April 15, 2005

April 15, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Year of the Eucharist

Mystery of the Mass, Part 13; plenary indulgence; Scout Eucharist patches

| Page 7

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI April 15, 2005

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

vOLUME 14

no. 27

The world says goodbye Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The conclave to elect the new pontiff begins Monday, April 18.

Here in the Diocese of Charlotte, let us unite our prayers to the prayers of the Universal Church, in supplication to the Holy Spirit for a new Shepherd.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Rev. Peter J. Jugis, J.C.D. Bishop of Charlotte

Prayer for the Conclave Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

World gathers at churches, TVs during pope’s funeral in Event gathers together interreligious, political leaders

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE ROME — People worldwide gathered in churches and in front of TVs as Pope John Paul II’s funeral was celebrated in Rome.

In addition to being attended by dozens of interreligious leaders, the April 8 funeral of Pope John Paul II may have marked his last diplomatic coup when more than 200 heads of state and government delegates — some bitter adversaries — came together to pay their last by

See FUNERAL, page 9

More Coverage page 8 I Bishop Jugis to celebrate Masses for new pope’s election page 9 I Transition time offers good lessons for young people

CNS photo from Reuters

Monarchs, heads of state and other dignitaries attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 8.

Let us pray.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord God, You are the eternal shepherd and guide. In your mercy grant your Church a shepherd who will walk in your ways and whose watchful care will bring us your blessing.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen One: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be.

‘With the Lord’

Terri Schindler Schiavo remembered at Mass Priests, laity reflect on Terri’s impact, struggle for life

by LOIS KINDLE catholic news service

GULFPORT, Fla. — On the surface, the Mass seemed much like any Catholic

funeral celebration.

Eight priests and two deacons processed to the altar, which was covered with lilies and other flowers. A chorus lifted its voice in praise; the faithful were somber, respectful and reflective. Many prayed rosaries. Tears flowed freely.

See TERRI, page 5

CNS photo from Reuters

Bobby Schindler, brother of Terri Schindler Schiavo, raises a Purple Heart from a Vietnam veteran at his sister’s memorial Mass in Gulfport, Fla., April 5.

Culture Watch

Defending the bond

Perspectives

TV’s ‘Revelations’; six new books about/by pope

Tribunal defender reflects on 30 years of service

Thoughts on Terri Schiavo, the pope; theology on tap

| Pages 10-11

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| Pages 14-15

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

April 15, 2005

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

Unborn Victims of Violence Act signed into law in West Virginia WHEELING, W.Va. (CNS) — A law making it a separate crime to injure an unborn child drew praise from the bishop of West Virginia’s only Catholic diocese.

Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston congratulated the state Legislature for passing the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and praised Gov. Joe Manchin for signing it.

“The passage of this law could not have come at a better time than the Easter season, with its promise of new life,” said Bishop Bransfield after Manchin signed the bill March 28.

The law establishes that an unborn child may be a separate and distinct victim in certain violent crimes against a pregnant woman. If an unborn child is injured or killed during particular crimes, the assailant may also be charged with that offense on behalf of the child.

It passed both houses of the legisla-

Uncommon bond

Diocesan planner CNS photo by Cathy Joyce, Catholic Herald

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

Dan and Terri Haverty share a moment with Bishop William K. Weigand of Sacramento, Calif., during a March 28 press conference, where it was announced Dan Haverty would give part of his liver to Bishop Weigand.

The 67-year-old bishop needed the transplant because he suffers from primary sclerosing cholangitis. An uncommon progressive liver disease, it causes scarring near the liver that affects the organ’s function.

ASHEVILLE — The St. Martin De Porres Dominican Laity Chapter meets the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the rectory building at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. Inquirers are welcome. For more information, contact Beverly Reid at (423) 6338-4744 or bebereid@adelphia.net.

Bishop Weigand, donor recovering from liver transplant surgery

HENDERSONVILLE — The St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order meets the fourth Sunday of each month 2:304:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. West. Visitors and inquirers are welcome. For more information, call Joanita Nellenbach, SFO, (828) 627-9209 or jnell@ dnet.net.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) — Bishop William K. Weigand of Sacramento and Dan Haverty, the El Dorado Hills parishioner who donated two-thirds of his liver to the bishop, are recuperating from successful liver transplant surgery performed April 1 at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.

Both Bishop Weigand and Haverty were in fair condition as of April 7 and following the usual postoperative course, said Lynette Magnino, director of communications for the Sacramento Diocese.

“There were no surprises in the surgery and no complications,” she said.

Haverty, assistant chief of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and a member of Holy Trinity Parish, was released from the hospital April 9, according to his wife, Terri. She has been by her husband’s side since he checked in March 31.

Terri Haverty said her husband and Bishop Weigand have been visiting each day.

“That gives Dan tremendous bursts of encouragement to keep plugging away. That keeps us going,” she said.

“The bishop looks great, his eyes are bright and his smile is sweet. We are

highly motivated to go home and life will go on, but with a whole new sense of what life really means.”

Steve Turner, public information officer for the fire district, visited with the Havertys April 5. He said the “entire fire department family” will be supporting the Havertys during Dan’s recovery.

“Dan’s an extremely giving individual,” Turner said. “To donate part of his body to help the bishop is so consistent with Dan’s nature and the man I know and respect.”

The bishop received about 70 percent of Haverty’s liver during a six-and-ahalf-hour operation, directed by Dr. John Roberts, chief of transplantation surgery at the hospital.

Roberts said that because the bishop’s liver had been seriously damaged by primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease he has had for the past 24 years, liver transplantation from a living donor proved to be a good option.

Living liver donors save the lives of the recipients and help make the waiting list shorter for others in need of a liver transplant, Roberts noted.

“However, if there were enough organs donated after death, we would not need to risk the life of a healthy person,”

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 — Theology on Tap will meet at Pepperoni’s Pizza in Park Road Shopping Center, 4267 Park Rd; Tuesdays in April, at 6:30 p.m. The theme for the sessions will be “Uncorking the Truth About God, Sex, and the Sanctity of Life” and will feature Father Timothy Reid, Cindy Brown, Dr. Matt Harrison and Abbott Placid Solari as speakers. For more information, contact Catrina Conway at

ture by overwhelming majorities. It will become state law on July 1.

Bishop Bransfield commended Manchin for signing the bill and for his support of pro-life initiatives in West Virginia.

With the signing of the bill known as “Christy and Ashley’s Law,” West Virginia joins 30 other states with similar laws. It is named for Christy and Ashley Alberts.

Christy Alberts was almost nine months pregnant when she was shot and killed. The baby, whom she had named Ashley Nicole, also died.

At the signing ceremony, Melissa Adkins, legislative coordinator of West Virginians for Life, said “for far too long, gaps in West Virginia law have denied justice to families who have had their unborn children killed or injured at the hands of a criminal.”

The bill exempts abortion, acts by the mother, medical treatment and research from prosecution.

(704) 632-8620.

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) 5365049 if you are interested in celebrating Charlotte Catholic High School’s 50th anniversary.

HUNTERSVILLE — Women’s Catholic Scripture Study meets Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. The class will focus on the book of Exodus and will meet through May 2005. For details, call the church office at (704) 948-0231.

HUNTERSVILLE — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer ministry comprised of St. Mark Church parishioners who have lost babies before of shortly after birth. Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. For details, call Sandy Buck at (704) 948-4587.

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) 541-1891 after 3 p.m.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap will meet April 20 and 27 at Coopers Ale House 5340 West Market St. For more information, e-mail greensborotot@yahoo.com.

APRIL 15, 2005 Volume 14 • Number 27

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.

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.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

April 15, 2005

FROM THE VATICAN

As church prepares for conclave, doors close to no-interview policy soon after their daily meetings began April 4.

Father Reese said that while the decision was disappointing it was not a complete surprise.

The cardinals were “quite aware that as soon as he was buried the story was going to change, and it was going to be about who’s the leading candidate, about conflict and division, which is the kind of press they don’t want,” he said.

Judging by the rules Pope John Paul revised in 1996 for the next conclave, he would probably have agreed with the media ban. He mentioned the need for secrecy 17 times and provided that well before the conclave begins each cardinal take an oath promising not to divulge information about matters “in any way related to the election of the Roman pontiff.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — During a 10-day period surrounding the death of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican practiced a remarkable degree of openness and enjoyed overwhelmingly positive press coverage of the pope’s legacy and the church’s activities.

However, as the church prepared for one of its most secret events, the doors closed once again to journalists.

On April 9, the day after the pope’s funeral, the cardinals agreed not to give interviews, in order to concentrate more fully on prayer, reflection and private discussion before the start of the conclave April 18.

Many reporters who flew to Rome for the papal transition felt let down.

The abrupt halt in media contact had been in the cards for some time, however. Some cardinals pushed for a

GREENSBORO — Anyone currently unemployed or concerned about their present employment situation is invited to attend the Re-employment Support Group held in the Parish Life Center, Room 8, of St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. The group will meet April 28 and May 12 and 26, 7:30-9 p.m. For more information, call Colleen Assal, (294) 4696, ext. 226.

Anyone with knowledge of job opportunities is asked to call Colleen to share them with the group.

ministry comprised of Sacred Heart Church parishioners who have lost babies before of shortly after birth. Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. For details, call Renee Washington at (704) 637-0472 or Sharon Burges at (704) 633-0591.

GREENSBORO — If you have a special need for prayers, or would like to offer your time in prayer for others’ needs, please call the Prayer Chain at Our Lady of Grace Church. The Prayer Chain is a sizable group committed to praying for your needs and the needs of your family and friends on a daily basis. To request a prayer or to participate in the Prayer Chain, call the church office at (336) 274-6520, ext. 10 and leave your name, address and phone number.

HICKORY VICARIATE LENOIR — St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328B Woodwsay Ln. NW, will host Landings, an outreach program for those who have left the Catholic Church and are thinking of returning.

Landings will meet Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., through May 28. Anyone interested in participating should call the church office at (828) 754-5281.

NEWTON — The Little Flowers Catholic Girls’ Group is for all Catholic girls ages five and up.

The group meets the fourth Monday of each month at St. Joseph Church, 720 West 13th St., at 4 p.m. in the Holy Family Hall. For more details, call Debbie Vicker s at (828) 495-2039.

SALISBURY VICARIATE SALISBURY — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer

Episcopal

calendar

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops has granted an extension of the special U.S. church norms for dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy, a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesman said March 30.

“The life of the current norms has been extended until further action by the USCCB, which presumably will be in June,” said Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco, director of the USCCB’s communications department.

He did not elaborate, but such an extension had to come from the Congregation for Bishops, the office that originally granted a “recognitio,” or official Vatican approval, to the norms.

The “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” and the accompanying legal document, “Essential Norms for Diocesan-Eparchial Policies Dealing With Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons,” were originally approved by the U.S. bishops at their June 2002 meeting in Dallas.

After consultations with Vatican officials, the bishops adopted revisions

in the charter and norms in November 2002, and that December the Congregation for Bishops gave the “recognitio” necessary for the norms to take effect as church law in the United States.

The norms took effect for a twoyear period, beginning March 1, 2003.

When church laws or decrees have such an expiration date, it is common practice for the Vatican to grant an extension if work on a revision is still under way as the expiration date approaches.

A mixed commission of Vatican and U.S. church officials met at the Vatican Jan. 31-Feb. 1 to discuss possible revisions in the light of the past two years of experience with the norms. Any revisions must first be adopted by the bishops at a general meeting and then receive Vatican approval before they can become law.

Details of the commission’s meeting were not made public, but one participant told CNS at the time that the question was raised about extending the current norms until a revised version can be duly discussed and adopted.

The next general meeting of the U.S. bishops takes place June 15-18 in Chicago.

A pint or two

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE KERNERSVILLE — Holy Cross Church, 616 S. Cherry St., invites all Catholics who have been inactive, feel alienated or want to take another look at the Catholic Church to attend a series of sessions designed to address issue that have perhaps cause a feeling of estrangement. Re-Membering Church will meet Wednesdays, April 20 through May 25, following the 7 p.m. Mass For more information, call Juliann Demmond at (336) 996-7136.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Healing Companions is a grief support group for the bereaved that meets the first and third Thursdays of the month in conference room B at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. For further details, call Joanne Parcel at (336) 924-9478.

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@ charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

April 17 — 11 a.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville

April 21 — 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Spirit Church, Denver

April 19 Meeting with Catholic State Legislators Raleigh

April 23 — 4:30 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Ann Church, Charlotte

April 20 — 6 p.m. “Partners in Hope” Catholic Social Services Event Winston-Salem

Vatican extends U.S. sexual abuse norms

April 24 — Diocesan Youth Conference April 26 — 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation

Photo by Karen Evans

Gina Parsons of the finance department for the Diocese of Charlotte has her arm prepared to donate blood at the Pastoral Center in Charlotte April 6. The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas collected 11 pints of whole blood from diocesan employees and other volunteers at the Pastoral Center.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Alternative aspirations

University students spend spring break with Holy Angels BELMONT — A group of college students recently experienced a different kind of spring break this year.

Ten students from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., traded in the traditional vacation week for eight days of volunteer work at Holy Angels in Belmont March 4-11.

Organized by the university’s Catholic campus ministry, the students’ goals were to focus on helping others rather than to focus on themselves at the facility that provides services and programs to children and adults with varying degrees of mental retardation.

The “Spring Break Alternative” concept places teams of college students in communities to engage in service and experiential learning. In doing so, students are able to contribute to the community through their hard work. Many students have described the experience

April 15, 2005

Walking for a cause

as fundamentally life-changing.

At Holy Angels, the program offered the students a unique opportunity to work on several special projects, including PUSH Place, an outdoor area that features unique swing sets and play space. The students also spent time building relationships with Holy Angels residents and staff.

An ice cream social and program at Holy Angels wrapped up the students’ visit.

This was the third year James Madison University students have participated in the Spring Break Alternative Program at Holy Angels. Last year, students worked at Holy Angels’ Camp Hope facility, a camp specially designed for people with disabilities.

Holy Angels, a private, nonprofit corporation, was founded in 1956 by the Sisters of Mercy.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Hundreds of people participate in the 12th Annual Walk for AIDS, themed “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” through Belmont April 3. The three-mile walk raised awareness of the HIV/ AIDS problem in the region and funds for House of Mercy, a nonprofit residential facility for persons living with advanced AIDS. House of Mercy was founded in 1991 by the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont to provide housing and compassionate 24-hour care for low-income persons living with advanced AIDS. More than 200 men and women have made their home at House of Mercy, where physical, psychological and spiritual support is provided.

This year, women have made up 40 percent of the admissions to House of Mercy, the only facility of its type in the region.

Southern states, with a third of the United States population, account for approximately 46 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases. More than 2,000 new cases of HIV disease were reported to the N.C. Division of Public Health in 2003, representing the third consecutive year of increased reports.

Courtesy Photo

Students from James Madison University in Virginia spruce up PUSH Place at Holy Angels in Belmont as part of a weeklong Spring Break Alternative program in April.

April 15, 2005

in the news

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Many remember Terri Schiavo’s life, struggle TERRI, from page 1

Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo was commended to God April 5, as an estimated 700 people packed Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport.

Her body was not there, however.

Her husband, Michael Schiavo, had the body cremated April 2 and planned to bury the ashes in Pennsylvania.

The 41-year-old brain-damaged woman, known as Terri, died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed through a court order obtained by her husband.

Many people stood on the sidewalks outside the Gulfport church and listened over loudspeakers. Many in attendance had never met Terri Schiavo but were there to support her grieving family — her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler; her brother, Bobby; and her sister, Suzanne Vitadamo.

“There are a lot of people who have no hope for the handicapped,” said Marie Carroll of St. Patrick Church in Largo.

The woman said her experience as the mother of a 45-year-old mentally handicapped woman and what the Schindlers experienced has taught her greater compassion and love.

In his homily, Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said: “For so many people, going through this short and confusing life, the human story is birth, life and death. Beyond that, they cannot see,

room for the other,” he said.

Father Pavone spoke of the outpouring of love for Terri Schiavo from around the world, especially during the last few weeks of her life.

“God sends us people like Terri to remind us of the meaning of life,” he said.

“God calls us to go forth from this place and build a culture of life. God calls us to go forth from this place to ensure that Terri, who had such difficulty speaking, will speak louder than ever to this world.”

Bobby Schindler read a letter at the service from a man who had mailed Terri Schiavo a Purple Heart awarded for service in Vietnam. Dated March 29, the letter said, “Our prayers are unceasing ... our hearts are shattered by the great injustice suffered by Terri, you, America and God-loving people worldwide.”

“We believe that Terri suffered and was condemned to death by an act of domestic terrorism in the form of judicial homicide,” the letter added. The man, who remained anonymous, was shot in the head in Vietnam in 1965.

Vitadamo spoke of her love for her brother, her parents and her late sister.

Looking at her mother, she said softly, “You are the one I ache for the most. I’m so sorry your Terri is no longer with you.”

Bob and Mary Schindler wanted media coverage but insisted the press be confined to an area away from the church. Neither were reporters permitted into the center where two public receptions were held.

“Sometimes grief has to happen away

Above: Elizabeth Steel, Taryn Allin and Sara Rodriguez protest in favor of restoring Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube during a rally in front of the White House in Washington March 28. The 41-year-old brain-damaged woman died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed under a court order granted to her husband, Michael Schiavo.

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Right: Members of the media cover an April 5 Mass celebrated in remembrance of Terri Schiavo.

Nearly 700 people overflowed Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport, Fla., for the service planned by her parents and siblings.

from the lens of the media,” said Father Bill Svengros, pastor.

“They (Bob and Mary Schindler) are remarkable people. They have great faith in the Lord and certain hope in the resurrection,” said Father Svengros. “When I talk with them, there’s no sign of any sort of bitterness or rancor, but one of really a humble trust in the Lord.”

He said the Schindlers had not discussed the cremation of Terri’s body with him.

“As Catholics, we believe her soul is with God, and in tonight’s liturgy ... we entrust her to God. We pray for our sister, and we pray for ourselves, for those of us who are left behind. But whether her body is cremated or whether it’s present ... God’s not limited in

CNS photo by Ed Foster Jr.

and beyond that, they have no hope.”

But for Christians, he said, the story is life, death and resurrection. They know the grief they feel at the passing of a loved one will be transformed into joy, he said.

“We join with Terri’s parents tonight in thanking God for the gift of her life,” said Father Pavone. Looking directly at the Schindlers, he then added, “We are with you.”

The meaning of life and happiness, he said, is never found in throwing other people out of the way. “It is found when we push ourselves out of the way and make

6 The Catholic News & Herald

EASTER SPIRIT

April 15, 2005

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo by Regina Miller

Bishop Peter J. Jugis stands with eighth-grade students at St. Michael School in Gastonia after the bishop celebrated Mass at the school March 23, the last day of classes before the Easter break.

Abbot Patrick Shelton, pastor of St. James Church in Hamlet, washes the feet of parishioner Paul Kuebler during a Holy Thursday Mass March 24.

Courtesy Photo

Kindergarteners at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem show off their homemade Easter bonnets in March. Each year, the school holds an Easter parade before Easter Sunday in which the students march through the school and neighborhood while wearing their bonnets and singing Easter songs.

Courtesy Photo

Faith formation students in kindergarten through fifth-grade gathered with their families at Holy Spirit Church in Denver to take part in a Seder meal March 20. To help the students and families more fully understand the symbolic food and actions of the Last Supper meal, the children tasted bitter herbs, haroset and matzah; said blessings before each of four glasses of “wine” (juice); and discussed the hardships the Hebrew slaves endured.

To show they wanted to belong to Jesus, the students cut leaves with their names on them and attached them to a vine running along a bulletin board. Helping to wash and dry one another’s hands illustrated the need for Catholics to serve others as Jesus showed.

April 15, 2005

year of the eucharist

The Catholic News & Herald 7

The Synagogue and Plenary indulgence during the Year of the Eucharist the Temple Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, Part 13 Last month, we completed the Liturgy of the Word, the first of the two main parts of the Mass. Before moving to the second part of the Mass, we would do well to review what we have learned in our examination of the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

The first principal point that we discovered is that the Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer precisely because it is the perfect worship of God the Father by the Son; the Mass is the sacrificial selfoffering of Jesus Christ, the high priest, to the Father on our behalf.

As members of Christ’s mystical body, we participate in his perfect worship of the Father. His prayer becomes our prayer. And so the Mass teaches us how to pray and provides for us the basic elements of prayer.

As we inspected the Introductory Rites of the Mass, we proceeded through the Penitential Rite, the Kyrie Eleison, the Gloria and finally the Opening Collect or Prayer. We learned that prayer has the following pattern: humility and repentance, praise and adoration, and petition and supplication. The Introductory Rites move us through these elements of prayer.

But there is also a further and perhaps more significant element of prayer: receptivity, listening to the voice of God. Therefore, the Mass proceeds directly to the Liturgy of the Word, where we have the opportunity to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd leading us to eternal truth and life.

We saw that the Liturgy of the Word incorporates the Old Testament and the New Testament, combines the foundation of Judaism with the fulfillment of Christianity.

We also learned that the Liturgy of the Word impels us to respond. The homily or sermon given by the bishop, priest or deacon is the first formal response to the Word of God with the purpose of increasing faith. Then, all the faithful respond by professing the faith of the Catholic Church, which then leads us to pray on behalf of the church for the salvation of the world in the General Intercessions. These prayers conclude the Liturgy of the Word.

But before moving on to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, it is very important to note the historical and liturgical foundation for the Mass. The Mass is not merely a Christian invention or innovation. The New Testament rests upon the Old Testament. The family tree of Christianity has Judaism as its roots.

The Liturgy of the Word is the Christian fulfillment of the Jewish synagogue. In the synagogue, the Jews would listen to the proclamation of sacred Scripture, principally the Torah or the Law and the Prophets. The rabbi would then interpret and explain the Scriptures. The first Christians, in fact, would attend both the synagogue as well as the Mass until it became clearer that Christianity fulfilled Judaism and became the new way.

Guest Column Father Matthew Buettner guest columnist

As the Liturgy of the Word is the fulfillment of the Jewish synagogue, so also the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the fulfillment of the Jewish temple.

In the temple in Jerusalem, live animal sacrifices were offered to God on behalf of mankind. Blood was shed as a gift, an offering, a sacrifice that symbolically represented the sacrifice of man. Life was offered for life, blood for blood, the external sacrifice of an animal representing the internal sacrifice of man.

As we discover in the Old Testament, these animal sacrifices were unable to take away sin and offer life to man. And so God sent his own son into the world. As God, he offered the one, true, eternal sacrifice of his life to the Father; as man, he offered his life on our behalf. Life was offered for life, blood for blood, but this time, Christ’s sacrifice was efficacious in redeeming the world from evil, sin and death.

And so we see that the holy sacrifice of the Mass unites the Jewish synagogue with the Jewish temple, the Word of God with the work of salvation, the Liturgy of the Word with the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Next week we will begin to look at the Liturgy of the Eucharist as we examine the three principal movements: offering, consecration and Communion.

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

WANT PREVIOUS COLUMNS? Father Buettner’s “Mystery of the Mass” series is available online at

Q. We’re told that a plenary indulgence may be gained in the Year of the Eucharist, announced by Pope John Paul II. How does one gain this indulgence? (Florida)

A. Two plenary indulgences may be gained during 2005, the Year of the Eucharist, by participating attentively and piously in a sacred function in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, whether exposed or in the tabernacle. Clergy, religious and others may gain the indulgence by reciting Evening and Night Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours before the Blessed Sacrament.

The usual conditions for plenary indulgences apply: reception of the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist, freedom from attachment to sin and prayer for the intentions of the pope.

The sick and others who cannot get to church may make the visit to the Blessed Sacrament in their hearts, and recite the Our Father and the Creed,

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN cns columnist

with an invocation to Jesus in the Eucharist (Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Dec. 25, 2004).

A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about the sacrament of penance is available by sending a stamped selfaddressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 3315, Peoria, Ill. 61612.

Questions may be sent to Father Dietzen at the same address, or e-mail: jjdietzen@ aol.com.

Orders for Scout Eucharist patch increase after pope’s CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE DODGE CITY, Kan. — Since Pope John Paul II died April 2, the Catholic Committee on Scouting in the Diocese of Dodge City has been overwhelmed with orders for its Year of the Eucharist Scout patch, according to Tim Wenzl, religious emblems coordinator.

“I see Scouts earning this patch as a tribute to Pope John Paul II,” said Wenzl.

“The Holy Father proclaimed this special year to draw emphasis on the Eucharist. Scouts meeting the requirements and earning this patch will long remember that the pope died during the Year of the Eucharist,” he said.

“They are responding to the Holy Father’s call to understand the importance of the Eucharist in our Catholic faith,” said Wenzl.

Pope John Paul II announced last June that a year of special emphasis on the Eucharist would be held in the church from October 2004 to October of this year.

According to Wenzl, the purpose of by

the religious activity patch program is to assist Scouts in better understanding Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist, the Mass as his sacrifice and the importance of eucharistic adoration. To earn the badge, there are different requirements for Scouts in first through fifth grades and sixth through 12th grades, and for adult leaders.

The patch was created this year by the Diocese of Dodge City’s Catholic Committee on Scouting. It is believed to be the only religious emblem program of this type in the country.

This religious patch program is selfadministered. The requirements, to be checked by adult leaders or parents, should be completed before ordering patches.

The requirements must be completed before the end of October. Patches may be limited, so participants are urged to reserve patches prior to undertaking the requirements by sending an e-mail to Wenzl at twenzl@dcdiocese.org, or by calling (620) 227-1556.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

April 15, 2005

remembering a pontiff

Bishop Jugis to celebrate Masses for election of pope by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

George Cobb (right), director of planning for the Diocese of Charlotte, and David Hains, communications director, hang bunting over the entrance to the diocesan Pastoral Center in Charlotte April 4 as a sign of mourning for the pope’s death.

CHARLOTTE — As 115 cardinals under the age of 80 gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope, many people around the world are gathering to pray for them and the man they choose as Pope John Paul II’s successor.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate daily Mass for the election of a pope. The Masses will be held at 12:10 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte beginning Monday, April 18, the start date of the conclave, until the conclave is concluded.

With the exception of Monday’s schedule, which includes eucharistic adoration, vespers and Benediction, the remainder of the daily schedule is subject to change when a new pope is elected. At that time, said Bishop Jugis, diocesan celebrations of thanksgiving will be scheduled.

A meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope is a conclave. The word — from the Latin “cum clave” (with key) — means under lock and key.

In 1268, cardinals couldn’t decide on a new pope. After nearly three years the people finally locked them up and cut their rations. The man elected, Pope Gregory X, ordered that in the future cardinals be sequestered from the start, and eventually the practice became standard practice.

The election of the next pope will be announced by the joyous ringing of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as the traditional white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican said April 5.

Want to Go? St. Patrick Cathedral is at 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte.

Monday: 12:10 p.m. Mass; 1-6 p.m. eucharistic adoration; followed by vespers and Benediction.

Tuesday-Friday: 12:10 p.m. Mass; 1-2 p.m. eucharistic adoration (subject to change upon election of a new pope — please call parish office at

Courtesy Photo by Donna Birkel

Student council officers at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem lead the student body in reciting a decade of the rosary in honor of Pope John Paul II every morning April 4-8.

Courtesy Photo

Mark Smith, a parishioner of St. Bernadette Church in Linville, embraces Pope John Paul II during the pope’s weekly general audience at the Vatican in 1998.

Courtesy Photo

Father Joseph Kelleher, a retired priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, celebrates Mass in memory of Pope John Paul II at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville April 8. A viewscreen behind the altar showcased a video presentation of the pope. The Mass was covered by local television news stations.

April 15, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 9

remembering a pontiff

World says goodbye to the pope FUNERAL, from page 1

respects.

For those who were unable to attend the funeral, they found ways to pay honor the pope from home.

In Pakistan, the national flag flew at half-staff April 8 as a mark of respect for Pope John Paul.

More than 40 police officers stood guard and mounted roadblocks outside Our Lady of Fatima Church in the capital, Islamabad, during a memorial Mass attended by diplomats and leaders of other faiths.

In Bethlehem, West Bank, nearly 200 faculty members and students from Bethlehem University crowded into the small university chapel for a Mass.

The pope had expressed pride in the university, which was founded following his visit in 1964.

In their homes, many Israelis and Palestinians followed the funeral on their televisions.

In Haiti, some citizens recalled the first words the pope spoke as he stepped onto the tarmac at the Port-au-Prince airport in March 1983: “Things must change here.”

The bishops’ conference, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps attended an April 7 Mass to pay homage to the pope at the Port-auPrince cathedral.

In Britain, political campaigning for May 5 national elections was suspended for the day of the pope’s funeral as a mark of respect.

Screens were erected in London’s Trafalgar Square, and some 200 mourners gathered in the rain to watch the ceremony.

Most Masses throughout Britain April 8 were suspended so Catholics could watch the funeral on television.

The exception was Westminster Cathedral in London, which rang its bells to mark the start of a Mass for the pope at the time his funeral began at the Vatican.

In Wadowice, Poland, the pope’s home

CNS photo from Reuters

Worshippers pray at a church in Hong Kong April 8 as they watch Pope John Paul II’s funeral on television. town, a giant television screen was erected to allow residents to watch the pope’s funeral.

Many faiths Cameras captured the international and ecumenical flavor of Pope John Paul II’s funeral, but few noted the dozens of interreligious leaders attending the ceremony.

“We received so many messages by telephone, fax, e-mail, even personal visits” from people of other religions offering condolences after the pope’s death April 2, said Msgr. Felix Machado, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

“Many of them also said they would like to be present if possible at the funeral ceremony,” he said.

When the council told Vatican officials organizing the funeral that an interreligious group was interested in attending, the idea “was well accepted,” Msgr. Machado said.

The council arranged for a special bus to pick up the more than 60 leaders and escort them to the basilica the morning of the funeral. Msgr. Machado said the group included Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists.

“They are our friends,” he added. “The pope endeared (himself to) these people; he came to be so close to them.”

One message from a Hindu in India

said Pope John Paul’s “unfailing love and surrender to God inspired millions to fill the spiritual void in their own lives. ... He was an example to all of us.”

Msgr. Machado said Pope John Paul “never missed a chance to spend time (with people from other faiths,) so it’s natural we carry on the tradition.”

Politics aside Political leaders were quick to put aside their differences to attend the pope’s funeral.

U.S. President George W. Bush was just yards away from President Mohammed Khatami of Iran, a country he has labeled part of an “axis of evil.”

Khatami, who met with the pope in 1999, said the April 8 gathering should be a springboard for peace.

“The presence of such high-level world figures demonstrates the world’s respect” for the pope,” said Khatami.

“I wish this day could be a moment that makes us hope for a future of peace, not of conflict and hostility,” he said.

Representatives of troubled neighbors — India and Pakistan as well as Israel and the Palestinian National Authority — were seated in the same section reserved for heads of state in St. Peter’s Square.

Israeli President Moshe Katsav

and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia were among the political leaders there who had met with the pope and, at times, had been praised and reproved by him.

The pope repeatedly had voiced to Bush his strong disapproval over the invasion of Iraq, most recently during the president’s June 2004 visit to the Vatican.

But Pope John Paul’s funeral gave the world’s leaders the opportunity for a fresh start.

A senior Vatican official told reporters that “the funeral gave these leaders a sense of freedom. They were not afraid that people would read their actions politically.”

“I saw Israelis, Muslims who greeted each other with gestures of affection,” he said. “One could see these persons who clearly felt freer” than they do, for example, during U.N. assemblies or meetings.

Vatican Radio called the gathering of heads of state representing some 141 nations around the world “a sort of planetary parliament, assembled for a special session under the sign of common prayer and human solidarity” toward a pope who was loved by many near and far.

Pope John Paul set two more records April 8: He attracted the largest number of official delegates ever to attend a papal funeral, and his was the first papal funeral attended by a sitting (CNS) — Although U.S. WASHINGTON president. most young Catholics could probably recite basic church prayers and list the seven sacraments, they might be a little shaky when it comes to the technical aspects of electing a new pope.

With the election process set to begin April 18, teachers and youth ministers were trying to get their students up to speed on what takes place behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel when the 117 cardinals under the age of 80 gather in the conclave to elect Pope John Paul II’s successor.

“It certainly is a teaching moment,” said Mary Kunzler, chair of religious studies at Mother Cabrini High School in New York.

Kunzler said her students are interested in the whole process of selecting a new leader for the church, especially since it is so tied up with history, tradition and ritual.

Although the students are curious about the procedures for electing a pope, Kunzler said they want to know what makes a good pope and why certain cardinals would be better suited for the job.

Religion classes are natural places to fit in lessons on the conclave, but there are plenty of other ways young people can find out more about the ancient process .

Life Teen, a program for Catholic teenagers, has a section on its Web site, www.lifeteen.com, specifically dealing with the process for selecting a new pope with topics ranging from how a new pope is chosen, misconceptions about the papacy and a section explaining the hierarchy of the church.

By explaining the aspects of the papacy, Mark Hart of Life Teen said teen-agers can feel like they know “the background of the story” and become more convinced that the pope’s role is to

Transition time between popes offers new lessons for today’s

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

April 15, 2005

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Six new books out on Pope John Paul II reviewed by MAUREEN E. DALY catholic news service

Six new books by and about Pope John Paul II were published in the last weeks of March. They are reviewed in brief here.

“Universal Father: A Life of John Paul II,” by Garry O’Connor.

This is a very readable new biography of the pope, filled with literary and theatrical references that help to place the pope in the context of world culture and 20thcentury history.

It has a detailed chronology of the pope’s life noting significant historical events. It has a very useful listing of the pope’s many publications with a brief description of the content of each. And it has a bibliography of source material and suggestions for further reading.

As an author who has written 18 other books, many on theatrical subjects, O’Connor is able to place Pope John Paul II’s life in its proper artistic and philosophical context. This biography is highly recommended.

“Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium,” by Pope John Paul II. As the realization that a great mind has passed away begins to take hold, readers may regret that they never had a chance to meet and converse with Pope John Paul II. For those readers, “Memory and Identity” will be a real pleasure.

It is the edited account of conversations that the pope had with two philosopher friends.

It gives the delightful sensation of sitting in on fascinating talk among persons of great intelligence, wide knowledge and compassionate perceptions.

The topics they cover with pithy wisdom and historical insight include the limits of evil, freedom and responsibility, and concepts of patriotism, European identity and democracy.

“The Moral Theology of Pope John Paul II,” by Father Charles E. Curran.

This book is a concise yet complete summary of the late pope’s moral teaching.

The author gives a systematic analysis of the moral theology that underlies the pope’s authoritative teachings, specifically his 14 encyclicals. However, this book is not a polemical critique but rather a useful and approachable summary of the pope’s thinking.

Faculty of schools of theology call this book “a much-needed volume” and “an excellent overview.”

“The Loving Heart: The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II,” by Pope John Paul II. Here in the pope’s own words are his thoughts and prayers on the meaning of suffering. These short selections are taken from messages written for the “World Day of the Sick” or messages addressed to the sick and suffering during his world travels or in visits to hospitals and residential clinics.

Here are words of comfort and clarity.

“John Paul II: A Life in Grace,” by Renzo Allegri, translated by Marsha Daigle-Williamson.

This biography sees the pope’s life through the lens of miracles, exceptions and special graces.

It moves as swiftly as an adventure story through the pope’s long, eventful and sometimes apparently miraculous life.

Allegri emphasizes the pope’s several near brushes with death, especially the 1981 assassination attempt, which the biographer and the pope himself see as an example of the special protection of Our Lady of Fatima.

The tone is openly reverential.

“John Paul II in the Holy Land: In His Own Words,” edited by Paulist Father Lawrence Boadt and Kevin di Camillo.

This useful book collects in one place the pope’s speeches given during his history-making visit to the Holy Land in the Jubilee Year 2000, a map of the journey, photos, and commentary from Jewish and Christian perspectives.

Because it focuses on one topic, this book could be a good text for an adult interfaith discussion group that is interested in furthering Christian and Jewish understanding.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: April 24, 2005

April 24, Fifth Sunday of Easter Cycle A Readings: 1) Acts 6:1-7 Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 2) 1 Peter 2:4-9 3) Gospel: John 14:1-12

Jesus motivates us to be living examples

by BEVERLY CORZINE catholic news service

We have watched the scene countless times on television and in the movies.

The camera brings us to the stylized graveside service. The graveside set piece provides us an opportunity to learn something new about the living in the cast as well as the dead.

Dressed in black the gathered guests listen as the minister intones the familiar lines, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” with some degree of authenticity. Unfortunately, the portrayal of actual faith in the proclaimed words of Jesus is seldom part of the film.

Today in John’s Gospel, Jesus tries to prepare his disciples for his departure. For the men and women who had supported Jesus during his ministry, the

idea that he would be leaving them had to be unthinkable.

In the questions of Thomas and Philip, we hear people like ourselves, grounded in the here and now — people who are filled with questions and want logical, down-to-earth answers. In the process of answering their questions, Jesus leaves them with more to ponder.

Why can they not see that Jesus and the Father are one? Why don’t they recognize the importance of Jesus’ use of the words “I am” and immediately grasp their implications? What does he intend when he says, “I am going to the Father”?

Those of us living in the early 21st century know the answer. We are able to look back through the lens of Easter faith. We know the fullness of the promise. We know how the story will unwind.

The stigma of being executed as an enemy of the state and the profound glory of being raised from the dead have become the cornerstone of the church.

However, we must ask ourselves whether the risen Christ has become the cornerstone of our lives?

At the close of today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Philip and all who hear his words that there is work to be done. Then and now Jesus needs real flesh-and-blood people to minister on his behalf.

A living faith and love of the risen Lord motivate us to be the comforting hands of Jesus and differentiate us from two-dimensional characters in a set piece.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 17-23 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter), Acts 2:14, 36-41, 1 Peter 2:20-25, John 10:1-10; Monday, Acts 11:1-18, John 10:11-18; Tuesday, Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday, Acts 12:24—13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday (St. Anselm), Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday, Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday (St. George, St. Adalbert), Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14.

Scripture for the week of April 24-30 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 6:1-7, 1 Peter 2:4-9, John 14:1-12; Monday (St. Mark), 1 Peter 5:5-14, Mark 16:15-20; Tuesday, Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday, Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (St. Peter Chanel, St. Louis de Montfort), Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday (St. Catherine of Siena), Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (St. Pius V), Acts 16:110, John 15:18-21.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 15, 2005

‘Revelations’ hardly revealing

by DAVID DiCERTO catholic news service

NEW YORK — Primetime meets end time in “Revelations,” a limited dramatic series dealing with the apocalyptic prophecies foretold in the last book of the Bible, premiering Wednesday, April 13, 9-10 p.m.

EDT on NBC. Like “The Da Vinci Code” — whose phenomenal success no doubt weighed in NBC’s decision to produce the six-episode series — “Revelations” is good storytelling wrapped around bad theology.

Bill Pullman stars as Richard Massey, a Harvard professor and avowed skeptic, grief-stricken by the ritualistic murder of his young daughter by Satanist Isaiah Haden (played to villainous perfection by Michael Massee).

Natascha McElhone co-stars as Sister Josepha Montifiore, an Oxford-educated nun who travels the globe verifying miracles. A strong, intelligent and devout nun on network TV? Sound too good to be true? It is.

Midway through the first hour we learn that — though a true believer — she is a member of a borderline heretical order, at odds with the Vatican, whose superior glibly remarks that “blasphemy has its place.”

Brought together by a comatose girl who speaks in tongues and appears to be channeling the spirit of Massey’s dead daughter, the unlikely duo joins forces to investigate a series of strange occurrences which seem to herald a final showdown between the forces of good and evil.

Over the next five weeks, their investigation will take them from the United States to Rome and eventually the Holy Land, leading them to a mysterious child who may be either the Son of God or the Antichrist, signaling that Armageddon is already in play.

In the course of their travels, her faith challenges his dogmatic belief that everything can be explained by science.

Created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), “Revelations” feels much like “The

X-Files,” with Pullman playing the part of the skeptical Scully to McElhone’s more open-minded Mulder.

The glossy production value and performances are solid. But unfortunately the show’s underlying theology ranges from bogus to blasphemous.

In one scene, Sister Montifiore explains that “the Bible has left a blank to be filled in by man” and that if what is unfolding truly is the end of days it can be forestalled by human efforts. In another, her superior — suggesting that Rome feels threatened by their order’s heterodox beliefs — poses the question, “What validity would the pope have, as a conduit to Jesus, if Jesus were no longer in heaven listening to his prayers?”

With such questionable dialogue it is difficult to believe the producers’ contentions that they consulted with biblical and theological experts during the show’s writing stage.

Like the “Left Behind” franchise, the ominous-toned series takes a strict literalist approach to the scriptural source material, which, while lending itself to dramatic storytelling (plagues, pestilence, global destruction), ignores the traditionally held church position that much of the apocalyptic text is to be understood symbolically and that its message is ultimately one of hope and consolation.

On a positive note, it is good to see a network put its marketing muscle behind an overtly religious TV show which takes issues of faith and doubt seriously, and — at least based on the first episode — reverently. If nothing else, series like “Revelations” and CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia” help to bring religion into the wider pop-culture conversation.

The show’s creators have hinted that — should ratings merit — there may be more “Revelations” to come. With the world possibly ending in five weeks, a second season would be a neat trick indeed.

DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Confer-

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Bridging the gaps

Social justice workshop to highlight helping others by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

MAGGIE VALLEY — “As the gulf between the rich and the working poor grows wider, it becomes more evident that we must be in solidarity with the poor,” Augustinian Father John Deegan said.

Father Deegan, director of the justice and peace office of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova in Villanova, Penn., will present “Catholic Social Teachings: Global Issues; Local Implications,” at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley April 30.

The workshop is free and open to the public.

“It is important for the faithful not only to know the principles which underline their faith, but also to learn how they can practice that faith in their local community,” Father Deegan said. “The faithful of North Carolina know their community best.”

“The workshop is an opportunity for them to prayerfully reflect on the social teaching of the church and develop a model that will help them put into practice the richness of that teaching,” he said.

The workshop is sponsored by the Augustinian friars and the Smoky Mountain Vicariate through a grant from the FSC (Christian Brothers) Foundation.

According to Father George Kloster,

vicar forane of the Smoky Mountain Vicariate and pastor of St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hayesville, the workshop’s objectives are to: Review Catholic social teaching; build bridges between those who have “fallen through the cracks” (the poor and disadvantaged) and those who can help them; learn how to influence those who develop public policy; and learn how to advocate for those impacted by global issues with global implications, such as people who lose their jobs when factories close and jobs go elsewhere.

“As a practical application of the teachings, I will share with the participants a model we are in the process of establishing which is called ADROP (Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor),” Father Deegan said.

“This model involves local faith communities assessing the needs of poor or voiceless in their communities, learning what is already being done and by whom, identifying resources that can be matched with unmet needs and collaborating in the delivery of resources to needy populations,” he said.

This model follows the example of St. Thomas of Villanova himself. The Web site of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova notes that, appointed archbishop of Valencia, Spain, in 1545, the Augustinian friar “first visited each of his parishes to see for

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himself what the needs of his people were.

Then he used the income of his affluent archdiocese to set up social programs on behalf of the poor and the rejected.”

The Web site adds that St. Thomas “established boarding schools and high schools. For young girls he provided dowries, enabling them to be married in dignity. For the hungry, he turned his bishop’s palace into a kind of soup kitchen. For the homeless he provided a place to sleep, offering them the shelter of his own home. It is

April 15, 2005

thus for good reason that the common folk called him the ‘Beggar Bishop’ and ‘Father of the Poor.’”

WANT TO GO? “Catholic Social Teachings: Global Issues; Local Implications” will be held at Living Waters Reflection Center in Maggie Valley 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 30.

The workshop, free and open to the public, includes lunch.

April 15, 2005

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Defending the bonds of marriage

Tribunal defender reflects on 30 years of service by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — When the Diocese of Charlotte was established in 1972, there was a lot of work to be done — offices to be staffed, ministries to be created. The first offices of the fledging diocese were located on the grounds of St. Patrick Cathedral, with fewer than 10 employees on staff.

Mary Lou Hildreth was the first employee to work with Father Justin Pechulis in the diocesan Tribunal Office.

“It was a lucky strike for me, because I had never worked before,” Hildreth said.

Hildreth did not have a degree in canon law, so she received her training in Atlanta, meeting weekly with a priest who taught her about the inner workings of a tribunal office, or church court, which handles the marriage nullity process under a set of procedures and laws established as part of the universal law of the church.

She also attended workshops across the country.

“I was educated — (the diocese) sent me to school two or three times a year,” she said. “We had all sorts of support from the bishop and the chancellor.”

In the earliest years of working in the diocesan tribunal, Hildreth functioned as both the advocate for the cases

for marriage nullity and as the defender of the bond. Today, the role of advocate is fulfilled by various lay people and permanent deacons in the diocese.

Hildreth served as the defender of the bond for more than three decades until her retirement in February. As defender of the bond, Hildreth’s duty was to defend the marriage. Unlike civil law, the laws of the Catholic Church assume that every marriage is valid.

From that first year, when the tribunal handled only one nullity case, the office now handles about 400 cases each year, finishing between 50 and 75 cases.

About 10 percent of all marriage nullity cases are denied by the Tribunal Office.

Hildreth said she enjoyed her work in the Tribunal Office immediately.

Working in the tribunal was “wonderful,” she said.

“Some people enjoy the work, and others don’t,” she said. “You’ll see them in other tribunals — they’ll only stay for six months or a year.”

Stepping in Filling Hildreth’s shoes as defender of the bond is Sister Sheila Richardson, a convert to the Catholic faith and an eremitic of St. Augustine.

“Mary Lou was an architect of the way the Tribunal Office operates today,”

Courtesy Photo

Mary Lou Hildreth retired in February after more then 30 years of dedicated work in the diocesan Tribunal Office. She served as the defender of the bond, defending marriages being investigated for nullity.

Sister Richardson said. “She is well known and acknowledged for her work in the tribunal.”

Sister Richardson graduated from Whittier College School of Law and practiced civil law for a major corporation for more than 10 years. She studied theology at Mt. Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Ore., and received her degree in canon law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario.

Sister Richardson retired from the practice of law to study theology and to pursue a vocation in the consecrated life.

Sister Richardson sees her job in the tribunal as a way to free up diocesan priests to serve

parishes exclusively, rather than dividing thier time between parishes and the tribunal.

As marriage nullity allows divorced people to receive the sacraments again, Sister Richardson thinks of the tribunal as a “reconciliation ministry.”

“The mission of the tribunal is justice and healing,” said Sister Richardson. “It is also serving the divorced people of the diocese.”

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

WANT MORE INFO? For more information regarding the marriage nullity process, contact the

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 15, 2005

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Theology on Tap Program helps young people discover God in new way lives; third, to make our Catholic identity a way of life rather than an ideology.

By reflecting on this movement, I can see three stages of the ongoing process: awakening, illumination and discovery. “God is calling me. He made me. He cares for me.

I must wake up to this reality and put in my 5 cents or the whole dollar, to be generous.”

Once we find ourselves in this dynamic process of being and becoming, we receive the light needed to make our journey reasonable and less risky. Natural reason, technology or marketing skills would not damage this process, but they would not help either. God, Scripture and prayer are the main sources of the illumination needed to go through the tunnel of life.

The heavens may tell us of the glory of God, the earth may declare his handiwork, but neither nature nor reason can tell us where God is, if He is not in us. Science, by nature, is unable to tell us where to find the forgiveness of sins, where to find the key to unlock the secret of our destiny.

The final stage of the quest is discovery. Having awoken from sleep, having received the light from God, we discover that we are “worshiping human beings.”

That’s what we were in the first place.

Why did it take so long to discover what we were?

Discovery is fascinating because it is to see something that was there all along but hidden. Discovering Christ in our lives is exciting because we experience a beautiful reality that was always there, probably sleeping or in coma; then Christ, with a surprising smile, says: “John, why did it take you so long?”

God rang our doorbell many times.

We even opened the door and said, “God, you must be mistaken. It’s not me you want, it’s my next-door neighbor.”

Eventually God rings again and says, “I am positive it’s you I want. Open your eyes.”

At that very moment, we experience the joy of discovering God after he manifested himself to us through the Eucharist, sacraments and prayer.

Theology on Tap makes our young men and women discover God on their own terms and needs. Eventually their discussion, insight and process become faith, hope and love, and a way of life rather than a way of thinking.

The old-fashioned way, “Frank went to church on Sunday, but he went to hell on Tuesday for what he did on Monday,” doesn’t appeal any more. These young adults feel that the church is going to them as much as they go to the church.

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

Guest Column FATHER JOHN AURILIA, OFM Cap.

The so-called new Theology on Tap is not so new after all. It may be new to me, who studied theology a long time ago, but it is old for the young theologians.

We know that this new approach is 24 years old since Father John Cusik, director of young adult ministry in Chicago, began this movement in 1981. Few more details appear in America magazine (2003), to which I refer.

There is nothing unusual about having a gathering of young men and women, laughing and talking in an informal setting while munching snacks and sipping beer.

What may seem unusual is the fact that the gap generation (ages 20-35) seemed to be missing from the whole picture of the church. Where were they?

I am positive they were somewhere and nowhere to be found: they were hungry for the “word” appealing to their spiritual needs and they were thirsty for running water, rather than stagnant water.

The quest for God may have taken different approaches throughout the centuries and whenever theology brings you closer to God, that’s good theology indeed. While the Theology on Tap program points to a specific format, which requires balanced and learned speakers and clear topics, there is an inner struggle in the attendees: first, to maintain and develop quality relationships with ourselves, God and others; second, to study the Scripture as it applies to our everyday

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A light in the world Pope John Paul II was hero, inspiration Pope John Paul II walked with me through my adolescence and into adulthood. As distractions came into my life, by his example, he would remind me of the things that really matter. There would be a flash of him on the television and it always helped me to get back on track.

The Holy Father was for me a constant figure of hope, a lighthouse in the distance, and a friend in times of confusion.

I remember the day he was chosen as the vicar of Christ. I felt the pride, not only as a Catholic, but also as a Polish American, familiar with the history of a country that had overcome enormous struggles but would not lose faith. In my youth, I was the recipient of many degrading “Pollock” jokes but his papacy ended those jokes. He was my hero.

Pope John Paul II showed up on the scene when I really needed a positive role model. As a teen-ager, I moved from a Catholic neighborhood to North Carolina where the percentage of Catholics was very small. But how could I feel sorry for myself or give up? I watched the pope travel all over the world and meet with so many people who did not share his religious belief. He would be my example, always showing charity as he courageously proclaimed the truth.

He demonstrated for me what it takes to be a good Catholic, even during those times when I stood alone in my faith, facing ridicule and contempt. His gentleness reminded me that what we do and how we do it really matters.

I believe every Catholic has a story

Guest Column KATHY SCHMUGGE guest columnist

or a certain stirring in the soul that resulted from Pope John Paul II. For me, he was my friend, a family member whom I looked up to with love and trust. He was there to fill my heart with hope when the world seemed to speak only of darkness.

But as we all know, it is very difficult to let go of someone we love, even when we know they have gone to a far greater place — the very place of which the pope reminded us all to never lose sight.

Some say that he will go down in history as “Pope John Paul the Great,” but for me he has already won that title.

His greatness was his ability to love unceasingly. When I grow weary in my daily struggles, unsure if I will be able to finish the race, he is always ahead of me saying, “Keep on going, we’re almost there.”

Now in my mind’s eye, I see him standing with Christ on the finish line and with confidence, I see them both cheering us all on.

Kathy Schmugge is a correspondent for The Catholic News & Herald.

The Catholic News & Herald 15

April 15, 2005

The case of Terry Schiavo Are those who cannot speak in danger?

The case of Terri Schiavo is not uncommon.

The whole country was transfixed by her life and death because nearly every one of us will have to deal with these end-of-life issues sometime. I have sat with dozens of families making these difficult decisions.

In the abstract people often say, “I would not want to live like Terri Schiavo.”

However, in the concrete we often think differently.

A few years ago my uncle Bill, a priest, was injured in an accident. He no longer could speak or swallow. His life was sustained for nearly two years on a feeding tube similar to Terri Schiavo’s. It was a graced time.

He eventually died of other causes, but he did not starve to death.

If Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael, were a practicing Catholic, this case never would have been in the courts, the Florida legislature or the U.S. Congress. He would have consulted the church’s teaching on end-of-life issues. He would have allowed the feeding to continue.

St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 not to bring our disputes before secular judges when they can be settled by recourse to the “holy ones” (i.e. to believers).

The courts and legislators never should have been involved in the case. As a result of their involvement, we now have crossed the line into state-ordered euthanasia.

This outcome is part of the slippery slope into a culture of death that was begun with le-

Parish Diary FATHER PETER J. DALY cns columnist

galized abortion, continued through assisted suicide in Oregon and now has moved to court-ordered “euthanasia” in Florida.

Catholic teaching sees life as good. We hold life as stewards, not masters.

We do not have the right to take our own life, and we do not have the right to take the life of another innocent person by assisted suicide or euthanasia.

However, we are not obligated to use extraordinary means to preserve life. We can refuse surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, drug therapy, etc.

Just what is considered “extraordinary” will vary. What is ordinary in an American hospital room might be extraordinary in a Sudan refugee camp.

However, we always are obligated not to withhold ordinary means of sustaining life, which the church has defined as food, water and air.

We do not decide what kinds of life are worth living. Innocent human life is to be preserved even when the “quality” of life

appears low to “healthy” people.

Even people in a “persistent vegetative state” should be given life-sustaining ordinary means. Once these procedures are begun, we should not terminate them unless they are burdensome to the patient, counterproductive or useless (e.g. the patient is dying anyway).

In the Schiavo case they were clearly not useless. They kept her alive. They were not burdensome to her or particularly burdensome to society. They were not counterproductive.

This case puts us in a dangerous position. We now have a case in which a judge has ordered the death of an innocent person based on “hearsay” evidence.

Terri Schiavo never signed an advanced health care directive. She never appointed a health care proxy. All the judge had to go on was hearsay evidence from her husband that “she would not want to live this way.”

That evidence was contradicted by her parents and the rest of her family.

Courts now are deciding what kind of life is worth sustaining. Maybe they now will decide that the retarded, the insane and people with degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s are not worth sustaining.

As our population ages and medical costs rise, this puts every sick person who cannot speak for himself or herself at risk.

Terri Schiavo and the echoes of Judges should not have power to order deaths of innocents

their brother after I died. I wanted a genetically perfect baby, and because that was something I could control, I chose to end his life.”

This is why disability rights groups have spoken out against selective abortion, and came out in force in favor of saving Terri Schiavo. They are challenging the notion that a life such as Terri’s is meaningless — or worse, robs others of their freedom. They are fighting the culture-of-death perception that death is better than living with a disability. And they should know.

There is another parallel to abortion.

The Florida judge ordered not only that Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube be removed, but also that no attempts be made to provide her with food or water. Guards standing watch at her hospice room door made sure her parents did not wet her parched lips.

In other words, it was not a right to remove medical treatment that was granted, but an order that Terri Schiavo be made to die.

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court said the Constitution gives a woman the right “to terminate her pregnancy.” But 30 years of court rulings reveal an even more terrible truth about Roe v. Wade.

In striking down New Jersey’s partial-birth abortion ban, for example,

Terri Schiavo died the morning of this writing, March 31, after having been refused food and water for two weeks. In the horrific treatment of her — which columnist Nat Hentoff, an expert on the First Ammendment, calls the longest public execution in American history — we can hear the echoes of the abortion mentality.

First, the question asked repeatedly in press reports is, “What would Terri have wanted?”

With no more evidence than the word of her disaffected husband, a Florida judge agreed with his conclusion that she would not have wanted to live this way. The appeals court agreed, saying the question was whether Terri “would choose to continue the constant nursing care and the supporting tubes” or would “wish to permit a natural death process to take its course and for her family members and loved ones to be free to continue their lives.”

This type of calculation happens every day when prenatal tests show a possible disability in an unborn child. Our culture has taught women to ask, “Would the child want to live this way?” And to decide that the compassionate answer is, “No.” A recent “no regrets” article on abortion in Salon.com showed one woman’s thinking: “I did not want to raise a genetically compromised child,” she wrote. “I did not want my children ... compelled to care for

Life Issues Forum CATHY CLEAVER RUSE, Esq. guest columnist

federal judge Maryanne Barry said a fetus is not “in the process of being ‘born’ at the time of its demise” because “[a] woman seeking an abortion is plainly not seeking to give birth.” In other words, a child marked for death is something wholly different from a “wanted” child in the same physical location.

Every human life has incalculable worth and meaning, no matter its age or condition. No judge should have the power to order the death of a weak and helpless human being — in or out of the womb.

May the soul of Terri Schiavo rest in peace.

Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq. is the director of planning and information for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

The parish parking lot planner’s auto headache Uncle Dan DAN MORRIS cns columnist

This is true: I just spent more for a tank of gas than I paid for my first car.

OK, I admit $45 in 1966 went a lot further than it does today. As a matter of fact, a $45, 1953 Ford Fairlane and $5 in gas could get a 17-year-old around town for quite a while in those days.

Regardless, if we average Joes and Janes are concerned about today’s escalating fuel prices, just think what it is doing to parish parking lot planners. These dedicated people have been working diligently to repaint parking spaces and re-enforce asphalt to accommodate the enormous vehicles parishioners have been buying to satisfy the craving to own a mode of transport larger than the average commuter train.

Now fuel prices threaten to dampen sales of these monuments to metal. So parish parking lot people are caught in a field of confusion. Should they start re-repainting to welcome the new hybrid fuel sippers?

Should they consider mapping out different sections of parking lots for different types of vehicles?

Are pastors really giving thought to scheduling Masses for classes of car owners rather than language groups? Can it possibly be true that some rural parishes are using Road War Utility Vehicles as mission chapels?

Tensions are rising.

One the one hand, many parishioners who have been driving traditionalist cars (designed to hold just a half dozen or so adults) have been increasingly intimidated by the Road War Utility Vehicles.

For the record, my personal favorite is the Schwarzenegermobile. Made popular by the governor of California and the war in Iraq, this massive machine resembles a chrome cargotainer with earthmover wheels and tires.

There are rumors that some Catholic Schwarzenegermobile owners have complained that parish parking lot speed bumps are too wimpy. They’ve requested “speed humps” the size of small volcanoes so they can “catch some air” on their way out of the parking lot.

The latter (the cars, not the parishioners) overlap edges of outdated parking spaces and feature threateningly tinted windows and hubcaps the size of sonar stations.

There have been rumors of Road War Utility Vehicle owners stepping out of their vehicles onto the shoulders of fellow parishioners while pretending not to see them.

However, the RWUV Catholics counter that this can easily happen when someone is silly enough to park under them.

At this time it is unknown if the bishops will address the issue at their meeting in June.

April 15, 2005

in the news

The Catholic News & Herald 16

Papal tailor gearing up for new Gammarelli’s shop has served almost every 20th-century pope by

BENEDICTA CIPOLLA catholic news service

ROME — When “Habemus papam!” (We have a pope!) rings out from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, most of the faithful will be waiting for the name of the 265th leader of the Catholic Church, their upturned gazes fixed on his face.

Filippo Gammarelli will be anxiously scrutinizing the new pontiff ’s body.

As papal tailor, Gammarelli will be more concerned with measurements and mental calculations for the outfits the new pope will need in the days following the election.

While it is not certain the next pope will call upon his services, Gammarelli’s shop — founded in 1798 by his forebear, Antonio Gammarelli — served every 20th-century pontiff except for Pope Pius XII, who stuck with his family’s tailor.

A few days before the April 18 start of the conclave, Gammarelli delivered three sets of outfits to the Vatican, identical except for size: small, medium and large.

About 10 tailors and seamstresses were racing to finish the order just 48 hours before the deadline. One woman worked only on hand-sewn buttonholes, 30 per cassock, while another employee focused his attention on more than 200 silk-covered buttons.

Each set consists of a white wool cassock with attached capelet, a white silk cassock and matching red capelet with buttons up the front, a skullcap, a sash and red leather shoes.

After the election and before the new pope’s presentation to the public, he will quickly don the outfit that best approximates his size and sartorial taste.

“We hope one of them will fit, more or less,” Gammarelli said in an interview with Catholic News Service in his store, located on a tiny street behind the

Pantheon in an area chock full of stores selling clerical garb.

Pope John XXIII, one of the more rotund pontiffs in recent memory, almost burst the buttons of his first cassock, while the slender and short Pope John Paul I found even the smallest outfit too long.

When Pope John Paul II stepped onto the balcony, clad in one of the shop’s white cassocks, Gammarelli breathed a sigh of relief.

“He carried himself beautifully. Before the last few years, when he began to be stooped over, he was a handsome man,” Gammarelli told CNS. “He was easy to work with, very simple.”

Once an order comes in from a new pope, Gammarelli and his team head to the Apostolic Palace to take measurements, which they keep on file for future requests.

Books dating back decades contain the arm, waist, inseam and head measurements of thousands of priests, bishops and cardinals, who can phone in an order from across the globe — unless, of course, weight fluctuations have impacted their sizes.

Much of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the papacy died out with Pope Paul VI, who got rid of the papal tiara and insisted on an unadorned marble slab to mark his tomb.

Likewise, the last half-century has brought a paring down of pontifical and other ecclesiastical clothing. Pope Pius abolished cardinals’ silk trains, and thus also the servants trailing behind to carry them, and the decorative ermine trim and ostrich-plumed fans favored by pontiffs past went the way of the papal court and portable throne that footmen carried through the crowds.

Which is not to say ermine trim might not come back someday: “The pope can have whatever he wants,” said Gammarelli.

CNS photo from Reuters

Annibale Gammarelli (right) stands with his nephew April 12 outside the family’s tailor shop in Rome where papal vestments are displayed in the shop’s window. Gammarelli’s shop, founded in 1798 by Antonio Gammarelli, has served every 20th-century pontiff except for Pope Pius XII. A few days before the April 18 start of the conclave, the shop delivered papal outfits in three different sizes to the Vatican.