May 4, 2007

May 4, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Hains examines reaction to Imus apology; Caldarola discusses priorities in life

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI May 4, 2007

‘The church of today’

| Pages 14-15 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Fathers on the front lines

Youths explore faith, friendship at Diocesan Youth Conference by

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS

catholic news service

correspondent

See YOUTHS, page 12

no. 28

Priests train in South Carolina to be military chaplains by

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER

RIDGECREST — Youths from around the Diocese of Charlotte recently gathered to pray, sing and celebrate their communion and dedication to their Catholic faith.

Approximately 250 high school-age teens attended the 30th annual Diocesan Youth Conference, this year themed “Less of Me, More of Him,” taken from Pope Benedict XVI’s inaugural homily.

The event was held at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest April 27-29.

T h e D i o c e s a n Yo u t h Advisory Council, comprised of youths from different parishes, chose the conference theme and worked to organize

vOLUME 16

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — As the soldier leaned out over a length of rope stretched 20 feet in the air over a net, he began the “commando crawl,” a careful, hand-over-hand movement across the rope to a wooden platform on the other side.

The other men and women in his platoon waited on the ground below and cheered him as he slowly made progress.

The casual observer would never guess the man on the rope, a first lieutenant, was also a Catholic priest, Father Mario Rosario, studying to become a chaplain in the U.S. Army.

He and eight other Catholic priests were among CNS photo by Paul Haring

Father Mario Rosario does the “commando crawl” during training at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, S.C., March 27. Father Rosario, a first lieutenant in the Army, and three other Catholic priests completed the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course April 5 and could easily serve in Iraq within a year.

For love of the church Catholic Daughters convene in Charlotte by

KAREN A. Evans staff writer

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Members of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Infant of Prague 1643 in Jacksonville, gather during the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte in October 2006.

The biennial state convention of Catholic Daughters met in Charlotte April 27-29.

CHARLOTTE — Nearly 100 women dedicated to the life and work of the Catholic Church recently gathered in Charlotte to celebrate their past and plan their future.

About 90 representatives of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas met at the Charlotte Marriott Executive Park April 27-29 for the biennial North Carolina state convention.

“Our purpose is to support

our priests and our parishes in any way we can,” said Maryann Grabasky, North Carolina state regent.

For more than a century, Catholic Daughters have worked tirelessly in support of the Catholic Church and its ministries.

The organization was founded in Utica, N.Y., in 1903

by John Carberry and several other Knights of Columbus as See DAUGHTERS, page 5

See CHAPLAINS, page 9

To change a climate

Teleconference explores faith response to climate change JOANITA M. NELLENBACH

by

correspondent

ASHEVILLE — In a 1995 pastoral message, the bishops of the Appalachia region were concerned about an ecological crisis.

“If we fail to care for our precious Earth, and for See CLIMATE, page 7

Respect Life

Culture Watch

In Our Schools

Priest-scientist’s views on cloning, stem cells

Religious themes in sports; singer’s stance spur reaction

Multicultural festival; students win science award

| Page 6

| Pages 10-11

| Page 13

May 4, 2007

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Total membership in U.S. Christian churches continued to rise in 2005, despite ongoing declines in some of the country’s largest mainline Protestant churches, according to the 2007 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.

Total recorded inclusive membership in 2005 was 165,878,323, up more than 2.4 million from the previous year, the yearbook said.

The 439-page yearbook is an annual publication of the New York-based National Council of Churches. This year’s book is the council’s 75th edition.

It lists U.S. and Canadian church bodies, and includes directories of U.S. and Canadian seminaries, religious periodicals, ecumenical organizations, cooperative religious organizations, institutions engaged in religious research and a selective directory of non-Christian religious organizations.

Because it relies on data collected by the church bodies, the 2007 yearbook

Running on faith

CNS photo by Ammar Awad, Reuters

Athletes hold up a torch in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, at the start of the Pope John Paul II Marathon for Peace April 25. Italian, Israeli and Palestinian athletes participated in the annual 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.

U.S. seminarian runs in Holy Land not to win, but to promote peace JERUSALEM (CNS) — After having run the 26-mile Rome Marathon in March, seminarian Philip Smith said he was not daunted by the prospect of running the 6.2-mile Pope John Paul II Marathon for Peace.

But, he said, those six miles were more than just a marker of distance.

Running with a group of 150 Palestinian and Israeli athletes from Manger Square in Bethlehem to the Western Wall in Jerusalem April 25 provided a symbolic bridge between the two populations and promoted peace in a region so much in need of it, he said.

Smith said the group of athletes ran together the entire route so there was no sense of competition among them.

“We moved at a very slow pace so we could all stay together,” he said, adding that he now has a better idea of the situation in the Holy Land.

“This marathon is an opportunity to use sports by people of different convictions” to work for peace and understanding, said the 22-year-old student from Pontifical North American College in Rome.

“There is a great diversity of people from all over running for peace, and we can all see that we have the common goal of peace, and sport is the way to do it together,” he said.

He noted that this was a concept that Pope John Paul had encouraged — viewing sport as a language that could bring

Yearbook says U.S. Christian church membership rising

together individuals from conflicting backgrounds for a higher value.

The fourth Pope John Paul II run was organized by the Rome Pilgrimage Office and the Catholic Italian Sports Center, which also organized the Clericus Cup soccer tournament for priests and seminarians in Rome. The sports center selected one representative from each of the 16 teams in the tournament to participate in the marathon.

Smith was selected to represent the North American team because of his previous marathon experience.

Smith said it was important to see his trip to the Holy Land for the run primarily as a pilgrimage following in the footsteps of Jesus as well as one of concern for human dignity.

“This brings to mind the fact that Christ comes into our world with war and with violence. We remember that he is with us in the real world, so somehow we hope to overcome these problems,” said Smith.

Bethlehem leaders told the runners they were giving hope to the younger generation by showing them that the future can be better than the current situation, Smith said.

During the run, the Italian sportsmen carried the torch that had been blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.

The pope said he hoped the marathon would promote “fruitful dialogue between ... different religions.”

Diocesan planner BOONE VICARIATE NORTH WILKESBORO — A Catholic Scripture Study group meets at St. John Baptiste de La Salle Church, 275 CC Wright School Rd. Visit www.catholicscripturestudy.com for more information. Classes meet Wednesdays, 12-1:30 p.m. and 6:45-8:15 p.m. Please call Rob Hicks at (336) 957-7193 for more information or if you plan to attend.

SPRUCE PINE — A Rosary of Intercession for Priests is recited each Friday at St. Lucien Church, 695 Summit St., before the 9 a.m. Mass.

Prayers are offered for bishops, priests and deacons, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. For more information, call the church office at (828) 765-2224.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office in the Diocese of Charlotte is hosting a free community Refugee Forum May 6 at 3 p.m. at the Levine Jewish Community Center, 5007 Providence Road.

The forum will feature a panel of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, Liberia and Ukraine.

Dr. Beth Whitaker, assistant professor of political science at UNC-Charlotte, will describe conditions leading to each refugee’s flight, and the panelists will share compelling tales of personal tragedy, determination and resilience. There will be time for questions from the audience, after which agencies will be on hand to offer opportunities to advocate, volunteer or donate. For more information, contact Mary Jane Bruton at (704) 370-3283 or mjbruton@charlottediocese.org.

CHARLOTTE — Recharge with St. Peter

covers 2005 data gathered by the churches in 2006.

The yearbook reports what year the figures come from, since not all churches collect new data every year.

The Catholic Church remained the largest Christian church in the U.S. in 2005 with a reported membership of 69,135,254, or nearly 42 percent of all Christian church membership.

With an increase of 1.94 percent over its previous year’s total, the Catholic Church was also among the fastestgrowing of the nation’s 25 largest churches, followed closely by the Assemblies of God, which recorded 1.86 percent growth, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with 1.63 percent growth.

In 2004 the Catholic Church came in third behind the other two in rate of growth. Because of annual fluctuations, a better indicator of trends is membership change over a longer period, such as a decade.

Church’s weekday lunchtime spirituality program, 12-12:45 p.m. in the St. Peter’s Annex, 507 S. Tryon St. The program for May 10 will be “Meeting God through Centering Prayer.” Bring your lunch, hear a short talk on spirituality and participate in a short prayer session — a great way to recharge during the workweek. Sessions are free and everyone is invited.

For more information, call the church office at (704) 332-2901.

CHARLOTTE — Father Tad Pacholczyk, Ph.D., will present “Stem Cells and Cloning: Understanding the Scientific Issues and the Moral Objections” May 12, 8:45-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St. Father Pacholczyk holds undergraduate degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry and a doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University. Parking in The Green and admission are free, but seating is limited. To pre-register, e-mail stemcell@juno.com or call (803) 517-2600 or (704) 332-2901. For more details, visit www.stpeterscatholic.org.

CHARLOTTE — The Semi-Annual Rosary Rally will be held May 20 at 3 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. East. This 33-year-old tradition will include recitation of the rosary, a eucharistic procession and Benediction. For more information, call Tina at (704) 846-7361.

CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid will present “Seeking the Heart of God” at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Thursdays, May 24 through June 28, 7-9 p.m. For more information, please contact Susan Brady at (704) 541-8362, ext.4.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., will host a free Christian Coffeehouse May 27, 7-9 p.m. in the Banquet Room of the New Life Center. Single and married adults are invited for an evening of contemporary Christian music, food and fellowship. For more information, or to reserve a table for six or more, call Kathy Bartlett at (704) 400-2213.

MAY 4, 2007 Volume 16 • 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.

May 4, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Synod outline says Bible is source of Christian unity, bond with Jews VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Bible is a source of Christian unity and is evidence of Christianity’s special bond with the Jewish people, said the outline for the next world Synod of Bishops.

The theme of the synod, scheduled Oct. 5-26, 2008, will be: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” While focusing specifically on the Bible, the synod’s outline emphasized Christian belief that Jesus Christ is the fullest expression of the word of God and that the entire Bible can be understood only in reference to Jesus.

The “lineamenta,” or outline, of the synod’s theme was released at an April 27 Vatican press conference.

The document contains dozens of questions about what Catholics know and understand about the Bible and its relationship to the teaching of the church.

Bishops’ conferences and other groups were asked to respond to the

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — An adult faith formation series, “The Church and Human Sexuality,” will meet Tuesdays through May 22, 7:30-9:00 p.m., at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St. Topics will include the theology of creation and of the body, the sacrament and sacramentality of marriage, the sexuality of single life, the church and homosexuality and God is love. Presentations are based on and include Scripture, the lives of the saints, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings and teachings of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. No fees or pre-registration needed. For more information, call Dennis TeallFleming at (704) 825-9600, ext. 26 or e-mail teallfleming@yahoo.com.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s, 30s and 40s, is a casual forum where people gather to learn and discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church. “ToT” will meet Wednesdays through May 9, at 6:45 p.m. at Logan’s Roadhouse, 1300 Bridford Pkwy. For more informatiom, call Deb at (336) 286-3687, e-mail greensborotot@yahoo.com or visit www. triadcatholics.org or GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will host a luncheon May 23 at the Cardinal Country Club beginning at 11:30 a.m. The program will feature a performance by the Scottish Country Dancers. For more information, call Carmen Wood at (336) 545-9266.

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

Episcopal

calendar

questions by November. The responses will form the basis of the synod’s working document.

Expressing particular concern over Catholic ignorance of the Old Testament, the outline said Christians and Jews recognize the Hebrew Scriptures as the inspired word of God. Christians cannot claim to know and love the Bible if they do not know and love the Old Testament, it said.

Christianity and Judaism are “grounded in the same covenant, because God, who is always faithful to his promises, has not revoked the first covenant” with the Jewish people, it said.

The outline specifically asked bishops to report on any incidents in which the Scriptures are misused “to ferment attitudes of anti-Semitism,” a problem usually associated with readings about the passion of Jesus and the role of the Jewish leaders of his time. for an ongoing series of fun and informative activities. LAOH will meet May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kloster Center of St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. Please join us for refreshments and to learn more about our group. Any questions can be directed to Mary Driscoll at (336) 785-0693.

SALISBURY VICARIATE MOORESVILLE —St. Therese Church Senior Fun & Games meets the second Saturday of every month at 6:30 p.m. for those 50 and older.

A potluck supper is followed by board and card games. Call Barbara Daigler at (704) 662-9572 for more information.

At Vatican, Kissinger discusses dialogue, diplomacy, Mideast VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The international community needs farsighted individuals and institutions capable of promoting values that will increase dialogue, justice and peace, said former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Kissinger attended the Pontifical Academy of Social Science’s April 27-28 discussions on “Charity and Justice in the Relations Among Nations and People” at the Vatican because he was interested in a philosophical discussion of the nature of international relations.

Meeting reporters afterward, Kissinger also spoke about the importance of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the importance of dialogue for peace in the Middle East, the complexity of the situation in Iraq and the need for a bipartisan U.S. foreign policy.

Today politicians in every country are under pressure to deal with immediate problems, “but the way you make history is to set your sights higher and look more into the distant future,” he told reporters.

Kissinger said he did not agree with everything Pope Benedict XVI said in his September speech in Regensburg, Germany — the speech that caused controversy by referring to violence in Islam — but that the pope’s central point was important.

“The Holy Father supports a dialogue between religions, but he believes there needs to be ground rules for a dialogue,” Kissinger said. The essential ground rule is the use of “reason, which means you respect the other side even when you do not agree with it.”

“This is the basis on which peace can be made between religions and not on the basis that one religion says that it alone can determine what is right for everybody,” he said.

Kissinger, who had a private meeting with Pope Benedict in September, said, “As a student of philosophy and of history, I have been very interested in the contribution to the continuity of our values by the Catholic Church,” especially in a way that “emphasizes reason and dialogue and community.”

Although he is not a Catholic, he said he shared the Vatican’s conviction that in international relations “contributions can be made by values to the continuity and survival of our civilization.”

Kissinger said Iran’s potential to develop nuclear weapons is among the most worrisome events on the international stage. He called for a political solution to the increasing crisis within Iraq and for negotiations between Israel and its neighbors to bring peace to the region.

Grateful outcry

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE WAYNESVILLE — The Catholic Women’s Circle of St. John the Evangelist Church, 234 Church St., meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the church hall. For more information, call the church office at (828) 456-6707.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — Spirit of Assisi will host an appreciation lunch May 9 at 12:30 p.m. for all presenters, participants, prayer partners and financial supporters. RSVP to Sister Kathy Ganiel, OSF, at (336) 624-1971 or e-mail kganiel@triad.rr.com.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date (Fridays). Submit 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:

May 5 — 10:30 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Barnabas Church, Arden

May 8 Presbyteral Council Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

May 5 — 4:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Brevard

May 9 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Ann Church, Charlotte

May 6 — 11 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon

May 11 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Spirit Church, Denver

May 7 — 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Michael Church, Gastonia

May 12 — 10:30 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Philip Church, Statesville

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Karen Bodle and Rebecca Porter hold a sign outside the Supreme Court in Washington April 26 thanking the high court for its recent ruling upholding a federal ban on partial-birth abortion. The women are affiliated with Operation Outcry, a group of women who have had abortions and speak publicly about the tragedy in their lives caused by abortion.

Many abortion opponents lauded the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision April 18 upholding the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. President George W. Bush, who signed the ban into law in 2003, called partial-birth abortion an “abhorrent procedure” in an April 18 statement from the White House.

While praising the decision, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: “The court’s decision does not affect the legal status of the great majority of abortions, and does not reverse past decisions claiming to find a right to abortion in the Constitution.

“However, it provides reasons for renewed hope and renewed effort on the part of prolife Americans,” he said. “The court is taking a clearer and more unobstructed look at the tragic reality of abortion, and speaking about that reality more candidly than it has in many years.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

May 4, 2007

LIVING THE FAITH

Discerning the call

Making strides

Women’s retreat to promote religious life by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Courtesy Photo

More than 200 people participate in the 14th Annual Walk for AIDS, which raised more than $22,000 for House of Mercy in Belmont April 14.

Walk for AIDS raises more than $22,000 for House of Mercy in Belmont BELMONT — The 14th Annual Walk for AIDS raised more than $22,000 for House of Mercy in Belmont.

More than 200 walkers and 40 volunteers participated in the event April 14. House of Mercy, a nonprofit residential facility for low-income people living with AIDS, has served more than 235 men and women since 1991.

Before the 3-mile walk through historic downtown Belmont, the Charlotte Community Drummers performed West African drumming featuring rhythms from Guinea, Mali and Sierra Leone.

John Buerkert, House of Mercy chairman and vice president of CaroMont Health, greeted the walkers along with Sonja Gantt, 2007 honorary walk chair and WCNC-TV news anchor.

Mel Tomlinson, a former resident of House of Mercy, shared with the crowd how House of Mercy helped him through his health crisis. Tomlinson danced professionally with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York City Ballet, Boston

Ballet and N.C. Dance Theatre before entering House of Mercy with lifethreatening symptoms of AIDS. Today, Tomlinson lives in Charlotte, is a licensed pastor and continues work as a dance instructor and motivational speaker.

A picnic reception and live music followed the walk on the grounds of the House of Mercy residence. Prizes were awarded for top fundraisers and best banners, including second place to the Knights of Columbus council from Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont.

Founded in 1991 by the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont, House of Mercy provides housing and compassionate 24-hour care for low-income persons living with advanced AIDS. Physical, psychological and spiritual support is provided to House of Mercy residents who are admitted without concern for race, religion or sexual orientation.

Attention Readers!

Have a Story to Share?

Do you have a story to share with The Catholic News & Herald? Do you know of people who are living the tenets of their faith? Do you have photos of a parish- or ministry-based event?

If so, please share them with us. Contact Staff Writer Karen Evans at (704) 370-3354 or kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

STONEVILLE — The Office of Women Religious in the Diocese of Charlotte is sponsoring a prayer and discernment retreat for women ages 1840 who are seeking to know more about life as a woman religious.

The overnight retreat will be held at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, 30 miles north of Greensboro, May 11-12.

The retreat will open with evening prayer at 7 p.m. Friday and continue through dinner at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The retreat also will include reflection time, question-and-answer sessions and small-group discussions. Representatives from various religious orders will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about the religious life.

“This retreat is for any woman who is wondering if she has a call from God to the religious life,” said Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott, director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Sister Inkrott also said any laywoman interested in helping to promote religious vocations is welcome at the retreat.

Sister Carmen Torres, a sister of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, will present the bilingual keynote address Saturday morning. Sister Torres serves as the vocations director for her order, which is based in Drexel Hill, Pa. She also taught faith formation courses for Hispanic adults and young adults and served as the director of catechesis for Hispanics in the archdiocese.

“Through this retreat, we’re trying to create awareness of religious life,” Sister Inkrott said.

Today’s religious sisters come from a wide variety of ethnic, economic and education backgrounds. Many have lived in the “outside world” before heeding the call to the religious life.

Modern sisters defy the stereotypes of women working only as teachers and nurses; they are also doctors, CEOs, artists, lobbyists, musicians, authors, counselors, ship captains, physical

therapists, lawyers and televisionprogram hosts.

Currently, 19 religious orders are represented in the Diocese of Charlotte, serving in a wide range of ministries, including education, health care, pastoral administration and service to the poor.

“The retreat will provide an opportunity to ask that question you’ve always been dying to ask about religious life,” said Sister Inkrott.

“I hope that we will be able to give women a better idea of what the religious life is like,” she said. “Also, I hope that any seeds of a call that may have been planted in young women’s hearts will be cultivated during the retreat.”

WANT MORE INFO? The retreat will open with evening prayer at 7 p.m. May 11 and close with dinner May 12. For more information on the retreat or the religious life, contact Mercy Sister Mary Timothy Warren, vicar for women religious, at (704) 370-3213 or mtwarren@charlottediocese.org.

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Bishop Peter J. Jugis is conducting a reader survey. If you are chosen and receive a survey from Bishop Jugis, please take the time to answer the questions and return the form.

Survey results will be published in June.

May 4, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 5

LIVING THE FAITH

Catholic Daughters convene in Charlotte serving overseas; essay contests for schoolchildren; Blessed Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity; pro-life legislation and more. “‘Unity and Charity’ is our motto, and I firmly believe in them,� said Veronica Sartor, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville and a 10-year member of Court Asheville 412. “We are very visible in the parish,� said Sartor, who is a board member of the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry. “Everything that the church is involved with, we’re involved with.�

Grabasky was especially proud of the newest Catholic Daughters court, instituted April 22 in Havelock, N.C. Father Dan Oschwald, pastor of Annunciation Church in Havelock, requested a Catholic Daughters court be formed for the wives of U.S. Marines stationed at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

Many of these newest Catholic Daughters, including the court regent, have husbands deployed overseas, Grabasky said.

The new court has been so successful — 26 women have already joined — that Father Oschwald has requested that a Junior Catholic Daughters court now be established for the girls of the parish.

One of the primary goals the convention delegates set forth was to increase membership over the next two years.

During her keynote address, Bingham encouraged the convention representatives to set a goal for each Catholic Daughter to recruit two new members in the next two years. “We are women of faith doing works of charity and promoting a respectful image of womanhood,� said Bingham. “Why wouldn’t women want to join an organization that does the work of God?� Bingham said.

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

DAUGHTERS, from page 1

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Kathleen Fitzpatrick (left) is honored as a member of The Century Club by Maryann Grabasky, state regent for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, in Charlotte April 28. Fitzpatrick, who turned 100 March 31, has been a Catholic Daughter since 1933. Her daughter, Mary Manion, and niece, Ruth Carlisle, are also members of Court Charlotte 1199.

NO RISK to hold space — FULL refund before July 31st !

The Diocese of Charlotte

invites you to leave winter behind and explore the

SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN and the PANAMA CANAL January 31- February 11, 2008 All family and friends are welcome to join with Fr. Mo West as we cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida aboard Holland America’s luxury ship ms Volendam.

Your 12-day excursion includes stops and optional activities in: * Ft. Lauderdale — guided Everglades airboat ride included for all * Half Moon Cay, Bahamas – parasail, snorkel, snooze in a beach hammock, learn about Bahamian culture * Oranjestad, Aruba – water sports, glass bottom boats, shops galore, take a submarine ride or an excursion into the tropical countryside * Willemstad, Curacao – off coastal Venezuela, Dutch influence here in architecture, Delftware specialties, cuisine; also water sports, white sandy beaches, and more shops! * Panama Canal – experience the thrill of going through the locks to understand this magnificent, ingenious system lifting giant ships 85 feet above sea level * Puerto Limon, Costa Rica – tour tropical flower farms, ride Mawamba boats through jungle canals, explore fascinating museums, colorful native markets – so much to choose from in this paradise!

PLUS, all the fabulous amenities of one of Holland America’s most elegant, exciting cruise ships!

Price starts at $2,975 (double occupancy) and INCLUDES air fare from Charlotte, all ship meals, Florida hotel and airboat ride, hotel/ship transfers, taxes, baggage handling and all port charges!

Deposits are due before August 1st and there is NO RISK to hold your space today – FULL REFUND before 7/31/07. Plus, early bookings receive best cabin choice.

For a brochure or questions, call Cindi Feerick at the diocese — (704) 370-3332

a charitable, benevolent and patriotic sorority for Catholic women.

Today, the organization has nearly 95,000 members in 1,400 courts in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guam, Saipan and the Virgin Islands.

There are currently about 755 Catholic Daughters in North Carolina, representing 15 courts from Elizabeth City in the east to Bryson City in the west.

According to its Web site, the purpose of the Catholic Daughters is to participate in the religious, charitable and educational apostolates of the Catholic Church.

Catholic Daughters engage in creative and spiritual programs that develop members’ God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of the church and all people throughout the world.  Also, Catholic Daughters strive to embrace the principal of faith through love in the promotion of justice, equality and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.

Catholic Daughters support a range of causes, including respect life, alleviation of the suffering of the poor, helping the homeless, disaster relief and support of religious vocations and military personnel.

One cause all courts contribute to is disaster relief — each court is required to donate $10 each year to disaster relief. Recent beneficiaries of the fund include victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and of the severe flooding in New England in the spring of 2006. “Each individual state and court has its own special projects, and they come together for national causes,� said Margaret Bingham, a national director of the Catholic Daughters.

Bingham gave the keynote address at a banquet April 28.

North Carolina courts support Victory Junction Gang, a camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses; seminarian education; care packages for military personnel

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, call Maryann Grabasky at (336) 299-7151, Ruth Carlisle at (704) 532-8515 or Sandy Beauchemin at (828) 586-1136.

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6 The Catholic News & Herald

respect life

Examining the ‘slippery slope’ Priest-scientist to speak in Charlotte on stem-cell research, cloning CHARLOTTE — Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., and director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, will speak at St. Peter Church in Charlotte May 12.

The subject of Father Pacholczyk’s talk will be “Stem Cells and Cloning: Understanding the Scientific Issues and the Moral Objections.â€? “This is an opportunity to learn what the Catholic Church’s teaching are on the subject of stem-cell research and cloning,â€? said Constance Loveall, head of the respect life committee at St. Peter Church, which is sponsoring Father Pacholczyk’s presentation. “An embryo is a human being ‌ not some other kind of animal. Whether it’s a person yet at the moment of conception, whether it’s been ensouled — those are very interesting intellectual discussions but they’re not ultimately relevant,â€? said Father Pacholczyk. “In the moral analysis, what’s critical is that once you’re a being who is human, a being with the potential to become an adult, then you are a bearer of human rights,â€? he said.

Scientists should pull back from the cloning “slippery slope,� in which shortlived embryos would be created for the sole purpose of servicing another human being, said Pacholczyk. A better idea would be to concentrate their research efforts on “non-morally problematic� alternatives. “Adult stem-cell research has been used effectively already,� he says. “Whenever you get a bone marrow transplant, for immune or blood diseases, those transplants work because there are adult stem cells. We transplant them out of the other person.�

Recent efforts to transplant adult stem cells into people with spinal cord injuries have had promising results as well, he noted. Umbilical stem cells also have been used to treat a variety of ailments, including leukemia.

Father Pacholczyk holds undergraduate degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry, and did laboratory research on hormonal regulation of the immune response. He also earned a doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters that are expressed in the brain.

Father Pacholczyk studied in Rome for five years, doing advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.

Contributing to this article was The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston.

CNS photo by Gregory Tracy, The Pilot

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, seen in this March 2, 2005 photo, will speak at St. Peter Church May 12 on cloning and stem-cell research.

May 4, 2007

WANT TO GO? Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk will speak at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., May 12, 8:45-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Parking in The Green and admission are FREE but seating is limited. Pre-register at stemcell@juno.com or call (803) 5172600 or (704) 332-2901. For more details, visit www.stpeterscatholic.org.

Parents of baby adopted as embryo fight embryonic stem-cell research DOVER, Del. (CNS) — Tim and Dawn Smith adopted a leftover frozen embryo in January 2004 and gave birth nine months later to their adopted daughter, Erin.

At the time they had no idea it would lead them to a public battle in coming years with legislators and lobbyists seeking to let such embryos be destroyed for embryonic stem-cell research.

The fate of such frozen embryos no longer wanted by their genetic parents is at the heart of a debate in the Delaware Legislature.

On March 29 the Senate voted 137 to adopt the Delaware Regenerative Medicine Act, which would sanction human embryonic stem-cell research in Delaware, allowing researchers to destroy the embryos to harvest their stem cells. The bill was awaiting action in the House.

The Smiths, parishioners of Holy Cross Church in Denver, married in 1991 but in 1997 learned that they were infertile.

After considering traditional adoption alternatives, the couple decided to try the embryo adoption. “I really wanted to experience pregnancy,� Dawn Smith said. “It is kind of neat to be both Erin’s birth mother and adoptive mother.�

While Erin was born in October 2004, she was conceived in vitro about eight years earlier. Her embryo lay frozen for about seven years before the Smiths volunteered to adopt her and have

her implanted in Dawn Smith’s womb.

Last year when the state Legislature was debating a similiar bill, Tim Smith was rankled to hear one proponent of the bill refer to the “excess� embryos in fertility clinics as “medical waste.� “Some would call Erin medical waste,� he says. “I call her my daughter.

If Delaware’s Legislature passes Senate Bill 5, embryos like Erin could be killed and used for medical experiments.�

The Smiths, who want to have another child from an adopted embryo, are aware of different views within the church on embryo adoption. Tim Smith said they prayed for guidance on the moral implications. “It would seem, in the absence of (any) clear teaching about it, that we should err on the side of giving them (frozen embryos) a chance,� he said.

Catholic teaching clearly rejects in vitro fertilization, saying conception should only take place in the context of the conjugal act. But once the embryo from in vitro fertilization already exists, new questions arise that are not clearly resolved by church teaching.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a staff ethicist at the National Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, said pregnancy “must be the fruit of husband and wife.�

But he added that in the absence of authoritative teaching Catholics who study the issue prayerfully and reach a different conclusion may act in good faith.

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May 4, 2007

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Teleconference explores faith response to climate change CLIMATE, from page 1

the poor, then creation itself will rebel against us. Further, to undermine nature and the poor is to reject the word of God in creation,” the bishops wrote in “At Home in the Web of Life: A Pastoral Message on the Sustainable Community in Appalachia from the Catholic Bishops of the Region.”

“Deep within the ecological crisis lies the spiritual error of materialism.

Materialism does not reverence God’s creation. Instead it abuses creation in the name of mammon,” the bishops, including then-Bishop William G. Curlin, wrote.

Creation “rebelling against us” is why the Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA), together with other religious nonprofit sponsors and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops conference, conducted a teleconference April 28, highlighting the moral implications of global warming, entitled “Climate Change: Our Faith Response.”

To minimize travel and to model concern about global warming, CCA secured speakers at four teleconferencing sites to link most of central Appalachia: University of North Carolina at Asheville; the Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va.; West Virginia Educational Technology Center in Institute, W.Va.; and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky. An important implication of the program was that as people of faith, Catholics must work at creative solutions to environmental issues and demand that church leaders do so as well. So far, that hasn’t happened much, as Tom Barnes, one of the teleconference’s speakers, pointed out.

“I grew up Catholic. I’ve been a

Catholic for 50 years, and I’ve never heard an environmental sermon in any church,” said Barnes, a wildlife biologist at the University of Kentucky who spoke on the science of global warming.

“We need to start with ourselves — eating healthy, recycling,” said Dave Podsedly, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, who sat in on the conference. “We’re really promoting health of ourselves and of the planet.”

Start with setting a good example, he said, pointing out that talking about ways to improve the environment and then driving a gas-guzzling vehicle would be inconsistent.

St. Francis of Assisi was among those who showed that Christian life is a road to community, teleconference speaker Marcus Keyes said.

“Respect for life extends to all of creation. Yet, we as a church clearly continue on the path of death that has been outlined today,” said Keyes, director of the Glenmary Commission on Justice who reflected theologically on global warming.

“We are at a crossroads and must decide if we will travel the path of life or the path of death. We continue to live as if creation were not a gift but an entitlement,” he said.

That may be changing. Some 80 experts representing the scientific, political, economic and spiritual sides of the climate-change debate gathered for “Climate Change and Development” at the Vatican April 26-27.

Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped the conference would foster the “research and promotion of lifestyles and models of production and consumption that respect creation and the real demands of sustainable progress of peoples.”

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the justice and peace council, said the

Providing help. Creating hope. Changing lives.

Catholic Social Services — The Diocese of Charlotte Executive Director: Elizabeth Thurbee (704) 370-3227 Associate Director: Gerard Carter (704) 370-3250 Refugee Office: Cira Ponce (704) 370-6930 Family Life: Gerard Carter (704) 370-3228 Justice and Peace: Joe Purello (704) 370-3225 OEO/CSS Murphy Satellite Office (828) 835-3535 Charlotte Region: 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Area Director: Geri King (704) 370-6155 Western Region: 50 Orange Street, Asheville, NC 28801 Area Director: Debra Braese (828) 255-0146 Piedmont-Triad: 621 W. Second St., Winston-Salem, NC 27108 Area Director: Gerard Carter (Interim) (336) 727-0705 Greensboro Satellite Office (336) 274-5577 Latino Family Center (336) 884-5858

For information on specific programs, please call your local office.

1123 South Church Street, Charlotte NC 28203 www.cssnc.org

Photos by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Richard Fireman (at desk) speaks on global warming during a teleconference linking four Appalachian sites.

Sitting in on the conference are Dave Podsedly of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville and Maureen Linneman, event planning committee member. On screen: teleconference site Abingdon, Va. church’s concern for the environment and creation goes all the way back to the Book of Genesis. In the two stories of creation, God gave humankind the mandate to subdue and have dominion over the earth, but he also expected humanity “to cultivate and care for it,” the cardinal said.

“Greed, apathy, arrogance and ignorance are the four major sins that keep us where we are instead of where God created us to be, said Sue Konopka, a parishioner at St. Barnabas Church in Arden. “Our choices are killing us.”

“Nothing is going to wake people up until we have one catastrophe after another or a lot of catastrophes all at once,” she said.

While scientists don’t deny that nature is cyclic, the burning of fossil fuels — such as oil and coal — is speeding up the cycle beyond the earth’s ability to recover.

“In the last 150 years (since the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in 1859), we’ve released half of the oil that was put in the ground over millions of years,” said Richard Fireman, speaking at UNC-Asheville.

“The problem is that we don’t see what is killing us,” said Fireman, western regional director of N.C. Interfaith Power & Light, a program of the N.C. Council of Churches devoted to deepening the connection between ecology and faith.

Global warming is caused by excesses of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

“It’s like getting a biopsy,” Podsedly said. “You cannot believe it and then not do anything. Maybe these are biopsies of the earth that we’re getting now.”

Fireman cited data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization created in 1988.

More than 1,250 authors and 2,500 scientific experts contributed to IPCC’s most recent report, “Climate Change 2007,” according to the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Web site.

The IPCC notes that, “In the last 10,000 years, the Earth’s average

temperature hasn’t varied by more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures only 5 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than those today prevailed at the end of the last Ice Age, in which the northeast United States was covered by more than 3,000 feet of ice.”

The report says scientists predict continued global warming on the order of 2.5 to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 100 years that is likely to result in: — a rise in sea level between 3.5 and 34.6 inches (as icebergs melt), leading to more coastal erosion, flooding during storms and permanent inundation; — severe stress on many forests wetlands, alpine regions and other natural ecosystems; — greater threats to human health as mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects and rodents spread diseases over larger geographical regions; — disruption of agriculture in some parts of the world due to increased temperature, water stress and sea-level rise in low-lying areas such as Bangladesh or the Mississippi River delta.

Scientists see increased deaths from heat waves, storms, floods, droughts and fires, along with malnutrition, increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of groundlevel ozone related to climate change, Fireman said.

He pointed out that it is the most vulnerable — the poor, elderly and children — who will suffer most.

Thus, global warming is not just an environmental issue — it’s about morality and justice, as well.

We must “choose a culture of life rather than a culture of death,” Keyes said, meaning that we must begin to live in ways that help all people, worldwide, to have safe and healthy lives.

Instead of living as part of creation, harmonizing and cooperating with it, he said, “we continue to live alienated from the rest of creation rather than as part of the whole web of life.

“To live as we do is a rejection of the God of love. As spiritual and faithful people we must live creatively and faithfully as one strand in the web of life,” Keyes said.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

May 4, 2007

faith on front lines

Connecting faith and sacrifice Military bases are like missionary diocese for U.S. archbishop

by CINDY WOODEN catholic news service

FRIEDBERG, Germany — Like spring in many dioceses, spring in the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services is confirmation season.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien packed his bags in late March and was to spend the next two months confirming the children of military personnel — and a few soldiers and sailors — stationed in Germany, Belgium, Italy and England.

Almost all the members of the armed services with whom he would come into contact had been deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, and many would be going back.

“I find impressive the humility of military people,” the archbishop said April 11 after celebrating Mass and sharing lunch with soldiers who had returned from Iraq.

“They know how fragile life is,” the archbishop said. “They don’t boast. They don’t act like heroes. They act surprised when someone thanks them.”

One young soldier, his foot still in a cast from an injury in Iraq, played his guitar during the meal, then had an intense heart-to-heart with the archbishop about perhaps becoming a Catholic.

At the Friedberg Mass April 11, just as at confirmation the evening before at the garrison headquarters in Giessen, the local chaplain expressed the feelings of the small Catholic contingent in the 1st Brigade of the Army’s 1st Armored Division, thanking the archbishop for coming so far to visit and administer the sacraments.

“This is like a missionary diocese,” said Archbishop O’Brien. “The bishop goes out to a parish to confirm three or four young people in a rural town.

Every diocese must evangelize, but the potential we have is extraordinary.”

Archbishop O’Brien is responsible for overseeing the pastoral care of 1.5 million Catholics: members of the armed forces and their dependents, U.S. government employees living abroad, and those being treated in the United States at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We have 250,000 young adults in uniform,” he said. “We need to go where they are.”

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A noble profession Archbishop O’Brien spent Easter afternoon at the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl, visiting the injured and the staff.

“I was deeply impressed with the personnel,” he said.

They work long hours, with great dedication, under enormous pressure to stabilize the wounded so they can be flown home for treatment, he said.

Wherever Archbishop O’Brien goes, he prays for vocations, tries to recruit priests, pressures the military to provide more priests — even if it means contracting local priests — prays for the injured and dead, and lets those serving in the military know that he sees their service as a vocation.

“When I speak to young people in the military,” he told the soldiers at Friedberg, “I often hear them wondering if there is a conflict between their military duty and their Christian faith.

“I don’t see it that way. Yours is

Mark your calendar now

2007 ce

Yet the Archdiocese for the Military Services is hurting for chaplains.

Archbishop O’Brien said more than 25 percent of people in the military are Catholic, yet only 7 percent of the chaplains are Catholic priests.

The archdiocese has 320 Catholic priests, but needs 800, he said.

At each stop in early April, Archbishop O’Brien prayed for vocations and pointedly suggested to unmarried soldiers that they consider becoming priests.

Thirteen percent of all seminarians, he said, come either from military families or have served in the military.

Many of the values fostered by the military are needed in the priesthood as well: “integrity, self-sacrifice, loyalty, fraternity — you can build on that background,” he said.

Celebrating the chrism Mass in Heidelberg, Germany, April 3, the archbishop told the congregation, “Yet another Mass of Chrism finds our priestchaplains still fewer in number and with ever greater demands upon them.

“Iraq and Afghanistan continue to take their toll of lives, American military and innocent civilians,” he said. “And military families at home wait and pray and sacrifice for safe returns and peaceful results.”

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TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST

for the third Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress – Charlotte Convention Center

SEPTEMBER 21 & 22 Visit the Web site www.GoEucharist.com often for the latest updated information about programs and speakers, as well as opportunities to volunteer.

CNS photo by Cindy Wooden

Capt. Patrick Van Kirk and son Michael, wife Theresa, and son James talk with Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services April 11 outside the chapel on the U.S. Army base in Friedberg, Germany. The archbishop celebrated Mass for Van Kirk and other soldiers who had returned from Iraq in late February and early March. a noble profession,” he said. “You are willing to give up your lives not just for your friends, but for strangers, and sometimes it is unappreciated.”

“Not every military action is correct,” the archbishop told the men and women in their light khaki uniforms and heavy tan boots. “But your military service is an act of charity.”

The archbishop encouraged them to imagine themselves in the parable of the good Samaritan, but not at the moment when all but the Samaritan pass by the

man who had been beaten.

Rather, he said, think about what happened 20 minutes earlier, when the man was being attacked: Is it virtuous to help only if you wait until he is injured?

A Christian has an obligation “to do what is necessary and only what is necessary to stop the violence,” he said.

In an interview later, Archbishop O’Brien said, “It is our job to help them make the connection between their faith and the sacrifices they are making for very generous motives.”

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May 4, 2007

faith on front lines

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Priests train in South Carolina to be military chaplains CHAPLAINS, from page 1

approximately 130 students in late March at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, near Columbia.

Father Rosario, a native of the Philippines, and three other priests were enrolled in the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course, the initial three-

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Father John Baptist Gabriel does sit-ups during training at Fort Jackson, S.C., March 27. Father Gabriel was one of four Catholic priests who completed training to become Army chaplains.

month course to become chaplains. They graduated April 5. Five other priests, already chaplains, are taking the Chaplain Captain Career Course, or C-4.

Catholic priests are a minority in the ranks of Army chaplains, even though it is estimated that one in four soldiers in the Army is Catholic, said Oblate Father David Kenehan, an Army colonel who serves as deputy commandant at the chaplain school.

Priests who become military chaplains are also soldiers. Their lives include daily and weekly Mass, prayer and other elements of a civilian priest’s life.

But they dress in regulation camouflage battle-dress uniforms.

They study military regulations and procedures, wake up early to go on five-mile marches, learn how to put on a gas mask in less than nine seconds, and rappel off a 60-foot wooden structure known as Victory Tower.

This training is essential because many of these priests and their fellow chaplains will be deployed to combat areas during their careers. It also bonds them with those they serve.

“It’s important for the soldiers to see the chaplains doing the same things they do,” Father Kenehan said.

The shortage of Catholic priests in the Army resembles in many ways the shortage of priests in the civilian world.

With an increasing shortage of priests in the United States, more dioceses are relying on missionary priests from overseas.

Of the nine priests in training at the

THE ORATORY 434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586 Rock Hill, SC 2973-1586

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Visions in Faith Sunday, June 17 – Wednesday, June 20 Father Sparks is a Paulist priest who writes and teaches ethics and pastors at Holy Spirit Parish/Newman Hall in Berkeley, California. He successfully bridges practical pastoral needs with serious theological reflection.

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CNS photo by Paul Haring

1st Lt. Matt Guncheon (right), a chaplain candidate, gives a homily during training for a “field service” that was part of the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, S.C., March 27. 1st Lt. Scott Dennis (left), who is a chaplain, later played his guitar as soldiers sang Christian songs at the service. chaplain school, all but one were foreignborn. They came from the Philippines, India, Poland, Kenya and Nigeria.

“The pressing need for priests in the Army prompted me to do this,” said Father John Baptist Gabriel, a priest of the Diocese of Neyyattinkara, India.

“The kids who are facing combat really need support from priests at this time in their lives,” he said.

After training Once they complete chaplain training, Catholic priests are usually assigned to serve as chaplains for a division. As chaplains, they minister to soldiers from all denominations, not just Catholics.

Often, the priests say, they are called on to do much more than their regular chaplain duties. They might log hundreds of miles in the air flying from base to base in Iraq, for instance, to offer Mass for Catholic soldiers.

“You’re used a lot over there — at one point when I was over, there were only two Catholic priests who covered the whole of Baghdad,” said Father Christopher Opara, a Nigerian-born chaplain in the C-4 program who completed a deployment to Iraq in November.

Priests who want to serve as chaplains must first receive approval from their bishops, and can be recalled at almost any time if a serious need arises in their home diocese. This rarely happens when they are deployed on active duty in a combat zone, like Iraq, Father Kenehan said, but it is a possibility they face when serving in other areas.

Newly ordained Catholic priests, unlike most other new clergy who become chaplains, also must serve in a parish for three years before they can become full-time chaplains.

This requirement is not a problem

for most of the chaplain candidates at Fort Jackson.

Father Fausto Kaverenge, born in Kenya, has been a priest for 16 years.

Father Maciej Napieralski, a native of Poland and first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was ordained in 1983 and spent the past seven years serving the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska.

After graduation, Ad the –four priests oratory received their assignments: Father Rosario, HunterArmyAirfield, Savannah, Ga.; Father Kaverenge, Germany; Father Gabriel, Fort Hood, Texas; and Father Napieralski, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Sunday, June 1

Living the mission “We need more chaplains in the U.S. Army and we need more priests,” Father Napieralski said. “I wishFather those who think Richard Spa about the priesthood would also think about this as a possibility.”

Father Sparks is a Paulist pri Priests who have already completed Berkeley, California. one or two tours in in combat areas in He su the Middle East say the issues soldiers face these days are daunting, especially For more strained marriages and familyinformation, ties because of long, multiple deployments.

Add this to the daily stress of combat, homesickness and the pain of losing friends and fellow soldiers, and the work of the Catholic priest as chaplain becomes even more vital, they say.

“Being in combat helps you to know more the value of life,” said Father Isaac Opara, another Nigerian in the C-4 class who was deployed to Afghanistan.

“What gave me joy over there was knowing I was living the mission of bringing the Gospel to everyone,” he added.

“Catholic soldiers especially need their priests because it takes a priest to make sure they get the spiritual attention they need,” he said.

May 4, 2007

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Books find religious themes in American craze for sports, fitness reviewed by MITCH FINLEY catholic news service

In the United States, the connections between religion and organized sports are, according to author William Baker, both complex and uneasy.

Yet, at the same time, there is no doubt that the two are well nigh inseparable in the American mind.

“Religion and sport especially are joined, at the altar of commercial interest,” Baker writes in “Playing With God: Religion and Modern Sport.”

“As sports promoters seek publicity and lively attendance at their events, and as churches seek wholesome activities and a podium for their message, their marriage seems made in heaven,” he writes.

While evangelical churches in recent years introduced “Faith Nights” at minor league baseball games — “featuring various combinations of gospel pop music, handouts of Bibles and bobblehead biblical figures, colorful Veggie Tales cartoon characters, and inspirational testimonies from local sports heroes” — clearly this is but one of the more recent manifestations of how religion and sports often go hand in hand.

What do most Americans think of when they hear “Notre Dame”? And why is basketball huge on the campuses of more than a few Catholic universities?

Author Baker takes the reader on a fascinating and informative trek through the history of the intimacy between religion and sports in America, and he even includes a chapter on Athletes for Allah.

“The long arc of modern sport’s interaction with religion can best be viewed as a dance,” Baker concludes, “in which the terms of engagement have changed over time.” But never has the dance been anything but popular.

Tom Hafer, author of “Faith & Fitness: Diet and Exercise for a Better World,” is a registered physical therapist and certified athletic trainer who also holds a master’s degree in religion from the Lutheran Theological Seminary.

In this book, Hafer prods the reader to think of physical fitness and diet in more

holistic terms, indeed, in the context of one’s faith relationship with God. He declares that his book “should convince you that the rabbit trails we chase to improve our looks, our wealth and our position all distract us from the faith to provide us with the fulfilling life of a servant. ... Together we can respond to God’s call to be good stewards of our own health, our neighbors’ health and the health of our planet.”

Catholic readers should not be surprised, however, to discover in Hafer’s book a classical Protestant outlook that he himself may not have been entirely aware of.

He seems to take for granted that human nature is pretty darn seriously corrupt, and this requires us to do battle with it — here in terms related to nutrition and exercise.

“When we consider our desire for better health or weight loss,” Hafer writes, “let us clear our minds of old ideas and struggles, start at the cross of Jesus — hungry, thirsty, open and broken — and go from there.”

“It is only by God’s grace that we are made whole,” Hafer concludes — loudly echoing classical Lutheran theology.

At the same time, his book admirably brings a global perspective to his discussion: “When we are disciplined with our overabundance while concerning ourselves with the poor, a redistribution of resources occurs throughout our global community. ... In this new paradigm shift, wellness is no longer self-centered, but centered on Christ and the least of these, our neighbors.”

A Catholic author would have been more inclined to begin with the presupposition that human nature, while seriously flawed, is above all the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and most basically good.

Catholic readers will still find an abundance of wisdom and healthful advice on the topics of nutrition and exercise.

Finley is staff writer for the Inland Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Spokane, Wash.

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WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: May 13, 2007

May 13, Sixth Sunday of Easter Cycle C Readings: 1) Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 2) Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 3) Gospel: John 14:23-29

Peace to be found on walk with God

by JEFF HENSLEY catholic news service

When I came into the church 33 years ago, my pastor, whether in the pulpit or in the church library where he presented the faith to inquirers like me, gave insight into Catholicism with firmness and gentleness and good humor.

He welcomed me and rest of the inquiry class with open arms. Like the apostles in the Acts reading for today who refused to set impossibly high standards for new converts who sought to follow Christ, my pastor outlined the teachings of the church with clarity and kindness.

John’s Gospel seems to map the same territory, showing us that the hand of God on his people demonstrates this same loving contrast.

With great promise Jesus says, “Anyone who loves me will be true to my word and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him.”

But there is a definitively firm limit to this offer of God’s indwelling with

us in the words immediately following: “He who does not love me does not keep my words.”

A little further on, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to instruct us and to give us peace. We should pay particular attention to what Jesus tells us here.

The disciples’ feet have been washed; Judas has departed to carry out his betrayal; Peter’s denial has been predicted.

We stand poised on the brink, and Jesus delivers his final instructions to those who will build his church.

“Peace is my farewell to you,” he tells them and us, “my peace is my gift to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives peace. Do not be distressed or fearful.”

Then he tells them he will go to the Father, giving them the one key insight that will help them see that his crucifixion will lead onward in God’s plan to his resurrection and his continuing presence with both them and us.

When I came into the church three decades ago, gradually moving out of years of doubt as a young adult, coming into the light of Christ through my involvement in both the charismatic renewal and the institutional church, I found that the sense of loneliness that had haunted me for years left me.

I’m sure that came as a result of entering 1st intoHoly communion those who Communionwith Celebrations Coming Soon had inherited Jesus’ promise of peace.

Questions: Where have you found peace in your own walk with God? Could prayer, Scripture study or reconciliation with someone help you recapture that peace?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of May 6-12 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter), Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5, John 13:31-35; Monday, Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday, Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday, Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (Bl. Damien of Moloka’i), Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday, Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, St. Pancras) Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21.

Scripture for the week of May 13-19 Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter), Acts 15:1-2, 22-29, Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23, John 14:23-29; Monday (St. Matthias), Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, John 15:9-17; Tuesday (St. Isidore), Ad Thursday – immaculate Acts 16:22-34, John 16:5-11; Wednesday, Acts 17:15, 22--18:1, John 16:12-15; (Ascension Thursday), Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Luke 24:46-53; Friday (St. John I), Acts 18:9-18, John 16:20-23; Saturday, Acts 18:23-28, John 16:23-28.

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The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 4, 2007

Australian company to offer digital services for World Youth Day

We intend to make World Youth Day shine by using our world-leading next generation infrastructure.â&#x20AC;?

The coverage will include cellphone messaging, Web casts and Web logs (blogs) â&#x20AC;&#x153;so that more young people around the world can access and share this very special event,â&#x20AC;? said Trujillo.

The partnership with World Youth Day, said Trujillo, will demonstrate â&#x20AC;&#x153;the scale and scope of next-generation networks to spread the Gospel message among its brethren through the missions of the church.â&#x20AC;?

With 70 million blogs on the Internet, Trujillo said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imagine the blog readership hungry for personal Catholicspecific experiences.â&#x20AC;?

SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest telecommunications company, Telstra, announced it will provide phone and digital communications services to the 300,000 extra people expected in Sydney for World Youth Day 2008.

Solomon Trujillo, an American businessman and Telstra Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief operating officer, told a conference of Catholic officials in Melbourne in midApril that his company had reached an agreement with World Youth Day coordinators to offer an array of â&#x20AC;&#x153;real-timeâ&#x20AC;? communications services to the event.

Trujillo said the deal will enable organizers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;explore innovative ways to use technology to broadcast the event to young people around the world.

Singer has nothing to crow about

CNS photo by Mario Anzuoni, Reuters photo by Greg Tarczynski

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis announced April 25 he has withdrawn his support for an upcoming benefit for a Catholic hospital because it features singer Sheryl Crow (left), an outspoken supporter of keeping abortion legal.

Archbishop pulls support for hospital benefit over Crowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stands

by JENNIFER BRINKER catholic news service

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ST. LOUIS (CNS) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Saying that it sent a â&#x20AC;&#x153;contradictory messageâ&#x20AC;? for a Catholic institution to raise funds by featuring a musician who supports abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis announced April 25 that he had withdrawn his support for an upcoming benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medical Center.

Rock musician Sheryl Crow, a native of Kennett, Mo., has been an outspoken supporter of keeping abortion legal.

She also supported Amendment 2, a Missouri initiative passed last fall that constitutionally protects human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.

Crow was scheduled to perform at the annual Bob Costas Benefit April 28 at the Fabulous Fox theater in St. Louis.

Sportscaster Costas and comedian Billy Crystal also were to participate in the benefit, with tickets ranging in price from $35 to $100.

At an April 25 press conference at the archdiocesan offices, Archbishop Burke said Crowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connection to the benefit event was â&#x20AC;&#x153;an affront to the identity and mission of the medical center, dedicated as it is to the service of life and Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healing mission.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;When there is a significant risk that others could be led to evil, as the one responsible for the spiritual and moral well-being of the faithful entrusted to my pastoral care, I am obliged in justice to act,â&#x20AC;? the archbishop added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Only after the board of governors of the Cardinal Glennon Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation informed me it would not address the issue did it become necessary that I carry out my pastoral responsibility to clarify the matter,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The archbishop said he also had submitted his resignation earlier in the week as chairman of the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board of governors, and requested the foundation amend its bylaws to release him as a member of the board and that his name be removed from any materials promoting the benefit.

Archbishop Burke said his concern with the benefit has no association with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;goodness of the apostolate which the medical center is carrying out.â&#x20AC;?

He added that the church is not condemning anyone over the matter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It grieves me very much to have to take the action, because I have such high regard for Cardinal Glennon Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medical Center,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a question of my support of the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical center and its apostolate.â&#x20AC;?

Last fall, Crow was featured in a television advertisement that supported Amendment 2, the stem-cell initiative.

She also has been a public advocate of keeping abortion legal and continues to speak on behalf of legislation in support of abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When, for economic gain, a Catholic institution associates itself with such a high-profile proponent of the destruction of innocent lives, members of the church and other people of good will have the right to be confirmed in their commitment to the Gospel of life,â&#x20AC;? Archbishop Burke said at the news conference.

He said his role as a church leader and the gravity of the situation required him to resign from the board and speak publicly on the issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I, as archbishop of St. Louis, were simply to let this pass, it would give people the impression that as long as the purpose is to raise money, you can associate with people, even feature people, who are public proponents of the killing of unborn children and embryonic human life,â&#x20AC;? the archbishop said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is bad when any of the flock leads another one into confusion or leads them astray,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s especially harmful when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the shepherd of the flock himself â&#x20AC;&#x201D; either through silence or through some action â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who causes people to go into error.â&#x20AC;?

A Glennon foundation spokesman told Catholic News Service that there had been no requests for ticket refunds as of April 26. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are looking forward to a great event for a great cause,â&#x20AC;? the spokesman said.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 4, 2007

youths in action

Youths explore faith, friendship at annual DYC DYC, from page 1

the weekend of events, music and workshops, which included topics on global warming, vocations, relationships, mission trips, prayer and “discovering one’s purpose in God’s plan.”

Assisted by a team of adult advisors, the council put in long hours to ensure a weekend of interaction, reflection and call to action among the participants.

“It’s good to see them so active in the church and practicing the faith,” said John Stasko, a youth advisor for the conference.

“These youths aren’t the church of tomorrow. They are the church of today,” said Deacon Tom Rasmussen, one of the conference presenters and permanent deacon at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory.

“A primary thing I do is plant a seed of faith, nurture that seed and see it bear fruit. When something’s important, you want to share it,” he said.

Many teens enjoyed the opportunity to share their faith with others their age.

“It’s an amazing experience to be here with other teens,” said 15-year-old Cassandra Reiher. “In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten more passionate in my faith.”

“It’s been tough to be a Catholic youth — people have a lot of wrong ideas about being a Catholic, like thinking we worship Mary,” said 18-year-old Tim Wagner, who attended his third conference and will be entering college in the fall.

“It’s hard to keep my faith with all the peer pressure. Here (at the conference), people are willing to share their belief in God,” he said. “I want to share my faith through community service, represent

our church, our faith.”

Collin Orton attended several diocesan youth conferences as a teen.

Now 20, he returned as an adult mentor for the youths.

“I want to set an example. The best part is meeting all the teens, and the wonderful people who share the same ideals,” he said.

While some teens come to the conference to socialize, said Orton, they are achieving another purpose as well.

“You come seeking a better understanding of the hard questions. The classes ask the real questions, the ones people are afraid to ask,” he said.

“I hope the youths get the sense that God loves them no matter what, and he expects much of them, but he gives them the grace to do it,” said Peg Ruble, associate director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte.

“The church also expects much of them, and needs much from them,” she said. “The kids bring life and energy.

They are loving… and embrace the message, the people and the church.”

Paul Kotlowski, director of youth ministry for the diocese, hoped the teens left the conference with a closer relationship with Jesus and a willingness to surrender their lives to God. “We witness the depth of faith and sincerity in the young church. There is an innocence, curiosity and love for God,” he said. “The conference offers a deeper knowledge of the faith and spiritual communion with the risen Christ.”

At the closing ceremony on Sunday, April 29, four awards were presented.

The Pope John Paul II Award, for ordained men exemplifying love for the youth of the church, was presented to Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and Our

Courtesy Photo

Sarah Werner, a parishioner of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, receives the Bishop Michael J. Begley Award from Paul Kotlowski, director of diocesan youth ministry, during the 30th annual Diocesan Youth Conference in Ridgecrest April 29.

Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee.

The Bishop Michael J. Begley Award, for youths involved in social justice and outreach, was presented to Sarah Werner, a parishioner of St. Aloysius Church.

The Bishop William G. Curlin Award, for an individual or group expemplifying outstanding pastoral care, was presented to Sarah Cahoon, a parishioner of St. James the Greater Church in Concord.

The St. Timothy Award, for a youth exemplifying outstanding discipleship, was presented to Timothy Wagner, a parishioner of St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte.

Recognition was also given to adults who have served in youth ministry for five, 10 and 15 or more years.

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Collin Orton, an adult mentor for the conference, attended several conferences as a teenager. “I want to set an example. The best part is meeting all the teens, and the wonderful people who share the same ideals,” he said.

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May 4, 2007

in our schools

Around the world in 80 minutes by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte culminated its second Multicultural Week, which was held April 23-27, with a daylong festival including a “Parade of Continents,” an international food market and exhibits representing 40 countries.

Each grade level was assigned a continent and then created an exhibit for the nations on their continent. Exhibits included information about the history, geography and culture of the countries.

On Friday morning, April 27, the multipurpose room was converted into an international market, where foods from around the world were offered for sale. Students were given play money with which to purchase items.

Many students dressed in native or historical costumes representing the countries they studied.

Following the Parade of Continents in the multipurpose room, students manned their exhibits and answered questions from Linda Cherry, superintendent for diocesan Catholic schools; Janice Ritter, assistant superintendent; and Alisa Joseph, vice president and AfricanAmerican segment leader for Wachovia Bank, who served as the judges for the parade and exhibits.

“Diversity is present in all of our diocesan schools, but the Multicultural Festival highlights the uniqueness of Our Lady of the Assumption School,” said Cherry.

“Many of the students who presented information were actually from those countries. The sharing of the children’s heritage, culture, food and traditions will be remembered by all,” she said.

Teacher Amber Luckey’s third-grade class was named Multicultural Festival winner by the judges for their exhibit and presentation in the Parade of Continents.

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Excellence in science CHARLOTTE — Will Larsen and Maria Shea, students at St. Patrick School in Charlotte, won the Second Place Award of Excellence at the 20th State Science Fair of North Carolina, held at Meredith College in Raleigh March 24.

The fair provides the opportunity for third- through 12th-grade students interested in science and technology to compete for college scholarships, awards, honor programs and other prizes.

Will and Maria’s project, “Phantastic pH Effects on Water,” won the excellence award — along with a $24 U.S. Savings Bond — from the North Carolina American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association, a volunteer association dedicated to providing water and wastewater education, training and service to protect public health and the environment.

Will and Maria were thrilled with their success and extremely grateful to

everyone at school who made it possible for them to participate in this year’s fair.

Courtesy Photo

Will Larsen and Maria Shea, students at St. Patrick School in Charlotte, are pictured during the State Science Fair at Meredith College in Raleigh March 24.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Fourth-grade students at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte represent Africa during the “Parade of Continents” April 27, part of a weeklong festival celebrating “Learning through Diversity.”

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14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Tires and common good We are connected by virtue of common human nautre I lecture occasionally on Catholic social teaching and its applicability to everyday life. The two most prominent features in this body of doctrine are the principles of human dignity and the common good.

The first insists that we are human beings, not human doings. We have intrinsic value and are worthy of respect because we are human, not because we’re wise, wealthy, healthy or good-looking.

People like hearing this principle, even though they sometimes permit nonessentials such as race, poverty or sexual orientation to blind them to the dignity they should respect in others.

The principle of the common good is not so readily received. I have found that Catholic audiences often need help in wrapping their minds around this notion.

Moreover, they sometimes have difficulty in connecting the notion of individual human dignity with the idea of the common good.

In the “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,” Vatican Council II described the common good as “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.”

So the common good is not the sum of all individual goods, nor is it a utilitarian concept of greatest good for the greatest number of people.

It involves rather an acknowledgment of the basic human dignity of all people and a commitment to work for the promotion of conditions in society that encourage the development of each person’s human potential.

This idea is related to the principle of solidarity, the notion that we are connected to one another by virtue of our common human nature. The principle of solidarity functions as a moral category that leads to choices that will promote and protect the common good.

In a question-and-answer period following a lecture I gave to a Catholic adult education group, one of the participants

More respect needed, fewer gun restrictions

I would wager a guess that David Hains (“America, take control of yourself,” April 20) never enjoyed target shooting, nor ever enjoyed looking at a collection of firearms that represented the early days of our country.

He may review recent data showing states that have concealed carry laws have dramatic drops in crimes. But simply showing a self-defense weapon is often all that is necessary to stop a crime.

I appreciate 911, but sadly before

Looking Around JESUIT FATHER WILLIAM J. BYRON cns columnist

faulted the American bishops for their liberal views on immigration policy.

That prompted me to think of an image I find useful in explaining the common good — the old-fashioned inner tube and rubber tire.

The wholeness and roundness of the tire suggests the oneness of society.

The inner tube’s vulnerability to wear and tear — the potential for a blowout that can flatten the entire tire — serves to remind that it is in the interest of the whole tire that attention be paid to a small section in need of a plug or patch.

Promotion of the common good not only protects the weak, but it works for the ultimate good of all others in society, not just the poor and vulnerable.

But what about those not yet part of our society, the refugees and migrants who want in but face barriers to entry?

First we have to avoid the trap of putting national boundaries around the concept of the common good. It embraces human nature anywhere; it transcends citizenship.

But the common good also requires respect for national as well as individual rights and, therefore, looks to orderly progress in the flow of immigration while attending to the causes and effects of problems that propel people out of their native lands who would stay or return if conditions improved.

We can become a better national tire through immigration; our national history demonstrates that. History also teaches that we will be a stronger tire to the extent that we attend to all points of vulnerability. police can arrive, carnage is often visited upon folks who do not believe in the God-given right to self-defense.

I honor Mr. Hains’ wish not to own or use a handgun; however, I honor our constitution and my right as an honest citizen to have one without more useless restrictions. The laws on the books now are already very strict. May I respectfully suggest that we concentrate on upgrading our schools, teaching our children right from wrong, and living our faith.

On another note, the improper use of vehicles driven under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs contributes to

Sorry? No one’s listening Secular media should have focused on Imus apology, not public opinion The tragedy of Virginia Tech has moved into a solitary grieving stage and the media, thank goodness, has not been invited.

And so, over the past few days, the pundits and talk show commentators have been backtracking to the Don Imus story, which was in full bloom when it and most other news was brushed aside by the events in Blacksburg, Va. Imus is the gravel-voiced, opinionated grandfather of “shockjockery” who was picked off by media sniper fire. The ammunition was his idiotic remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball players.

The media provided the gun and badgered the rest of us to pull the trigger on a man who was begging for forgiveness.

Sadly, the leaders of the “pull the trigger” chorus were a pair of Christian ministers, the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Perhaps the pair skipped the forgiveness class at seminary — they were calling for Imus’ firing within hours of his comments.

As Christians we are called to forgiveness, not once or twice, but as Christ put it, “seven times seventy” (Mt. 18:22). Clearly Imus’ situation was one where forgiveness could be employed. Why? Because he asked for it — repeatedly.

Even though he was repeating a phrase found regularly in popular hiphop music, Imus took full responsibility for his words. Given a chance, he most likely would have used the bully pulpit of his microphone in his atonement and a great deal of healing may have come from his rash remarks.

But for the sake of a headline that read “Imus, you’re fired!”, that kind of reconciliation has been cancelled.

In the secular world of media hype, forgiveness must be boring because it doesn’t get much play. Would the world have been a more dangerous place if Don Imus were allowed to serve his two-week suspension rather than lose his job?

Justice would be better served if his sophomoric observations were the basis for a discussion on race relations, the double-standard over the use of certain words and the inflated role that celebrities play in our society. These

Letters to the Editor the crosses we see on the sides of our highways. Should we outlaw or have more restrictions on vehicle operation? Perhaps make it illegal to manufacture alcohol?

Mr. Hains, let’s just teach respect to our young about the proper use and handling of firearms, vehicles, alcohol and, most of all, teach them respect for each other as God’s children.

— A. Thomas Hansen Fairview, N.C.

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS communications director

are subjects that this distracted, overstimulated country desperately needs to talk about.

In 1972 Pope Paul VI said, “If you want peace, work for justice.” The lack of justice in the court of public opinion that Imus faced is obvious. The question for the followers of Christ in the media age is, how can we work for peace through justice?

Here are a few guidelines: 1) Be an advocate for forgiveness.

We Christians are not called to swim in the tempting, ultra-clear and illusory waters of self-righteousness. Accepting an apology generally means forgetting about the underlying transgression. This isn’t easy or much fun.

2) Know the difference between fact and opinion. Facts are few; opinions are like belly-buttons: everyone has one.

Bloggers, are you listening?

3) Gather your facts from different sources. Despite what they may want you to believe, both Fox News and The New York Times have biases.

4) Before being drawn into the media debate, ask yourself how you’d feel if a perfect stranger were talking about you as if you were a criminal, worthy of public ridicule.

I don’t believe the “media snipers” will ever lay down their weapons to pick flowers. Someone is always being lined up in the crosshairs of public opinion.

If we allow this to continue, each of us will have no one to blame and no one to seek a reprieve from when the target is painted on our own foreheads.

D a v i d H a i n s i s d i re c t o r o f communications for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains@ charlottediocese.org. A podcast of this column is available at www. charlottediocese.org.

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May 4, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 15

When I commute, who is my community?

Pressure, distance can separate us from priorities, Christ Did you know that roughly one out of every six American workers commutes more than 45 minutes — each way! — to work?

And the number of commuters who travel 90 minutes or more each way has reached 3.5 million.

In The New Yorker of April 16, Nick Paumgarten looks at the distances we travel in an article aptly subtitled “The Soul of the Commuter.”

I don’t wish to pick on commuters; doubtless some people spend their commutes in worthwhile ways: listening to inspirational tapes, unwinding and reading if they are on a bus or train. Some find their only chance for solitude in this daily journey.

But the idea of people spending a large part of their day in one place and the more private, familial part of their day in a place hours and miles away raises questions.

If we work long hours in the city, maybe close to the part of town where the homeless congregate, but travel 45 miles to the place where farmland is being ground up to spit out “McMansions,” where is our community?

More to the point, who is our community?

Our lives are subdivided in so many ways, it is no wonder that we often feel scattered and unfocused, that community

eludes us.

Thomas Merton wrote that there is “a pervasive form of contemporary violence” to which we can succumb.

“The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence.”

The “rush and pressure of modern life” — we don’t have to have a long commute to identify with what this condition. My own commute is very short, six minutes to the parish where I work part time; that is, if it’s not too icy, if the four traffic lights cooperate and the moose stay off the road.

But still, often I feel pressure and find myself unfocused.

Ask any modern mother about feeling overwhelmed, and you’ll hear the litany: chef, chauffeur, cleaning lady, tax preparer, homework expert, diaper changer. The list goes on.

A couple of generations ago, there was more centeredness to this: A mom was wrapped in the community of family within the cocoon of neighborhood.

Now we add to motherhood the pressures of employment, whether because it’s a good choice or an economic necessity.

Our apron strings become cell phones.

Then shift to volunteer mode.

Should you help with Scouts tonight or write that letter to save Darfur? Can you

Only temperance will keep our world sound Nature, way of life must be balanced On 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., stands the Temperance Fountain, one of a series of fountains designed and distributed nationally in the 1880s by a wealthy dentist from San Francisco.

Henry D. Cogswell, a crusader in the temperance movement, believed the fountains’ cool drinking water would keep people from drinking too much alcohol.

At the center of the Temperance Fountain entwined dolphins spew water that is a symbol of the purity of life.

For most people, temperance means refraining from overeating and excessive drinking. When we study its essence, however, we learn that temperance primarily advocates preserving the balance and order God endowed us with.

If we overeat or drink in excess, we are said to be inordinate — out of balance. Temperance not only pertains to keeping our personal life in order, but also maintaining a balance in all of life.

One of the greatest challenges of this millennium is to keep our balance.

For example, consider the balancing act needed to fuel our automobiles.

To keep our cars running, we now rely more on ethanol. This is causing farmers to plant corn in place of wheat and other grains.

On the positive side, the production of corn has become much more profitable.

But less wheat means higher bread prices, and less corn for animal feed means cattle ranchers and dairy farmers will now pay more for it, making milk and meat more expensive.

This is only one example of how difficult it is to maintain balance.

Another example is that if we legislate against big industries’ polluting gases, we risk them going out of business.

Then we would face an increase in unemployment.

For every step forward in maintaining a wholesome life we risk taking two steps backward. This holds especially true in the field of medicine. We may take medicine that gets rid of one problem while creating others.

How to maintain balance and order in our new millennium is the question of the moment. An even more important question is: How do we create a new type of leadership steeped in temperance?

For the Journey EFFIE CALDAROLA cns columnist

say “no” to that parish committee? Have you taken your turn in the classroom lately?

I recently heard a homilist say that if we feel our lives are scattered and unfocused it’s because our lives are not centered in Christ.

No doubt this is true. While many lead lives in which we sincerely seek to center ourselves in Christ, we succumb nonetheless to the “violence” of which Merton speaks. Sometimes we’re so busy precisely because we’re trying to do what we think Christ would have us do.

Again, Merton: “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence.”

Maybe we should let our prayer life be the guide, the measure of whether we are succumbing to the pressure and the distance — physical or metaphysical — which take us from community and Christ.

Is our prayer focused? Peaceful? Do we give adequate time to prayer?

Answer “no,” and maybe we need to re-examine our commitments.

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

Such a new type of leadership would require leaders who are acutely aware of how delicately balanced life is and who are willing to reverence the way nature and our way of life must be balanced.

Today’s leaders must be educated in the fine points of balancing laws that govern nature, the economy and industry.

Their knowledge of a simple thing such as the role bees play in our life, for example, is critical.

Reports of the disappearance of bees are causing deep concern because of the function bees fulfill in pollinating fruit trees. The sudden disappearance of bees is a serious reminder of how imperative they are in keeping our food supply balanced.

Politicians who make sound laws must also follow Aristotle’s dictum when serving their constituents: “The highminded man must care more for what is right than for what people think.”

Getting it right so that balance and order are maintained is imperative to the life of this planet!

Pope says only true way to know God is to love him The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The only true way to know God is to love him and enter into a relationship with him through prayer and reading the Bible, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“Just as between people, one really knows another deeply only if there is love, if one opens his heart,” so it is with God, the pope said May 2 at his weekly general audience.

The pope continued the previous week’s discussion about the teaching of Origen of Alexandria. According to Origen’s teaching, the pope said, “understanding the Scriptures requires, even more than study, intimacy with Christ and prayer.”

“Origen is convinced that the privileged path to knowing God is love and that there cannot be an authentic knowledge of Christ without being in love with him,” the pope said.

The pope said Origen emphasized his idea by pointing to the meaning sometimes given to the verb “to know” in Hebrew, as this verb is used to express the act of human love. For example, in Genesis we read, “Adam knew Eve, his wife, who conceived.” In this way, it is suggested that a union in love leads to the most authentic knowledge.

“Just as the man and woman are two in one flesh, so God and the believer become two in one spirit,” the pope said.

Here is the Vatican text of Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in English.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Last week we looked at the life and writings of Origen of Alexandria. Today, I would like to consider two significant themes in his work.

Origen’s teaching on scripture greatly influenced the Church’s rich tradition of lectio divina. Through the prayerful and faith-filled reading of the scriptures, we are drawn in love to mystical union with God. Just as a man and a woman become “one flesh” in marriage, so — in prayer — the church and each of her members become one in the Spirit with the divine Bridegroom.

Regarding the church, Origen teaches us the importance of the priesthood of all the faithful. As a member of this common priesthood, every believer is called to put on “priestly attire” by living a pure and virtuous life.

Loving intimacy with God through prayer and the offering of an upright and moral life — these are two of Origen’s most important lessons for us; these are the ways we keep the “gaze of our hearts” fixed on the “Wisdom and Truth who is Jesus Christ.”

May 4, 2007

in the news

The Catholic News & Herald 16

Healthy habits

Women religious gather to mark 40th anniversary of Omaha bone study

by JACLYN TWIDELL catholic news service

OMAHA, Neb. — By the end of the first eight-day session of the Omaha Nun Study in 1967, Mercy Sister Rosalina Wilkinson was sick of chocolate bars.

She had eaten one chocolate bar each day.

“I only picked the chocolate bar because it was on the list they gave me and I thought it sounded good,” Sister Wilkinson said. “Boy was that a mistake.”

Sister Wilkinson was one of 190 nuns from six motherhouses who agreed to participate in a Creighton University study on calcium intake and women’s bone health, now known simply as the Omaha Nun Study.

Participating nuns were from the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual A d o r a t i o n , S e r v a n t s o f M a r y, School Sisters of St. Francis, Notre

Dame Sisters, Sisters of Mercy and Benedictine Sisters.

More than 30 of the nuns involved in the study were on hand April 25 to help celebrate the study’s 40th anniversary.

“As a good Catholic lad, I have said ‘thank you’ to various sisters over the years for my education, my faith and my vocation,” Jesuit Father John Schlegel, Creighton University president, told the women.

“Now as I stand here, I would like to thank you for my mother’s health. She is 90 years old and she has learned a lot from your study and her bones are very solid,” he said.

The reception, held at the Creighton University Medical Center, recognized the nuns for their contributions to women’s bone health.

“I would like to reiterate the impact you had,” Dr. Robert Heaney, study director and designer, told the nuns.

“I don’t think you realize this, but

the intake recommendations for calcium were based on the figures you people provided not to me, not to Creighton, but to the women of America,” he said.

T h e s t a ff f r o m C r e i g h t o n ’s Osteoporosis Research Center — past and present — also attended the event.

When the project was started in February 1967, the nuns — then between the ages of 35 and 45 — spent eight days and nine nights at the Creighton center’s metabolism unit every five years.

They chose their menu for a day, but that menu was repeated each of the eight days.

The diets were designed to match — within 5 percent — their usual food intake in terms of calories, protein, calcium and phosphorus.

“Before we arrived at the hospital we had to tell them what we usually ate,” said Sister Iris Deprez, a Servant of Mary. “We were sick of our choices by the end of that eighth day.”

The food selection was not the only thing the researchers were watching.

“They monitored everything,” Mercy Sister Claudia Robinson said.

“Each meal was measured down to the exact number of ounces.”

“We learned quickly to ask for an extra piece of bread each meal to lap up all the extra food on our plates. It was that or lick the plate clean,” she added.

From daily blood draws to urine collection, every step of the process was meticulously recorded to identify factors that influenced how the women’s

To mothers on this day of honor, we thank you for your courageous love in giving us life … and to those birth mothers who lovingly choose adoption for their children and those who give the love of their hearts to adopted children, we say to all, “Happy Mother’s Day!” We love you and give you our thanks every day of our lives.

Respect Life Office

704-370-3229

CNS photo by Jaclyn Twidwell, Catholic Voice

Benedictine Sister Cecilia Polt marks the 40th anniversary of the Omaha Nun Study April 25 with a milk mustache provided by the American Dairy Association/Dairy Council of Nebraska at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. bodies absorbed calcium, utilized it and excreted it.

“The project, because of the number of participants and the length of the study, literally wrote the book on the operation of calcium economy in midlife women,” Heaney said.

The Omaha Nun Study also helped establish Creighton University as an international leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, said Dr. Robert Recker, current director of Creighton’s Osteoporosis Research Center.

The project received continuous federal funding from 1967 until 1995, and was one of the longest-running, continually supported projects in the history of the National Institutes of Health.

Among the findings resulting from the Creighton research: Healthy midlife women require 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily and calcium absorption is influenced by body size, vitamin D and estrogen levels, race, age and other nutrient interactions.

Although the eight-day inpatient studies ended, the nuns, now in their 70s and 80s, continue to return to Creighton for calcium absorption measurements and bone-density scans.

“It is a great feeling to know that we helped other women,” said Sister Robinson. “I also have learned to be conscious of bone health and I understand that we all need to encourage other women.”

“When we were doing the study, we did not know that we were helping anyone,” said Sister Wilkinson. “But I am sure glad we did it.”