April 28, 2006

April 28, 2006

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Parish Profile:

Prince of Peace Church a symbol of Christ’s peace in Robbinsville | Page 16

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI aPRIL 28, 2006

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Leading the faithful toward God

Speaker series helps young adults explore Catholicism by

VATICAN CITY — In April, the church marks the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, events that captured the world’s attention and introduced a new style of papacy.

Thousands gathered to pray in St. Peter’s Square the evening of April 2, a poignant reminder of the vigil outside the late pope’s window on that date last year, when a hushed crowd was told the pontiff had “returned to the house of the Father.”

As his sainthood cause gathers momentum, Pope John See POPE, page 7

by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

MURPHY — “When I went on the Internet this morning, I saw there were two events in Georgia,” Pat Mahon said.

“There were 13 in North Carolina.”

The events, held April 10, were demonstrations for fair and just immigration legislation.

Mahon, who lives in Young See RALLY, page 6

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

Pax Christi group gathers for immigrant rights

no. 28

Tapping into

A year after Pope Benedict’s election, world sees new style of papacy

Standing up for the stranger

vOLUME 15

CNS photo by L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his “urbi et orbi” blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 16.

On the first anniversary of his pontificate April 19, the pope said he was still moved by the memory of his election and that he wanted to be a “gentle and firm” leader of the universal church.

CHARLOTTE — Over the mild clatter of glasses and silverware, Catholic young adults were told that everyone, no matter what his or her age, has a purpose and a vocation in life.

“Whatever God is calling you to do, make sure you are not running from it,” said Richard Worthington, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Worthington was part of a panel of speakers at a Theology on Tap gathering at a Charlotte restaurant April 18.

Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s and 30s, is an opportunity to explore Catholicism and issues and challenges faced by Catholic adults. Events usually feature a guest speaker — either clergy or lay — who answers questions.

“Many young adults in the See THEOLOGY, page 5

Vested in a vocation

Father Agostino Fernandez answers call heard long ago by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

BELMONT — For the first time in nearly 15 years, the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey witnessed the ordination of one of their own brothers.

Father Agostino Fernandez was ordained to the priesthood at the Belmont Abbey Basilica

in Belmont April 22.

Before a church filled with clergy, seminarians and family, Father Fernandez officially began his new life as a priest during the ordination Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

“What joy fills our hearts this Easter season as we See PRIEST, page 13

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Benedictine Father Agostino Fernandez lies prostrate on the floor of the Belmont Abbey Basilica as Bishop Peter J. Jugis leads the congregation in prayer for the priestly candidate.

Around the Diocese

Culture Watch

Perspectives

Labyrinth as prayer tool; helping the needy

Blogging dangers; ‘United 93’ review

Hunger and homelessness; honoring Mary

| Page 4

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 14-15

2 The Catholic News & Herald

April 28, 2006

InBrief

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

GIVING DigniTY TO the deceased

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton named patron saint of Maryland BALTIMORE (CNS) — Maryland has a new heavenly protector.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first U.S.-born saint and a founder of what would become the Catholic school system in the United States, has been named the official patroness of Maryland by the Vatican.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments at the Vatican, announced the title earlier this year in a letter to Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler.

The idea for the special designation came from Paul and Janet Vater, parishioners of Mother Seton Church in Germantown, Md., located in the Archdiocese of Washington, who asked Cardinal Keeler to seek the title from Rome.

The Baltimore prelate liked the idea and petitioned the Vatican for the special designation in a letter.

Diocesan planner CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CNS photo by Marnie McAllister, The Record

St. Xavier High School juniors (from left) Cory Kress, Rex Soriano and Chip Condon right a fallen grave marker in late March at River Valley Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. They are among a group of students who have volunteered to serve as pallbearers at funerals of the poor.

Volunteers bring prayers, concern to funerals of LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) — Bordered by black hills of sludge, railroad tracks and a power station, River Valley Cemetery sets a dismal scene for the burials of Louisville’s poorest citizens.

Only a handful of permanent headstones stand in the dirt-pocked grass field. Many of the ground-level grave markers — made of metal and plastic — have been mangled and moved by mowing equipment.

The scene was worse a couple of years ago when indigent men, women and children were laid to rest in particleboard caskets without a witness or word of prayer.

The particleboard boxes are still used but now, thanks to the Jefferson County Coroner’s office and volunteers from Epiphany Catholic Church in Louisville, each burial includes at least one witness, a bouquet of flowers and a prayer.

And St. Xavier High School students are poised to brighten the scene further, volunteering as pallbearers for the 100 or so 15-minute paupers’ funerals held at River Valley each year.

Dr. Ron Holmes, Jefferson County coroner, met with students at the cemetery recently to show them what to expect during a funeral, including where they would place the casket and how it should be moved to the burial site.

Headstones are an important part of the cemetery ministry. Holmes’ office has raised funds to pay for about 250 permanent stones. Epiphany Church also has donated more than $6,000.

So far Holmes has installed 200 stones, with more expected to be installed by June.

Holmes’ office also is working to plant grass seed and keep the area trimmed. All of these efforts are about human dignity, he said.

“These people have had a life; they had families,” he said. “No one needs to go out (of the world) alone like that.

“I think the (students) are going to get more out of it than they think,” he said. “It’s a neat feeling after (a funeral).

You ... feel like you were a part of their life — that you’re worthwhile. You did something for somebody that no one else would do.”

Several young men from St. Xavier are forming the St. Joseph of Arimathea Society to carry out the need for pallbearers at River Valley.

“We’re excited about taking part in this,” said Ben Kresse, a theology teacher at St. Xavier and member of Epiphany Church. “It’s a necessary part of our faith. We hope through our own efforts people will learn how many people come into the world with parents but leave the world with no one.”

CHARLOTTE — Theology on Tap, a dynamic speaker series designed to provide young adults in their 20s and 30s with the opportunity to discover more about their faith in a relaxed open environment, will meet Tuesdays through May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Pepperoni’s Pizza in Park Road Shopping Center. These interactive events will explore the issues and challenges that Catholic young adults face in the 21st century.

Contact Catrina at (704) 665-7374 or c_l_conway@hotmail.com for more information.

CHARLOTTE — The Semi-Annual Rosary Rally will be held May 7, at 3 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East. This 31-year diocesan tradition will include recitation of the rosary, a eucharistic procession and Benediction. For more information, call Tina at (704) 846-7361.

CHARLOTTE — Father Matthew Buettner, parochial vicar of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton, will present the Catholic Response to “The Da Vinci Code” May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Msgr. Pharr Activity Center of St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd. RSVP for this free event to Renee O’Brien at rdobrien@ earthlink.net or (704) 770-0003.

CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., will host an Estate Planning Seminar May 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ministry Center. Estate planning information will be provided by Jim Kelley and Judy Smith in the diocesan planned giving office and attorney Tom Gorman with Gorman & Dittman law firm. Please call (704) 370-3320 with

“Certainly, this is very appropriate for Maryland because of her role here,” said Cardinal Keeler, pointing out that St. Elizabeth Ann was the founder of the Sisters of Charity, the first religious institute in the United States that was dedicated to education.

A New Yorker who belonged to the Episcopal Church before she became a Catholic, St. Elizabeth Ann established the first Catholic school in Baltimore in 1808 before relocating to the nearby town of Emmitsburg and moving her school there on land purchased by a donor in 1809.

Her religious order, now known as the Daughters of Charity, was approved

by Archbishop John Carroll in 1812, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was elected superior. Members of her community established schools and ministered to the sick throughout the region and around the country. any questions. To register, call (701) 364-5431, extension 212.

CHARLOTTE — The Young Adult Faith Reflection group meets at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., the first and third Mondays of each month. The group will read “The Faith Explained,” 3rd edition, by Leo J. Trese and a chapter will be covered at every meeting. For more information, call Jordan at (704) 737-1964 or Ryan at (704) 377-1328.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — First Saturday Devotions take place on the first Saturday of each month at Belmont Abbey Basilica, 100 BelmontMt. Holly Rd. Devotion begins at 9:30 a.m. with the recitation of the rosary, followed by reconciliation and Mass. For more information, call Phil or Terri at (704) 888-6050.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — All practicing Catholic women of Irish birth or descent, or who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians are invited to participate in the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, a social, cultural and charitable group for an ongoing series of fun and informative activities. LAOH will meet on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kloster Center of St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. Please join us for refreshments and learn more about our group. Any questions may be directed to Mary Giff at (336) 855-7014.

GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s, 30s and 40s, will meet at Coopers Ale House, 5340 West Market St., May 3 and 10 at 7 p.m. Theology on Tap is a casual forum where people gather to learn and discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church. A service project will take place May 13 at Mary’s House in Greensboro. For more information, visit www.triadcatholics.org or

APRIL 28, 2006 Volume 15 • Number 28

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic DESIGNER: Tim Faragher Advertising MANAGER: 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 28, 2006

FROM THE VATICAN

Trust in God’s mercy should be central to all Christians, pope says

Christians should mark every Sunday as feast of Lord’s resurrection, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Trust in God’s divine mercy was central to the teaching of Pope John Paul II and should be central to the faith and prayer of every Christian, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Marking Divine Mercy Sunday April 23, Pope Benedict also prayed that God’s blessings of reconciliation and peace would be given to all people.

Reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer at midday, he wished a happy Easter to Orthodox and Eastern-rite Catholics celebrating Jesus’ resurrection according to the Julian calendar.

“May the risen Lord give the gifts of his light and his peace to all,” the pope prayed.

He also offered special prayers for the people of Serbia and Montenegro,

Romania and Bulgaria suffering from the effects of flooding over the past week.

In his main talk, the pope focused on the Gospel accounts of the risen Lord appearing to his disciples and showing them the physical signs of his crucifixion.

“Those sacred wounds on his hands, feet and side are inexhaustible founts of faith, hope and love which everyone can draw from, especially the souls most thirsty for divine mercy,” he said.

The pope prayed that Christians would mark every Sunday as the feast of the Lord’s resurrection, experiencing “the beauty of an encounter with the risen Lord and drawing from the fount of his merciful love in order to be apostles of his peace.”

call Deb at (336) 286-3687.

GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Church, 2210 North Elm St. will host a vicariate-wide Estate Planning Seminar May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Kloster Center. Estate planning information will be provided by Jim Kelley and Judy Smith in the diocesan planned giving office and Kim Garcia, Division President with US Trust in WinstonSalem. Please call (704) 370-3320 with any questions. To register, call (336) 272-4681.

HICKORY VICARIATE

St. John the Evangelist Church Social Hall, 234 Church St. For more information, call Charles Luce at (828) 648-7369 or e-mail luce54@aol.com.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

HENDERSONVILLE — The Widows Lunch Bunch, sponsored by Immaculate Conception Church, meets at a different restaurant on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are necessary. For more information and reservations, call Joan Keagle at (828) 693-4733.

HICKORY — A Charismatic Mass is celebrated the first Thursday of each month in Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, at 7 p.m. For further information, contact Joan Moran (828)-327-0487.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE SYLVA — A four-part series, “Prayer of the Church,” will be presented at St. Mary Church, 22 Bartlett St. The last three sessions will meet 10-11 a.m., May 27, June 24 and July 22. Please call the church office at (828) 586-9496 to pre-register.

FRANKLIN — Respect Life meets the first Wednesday of every month after the 5:30 p.m.

Mass in the Family Life Center at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St. All those interested in promoting the sanctity of human life are invited to attend. For more information, contact Julie Tastinger at (828) 349-9813 or jatastinger@aol.com.

WAYNESVILLE — Adult Education Classes are held the first three Wednesday evenings of each month beginning at 6:45 p.m. in the

Episcopal

calendar

VAT I C A N C I T Y ( C N S ) —

WINSTON-SALEM — Spirit of Assisi, a Franciscan Center, 221 W. Third St., will host read and reflect “brown-bag” gatherings May 3, 10, 17, 12-12:45 p.m. We will discuss “An Introduction: Thomas Merton” by William Shannon. Be inspired by Merton’s deep spirit of prayer, passion for peace, openness to all whom he encounters, and keen wit. Bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided.

For more information, call (336) 624-1971 or e-mail portiuncula@bellsouth.net.

WINSTON-SALEM — Spirit of Assisi, a Franciscan Center, 221 W. Third St., will host a book discussion on “Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective” by Ilia Delio, O.S.F. This book deals with the theology of divine humility and God’s relationship to the world, while at the same time tackling some tough questions. The group will meet May 1, 8 and 15, 6-7:30 p.m. For more information, call (336) 624-1971 or e-mail portiuncula@ bellsouth.net.

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 7 days prior to desired publication date (Fridays) in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlot-

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

April 30 — 11:30 a.m.

Mass for Catholic Scripture Study Conference Omni Hotel, Charlotte May 1-2 LARCUM Conference Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

May 2 — 6 p.m.

Catholic Social Services Partners in Hope Millennium Center, Winston-Salem May 3 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Frances of Rome Church, Sparta

Pope asks Jesuits to focus on teaching, research, dialogue Invoking the Jesuits’ special vow to fulfill missions assigned by the pope, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Society of Jesus to concentrate on teaching and research in theology and philosophy, dialogue with modern culture and the Christian education of future generations.

Pope Benedict met with hundreds of Jesuits and their collaborators April 22 in St. Peter’s Basilica after a Mass honoring three of the first members of the order.

The Mass commemorated the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the order’s founder, and the 500th anniversary of the births of two of his first companions: St. Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber.

Pope Benedict called the three “men of extraordinary holiness and exceptional apostolic zeal.”

“Precisely because he was a man of

God, St. Ignatius was a faithful servant of the church,” the pope said. “From his desire to serve the church in the most useful and efficient way, the vow of special obedience to the pope was born.”

Pope Benedict asked the Jesuits to continue to be faithful to that vow so that “the urgent, current needs” of the church could be met.

Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, superior general of the more than 19,500-member order, thanked the pope for his affection and trust in the Society of Jesus.

He told the pope that it was right for the order to honor the three early Jesuits and “see them as enlightened and secure guides for our spiritual journey and our apostolic activity even though the times and circumstances in which we live and work have changed radically.”

The sound of cats in hats

Photo by Susan Cameron

First-graders perform as the “Cats-in-the-Hats” during the “Dr. Seuss Musical Review ’06” at St. Mark School in Huntersville March 30. Songs included “A Day for the Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” from “Seussical the Musical.” The performance, directed by music teacher Heidi Hickox, was made possible by a 2006 Grant for Educational Excellence given by the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Education Foundation. Grant recipients were first-grade teachers Laura Mulkeen, Holly Roberts and Janet Batres.

Vatican official named coadjutor bishop in Venice, Fla.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. Frank J. Dewane, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, as coadjutor bishop of Venice, Fla. As coadjutor, Bishop-designate Dewane will become head of the diocese upon the retirement or death of the current bishop, Bishop John J. Nevins of Venice.

The appointment was announced in Washington April 25 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the

United States.

In Florida, Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami said in a statement he welcomed the appointment and was grateful the pope named a coadjutor for Bishop Nevins, 74, who had requested “additional assistance as his responsibilities continue to grow in the southwest part of the state.”

The 9,000-square-mile diocese has a Catholic population of about 218,000.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

An ongoing journey

April 28, 2006

Always room for more

Youths use labyrinth as prayer tool LENOIR — Catholics in Lenoir were recently able to explore an ancient form of prayer.

The youth group at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir created a temporary labyrinth for use by parishioners April 7-9.

The labyrinth was created by Lorena Cowart, Emily Diehl, Hannah Doll, Amber Scarlett and Courtney Rascoe in a grassy area on the church grounds, with hay and fluorescent paint defining the path.

The parish was invited to “participate in a prayerful meditation journey that has been used in centuries past,” said Linda Cowart, youth minister.

Mazes and labyrinths have been used by civilizations around the world, with the earliest known designs dating from about 3,000 years ago.

While a maze has dead ends, a labyrinth has only one twisting path that weaves its way to the center and back out again. There is only one entrance and

one exit, no dead ends and no crossing of paths with a choice of which way to turn.

There has been a recent reemergence of the labyritnh as a prayer tool within the Christian community.

The labyrinth at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir was inspired by the youth group’s visit last year to a labyrinth at an Episcopal church in Wilkesboro. That labyrinth was based on the labyrinth design at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The “cathedral labyrinth” combines ancient Christian tradition with contemporary music, meditations, art and activities at 11 stations along the path.

“The more simple labyrinth we created is considered a classic design and has been found in some form in all parts of the world, in almost every culture throughout history,” said Cowart.

It offered parishioners a chance to “travel a path to the center and contemplate the mysteries of our faith” and their own lives, said Coward.

Courtesy Photo by Frank Ryder

Parishioners (left) of St. Luke Church in Mint Hill chat with guests during a Room in the Inn gathering at the church April 7. Room in the Inn is a parish outreach program to homeless persons that offers them a warm meal and friendly overnight stay on Friday evenings in the parish’s Family Life Center.

bountiful baskets

Photo by Karen A. Evans Courtesy Photo

Lorena Cowart, a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir, walks a labyrinth created by the church’s youth group on the parish grounds in April. The labyrinth has been used as a prayer tool in various cultures for centuries.

Carol Wilcocks and Bob Desch, parishioners of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, distribute food and paper products into baskets at the Pastoral Center in Charlotte April 10. St. Matthew parishioners provide about 100 baskets for Catholic Social Services clients each year for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

April 28, 2006

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Young adults benefit from speaker series THEOLOGY, from page 1

bars to parish halls.

The program has grown in popularity over the years and has inspired others to initiate similar speaker series. Dioceses in approximately 44 U.S. states and a half-dozen other countries now offer Theology on Tap. Father John Cusick, director of young adult ministry in the Chicago Archdiocese and co-founder of Theology on Tap, estimates that tens of thousands of young adults have attended Theology on Tap over the past quarter-century.

Many of them tend to be “Catholic, but don’t have a parish,” he said, and have a poor understanding of church traditions.

“We hear a lot about spiritual hunger,” he said. “People are having a restless experience in everyday life. You put on a Theology on Tap program, and they’re there.”

A 2005 survey conducted by the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on Youth and Young Adults found Theology on Tap as one of the most popular programs the church has for reaching young adults.

“Through Theology on Tap, Catholic young adults can gain a greater appreciation of their faith, a closer relationship with God and a network of friends who share their beliefs and values,” said Conway.

“Groups like this promote Catholicism and offer a sense of connectedness,” said Melissa Schuler, a parishioner of St. Mark Church in Huntersville. “The informal environment gives you a better opportunity to learn

church struggle with their faith. Theology on Tap is a social, non-threatening atmosphere that encourages questions and learning,” said Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart Sister Eileen Spanier, director of diocesan young adult ministry.

Many Protestant young adults can easily quote Scripture, said Sister Spanier, while many Catholic young adults do not truly understand the tenets of their faith.

“Many of us grew up Catholic, attending faith formation classes each Sunday and still aren’t able to explain our faith or answer questions about the Catholic Church’s teachings,” said Catrina Conway.

Conway, planning committee chair for the Charlotte-based Theology on Tap, said the program is a way for young adults to learn and address concerns with others their own age while enjoying food, drinks and friends.

“Sometimes people are hesitant or intimidated to ask questions about their faith. Being with people your own age, you’re more likely to ask questions because you feel they have them too,” said Deb McCarty, program coordinator for the Greensboro-based Theology on Tap. “Learning from each other’s experiences inspires people and makes them think more about their faith,” she said.

The Archdiocese of Chicago agrees.

Its young adult ministry founded the speaker series 26 years ago to try to bring back young adults, who tend to drift away from the church.

The program aims to reach young adults where they are, and takes place in a variety of settings from restaurants and

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Seminarians Ben Roberts and Richard Worthington answer questions during a Theology on Tap session in Charlotte April 18. attendance, whether or not they were considering the religious life, to have a spiritual director.

“Find people to talk to about, and who will support you in, your faith,” he suggested to the group.

Catholic young adults can help discover and live out their purposes in life “by using the gifts God has given us to serve each other and those who are less fortunate,” said Conway.

“There are numerous ministry opportunities and many activities may not be labeled as a ministry, but in reality they are some sort of ministry,” she said.

“We’re all called in different ways,” said McCarty. “My calling is to help provide a place for Catholic young adults to come together and learn.”

Contributing to this story was Catholic News Service.

Contact Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail kemurray@charlottediocese.org.

WANT MORE INFO? For more info about Theology on Tap in Charlotte, visit www.charlottetot. org; in Greensboro, visit www.triadcatholics.org.

things you didn’t know.”

The April 18 gathering in Charlotte featured a panel of two women religious, two seminarians and a layperson discussing their vocational callings. Upcoming sessions will cover social justice and the misinformation of “The Da Vinci Code” novel and soon-to-be-released movie.

The Greensboro gatherings typically draw 25 to 30 people. Charlotte gatherings usually see 45 to 75 people.

“Attendance at the spring 2005 series was high. The theme was ‘Uncorking the Truth about God, Sex and the Sanctity of Life,’” said Conway.

Topics included Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body,” the harsh realities of abortions, natural family planning and the abortifacient nature of chemical contraceptives.

“I think young adults want to know why the church takes such a strong stance on certain topics, and in learning why, they can learn the beauty of the Catholic faith,” said Conway.

“Even after the meeting is over, people are still standing around and talking about the topic,” said McCarty. “I’d consider that a success.”

“It’s a great way to get the truth of the Gospel across to people,” said Worthington. “It’s a superb social event with a bit of learning thrown in.”

As Worthington discussed his road to the seminary, he encouraged those in

6 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

April 28, 2006

Pax Christi group gathers for immigrant rights RALLY, from page 1

time off to seek health care.”

As Michael Kauffman, a parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and Pax Christi member, said, “I think it was at Lori’s presentation that I heard that we used to own our slaves; now we rent them by the season.”

Immigrant men are often crowded three or four into a bedroom, and some sleep on the floor because not everyone has a bed or mattress.

“Nobody deserves to sleep on the floor. Everyone has dignity,” Mahon said.

He added that in the Bible, the Israelites were judged by how they treated widows and orphans, the most powerless members of that society.

At one camp, where Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches, celebrated Mass, Mahon recalled, “One man said, ‘We had to leave our country and our families to come here to find work. We really miss the sacraments, and we thank you for bringing them to us.’

That really struck me.”

Many migrants feel they have no choice but to leave their homelands to seek employment in the United States. Economic policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), passed in 1993, have forced thousands of Mexican farmers off their land.

“I wish I had enough money to pay a just wage, by Mexican standards, to every Mexican worker to go home for two years and see what that would do to our economy,” Father Kloster said.

The fact is, migrants are willing to work for less money, and Americans are willing to let them.

As Mahon points out, “We need the cheap labor to supply cheap goods and services.”

the opening verse from Emma Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Everyone took turns reading aloud Bible quotes, such as Jesus’ admonition: “What you did (or did not) do for one of these least ones, you did (or did not do) for me” (from Matthew 25:31-46).

“We don’t realize that all we have is a gift,” Notre Dame Sister Terry Martin said. “What we have is not just for our own use. We need to share our blessings.”

On April 4, the Pax Christi group attended a program at St. William Church. Lori Khamala, outreach coordinator with the Durham, N.C., office of the National Farm Worker Ministry, presented information about migrant work and housing conditions.

The group learned about these conditions last year when it visited a camp near Murphy and now wanted to know more about how to help migrants.

Khamala’s presentation underscored what they had learned from the migrants: men working all day in the fields, then working long hours at night in the packing house; boots with soles eaten away by pesticides; no portable toilets in the fields; insufficient numbers of showers to enable workers to shower quickly to remove pesticides.

The Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network Web site states: “Dermatitis and respiratory problems caused by natural fungi, dusts, and pesticides are common. Lack of safe drinking water contributes to dehydration and heat stroke. The absence of toilet facilities leads to urinary retention, which is in turn linked to urinary tract infection. Farmworkers suffer such infections more often than the general population.”

The site adds that, “Migrant workers don’t generally earn enough to pay for health care, and they almost never have health insurance. They may also lack transportation to the clinic or, since they don’t receive sick leave, be afraid of losing wages or even their jobs if they take

Diocese of Charlotte investigating alleged incident of sexual misconduct CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is currently investigating an alleged incident of sexual misconduct involving a high school teacher.

The incident was reported April 24 by a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School. The alleged incident involved a Charlotte Catholic High School teacher and occurred two years ago at the teacher’s home.

The teacher, who denied the allegation, was suspended April 24.

The Diocese of Charlotte reported the incident to the Department of Social Services as required by state law that day, April 24.

The diocese will comply and cooperate fully with any investigation by the authorities, while conducting its own investigation of the allegation.

The Chancery has notified the Diocesan Review Board, which reviews cases of sexual misconduct reported in

the Diocese of Charlotte.

A letter was sent April 25 to parents of Charlotte Catholic High School students, informing them of the incident. A statement also was posted on the diocesan Web site.

The teacher was hired in 2001 after passing a background check. No other allegations regarding this teacher have been reported in the diocese.

The teacher had undergone diocesan training on and awareness of sexual misconduct by church personnel, as is required by diocesan policy of all diocesan employees and volunteers.

To date, approximately 13,000 employees and volunteers have attended this training at more than 300 sessions held throughout the 46-county diocese.

The Diocese of Charlotte continues its commitment to providing a safe environment for all people, especially the young and the vulnerable.

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Demonstrating for migrant worker rights, Pax Christi members from St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hayesville pray and sing on the Cherokee County courthouse steps April 10.

Harris, Ga., but is a parishioner at Immaclearned of the rally via the Internet. ulate Heart of Mary Church in Hayesville, “We’re called by God to show N.C., was one of 12 people demonstrating our love for each other and to help the on the Cherokee County courthouse steps marginalized,” Hampsher said, addin Murphy. ing that he wanted to “make some Eleven were from the Pax Christi connections with others concerned with group Mahon started, which includes peace and social justice.” members of Immaculate Heart of Mary They held placards with such Bible Church and St. William Church in Murphy. quotations as, “You shall not oppress The twelfth demonstrator was Josh an alien ... for you were once aliens in Hampsher, pastor of Cornerstone Westhe land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9), and leyan Church in Bryson City, who

April 28, 2006

FROM THE COVER

The Catholic News & Herald 7

World sees new style of papacy since Pope Benedict’s POPE, from page 1

Paul remains in people’s hearts, a fact witnessed daily in the seemingly endless line of pilgrims who come to his grave carrying flowers, notes or a silent prayer.

Pope Benedict, meanwhile, has used a simple and direct approach to win over the record crowds that are flocking to his appearances at the Vatican and elsewhere.

Quietly and slowly, in more than 200 sermons and speeches, he has engaged the faithful and the wider society on the fundamental issues of truth, freedom, faith and human dignity.

“He’s demonstrating that he’s a true pastor of the universal church,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis. “He is bringing his great learning and academic achievements to bear in this role.”

In some ways, it has taken a full year for the papal transition — a year to absorb the legacy of Pope John Paul’s long pontificate and a year for Pope Benedict’s papacy to come into focus.

“You can see Pope Benedict XVI has a great admiration and respect for Pope John Paul II, both as a person and his leadership in the Catholic community and beyond,” said Father James Hawker, vicar for education in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The first year The new pope found himself presiding over many events scheduled under his predecessor, like the Synod of Bishops last October, several canonizations, the closing of the eucharistic year, and numerous meetings and liturgies.

Pope Benedict has eased gently into his role. Those who hoped for tough new doctrinal pronouncements, wholesale removal of liberal bishops and a rollback in liturgical reform have been disappointed.

The pope’s only major document so far has been an encyclical that focused on what he called the foundation of the Christian message, “God is love,” and its implications for personal and institutional charity.

“He’s demonstrating that he’s a true pastor of the universal church.

He is bringing his great learning and academic achievements to bear in this role.”

CNS photo by Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI smiles as he leaves his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on the first anniversary of his pontificate April 19.

“I liked the theme of Pope Benedict’s first encyclical. It shows the stamp of his great intellect and was a good start for his papacy,” said Bishop Jugis.

The much-discussed Vatican document barring men with deep-seated homosexual tendencies from the priesthood, although approved by Pope Benedict, was a project inherited from the previous pontificate.

The long-rumored replacements in the Roman Curia has happened yet. But in March, the pope made his first move to streamline Vatican offices. At least temporarily, the council dealing with migration was combined with the justice and peace council, and the council that dialogues with non-Christian religions — including Muslims — was combined with the council for culture.

The final alignment of curial offices is not yet clear and the changes may take months, but most expect a significant shrinking of the number of agencies.

Teaching the faith For the last year, however, Pope Benedict’s priorities have not been administrative. Instead, he has embarked on what might be described as a project to water the roots of the faith.

He has urged Catholics to rediscover Christ as the focus of their personal lives and to resist the tendency to make the individual ego “the only criterion” for their choices. The pope has been careful to phrase this as a sympathetic invitation and not a warning.

“We continually close our doors; we continually want to feel secure and do not want to be disturbed by others and by God” — and yet still Christ will come for his people, the pope said in a sermon last May. As a teacher, he has turned to Scripture far more than doctrine, making connections between the early Christians of apostolic times and modern men and women struggling to live their faith.

“Pope Benedict has a very healthy understanding of the nature of education,” said Father Hawker, “in that, with education, you share information so peo-

ple will be formed and grow spiritually.”

Pope Benedict has tackled contemporary social and political issues by emphasizing a few main principles: that human rights rest on human dignity, that people come before profits, that the right to life is an ancient measure of humanity and not just a Catholic teaching, and that efforts to exclude God from civil affairs are corroding modern society.

He returns often to a central theme — the relationship between God and man — in language that can be clear-cut and gripping.

“Human life is a relationship ... and the basic relationship is with the Creator, otherwise all relationships are fragile. To choose God, that is the essential thing. A world emptied of God, a world that has forgotten God, loses life and falls into a culture of death,” the pope said in a talk in March.

He has zeroed in on what he has called Europe’s spiritual fatigue, occasionally rattling the cages and rallying the forces on issues like gay marriage, cohabitation and abortion.

A steady pace Compared to his predecessor’s early years, Pope Benedict appears to be going at a slower pace. All the same, his list of first-year accomplishments is impressive: — In February, he named 15 new cardinals and convened them March 23 for a discussion on any topic they chose.

— Last fall, he embarked on a reconciliation effort with Lefebvrite traditionalists,.

— In August, he presided over World Youth Day celebrations in his native Germany, winning the respect of young people some thought-provoking talks.

He also met with ecumenical leaders, Muslims, government ministers, bishops and seminarians.

— Late last year, he reviewed the major documents of the Second Vatican Council 40 years after its close. Then, in a major talk to the Roman Curia, he explained the right way and wrong way to interpret the council’s teachings.

— He moved quietly last summer to encourage the successful appointment of

new Chinese bishops acceptable to both their government and the Vatican.

— In December, he named a new apostolic nuncio to the United States.

“Pope Benedict has a marvelous commitment to ecumenicism and reaching out to other religious bodies,” said Father Hawker.

Throughout the year, the pope presided over ecumenical liturgies and met with a number of ecumenical groups, pledging continued efforts toward Christian unity. He also met several times with Jewish leaders, affirming the church’s commitment to dialogue and reflecting on the Holocaust.

Papal stylings Tope Benedict has had an overwhelmingly favorable reception among the tens of thousands of pilgrims who come to see him each week. When he moves through a crowd, he seems to look people in the eye.

“He enjoys meeting the faithful and being with them. He makes himself available and is generous with his time when meeting with all groups of people in both public and private audiences,” said Bishop Jugis, who has met twice with Pope Benedict in 2005.

Father Hawker, who served with consultants from around the world to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy in the 1990s, met then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger while he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“He was at home with people from every corner of the world,” said Father Hawker. “He was extremely kind, gentle and humble, and a very good listener.”

Last year, when the pope waived the normal five-year waiting period for the start of Pope John Paul II’s sainthood cause, he showed he was sensitive to the popular voice of the church.

In April, when the crowds gathered to pray in St. Peter’s Square, he joined them in remembering the late pontiff and the dramatic events set in motion by his death.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

celebrating easter

April 28, 2006

Churches celebrated Passover Seder The goodness of Easter eggs

Courtesy Photos

Parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard (above) and Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville (below) celebrate the Passover Seder, a meal-and-prayer service in Jewish homes on the eve of the first day of Passover (and on the eve of the second day as well by Orthodox Jews outside Israel).

Courtesy Photo

Middle school students from St. Pius X Church and School in Greensboro stuff Easter eggs April 5 to be delivered to the children’s wing at Moses Cone Hospital; residents at Dolan Manor, a housing facility for older adults; and terminally ill children at Hospice of the Piedmont.

Some Christian families and parish groups hold modified Seder observances because the Last Supper, at which Jesus instituted the Eucharist the night before his death, is traditionally believed to have been a Seder meal.

Christian celebrations of Seder offer insight into the symbolism of the traditional Passover foods that are used in the Mass, such as unleavened bread and wine, according to Father Bob Colaresi, director of the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, Ill. “It helps you understand the symbols Jesus was offering us in the historical context of the day,” said Father Colaresi.“Our understanding of the Eucharist is rooted in the celebration of Jewish Passover.”

The Seder at Sacred Heart Church was led by Arthur Narins, who converted to Catholicism from Judaism. He has led Seders at churches and homes for 15 years.

More than 90 people attended the Seder at Our Lady of the Highways Church, led by John Dillon.

Courtesy Photo

Young parishioners of St. Ann Church in Charlotte stand with the Easter Bunny during the church’s annual Easter egg hunt April 9. Confirmation candidates helped fill more than 1,600 eggs for children to find, as well as helped with games, temporary tattoos and face painting.

April 28, 2006

celebrating easter

Reliving the Stations

The Catholic News & Herald 9

way of the cross

Via Crucis celebrated at Hamlet parish

Courtesy Photo

Students at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem re-enact a living Stations of the Cross and Last Supper in April. The Stations (or Way) of the Cross is a traditional Catholic Lenten devotion, a public but nonliturgical act of prayer.

HAMLET — Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, was celebrated at St. James the Greater Church in Hamlet on Good Friday, April 14.

Way (or Stations) of the Cross is a traditional Catholic Lenten devotion, a public but nonliturgical act of prayer.

Parishioners at St. James the Greater Church, many of whom are Hispanic, celebrated Via Crucis in Spanish and faithfully depicted the Last Supper and the 14 stations depicting Jesus’ procession with the cross to his crucifixion and burial.

“It’s a way of experiencing what Christ experienced, certainly for our community,” said Benedictine Father David Draim, parochial vicar. “They have a strong faith that Christ died for us.”

In many South American countries, entire towns turn out for Via Crucis.

“It’s huge there,” said Nestor Restrepo, a native of Colombia. “Religion is very close to culture, I think, and this is a way to feel that connection.”

Pope Benedict XVI led the first

Way of the Cross service of his pontificate in the shadows of Rome’s torch-lit Colosseum April 14.

The meditations on the 14 stations, written by Archbishop Angelo Comastri, vicar for Vatican City State, were written to help people realize that even today the sin and evil that led to Christ’s suffering and death continue.

Archbishop Comastri noted that sins and divisions add weight to the cross Christ must bear. But he drew from Pope Benedict’s first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est” (“God Is Love”), to remind those who follow the Stations of the Cross that Christ’s death and resurrection are the supreme signs of God’s love and his desire to forgive.

“In his death, Jesus filled death itself with love; he filled it with the presence of God,” the archbishop wrote.

Contributing to this story were Catholic News Service and Copy Editor Mary Griffin of the Richmond County Daily Journal.

Courtesy Photo by Mary Griffin, Richmond County Daily Journal

Heraclio Mendez, a parishioner of St. James the Greater Church in Hamlet, portrays Jesus during a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) service at the church April 14.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

April 28, 2006

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Catholic author Muriel Spark dies at 88 in Italy by

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON — Catholic novelist Muriel Spark, author of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and more than 20 other books, died April 13 in a hospital in Florence, Italy. She was 88.

Her funeral took place April 15 in the Tuscan town of Civitella della Chiana, where Spark had lived for almost three decades.

Spark, who became a Catholic in 1954, received the 2001 Campion Award, given annually to a noted Christian person of letters by the Catholic Book Club, a subsidiary of America Press.

A working journalist, editor and biographer, Spark did not publish any novels until she was 39, three years after she became Catholic. Her first novel, “The Comforters” (1957), was inspired by her studies on the Book of Job, according to a BBC Web site.

“Several critics agree that her religious conversion was the central event of her life,” the BBC said of Spark.

In 1961 she published her most famous work, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” the story of a charismatic teacher and her influence on a group of favorite girls.

It continues to be recommended reading for young adults for its perceptive observations on the allure of fascism and adolescent susceptibility to adult manipulation.

The student narrator in the novel converts to Catholicism as an adult.

Adaptations of the novel for the stage in 1966 and for film in 1969 increased Spark’s fame.

In a 1997 interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Spark talked about how being a Catholic influenced her writing.

“I don’t propagate the Catholic faith but in a funny sort of way my books couldn’t be written by anyone except a Catholic,” she said.

“It’s the only religion I view as rational — it helps you get rid of all the other problems in your life,” Spark added. “There really is such a thing as beauty of morals.”

In a later interview for BBC Radio 3, Spark said Catholicism “gives me an inner stability which enables me to write better, I feel.”

“I was very tentative before” becoming a Catholic, she added. “I wrote biographies and I was very tentative about creative work. ... And somehow with my religion — whether one has anything to do with the other, I don’t know — but it does seem so, that I just gained confidence, and I don’t care if it’s foolish or anything, I just write.”

Spark’s last novel, “The Finishing School,” was published in 2005. She also wrote several volumes of poetry and biographical works on the Bronte family, Mary Shelley and others.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: May 7, 2006

May 7, Fourth Sunday of Easter Cycle B Readings: 1) Acts 4:8-12 Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 29 2) 1 John 3:1-2 3) Gospel: John 10:11-18

As followers of God, we should know one another

by JEAN DENTON catholic news service

Travis and Zach are twin brothers in the confirmation class I’m leading this year. There are a dozen other high school juniors in the group, nearly all of whom I’ve known since they were in sixth grade.

T h e t w i n s , h o w e v e r, b e g a n participating in parish religious education classes only a couple of years ago, so I didn’t know them too well.

I mostly saw them as somewhat disengaged in youth gatherings at church while their mother diligently insisted they attend regularly. Eventually I noticed signs of maturity. They at least made a show of seriousness in confirmation classes.

Travis occasionally spoke up in discussions. Still, it seemed obvious that they were doing only what was necessary to get confirmed and make Mom happy.

As confirmation neared, the group went on a weekend retreat. Beforehand, I mentioned to the twins’ mother that we appreciated her sons’ efforts but lamented that Zach was strongly dependent on Travis.

During the weekend, however, it

became clear that I was wrong. In fact the two had not only very different personalities and interests, they were completely independent in the social sphere.

They shared their developing faith openly, and I had several informal conversations with each one in our time together. I realized I had not worked very hard at getting to know them.

At the end of the retreat we were hugging each other goodbye, and the next day I caught myself checking their baseball schedule so I could go to the next home game, drawing them into a growing group of young adults I’ve been blessed to know and love as I do my own children.

I’m not the Good Shepherd, but as his follower I needed that lesson. Jesus said he knows his sheep and they know him, and that he will choose to lay down his life for them.

It is hard to love and take on the concerns of those we don’t know. We disciples are called to take the time and make the effort to appreciate the complex people God has created and placed in our lives — offered to us — so we will be able to love them as he does, placing their needs first.

Questions: Who are some of the people you interact with regularly but whom you haven’t gotten to know very well?

What can you do to deepen those relationships?

Scripture to Illustrate: “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me in the same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:14-15ab).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of April 30-May 6 Sunday (Third Sunday of Easter), Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, 1 John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48; Monday (St. Joseph the Worker), Colossians 53:14-15, 17, 23-24, Matthew 13:54-58; Tuesday (St. Athanasius), Acts 7:51—8:1, John a6:30-35; Wednesday (Sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Thursday, Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday, Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday, Acts 9:31-42, John 6:60-69.

Scripture for the week of May 7-13 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter), Acts 4:8-12, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18; Monday, Acts 11:118, John 10:1-10; Tuesday, Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday (Bl. Damien de Veuster), Acts 12:24—13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday, Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday (Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, St. Pancras), Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday (Our Lady of Fatima), Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14.

CNS Photo by Reuters

Scottish-born novelist Muriel Spark listens to speeches in her honor after receiving the 1997 David Cohen British Literature Prize during a ceremony in London. Spark, a Catholic novelist, died April 13 in a hospital in Florence, Italy. She was 88.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

April 28, 2006

‘United’ heroes heralded in film

CNS photo by Universal

Lewis Alsamari (left) and Jamie Harding star in “United 93,” a tense, well-acted documentary-style drama about the hijacking of an aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001, when passengers fought back, downing the plane in the ensuing melee and preventing destruction of a probable Washington target, while air traffic controllers on the ground struggled to make sense of what was happening.

Director Paul Greengrass has avoided exploitation with his dispassionate approach and the use of a no-name cast, but many will obviously find this extremely distressing.

Yet as a testament to heroism and a vivid cautionary tale, the film is, on balance, a worthwhile endeavor.

Harrowing suspense, violence and bloodshed (though discreetly shot with quick editing), other disturbing Sept. 11 imagery, a smattering of profanity and four-letter words uttered under extreme distress.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Traps of technology

Blogs pose dangers to students, Catholic legal expert says a copyrighted symbol, but a blog, like much else in cyberspace, is “archived forever and you can’t cut it off,” Sister Shaughnessy said.

CNS photo by Martin Lueders

An area at a public library in Gaithersburg, Md., is set aside specifically for use by children 13 and younger. Blogging, or web logging, poses safety issues to children, says an expert.

ATLANTA (CNS) — Blogging poses grave safety and legal issues, said Sister Mary Angela Shaughnessy, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth, Ky., who is executive director of the Education Law Institute in Louisville, Ky. “Two years ago, I don’t think I could have told you what blogging is,” Sister Shaughnessy said during an April 19 workshop at the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual convention in Atlanta. “Now, I’m some sort of expert.”

Blogs, a contraction of the phrase “Web logs,” are archives of diarylike postings on individuals’ own Web pages.

Blogs are often collected on certain Web sites, such as www.myspace.com.

High school students, who often create blogs, “don’t get it,” Sister Shaughnessy said. “They don’t get that giving their name, their address, their telephone number, the school they go to and the hours they go might get them caught.”

Despite teens’ seeming ignorance of the dangers of blogs, “parents know even less about computers than their kids do,” she added.

School officials can get their students to remove any school logo from a blog, since it is an unauthorized use of

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April 28, 2006

April 28, 2006

AROUND THE DIOCESE

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Father Fernandez answers call heard long PRIEST, from page 1

celebrate the resurrection of our Lord,” said Bishop Jugis during his homily. “A double measure of joy is given to us this season, as (we) give thanks to our blessed savior for the gift of a new priest.”

Journey to the altar For Father Fernandez, becoming a priest meant answering a call he had first heard as a high school student.

Born in Cuba, Father Fernandez immigrated to Philadelphia with his family when he was 9 years old.

As a young man, he earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in psychology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He settled in the Washington area, working as a school psychologist for the next 10 years.

In 1996, he said he received his call to a vocation in the priesthood — a call that first came when he was a high school student.

“It was kind of a difficult year.… I had accomplished all my goals … but there was a void within me,” he said. “As I prayed more about it, I realized my call was coming back.”

After a year of discernment, Father Fernandez said, “Finally, God gave me the grace to say ‘yes.’”

“Finally, God gave me the grace to say ‘yes.’”

After five visits to Belmont Abbey, Father Fernandez decided that the life of a Benedictine was the life meant for him.

“I felt at home the first time I walked through the door,” he said.

Father Fernandez began his postulate in 1998, and went on to earn a second master’s degree, this one in theology from Saint John’s University’s School of Theology/Seminary in Collegeville, Minn.

At the altar at last “The power flowing from our Lord’s resurrection will now be seen also in your priestly ministry, Father Agostino,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “The grace of the sacrament of holy orders will configure you to Christ, the High Priest.

You will act in the person of Christ, who desires to be always present to his faithful people.”

Concelebrants of the ordination Mass included Abbot Placid Solari, head of the monastic community at Belmont Abbey; monks of the abbey; and other priests serving in the Diocese of Charlotte.

During the rite of ordination, Father Fernandez confirmed his promise to fulfill the office of the priesthood. Kneeling, he placed his hands between Bishop Jugis’

hands in a promise of obedience.

The congregation was invited to join in prayer for the priestly candidate, the church and its people as he lay prostrate before the altar.

During the rite’s most solemn moment, Father Fernandez knelt in silence before Bishop Jugis, who laid his hands on Father Fernandez’s head in prayer. The Benedictine monks then followed suit, praying over their brother monk.

The celebration of the sacrament of holy orders was completed as the bishop extended his hands over the kneeling candidate and prayed the prayer of consecration.

Father Fernandez was vested with a stole and a chasuble — outer garments of the priestly office. The bishop anointed Father Fernandez’s hands with sacred chrism and he was then presented with a chalice and paten signifying his role as celebrant of the Eucharist.

“Since you will reveal the presence of Christ and the power of his paschal mystery, celebrate the sacraments, especially the sacrifice of the Mass, with reverence and devotion,” said the bishop.

The newly ordained Father Fernandez then joined his brother priests to concelebrate the Mass, thus opening the new chapter in his life.

Beyond the altar As subprior of Belmont Abbey, the third-highest ranking monk, Father Fernandez helps ensure the smooth operations

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari vests Father Agostino Fernandez with a stole and a chasuble during the Mass celebrating ordination of Father Fernandez April 22. of the cloister. He is also the director of formation, acting as guide and teacher of the six monks in formation, and serves as master-of-ceremonies at liturgies.

Father Fernandez said his main fidelity is to the monastery. Benedictines take a vow of stability, and the monastery becomes the family they remain with for the rest of their lives.

“With God’s grace, I look forward to serving our Lord and being a witness to the Gospel as I serve my community,” said Father Fernandez.

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kae-

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

April 28, 2006

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Church tradition helps keep connection with Christ’s life, by

A daughter’s question about hunger and homelessness Q. I need an answer for my daughter.

In the Bible it says that Jesus performed a miracle of multiplying fish and loaves of bread, and fed thousands of people.

Why, she asks, doesn’t he perform the same miracle for all the millions of people starving and homeless today? It’s a good question, but I couldn’t come up with a good answer. Please help. (Kentucky) A. Your question has been asked thousands of times over the centuries

by Christians and others. Ultimately, I believe, there is no clean-cut final answer, because we’re dealing with a huge mystery of creation, the mystery of evil.

An essential part of the explanation we can give is the basic truth that Jesus became flesh on earth not to take away all suffering, but to be part of it, to help us find a way through it by our compassion and love for each other.

Why did a good, wise and gracious God not remove all the pain? Or why did God not eliminate disease for everyone, but just for a few?

Theoretically he could have, so obviously God sees something in the whole picture that we miss, something perhaps that we are simply incapable of seeing because of our extremely limited perspective.

For some reason he made us responsible for each other and accountable for the consequences when we refuse that responsibility, when we abuse, reject and isolate ourselves from our brothers and sisters on this planet.

The solution Jesus gave us was simple, but not easy: The first and basic command is to love God with your whole heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.

He expanded on this often, most specifically in his description of the final days when we will be judged on how we fulfilled our duty to feed, clothe and support each other.

God has, then, given us the keys to the elimination of suffering and moral evil. All his saving grace and love, all his call to discipleship, is to give direction and to help us use those keys.

In other words, God has bound himself to depend on our hands. He does all

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN cns columnist

he can to walk with us and help us. But he respects our humanity, our dignity, so much that he refuses to despair of our potential, to shove us out of the way and take over everything himself.

Therefore, our responsibility here is enormous.

Why did Jesus cry in the presence of death (Jn 11:35)? Why did he weep when he realized his own people were rejecting him (Lk 19:41)?

We must conclude that he shares deeply in our hurt and pain, but he would not repent of the trust, hope and love he invested in the human family at the beginning.

We need to ask questions; it is good and important that we do so. In the end, however, we need a good dose of humility before this mystery.

Does this mean God ceased to love us or to care? Absolutely not.

It explains, in fact, why Jesus was so obedient to the Father, who wanted the Son to live a perfect human life, with all its weaknesses and heartache, obedient even to death on the cross.

He honors his Father by bringing us to honor our Father with that same obedience.

Does this require some faith? Yes. But it makes more spiritual and common sense, and reflects more wisdom, than to try to reduce God to our size just so we can understand and be emotionally uncomfortable with everything harsh this earthly life holds for us.

Questions may be sent to Father Dietzen at e-mail: jjdietzen@aol.com.

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catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Remaining faithful to church tradition keeps Christians connected to Christ and the apostles’ firsthand experience of the savior’s life, teachings, death and resurrection, Pope Benedict XVI said at his weekly general audience.

By adhering to church tradition, Christ remains present in the ecclesial communion, linking women and men across the world and throughout history by the same faith, he said in his catechesis delivered April 26 in St. Peter’s Square.

“Tradition is the communion of faithful gathered round the legitimate shepherds throughout history, a communion which the Holy Spirit nourishes, guaranteeing a connection between the experience of apostolic faith lived by the original community of disciples and the present experience of Christ in his church,” he said.

Tradition, however, is not handing down inert things or words; “tradition is a living river” that links the faithful directly to its origins and to Christ, he said.

Being immersed in this “great river” will carry the faithful to the doors of eternity in heaven, he said. Since it is “a living river,” being part of the church’s

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI 2,000-year tradition reminds people that God will always be with his people, until the end of time, said the pope.

In his catechesis on ecclesial communion, the pope spoke on how the church is sustained by the Holy Spirit and “safeguarded and promoted by the apostolic ministry.”

Thanks to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the experience of the risen Lord “will always be lived by successive generations” through their common faith, lived through worship and the church community, he said. In this way, the Holy Spirit, Christ’s disciples and the Christian communities remain forever linked, he said.

The Holy Spirit helps guide the church and its pastors to be in uninterrupted continuity with its origins so that Jesus always remains present in the church’s life and its future, the pope said.

An encounter with the suffering

Terminally ill child still a bittersweet gift “It started as a routine ultrasound,” began Danny Eisenbacher. He and his wife Jeannine were expecting their fifth child.

The doctor discovered that the baby had anencephaly, a condition in which the child’s brain fails to develop properly and the baby’s head is noticeably misshapen.

Babies with the condition usually do not survive more than a few days after birth, if they survive birth at all.

There was never a question in Danny and Jeannine’s minds as to whether they would accept and love the child God gave them. They would never consider aborting their daughter and they made their medical providers aware of this fact.

Still, they were pressed to consider all their “options.”

“How many times have we been asked already if we would like to terminate? It is not at all an option for us,” said Danny.

“This is our child that we are going to love and nurture for as long as we can.

And actually, it isn’t even our child ultimately. It is God’s child. Like all of our children.”

After learning their baby was a girl, they named her Angela and commended their prayers to, among others, St. Angela. They prayed daily for Angela’s miraculous healing but they also prepared for the worst — a funeral was planned well before the baby’s birth.

They wondered: Will her siblings have a chance to meet and hold her? How will they deal with the death of their baby sister?

As Jeannine began to look more obviously pregnant, it was an everpresent reminder that the baby was on the way.

Life Issues Forum MAUREEN BAILEY guest columnist

But this was for them a time of sorrow, knowing that the baby likely would not live for more than a few days after birth. Their long Lent began.

Angela was born April 3. Danny and Jeannine embraced every moment that came with her labor and delivery. They did not receive the miraculous cure for which they had prayed, but they were granted what they called “the miracle of having some time with her.”

Angela was baptized, confirmed and anointed. Three days after her birth, she died surrounded by her parents, grandparents and friends. Her birth gave the Eisenbachers a chance to meet, faceto-face, a precious if bittersweet gift. In the face of every human being lies an encounter with God. Carrying, giving birth to and caring for a child with a disability is an encounter with our suffering-God, with Jesus crucified. As Christians, we know that the crucifixion is not the final word.

And one day, Angel’s family will rejoice with her in the company of our risen Lord.

Maureen Bailey is a public policy analyst with the USCCB Secretariat for

The Catholic News & Herald 15

April 28, 2006

An immigrant’s confession

We must remember where we came from and why I have a confession to make. My people came to America, uninvited and without papers.

My great-great-grandfather was James Barrett of County Kerry. Driven out of Ireland by the great potato famine, he landed in Boston around 1850.

Eventually he made his way to New York and, although not a true American, was welcomed to fight in the Civil War with a Union artillery unit.

He was discharged in Baltimore in 1865 and returned to New York, where he worked as a stonemason in New Rochelle, where I was born 87 years later.

When Irish people like Jimmy Barrett arrived, they were vilified, made fun of and feared. So it also was with the Chinese, the eastern Europeans and, once freed from the chattel of slavery, the Africans.

But all of them were also asked to do the hard, dirty work that no one else wanted to do. The Chinese built the railroads; the Europeans worked in the offal pits of the meat packing industry; the slaves, well ... they were slaves.

Many of the children of immigrants have since moved up in society. We speak the language; our children are team captains and homecoming queens.

This is our country now. We like it here and we aren’t going back.

Some of us have forgotten why our ancestors came here. America was and is the “Disneyland” of countries. Everyone wants to come here because, in biblical terms, we are “a land flowing

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS guest columnist

with milk and honey.”

We have the biggest Wal-Marts, the safest amusement parks, the best-tasting junk food. And we have so much money that we spend more on dog food than the gross domestic product (GDP) of less fortunate countries. The new immigrants must think there are a few scraps from this table of plenty.

But there are those among us who want to build high walls at the borders and make criminals of the people who come here to work as our landscapers and hotel maids. Jimmy Barrett was forced to leave his home because he was hungry and poor and if he hadn’t, he probably would have died.

For the new immigrants, the trip to America is shorter and the names sound different, but many of their motivations and desires are the same.

For those who have forgotten their immigrant roots and don’t want to share this country’s spoils, there are some familiar Scripture passages that remind us about love and peace and justice.

And don’t forget the Lord’s words: “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Mt 25:40).

God bless those Hispanic leaders who have organized the peaceful marches and rallies all over the country that put the plight of immigrants on the front burners of discussion in the media.

It is gratifying to know that an antiimmigrant rally held at a Charlotte high school in January drew about 20 people.

The pro-immigration gathering in Charlotte’s Marshall Park in March drew 7,000; a Winston-Salem rally drew 3,000.

Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte, read a letter at the Marshall Park rally from Bishop Peter J. Jugis. The mere mention of the bishop’s name and the Catholic Church, which has a long history supporting the rights of immigrants, drew a thunder of applause from those gathered.

In the 2004 film “The Day After Tomorrow,” there is an intriguing scene in which Mexican border guards are holding off a hoard of Americans fleeing to the south to escape the new ice age gripping the northern hemisphere. After phone calls from the White House, the Mexican guards relent and the American immigrants are allowed in.

The film was a fantasy, but in reality the reverse situation exists and our border guards offer no such welcome.

We older immigrants need to remember our roots and our Scripture as these newer immigrants come to the bountiful table that is America.

David Hains is director of communication for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains@charlottediocese. org.

Honoring Mary

God gave her most privileged position

children would be born on that day too.

She also prayed that one of her four sons would become a priest, but they all married.

She later realized that God answers our prayers, but in his own way, taking his own sweet time.

Grandma Anna’s prayers were answered a generation later when I was born Sept. 8, 1931. She must have been exceedingly happy, but I’m sure her joy did not stop her from continuing to pray to have a priest in the family.

I still have an old photograph of Grandma Anna holding me in her arms as a newborn infant. She died when I was 6 months old, so I never got to know her.

I didn’t even learn of her secret prayer campaign until I was about 50, when my aunt told me the story.

For all those years, I thought my early struggle to discern my vocation was exclusively my own business; something private between God and me. Today I see it in a slightly different light.

My grandmother never stopped asking Mary to help me to accept my calling.

All that grace finally wore me down.

And so, without taking my freedom away, God led me to my ordination May 28, 1960, and I have lived happily ever after, as the story goes, with only a few bumps along the way.

FATHER JOHN CATOIR cns columnist

The month of May is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

St. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, once said, “Of all women, Mary, you are the most blessed; blessed is the fruit of your womb”(Lk 1:42-45, The Jerusalem Bible).

We honor Mary every May because God gave her the most privileged position in human history when she became the mother of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

The divine command to honor one’s mother is found in Exodus 20:12. We know that Jesus honors his mother, just as any good son would honor his mother.

Since the Lord’s love flows through us, we love and honor Mary as well.

The Hebrew Bible helps us to imagine how Jesus might relate to Mary in heaven. We read that King Solomon had his mother sitting to the right of his throne.

She often interceded with him on

behalf of his subjects saying, “I have a favor to ask of you. ... Do not refuse me.”

Solomon would answer, “My mother, make your request for I will not refuse you” (1 Kgs 2:21).

When Catholics recite the Hail Mary, “Pray for us, now and at the hour of our death,” they do not think of Mary as a kind of goddess with independent power.

They know that her power is from the Lord.

They simply ask her to intercede for them, knowing well that Jesus will honor her request.

St. Elizabeth is recorded in Scripture as saying, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Mary believed and then surrendered herself to the Lord in perfect submission: “Be it done unto me according to thy word”(Lk 1:38), and the miracle of the incarnation took place in her womb.

Jesus became flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone.

Each of us has some special memory about Mary.

My story is about my maternal grandmother, Anna Caslin. She had a rich devotion to Our Lady because she was born Sept. 8, the same day the church celebrates Mary’s birthday.

I’m told my grandmother always prayed that at least one of her nine

What will your endowment do?

Guest Column JUDY SMITH guest columnist

Endowment funds are growing in popularity as more and more donors discover the remarkable benefits they provide. Perhaps you have even thought of creating one of these funds yourself.

Through your endowment, you can accomplish many objectives. Here are just three to consider: 1) Your endowment will endure.

Diocesan Foundation endowments exist in perpetuity. Because our policies prohibit us from spending the principal, only the income from interest can be used to meet the purposes of the endowment.

For example, let’s say you create an endowment to provide assistance to your parish or school through an educational scholarship. Once established, the endowment will generate these financial grants each year.

One hundred years from now, parishioners and students will benefit from your prudent planning and generousity. This enduring quality makes endowments the perfect tool to create a lasting legacy.

2) Your endowment will enable.

Regular cash gifts to your parish, school or a Catholic agency certainly help them meet their financial obligations. But what happens when the donor dies? Or what if these cash gifts are not so readily available in lean years?

Because of their enduring quality, endowments enable us to plan ahead with confidence. We can project endowment income and develop programs accordingly.

Donors sometimes create endowment funds to enable us to accomplish things we would not ordinarily be able to do through normal operating income.

An endowment may provide ongoing resources for such things as student enrichment, refugee support or social justice outreach.

3) Your endowment will inspire.

When you establish an endowment, you inspire your Catholic community. You deepen our financial foundation and lift us higher in the minds of fellow Catholics.

Through your endowment, you say, “The Catholic Church is worthy of my resources. I expect the church to be fulfilling its mission far into the future.”

Your prudent and forward-looking decision encourages us and challenges us to honor your “investment.”

This inspiration spreads to your family as well. Your children and grandchildren have added reason to appreciate their Catholic heritage. The ongoing impact of your endowment reminds them of who they are. It lifts their sights and inspires a benevolent spirit.

For more information, contact me at jmsmith@charlottediocese.org or (704) 370-3220.

Judy Smith is director of planned giving for the Diocese of Charlotte.

April 28, 2006

The Catholic News & Herald 16

PARISH PROFILE

Robbinsville mission a symbol of peace of Christ in mountain community ROBBINSVILLE — Following the mid-1950s arrival of the Glenmary Home Missioners in western North Carolina, an ecumenical and missionary spirit began to flow from one small mountain town to another.

One such place is Robbinsville, where shortly after the Glenmarys started their ministry, a small Catholic community began to grow.

The priests, based at St. William Church in Murphy, traveled throughout the westernmost areas of North Carolina and, by 1957, established mission status in Robbinsville.

The Catholic community there was comprised of just one family in those early years, with several more living near Fontana Dam to the north. In 1958, Glenmary Father James Wilmes, then-associate pastor at St. William Church in Murphy, began leading Bible classes in Robbinsville and made plans to open a chapel there.

With money sent from the assistant pastor’s family, who set up a mission club, the few Catholics in the area began gathering in a small storefront chapel for classes and liturgies.

Catholicism was still largely misunderstood by the majority of the l ocals in those days, and the Glenmarys did their best to become part of the community and disseminate the truths of the Catholic faith. Part of the Robbinsville chapel was outfitted as a clothing center for the poor, and Catholic Bibles were given to anyone asking for one.

Revival tent meetings and novena services were held in Robbinsville, furthering the Glenmarys’ missionary zeal.

By 1966, the building that housed the chapel had become so dilapidated that it had to be destroyed. Masses continued until 1972, when in March of that year a local Baptist church allowed the Catholic mission to celebrate liturgies on Saturday evenings in their church.

Masses were celebrated at the Baptist church for a brief time, and in 1973, a Methodist church began serving as the mission’s home. Those Saturday vigil Masses continued for 15 years, until the

Prince of Peace Church 704 Tallulah Road, Rt. 129 Robbinsville, N.C. 28771 (828) 321-4463

Vicariate: Smoky Mountain Pastor: Father Michael Kottar Number of Households: 35 year- round, 45 additional seasonal A mission of Holy Redeemer Parish, Andrews

Father Michael Kottar

Photo by George Cobb

Prince of Peace Mission was established by Glenmary Home Missioners, who brought an ecumenical and missionary spirit to many small mountain communities. mission could build a new chapel.

Meanwhile, the Glenmarys continued their ministry at other mission stations in the area. In Robbinsville, acceptance and understanding of the Catholic faith by the local population has been gradual.

In 1987, members of the Legion of Mary, an apostolic organization comprised of lay people, visited Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews — the mother church of the Robbinsville mission — to educate and evangelize members of the community.

There still is much misunderstanding, according to Father Michael Kottar, the present pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews and Prince of Peace Church.

Legion members visited some 700 area homes, distributing brief summaries of Catholic beliefs for interested citizens and inactive Catholics.

The project received such a posi-

symbolically doing the work of a missioner: helping others find God by shoveling a path to the Catholic church.

The mission church was named Prince of Peace and has served the needs of Robbinsville Catholics ever since. In addition to the Andrews parish, Father Kottar ministers to the 35 year-round families worshipping at Prince of Peace Church, who are joined by dozens more Catholics during the summer months.

Parishioners actively support in church and community services and groups, including ecumenical food projects, visiting the local nursing home, civic clubs and chamber of commerce.

tive response that the Legion of Mary returned to Robbinsville the following year, visiting hundreds more homes.

With the Catholic community in Robbinsville still without a church, Father Wilmes returned in 1986 and set out to find property on which to build.

He found a suitable building on a piece of property along Highway 129. In October 1988, Robbinsville had its new Catholic church.

Another building on the property was later adapted for use as a parish hall.

For the last 17 years, Father Wilmes lived in the Robbinsville area. In his last five years, he chose to occupy a small room in the back of the Robbinsville church, living simply with just a microwave for cooking. He slept on a couch, and he showered next door in the parish hall.

The Diocese of Charlotte assumed administration of the mission when Father Kottar arrived in July 2002.

In 2003, a deep mountain snowfall covered the area and Father Wilmes suffered a heart attack removing snow from the church grounds. He died