The Catholic News & Herald 1
February 1, 2002
February 1, 2002 Volume 11 t Number 20
Inside
S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
Charlotte Diocese: March For Life
Deacon draws strength from faith, family, fellowship
...Page 16
Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 10-11
Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13
Feast of the Ascension moves to Sunday The Most Rev. William G. Curlin Bishop of Charlotte In the Province of Atlanta (which includes the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Dioceses of Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, and Savannah) the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord will be observed on the seventh Sunday of Easter, May 12, 2002 rather than on the Thursday after the sixth Sunday of Easter. For some time and in many places around the world (including Rome, Italy), bishops have been concerned that the Thursday celebration of the feast has kept many of the faithful from observance of this holy day of obligation, which involves both a mandatory attendance at Mass and the contemplative removal from the world of work and other routine obligations. The Feast of the Ascension is important to Catholics as an integral part of the redemptive work of Christ — beginning with his betrayal, suffering and death; followed by the Easter celebration of his resurrection and concluding with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In order that it may be celebrated on Sunday, “the foremost holy day of obligation in the Universal Church,” (Canon 1246), the Holy See has allowed the feast to be moved to the following Sunday. In the United States, approval to transfer the feast was obtained in 1999. By decree of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, authority to implement the change was granted to the ecclesiasti-
Photos by Chris Keane
Students from Charlotte Catholic High School make up the front line of the national March for Life Jan. 22 in Washington. The annual march solemnly marked the 29th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. During the vigil Mass on Jan. 22, Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua told an overflow congregation that “neutrality is not an option” for Christians in the life-issues debate. Cardinal Bevilacqua is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. By Mary Marshall Correspondent CHARLOTTE — For 18 days in January, Jesuit Father Thomas Sweetser, founder and director of Parish Evaluation Project (PEP), and Franciscan Sister Peg Bishop delved into every aspect of St. Gabriel’s ministries and administrative functions as the parish sought new ways to come together and reach more parishioners in a more effective manner. “Our goal is to see how the parish structures itself,” Father Sweetser said. “Does it provide a framework for all it can be and reflect its basic values and missions? Six weeks prior to visiting a parish, we gather preliminary information. A random parish survey requests parishioners’ input about the parish, its ministries, and activities. Then we spend 18 days within the parish, meeting with ministry leaders and parishioners and interviewing staff leaders.
St. Gabriel’s parish scores high on evaluation project We work within five ministry areas: worship, formation, administration, family life, and outreach, assessing the strengths and needs of the parish through direct observation, personal interviews, and analysis of parish liturgies, programs and ministries.” “St. Gabriel’s parish has many ministries,” said Father Richard Bellow, pastor. “This evaluation gives us an opportunity to look at all our ministries and see how we can function in a more collaborative way to better serve our parish community as well as the larger community. “PEP has been a great showing of
energy, ideas, and a recommitment to continue the process of truly building the parish and all its goals and objectives. All parish activities have been reviewed. Staff leaders have been interviewed. A town meeting was held with 165 parishioners coming together to voice their hopes and dreams of what the parish can be. So much good is being done here.” Father Sweetser said that PEP is conducted at five parishes per year— St. Gabriel is their 16th parish. They will evaluate parishes in Los Ange-
See St. Gabriel, page 4
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Assisi tourism, recovered from earthquake, hit by post-Sept. 11 fears ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Assisi’s tourism industry, which was back on its feet two years after a 1997 earthquake, was shaken again in September. But some Franciscans hoped the Jan. 24 interreligious gathering led by Pope John Paul II would help restore tourist confidence. Hotels and guesthouses catering to North American pilgrims were hit hardest by the tourist drought that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, who run a small guesthouse popular among English-speaking visitors, said they hoped the Assisi gathering with the pope would restore people’s sense of hope and would help them discover the “spirit of Assisi.” CD-ROMs left at tomb of St. Francis express desire for peace ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Three CD-ROMs set before the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi contain prayers, prose and drawings expressing the desires for peace of hundreds of people from around the world. The three compact discs contain the first 300 contributions sent to the Conventual Franciscans at Assisi through their new Web site, www.sanfrancesco.org, said Father Enzo Fortunato, spokesman for the Assisi Franciscan community. The Franciscans began accepting the contributions in connection with Pope John Paul II’s Jan. 24 interreli-
Assisi pilgrimage shows different religions have common gious meeting for peace in Assisi, but the priest said Jan. 23 that they would continue indefinitely. Orthodox absence at Assisi due to members’ uneasiness, says bishop ROME (CNS) — The Greek Orthodox Church’s absence at the interfaith prayer meeting in Assisi Jan. 24 did not reflect ecumenical misgivings among church leaders but uneasiness among its faithful, a Greek Orthodox bishop said. “The archbishops and metropolitans want to cooperate with the Catholic Church, but they also have a responsibility to their faithful, many of whom are not yet prepared for dialogue,” Bishop Athanasios of Achaia told the Italian newspaper Avvenire in an interview. Many Greek Orthodox believers were opposed to the Assisi encounter not only because other Christian churches were involved, but because of the presence of non-Christian religions, Bishop Athanasios said. “We need time to make our communities understand that, for example, praying with animists does not mean falling into the practice of syncretism” or the indiscriminate mixing of religious beliefs, he said. The Greek Orthodox Church was the most notable no-show at the Asisi meeting, which brought together more than 200 representatives
Episcopal February 1, 2002 Volume 11 • Number 20 Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Associate Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Alesha M. Price Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Sherill Beason 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $18 per year for all other subscribers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.
February 1, 2002
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Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: February 10 — Noon New Year’s Celebration St. Joseph Vietnamese Church, Charlotte February 11 — 2:30 p.m. Concelebrant at bishops’ ordination Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C. February 15 — 10 a.m. Finance council meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte February 17 — 2 p.m. Rite of election Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro February 19-20 Guest speaker at Newman University Wichita, Kan.
CNS photo from Vatican
Pope travels by train to Assisi Peace Meeting Well-wishers wave to Pope John Paul II as he heads to Assisi by train Jan. 24. He gathered with representatives of the world’s religions at a spiritual summit in the home of St. Francis. from 12 major religions to pray for peace in the world. Vatican seems tired of same old Russian Orthodox accusations VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A decade of difficult relations has not kept the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church from speaking to each other, but Vatican officials increasingly are showing signs that they are tired of hearing the same old accusations. The high-level participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Pope John Paul II’s Jan. 24 interreligious meeting for peace in Assisi was welcomed as a sign of hope at the Vatican. Of the more than 200 participating leaders, Metropolitan Pitirim, Russian Orthodox Patriarch
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aol.com. 11 CHARLOTTE — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1 Mecklenburg County-St. Brigid, an Irish-Catholic social and charitable inter-parish group, will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. Anyone interested in their Irish-Catholic roots, call Jeanmarie Schuler at (704) 554-0720 for further information. 12 CHARLOTTE — The St. Gabriel Church Arthritis Support and Education Group will meet this morning from 10-11 a.m. in Room D of the parish ministry center located at 3016 Providence Rd. For further details, call (704) 362-5047, Ext. 217. 12 HICKORY — Pastoral care training, a branch of diocesan volunteer ministry, is designed to train parish volunteers to provide pastoral care to the elderly in retirement facilities, as-
Alexei II’s vicar for Moscow, was the only non-patriarch to have a private meeting with Pope John Paul. In addition, Vatican sources confirmed that Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, would travel to Moscow in February for meetings with Patriarch Alexei and top officials of the Russian church.
sisted living facilities, nursing homes, memory-impaired facilities and the homebound. All training sessions will be held at St. Aloysius Church, 921 2nd St. NE, tonight and Feb. 19 from 7-9 p.m. For registration and information, call Jenny Robinson at (828) 438-0774 or Sandra Breakfield at (704) 370-3220. Upcoming CHARLOTTE — All married couples are invited to participate in the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter the weekend of Mar. 1-3 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel. Marriage Encounter is a 44-hour period when couples can take time off from families, work and other responsibilities to focus on each other to grow spiritually and emotionally as one. For more information or reservations, call Tom and Emilie Sandin at (704) 274-4424. Please submit notices of events for the Diocesan Planner at least 10 days prior to the publication date.
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The World in non-Christians. But Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said before the January event that even praying in different rooms at the same time witnessed what the religions shared in common. The cardinal said those values were “respect for God and the divine and the desire for God or the divine; respect for life; and the desire for peace with God or the divine, for peace among peoples and peace in the cosmos.”
CNS photo by Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo
Assisi Peace Summit members place lighted lamps Members of the Assisi peace meeting called by Pope John Paul II leave lighted oil lamps as a sign of solidarity and hope for peace Jan. 24. Fifteen Christian denominations and 11 other religions were represented at the spiritual summit in Italy. ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — The main emphasis at Pope John Paul II’s Jan. 24 interreligious day of prayer for peace in Assisi was to show that followers of different religions shared a common commitment. But differences among the groups were also on display, even in something as basic to the event as what “prayer” involves. The various non-Christian groups were assigned nine separate rooms in a Franciscan convent for an hour of prayer between the event’s morning and afternoon sessions, while the Christians gathered in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis. Zoroastrians asked for a room with a window, since they start their prayers by lighting a fire, which they consider to be divine. For the sake of space, the one
Jain and one Confucian representative joined them. Black-cloaked Muslims alternated standing, kneeling and prostrating themselves on prayer rugs in the direction of Mecca, the Islamic holy city in Saudi Arabia. Saffron-robed Buddhists sunk into meditation. Followers of Tenrikyoism closed their eyes and slowly waved fans in a motion that symbolized sweeping away the “dust” of selfishness and arrogance. African animists recited chants to ward off evil spirits and invoke the protection of good spirits. Vatican interreligious officials have said the differences in prayer reflect differences in belief, explaining why Christians cannot “pray together” with
p.m. in Murray Hall at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 728 West Union St. The menu features: Cupid’s chocolate delight, snow-drenched chocolate cheesecake, brownie decadence, divine mocha mousse, chocolate-kissed strawberries, champagne, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. For questions, call Anne Bourg at (828) 437-3996. 10 CHARLOTTE — A charismatic Mass will be held at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East, this afternoon at 4 p.m. with prayer teams at 3 p.m. and a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. in the school cafeteria. For further information, contact Josie Backus at (704) 527-4676. 10 CHARLOTTE — Members of Catholic Singles of Charlotte will be having their Newcomers’ Week beginning today. Those interested will hear more about the group of singles ages 21 and up and their activities. The week will end with a Valentine’s Day party on Feb. 16. For more information, contact Frances Wiggins at (704) 367-0464 or e-mail cathsinglesclt@
February 3 BELMONT — Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St., will be having an anniversary celebration after 11 a.m. Mass in the parish hall. This is the seventh year of the gathering. All are invited to attend. For details about the celebration, call the church office at (704) 825-5277. 6 BOONE — In honor of the silver anniversary of St. Elizabeth Church, 259 Pilgrims Way, and the signing of the covenant agreement between the church and St. Luke Episcopal Church, an ecumenical celebration will take place at St. Luke, 170 Councill St., tonight at 7 p.m. Also, on Feb. 9, a musical production, “Sermon on the Plain,” will be presented at St. Elizabeth at 7:30 p.m. The play, written and directed by Rita Pisano, is based on the sixth chapter of Luke’s Gospel. For further information, call Tom Bracken at (828) 264-1445. 6 CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church, 3635 Park
Assisi train balances pilgrimagestyle travel and Italian hospitality VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope John Paul II asked Italy’s railway to transport him and other religious leaders to Assisi, Italy, he specified that the train should be simple and as “normal as possible.” Though delighted, railway officials were left facing a tricky balancing act: accommodating the pontiff’s request for a pilgrimage-style voyage while still showing their illustrious passengers maximum Italian hospitality. The end result was a mostly harmonious blend of no-frills travel with subtle touches of elegance. As the pope and more than 200 religious leaders boarded the train Jan. 24 at the Vatican’s tiny railway station, they were “issued” specially minted silver tickets, pre-punched for the round-trip journey.
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again,” he said. “In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth justice and peace, forgiveness and life, love,” the 81-year-old pope said before his guests set lighted glass and terracotta oil lamps on a large table as a sign of hope. Vatican official says Catholics can’t ignore existence of other faiths ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — The fact that the world’s people have a wide variety of religious faiths cannot be ignored, especially when one is promoting faith-based initiatives for peace, said Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Pope John Paul II, the cardinal and other Vatican leaders emphasized that Christians and non-Christians would not pray together when they gathered in Assisi, since they do not share the same faith. But the fact that they cannot pray together does not mean that they should not gather in support of peace, the cardinal said. “It is a simple fact that other religions exist, and we must take that into account,” he said. Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was a late addition to the passenger list for the Jan. 24 train that brought Pope John Paul and some 200 religious leaders to Assisi to pray separately and to witness together to the need for peace. The cardinal said the pope’s initiative was “a strong signal for peace.”
Pope, in Assisi, says religious leaders want to help end terrorism ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Saying religious leaders wanted to do their part to fend off “the dark clouds of terrorism, hatred (and) armed conflict,” Pope John Paul II led an interreligious pilgrimage to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis. The winter sky above Assisi was leaden with thick clouds Jan. 24, but the pope and more than 200 religious leaders were protected from the cold wind and the afternoon rain by a huge tarp and plastic sheeting that turned lower St. Francis Square into a tent. “Violence never again,” the pope said at the end of the afternoon meeting. “War never again. Terrorism never Rd., will be having a meeting with a luncheon and program with Linda Vaughan from Visiting Angels at 1 p.m. in the parish activity center. All adults age 55 and older are welcome. For more information about the group or the Knights of Columbus Council 770-sponsored bingo held every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. also at the church, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879. 6 CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel Church will conduct a session on grief and AIDS tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. in the ministry center. Bob Robinson, facilitator, will help people deal with the emotions and grief that AIDS patients and their families feel during their illness and after death. If interested in RAIN ministry or grief education, call the church office at (704) 362-5047. 7 GUILFORD COUNTY — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Guilford County Division 1, an IrishCatholic social and charitable interparish group, will be having a meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Ladies’ Cot-
tage at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St. in Greensboro. For further information, call Alice Schmidt at (336) 288-0983. 9 CHARLOTTE — The Vietnamese Cursillo community will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight and every second Saturday of the month for a school of leaders at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd. For further information, call Ky Do at (704) 5329094. 9 DENVER — The Knights of Columbus Council 10389 will hold its annual Italian Night Dinner at Holy Spirit Church parish hall, 537 Hwy. 16 North, tonight at 7 p.m. Chefs Pat and Marie Lisi will be cooking a feast of Italian foods including soups, pasta and dessert. The dinner is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For tickets or information, call the church office at (704) 483-6448 or Pat Lisi at (704) 896-7735. 9 MAGGIE VALLEY — Couples are invited to spend the weekend together in faith, love and marriage. The Overnight Retreat for Sweethearts is being held Feb. 9-10 begin-
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s From staff and wire reports CHARLOTTE — Around the country each year, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is honored with tributes, parades and forums honoring the life and work of slain civil rights leader. Assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tenn., at the age of 39, King preached about socioeconomics, politics and race relations surrounded by spirituality and acceptance of all people as God’s children. “The ultimate goal is to literally change the way this holiday is celebrated, for our children’s sake and for our country’s sake,” said Ron Landfair, director of Black Catholic Ministry in the Lansing Diocese, to The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. “I think the church struggles with Dr. King because he’s not Catholic,” Landfair said. “We see the luncheons and rallies that take place in his name, but how do we acknowledge his denominational relationship and still come up with a way to honor him? When you talk about martyrdom and self-sacrifice, what greater gift, beyond money, can we offer but blood, which is life for the good of the community?” While every King holiday has been a national “teach-in” of sorts on the values of nonviolence, “education without compassion is a dangerous tool,” said Stephanie Ansaldo, founder and president of the Echo Foundation in Charlotte. Ansaldo spoke Jan. 21 at the seventh annual Martin Luther King Jr.
News & Herald. Nationwide, dioceses commemorated King’s life and celebrated his work at several Catholic events held in connection with his birthday observance Jan. 15 and the Jan. 21 federal holiday. Rev. King’s life and “efforts for fairness as evidenced by the marches and protests he and others led are like a continuing symphony, a strong plea for equal rights and human dignity for all citizens of our country, and, in fact, for peoples of the entire world,” said Auxiliary Bishop Leonard J. Olivier of Washington in a homily at a Jan. 15 Mass at the headquarters building of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The King holiday “has, to a significant degree, made all peoples aware of the preeminent need for peace and justice,” Bishop Olivier added. “And we, ourselves, as disciples and ambassadors of Jesus Christ, because of that awareness, are more courageous, forward, and vocal in living the Gospel of peace and justice that Jesus preaches.” Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. Price by calling (704) 370-3354, or email amprice@charlottediocese.org. Catholic News Service contributed to this story.
breakfast, co-sponsored by Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. “The more you work for justice, the more you see the injustice,” said Ansaldo, who was raised in the pre-civil rights South. In the Charlotte diocese this year, the Annual Memorial Celebration for Martin Luther King, Jr. will take a new direction. In response to the nationwide call to all dioceses from the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC), the diocesan ministry will conduct a day of reflection combining the annual King celebration and Black History Month in February. Scheduled Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, the 2002 King Celebration will consist of presentations and discussions from AAAM board members and is a continuation of NBCC President Dr. Hilbert Stanley’s presentation at the 2001 King celebration. “The NBCC asked dioceses to schedule a diocesan-wide day of reflection to present the NBCC Declaration of Principles and Pastoral Plan of Action and the development of three action plans by attendees. The new direction of the Congress and the two documents are designed to provide guidance for black Catholics as well as people of the wider church in the United States, so as to contribute to the evangelization efforts and the leadership direction in the apostolate serving people of African descent,” said Rev. Mr. Curtiss Todd, vice chancellor and vicar for African-American Affairs in an interview with The Catholic
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St. Gabriel, from page 1 les, Boston, Milwaukee, and Houston throughout this year. “We raise the level of ownership as many people see there is a place for them in the parish,” Father Sweetser said. “We try to be completely open with the concerns of the parish, using the potential that is there. We talk to each section of the staff, uncovering what they can do. At the conclusion of the two weeks, the PEP team presents its report of observations and recommendations to the parish leadership.” “Each of the five areas evaluates and coordinates what is going on in their area. Each commission has a staff person as a resource for guidance of church doctrine and policy,” said Sister Peg. The pastoral council—the pastor and two people from the five areas—prepared a parish covenant book. This book defines structure, goals, purpose, and actions, as well as how decisions and procedures are made. For the next six months, they will begin to implement what has been discussed. At the end of this period, Father Sweetser and Sister Peg will return to facilitate these leaders in their accomplishments. They will ask what is working and what is not and make the necessary adaptations. At St. Gabriel, the five ministries chose their theme, “Welcoming celebrations that encourage active participation in such a manner as to create a hunger to return.” At the Sunday Masses Jan. 26 and 27, Father Sweetser and Sister Peg spoke to all
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By ELLEN NEERINCX SIGMON Correspondent LENOIR — Dr. Vicente DiazGonzalez, and his wife, Dr. Grissell Gonzalez, make their way downstairs with almost everyone else who has just attended the Mass in Spanish at St. Francis of Assisi Sunday morning. They are headed for the parish hall, where volunteers have prepared a midmorning meal of soft tacos for anyone who wants to stay and talk. It takes a while for them to get downstairs. They greet many people on their way and are stopped by many others who want to talk with them. When Diaz-Gonzalez emerges from the stairwell, he is holding a tiny, browneyed baby girl wearing a teal-blue dress with white lace and lots of ruffles. “This is my new goddaughter,” he says with a smile. Although the couple has only been in Lenoir for six months, they are well known in the church. “They’ve just been a real blessing to the community, not just because of their medical expertise but because they’re so bilingual,” says Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, interim diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry. Diaz-Gonzalez and his wife met while studying medicine at LaSalle University in Mexico City. “We were friends for many years, and then she decided she wanted to go out with me,” he says. They have been married for four years. Since leaving medical school, DiazGonzalez has completed a research fellow-
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Doctor duo treat medical, spiritual,
Photos by Ellen Neerincx Sigmon
Pictured left, Dr. Vincente Diaz-Gonzalez and his wife, Grissell Gonzalez, stand in front of the St. Francis of Assisi Church hall in Lenoir, where they conduct many of their services for the Hispanic community. Pictured right, seated from left to right, Esther Borja, Dr. Diaz-Gonzalez’s mother; Dr. Vincente Diaz-Gonzalez; Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott; and Grissell Gonzalez gather in the parish hall. end of the parish hall and a large group of people around several tables at the other end. “As the parish has grown, we have a lot more people to help now,” she said. “We collect money for the food and give it to the church.” The large group at the other end of the hall is learning about other ways they can volunteer at the church, she said. Diaz-Gonzalez said that the number of people who come to the parish hall after the Mass in Spanish has doubled in the last few months. Gonzalez begins talking to a woman with a baby and is giving her directions to one of the medical centers where her husband works. “They (the Hispanic immigrants) come here to find out what they can do in this country,” Diaz-Gonzalez said, “but the country is not prepared.”
The couple has been helping with the spiritual aspect as well. Gonzalez serves on the parish council and interprets for the other Hispanic members on the council. She is also helping to tutor Father Matthew Leonard, parish administrator, who is taking Spanish classes. Diaz-Gonzalez serves on the Latino Committee for Hispanic Activities at the church and interprets Father Leonard’s homilies during Spanish Masses. “He’s the fast translator,” Father Leonard joked. Gonzalez hints that her husband does not always do a direct translation. DiazGonzalez defends himself: “He gives me five sentences at a time. Sometimes I arrange things so people can make sense of him. It’s very difficult for me to translate verbatim because he puts a lot of feeling into it. He brings in a lot of people. They like him.” Looking around the room, Gonzalez points out the women serving food at one
ship in infectious diseases at the University of Texas in Houston and residencies at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., and at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, N.J. He specializes in pediatrics and internal medicine at Collettsville Medical Center and Happy Valley Medical Center and has privileges at Caldwell Memorial Hospital. Gonzalez has not done her residency yet but plans to specialize in working with developmentally challenged children or in speech therapy and audiology. Lenoir is a big change for the couple after living in New York City. “I like it, but it’s tiny,” Diaz-Gonzalez said. “The most important thing is that I’m helping a lot of people. There are a lot of medically underserved areas here in this state. They need a Hispanic medical resource that understands them.” North Carolina is very different from New York in that respect, Diaz-Gonzalez said, because New York is used to dealing with a large population of immigrants. “The state is not prepared because they don’t know the magnitude of the problem,” he said. “They have been laying off people by the hundreds here. You can’t make jobs out of nothing, but they are staying. Most of them bring their whole family. There are no monies allocated. They are not counted in the census, but they’re here. All of these people need medical assistance. All of these people need spiritual assistance.”
6 The Catholic News & Herald NRLC leaders say human cloning most immediate issue for lawmakers WASHINGTON (CNS) — The legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee said Jan. 22 that human cloning is the biggest prolife issue currently confronting federal lawmakers. “The most significant prolife issue to face Congress during the immediate future is whether human embryo farms will be permitted to start up in the United States,” Douglas Johnson said at a Washington press conference held on the 29th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision. Johnson and several other top NRLC executives gave an overview of their organization’s recent activities and its focus for the upcoming year. HUD secretary hopes for more church-federal joint projects WASHINGTON (CNS) — In an agency that has for years successfully collaborated with religious institutions, HUD Secretary Mel Martinez sees room to expand those relationships. Martinez, head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, told members of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy Jan. 23 that he would like to see further participation by church-based groups in housing programs, and at a more local level than has been common so far. For instance, Bishop Curtis
People in the J. Guillory of Beaumont, Texas, told Martinez he thinks many poor people are not aware of the types of assistance they could get to improve their housing situations. Martinez said he would like to see individual parishes providing help in such areas, by offering homeowner education classes, or assistance in applying for housing programs. The script’s the thing, says ‘Monte Cristo’ star WASHINGTON (CNS) — Script quality is what drew Catholic actor Jim Caviezel to the new film “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which opened nationwide Jan. 25. “I look for good scripts” with “some redeemable factor” in the story, Caviezel said in a telephone interview from Hollywood with Catholic News Service. “It does not mean I have to be the redeemable character.” In “The Count of Monte Cristo,” however, Caviezel’s character is the redeemable one. In post-Napoleonic France, he plays Edmond Dantes, who is unjustly sent to a prison island for treason, and, after his unlikely escape, he plots his revenge on those whom he believes betrayed him. “Edmond Dantes represents innocence. His faith is tested by injustice, and he becomes vengeful,” but after 13 years in prison he finds God again, Caviezel told CNS.
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Photo by Joann S. Keane
“We are here to tell America the truth about abortion,” said Nellie Gray, founder of the annual March for Life. Bishop William G. Curlin, pictured with Gray, has known the pro-life leader from the time he was Monsignor Curlin, serving in the Washington Archdiocese.
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Fighting the good fight By Joann S. Keane Editor CHARLOTTE—Before thousands of Carolinians answered the call to March for Life in Washington, many called on their parishes and diocesan schools as they set out to map their journeys. Chances are good these diocesan entities talked with Maggi Fitzpatrick Nadol as group plans for the annual March for Life shaped into organized pilgrimages supporting the sanctity of life. “It’s humbling to see so many dedicated people who have been involved for so long,” Nadol said, adding that it is the laity who keep the church on its pro-life track: “So many people ... who fight the good fight.” As Respect Life coordinator for the Diocese of Charlotte, Nadol is liaison and resource for pro-life activities across the 46-county diocese. Recent years has seen many parishes include pro-life coordinators, and Nadol remains an invaluable resource as she shares a wealth of information and knowledge on issues of life. Nadol has been on the front line of Respect Life efforts in the diocese for more than a decade. Her fevering voice is unwavering on issues of life. “Issues at the heart of the Respect Life appear complicated because they evoke such emotion,” Nadol said. “In reality, respect for life is so simple and should permeate and be the foundation of every ministry. If you don’t have the respect for life, it makes every ministry a moot point.” The Office of Respect Life is one of the 35 programs and ministries that receives funds from the Annual Diocesan Support Appeal.
Respect
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March rallies forces By Joann S. Keane Editor WASHINGTON — Although some of the youth from Hendersonville spoke little English, the March for Life, rally, and Masses transcended language barriers, speaking the language of life. Yazmin Zaragoca, 17, one of the teens from Immaculate Conception parish in Hendersonville called the experience beautiful. Zaragoca is part of a growing trend in those attending the annual Life rally: Young people coming in droves to stand tall in support of life. “It’s very nice, because you do not usually see people our age coming to church and coming for this purpose ... is pretty neat,” Zaragoca said. Students from Charlotte Catholic High School, Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, and Belmont Abbey College joined their peers from parishes across the 46-county Charlotte diocese for this annual pilgrimage. The teens and young adults converged upon the nation’s capital with prayers and hopes for the sanctity of life. Words of faith for the faithful Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua of Philadelphia told an overflowing crowd at the Jan. 21 vigil Mass for Life in Washington that “neutrality is not an option” and “silence is not a choice” in the ongoing “crisis in the defense of human life.” “To be Christian means that no disciple of Christ can responsibly take a ‘pro-choice’ stand when the ‘choice’ involves the taking of innocent human life,” Cardinal Bevilacqua said. Using “more direct language,” he added, “It must be said that no one can consider himself or herself a true Christian who consciously supports abortion or euthanasia.” The vigil Mass, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, is held the night before the annual March for Life, which itself marks the anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand. In his homily at a Jan. 22 Mass prior to the start of the annual March for Life, Bishop William G. Curlin, of the Diocese of Charlotte, urged the congregation to “ask our dear Lord today that, as we march for
the flag. It shows that the youth are involved too.” “It’s a big honor because we’re saying what we believe in and that is a big thing,” said Megan Wray, also in the 10th grade.” It makes you feel like you can change something.” “This is a great opportunity for the students to witness to their peers, that this is important for all of us, the young and old, to take part in this whole movement,” said Franciscan Father Stephen Hoyt, CCHS campus minister. “This is everyone’s business. It is something that we all need to be involved in. And that is the only way that we are not only going to change legislation, but actually the minds and hearts of all people: To understand, we need to respect life and see the dignity of all human life.” Joining in the 2002 March were students from Bishop McGuinness High School (BMHS) in Kernersville. The 32-student coalition faced challenges in making the trip. Final exams were scheduled the day they were to participate in their first March for Life. However, a supportive principal wanted his students to participate. A driving force for the BMHS participation came from theology instructor, Andreas Montana. This was his third March, the previous life rally experiences from his former high school. “I hope my students will feel that we are here to celebrate life, and we are here to stand up for what we think is right,” said Montana. The masses converge en mass While the pilgrimage to Washington brought the faithful together in faith, it took great acts of faith to facilitate the details. Parishes and schools leased busses and vans or carpooled. Tony Petite, Knights of Columbus state deputy, extended monetary offers to any council in the state in need of stipends to cover travel expenses for parishioners. Two busloads arrived in Washington from the Hendersonville and Asheville area thanks to the Knights’ generosity. “As long as we have the money, they are going to get it,” Petite said. “There’s not a better cause. If doing this could save only one baby, it would be all worth it.”
the defense of innocent life, that grace fall upon all those put to death in this world.” “The defense of life is not something you just say with your lips, it is something that is part of your blood, part of the breadth of your life,” the bishop said. “As Cardinal Bevilaqua said, do not be silent about it. Tell all the people about the sanctity of life, especially the unborn we celebrate today. All life is God’s sacred gift we should use it to praise him. Please take the message home with you and be apostles, be evangelists of God’s love.” A rally for the Masses In the shadow of the Washington Monument, tens of thousands of marchers gathered to hear a diverse collection of political and religious leaders focused on one goal: “We are here to tell America the truth about abortion,” said Nellie Gray, founder of the annual March for Life. At the 29th annual observance of the Supreme Court’s decision, President Bush spoke to the marchers via telephone from West Virginia, where he was visiting a manufacturing plant to talk about the economy. “This marks 30 years of marching for life,” he said, “a great example of an inspiring commitment. Everybody there believes, as I do, that every life is valuable, that our society has a responsibility to defend the vulnerable and weak, the imperfect and even unwanted; and that our nation should set a great goal—that unborn children should be welcomed in life and protected in law. Life should never be used as a tool or as a means to an end.” Carrying the banner for life A general calm seemed to follow the marchers as they made their way from the Washington Monument down Constitution Avenue toward the Supreme Court. At the beginning of the route, a heckler tried to get a reaction from the crowd, but did not get much of a response from marchers; many were praying the rosary or shouting chants of “Roe vs. Wade has got to go!” Leading the March for Life were students from Charlotte Catholic High School. “It’s a great honor, said Annie Hoffman, on the prestige of carrying the March for Life banner. The (CCHS) 10th grader saw it as a visible extension of her faith. “We can show it (our faith) off by holding
8 The Catholic News & Herald
February 1, 2002
Respect
Charlotte Diocese Marches For Life Charlotte Catholic High School students carry the March for Life banner, leading the Jan. 22 March for Life in Washington. The Diocese of Charlotte was well represented with hundreds of individuals included with an estimated 100,000 participants, who were the most visible sign of opposition to abortion on the 29th anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decisions legalizing abortion. Included on these pages are youthful participants from Charlotte Catholic High School, Bishop McGuinness High School, Belmont Abbey College, and Hispanic youth from Immaculate Conception parish in Hendersonville.
Photo by Joann S. Keane
Photo by Chris Keane
February 1, 2002
Respect
The Catholic News & Herald 9
Photo by Chris Keane
Photo by Joann S. Keane
Photo by Chris Keane
Photo by Chris Keane
Photo by Chris Keane
Photo by Chris Keane
1 0 The Catholic News & Herald Book Review
Book tackles muchdebated subjects within to authors who helped shape Vatican II. The current pope, like his church, resists the facile categories of liberal and conservative. He is best understood as an evangelizer who views dialogue with those of other beliefs as a core aspect of his ministry. This concise book leads the reader to a penetrating engagement with the core convictions of Catholicism. It is a
THE TRUTH OF CATHOLICISM: TEN CONTROVERSIES EXPLORED, by George Weigel. HarperCollins/Cliff Street (New York, 2001). 208 pp., $24. useful guide to candidates for full initiation into the Catholic Church, as well as to other adult believers who simply want a better grounding in the essentials of their faith. Younger undergraduates enrolled in introductory courses in theology can benefit from Weigel’s ability to show the practical import of church doctrine for their own lives. Far from being the “excess baggage weighing Catholics down on the journey of faith,” the author contends, doctrine is the “vehicle that enables the journey to take place.” Catholic apologetics has perennially taken its cue from the First Letter of Peter, in which the apostle exhorts his readers to be prepared always to explain the reason for the hope that is in them (3:15). Peter then insists that this be done “with gentleness and respect.” “The Truth of Catholicism” represents perhaps the best in Catholic apologetics today, not only for demonstrating so compellingly the hope that continues to inhere in the Catholic vision of life, but also for treating with particular gentleness and respect the concerns of those who do not yet embrace this vision. Father Massa is an associate professor of theology at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, N.Y.
February 1, 2002
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Reviewed By FATHER JAMES MASSA Catholic News Service The new evangelization of the new millennium, Pope John Paul II tells us, is a twofold task. Catholics must bring the Gospel to those who have not yet heard of Jesus Christ and reach out to those estranged from the church. It is for this latter group that papal biographer George Weigel has written “The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored.” As he did in “Witness to Hope,” his highly acclaimed biography of Pope John Paul II, Weigel seeks to demonstrate that the truth of Catholicism is ultimately the truth about human existence. This assertion is a tough sell. Weigel himself knows firsthand how the church today frequently evokes hatred and scorn, especially among those who think its teachings dehumanize and marginalize them. As one of the leading commentators on Catholic life and belief in the United States, he has frequently faced off with secular and more liberal Christian critics. This book originates from Weigel’s encounter with many misconceptions about Catholic teaching and practice during his 16-month book tour for the papal biography. Weigel brings considerable theological expertise to the 10 controversies — such difficult issues as the uniqueness of Christ among the religions, the all-male priesthood within the symbolic structure of worship, the invincible bond between sex and monogamous marriage, the co-existence of suffering and faith in a loving God, and the compatibility of Catholicism with American democracy. This last topic, which Weigel has written about before, has a new urgency today when anti-democratic forces threaten terror at home. Weigel draws most heavily on the theology of Pope John Paul, in addition
Word to Life
Sunday Scripture Readings: Feb. 3, 2002 Cycle A Readings: February 3, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1) Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 Psalm 146:7-10 2) 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 3) Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a
By BEVERLY CORZINE Catholic News Service While the crowd chanted during the final seconds before midnight in Times Square, I watched the glittering ball begin its traditional descent. I wondered about the people whose names had been etched in the Waterford crystal sections of the ball. Did they watch last year’s celebration? Perhaps some of them were actually among last year’s revelers on the street in Times Square. Last year they would have been strangers to us. This year their passing permeates our thoughts and prayer; moreover, it has left an indelible mark deep in our hearts. In the days since Sept. 11, we have become kin to a bright little boy and his teacher who board a plane one morning to take a trip of a lifetime. We mourn with the young man who proposes to his girlfriend and slips a sparkling ring on her finger just before he kisses her goodbye at Logan Airport. A grandmother lives today because some firefighters risk staying behind to help her when the building literally is collapsing around them. The firefighters later realize that they are alive because they stopped to help this exhausted woman. Without her they would have perished in
the rubble. In the skies over Pennsylvania, some ordinary passengers do something quite extraordinary in the face of great danger, to save lives and to preserve our Capitol. They pray together. Then united, they take action that ends in a once quiet field. The limp form of a Franciscan priest speaks to us of a life of dedication to God and humanity. When the glittering ball ends its journey at the stroke of midnight, I think of all the innocent men, women and children. In the face of great evil, they are constant reminders of what is truly good and important in our lives. Ironically, they have become a modern light to the nation. When we read Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount in this week’s Gospel, the timeless words of Jesus take on a deeper, more poignant ring. They comfort us, yet they challenge us. Terrorism has now invaded our shores, but we the living hear the call to be a light to the nations, an ever-faithful remnant, who know suffering but remain faithful to the words of Jesus. QUESTION: How has the tragedy of Sept. 11 made you more aware of the need to put love of God, family and others first in your life? SCRIPTURE TO ILLUSTRATE: “The Lord protects strangers; the fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts” (Psalm 146:9).
Weekly Scripture Scripture for the week of Feb. 3 - Feb. 9 Sunday (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Matthew 5:1-12; Monday, 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30, 16:5-13, Mark 5:120; Tuesday (St. Agatha), 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30—19:3, Mark 5:21-43; Wednesday (St. Paul Miki & Companions), 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17, Mark 6:1-6; Thursday, 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12, Mark 6:7-13; Friday (St. Jerome Emiliani), Sirach 47:2-11, Mark 6:14-29; Saturday, 1 Kings 3:4-13, Mark 6:30-34 Scripture for the week of Feb. 10 - Feb. 16 Sunday (Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Isaiah 58:7-10, 1 Corinthians 2:15, Matthew 5:13-16; Monday (Our Lady of Lourdes), 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13, Mark 6:53-56; Tuesday, 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, Mark 7:1-13; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (Lenten Weekday), Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday (Lenten Weekday), Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday (Lenten Week-
February 1, 2002
Movie Review
Entertain-
The Catholic News & Herald 11
“Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory,” By Anne Navarro Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — The story of a brave group of former slaves who used their voices to keep their financially troubled university afloat as well as battle prejudice and oppression is the subject of “The American Experience” series’ absorbing documentary, “Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory” to be rerun Sunday, Feb. 10, 10-11 p.m. EST on PBS (check local listings). Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., was opened by the American Mission Association to educate former slaves. It taught the freed slaves how to count their wages, write the new names they had chosen for themselves, and read the ballot and the Bible. The Jubilee Singers started as an inspired fund-raising experiment for the impoverished school by its treasurer, George Leonard White. Although charged with keeping the school financially sound, White’s passion was music. At the school he found that many of the students were gifted singers and formed a choir. His idea to take these singers on the road to raise money for Fisk met with resistance even before he left: Parents were afraid to let their children go; fellow school teachers opposed the tour; and the American Mission Association refused to help, fearing that the chorus’ appeal for funds would jeopardize their own fund-raising activities. “Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory” describes the rocky beginning these young people and their determined leader had as well as the success that brought funds and fame when they began singing Negro spirituals. The secret music of the slaves that had been sung behind closed doors and in the fields was now shared with people everywhere the Jubilee Singers went, and the songs’ moving simplicity brought tears to their audiences’ eyes. Eventually they would perform for presidents and queens, tour the United
States and Europe, and establish songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “This Little Light of Mine” as a cherished part of the nation’s musical heritage. But the Jubilee Singers did more than this. They challenged the prejudicial barriers that divided the nation and proved that African-Americans were educable. As their popularity grew, the hotels, railways and steamship lines they used began to integrate their facilities. Even boards of education opened schools for black children. Yet the singers’ main objective was always to raise enough funds for the nearly destitute Fisk University to remain open and active. These were strong and talented young people with great faith who made an indelible mark on history. Dion Graham’s soothing voice narrates the story, which skillfully presents the compelling story of these courageous young singers. Throughout the documentary by co-writer, producer and director Llewellyn Smith, vintage photographs of the singers and their performances are shown. The program also features today’s Fisk Jubilee Singers performing many of the spirituals the original chorus sang on their tour. One frustrating drawback of the documentary is that, while several historians and a few other individuals offer insightful comments throughout the program, they are not identified. “Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory” is a well-spent hour that is both entertaining and informative for all age groups. Navarro is on the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.
CNS photo from Touchstone
Scene from movie ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ Dagmara Dominczyk and Jim Caveziel star in a scene from the film “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
1 2 The Catholic News & Herald
February 1, 2002
Editorials & Col-
The Pope Speaks
POPE JOHN PAUL II
Pope, at audience, reflects on sun as magicians, clowns listen By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope John Paul II spoke about the splendor of the sun at his general audience, his listeners included a group of Italians who try to spread the same warmth with magic wands and red rubber noses. The 250 members of the Mago Sales Association, named after a Salesian priest who literally clowns around as Sales the Magician, gathered at the Jan. 30 audience to listen to the pope and to ask him to formally recognize Salesian founder St. John Bosco as the patron saint of magicians, jugglers and clowns. “We already consider him to be our heavenly protector, but we would like it to be official,” said Renzo Incarbone, wearing the multicolored patchwork tuxedo, curly yellow wig and big red nose he dons as Randy the Magician. Pope John Paul did not mention their request during his audience address, which focused on Psalm 19’s hymn to God the creator and, especially, on the psalm’s poetic meditation on the sun. In songs, stories and art, humanity always has shown its gratitude for the sun’s light and warmth, often developing cults to the sun god, the pope said. But for members of biblically based religions, he said, “the sun is not a god, but a creature at the service of the one God and creator.” Psalm 19, which begins by reflecting on the gift of the sun, ends by reflecting on the gift of God’s word and his law, the pope said, showing how both communicate something about God. The sun’s witness to the power of God, the pope said, “is a silent witness which nevertheless is felt with force like a voice which resounds throughout the whole cosmos.” “With the interior gaze of the soul and with a religious intuition not distracted by superficiality, men and women can discover that the world is not mute, but speaks of the Creator,” Pope John Paul said. For Christians, he said, the psalm’s personification of the sun as a bridegroom, hero and champion naturally leads to comparisons with Christ, the triumphant sun which shines from the darkness of the tomb, giving new life to all creation. “Nevertheless, the Christian interpretation of the psalm does not cancel (its) basic message, which is an invitation to discover the divine word present in creation,” he said. “Certainly, though, as the second part of the psalm says, there is another and higher word, more precious than the light, which is the biblical revelation,” he said. “For those who have attentive ears and eyes which are not veiled, creation is a first revelation, which has its own eloquent language; it is almost another sacred book whose letters are the multitude of creatures present in the universe,” the pope said.
our cities and suburbs, we would treat it like an emergency. Abortion is an emergency! It’s comparable to 10 jumbo jets crashing in the United States daily. Nellie Gray, president of the March for Life, once told me that if just the Catholics in the United States stood up and demanded an end to abortion, it would end. Opinion polls consistently reveal a small percentage of Americans strongly opposed to abortion, and an approximately equal percentage strongly in favor of it. With this kind of split in public opinion, legislators avoid this issue like the plague. It’s imperative that Catholics apply significant political pressure here. We need to regularly write our state and national legislators, urging them to support current and upcoming pro-life legislation. Your diocesan respect-life office will be pleased to assist you. Finally, we need to be peacefully present in large numbers, on a regular basis, at every abortion clinic in the nation. The Lord should find us standing in solidarity with our tiniest brothers and sisters, witnessing to their human dignity and praying for an end to abortion. Msgr. Philip J. Reilly, international director of Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, has developed a very effective strategy of prayer and counseling at abortion sites. Information on early human development, housing, education, financial aid, medical assistance, adoption and caring faith communities is offered to anyone who will listen. And listen they do. Msgr. Reilly told me that in New York City alone, more than 5,000 women seeking abortions last year chose life due to this prayer-action strategy! Besides organizing the Brooklyn diocese, Msgr. Reilly has assisted scores of dioceses worldwide and is most willing to help anyone interested (phone: 1-718-853-2789/E-mail: frhgpi@aol.com). Twenty-two years ago, in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, several thousand of us heard Pope John Paul II boldly proclaim, “We will stand up every time that human life is threatened. When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life!” Where do you stand?
Work matters By JOANITA M. NELLENBACH Correspondent
half years as an unskilled laborer in a furniture factory, at a starting rate of $6.15 an hour, with benefits that can best be described as minimal. In that time I learned a lot: to accept not being in control all the time, how to be a team member, to not be afraid of the future. Like Palmer, I was called to give up the old me to become the me I should be. He writes: “In retrospect, I can see in my own life what I could not see at the time-how the job I lost helped me find work I needed to do, how the ‘road closed’ sign turned me toward terrain I needed to travel, how losses that felt irredeemable forced me to discern meanings I needed to know. On the surface it seemed that life was lessening, but silently and lavishly the seeds of new life were always being sown.” Those lavish seeds in my own life helped me to do well in the better job I later had, as news editor for a company’s publishing division. When our office closed, because the headquarters decided to outsource our publications, I was confident that no matter what happened, I would be OK because God was with me. I know it’s easy to say trust God, and everything will turn out OK, but it can be monumentally hard to do when you’re in that rock-and-a-hard-place situation. I don’t think it’s valid to say that anyone should sit around and wait for God to step in. Obviously it’s important to look for new work, to send out résumés, to take the necessary steps to find new employment, even if that means moving to a new city. What I am
Making a Difference TONY MAGLIANO CNS Columist
Abortion: It is an emergency From Capitol Hill as far as I could see marched a sea of people for life! From all across the country they came to personally witness before the nation’s political powers that the unborn are human beings and deserve equal protection under the law. While my short trip of 40 miles — from Baltimore to Washington — was hardly an act of Hercules, many thousands traveled great distances to urge the president, Congress and the Supreme Court to do the right thing: End abortion once and for all! For me the March for Life every Jan. 22 brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s a real pro-life shot-in-the-arm. It is a day when it seems as if victory is within our grasp. Then a sobering thought strikes me: We have been doing this for 29 years with no end in sight. While it is true that abortions in the United States have dropped from an annual high of 1.6 million to 1.3 million, legal abortion still brutally dismembers and kills more than 4,000 innocent babies daily. At this rate, it will be well into the 22nd century before this holocaust ends. The unborn desperately need all of us — clergy and laity — working and praying throughout the entire year on their behalf. An annual march or respect-life Mass is simply not enough, unless of course we’re willing to wait more than 100 years to end this scourge. If children were being lined up and shot every day in They’re only the most recent stories: Ford Motor Co. is cutting 35,000 jobs worldwide. Plant closings in Haywood County in 2001 idled 335 people. VF Corp. in Andrews closed Jan. 11, putting more than 500 people out of work. And, studies show that people today will change their jobs or companies five or six times in their careers. Sudden or impending job loss is frightening. I know. It’s happened to me twice in the last five years. Some lose their jobs through downsizing or company shutdowns, or a sudden career-change opportunity may present itself. The circumstances may be different, but faith is called for in every situation. We heard about one of Scripture’s most famous career changes on Jan. 27 when we listened to Matthew 4:12-23. Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, meets Simon and Andrew and tells them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Gospel says that, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” Same for James and John. As soon as Jesus calls, they go with him. Jesus’ first disciples probably believed they would spend their lives catching fish. Yet, here was Jesus asking them to make a career change—to become, not fishermen, but fishers of men. In “Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation” [Jossey-Bass Inc., 2000], Parker J. Palmer says that in his life there have been “moments when it is clear—if I have eyes to see—that the life I am living is not the same as the life that wants to live in me.” That was true for the disciples. The lives they were living were not the lives they were really called to. They had to go deeper to fulfill what God had planned for them. That happened to me a few years ago. I was in shock, humiliated, petrified and prostrate in prayer begging God to give me back the job from which I’d just been fired. Who would ever hire me for another journalism job? I’d just bought a new pickup truck. How would I make the payments? What was going to happen to me? Of course, I wasn’t rehired. The managing editor wanted someone with better organizational skills. My master’s degree and I spent the next two-and-a-
February 1, 2002
Editorials & Col-
Light One Candle MSGR. JIM LISANTE Guest Columnist
won’t be taken as a form of rejection. What Bill did was to listen first, then qualify his answer. That is a much more respectful way to handle people of all ages. For example, if you tell me your opinion and I immediately say, “No, you’re wrong,” there’s no way you’re going to be open to my alternative point of view. But if, on the other hand, I listen to you respectfully and then respond by affirming what you said and yet expressing a different view, it will go down much better. Now my point may be diametrically opposed to yours, but I bet you’ll at least listen and consider what I’m saying. Why? Because I respected you and your thoughts well enough to affirm and consider what you said. Communication is the key to bridge-building. In a world with deep rivers of misunderstanding and mistrust, we need every bridge. And we build them by communicating our truth gently and showing real consideration for the other person and for his or her viewpoint. That’s what I think happened in the grocery store last week. Bill Gildersleeve didn’t just say no, he opened a door to possibility. His daughters knew they were heard. They nodded and helped him carry the bags of groceries to the car. I guess Bill has found success, too, in the place it matters most, in his family. Whether between family members or strangers, respect is always the best place to start. should avoid this kind of participation in Protestant worship. I have discussed the reasons for such a rule more deeply several times in this column. It is worth keeping in mind that you may not be invited to Communion anyway. This will depend on which Lutheran synod that particular congregation is part of. Certain Lutheran groups and congregations strictly prohibit people of other faiths, even other Lutherans, from sharing their eucharistic communion. We have an obligation to respect those wishes when we are their guests. Clarification on anointing of the sick Q. After the terrorists attacked New York Sept. 11, newspapers reported that priests on the scene gave the “last rites.” Is this what we used to call extreme unction? I thought that sacrament was replaced by the anointing of the sick. (Florida) A. It is not quite correct to say that one sacrament replaced another. Rather, a different name is now given to what is the same sacrament. The name extreme unction came from the Latin “extrema unctio,” the last anointing. For centuries, most people came to assume this meant the anointing should be given in the final hours of a person’s life. Some of us still remember when a dying person’s family hesitated to call a priest to minister this sacrament, fearing the sick person would panic and assume death was imminent. The actual meaning of the term was something different. It implied that this was the last of four possible sacramental anointings of the church, the other three being baptism, confirmation and holy orders. The Constitution on the Liturgy of Vatican Council II addressed this confusion. “Extreme unction,” it said, “which may also and more properly be called anointing of the sick, is not a sacrament only for those at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for that person to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived” (No. 73).
The knowing parent Bill Gildersleeve was on the line in front of me at the grocery store last week. He wasn’t alone. His two little daughters, who looked to be eight or nine years old, were helping Daddy shop. Well, adding things to his shopping cart might be more like it. Checkout lines must be designed by someone who likes to torment parents. The assorted temptations on display include tons of candy, toys and magazines. So here you have it: a parent’s just finished trekking up and down the aisles, trying to balance what’s needed and what’s affordable and then it starts. The children see something at checkout they just “have to have.” Well, not really. But they want it anyway. Say no, you’re likely to face protests and griping. Say yes, and you’ve given in to the manipulations of both children and store owners. So what are you to do? My friend on the line faced a similar dilemma. Now, before sharing Bill Gildersleeve’s response to his children, let me tell you about the man. In our town, he has always been the local star, the fellow who had it all. With looks, popularity and a lovely wife, his life looked to be a gift. He was also blessed with a natural entrepreneurial spirit. He knows business and what people want. Put simply: Bill is the image of success. But parenthood’s a different game. Success in sports, business, school is absolutely no assurance that you’ll be a great parent. That’s the job for which there is no training: you learn by doing. Frankly, most parents would admit that they make lots of mistakes along the way. So I watched Bill and his girls with no little interest. How would this guy handle the minefield of demanding youngsters? From where I stood, Bill hit a home run. He didn’t say yes and he didn’t say no. He calmly listened to their requests, and quietly said: “Not this time, perhaps next time.” And, amazingly, they nodded, they understood. He hadn’t rejected the idea out of hand. He just wasn’t acquiescing right now. No one likes being told “no.” Whether you’re eight or eighty, we like to hear the word “yes.” We want it our way. There are very few ways that “no”
Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist
Catholic participation at a Lutheran church wedding Q. I hope you can advise me on something bothering me much right now. One of my grandsons will be married this spring. He is Lutheran, and the ceremony is in a Lutheran church. What should I do during the wedding as far as kneeling, sitting, taking Communion or whatever else? Do I just sit and listen? (New York) A. Under ordinary circumstances, you are free, as a Catholic, to participate in the ceremony the same as other people attending, except that you should not receive Communion. Judging from ceremonies I’ve shared in other churches, I cannot imagine there would be anything contrary to the Catholic faith that should make you hesitate. Sit, stand, kneel (some Lutheran congregations kneel during parts of the service), respond to the prayers — in other words, follow the lead of others present. We are encouraged by the Catholic Church to share in prayer with those of other faiths, particularly at special occasions like weddings, funerals and ecumenical services. As I said, you should not receive Communion during the Lutheran service, if Communion is offered. For us, reception of Communion is a significant sacramental statement of common belief and religious commitment, and faith community with those with whom we receive this sacrament. For this reason, Catholic regulations indicate that we
The Catholic News & Herald 13
Family Reflections ANDREW & TERRI LYKE Guest Columnists
Addressing religion rejection from children Religion is a prism through which we see, experience and understand the world around us. We raise our children in “the faith” so that they may share with us a common experience and understanding of God and God’s action in our life together. It can be very painful when our adult children stray from their religious tradition. Parents may feel it as not just a rejection of doctrine or theology but also them or perhaps even God. A mistake for parents in such situations is to make religion the wedge between them and their offspring. Though the pain of rejection is real, they should let go and let God. If God’s will is to be done, we must get our will out of the way. The best we can do is to pray that the Holy Spirit will touch them and guide them to God. Then do all we can to sustain the relationship. A reader from Charlotte writes: My son and his wife got married 26 years ago. They went to a minister and got married in a chapel. He was in the Navy and didn’t have much time to go through the Catholic way. I started to pray for my son hoping he would come back to the Church. After losing my parents and two brothers I was alone in Toledo. Jerry and Karen asked me to come and live with them in Asheville. Karen and I were sitting in the living room just talking. Then she said, “I would like to become a Catholic.” I didn’t think I heard her correctly. I said, “What did you say?” So, she repeated, “I want to be a Catholic.” I’ve prayed for so long for my son to return to the Church. Karen’s words were heavenly music to my ears. I was her sponsor at the Easter Vigil when Karen came into full communion with the Catholic Church. That same evening she and Jerry were married in the Church. The three of us go to church every week and on holy days. God answered my prayers. When I get upset about something, I always talk to God. Our faith is a gift that we want to give our children. However, our faith is insufficient to sustain their relationship with God as responsible adults. At some point in their lives they must discover for themselves an adult faith that calls them into a life with God. This may happen in the religious tradition in which they were raised. Sometimes it may be another path. Through prayer and a willingness to continue loving parents become God’s invitation to their adult children and instruments of the Holy Spirit. To keep the faith keep praying. Questions for Reflection: • Where is there alienation between you and a family member? Have you prayed about it? • How do you experience religion as a bonder in family life? • When were the times you let go and let God?
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Justice and hope in times of uncertainity: Themes from the Old Testament for
By Dianne Riggs Sister Joan explored the themes of Correspondent advocating justice and integrity as a people HICKORY — Did you know that of the covenant, (especially in Amos, Hosea a prophet is one called by God to be a and First Isaiah) and bringing a word of bridge between God and the people? hope in times of uncertainty, not only to Or that the Old Testament prophets Israel but to all peoples (especially in Second pointed to Israel’s belief in its chosen Isaiah). status as a covenant At first, she said, people? Or that false there were no really prophets speak in “poor,” as “everyone had their own names or nothing” in the nomadic the name of another Hebrew tribes. When god? they acquired land, some These are some of became wealthy, and the thought-provoking when surpluses develideas that Sister Joan oped, economic classes Cook, Sisters of Charity emerged. At the same of Cincinnati, brought to time, widows, orphans the 80 participants in and strangers, who had the Parish Catechetical previously been taken Leadership In-service, care of and given hosJan. 18 at the Catholic pitality as a matter of Conference Center. Inicourse, began to be netiation ministers, lectors, glected. As the rift beeucharistic ministers, tween rich and poor deparish catechetical coorveloped, the poor were Sister Joan Cook dinators and Catholictaken advantage of and school representatives abused. The prophets attended her presentasaw this as sin and as tion, “Prophesy in the a turning away from Judeo-Christian Tradition.” the covenant relationship with God. They Sister Joan, who holds a doctorate in urged repentance and just treatment of philosophy in Hebrew Scriptures from Vaneveryone or punishment would befall Isreal. derbilt University and a master’s degree in And it eventually did. The northern theology from Xavier University in Cincinnakingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. ti, Ohio, teaches at Washington Theological Jerusalem and the southern kingdom fell to Union, Washington, D.C., and teaches those the Babylonians in 587 B.C. The Hebrews preparing for pastoral ministry. were carried off to Babylonian exile. After At the heart of Sister Joan’s lectures nearly 50 years, (Second) Isaiah received was her modeling of a fruitful way to apthe vision that Israel had paid more than proach, study and find contemporary meanenough for its sin. Everything is turned ing and application in the Old Testament upside down, said Sister Joan, and God is prophetic books. She highlighted Amos, realized as a God of everyone. The prophet Hosea, First and Second Isaiah, giving relates God’s message that he has been with historical, geographical, socioeconomic, and them all along, even in their exile. The task other settings; then showing significant now is to “let go of discouragement” and genres, literary patterns and devices and “let’s move forward.” the important themes the prophets wanted Of course these themes have great to convey. Sister Joan showed how these relevance today, to the individual Christian, applied to people today. to the parish church and to the worldwide So successful was her method that church. Everywhere there are the vulnerin-service participants left with an eagerable: children, elderly, homeless, refugees, ness to open their Bibles and begin study. “(It was) enjoyable, lots of new insights,” said Richard Bennett of Sacred Heart in Brevard. “Gives me courage to read some of these parts of the Bible that I stayed away from before.” EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Bennett said he liked knowing that a man would hand over his outer garment as Bilingual (Spanish/English) Counselor: Full a guarantee for a debt in those days (about or part-time. Counseling Hispanic children and 900 to 500 B.C.). However, the person readults at Centro para Familias Hispanas in Raceiving the garment was bound to give it leigh, NC. Master’s required in counseling/mental health field. Send resume to CSM, 226 Hillsborback before nightfall, so the debtor would ough St., Raleigh, NC 27603. EOE. not be cold. “(It) makes reading this part of the Old Testament so much more alive and Principal: Experienced principal for St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Southern Pines, NC, to open real,” he said. Fall 2002. K-3. Minimum MA/MS. Expected This kind of response was exactly what to build curriculum faithful to the magisterium those helping set up the in-service were of Catholic Church. Salary based on experience. Please send resume to: St. Anthony Catholic hoping for. “Vatican II says we must honor School Principal Search, P.O. Box 602, Carthage, Christ in the Scriptures as well as in the NC 28327. Eucharist,” said Dr. Cris Villapando, direcSales Position: Church Goods and Religious tor of faith formation programs. “We need Supply Company looking for representative to to internalize the word of God. St. Jerome establish contacts with Parishes in the N.C area. Fax Resume: 212-813-2160 said, ‘If ignorant of Scripture, ignorant of Christ.’ “
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mentally ill - even people in RCIA classes, who may be uncertain in their spiritual direction, Sister Joan said. People can take the Old Testament prophets’ model to speak and act prophetically for justice in these times. An important aspect of the prophet’s message was his call from God. It was usually dramatic and unmistakable with a definite assurance that God’s word would be with him as he acted as a bridge between God and the people. Sister Joan said it was useful to look at the call narratives of Isaiah (First and Second), Jeremiah and Moses in working with young people trying to make decisions about direction in their lives. Sister Joan said God called prophets - they did not call themselves. They were countercultural figures, going against the commonly expected grain of society in the interests of God. They were insightful and often “spoke in a voice an ‘octave too high,’ “saying what the people did not want to
February 1, 2002
hear. They spoke to their own time, but used words for all time. Thus, they were “particular and universal.” Participants found the lectures important for their work. Yvonne Montgomery, a faith-formation coordinator at Holy Trinity in Taylorsville, said she will use the information from the in-service in her work with youth. “(I want) ... to make them think about what they do or did in their lives that was (action) like a prophet.” “She (Sister Joan) said we are all prophets, building bridges between God and ourselves and God and whom we serve,” said Ernest Mazzatenta, a eucharistic minister at Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville. “As prophets, (it) means more than taking Communion to them (homebound). It means taking the Gospels, reading and paraphrasing to them.” She added that it means looking beyond the homebound’s pains, to “what they might derive from special situations that might be positive.”
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February 1, 2002
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Re-established women’s group promotes church development and fellowship By DENISE KASPER Correspondent CLEMMONS — The women’s group that was the driving force behind Holy Family Catholic Church has been resurrected. The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild is back in business. “The guild was the backbone of the church until we got going and got parish commissions,” said Sandy Arend, founding member and the group’s present treasurer. “Anytime the priest said, ‘I need,’ we did.” Church services were still being held in Clemmons Moravian Church and the Clemmons Vogler Funeral Home chapel when the guild formed in 1978 with 39 members. The bylaws stated that the guild was to offer spiritual and social opportunities to the women of the Holy Family congregation. The Holy Family handbook notes that the guild was the main force in the faith community becoming an independent parish. Over the years, the guild sponsored dances, suppers, parties, trips, bazaars, open houses and fund-raising events. In 1986, the club became inactive, but last year Jean Borden thought it was time to reactivate it. Borden, guild president, explained that while the group is in this formative period, the first item on the agenda is for the women of the community to become aquainted, then plot their path. “We’re still trying to figure out what we’d like to do,” Borden said. “It’s in the beginning stages. The focus right now is to come together and get to know each other. We’ll build from there. (The guild) should be fun. We’re just having fun, and I’ve made a lot of new friends.” The guild is named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first Americanborn saint. Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City in 1774; her father was a physician and an anatomy professor at King’s College, which later became Columbia University. Her mother’s father was an Anglican minister. In 1794 she married a merchant, William Seton; they had five children. Seton’s business went bankrupt and his health failed. The Setons and their oldest daughter traveled to Italy in hopes of finding a cure. He died in 1803 in Leghorn, Italy. The pious woman was attracted to Catholicism because of the kindness of Catholic friends she met in Italy. She was received into the Catholic Church in New York in 1805, thus ostracizing her from her family. A “Catholic Encyclopedia” online article states that, “little of her husband’s fortune was left, but numerous relatives would have provided amply for her and her children had not this barrier (Catholicism) been raised.” She later moved to Baltimore and, along with two other women, started America’s first Catholic school. On March 25, 1809, she professed her vows. The community that formed around her became the Daughters of Charity of St. Joseph. She became Mother Seton, the head of the community.
A passage from “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” from 1991, states that “the sisters established orphanages and hospitals, but they gained most renown for their commitment to the then burgeoning parochial school system, which became one of the glories of the Catholic Church in the United
States. In moments caught from running her congregation, Mother Seton not only worked with the poor and the sick, but found time to compose music, write hymns and prepare spiritual discourses, many of which have since been published.” Mother Seton died in 1821 and was canonized in 1975.
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The group, which has 38 members, meets on the third Thursday of each month and often invites guest speakers. The next meeting is slated for Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. and will include a program featuring a massage therapist and a beauty consultant. Dues are $10 a year, and membership is open to any woman 21 years and older, whether or not she is a member of Holy Family. For more information about the group, or to become a member, contact President Jean Borden at (336) 766-7411
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Living the
Deacon draws strength from faith, family,
However, despite his feelings of loneliBy ALESHA M. PRICE ness and hurt, he entered Clemson UniverStaff Writer sity with zeal and fervor. The cultivation NEWTON — Woodwind instruof his interest in industrial engineering ments provided a sense of stability in Scott through summer construction jobs and Gilfillan’s young life. The bass clarinet and his mother’s earlier encouragement of his saxophone were the glue that held his social mathematical and design abilities led to his life together. His ability to play the instruengineering degree in 1979. ments in school bands helped the teen make While in college, his spiritual life, which friends wherever his family settled. With a had never developed in any concrete way, father in the Air Force, the family called 10 began to grow. He lived next door to a states and two countries their temporary woman who invited him to Mass almost homes at various times. every Sunday. “I got plugged back into the The constant moving was rough for church,” he said. “No matter how hard I Gilfillan, who had trouble adjusting to the tried not to care about uprooting. “It was pretchurch, something alty lousy,” he said. “We ways pulled me back. moved about every two I started going fairly years, and I went to four regularly then.” different high schools. A move to LaurinPlaying in the marchburg, N.C., proved bening band was helpful eficial in a couple of ways. because it provided a He began his career at social group for me and Butler Manufacturing provided sense of contias a steel-manufacturing nuity with people with supervisor and indussimilar interests.” trial engineer and met his With one Catholic wife, Kim, over pets and parent, the frequency laundry. Kim, a Charlotte in moves also did not native, had finished her give Gilfillan a stable business administration spiritual foundation. degree at the Univer“My mother was Cathsity of North Carolina olic, and Dad wasn’t. Rev. Mr. Scott Gilfillan at Greensboro and had We didn’t have a really moved to the coastal strong Catholic family, town to accept a job with and when Mom became the Employment Securiill when I was a teen, we ties Commission. didn’t go to church much at all.” “Both of us had dogs, and he was chasRev. Mr. Gilfillan said that during ing my puppy one day. I had just moved those “churchless” years he did have a link to the apartment complex where he to the church from priest family friend who was living and asked him where I asked him to play the flute in a folk band at could wash my clothes, and we’ve been Mass. “It connected me back to the church.” washing clothes for 20 or so years It was in Beaufort, S.C., where he went now,” joked Mrs. Gilfillan. “We washed through a couple of life-changing events: clothes on our first date. I kissed a lot high school graduation in 1975 and his of frogs before I found my prince.” mother’s death when he was 18. Her death The couple married in 1982 in her had a deep impact on Gilfillan who hid his Methodist church after marriage preparation feelings in silent grief. “It wasn’t the best at Gilfillan’s local parish. Mrs. Gilfillan had time in my life,” he said. “I didn’t deal with been raised in the Methodist faith but was the grief and loss well at all, and I supconsidering converting to Catholicism. pressed it with rebellious activity.”
The couple relocated to Illinois and then to West Virginia, where Mrs. Gilfillan was able to explore her husband’s religion more thoroughly. Her tennis buddies answered her questions about the religion, and she grew more comfortable with the religion. “The Catholic women were open to my questions and explained things in a way that I could understand. It was the first time I heard about the RCIA program,” said Mrs. Gilfillan, who converted while in West Virginia. The couple began to consider moving back to North Carolina after Gilfillan heard about a steel-processing plant opening in Newton. They moved in 1990, and he became general manager. He threw himself into his work but neglected his faith and some aspects of home life. However, the birth of his third child drew him back to the church. Her premature arrival brought his spiritual life back into focus. “She was in the hospital for four weeks, and I had to refocus on my family, where faith had started to develop,” said Rev. Mr. Gilfillan. “I made some choices not to be at work and to be with my wife and three children. It was the right time for us to move in our faith journey.” Gilfillan desired the stability and spirituality for his family that he did not have as
a child. So, they became more involved at their parish, St. Joseph in Newton, and Gilfillan busied himself with lecturing at Mass, leading the RCIA and volunteering with parish council and the Guardian ad Litem program. The next step was the permanent diaconate. He had been observing their parish deacon and thought that the ministry would be right for him. With his wife’s support, he was ordained in June 2001. He says that the formation classes were a family project. “The kids came to the classes, and they knew what I was doing and respected me for it,” said Rev. Mr. Gilfillan, who has become involved with baptisms and prison ministry. “The kids have really admired what their dad is doing, and it has enhanced their lives and mine also,” said Mrs. Gilfillan, who works in the school system. “We have always tried to be open to God in our lives, and our goal is what God wants for us.” Contact Staff Writer Alesha M. Price by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail amprice@charlottediocese.org.