March 4, 2005

March 4, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Year of the Eucharist

Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, Part 10; Eucharist is core of Christianity, says pope

| Page 7

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI march 4, 2005

Feminists against abortion

Abortion harms, exploits women, says speaker by

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Hundreds of youths gather for pilgrimage Journey should lead to eternal life, says bishop

editor

See ABORTION, page 6

no. 22

The Eucharist: Leading the way

KEVIN E. MURRAY

CHARLOTTE — “The Feminist Case Against Abortion” was recently presented in the Diocese of Charlotte.

“Abortion is contradictory to feminism,” said Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life of America. “The more you know about the remarkable women who set the first examples, the more you will see why you can be pro-life and pro-women.”

Foster, who has served at the pro-life organization based in Washington since 1994, spoke at three locations around the diocese in February. The diocese, diocesan Catholic Campus Ministry and Belmont Abbey sponsored her visit.

“I am still asked if Feminists for Life is an oxymoron, but there’s nothing more consistent than supporting women and children, rejecting violence and exploitation,” she said.

Founded in 1972, Feminists

vOLUME 14

by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis carries a monstrance during a eucharistic procession with hundreds of youths as part of the diocesan Youth Pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey Feb. 27.

Moving into the future

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Verbite Father Charles Smith speaks to high school and college students during the Black History Celebration at St. Mary Church in Greensboro Feb. 26.

GREENSBORO — Fearing society is becoming “spiritually bankrupt,” one priest taught a group of young people to embrace their heritage for a better future.

Verbite Father Charles Smith was the invited speaker at St. Mary Church in

See PILGRIMAGE, page 6

Giving their hearts away

Black history celebration inspires Catholic youth by

BELMONT — The threat of rain did little to dampen the spirits of hundreds of young pilgrims walking and praying behind the Eucharist.

Approximately 250 youths from high schools and colleges across the diocese followed Bishop Peter J. Jugis as he led the eucharistic procession around Belmont Abbey College. It was part of the diocesan Youth Pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey, themed “Come, Let Us Adore Him,” Feb. 27.

“You’ve come here from many different parishes,” said Bishop Jugis to the youths, who gathered in the Abbey Basilica before the procession.

“You really get a sense of being a part of something big-

Greensboro, where young people gathered to celebrate black history and black Catholicism Feb. 26-27.

For the annual Black History Celebration, organizers decided to focus on the young people of the multi-ethnic parish — black, Hispanic, Asian and white.

See HERITAGE, page 5

College students spend weekend serving others by

JENNIFER GARIFO

special to the catholic news & herald

BELMONT — College students from all reaches of the diocese recently gave away their hearts.

The students gathered in Belmont for the second annual “Give Your Heart Away” See WEEKEND, page 8

Culture Watch

Perspectives

Parish Profile

Pope’s book examines 20th-century; TV Easter special focuses on Church

DSA update; teaching moments; Holy Week; free speech in church

St. Joseph Church in Newton: a thriving family of faith

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 14-15

| Page 16

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

March 4, 2005

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyard

United front

CLEARWATER, Fla. (CNS) — Facing a new court deadline of March 18 for removal of the feeding tube that keeps Terri Schindler Schiavo alive, the parents of the brain-damaged Florida woman found in the words of a Vatican cardinal new support for their fight against removal of the tube.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told Vatican Radio Feb. 24 that if Terri’s husband, Michael, “is legally able to provoke the death of his wife, this would not only be tragic in itself, but it would be a serious step toward the legal approval of euthanasia in the United States given the weight which court decisions have in the formation of laws in that country.”

Michael says his wife would want the feeding tube removed. Her parents say their daughter would want to live, in part because of her Catholic beliefs.

Courtesy Photo

U.S. and United Kingdom members of a pro-life team, which involved around 30 people from prolife organizations in several countries, craft a press release at the United Nations in New York as U.N. members worked on a Feb. 18 declaration calling on member states to outlaw human cloning practices. The pro-life team was present to advocate against cloning.

United Nations passes declaration to ban all forms of NEW YORK — After more than three years of deadlock, delegates to the United Nation’s legal committee, by a vote of 71 to 35, accepted a declaration calling on all nations to enact laws prohibiting all forms of human cloning.

The United Nations has called on member states to adopt urgent legislation outlawing all cloning practices saying “they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life.”

The Feb. 18 declaration, introduced

by Honduras and supported by the United States, also calls on countries to “prevent the exploitation of women.” Cloning requires harvesting eggs from women.

The previous deadlock was caused by countries seeking approval for cloning research. The United Kingdom, Belgium and Singapore led the opposition against a total ban, insisting it should apply only to “reproductive cloning” that allows the cloned human to live, while permitting cloned embryos to be used for research that would kill them — the so-called “clone and kill” process also referred to as “therapeutic cloning.”

At the insistence of delegates from developing countries who feared their women would be turned into “egg farms,” the declaration calls on member states to introduce measures to prevent the exploitation of women.

Delegates expressed concern that poor women would be targeted to extract the vast numbers of eggs that would be needed, inevitably inflicting painful, dangerous and invasive procedures on vulnerable women.

If “clone and kill” research were

Cardinal says feeding-tube removal could lead U.S. down wrong path

continued, millions of women would be needed to take high doses of fertility drugs to produce sufficient quantities of eggs, with projections of 800,000 women likely to be affected by serious medical complications as a result.

Efforts to pass the ban at the United Nations were supported by a pro-life team involving around 30 people from an international coalition of pro-life organizations.

Dr. Martha Shuping of Winston-Salem was partially supported by the Diocese of Charlotte and St. Mark Church in Huntersville to participate in pro-life educational efforts at the United Nations. Coalition members helped educate U.N. delegations about adult stem cell research, which makes unethical treatments with embryonic stem cells unnecessary.

Coalition members believed their presence influenced the passage of the declaration. Several members were involved in contacting thousands of supporters with prayer requests when negotiations began to stall with talk of “no action.”

Members credit the final result to the power of prayer, said Shuping.

In the United States, anti-cloning legislation — the Cloning Prohibition Act — was introduced in both the Senate and the House the same week. This legislation has been passed twice by the House and is supported by President Bush, but it has failed in the past to gain Senate approval.

However, there is an anti-life cloning bill being considered in the Senate and in the House. Cloning legislation is also currently under consideration in several individual states, including Mis-

Diocesan planner ASHEVILLE VICARIATE ASHEVILLE — UNC-Asheville will host a talk on “Catholic Social Teaching” by Father David A. Boileu of Loyola University March 14 at 7:30 p.m., at UNC-A’s Highsmith University Union Swannanoa Room, 1 University Heights. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call UNCAsheville’s Center for Diversity Education at (828) 232-5024.

BOONE VICARIATE NORTH WILKESBORO — If you have a special need for prayers, or would like to offer your time in prayer for others’ needs, please call the Rosary Chain at St. John Baptist de La Salle Church. The Rosary Chain is a sizable group and all requests and volunteers are welcome. For details, call Marianna de Lachica at (336) 667-9044.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel Ministry Center will present “Dealing with the years that follow” March 16, 6:30-8 p.m., at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. While attention is usually focused on persons who are grieving in the first year after a death occurs, the needs of grieving persons go on.

Spiritual friendship, care and concern are still needed, regardless of how much time has passed since the loss. We will explore some of these feelings and ways to cope, as well as signs that may point to the need for specific grief work. The presenter will be Janice Olive of Hospice of Charlotte. For more information, call BJ Dengler at (704)

Cardinal Martino recalled a recent message from Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Academy for Life, in which the pope reaffirmed “that quality of life cannot be interpreted as economic efficiency, beauty or the enjoyment of physical life, but it consists in the supreme dignity of the creature made in the image and likeness of God.” Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer ruled Feb. 25 that Michael Schiavo could order doctors to remove the feeding tube March 18.

Terri Schiavo, 41, has been impaired for the past 15 years since she collapsed because of what doctors believe was a potassium imbalance.

Her brain was deprived of oxygen for several minutes. She can breathe on her own but requires nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube.

364-5431, ext. 212.

CHARLOTTE — A Polish-language Mass will be celebrated at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., on Palm Sunday, March 20 at 3:30 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel. Reconciliation will be offered at 2 p.m. For more information, call Elizabeth Spytkowski at (704) 948-1678.

CHARLOTTE — The Vietnamese Cursillo of Charlotte School of Leaders meets the second Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd. For more information, contact Nam Le at (704) 549-1525.

MINT HILL — G.E.M.S. Daily is a prayer/ support group for mothers of children with disabilities. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Rd., to share concerns, praise and prayers. For details, call Michelle Roth at (704) 321-1717.

CHARLOTTE — A reunion for Charlotte Catholic High School, O’Donoghue School and Our Lady of Mercy School classes of 1954 through 1965 is being considered for Fall 2005. E-mail Madeleine Chartier Crawford at madeleine@ harpermachinery.com or call Joyce Hartis O’Keefe at (704) 536-5049 if you are interested in celebrating Charlotte Catholic High School’s 50th anniversary.

CHARLOTTE —The Young Widowed Group meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the Fellowship Hall of St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. For more information, contact facilitator Sister Therese Galligan at (704) 362-5047, ext. 216.

CHARLOTTE — The 50+ Club of St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. with a program and lunch in the parish

MARCH 4, 2 0 0 5 Volume 14 • Number 22 Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 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 $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

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The Catholic News & Herald 3

March 4, 2005

FROM THE VATICAN

Israeli official confident about Vatican accord on legal, tax

handled by a court rather than by the government.

The most difficult issue in the current negotiations, he said, has been the church’s insistence that church institutions exempt from local property taxes for hundreds of years continue to be exempt.

“We have informed the Vatican that this will be resolved to their full satisfaction once the other issues have been dealt with,” Barkan said, refusing to explain further.

Asked about allegations that Israeli police did not protect Melkite Catholics in the Galilean village of Maghar when they were attacked by their Druze neighbors in mid-February, Barkan said the government has launched an inquiry.

The government, he said, is committed “to making sure every human life in Israel is respected and protected.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The

ROME (CNS) — The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s point man for interreligious affairs, Nimrod Barkan, said he is confident an Israeli-Vatican agreement on legal and financial matters will be sealed in the next four months.

Barkan, who met with top Vatican diplomatic officials Feb. 22 to explain Israeli stances, said there was “a breakthrough in the Israeli position” on the negotiations.

The new Cabinet of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved the proposals presented to the Vatican, which should clear the way for a finalization of the new treaty within “three or four months,” he said.

Barkan said he was confident an agreement could be reached on the taxation of church-owned vehicles, on the percentage of income tax churchowned businesses have to pay and on a description of what types of property disputes involving the church can be

hall. For reservations and more information, call Lucille at (704) 537-2l89.

CHARLOTTE — Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF), a weekly support group for separated and divorced women, meets every Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the New Life Center building, room 114, of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., including a potluck dinner.

Divorced men are invited every third Wednesday of the month. TGIF is a healing ministry sponsored by Catholic Social Services, Charlotte Regional Office and St. Matthew Church.

For details, call Karen Wepasnick at (704) 5411891 after 3 p.m.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

10 a.m. followed by coffee and light refreshments. The retreat dates are Thursdays, March 10 and 17. This is an opportunity for all of us to do something extra during Lent.

For more information, please contact Carmen Wood (336) 545-9266.

SALISBURY VICARIATE

GASTONIA — A candlelight prayer vigil in observance of the scheduled execution of William Powell and in respect for the family of murder victim Mary Gladden will be held March 10. This event, which is sponsored by the Gaston Coalition for a Moratorium Now (GCMN), will begin at 7 pm. at the Martin Luther King Memorial Monument, 330 N. Marietta St. GCMN’s mission is to urge the N.C. General Assembly to reform the capital punishment process through educational forums and legislative advocacy. For more information, call George Burazer (704) 822-6350.

BELMONT — A Lenten Supper-Study Series will conclude in the Kovacic Center at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St., March 9.

A shared meal begins at 6 p.m., and catechesis begins at 6:45 p.m. The theme is “The Eucharist as Way of Life.” Free and open to all — no fees or pre-registration necessary. Please call Dennis Teall-Fleming at (704) 825-9600, ext. 26 or e-mail teallfleming@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will present its annual Lenten Mini Retreat at the Franciscan Center, 233 N. Greene St. Mass will be celebrated at

Episcopal

calendar

March 12 — 4:30 p.m. Mass Boy Scouts Catholic Camporee Camp Barnhardt, Baden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican Web site has highlighted Pope John Paul II’s public e-mail address so that well-wishers can send him their greetings and promises of prayer.

As in the past, the Vatican’s Internet office added the e-mail link to the Vatican’s home page Feb. 25 without fanfare or public notice.

Pope John Paul was hospitalized Feb. 24 and underwent a tracheotomy to help him breathe. Five days later, Pope John Paul II was able to say Mass in his hospital room, meet with aides and continue initial sessions of speech therapy, the Vatican said.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who brought the pope some papers to work on, told reporters March 1 that the pontiff was “able and alert,” and had spoken to him — in two languages, German and Italian.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters the same day that the pope’s recovery was “completely normal” and that he had spent another peaceful night, but did not say how long the pope would remain at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

Messages may be sent to the pope by clicking on a link in English titled “Best Wishes for the Holy Father” on the Vatican’s homepage: www.vatican. va.

Because of the volume of e-mail the pope receives when the address is highlighted, the Vatican usually gives it prominence on the home page only on special occasions such as Christmas or the pope’s May 18 birthday.

But even when the address was not easy to find on the Web site, when the pope was hospitalized Feb. 1-10 he received between 40,000 and 50,000 e-mail messages, said Legionaries of Christ Father Fernando Vergez, an official in the Vatican’s Internet office.

Father Vergez said March 1 he did not know how many e-mails the pope had received since undergoing the tracheotomy because the Internet office is “really just a transit point” for the messages, which are forwarded to the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Each message is read by an official in the secretariat. He prepares a summary of the messages and forwards the summary to the pope, along with

Honoring an advocate

MOORESVILLE — A Support Group for Parents Who Have Lost a Child of any age meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Rd. We draw strength from others’ experience of loss and grief. For more information, call Joy at (704) 664-3992.

MOORESVILLE — Seniors ages 55 and up are invited to St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Rd., the second Saturday of each month following the 5:30 Mass for Senior Games Night, featuring games and a potluck dinner. Call Barbara Daigler at (704) 662-9752 for details.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE WAYNESVILLE — The Catholic Women’s Circle of St. John’s Catholic Community meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the church hall. For more information, call the church office at (828) 456-6707.

FRANKLIN — The Women’s Guild of St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St., meets the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The meetings feature guest speakers and special events periodically. For more information, call Claire Barnable at (828) 369-1565.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Please submit notices for the Diocesan Planner at least 15 days prior to the event date in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events:

March 8 — 11 a.m. Presbyteral Council Pastoral Center, Charlotte

Vatican highlights pope’s e-mail address for well-wishers

March 13-14 USCCB Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry Baltimore, Md. March 20 — 11 a.m. Palm Sunday Mass Cathedral of Saint Patrick, Charlotte

CNS photo from Reuters

Members of Brazil’s Federation of Rural Agricultural Workers pay tribute to U.S. Sister Dorothy Stang, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, during a meeting in Brasilia Feb. 28.

The 73-year-old nun, an outspoken advocate for Brazilian peasants, was shot several times in the chest and head Feb. 12.

Rome’s Jewish leaders lead prayers at hospital in honor of pope ROME (CNS) — Leaders of Rome’s Jewish community went to the Gemelli Hospital Feb. 25 to offer prayers for Pope John Paul II and try to get some firsthand information about his condition.

Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, told reporters, “We prayed and recited a psalm to show our solidarity and to send our best wishes.”

Rabbi Di Segni and Roberto Cohen, vice president of Rome’s Jewish community, said they did not get in to see the pope, who underwent a tracheotomy late

Feb. 24 to ease a breathing problem.

Cohen said they recited Psalm 139, which professes God’s intimate knowledge of and care for those who trust in him.

The Jewish community wanted to acknowledge how much Pope John Paul had contributed to improving Catholic-Jewish relations, he said, adding that the community was not afraid that difficulties would return if he were no longer pope.

“By now the centuries of darkness have passed and there is no risk of going back,” Cohen said.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Volunteer honored by governor for outstanding

CHARLOTTE — Don Saravalli, a parishioner of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, has been awarded the 2004 North Carolina award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

Saravalli, who received a congratulatory letter and certificate from Gov. Michael Easley in November 2004, is one of more than 15,000 volunteers from North Carolina who have received this award since 1979.

In the letter, Gov. Easley said Saravalli’s service “is admirable and your contributions to the state are immeasurable.

Thank you for all that you do.”

Saravalli’s volunteer work began 12 years ago as an Emergency Financial Assistance interviewer for Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte, which provides assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis. He has been volunteering in the organization’s business office for the last six years.

His primary responsibility is entering data into a computer, resulting in the generation of 300-400 rent or utility checks per day. With little exception, the 46,000 hours of volunteer service that annually benefit Crisis Assistance Ministry is provided by volunteers who work one morning a week.

“Don is a rare volunteer in that he is here five days a week for three to four hours per day,” said Pete Bondi, Crisis Assistance Ministry’s director of finance.

“He is more like a staff member because of his many years with Crisis Assistance Ministry.”

Saravalli’s commitment to Crisis Assistance Ministry was exemplified by his actions during a snowstorm Feb. 26, 2004. With the beginnings of 16 inches of snow falling on the ground, only seven of the 50 staff members — and one volunteer, Saravalli — arrived for work.

Saravalli was subsequently honored with the organization’s first “Ice Age Volunteer” award.

March 4, 2005

Discussing Jesus

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Don Saravalli, a parishioner of St. Gabriel Church, is pictured with his wife, Camilla. Don recently received a 2004 North Carolina Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

Saravalli is also active in his parish, having served as stewardship chairman and pastoral board vice-chairman, as well as school board vice-chairman. Having worked for a candy manufacturer for 37 years, Saravalli and his wife, Camilla, will soon celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

WANT TO HELP?

Forty percent of CAM’s labor comes from volunteers. For more info on volunteer opportunities, contact Melissa Raphael at (704) 371-3001, ext.151 or mraphael@ crisisassistance.org.

Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin conducts “A Personal Relationship with Jesus” retreat for more than 70 Knights of Columbus and their wives in Raleigh Feb. 26. Knights and spouses are invited to attend future retreats with Bishop Curlin: May 7 at St. Mary Church in Shelby, hosted by Council 11946; and May 14 at St. Patrick Church in Fayetteville, hosted by Council 2838. Both retreats run 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with noon lunch and 2:30 p.m. Mass. For more info, call (704) 487-7697.

Diocese to hold blood drive in CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is hosting a blood drive at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Charlotte April 6.

The blood drive is open to both diocesan employees and the public. All eligible donors are encouraged to attend.

To give blood, donors must be 17 years of age or older and weigh at least 110 pounds. Blood may be donated once every eight weeks.

“Donating blood allows us to perform a life-saving community service,”

said Vanessa Garcia, human resources clerk with the diocese. “One person’s donation can save up to three lives.”

Some medical conditions may permanently or temporarily disqualify people from donating.

WANT TO DONATE?

The drive will be held Wednesday, April 6, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Donors must bring ID and complete a medical history and mini-physical. For directions or information, call (704)

March 4, 2005

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Black history celebration inspires HERITAGE, from page 1

The weekend celebration, titled “Moving On: Embracing the Future,” consisted of workshops for high school and college students, a gospel Mass and dinner on Saturday and concluded with Mass on Sunday.

“We wanted to motivate the youths in the Catholic Church ... we have so many young people that leave the faith,” said Kathy Jefferson, a parishioner who coordinated the celebration. “We try to keep them faithful to the Catholic religion and active in the church.”

Many high school and college students leave out of boredom, but return to the church once they have families of their own, Jefferson said.

Migdalia Ortiz, director of faith formation for St. Mary Church, said the leaders of St. Mary Church are trying to make the Catholic faith more appealing to young people.

“Youths want to be more active in the church, but leadership is needed,” Ortiz said.

One of the goals of the workshops was to draw out young leaders from youths of the parish.

About 60 youths attended the workshops led by Father Smith, priest-

in-residence at St. Rita Church in Indianapolis.

In small groups of six to eight youths and an adult moderator, the students discussed a variety of hypothetical scenarios involving issues such as the death penalty and abortion and tried to come up with solutions.

The groups found that solutions to such complicated issues were hard to come by. Most recommended forgiveness, repentance and prayers for guidance for the characters in their scenarios.

“My main task is to get young people to understand more clearly and precisely the values and doctrines of the church,” Father Smith said.

Father Smith said American society is at risk of becoming “spiritually bankrupt” — people value material possessions to the point that they have lost their identity, vision and gospel heritage.

“I’m a firm believer that Catholic morality, when used by people in everyday life, will redeem (those people) and society,” said Father Smith. “If we practice justice, peace, charity and morality — at work, school and home — we will have a better world.”

If diverse groups can sit and dialogue as Christians, they can become a model for the world.

Pearline Thompson, a parishioner of St. Mary Church for more than 60

Photos by Karen A. Evans

“If we practice justice, peace, charity and morality — at work, school and home — we will have a better world.” years, said she wants people to realize the difficulty of “keeping the faith” among Catholics.

Many black Protestants, unlike Catholics, didn’t have to fight for their right to worship, she said. “It’s a treasure and we’ve worked hard for it.”

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

Above: Verbite Father Charles Smith advises a group of young people discussing Catholic moral issues at St. Mary Church in Greensboro Feb. 26.

Right: Father Smith discusses how society is in danger of becoming “spiritually bankrupt.”

6 The Catholic News & Herald

Feminist case against abortion ABORTION, from page 1

for Life is a national grassroots organization that continues the efforts of the early American feminists, including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to eliminate the causes that drive women to abortion by facilitating practical solutions.

Foster is widely recognized as an international spokesperson for pro-life feminism. Her speech, “The Feminist Case Against Abortion,” was published in the anthology Women’s Rights, which is one volume in a series of “Great Speeches in History.” In her speech, Foster addresses 200 years of pro-life feminism and explains how the modern women’s movement came to support abortion.

The “abortion debate is full of horror stories on both sides of the issue,” she said.

“Coercive and unethical counselors lie to vulnerable women and pressure them. This has happened in some abortion clinics as well as some pregnancy care centers,” said Foster. “Women have died from botched abortions, both before abortion was legalized and after, when it is supposed to be safe. Fanatics resort to violence on both extremes of the prochoice/pro-life spectrum.”

“What it does not do is help women, which was what the original feminist movement set out to do,” she said.

The now-revered feminists of the 19th century were strongly opposed to abortion, said Foster, because of their beliefs in the worth of all humans. In Susan B. Anthony’s newsletter, The Revolution, abortion was described as “child murder,” “infanticide” and “feticide.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who in 1848 organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., classified abortion as a form of infanticide.

Anti-abortion laws enacted in the latter half of the 19th century were a result of advocacy efforts by feminists who worked in an uneasy alliance with the male-dominated medical profession and the mainstream media, said Foster.

The early feminists understood that, much like today, women resorted to abortion because they were abandoned or pressured by boyfriends, husbands and parents and lacked financial resources to have babies on their own, she said.

“In the 1960s, certain factions of the women’s movement made a drastic about-face,” said Foster.

“Ironically, the anti-abortion laws that early feminists worked so hard to enact to protect women and children were the very ones destroyed by the Roe v.

Wade decision 100 years later — a deci-

March 4, 2005

from the cover

Youths gather for spiritual PILGIMAGE, from page 1

we want to go and spend some time with the Lord, separate from our daily lives.”

“The goal of our lives, no matter how young or old we are, is that of eternal life,” he said. “To get to eternal life, we go on a pilgrimage.”

“During the Year of the Eucharist, we come to this sacred place — one of the first churches in what is now the Diocese of Charlotte,” said Bishop Jugis, calling the basilica, which was built in the 1890s, a “testimony to the Catholics who came before us.”

“This pilgrimage is a reminder of the pilgrimage that the church is on as a family of God, a pilgrimage through history to God,” he said. “This is a small version of that pilgrimage.”

“This is our time now. We are on our way, marching to our eternal home,” said Bishop Jugis. “That is a pilgrimage that we never want to lose sight of.”

The pilgrimage was one of numerous activities scheduled throughout the diocese to observe the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II. During the year, which runs through October 2005, a series of programs and observances is scheduled to take place, including eucharistic adoration in various parishes and the diocesan Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte Sept. 23-24.

“The youth pilgrimage was a wonderful privilege to commemorate and devote ourselves more faithfully to Our Lord, who is truly present in the holy Eucharist,” said Father Roger Arnsparger, pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Arden and head of the diocesan planning committee for the Year of the Eucharist.

“To gather the youth from around the diocese in the Year of the Eucharist, to adore our Lord in the sacrament, is a tremendous opportunity for grace,” sion hailed by the National Organization for Women (NOW) as the ‘emancipation of women,’” she said.

“The goals of the more recent NOWled women’s movement with respect to abortion would have outraged the early feminists,” said Foster.

“It’s important to reach them (women) now, so we can help create a world where we focus on helping women instead of eliminating people,” said Foster.

WANT MORE INFO?

For more information on Feminists

Photos by Kevin E. Murray

Above: Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Father Christopher Roux and youths from around the diocese kneel in the Abbey Basilica as Deacon Arthur Kingsley, permanent deacon at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, places a Eucharist in a monstrance on the altar. The eucharistic adoration was part of the diocesan Youth Pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey Feb. 27.

Right: Hundreds of youths and adults take part in the eucharistic procession.

said Paul Kotlowski, director of diocesan youth ministry. “Hopefully, this experience will lead to greater appreciation of the sacrifice of the Mass, which is Christ’s greatest gift to us.”

The youth pilgrimage also included remarks by Abbot Placid Solari, abbot of Belmont Abbey; Benediction; and an informal bring-your-own supper.

WANT MORE INFO?

More information about the diocesan Eucharistic Congress Sept.

23-24 is available on the Internet

ger. You get a sense of how good God is and the work he’s doing throughout the diocese.”

A pilgrimage is more than traveling from one place to another, said the bishop.

“Rarely we would set out traveling aimlessly. We always have a goal in mind,” he said.

The goal of a pilgrimage, said the bishop, is to that of a sacred place “where

March 4, 2005

year of the eucharist

Structure of the Liturgy of the Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, Part 10 We know that the Mass teaches us how to pray. According to the structure of the Mass, prayer has the following form: humility and repentance, praise and adoration, and petition and intercession. These aspects of prayer particularly involve our words; that is, we speak to God. But perhaps more important than our words, our need to address our Heavenly Father, is his desire to speak to us, to reveal his will, his divine plan, indeed himself. And so both in prayer and in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which is the highest form of prayer, we must listen to the voice of the Lord. We are seated to listen attentively to the voice of the Good Shepherd who leads us to eternal life; we must be receptive to Our Lord, who is called “Rabbi,” the great teacher, who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” for he is the Word of the eternal Father.

Several weeks ago, we discussed the Mass as a sacred ritual, whose parts and prayers are selected, inspired and faithfully handed down through the centuries. In other words, the selected readings at the Mass are part of this divine plan of revelation, so that through the seasons of the church year, the mysteries of Christ’s birth, life, teaching and miracles, and finally his passion, death and resurrection are unfolded each year.

From week to week, the life of our Lord is unfolded, revealed again and again, so that we can penetrate these mysteries and receive the fruits and graces of these mysteries.

Since these readings are pre-selected and handed down to us, they are not subject to the whim of the celebrant. The readings maintain the universal character of the church — it does not matter which Catholic church you attend — the country, language, local customs, etc. — the same readings are provided everywhere in the world. The celebrant does not have the authority or the freedom to select his favorite readings or discard his least favorite. The Catholic faithful have the privilege and right to hear the voice of God speak to us in every reading.

And so, the church offers us a three-year cycle of readings for Sunday Masses and a two-year cycle for weekday Masses. As you attend Mass each week, almost the entire canon of sacred Scripture, almost the whole of the Bible, is proclaimed every three years. And if you attend Mass every day, you will hear almost the entire canon of sacred Scripture every two years.

Guest Column Father Matthew Buettner guest columnist

The Sunday readings follow a very simple three-year cycle: year A concentrates on the Gospel of St. Matthew, year B focuses on the Gospel of St. Mark and year C on the Gospel of St. Luke.

These three Gospels are very similar in structure and content and are known as the Synoptic Gospels. Since the Gospel of St. John contains material that is not found in these three Gospels, St. John’s Gospel is proclaimed at specific times of the year and at specific feasts, such as Christmas and Easter.

On Sundays and Solemnities, three readings are provided. The first reading comes from the Old Testament and is selected to show the Old Testament foundation for the Gospel. The Old Testament foreshadows the New Testament. The New Testament completes the Old Testament.

In the words of Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed; the New is in the Old contained, the Old is in the New explained.”

And so on Sunday, the first reading establishes a hope that is fulfilled in the Gospel.

The first reading and the Gospel go together. The Responsorial Psalm is a response to the message of the Old Testament reading. One psalm is selected out of the 150 psalms of the Old Testament. The second reading comes from one of the New Testament Epistles, or letters, of one of the Apostles.

Throughout the year, we hear the inspired accounts of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. James or a few others. These second readings often do not follow the pattern established by the first reading and the Gospel, but they offer specific instruction on living the Christian life.

Next week we will take an even closer look of the Liturgy of the Word.

Father Buettner is parochial vicar of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton.

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Pope says Eucharist lies at core of Christian community

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — The Eucharist lies at the core of the Christian community and its mission, Pope John Paul II said at the end of a week of spiritual exercises held in the Vatican.

In a written message addressed to Italian Bishop Renato Corti of Novara, the preacher who led the Lenten retreat, the pope thanked the prelate for underlining the need to keep the Eucharist at the center of daily life.

“At the heart of the church, we have gathered around the mystery of the altar” in which lies “the pulsating heart of the communion and mission of the entire Christian people,” said the pope’s written message released Feb. 19 by the Vatican.

The annual Lenten retreat was attended by members of the Roman Curia, but sources said Pope John Paul did not participate this year; instead he followed the Feb. 13-19 proceedings via a video link from his apartment. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s secretary of state, substituted for the pope at the Feb. 19 closing Mass.

Mass participants prayed that the pope remain a “vibrant image of the goodness and mercy of the heavenly Father” and asked that “he be loved and listened to by all with brotherly affection.”

Bishop Corti dedicated his weeklong series of meditations on the theme, “The Church at the Service of the New and

Eternal Covenant,” with special attention paid to the role of the Eucharist during this Year of the Eucharist.

Bishop Corti said that Jesus, during the Last Supper, gave the faithful a new commandment, “Love each other as I have loved you.”

“In this simple verse from the Gospel, we find a synthesis of every law and all the prophets,” he said in comments to Vatican Radio.

“All Christians should have at heart” Christ’s commandment of love, giving the church a “brotherly face,” said Bishop Corti.

“If one wants to pay witness to communion, one must learn to see in the other not just what he has gotten wrong, but also that which is good (in him) and to learn to have esteem for him,” he said.

In another of his retreat reflections, the Italian preacher said that Christians must ask themselves how they can help “build a world that has signs of hope.”

“Today hope is very difficult, and many people say they do not have it,” he said.

The church needs to be the first place where hope resides, he said.

Those who believe in Christ, the hope for all mankind, must put themselves at the service of hope by being at the service of people “who suffer, who are alone, so that they can have reasons to be consoled, encouraged and overcome difficulties,” said the bishop.

CNS photo by Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

Italian Bishop Renato Corti of Novara addresses cardinals gathered Feb. 19 in St. Peter’s Basilica during the conclusion of the Vatican’s annual Lenten retreat. The pope followed the Feb. 13-19 retreat via a video link to his apartment.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

March 4, 2005

youth in action

Special Olympian receives special sendoff by

DEACON GERALD POTKAY correspondent

Courtesy Photo by Jennifer Garifo

Youths from around the diocese help sort clothes at Crisis Assistance Ministries in Charlotte as part of the “Give Your Heart Away” service weekend Feb. 11-13.

Students serve WEEKEND, from page 1

community service weekend Feb. 11-13.

The retreat was sponsored by the diocesan Catholic Campus Ministry Office, which runs Catholic campus ministry at colleges and universities throughout western North Carolina.

Approximately 60 students from nine colleges participated in the retreat, held at the McCarthy Spirituality Center on the Sisters of Mercy campus.

“This is the second time I’ve been on this retreat, and it is a really awesome experience,” said Sid Mursten, a student at Appalachian State University.

The students spent the retreat working in groups at several area organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Urban Ministries, House of Mercy, Crisis Assistance Ministries, Catherine’s House, Holy Angels and Shining Hope Farms.

“The retreat was a great reminder of what Lent and life are about — loving others, helping those in need and working for God,” said Caroline Bond, a student at Appalachian State.

At Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit Christian housing organization, the students helped shingle a roof on one house and painted rooms in another.

“While we weren’t able to meet the owner of the house, all of us understood that our work would be appreciated,” said

Nick Dellaripa, a student at Wake Forest.

“The best part was the bonding that went on in the group..”

At Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, an interfaith organization that assists the poor and homeless, students ate lunch with and baked cookies for homeless people. The experience offered the students new perspectives on life.

Students also spent the day sorting clothes at Crisis Assistance Ministries in Charlotte, painting room s at Catherine’s House and working with residents and Holy Angels and Hous of Mercy in Belmont.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrated Mass for the students and joined them for dinner at the McCarthy Center.

“There are a lot of exciting programs taking place on campuses through Catholic Campus Ministry,” said Bishop Jugis. “The students are filled with faith and love for Christ.”

“I am impressed also that people are willing to take their time off away from studies,” said Bishop Jugis. “It is a powerful expression of faith.”

Jennifer Garifo is public relations chair for Appalachian State University’s Catholic Campus Ministry.

Catholic Campus Ministry is one of

GREENSBORO — It was far from any ordinary pep rally at St. Pius X School in Greensboro.

The school gave Anne Kessler, a Special Olympian with multiple sclerosis, a special sendoff Feb. 18. She was selected as one of two athletes from North Carolina to represent Special Olympics Team USA in Alpine skiing at the 2005 World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan Feb. 26-March 5.

A member of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, Anne’s mother, Carmel, is a teacher at St. Pius X School.

“This is how the student body and the teachers got to know Anne,” said Principal Mark Ackerman.

“We have all been excited since the beginning of the year when we first heard about Anne’s selection for the World Special Olympics,” said Vice Principal Anne Knapke.

“Anne has been a wonderful presence at our school. Everyone here knows her,” said Knapke. “Anne proudly brings in the ribbons and medals she has won at the local, state and national events.”

During the rally, Anne’s father, David, spoke proudly of how Anne participated in the Special Olympics for the last 18 years.

During that time, Anne has competed in Alpine skiing, ice skating, aquatics, golf, soccer, softball, basketball, athletics, bowling and cycling. In 1995, she was selected to represent the Kentucky delegation of Special Olympics Team USA in aquatics at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Connecticut, where she was awarded three gold medals.

“This year, Anne won a gold medal in downhill skiing in Boone during the North Carolina state winter games,” said David Kessler.

Anne also attended a training camp for Special Olympics Team USA in Colorado in December. In addition to her training, Kessler has been learning about Japanese culture and is excited to experience it firsthand.

Anne, who works at a local su-

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Anne Kessler receives a blessing from Msgr.

Anthony Marcaccio during a pep rally held at St. Pius X School in Greensboro Feb. 18. Watching are father David, sister Carolyn and mother Carmel Kessler. permarket, is a member of the ARC of Greensboro and both the GuilfordGreensboro Athlete Council and steering committee. She has served as a Global Messenger since 2002 and on the SONC Board of Directors since 2004.

She said Special Olympics have given her a chance to travel and compete in all kinds of sports.

“I’ve met a lot of friends in Special Olympics,” she said. “It’s a wonderful dream come true to compete with other athletes across the world.”

During the pep rally, Msgr. Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, blessed Anne for her successful and safe journey to the games.

“I love this,” said Anne. “It’s going to be really cool to see Japan.”

“It was amazing that Anne got that opportunity to go to the World Olympics,” said fourth-grader Claire Hudak.

“We all wish her all of our prayers and the good luck (she needs).”

After the pep rally, Anne and her parents left for a banquet in Raleigh before heading to Los Angeles. On Feb. 20, the U.S. competitors and coaches boarded a plane provided by the U.S. State Department en route to Japan.

March 4, 2005

youth in action

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Service and sacrifice Teen-agers participate in 30-Hour by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

HIGH POINT — Can hunger serve a higher purpose? When teen-agers voluntarily go without food for 30 hours, the answer seems to be an unequivocal “yes.”

More than 200 sixth- through 12thgraders from six High Point- and Greensboro-area churches participated in World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine at Christ United Methodist Church Feb. 26-27.

Youths from Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church have participated in the famine for the past nine years.

Three years ago, Christ United Methodist Church and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church joined the already successful project.

For the 2005 famine, three more churches decided to participate — St.

Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greensboro and First Methodist Church and Covenant United Methodist Church in High Point.

“The kids (who participated in past years) look forward to the fellowship and the community service,” said Terry Aiken, director of youth ministry at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

According to World Vision’s Web site, g roups raise money through donors and sponsors to help millions of starving and hurting children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

During the famine, participants went 30 hours without food so they could have a real taste of what hunger is like, and took part in community service projects in addition to raising money.

Money was collected through sponsorships and collections following three church services the students attended.

The money raised will be sent to World Vision and put to work in areas like Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the United States.

In 2003, World Vision raised $7.7 million through the 30-Hour Famine program. In 2004, that amount nearly doubled to $11.4 million.

Last year, High Point’s 30-Hour Famine raised more than $13,000, making it the top North Carolina fundraising group.

The various service projects included visiting the residents of Maryfield retirement community, yard work and trash pick-up at non-profit agencies and purchasing non-perishable food for the local homeless shelter.

Participants were also visited by a homeless family and learned firsthand the causes and effects of homelessness.

Aiken and Brian Cornell, minister to youth and young adults at Christ United

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Students make their mark during the 30-Hour Famine held in High Point Feb. 26-27. During the famine, students performed community service projects and collected donations to benefit World Vision.

Methodist Church, coordinated the weekend’s activities.

“This is one weekend that young people are actively participating in community activities,” Cornell said.

Going hungry for a good cause and serving their community had an unexpected by-product: new friendships.

In addition to their exposure to the needy in their own community and throughout the world, the teen-agers gained insight into other Christian religions. The entire group attended Saturday Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary and services at Christ United Methodist and Wesley Memorial United Methodist churches on Sunday.

Aiken and Cornell hope to get more churches and the local synagogue involved in the famine next year.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that once teen-agers had fasted for 30 straight hours, they would never want to do it again. Not so, said Betty Galgoci, an adult catechist at Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“It’s contagious,” she said. “The kids couldn’t wait to do it again, and they brought other kids with them.”

Matt Hairgrove, a sophomore from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, said the famine is “a way to connect with the community and help those who are less fortunate.”

Cornell summed up the famine’s service, sacrifice and camaraderie in just 10 words.

“God’s kingdom is a lot bigger than our little playground,” he said.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

March 4, 2005

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

In new book, pope says society did not learn from

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — In a new book, Pope John Paul II warns that despite the failed ideologies and tragic lessons of the 20th century, modern society still acts as if it can determine good and evil without reference to God. That represents a threat to entire groups of people, including the unborn, the pope says in the book, “Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums.”

“If man can decide alone, without God, what is good and what is evil, then he can also decide to exterminate a category of human beings,” the pope wrote.

The 228-page book was unveiled at a Feb. 22 press conference in Rome. It is due out in English later this year.

Based on conversations between the pope and several Polish academics, the book is essentially a papal reflection on the ideological struggles that played out in Europe over the last 100 years and their significance for the 21st century.

With the advance of the communist revolution, the rise of Nazism, the outbreak of World War II and the installation of the Soviet regime, the pope views the 20th century as a stage upon which the forces of good and evil engaged in sharp combat.

He is convinced that good has triumphed, but worries that not all the lessons have been learned.

For example, the pope noted that Hitler used legal means to open the way to aggression against other European countries, the passage of racial laws, the creation of concentration camps and the introduction of the socalled “final solution” to eradicate the Jewish race.

The pope then connected those historical developments with worrisome signs in modern Europe and elsewhere, and he warned of a dangerous detachment from traditional moral and religious values.

“The most immediate association of

ideas that comes to mind are the laws on abortion,” he said.

“The parliaments that create and promulgate such laws should be aware that they are abusing their powers and remain in open conflict with the law of God and the law of nature,” he said.

If in the past it was nationalist regimes that advanced totalitarian agendas, today the threat is often represented by powerful economic forces that try to impose their ideas around the world, especially in poorer countries, he said.

Under “democratic” forms, this new type of totalitarianism has taken aim at basic human values by promoting moral permissiveness, abortion, euthanasia, genetic manipulation, contraception and divorce, he said.

The pope said one egregious example was the recent legislative push to have homosexual unions recognized as an “alternative form of family.”

At the book presentation, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, said the pope was not putting the Holocaust and abortion on the same historical level, but was noting that modern democracies are not immune to evil, including the destruction of human life, which in some forms can even be supported by the majority.

The book is autobiographical in the sense that as a young man the pope lived in a country that found itself in the midst of Europe’s ideological struggles. He writes movingly of what people knew and did not know after the Nazi invasion of Poland, saying the true extent of Nazi evil was evident only after the war.

The book has the tone and freshness of a dialogue, but the substance is meaty.

It ranges over such topics as the Christian roots of Europe, the relationship between the faith and the Enlightenment in 18thcentury Europe, the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of the ideals of freedom and equality in democratic states.

Key to the pope’s vision is the belief that the memory of one’s own history and culture in large part forms

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Rates: $.70/word per issue ($14 minimum per issue) Deadline: 12 noon Wednesday, 9 days before publication How to order: Ads may be E-mailed to ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org, faxed to (704) 370-3382 or mailed to: Cindi Feerick, The Catholic News & Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Payment: For information, call (704) 370-3332.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: MARCH 13, 2005

March 13, Fifth Sunday of Lent Cycle A Readings: 1) Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-8 2) Romans 8:8-11 3) Gospel: John 11:1-45

Christ’s love is liberating

by DAN LUBY catholic news service

My old friend was clearly in trouble. He was dizzy, unable to stand without help. His breathing was shallow and labored. His fingers and lips were beginning to take on the bluish tinge that warned of oxygen deprivation.

Fearing for his life, his children rushed him to the hospital. It was a relief to all his anxious family and friends when, many hours later, the doctors reported that the emergency surgery had succeeded.

However, he would need lots of help, the family was told. He would be weak for a long time, and his recovery would be slow. Having rejoiced when the crisis was averted, his family now

hunkered down for the long, often taxing work of assisting him in the completion of his return to health.

One of the striking elements of the Lazarus story, which the church proclaims each year as candidates for Easter baptism prepare for their Christian initiation, is the final directive Jesus gives to those at the cemetery. After raising Lazarus from the dead and calling him forth from the tomb, Jesus engages the community in his transformative work.

“Untie him,” he tells the friends and family and onlookers, “and let him go.”

The heavy lifting of conversion, both in its initial stages and in the ongoing life’s work of it, is done by Christ. It is he who, in the secret chambers of our hearts and the external circumstances of our lives, draws us to himself in the church.

It is up to the church then, to all of us who comprise the family of faith, to cooperate in his work by untying one another. We must undo the bonds that impede our freedom — injustice, envy, selfishness, complacency, coldness of heart.

In these last weeks of Lent, may Christ make of us liberators.

Questions: How can I assist someone preparing for Easter baptism to feel more welcome in the church? To whom might I turn for help in “untying” bonds that are keeping me from fully living my faith?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of March 6-12 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41; Monday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity), Isaiah 65:17-21, John 4:43-54; Tuesday (St. John of God), Ezekiel 47:1-9,12, John 5:1-3,5-16; Wednesday (St. Frances of Rome), Isaiah 49:8-15, John 5:17-30; Thursday (Lenten Weekday), Exodus 32:7-14, John 5:31-47; Friday (Lenten Weekday), Wisdom 2:1, 12-22, John 7:1-2,25-30; Saturday (Lenten Weekday), Jeremiah 11:18-20, John 7:40-53.

Scripture for the week of March 13-19 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent), Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45; Monday (Lenten Weekday), Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62,John 8:1-11; Tuesday (Lenten Weekday), Numbers 21:4-9, John 8:21-30; Wednesday (Lenten Weekday), Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92,95, John 8:31-42; Thursday (St. Patrick), Genesis 17:3-9, John 8:51-59; Friday (St. Cyril of Jerusalem), Jeremiah 20:10-13, John 10:31-42; Saturday (St. Joseph), 2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16, Romans 4:13,16-18,22, Matthew 1:16,18-21,24.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

March 4, 2005

‘Cool’ is rather lukewarm

CNS photo from MGM

John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Cedric the Entertainer star in “Be Cool,” a flat follow-up to the 1994 comedy “Get Shorty” in which a mobster-turned-movie producer sets his sights on the music business.

The stale sequel lacks the sharpness and satirical edge of “Shorty.” The movie contains recurring violence, an implied sexual encounter, images of smoking, drug content, some vulgar gestures, and much rough and crude language and humor. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13.

ABC-TV Easter special focuses on new members of Catholic by catholic news service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — An estimated 150,000 Americans joined the Catholic Church last Easter, according to figures compiled by the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Evangelization.

The stories of a few of those 150,000 will be told in an ABC-TV special slated to air on Easter, March 27.

“Come to the Water: The Adult Journey to Baptism” takes a look at people in the Archdiocese of Seattle who joined the church at last year’s Easter Vigil — including those with Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist and atheist backgrounds.

The hourlong special is broadcast at the discretion of ABC affiliates, so interested viewers should check local listings or call their ABC affiliate about its plans to air the program. The U.S. bishops’ Web site, www.usccb.org, will have posted in mid-March a list of ABC stations committed to airing the show.

The program will show parts of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults cer-

emony at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.

Those who are not yet baptized are called catechumens, while those who are already baptized in another Christian faith are called candidates. Candidates receive the other two sacraments of Christian initiation — confirmation and Eucharist — while catechumens receive the sacrament of baptism as well.

As catechumens are led to the cathedral’s baptismal font for baptism by immersion, “I take each of them by the hand and you can feel the different reaction,” said Archbishop Alex J. Brunett of Seattle. “You can feel people who are actually shaking, you know, and so excited, and some of them so tense because this has got to be a very big moment; they’ve really worked toward this moment.”

“Come to the Water” was produced

by New Group Media of South Bend, Ind., for the Catholic Communication Campaign.

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

March 4, 2005

around the diocese HAVE A STORY TO SHARE?

How are you living your faith beyond attending Mass, receiving the sacraments and other church activities? Do you have a unique way of sharing your Catholic faith with others? Are you willing to share your story with The Catholic News & Herald to help others? If so, please contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans at (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

March 4, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 13

in our schools

Lent project encourages reading, helps feed poor

Brave Bear returns home to Immaculata School HENDERSONVILLE — Halfway through Catholic Schools Week earlier this year, students at Immaculata School in Hendersonville welcomed home an old friend.

Brave Bear, a tall ceramic bear in Native American dress, made his unexpected return to the school Feb. 2.

The journey of Brave Bear began last year, when the students were studying Native Americans. As the students covered the gym walls with posters about Indian tribes, one parent and artist, Rhoda Shipman, was inspired to paint the bear she dubbed “Brave Bear.”

But Brave Bear moved away before he met the students.

For months, he stood on a downtown sidewalk as part of a public art display. The bears were later auctioned off to a local antiques store, and most of the proceeds went to charity.

But for Catholic Schools Week Jan.

Courtesy Photo Ginger Quarles

Kindergarten students at Immaculata School in Hendersonville stand with Rhonda Shipman, the artist who crafted Brave Bear.

31-Feb. 4, Jane Asher, the shop owner, brought Brave Bear back to the school.

As the students gathered in the gym, Brave Bear stood on stage with a sheet covering his head.

“How many of you remember Brave Bear?” asked parent Ansley Leitner.

Hands shot up. When the sheet

was removed, the students cheered, much to Asher’s delight.

“They really wanted him, and I’m really happy he’s got a good home,” said Asher.

Scott Parrott of the Hendersonville Times-News contributed to this story.

HIGH POINT — For the second year, the Lenten project at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point encourages reading and helps reduce the problem of hunger and poverty.

Students in all eight grades are involved in Heifer International’s Read to Feed reading incentive program, in which the students each set reading goals, log their progress and get sponsors to pledge money per the number of hours or books read. At the end of the program, students collect donations and turn them in to their teachers.

Teachers and students then use a special catalog to “purchase” livestock for struggling families in the United States and other countries who have limited resources and are in need of ongoing sources of income. Each “purchase” is symbolic and represents a contribution to the entire program. The animals help families move away from poverty and toward self-reliance.

In return, the families are required to pass on the good deed by giving one of their animal’s offspring to another family living in poverty, thus setting off a chain reaction of positive, lasting change.

Last year the school raised more than $5,000 for the project.

Students working to save manatees

HIGH POINT — Fifth-graders at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point have a chance to be parents to Florida manatees.

Through the Save the Manatee Club, students can donate money to adopt manatees and learn more about the importance of saving endangered species.

Last year’s fifth-graders at Immaculate Heart of Mary School adopted 12 manatees; this year’s goal is to top that amount.

Donations will be pooled to adopt as many of these creatures as possible; $20 gets a student his or her own manatee.

Adoption lasts for one year and students will “check in” on their manatees several times via a Web site, www.savethemanatee.org.

Manatees are large aquatic mammals whose closest land relatives are the elephant and the hyrax, a small, gophersized mammal. The average adult manatee is almost 10 feet long and weights between 800 and 1,200 pounds.

Because manatees are often found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas, many manatee mortalities are human-related and occur from collisions with watercraft.

For more information, or to make a donation, contact fifth-grade teacher Meredith Chandler at the school at

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

March 4, 2005

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

The teaching moment Catholics have opportunity to enlighten the world

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS guest columnist

individual reporters were out to get the church when all of the reporting was focused on the sin and crime of sex abuse. But the ongoing coverage of the pope’s health has been far more positive.

This is not to say that the faltering health of the Holy Father is good news. But it is a good thing when we read and hear stories of people in prayer and the amazing resiliency of the Holy Father. These stories reinforce the faithful and perhaps introduce the church to many who are seeking faith. Both stories also show that when the church faces a crisis, it turns first to prayer.

As the events unfold in Rome, all of us are going to be in a spotlight.

This is still a mission diocese; there are a lot of people who have legitimate questions about our church. When asked, we should use the questions as an opportunity to teach, to talk about our faith or the power of prayer, or even the connection between the Holy Father and Jesus Christ through the appointment of St. Peter. The list could go on.

A television reporter, a nonCatholic, who was earnestly trying to understand how Catholics feel about the Holy Father’s declining health, recently interviewed me. She asked me, “Are Catholics praying for the pope?”

“Of course,” I answered. “In addition to private prayers, we pray for the Holy Father twice during every Mass, once during the Intercessions and later in the Eucharistic prayer.” “ W h a t d o e s p r aye r d o ? ” she asked.

It is a brief question that begs for a long answer. But from experience I know that television reporters don’t have time for an answer longer than about eight seconds. I paused and prayed for a worthwhile response.

“Prayer makes the world a better place,” I said.

The reporter smiled; the sure sign of a teaching moment.

David Hains in director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Contact him at dwhains@charlottediocese.

My telephone rang at 6:40 in the morning recently. Taking calls at odd hours is part of my job. Lately I’ve been getting a lot of them.

Was this the call I’ve been dreading? The one where a reporter gives me some bad news about the pope?

The caller was a reporter — the pope was back in the hospital. Can I give a short interview about what it all means to the Catholics of the Diocese of Charlotte? A few minutes later another reporter calls, and then another.

Thanks to the Internet, bad news encircles the globe in an instant. Often it can be summarized in a single word — “illness,” “tsunami,” “earthquake.” Then the news media begins its repetition of the facts that are combined with analysis, comment and background information. The calls from reporters are invariably cordial and they represent a great opportunity to step up to the megaphone that is the media and talk about the Catholic Church.

The same people who were calling a year ago to talk about the sex scandal are calling again. This time it is about the condition of the Holy Father. Oddly, as news stories go, the health of the Holy Father and the sex scandals have a few things in common. Both stories commanded a great deal of attention and both present us with what I like to call a “teaching moment” — an opportunity to enlighten a friend, a co-worker or anyone who asks you a question with an answer that is faith based.

In the sex scandal, we learned that an institution as mighty as the Catholic Church can falter, just as we humans do, and when it does it must seek forgiveness. The papal health crisis teaches us that we have a pope who demonstrates the triumph of the spirit over the weakening flesh of advancing age, and there are a great many nonCatholics who love and respect John Paul II. The media is officially neutral on the value of any story. It may seem like news organizations and

Pope says Africans must work together to build continent’s future

by CINDY WOODEN catholic news service

Editor’s note: Due to the pope’s hospitalization, there is no coverage this week of his weekly audience.

VATICAN CITY — In a message signed before he went into the hospital, Pope John Paul II said the future peace, stability and development of Africa depend on the ability of Africans to work together.

The pope said that in calling for a new Synod of Bishops for Africa he hoped to “deepen and prolong” the energy and commitment African Catholics brought to the church and society following the first African synod, which was held in 1994.

Pope John Paul announced in November that he was convoking a new synod, although he did not announce a date for the gathering. Generally synods take several years to prepare.

The pope’s letter to the synod planning committee was dated Feb. 23, the day before he was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he underwent a tracheotomy to relieve breathing difficulties.

The text of the pope’s message was released Feb. 25 by the Vatican.

“I rejoice at the commitment of

The Pope Speaks POPE JOHN PAUL II

numerous faithful in the urgent work of evangelization and to social development in the continent’s countries,” the pope said.

But more needs to be done to face the “terrible scourges” of “armed conflict, persistent poverty, diseases and their devastating consequences — beginning with the social drama of AIDS — widespread insecurity and corruption,” the pope said.

“To build a prosperous and stable society, Africa needs all its children and their joint efforts,” he said.

The pope prayed that African Catholics would become clear witnesses for their neighbors of how much can be accomplished with commitment, generosity and sacrifice.

‘Hands of Christ’ working in many Reaching DSA goal will benefit parishes, people St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out unto the world.

Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless his people.”

These words of St. Teresa of Avila are just as true today as they were in her day, as we bring to a close this initial phase of the 2005 Diocesan Support Appeal, themed “We are the hands of Christ.” The ministries funded through DSA contributions are the outreach ministries that touch the lives of thousands of people here in our diocese. They are ways of reaching out to our brothers and sisters in faith with compassion, good works and blessings.

As we approach Appeal Sunday, March 13, the DSA is almost halfway to the goal of $3,950,000. A total of $1,929,086 has been received in pledges from 8,088 donors during the month of February. Thirty-two parishes have pledges exceeding 50 percent of their target amount.

The in-pew effort on Appeal Sunday often results in more than half of our parishes reaching their assessed goal. Any money received over the parish goal is returned to the parish for its own use.

Each year, during the DSA, I hear of many ways the appeal has touched people’s lives. The catechumens and candidates in my own parish felt a great sense of belonging to the universal Catholic Church when they attended the rite of

Guest Column BARBARA GADDY guest columnist

election, under the direction of the RCIA Commission of Office of Faith Formation.

Parishioners at St. Joseph Church in Asheboro benefited from the Lenten reflections and evening of prayer led by Frank Villaronga, director of evangelization in the diocese. The seniors of the diocese are already looking forward to the “Spring Fling,” under the direction of Sandra Breakfield, director of diocesan Elder Ministry. A young engaged couple spoke of the many ways their marriage will be enhanced thanks to their participation in Catholic Social Services Marriage Preparation.

These are just a few of the ways a DSA-funded ministry has made a difference in the lives of our parishioners.

By the time the DSA comes to a close at the end of 2005, nearly 20,000 parishioners will know what it means to be the hands of Christ through a gift to the appeal. More importantly, over 100,000 people will know what it means to receive help from someone who serves as the hands of Christ.

Barbara Gaddy is associate director of development for the Diocese of Char-

The Catholic News & Herald 15

March 4, 2005

Holy Week is about ‘unclogging the It seems to me that “repentance” has been the key word for the whole season of Lent, and it reaches its apex during the Holy Week, which is by all standards the most important week of the year.

We have heard many times during our liturgical prayers, “If you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.” The voice of the Lord calling to repentance, therefore, must have an answer by unclogging the arteries rather than going on with the hardness of heart. Sometimes, we are unaware of our stony hearts by being agnostics or non-authentic, by being Mr. or Mrs. Perfect, by being mercenaries rather than volunteers.

The word “agnostic” means somebody who does not know or somebody who claims he or she does not know.

The early church suffered a great deal about this illness that plagued society for many centuries and there is still some “left-over” today. One of the claims of the agnostic people was that Jesus was not real and once they acquired that knowledge, they could live as they pleased and do anything they cared to do. The result of this mess was a very low standard of morality and values.

We know by experience that “if anything goes, nothing comes.” Then authenticity comes into play. If we

Guest Column FATHER JOHN AURILIA, OFM Cap.

claim to be Jesus’ followers walking in the light of love, but our lifestyle does not really reflect this, we are liars, as the Apostle John bluntly wrote.

We cannot ignore our brothers and sisters, whom we see, and pretend to love God, whom we don’t see. The cost of discipleship is not free nor is the gift of God. It does not mean that we buy the gift or we bribe God for it.

It simply means we must meet certain requirements to receive his free gift.

The other John (the Baptist) tells us that repentance is a change of heart; in modern understanding, we talk about heart-transplant or bypass surgery. The problem with some of us is that we never can get the business of repentance started because we may see ourselves as Mr. or Mrs. Perfect.

Not by accident, Jesus uttered the harshest words to the so-called “religious people.” And yet he has the good

news for the same people: I have come to lift the heavy burden you are carrying into your worship experience.

I have come to lift the heavy burden you are carrying into your relationship with God and one another.

Not the external letter of the law, but the spirit “within” should be the basis of our approach to God and others. Therefore, change, turn, unclog your arteries and open the flow of love and grace. It’s OK to change the status quo into the status fidei.

The New Testament, speaking of the “hardness of heart,” refers to the Greek mentality, which believed that the heart was the center of our being, not the brain. The truth is that we may physically have a very healthy heart and a very weak mind. Jesus goes to the heart of the matter: He goes to our thinking and our feeling.

Repentance basically is “change.”

We know that change cannot be forced on us. Forced repentance, forced love, forced forgiveness are contradictions in terms. The genuine followers of Christ are volunteers and lovers. You are not perfect, neither am I, so let’s make the best of our flaws!

Capuchin Father Aurilia is pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.

Free speech in church

Sermon content should be protected for religious freedom affected them, because the amendment said that tax-exempt groups could not intervene in political campaigns.

This amendment to the tax code was inserted without hearings or debate; it was done literally within a few minutes.

Now, many bishops, priests and ministers are confused and intimidated about “preaching about politics,” to the point that some church attorneys even gave legal advice in the last election cycle saying that churches should not quote the president talking about the “Culture of Life,” because, after all, he was running for re-election.

A piece of legislation has be re-introduced in Congress to restore some sanity to the situation. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (HR 235) will protect the contents of the sermons and religious teachings delivered in our nation’s churches by insuring that such content does not become the basis for challenging a church’s tax-exempt status.

Freedom of speech is a bedrock of our republic. It takes on an even greater dimension when considered in the context of churches. Those who preach and teach the Word of God are carrying out a mission not given to them by an earthly authority, but rather entrusted to them by the King of kings and Lord of lords.

If a priest or minister is preaching the Word of God, would you agree that he should be free in this country to say what needs to be said in order to apply that Word of God to the circumstances of our times?

That’s exactly what Martin Luther King, Jr. thought, and he said this the night before he was assassinated: “It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee.”

The Second Vatican Council also defended the freedom of the preacher in these words in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: “... At all times and in all places, the Church should have the true freedom to teach the faith, to proclaim its teaching about society, to carry out its task among men without hindrance, and to pass moral judgment even in matters relating to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it” (GS 76).

But in 1954, this freedom was threatened when Lyndon Johnson introduced an amendment into the tax code to protect himself from anticommunist groups that were threatening his re-election. Johnson was not targeting churches, but his action

Guest Column FATHER FRANK PAVONE guest columnist

The content of a sermon or religious teaching, therefore, has to be protected in order to insure that religion can be freely and properly exercised, that the preacher can fulfill the sacred duties to which he is solemnly committed, and that the congregation can receive the clear and robust teaching of their religion, free of distortion, dilution, or apology.

That’s why each of us should contact our representative in Congress and urge support for HR 235, the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act. Father Frank Pavone is national director of Priests for Life.

Clarification of response to laicization Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN cns columnist

Q. I was offended by the tone of your recent response to “What does laicization mean?” You said the laicization process is “designed to protect the rights of everyone — any victims, the offenders and other Catholics or members of civil society.”

This is a loaded statement that makes the popular assumption that all laicized priests are wicked abusers. You didn’t mention that a priest can be laicized after walking away from the priesthood for a number of reasons which do not involve abuse.

As the daughter of a laicized priest who left the priesthood in the tumultuous 1960s, I can say you should have thought harder before responding in such a cold way. After 30 years away, he returned to the church, goes to Mass almost daily and prays for himself, family and friends, the church and other priests. You should be added to his list. (Missouri) A. Perhaps you didn’t notice that the questioner in that column specifically asked about a priest who is “laicized because of grievous offenses against Catholic law.” I took, that, as it seems you did also, as referring especially to the current scandals of sexual abuse by priests. The response I gave was in that context.

It is worth noting, however, that several possible circumstances may explain a priest’s being dismissed from the clerical state, or laicized. Some are punishments for wrongdoing, but others involve dismissal with the priest’s own consent or at his request.

Canon law provides that dismissal from the clerical state may occur through a declaration that the ordination was invalid (similar to the declaration of nullity of a marriage); it may be imposed as a penalty; or it may be granted for “most grave causes” to priests who request it (No. 290).

As you say about your father, it is rash to judge Catholic priests who left the ministry, especially in this third way. Many are living full, active and faithful Catholic lives. It is a mistake to assume otherwise.

Questions for this column should be sent to Father John Dietzen, Box 3315, Peoria, Ill. 61612, or email jjdietzen@ aol.com.

March 4, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 16

PARISH PROFILE

Family of faith: St. Joseph Church serves Catholics in Catawba St. Joseph Church 720 West 13th St. Newton, N.C. 28658 (828) 464-9207 Vicariate: Hickory Pastor: Father James Collins Permanent Deacons: Deacon Scott Gilfillan, Deacon George McMahon Number of Households: 500

Father James Collins

Photo by George Cobb

St. Joseph Church in Newton has served Catholics in Catawba County for more than 30 years.

The congregation turned the tragedy into an opportunity for rebuilding, improving and enlarging the church. The sanctuary was expanded and classrooms were added to alleviate overcrowding.

During the 13-month rebuilding project, Mass was celebrated in the parish hall. The newly renovated church saw its first celebration of Mass on Holy Thursday in April. Then-Bishop William G. Curlin rededicated the church on June 15, 2003.

In June 2004, the Alma Mae Hoover Carpenter and Charles Harold Carpenter Endowment Fund for the Benefit of St.

Joseph Parish was established through the Foundation for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Interest generated from the $200,000 endowment, donated by parishioner Charles Carpenter, assists in non-budgeted needs of the parish.

Although it is less than 30 years old, St. Joseph Church is the product of decades of Catholicism’s presence in western North Carolina. From its beginnings as a mission church to a thriving parish community today, it has proven to be an active family of faith.

NEWTON — In the late 1800s, Catholic priests visited the Hickory area to do missionary work. They continued to celebrate Mass periodically until 1928, when Benedictine priests began celebrating weekly Masses in Hickory’s St. Aloysius Church.

While Catholics in Catawba County had been gathering to attend Mass from time to time for almost a century, it took until 1965 for land to be purchased on which to build a mission church in Newton.

During the early 1970s, Msgr.

Eugene Livelsberger, then-pastor of St. Aloysius Church, saw the Catholic population in his Catawba County region grow. In 1977, ground was broken to begin construction on a new church in Newton, which was dedicated in October 1978.

Then-Bishop Michael J. Begley served as celebrant of the dedication Mass of St. Joseph Church, after which Msgr.

Livelsberger and his pastoral associate, Father John Murray, continued to offer Mass for Catholics in Newton. The new Catholic Church received a warm welcome, as its mortgage had been paid in full even before that first Mass was celebrated.

Although established as a mission church of St. Aloysius Church, St. Joseph experienced rapid growth. Bishop Begley, in turn, installed Father John Hoover as its first resident priest in December 1979, thereby granting parish status to St. Joseph Church.

The parish quickly turned its attention to expanding outreach efforts.

The pastoral council voted to build a parish center for faith formation and social activities. Named Holy Family Hall, it was completed in the fall of 1982.

St. Joseph Church has continued to welcome all seeking to share in the Lord’s grace. Father Richard Hokanson was pastor from 1991 to 1997.

Father Gordon Pillon served as administrator from 1997 to 1999.

Father James Collins assumed the pastorate of St. Joseph Church in 1999.

Community is a staple of the Newton church. In addition to a variety of active parish commissions, St. Joseph parishioners volunteer their time to such efforts as Knights of Columbus; Prime Timers, a retiree group; and youth and Hispanic ministries.

With Deacon Scott Gilfillan’s direction, the parish has become active in prison ministry.

Trained parishioners also are involved in a ministry to the sick.

Community outreach programs include support of such organizations as Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, The Corner Table soup kitchen and the Pregnancy Care Center.

The parish strongly illustrated its embrace of ecumenism in October 1996 when St. Joseph Church celebrated five years of dialogue with Beth Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church. The festivities included the signing of a historical covenant between the two churches, outlining an agreement to work together toward unity as they approached the millennium.

That relationship continues today as both churches continue to work together for Christian unity. This past January, Bishop Peter J. Jugis went to St. Joseph Church to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service along with representatives of Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Church of Christ churches.

St. Joseph Church experienced a devastating fire on Feb. 28, 2002, the result of a candle left burning in the church’s chapel.

While the majority of the structural, mechanical and electrical damage was contained to the chapel, the sanctuary received extensive smoke damage.