar a las personas que siguen vocaciones religiosas y a orar por un aumento en las vocaciones. Ese apoyo y oraciones, semillas plantadas en tierra fértil, han llevado la presencia de Cristo a todos los rincones del oeste de Carolina del Norte. Y la diócesis está experimentando un auge de vocaciones, con más personas discerniendo el sacerdocio, diaconado permanente y la vida religiosa, especialmente en la última década.

A medida que la población católica residente en el oeste de Carolina del Norte se ha incrementado, desde aproximadamente 35,000 cuando se estableció la diócesis en 1972, hasta llegar a los 450,000 actuales, el número de personas que sirven en la Iglesia local también ha aumentado. En las 92 parroquias y misiones de la diócesis, 81 sacerdotes diocesanos y 135 diáconos trabajan al servicio al pueblo de Dios, frente a 72 sacerdotes y 96 diáconos hace una década. Cerca de dos docenas de órdenes religiosas de hombres y mujeres, aproximadamente 36 sacerdotes religiosos, 128 hermanas y 11 hermanos religiosos también sirven en la diócesis.

FORMACIÓN SACERDOTAL

Para este otoño, se anticipa que la diócesis tendrá 39 hombres estudiando para el sacerdocio, incluidos 15 seminaristas en tres seminarios principales en Estados Unidos y Roma, y más de dos docenas de estudiantes en el Seminario Universitario San José en Charlotte.

Fundado en 2016, el seminario universitario ha sido un imán para las vocaciones, ya que los hombres jóvenes han respondido a la oportunidad de estudiar y discernir una vocación religiosa cerca de sus hogares y parroquias. Es el único seminario universitario ubicado entre el norte de Virginia y el sur de Florida.

Las inscripciones han crecido más rápido de lo que la Diócesis había anticipado, de ocho estudiantes en su primer año a 20 durante el año académico 2018-2019. El seminario universitario ha atraído hombres de toda la diócesis, representando a ocho de los diez vicariatos con los que cuenta.

El creciente interés en el seminario universitario ha impulsado a la diócesis a ampliar las viviendas para los estudiantes cerca del campus de la Iglesia Sta. Ana. Los jóvenes ya llenan tres casas adyacentes a la iglesia, y se está renovando una cuarta para acomodar a más personas este otoño.

En septiembre pasado, la diócesis comenzó la construcción de un edificio a unas dos millas de Belmont Abbey como sede permanente del seminario universitario.

AUDAZ, PASA A LA PÁGINA 27B

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Tres hombres serán ordenados sacerdotes el 22 de junio en Huntersville CHARLOTTE — La Diócesis de Charlotte dará la bienvenida a tres nuevos sacerdotes, pues el obispo Peter Jugis ordenará tres seminaristas al sacerdocio durante la Liturgia de la Ordenación al Santo Sacerdocio el sábado 22 de junio a las 10 de la mañana en la Iglesia San Marcos en Huntersville.

Los Diáconos Transicionales Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gámez y Britt Taylor recibirán el sacramento del orden sacerdotal durante la Misa de dos horas de duración.

El Diácono Michael Carlson, parroquiano de la Iglesia

Santa Ana en Charlotte, estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Norteamericano en Roma. Es hijo de Rock y Julianne Carlson.

El Diácono Alfonso Gámez, parroquiano de la Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción en Hendersonville, estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum. Es hijo de José y Ana María Gámez.

El Diácono Britt Taylor, parroquiano de la Iglesia San Mateo en Charlotte, estudió en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum. Es hijo de Rick y Terri Taylor.

Una pequeña recepción después de la Misa de ordenación se llevará a cabo en el Centro de Vida Familiar Monseñor Kerin, al lado a la iglesia ubicada en 14740 Stumptown Road.

Los fieles también están invitados a asistir a la Hora Santa previa a la fecha de ordenación. La Hora Santa para los tres hombres comenzará a las 5 de la tarde del jueves 20 de junio en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East en Charlotte.

— SueAnn Howell, reportera senior

Conozca a nuestros tres nuevos sacerdotes Padre Michael Carlson

Padre Alfonso Gámez

Parroquia de origen: Iglesia Santa Ana, Charlotte Lugar de nacimiento: Merced, California Fecha de nacimiento: 21 de noviembre de 1988 Criado en: Mariposa, Ca. Familia: Padres Rock y Julianne Carlson; hermanos Melissa Lewis, Charles Carlson, Christina Broodno, Jonathan Carlson, Kaitlyn Brittain Estudios superiores: Universidad Concordia, Irvine Ca. Especialidad: Administración de Negocios y Finanzas Pre-Teología/Teología: Colegio Pontificio Norteamericano Asignaciones de verano en la diócesis: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, Monroe; Iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino, Charlotte; Iglesia Santa Teresa, Mooresville

Parroquia de origen: Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción, Hendersonville Lugar de nacimiento: Clyde, N.C. Fecha de nacimiento: 16 de septiembre de 1990 Criado en: Hendersonville Familia: Padres José Alfonso y Ana María Gámez; hermana, Diana Castillo Estudios superiores: Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte Grado académico: Bachiller en Ciencias Políticas Pre-Teología/Teología: Colegio Pontificio Josephinum, Ohio Asignaciones de verano en la diócesis: Iglesia San Francisco de Asís, Lenoir; Iglesia Vietnamita San José, Charlotte; Iglesia Santa Elizabeth, Boone

CNH: ¿Cuáles son tus intereses, hobbies?

Carlson: Disfruto tocar el violín, correr, salir de excursión, pescar, leer teología, filosofía y literatura clásica, estudiar idiomas y cocinar.

CNH: ¿Cuándo te diste cuenta que tenías interés en el sacerdocio?

Carlson: Tuve un interés inicial cuando tenía 9 anõs y servía en la Misa de la parroquia San José de mi vecindario. No consideré seriamente mi vocación al sacerdocio hasta después de terminar la universidad.

CNH: ¿Quién te ayudó (quién fue tu mentor) o te dio un buen ejemplo a seguir durante los años de discernimiento y seminario?

Carlson: El ejemplo de mi familia me ha ayudado a sostenerme a través de su incansable apoyo y entusiasmo. De una manera particular, los pastores que me han guiado durante las tareas parroquiales de verano. Sus ejemplos de santidad y servicio sacerdotal diario son verdaderamente inspiradores. Finalmente, los ejemplos de tantos religiosos y laicos con los que me he encontrado durante las tareas y eventos diocesanos. Sus oraciones, ánimo y entusiasmo por la fe me motivaron durante mis años de estudio y me ayudaron a prepararme para el ministerio sacerdotal.

CNH: ¿Tienes algún comentario que quieras compartir con nuestros lectores sobre tu servicio como sacerdote aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte?

Carlson: A través de las asignaciones parroquiales de verano como seminarista, así como a través de muchos eventos diocesanos como el Congreso Eucarístico, he tenido el privilegio de conocer a muchas de las personas que conforman nuestra comunidad católica de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Ofrecer Misa y los sacramentos es la mejor manera que se me ocurre para agradecer y servir a todas estas personas que han sido tan importantes en mi vocación al sacerdocio.

CNH: ¿Cuáles son tus intereses, hobbies?

Gamez: Disfruto viendo documentales y yendo al cine con mis hermanos seminaristas. También me gusta aprender sobre otros idiomas y culturas.

CNH: ¿Cuándo te diste cuenta que tenías interés en el sacerdocio?

Gámez: En la universidad tuve un profundo deseo de servir al Señor, la Iglesia, y aprender más sobre mi fe. Simplemente cultivé este deseo envolviéndome más en actividades y estudios teológicos que me llevaron a darme cuenta que no quería pasar mi vida de otra manera que no fuera conocer a Cristo más profundamente cada día y compartir este conocimiento y amor de Él con los demás.

CNH: ¿Quién te ayudó (quién fue tu mentor) o te dio un buen ejemplo a seguir durante los años de discernimiento y seminario?

Gámez: El padre Patrick Hoare fue el primer sacerdote que me invitó a considerar una vocación al sacerdocio y siempre estuvo disponible para responder mis preguntas. El padre Patrick Winslow también fue un instrumento fundamental en mi discernimiento, me enseñó a servir en Misa y, eventualmente, a servir como maestro de ceremonias. En mi último año de universidad, todos los días antes de ir a clase, iba a Misa, servía con él y, después de Misa, le hacía preguntas teológicas sobre el sacerdocio y la fe. Siempre estuvo muy atento a mis preguntas y esto me dejó una gran impresión.

CNH: ¿Qué te gustaría decir a los jóvenes que están considerando un llamado al sacerdocio?

Gámez: Mi consejo para cualquier hombre que esté considerando una vocación al sacerdocio es que no tenga miedo, valientemente dé un paso adelante y vea a través de la experiencia si de verdad Dios lo está llamando a vivir una vida como sacerdote.

CNH: ¿Tienes algún comentario que quieras compartir con nuestros lectores sobre tu servicio como sacerdote aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte?

Gámez: Primero, me gustaría expresar mi profundo agradecimiento a nuestro obispo, a la junta de vocaciones y a los fieles de la diócesis que siempre me han apoyado y alentado en este viaje. Estoy muy emocionado de volver a casa, después de haber estado en el seminario durante los últimos 6 años, para servir a las personas en nuestra diócesis y ayudarlas a encontrar a Cristo.

Padre Britt Taylor Parroquia de origen: Iglesia San Mateo, Charlotte Lugar de nacimiento: Atlanta, Ga. Fecha de nacimiento: Sept. 5, 1990 Criado en: Charlotte Familia: Padres Rick y Terri Taylor; hermanos Ashton y Mike Taylor Estudios superiores: Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Charlotte Grado académico: Bachiller en Antropología, Universidad del Estado de Carolina del Norte Pre-Teología/Teología: Colegio Pontificio Josephinum, Ohio Asignaciones de verano en la diócesis: Iglesia San Eugenio, Asheville; Iglesia Sagrado Corazón, Salisbury; Iglesia Santa Elizabeth, Boone; Iglesia Santa Ana, Charlotte CNH: ¿Cuáles son tus intereses, hobbies?

Taylor: Disfruto viendo y jugando varios deportes. El que más me gusta jugar es el golf y lo he practicado desde la escuela media CNH: ¿Cuándo te diste cuenta que tenías interés en el sacerdocio?

Taylor: Me di cuenta como en el segundo grado, cuando empecé a servir el altar. Esto no significa que estuviera listo para entrar en el seminario, pero la idea ya estaba en mi mente.

Encontré otras distracciones, pero al final de la universidad me encontré atraído más fuertemente que nunca al sacerdocio y entré en el seminario.

CNH: ¿Quién te ayudó (quién fue tu mentor) o te dio un buen ejemplo a seguir durante los años de discernimiento y seminario?

Taylor: El padre Pat Cahill fue el primer sacerdote con quien realmente comencé a hablar sobre el proceso de convertirme en sacerdote. Mi vocación llegó cuando estudiaba en la escuela secundaria Charlotte Catholic. Después de entrar al seminario, todos los sacerdotes en mis diferentes asignaciones de verano han sido grandes mentores y he aprendido mucho de cada uno de ellos. Dentro del seminario, el padre Brian Becker fue un gran mentor. Siempre estuvo dispuesto a ayudar, no solo a mí, sino a todos los jóvenes seminaristas. Todo, por supuesto, comenzó con mis padres. Observar su búsqueda de santidad encendió dentro de mí el deseo de profundizar mi relación con el Señor.

CNH: ¿Qué te gustaría decir a los jóvenes que están considerando un llamado al sacerdocio?

Taylor: No tengan miedo. Recuerdo que durante mis primeros años de discernimiento, la perspectiva de convertirme en sacerdote era muy desalentadora. La única manera de superar este miedo es permanecer cerca de nuestro Señor en oración.

Para mí, la forma más fácil de hacerlo es rezar el rosario todos los días. Reza el rosario tantas veces como puedas y confía tu vocación a nuestra Santísima Madre. Nuestra Señora no te guiará en la dirección equivocada.

CNH: ¿Tienes algún comentario que quieras compartir con nuestros lectores sobre tu servicio como sacerdote aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte?

Taylor: Espero con ansias comenzar oficialmente mi ministerio aquí en la diócesis. A lo largo de mis seis años en el seminario tuve que enfocarme en la gente de Charlotte, a la que algún día serviría, para ayudarme durante los exámenes y papeleos.

Enfocándome en ellos, en lugar del estrés del trabajo escolar, me ayudó a recordar que, en última instancia, no hago esto por mí mismo. Estoy haciendo esto para servir a la Iglesia de Dios y en particular a la gente aquí en la diócesis. Después de haber tenido a la gente como mi factor motivador durante tanto tiempo, me emociona poder trabajar con y al servicio de la gente de la diócesis.

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 24B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Conoce al Diácono Jonathan Torres El Diácono Jonathan Torres es hijo de John y Lucy Torres de Huntersville. Es el mayor de ocho hermanos. Recibió el título de bachiller en Literatura Inglesa en Belmont Abbey College y estudió Teología en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum en Columbus, Ohio.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Jonathan Torres fue ordenado como Diácono transicional por el Obispo Peter Jugis en la Catedral San Patricio. Torres es seminarista en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum en Columbus, Ohio, y su ordenación al diaconado transicional marca uno de sus últimos pasos en su camino al sacerdocio.

Sé un modelo de santidad, pidieron al diácono más nuevo de la diócesis SUEANN HOWELL REPORTERA SENIOR

CHARLOTTE — Durante su Misa de ordenación del 8 de junio, el diácono más nuevo de la Diócesis de Charlotte fue alentado a perseverar en su formación para el sacerdocio y a seguir a Jesucristo como su modelo de santidad.

Jonathan Torres fue ordenado como Diácono transicional por el Obispo Peter Jugis en la Catedral San Patricio, durante una Misa que reunió más de 19 sacerdotes, 14 diáconos, seminaristas y cientos de fieles.

Torres es seminarista en el Colegio Pontificio Josephinum en Columbus, Ohio, y su ordenación al diaconado transicional marca uno de sus últimos pasos en su camino al sacerdocio.

Al inicio del rito de ordenación, el director de vocaciones de la diócesis, Padre Christopher Gober, atestiguó la preparación de Torres para su ordenación. Torres entonces fue llamado del lado de sus padres a presentarse frente al obispo en los escalones del altar.

El Obispo Jugis luego anunció a viva voz, “Confiando en la ayuda del Señor Dios y nuestro salvador Jesucristo, elegimos a este hombre para la orden del diaconado” Todos juntos respondieron: “Alabado sea Dios”, y aplaudieron.

Durante su homilía, el obispo Jugis le pidió a Torres que fuera un modelo de santidad para los demás.

“Hoy el sacramento del orden sagrado te marca con un carácter espiritual indeleble que te configura a Cristo, el siervo, que no vino para ser servido sino para servir y dar su vida como

redención por muchos”, dijo el obispo.

“Estás consagrado por la imposición de manos y confirmado en el estado de santidad por la gracia del Espíritu Santo”.

Se espera la santidad del clero, continuó. El pueblo de Dios quiere que los ministros sagrados de la Iglesia sean modelos de santidad para ellos, que los sirvan en santidad, que los inspiren y ayuden a alcanzar una santidad mayor.

“Tienen derecho de esperar esta santidad debido a la gracia del Espíritu Santo que se comunica en el sacramento del orden sagrado”, dijo el obispo Jugis.

“En estos tiempos tan difíciles para la Iglesia, todos deben comprometerse de manera renovada con la santidad, especialmente el clero. La santidad restaura la belleza de la novia de Cristo, la Iglesia, que ha sido manchada por abusos y escándalos. La santidad viene a través de la unión con Dios. ¡Él es el Santo!”.

El obispo Jugis luego le habló a Torres sobre las responsabilidades que asumirá en su rol de diácono: cumplir sus deberes con caridad y humildad; aferrarse al misterio de la fe con la conciencia tranquila; mantener y profundizar su vida de oración a través de la Liturgia de las Horas; y ajustar su modo de vida para servir al pueblo de Cristo.

“Que el Señor te ayude a perseverar fielmente en tu promesa. Jesús es tu modelo de santidad”, dijo el obispo.

El obispo Jugis también le explicó a Torres que “el Señor le ha dado el don del celibato para que pueda ofrecer toda su vida, su amor al Señor, su servicio.

El celibato es un signo de caridad pastoral, ofreciéndose a sí mismo pastoralmente en caridad para servir a

los demás. El celibato es una fuente de gran fecundidad espiritual en la Iglesia y en el mundo”.

Después de la homilía, Torres se presentó ante el obispo y afirmó públicamente su intención de servirle a él y a la Iglesia. Luego se postró ante el altar mientras el obispo Jugis se hincó en oración y los fieles cantaron la Letanía de la Súplica (también conocida como la Letanía de los Santos).

Luego, Torres se levantó y se acercó al obispo, quien puso las manos sobre su cabeza y rezó la oración de ordenación sobre él, consagrándolo como diácono.

El diácono Torres fue investido por el padre Patrick Winslow, su pastor en la iglesia Santo Tomás de Aquino en Charlotte. Recibió una estola, signo de servicio del diácono y la dalmática, prenda exterior que se utiliza en la liturgia.

El diácono, con su nueva vestimenta, se acercó nuevamente al santuario, recibiendo el Libro de los Evangelios de manos del Obispo Jugis y un beso fraternal de paz para darle la bienvenida a su nuevo rol en la Iglesia.

En sus comentarios finales a Torres, el Obispo Jugis dijo: “Jonathan, ahora se abre ante ti una vida completamente nueva: la vida de ser diácono de la Iglesia. Ahora cambiarás por la acción del Espíritu Santo”.

El Diácono Torres servirá en la iglesia Santa Teresa en Mooresville este verano, hasta que retorne al Colegio Ponticio Josephinum en otoño para completar su último año de formación.

Más online En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea más fotos y videos sobre la Misa de ordenación

CNH: ¿Cuándo se dio cuenta por primera vez que tenía vocación para el sacerdocio?

DIÁCONO TORRES: Al crecer, siempre quise casarme y tener una familia al igual que mis padres. Era mi hermano Matthew quien siempre quiso ser sacerdote (ironías del destino, Matthew ahora está casado y tiene tres hijos, mientras que yo estoy a un año de ser sacerdote).

Durante mi estadía en Belmont Abbey comencé a estudiar literatura, lo que hizo maravillas en mi fe. Crecí en una buena familia católica, pero mi experiencia como católico se había vuelto bastante aburrida. Durante años, sentí la práctica de mi fe demasiado rutinaria. Estudiar literatura en Belmont Abbey me ayudó a ver cuán bella era mi fe católica. En particular, leer la ‘Divina Comedia’ de Dante fue un factor importante para que llegara a amar mi fe de una manera nueva. Yo había conocido las verdades de mi fe toda mi vida, pero no fue hasta que experimenté su belleza expresada en la literatura clásica que comencé a desear más a Dios. No hace falta decir que mi fe, que se había vuelto mundana, se convirtió en algo que me apasionaba. Tener un buen grupo de amigos en Belmont Abbey para discutir nuevas ideas que aprendimos en nuestras clases de literatura, filosofía y teología fue algo que consumió todo mi tiempo.

Después de graduarme quería ser novelista, desde donde podría expresar la misma belleza que me inspiraba a vivir una vida cristiana total.

Conseguí un trabajo editando en St. Benedict Press, donde trabajé con renombrados profesores de todo el país para crear Cursos Católicos, una serie de conferencias en video sobre temas como historia, literatura, filosofía, teología y las escrituras.

Encajaba bien con mi amor por la literatura y mis antecedentes católicos. Sin embargo, después de trabajar allí por un año, sentí que faltaba algo en mi vida.

En el verano de 2013 un buen amigo ingresó al seminario. Cuando regresó el verano siguiente para comenzar su primer trabajo de verano, me invitó a cenar con algunos sacerdotes de Charlotte (Padres Patrick Winslow, Matthew Kauth y Timothy Reid).

Algo sucedió durante esa cena. Era como si cayeran escamas de mis ojos, y vi ante mí a hombres que no vivían vidas seccionadas, cortadas, partidas.

Durante mi estadía en St. Benedict Press sentí que había dividido mi vida de una manera poco atractiva; tuve mi vida de fe el domingo, mi vida laboral durante la semana y mi vida social los fines de semana. Sabía que quería algo más, algo más completo y amplio. La vida sacerdotal fue la respuesta a ese deseo.

Además, los conceptos de aventuras épicas, viajes peligrosos y la búsqueda de un héroe por la bondad de la que me enamoré en tantas historias de la literatura que encendieron el fuego de mi fe, encontraron su cumplimiento en el sacerdocio. La idea de poder vivir la vida al máximo en un solo día (desde bautizar a un niño, celebrar una boda, presidir un funeral) me llenó de asombro.

CNH: ¿Tiene algún comentario que le gustaría compartir acerca de convertirse en un diácono de transición aquí en la Diócesis de Charlotte?

DIÁCONO TORRES: Mis padres han hecho mucho por mí a lo largo de los años, desde transmitirme la fe hasta apoyarme en mi vocación.

Un simple “gracias” no sería suficiente. Siento que responder al llamado al sacerdocio es una forma en la que puedo devolver a quienes me lo han dado primero. Incluso más allá de mis padres, ha habido muchas personas –amigos, sacerdotes, feligreses de numerosas parroquias de la diócesis– que me han dado más de lo que merezco. Me han abierto sus hogares, me han apoyado financieramente y me han mostrado amor de muchas maneras diferentes.

Me siento extremadamente agradecido por esta oportunidad de retribuir a una comunidad que me ha dado tanto a lo largo de mi vida.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

25B

Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe celebró ordenación de vocación local CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — El pasado sábado 1 de junio, la Congregación de la Misión Vicentina celebró la ordenación sacerdotal de dos diáconos, Luis Romero, CM, y Leo Tiburcio, CM, los primeros dos hombres ordenados como sacerdotes vicentinos en la Provincia del Este desde 2010.

El hecho tuvo lugar en el Santuario de la Medalla Milagrosa en Filadelfia, Pennsylvania.

El Reverendo Alfonso Cabezas, CM, obispo emérito de Villavicencio, Colombia, presidió la ordenación que marca la culminación de diez años de riguroso estudio teológico, instrucción en la espiritualidad vicentina y trabajo en los ministerios vicentinos en toda la Provincia Oriental.

Los dos hombres trabajaron intensamente para vivir las enseñanzas de San Vicente de Paúl en sus ministerios de ayuda a los pobres.

La primera asignación de Leo Tiburcio como sacerdote vicentino será en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte, donde descubrió su vocación de servicio sacerdotal.

Leo Tiburcio Ordaz nació en 1978 en Santa María Zacatepec, Cholula, Puebla, México.

Tercero de los nueve hijos de Felipe Tiburcio y Herlinda Ordaz, emigró en 1994 a Nueva York, donde por más de seis años trabajó en restaurantes turcos hasta que el atentado terrorista a las torres gemelas terminó con su trabajo.

En 2001, en búsqueda de nuevos horizontes, viajó a Atlanta, donde se instaló por dos años y continuó su trabajo en el área de restaurantes. A finales de 2004 pidió su traslado a Charlotte, donde buscó una iglesia local para practicar su fe. El camino marcado por Dios lo guió hasta la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Después de participar en un retiro de hombres e ingresar al grupo juvenil de la iglesia, un sábado recibió la invitación del Padre Vicente Finnerty para ingresar a una casa de discernimiento.

Su respuesta fue rotunda: “Padre, yo no quiero ser sacerdote, yo más bien quiero casarme y tener hijos”. Sin embargo, después de avances y retrocesos, ingresó en 2005 a la casa de discernimiento, sólo para dejarla al cabo de seis meses.

Enfermo de estrés decidió regresar para recibir clases de GED e inglés y vivió en la casa por 14 meses. Una nueva duda se le cruzó en la mente y volvió a dejar la casa, retornó al trabajo e inició una relación.

Cada vez más confundido decidió hablar nuevamente con el Padre Vicente. “Dios te está llamando para una vocación que no es el matrimonio, pero tu eres libre de decirle sí o no”, le dijo el pastor. A los dos meses le pidió regresar, pero esta vez sería en serio, decidió ir al Seminario Menor en Nueva York.

En 2014 se trasladó a Filadelfia donde concluyó sus estudios y pronunció sus votos temporales. En 2018 ofreció sus votos perpetuos y fue ordenado diácono. El resto es una historia breve. Tras su ordenación sacerdotal en compañía de numerosos amigos llegados desde Charlotte, su pastor guía, el Padre Vicente y hermanos vicentinos, el domingo 2 de junio celebró su primera misa en la iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, escoltado por los Padres Vicente, Hugo Medellín y Gregorio Gay. El Padre Vicente Finnerty ofreció la homilía, su última homilía frente a los feligreses que lo acompañaron por más de dos décadas. En ella dio numerosas

FOTOS POR CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

recomendaciones al flamante Padre Leo, bromeó con él y saludó la presencia de su familia.

Casi al término del servicio litúrgico, el Padre Leo dirigió unas breves palabras a los asistentes.

Después de agradecer “a todos ustedes por la jornada de fe que han puesto hacia mi”, desde que llegó a la parroquia en 2004, reconoció el apoyo de sus padres que le inculcaron la fe “desde casa” y, en especial, al Padre Vicente que “empezó la fe en mí”.

Minutos después mostró una tarjeta de saludo que le regaló la congregación en 2009, cuando lo despidieron en su partida al seminario. “Hay muchas cosas bonitas que me dicen acá, sus oraciones, su apoyo”.

Luego, sacando un paño blanco del bolsillo, dijo que se trataba del maniturgium, una toalla de lino blanca que los recién ordenados utilizan para limpiarse el óleo que el obispo pone en sus manos. “Cuando mi mamá llegue a la presencia de Dios y Dios le diga ‘te he dado vida, ¿qué me diste tu?’ Entonces, ella va a sacar este pañuelo y le dirá ‘te he dado a mi hijo’ y pues… mamá”, dijo emocionado antes de salir al encuentro de su madre que escuchaba llorando las palabras que su hijo le dirigía. Ambos se fundieron en un enternecedor abrazo.

Después de concluir la Misa, el Padre Leo recibió el saludo de los fieles y compartió un almuerzo que ofreció la parroquia.

El recién ordenado sacerdote Vicentino, Leo Tiburcio, una vocación surgida en el grupo juvenil de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, celebró su primera Misa en compañía de los Padres Vicente Finnerty, Gregorio Gay y Hugo Medellín, además de un sacerdote invitado de su congregación. El Padre Tiburcio ha sido asignado a la iglesia donde nació su deseo de servicio a Dios.

Congratulations and Blessings!

Fr. Alfonso Gamez, Jr. from

Immaculate Conception Parish Hendersonville Pax et bonum!

Fr. Alfonso Gamez

¡Felicidades y Bendiciones!

Padre Alfonso Gámez, Jr. Immaculate Conception Parish Hendersonville Pax et bonum!

“Seek the Lost and Broken and Bring Them Home” Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church 208 7th Avenue West, Hendersonville, NC 28791

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 26B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

ARCHIVO CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

El 31 de mayo, el Diácono Miguel Sebastián cumplió cinco años de ser ordenado. Nacido el 12 de septiembre de 1972 en el municipio San Rafael, La Independencia, departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, está casado con Ana Sebastián y tiene tres hijos: Elizabeth, María y Josué. Junto a Sebastián se ordenaron otros cuatro diáconos latinos: Guillermo Anzola, Marcos Mejías, Rubén Tamayo y Sigfrido Della Valle.

Diácono Miguel Sebastián cumplió cinco años de ordenación CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

MORGANTON ­— El 31 de mayo se cumplieron cinco años de la ordenación al diaconado permanente de Miguel Sebastián, diácono que sirve en la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo en Morganton, localidad ubicada a poco más de 20 millas al oeste de Hickory.

Sebastián, nacido el 12 de septiembre de 1972 en el municipio San Rafael, La Independencia, departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, confiesa ser cien por ciento guatemalteco y orgullosamente cien por ciento maya, destacada cultura milenaria que se desarrolló en Centroamérica.

Casado con Ana Sebastián, tiene tres hijos: Elizabeth, María y Josué.

En los años 80, su padre, Francisco, fallece como consecuencia de la guerra civil que causó un baño de sangre entre hermanos en Guatemala.

“Yo era muy pequeño”, cuenta, “y no pude entender la situación en ese momento. Mi madre tal vez nos descuidó un poco por ciertos momentos y yo tomé eso como algo muy negativo. Para llenar ese vacío me dediqué al alcohol”, relató.

En 1989 viajó a Florida con uno de sus familiares, donde se dedicó a labores agrícolas. Pero el vicio siguió haciendo estragos en su vida y lo llevó varias veces a ser detenido por las autoridades de policía.

“Llegó un momento en que ya no podía seguir en el vicio y comencé a buscar a Dios”, dijo. En 1991 conoció a quien luego se convertiría en su esposa y, de la mano de ella, inició su camino hacia el Señor.

El encuentro definitivo llegaría cuando, acompañado de su pareja, asistió a un retiro en Florida donde una mujer mayor le vaticinó que se convertiría en diácono.

“Fueron muchas las malas consecuencias por vivir de esa manera, en el alcohol, alejado de la Iglesia, pero el Señor tenía planes sin que yo supiera cuál era la visión de Él en mi vida”, dijo Sebastián, asegurando que desde que tomó la decisión de buscar a Dios vive, “alegre y feliz y más todavía en mi cargo como diácono”.

En 1992 se trasladó a Morganton, Carolina del Norte, donde se casó el 13 de noviembre de 1993. Desde entonces ha

caminado junto a su esposa, con quien el año pasado celebró sus bodas de plata matrimoniales. “Ella es una mujer de oración que me ha apoyado bastante”, añade el diácono.

Juntos se acercaron a la Iglesia y sirvieron en diversos ministerios, lo que generó un vínculo mucho más estrecho entre los dos.

El diácono Sebastián se encuentra muy agradecido con la comunidad y le da mucho crédito a su párroco, Padre Ken Whittington, que lo apoyó “mucho cuando era tierno espiritualmente”. “Él ayuda mucho a la comunidad hispana que tiene grandes necesidades”, agregó.

El Diácono Sebastián fue una de las personas claves para que un proyecto de instalación de una radio comunitaria por internet fuera viable y se convirtiera en realidad. Convencido de la importancia de los medios masivos en la evangelización de hoy en día, asegura que “la radio es un medio del siglo XXI para llevar el mensaje y la doctrina de nuestra iglesia católica”.

Radio ‘Alégrate María, de generación en generación’ se fundó hace 2 años y “está dando muchos frutos”, explicó el diácono.

Otro de los logros de la parroquia, del que es responsable en gran parte el Diácono Sebastián, es la integración de las diversas comunidades que se juntan para festejar su fe.

Su capacidad de comunicación en español, inglés y su lengua nativa guatemalteca hace que pueda atender a cualquier comunidad que lo necesite e invita al crecimiento de los grupos de apostolado que se multiplican en la parroquia.

El diácono afirma que desea mejorar las condiciones para las personas que trabajan en el servicio, que tienen esa pasión y están enamoradas de Jesús”, y destaca que en su comunidad todos, hispanos, anglos, afroamericanos, orientales, “entienden que tenemos que trabajar juntos porque somos de la misma Iglesia”.

Sebastián, quien encuentra especial gozo en la predicación y la Adoración Eucarística, asegura haber descubierto en el diaconado “el gran tesoro de la Iglesia que es la Eucaristía”. “Cuando sirvo lo hago con todo mi corazón. Es mi vida y mi pasión”, subrayó.

June 21, 2019 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

“Todo sobre esta vida es tan puro y tan bueno”

AUDAZ

Hermanos con vocaciones comparten su historia

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 22B

SUEANN HOWELL REPORTER SENIOR

CHARLOTTE — El seminarista de San José, José Palma, y su hermana menor, Jessica, tienen un vínculo único como hermanos. Ambos han respondido al llamado de servir al Señor en una vocación en la Iglesia. José está en su tercer año de seminario. Jessica es postulante con las Hijas de la Virgen Madre, que apoya a los seminaristas y sacerdotes de la diócesis con oraciones y obras.

Estos jóvenes adultos recientemente nos proporcionaron algunos de sus pensamientos sobre sus vocaciones y cómo un deseo compartido de servir al Señor los ha acercado.

CNH: ¿Pueden decirnos en qué consistió su vida de fe familiar y cómo pudo haber tenido un impacto en sus vocaciones?

Vivir la vocación es fantástico. Tenemos una gran fraternidad. Estos chicos son realmente impresionantes. Tenemos grandes conversaciones. Practicamos deportes juntos.

Para nosotros, chicos, es genial poder practicar deportes todos los días, simplemente pasar el rato. Por encima de todo, rezamos juntos. Nos desafiamos unos a otros.

Jessica: Solo llevo siete meses en el convento.

Ha sido realmente bueno. Hay una cierta paz que siento desde que entré. Ha sido tan bonito. Las hermanas son geniales. Son muy acogedoras.

Nos amoldamos bien en la vida comunitaria.

Todos salimos y hacemos nuestro trabajo, y luego regresamos, rezamos, cenamos y nos recreamos.

Podemos estar juntas, orar juntas, consolar a nuestro Dios y hacer amistad con Nuestra Señora. Cuando salimos de la oración, es como el aire fresco que acabas de tomar y entonces no

José: Al principio, por un tiempo, no fuimos completamente fieles católicos, fuimos tibios.

Cuando tenía unos 12 años (y Jessica 5) tuvimos una conversión familiar completa, lo que fue genial. Esto es el fruto de ello. Dios le dio a mis padres y a mi hermana mayor una conversión, una conversión a Dios para poder prestarle atención y prestar atención en la Misa.

A partir de ese momento, desde mi perspectiva, todo cambió. Íbamos a Misa más fielmente, a la iglesia con más frecuencia y Jose Palma y su hermana Jessica Palma se nos promovía la oración. Creo que eso definitivamente preparó el camino para que tienes que preocuparte por las cosas mundanas. yo pudiera discernir mi ingreso al seminario. Nos De hecho, me acabo de probar el hábito porque tomamos en serio la fe. Abrazamos la totalidad me vestiré en octubre. ¡Es emocionante! Todo de la fe católica. Eso fue crucial. Saber que sobre esta vida es tan puro y tan bueno. mis padres estaban orando por nosotros y con nosotros definitivamente me impactó más tarde CNH: ¿Qué se siente al saber que se apoyan en la vida. mutuamente (en sus vocaciones)?

Jessica: Tenía unos 16 años cuando las cosas empezaron a agitarse en mi vida espiritual. Creo José: Me da un sentido de alegría, y obviamente que le debo mucho a mis padres por sus oraciones estoy orgulloso de mi hermana. Me da mucha por nosotros, siempre orando por nosotros y por paz, mucha alegría, saber que tengo a mi nuestro futuro, dejando que suceda la voluntad propia hermana en un convento que reza por de Dios. los sacerdotes de una diócesis en la que soy seminarista. Y si Dios quiere, seré sacerdote.

CNH: ¿Cómo es vivir tu vocación ahora?

Me da mucha alegría y me llena de muchas esperanzas el saber que recibo apoyo. Hay algo muy José: Estos últimos tres años en el seminario, especial en saber que mi propia hermana, con quien puedo decirlo honestamente, han sido los años viví toda mi vida, a la que solía alimentar, ahora más felices de mi vida. Hay un cierto sentido está en un convento orando por mí, ofreciendo de realización. Vine esperando mucho; estás sacrificios por mí, por el trabajo que Dios quiere nervioso, asustado. Pero al entrar había una que haga. Sé que nos entendemos muy bien. sensación de paz. La formación es fenomenal. Te Jessica: Me ha puesto muchas cosas en desafía. perspectiva. Lo veo en su vocación al sacerdocio.

Me sentí feliz el primer día que entré. Me Es difícil de explicar. Él es mi hermano. Es un dije, ‘¡Esto es increíble!’ Hay muchos buenos vínculo especial que tenemos, nos entendemos muchachos. Pasamos mucho tiempo en oración. uno al otro sin decir palabras.

Es difícil. Te ajustas a un horario muy estricto. Te Al principio, para mí, fue un poco extraño. adaptas a una vida de oración diferente. Antes de Nuestras vocaciones chocaban. Cuando entras entrar en el seminario creía que tenía una vida en una vocación no esperas ver a la familia. A lo de oración decente. Entras y es como si realmente largo de los meses se normalizó. Se volvió tierno. tuvieras que intentarlo, profundizar en ello.

La idea que intercambiemos oraciones (él ora Hay dificultades en el seminario, pero es como por mí y yo oro por él) es simplemente porque la vida normal. Es como cualquier otra cosa, ingresé a un convento que apoya el sacerdocio. solo tienes que seguir. Tienes que recordar que Es difícil de explicar. Hay tantas gracias y cosas el Señor te trajo aquí y Él te ayudará a superar bellas sucediendo. No hay manera de explicarlo y cualquier problema. con ello hacerle justicia.

27B

La estructura de acero del sector residencial fue recientemente levantada y se vertieron las losas de concreto del primer y segundo piso. Pronto se completarán otros trabajos estructurales y luego, en julio, los trabajadores comenzarán con la fachada. Si el clima colabora, el marco y el techo deberían estar completos y las ventanas podrían estar instaladas para fines de julio. Los trabajos de plomería, mecánicos y eléctricos también estarán terminados, al menos a un 50% para ese entonces.

Se espera que el edificio de estilo gótico de dos pisos se complete sustancialmente en marzo de 2020.

Incluirá una capilla, aula, biblioteca, salas de conferencias, cocina y refectorio (cafetería), oficinas de la facultad y una habitación para oradores y sacerdotes visitantes. También incluirá 40 dormitorios o “celdas” para los seminaristas universitarios. Se planearon originalmente 20 celdas, pero la inscripción en el seminario universitario ya excedió esa proyección.

El seminario universitario sigue creciendo a medida que su ubicación permanente comienza a tomar forma, y no solo con el aumento del número de matriculados. La campaña de recaudación de fondos recientemente superó los $ 9.5 millones de su meta de $ 20 millones, incluyendo a dos donantes que se comprometieron con un total de $ 3 millones.

El creciente interés en las vocaciones sacerdotales es bienvenido por el Obispo Jugis, quien ha comentado que, “aunque el número de sacerdotes que sirven a nuestra diócesis ha aumentado en un 76 por ciento desde su fundación en 1971, el número de católicos ha incrementado en un 900 por ciento. Además, se han retirado trece sacerdotes en los últimos diez años, y aún se espera que 27 más se retiren en los próximos diez años. Pese a que hemos sido bendecidos con muchos buenos y santos sacerdotes, necesitamos más para satisfacer las necesidades de nuestro rebaño que crece rápidamente”.

El 22 de junio, tres hombres serán ordenados al sacerdocio para la diócesis por el Obispo Jugis, él mismo una vocación local.

El Padre Matthew Kauth, rector del Seminario Universitario San José, está asombrado por el número de hombres que están discerniendo un llamado al sacerdocio. “Sabíamos que las vocaciones a menudo brotan en un corazón en el momento en que un joven comienza a preguntarse: ‘¿Para qué viviré?’. Lo que no sabíamos es que 31 hombres en cuatro años académicos podrán mirar nuestro nuevo seminario en ciernes y decir: ‘Para eso viviré. Viviré para Cristo como su sacerdote’”.

“Los números simplemente han sido asombrosos y no hay un final a la vista”, añadió el Padre Kauth. “Ahora debemos construir para que podamos estar bajo un mismo techo en lugar de muchos. Ellos han respondido al llamado al sacrificio, y ahora debemos responder al llamado al apoyo”.

DIACONADO PERMANENTE

Desde 1980, cuando la Diócesis de Charlotte estableció un Ministerio de Diaconado Permanente, hasta hoy, el diaconado permanente ha florecido de manera similar a la diócesis. El Obispo Begley ordenó diecinueve hombres en la primera promoción de diáconos permanentes el 29 de mayo de 1983. En las dos últimas ordenaciones, en 2014 y 2018, hubo un total de 31 diáconos ordenados para la diócesis. Hoy son 135 diáconos permanentes los que sirven en los ministerios de la Palabra, Altar y Caridad. Y el flujo constante de hombres interesados en el diaconado permanente continúa, con 18 aspirantes en el programa. De ellos se seleccionará una nueva promoción de candidatos este verano para comenzar su formación a fines de agosto.

RELIGIOSOS CONSAGRADOS

Cuando se formó la Diócesis de Charlotte, 15 comunidades religiosas de hombres y mujeres estaban activas en la diócesis. Hoy en día son 23. Actualmente hay 128 religiosas activas que ministran en el oeste de Carolina del Norte. Las parroquias alrededor de la diócesis son testigos de feligreses, hombres y mujeres jóvenes, que ingresan a las órdenes religiosas y dicen “sí” al llamado del Señor.

‘CORAJE PARA TOMAR RIESGOS’

En su mensaje en la Jornada Mundial de Oración por las Vocaciones de 2018, el Papa Francisco dijo que “toda vocación es una convocatoria no para estar en la orilla, con las redes en la mano, sino para seguir a Jesús en el camino que Él ha marcado para nosotros, para nuestra propia felicidad y por el bien de quienes nos rodean”.

Añadió que el llamado del Señor hace que aquellos que responden a su llamado a servir a la Iglesia en el sacerdocio y la vida religiosa “sean portadores de una promesa y, al mismo tiempo, nos pidan el coraje para arriesgarnos, con Él y por Él.”

El Santo Padre declaró que abrazar esta promesa naturalmente exige el coraje de arriesgarse a tomar una decisión.

“Los primeros discípulos, llamados por Jesús a ser parte de algo más grande, ‘dejaron sus redes de inmediato y lo siguieron’ (Mc 1:18).

Responder a la llamada del Señor implica ponernos en primera fila y enfrentar un gran desafío. Significa estar listo para dejar atrás cualquier cosa que nos mantenga amarrados a nuestro pequeño bote y nos impida tomar una decisión definitiva”, dijo.

“Estamos llamados a ser audaces y decididos en la búsqueda del plan de Dios para nuestras vidas. Al observar el vasto ‘océano’ de la vocación, no podemos contentarnos con reparar nuestras redes en el bote que nos da seguridad, sino que debemos confiar en la promesa del Señor”.

catholicnewsherald.com | June 21, 2019 28B CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The Parishioners of St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte Take Great Joy in Offering Our

CONGRATULATIONS to Newly Ordained

Fr. Michael Carlson We Also Appreciate and Celebrate the Vocation Anniversaries of

Deacon Tonon 1 year

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Deacon Sanctis 5 years

Father Reid 15 years

6/3/19 11:57 AM