May 16, 2008

May 16, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Becoming a Marian family; ‘Journey of Hope’ roadmap; relativism

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI MAy 16, 2008

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

‘I thought it was the end of the world’ Chinese priests work around disruptions to assess quake damage by

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CHENGDU, China — Chinese priests had to work around disrupted telephone systems and damaged roads as they tried to assess the damage from the May 12 earthquake centered under Sichuan province.

Responding to appeals for aid and prayers on Catholic Web sites, Catholics across China have begun donating money and clothes to help survivors, the priests told the Asian church news agency UCA News.

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake, which hit just after midday May 12, had its epicenter beneath Wenchuan County in Sichuan province.

CNS photo by Reuters

A local resident walks through the debris of collapsed buildings in earthquake-hit Beichuan County, about 99 miles northeast of the epicenter in Wenchuan County, in China’s Sichuan province May 14.

See QUAKE, page 9

vOLUME 17

no. 28

A ‘gesture of courage’ Pope defends church’s teaching on artificial birth control

by JOHN THAVIS catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI defended the church’s teaching against artificial birth control and said its wisdom has become clearer in light of new scientific discoveries and social trends.

In an age in which sexual activity can become like a drug, people need to be reminded that married love should always involve the whole person and be open to new life, he said May 10.

The pope made his See LIFE, page 8

Celebrating the Mother of God

Awakening the spirit Catholic theologian Scott Hahn discusses faith, Mary, confession

by TIM REID special to the catholic news & herald

MONROE — More than 500 people packed Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe to hear well-known Catholic author and theologian Scott Hahn present an all-day seminar May 3.

Those expecting a dry, scholarly recitation from such a prominent biblical expert

were in for a surprise.

Hahn spoke from the heart, giving personal testimony of how he converted to Catholicism from his former life as an anti-Catholic, Presbyterian minister. And he addressed some of the great themes of the Catholic faith, such as the doctrine of See HAHN, page 5

Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo by Tim Reid

Scott Hahn addresses an audience at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe May 3. The parish invited Hahn as part of its year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France.

Caroline Dau, a student at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point, crowns the Mary statue during a May crowning ceremony May 7.

Culture Watch

In Our Schools

Pilgrimage to Christ

‘Prince Caspian’ review; book on Catholic Worker Movement

Students, adults put on musicals, plays

Americans to be among many at congress

| Pages 10-11

| Page 12

| Page 16

May 16, 2008

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

In the hands of an artist

CNS photo/Bob Roller

Barber Dominic Spadaro gives a haircut to Ron Alexy, a customer for 37 years, at Spadaro’s shop at the Theological College of The Catholic University of America in Washington May 7. Spadaro, 77, has barbered for well-known theologians, nuns and young students alike for 47 years on the campus. He retired May 9.

Barber at CUA retires with many friends after 47 years on campus WASHINGTON (CNS) — Barber Dominic Spadaro likes to think that barbershop friends are friends for life.

For 47 years in his shop at the Theological College of The Catholic University of America, Spadaro, 77, has barbered for well-known theologians, nuns and young students alike. He has swapped stories, discussed the day’s news and shared photos of children — and then grandchildren — with his customer-friends.

He has been a confidant to some and offered advice to others. It comes with his job, especially for someone as familiar as Spadaro has been around the Catholic University campus.

“I get a lot of pleasure from other people’s pleasure,” he said. “It’s a oneon-one kind of relationship. And that’s very special.”

Spadaro’s tenure as a professional barber came to an end May 9, when he cleaned his clippers and folded his crisp striped aprons one last time in his small shop at Theological College and retired to pursue his love of painting, gardening and spending time with family.

For Spadaro, being a barber has been more than just cutting hair. To a certain extent, it’s an art, he said. “There’s kind of a three-dimensional thing to it,” he said.

“Painting is a one-dimensional exercise.

Even the terminology often used (is of) sculpting hair.”

“Every haircut is a challenge. And you never really get used to it even though you do the same person over and over again. It’s always a new experience,” he said. “My aim is to make them happy.

I’m a very painstaking worker.”

It’s that painstaking approach to

just about everything he does that led Spadaro, a member of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church in Bethesda, Md., to turn to barbering as a career even as his heart was set on becoming an artist.

As a youngster Spadaro would watch and learn from his father, Joseph, who learned the craft of barbering in his homeland of Italy. When times were busy in the family-run shop, Joseph Spadaro would ask his young son to help cut hair.

Spadaro soon took off for Europe to pursue his dream as a painter, but he floated back and forth between Washington and Europe. Every now and then his father would suggest that he return to the barbershop to earn money while he pursued his love of art.

Finally, Joseph Spadaro asked his son to help at the barbershop at Theological College. It didn’t take long for Spadaro to realize he could make a better living as a barber than as a painter.

In 1960, the younger Spadaro opened his own shop at Theological College.

He has been cutting hair for those who work, study and live in the Catholic community ever since.

It’s not unusual as well for old friends from across the country to show up at Spadaro’s shop to say hello and get a trim.

When he puts aside his scissors for good, Spadaro will take away memories of the many friendships he has made over the years.

“They’re close friendships,” he said.

“I look forward to their coming here as much as they do getting a haircut. We can talk and visit. The fact that I won’t be seeing them is very much felt by me.”

Immigration protection extended to workers in Northern Marianas WA S H I N G T O N ( C N S ) — Human traffickers were dealt a blow May 8 when President George W. Bush signed a law that extends U.S. immigration law protections to workers in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

An advocate for the workers told Catholic News Service that with the protections immigrants from China and other Asian countries will be less likely to become victims of fraud when they are recruited to work in the U.S. commonwealth, which is a group of 15 small islands just north of Guam.

Good Shepherd Sister Carol McClenon, interim national coordinator of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, said a provision of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act will reduce the likelihood that workers will end up in prostitution or in other abusive work situations.

Diocesan planner For more events taking place in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese. org/calendarofevents-cn.

Sister McClenon said the difficulty stemmed from unscrupulous employers who recruit workers for one type of work only to force them into another setting.

The law’s provisions will not be fully in place until Dec. 31, 2017, but Sister McClenon said the law allows victims of trafficking who are not U.S. citizens to become eligible for a special visa and other benefits and services that refugees receive.

“I don’t believe federalization will stop the problem, but I do believe it will significantly cut down on efforts to deliberately swoosh people in,” she said.

The commonwealth has one of the lowest male-to-female ratios in the world, with about 76 men for every 100 women. About 70,000 people live on the islands, according to U.S. census figures, with more than half being nonnative workers, most from Asia. allergies were miraculously cured by water from Lourdes. A question and answer session will follow, along with a reception. All are welcome to attend, there is no charge. For more information, call Ron Garcia at (828) 696-8163.

BOONE VICARIATE

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 ALBEMARLE VICARIATE

MONROE — A holy hour is held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 725 Deese St., until December 2008 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes. The holy hour consists of evening prayer, recitation of the rosary and Benediction. The celebration is open to all. For more information, contact the parish office at (704) 289-2773.

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

ARDEN — The St. Martin de Porres Dominican Laity Chapter meets the fourth Monday of every month at Debra Mattison’s house, 4 Brook Meadows Lane, 7 p.m. Inquirers are welcome.

For more information contact Joe Kraft at (828) 648-1036 or jebkraft@juno.com.

HENDERSONVILLE — In honor of the 150th Anniversary of Our Lady’s appearance in Lourdes, Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin will give a talk at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. W., Sunday, June 8 at 3 p.m. Following the talk, P.G.A. Life member and Immaculate Conception parishioner Ron Garcia will testify to how his asthma and

CHARLOTTE — A rosary is prayed every Wednesday at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 4207 Shamrock Dr., at 6:30 p.m., followed

by Mass at 7 p.m. All are welcome to participate in this sacred tradition. For more information, call Juanita Thompson at (704) 536-0784.

CHARLOTTE — There will be an introduction to the Mass in the extraordinary form at St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Rd., Wednesday, May 21, 7 - 8:15 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about the traditional liturgy is welcome to attend. The Mass in the extraordinary form will be celebrated at St. Ann Church on Saturdays at 8 a.m., beginning May 31. If you would like more information please contact James Blake at jrblake@carolina.rr.com or (704) 551-0686.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

DENVER — The Senior Group of Holy Spirit Church meets once a month for fun and fellowship.

All are invited to join. For more information on upcoming events, contact Irene Brunner at (704) 483-1210.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE

GREENSBORO —Area Catholics meet each

MAy 16, 2008 Volume 17 • Number 28

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray STAFF WRITER: Katie Moore 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 16, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican makes Latin-language documents available online VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Latin is online at the Vatican.

Without fanfare, the Vatican’s www.vatican.va site has made hundreds of papal and other documents available in a new Latin-language section.

The Latin area went live May 9.

Visitors clicking on “Sancta Sedes” (Latin for “Holy See”) are taken to a menu of documents arranged by pontificate or Roman Curia office.

Also posted is the complete neoVulgate Latin version of the Bible and Latin editions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law and the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

The papal pages — “Summi Pontifices” — cover the last five popes and include encyclicals and other major texts, as well as a selection of speeches, sermons and messages.

The last entry on the Latin pages

provides information about “Latinitas,” the Vatican foundation that promotes the use of Latin.

The other languages used by the Vatican Web site are all modern: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

In recent years, some Vatican officials have made efforts to revive Latin as the church’s lingua franca, but it’s been an uphill battle. Fewer and fewer seminarians study Latin, and even many Vatican employees now do not know the language.

Latin has been virtually abandoned at major church gatherings like synods of bishops.

But the ancient language continues to be used at international papal liturgies. Last year Pope Benedict XVI expanded the possible use of the extraordinary form of the Mass, which is celebrated in Latin.

Saturday at 8 a.m. for prayer at the abortion clinic, ‘A Woman’s Choice,’ 201 Pomona Dr. A rosary and a divine mercy chaplet are prayed. If you are interested in participating, contact Carolyn Dominick at (336) 292-3612.

obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn.

For details, call Renee Washington at (704) 637-0472 or Sharon Burges at (704) 633-0591.

HIGH POINT — An International Festival will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., May 18, 4-8 p.m. There will be child and adult entertainment, exhibits from around the world and antique cars. Bring a family-size serving of food to share, beverages will be provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (336) 884-0522.

HIGH POINT — Praying, sharing and living the scripture. Come for a scripture sharing, led

by Father Joe Zuschmidt at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St. Thursdays, during May and June, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. in meeting room 1. All are welcome. For more information, call the church office at (336) 869-7739.

HICKORY VICARIATE

HICKORY — Father Robert Ferris leads a Lectionary Bible Study at St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St., Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Mary, Mother of God room. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. This study prepares participants for the following Sunday’s Mass by reading and studying the liturgical readings for the next week. For more information on this study, call Kathy Succop at (828) 327-2341 or e-mail stalscoordinator@charter.net.

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. For more information, call Barbara Daigler at (704) 662-9572.

SALISBURY — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer ministry comprised of Sacred Heart Church parishioners who have lost babies before or shortly after birth. Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or

Episcopal

calendar

Pope authorizes granting of indulgences for Pauline year events VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholics who participate in events connected with the 2008-2009 jubilee year of St. Paul can receive a special indulgence, the Vatican said.

Pope Benedict XVI authorized the granting of a plenary, or full, indulgence in order to highlight the Pauline year and open the way to the “interior purification” of the faithful during its celebration, a May 10 Vatican decree said.

The decree was signed by U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Vatican tribunal that deals with indulgences and with matters related to the sacrament of penance.

An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven.

Pope Benedict established the Pauline year to run from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, to mark the approximately 2,000th anniversary of the saint’s birth.

The plenary indulgence is being offered to pilgrims who come to Rome, to Catholics who participate in local events connected to the jubilee year, and to those who may be too ill or otherwise prevented from physical participation.

It can be granted on behalf of the individual petitioner or on behalf of departed souls.

Cardinal Stafford said conditions for the special Pauline year indulgence include the normal requirements set by the church for all plenary indulgences: that the person goes to confession, receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the pope.

The decree explained in detail some specific requirements for the plenary indulgence. It said also that individuals can obtain more than one plenary indulgence during the jubilee year, but not more than one per day.

Salvation and surfing

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

WAYNESVILLE — Adult Education Classes are held the first three Wednesday evenings of each month beginning at 6:15 p.m. in the St. John the Evangelist Church Social Hall, 234 Church St. For more information, call Charles Luce at (828) 648-7369 or e-mail luce54@aol.com.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

CLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., has eucharistic adoration each Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. For more details, call Donna at (336) 940-2558 or Carole at (336) 766-4530.

WINSTON-SALEM — Franciscan Sister Kathy Ganiel will present “Prayer and Discernment” June 8, 3-5 p.m. as part of a series of free talks offering an exploration into some of the major contributions of Franciscan men and women of faith. The talk will take place at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. For more information and registration, e-mail spiritofassisi@ bellsouth.net or call (336) 723-1092.

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. Submit in writing to kmmoore@charlottediocese. org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

May 19-20 LARCUM Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

May 24 (5 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Michael the Archangel Church, Gastonia

May 21 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Mark Church, Huntersville

May 25 (11 a.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Consolation Church, Charlotte

CNS photo by Days in the Dioceses/Fiona Basile, Reuters

Surfers welcome the World Youth Day cross and icon on Bell’s Beach near Melbourne, Australia, May 8.

The cross and icon have been carried thousands of miles through Australia in advance of World Youth Day in July.

Vatican astronomer says if aliens exist, they may not need redemption VATICAN CITY (CNS) — If aliens exist, they may be a different life form that does not need Christ’s redemption, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said.

Jesuit Father Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said Christians should consider alien life as an “extraterrestrial brother” and a part of God’s creation.

Father Funes made the remarks in the May 13 issue of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. He said it was difficult to exclude the possibility that other intelligent life exists in the universe, and he noted that one field of astronomy is now actively seeking “biomarkers” in spectrum analysis of other stars and planets.

These potential forms of life could include those that have no need of oxygen or hydrogen, he said. Just as God created multiple forms of life on earth, he said, there may be diverse forms throughout

the universe.

“This is not in contrast with the faith, because we cannot place limits on the creative freedom of God,” he said.

“To use St. Francis’ words, if we consider earthly creatures as ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ why can’t we also speak of an ‘extraterrestrial brother?’” he said.

Asked about implications that the discovery of alien life might pose for Christian redemption, Father Funes cited the Gospel parable of the shepherd who left his flock of 99 sheep in order to search for the one that was lost.

“We who belong to the human race could really be that lost sheep, the sinners who need a pastor,” he said. “God became man in Jesus in order to save us. So if there are also other intelligent beings, it’s not a given that they need redemption. They might have remained in full friendship with their creator.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

CSS achieves accreditation for international adoptions

May 16, 2008

Alpine explorers

Program in ‘substantial compliance’ with convention standards CHARLOTTE — Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte is in compliance with accreditation standards to ensure proper international adoptions in the best interest of children.

CSS was notified it has achieved Hague Accreditation through the Council of Accreditation as authorized by the U.S. Department of State May 2.

Hague Accreditation attests CSS is in “substantial compliance with the Hague Convention accreditation standards,” according to a press release from the Council of Accreditation (COA), an independent, nonprofit child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization.

The Hague Convention is an international treaty created to ensure intercountry adoptions are in the best interest of children and to prevent abduction, exploitation, sale or trafficking of children.

In 1994, the United States signed the treaty and agreed to develop regulations and a monitoring process for adoption service providers in the United States who work with agencies in foreign countries.

Licensed as a child-placing agency since 1948, CSS of the Diocese of

Charlotte provides professional domestic and international adoptions based on the highest children welfare standards.

The CSS program emphasizes support, preparation and education.

Its international adoption program, based in the CSS Western Region Office in Asheville, places children from several regions in Russia and assists in adopting children from China.

“Achieving Hague accreditation from the Council on Accreditation has been the result of tremendous efforts by social work staff at all three regional offices of Catholic Social Services,” said Gerard Carter, CSS Family Life Office director and CSS coordinator for the COA accreditation.

“We are tremendously proud of this achievement because it represents our commitment to providing outstanding international adoption services through adherence to national and international regulations protecting adoptees, their birth parents and adoptive families,” he said.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on Catholic Social Services’ adoption program, visit www.cssnc.org/adoption.html.

Sharing spirituality

Courtesy Photo

Women take part in a spiritual exercise during a women’s retreat held at St. Peter Church in Charlotte May 3.

Women’s retreat explores hope, healing CHARLOTTE — Members of the Ignatian Spirituality Team of St. Peter Church in Charlotte recently held a retreat for women.

More than 40 women from parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte attended the retreat May 3, the third retreat for women held at St. Peter Church in the last 12 months.

During the retreat, its theme taken from Mark’s Gospel, Ignatian Spirituality Team members Patricia Davies and Kelly Payne led attendees in exploring the meaning of touch in their lives, and the sense of hope and healing experienced by the women in the Gospel.

Jesuit Father Vincent de Paul Alagia, priest in residence at St. Peter Church

and director of the Ignatian Spirituality Team, opened the retreat with prayer and closed by celebrating Mass.

The Ignatian Spirituality program was established to promote and foster the spirituality of St. Ignatius in all forms of ministry within the Jesuit-staffed parish.

The program consists of various spiritual events and retreats throughout the year that are developed by the parish’s Ignatian Spirituality Team.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information about the Ignatian Spirituality Team or its events, call (704) 332-2901 or visit www.stpeterscatholic. org and click the “Faith Formations” link.

Courtesy Photo

Thirty-five travelers from around the Diocese of Charlotte are pictured beneath the high peaks of the Alps in Innsbruck, Austria May 8. The group was part of a 10-day diocesan trip to explore the natural beauty and historical sites of Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria April 30-May 9. The next diocesan tour will explore the treasures of Italy in September.

May 16, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 5

from the cover

Scott Hahn discusses faith, Mary, confession HAHN, from page 1

Photo by Tim Reid

Noted Catholic biblical scholar and author Scott Hahn speaks during a seminar at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe May 3.

M a r y, c o n f e s s i o n a n d t h e Lord’s Prayer.

“Jesus is the artist of our redemption.

Mary is his greatest masterpiece,” Hahn said. “Love Jesus like Mary does, and love Mary like Jesus does.”

Concerning confession (the sacrament of reconciliation), Hahn said, “The more we need it, the less we want it. ... If we don’t repent, we begin to resent.”

“In the New Testament we have a new grace of forgiveness by Jesus,” Hahn added. “That forgiveness is conveyed to the disciples as Jesus tells them in the upper room, ‘As the Father sent Me, I send you.’ He is giving them the same fullness of authority.”

‘Our Father’ is the centerpiece of the greatest sermon ever preached — the Sermon on the Mount, he said.

“God is not like our Father, he is our Father,” Hahn said. “And if God is our Father, we are his family. That is the awesome truth of what it means to be a Catholic Christian.”

Parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Church worked for months to make Hahn’s visit a special event in the history of the parish, which began in 1946.

“This is a big year for us as we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the holy mother at Lourdes,” said Augustinian Father James Cassidy, pastor.

“We invited Scott Hahn and, lo and behold, he accepted,” said Becky Wright, parish information technology manager. “We had 512 people registered.

It exceeded all our expectations.”

The event planners wanted to create a retreat atmosphere for Hahn’s visit.

Prior to his talk, parishioner June Bullock led attendees in praying the rosary. After the talk, the attendees broke for lunch at picnic tables on the church grounds, many of them discussing Hahn‘s presentation.

“I could feel the Spirit moving

“Jesus is the artist of our redemption.”

— Scott Hahn within the church,” Wright said.

“It was very inspiring, very moving,” said Ashley Smith. “He has a way of speaking that makes you proud to be Catholic, to come alive with what you believe.”

Karen Rowan said she had read one of Hahn’s books, had seen him on television and was glad to be able to hear him in person.

“Father Jim had requested Dr. Hahn specifically to inspire and confirm us in our faith, and to remind us that we have one mission on earth — to be saints,” said Wendy Bigelow.

“His appearance at Our Lady of Lourdes is an incredible gift that elevated our souls to God,” she said.

Hahn spent the lunch hour and break time greeting the long line of people wanting to talk to him and have him sign copies of his books. He was clearly pleased by the response, but not surprised.

“Everywhere I go, I see a great spiritual awakening for the church,” he said, adding that it spans all age groups and generations.

“There seems to be a great springtime of renewal. It started with Pope John Paul II and is continuing with Pope Benedict XVI,” he said. “People are finding out that the church is not legalistic but radically personal.”

“Even people who have fallen away from the faith are discovering they don’t have to be orphans spiritually,” he said.

“It’s like a coming home.”

That touched on a point Hahn told his listeners earlier.

“We are all beggars before God,” Hahn said. “He wants to bring us home and make us saints.”

Tim Reid is a parishioner of the Baslica of St. Lawrence in Asheville.

Photo by Tim Reid

Scott Hahn greets enthusiastic well-wishers after his presentation at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe May 3. More than 500 people attended Hahn’s talk.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

May 16, 2008

Celebrating Communicants Rallying for Our Lady

Courtesy Photo

Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William Church in Murphy, is pictured with children after celebrating their first Communion May 4. Pictured with Father Kloster are (from left) Julia Thompson, Brianna Monroe, Gabriel McCoy, Payton McKnight, Leslie Ponce and Carlie Whidden. Communion is one of the three sacraments of initiation, along with baptism and confirmation.

Courtesy Photo

Knight of Columbus Ray Maxson is pictured with children who took part in the Semi-annual Rosary Rally held at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte May 4. The rosary rally, which has been held in May and October for 35 years, includes praying the rosary, a May crowning ceremony, eucharistic procession and Benediction. During the procession, the children carried a float with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima; those celebrating first Communion dropped rose petals.

Pictured (clockwise from Maxson): Joseph Bruck, Anya Grant, Stephen Courtesy Photo

Father Ray Williams, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva, stands with children who celebrated their first Communion May 4. Pictured with Father Williams are (back row, from left) Timmy Woolum, Andrew Houston, Anthony Houston, Nick Karcher; (front row, from left) Abigail Hammer, Kerrigan Beauchemin and Danielle Ashe.

Newly comfirmed

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Bishop Peter J. Jugis stands with altar servers Ian and Joseph Grace and Adriana Higinio (left) and Kishane Lewis (right), two of the 22 youths who celebrated their confirmation at St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem May 4. Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation, along with baptism and the Eucharist (first Communion).

Grant, Christiana Witt, Luke Bruck, Joseph Grant, Natasha Grant and Benjamin Bruck.

May 16, 2008

around the diocese

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Crowning glory

Courtesy Photo

Above: Eighth-graders from Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem gather around a statue of Mary following a crowning ceremony May 9. Students prayed the rosary each day during the month of May in honor of Mary.

Courtesy Photo

Eighth-graders of St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem take part in a May crowning ceremony outside of St. Leo the Great Church May 9.

Below: Eighth-grader Gerod Kimble assists second-grader Raquel Arce during a May crowning ceremony at St. Michael School in Gastonia May 12.

Churches and schools honor Mary during month of May by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

CHARLOTTE — In the Marian Year, 1987, the Holy See issued a document presenting a ritual for honoring images of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, called the “Order of Crowning an Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

According to that document, “The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute ‘crown’ of creation.”

During the month of May, Catholic churches and schools throughout the United States often honor Mary through the ceremonial tradition of May processions and crownings.

This month, several schools and parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte held events in honor of the Blessed Mother.

Our Lady of Mercy School in

Winston-Salem held its annual May crowning May 9.

“This is a long-standing Our Lady of Mercy School tradition to honor the Blessed Mother,” said Linda Buchmeier mother of three attending the school.

“The eight-graders lead the school through the ceremonial event,” she said.

The students prepared for the May crowning by writing reflections on what Mary means to them and by praying the rosary each day during the month of May. “The eighth-graders performed research on the series of apparitions by Mary that occurred to young children at Fatima and Lourdes and presented the information to the students,” said Buchmeier.

At Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point, the May crowning is a joint effort between the school and

Courtesy Photo

the parish. Second-graders from both the school and the faith formation classes at the church lead the ceremony. It is typically held during the week following their first Communion.

Caroline Dau, second-grader at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, was chosen to crown the statue of Mary

during a ceremony May 7. A fresh wreath of flowers was placed atop a new statue of Mary in the aptly named Mary’s Garden on the church grounds.

“During May, when we honor our own mothers, it’s only fitting that we honor the most Blessed Mother and be reminded of Mary’s resounding ‘yes’ to Jesus,” said Wanda Garrett, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary School.

Contact Staff Writer Katie Moore by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

Pope defends church’s teaching on artificial birth control LIFE, from page 1

comments as the church prepared to mark the 40th anniversary of the encyclical “Humanae Vitae.” Issued by Pope Paul VI July 25, 1968, it affirmed the church’s teaching on married love and said use of artificial contraception was morally wrong.

Addressing participants of a churchsponsored conference on “Humanae Vitae,” Pope Benedict said the encyclical was a “gesture of courage.”

He acknowledged that its teachings have been controversial and difficult for Catholics, but he said the text expressed the true design of human procreation.

“What was true yesterday remains true also today. The truth expressed in ‘Humanae Vitae’ does not change; in fact, in light of new scientific discoveries, its teaching is becoming more current and is provoking reflection,” he said.

The pope said the encyclical correctly explained that married love is based on total self-giving between spouses, a relationship that goes far beyond fleeting pleasures or sentiments.

“How could such a love remain closed to the gift of life?” he said.

The pope said the Christian concept of marriage respects the unity of the person, in body and soul. The alternative, he said, is a culture that considers the body an object that can be bought or sold and in which “the exercise of sexuality is transformed into a drug that wants to subject the partner to one’s own desires and interests.”

“As believers, we can never allow the dominion of the technical to invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness of life,” he said.

The pope said this fundamental view of human life and procreation was something that goes back to the creation of man, and thus represents a paradigm for all generations. It is a key part of natural law that deserves universal respect, he said.

“The transmission of life is inscribed in nature and its laws remain as unwritten norms to which everyone should refer,” he said.

Any attempt to move away from this principle is destined to remain sterile and without a future, he said.

He said it should also be remembered that true love involves a sense of sacrifice, which is part of a married couple’s openness to life.

“No mechanical technique can substitute the act of love that two spouses exchange as a sign of a greater mystery, in which they are protagonists and coparticipants in creation,” he said.

The pope said he was concerned that adolescents today are not receiving the kind of sexual formation they need in order to make proper decisions and avoid the “risky implications”

RESPECT LIFE

of their behavior.

He said it does no honor to free and democratic societies when they offer their young people “false illusions” about their own sexuality. Freedom must be tied to truth and responsibility, he said.

He summed up his talk by saying that the 1968 encyclical should be looked at with a broader perspective.

“The teaching expressed in ‘Humanae Vitae’ is not easy. However, it conforms to the fundamental structure through which life has always been transmitted from the creation of the world, in the respect of nature and in conformity with its demands,” he said.

May 16, 2008

Abortion has not solved problems faced by women, families, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Abortion has not solved the problems plaguing many women and families in the world, Pope Benedict XVI told Italian pro-life groups. Rather, allowing for the termination of a pregnancy has “opened a further wound in our society unfortunately already burdened by deep suffering,” he said.

The pope spoke during a May 12 audience at the Vatican with members of Italian pro-life groups.

“Certainly the causes that lead to a painful decision like abortion are many and complex,” he said.

But while Catholics promote the sanctity of the life of the unborn, they also should “promote every initiative that supports women and families to create favorable conditions to welcome life and safeguard the family founded on marriage between a man

and a woman,” he said.

Decriminalizing abortion “not only has not resolved the problems that afflict many women and family members”; it has also caused additional suffering in a troubled world, he said.

He said the church “cannot hide from the different problems that continue to grip today’s society,” such as the “unfavorable conditions” many young people find themselves in that prevent them from fulfilling their dreams for marriage and a family.

Legislation that helps today’s families is needed, he said. Christians have an urgent calling and “binding imperative” to pay witness to “protecting life with courage and love in all its stages,” he said.

He praised the pro-life groups and individuals for saving so many lives from death and encouraged them to continue.

May 16, 2008

in the news

Priests work around disruptions to asses quake damage QUAKE, from page 1

Wenchuan is less than 60 miles northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital.

By May 14, government officials reported more than 15,000 people had been killed in the quake, but the death toll was expected to rise. At least 25,000 people were buried under the rubble.

Father Simon Li Zhigang, administrator of the Chengdu Diocese, told UCA News May 13 that he could not reach by phone the priests serving in Wenchuan and Beichuan.

About 100 Catholics live in Wenchuan and several hundred more in Beichuan, he said.

In the Nanchong Diocese, about 150 miles from the epicenter, Sister Wang Yan told UCA News the activities room added to their church building shook for seven minutes and almost everything fell to the floor.

“I thought it was the end of the world,” she recalled.

The night after the quake, dozens of laypeople stayed inside a wooden church in Nanchong because they feared sleeping in their damaged brick houses, she said.

In the neighboring Chongqing Diocese, Father Xie Bangyong told UCA News fissures appeared in some old churches after the quake, but all priests and nuns in the city were safe.

Chongqing priests divided into groups to see if parishioners were safe and assess damage to old churches, but it was difficult to contact Catholics in the affected areas, Father Xie added.

Auxiliary Bishop Paul He Zeqing of Wanxian told UCA News the residence for priests and another for nuns in Liangping became unsafe after the quake and was vacated immediately.

“Other churches, all newly built, are not affected,” he said.

Bishop He led Catholics in praying

for the quake victims during a May 13 morning Mass and urged them to donate to relief efforts.

The Chongqing and Wanxian dioceses are in the Chongqing municipality, formerly part of Sichuan. Jinde Charities, in China’s Hebei province, appealed on its Web site for prayers and donations for the quake survivors.

As a Catholic nonprofit organization registered with China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, Jinde provided aid during last summer’s flooding in Chongqing and during snowstorms around the Chinese new year earlier this year.

In eastern China, the Shanghai Diocese donated 1 million yuan (US$143,000) for earthquake relief, the diocese’s Web site reported.

Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai directed all parish priests to pray for victims and survivors during special eucharistic adoration sessions May 18 and donate Mass collections that day to the relief effort.

In northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Bishop Joseph Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar circulated a prayer he wrote asking God to look after the people who were physically and spiritually wounded by the disaster.

In southern China, the Zhongshanbased Tianrun Service in the Jiangmen Diocese used its Web site to urge Catholics to donate medical aid, clothes, tents and money that it would send through the government’s civil affairs department or charitable organizations.

At the Vatican, Fides, the news service of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, said Catholics in the Diocese of Yi Bin, about 180 miles from Wenchuan, began organizing assistance immediately.

“One of the faithful told us, ‘We are followers of Christ; we must witness to Christ in every circumstance, especially at a time like this. We are praying for the peace and safety of our brothers and sisters, for our country, for everyone,’” Fides reported.

The Catholic News & Herald 9

In desperate need

CNS photo by Reuters

People sit at their house, destroyed by Cyclone Nargis, in Bogalay, southwest of Yangon, Myanmar, May 8.

Survivors with harrowing tales of villages smashed by Cyclone Nargis paddled wooden boats to Bogalay to find whole streets destroyed and food and water scarce.

Myanmar cyclone victims try to survive amid devastating losses by

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

LEIEINTAN, Myanmar — Pascal Than Hlaing is just one of many who are grieving in Leieintan, a village where only one house is left standing and the Baptist and Catholic churches had their roofs torn open.

Than Hlaing mourns the death of two of his three children.

“One of my sons was swept away when the water level was up to his neck,” the 31-year-old Catholic father told the Asian church news agency UCA News May 9, referring to his 6-year-old boy.

Cyclone Nargis hammered the Irrawaddy delta region early May 3 as it blew in from the Bay of Bengal, sending a wall of seawater inland for miles.

Several days later, Than Hlaing’s 3-year-old son “passed away after he caught a cold.”

Now he and his wife are left with their remaining son; they are being sheltered in the Baptist church because their home was destroyed.

A small Catholic Church volunteer group from the Yangon Archdiocese that arrived within days of the cyclone began assisting Than Hlaing and the rest of the 3,000 residents of the village about 75 miles southwest of Yangon.

Leieintan was accessible only by boat, given the trees, downed electricity pylons and other cyclone debris blocking the roads.

The humanitarian disaster littered the partially flooded fields in this and other villages with the decomposing bodies of people and cattle. Other bodies float past in the river.

U.N. officials have said up to 100,000 people are either dead or missing.

The Catholic volunteer group of three laypeople, their parish priest and a priest from Yangon had their work cut out in assessing the enormity of the needs in Leieintan, one of the worst-hit

in Yangon archdiocesan territory.

They arrived May 9 and the next day began bringing in food and diesel fuel by boat from Pyapon. The fuel is for running a rice-husking machine in the village and pumping out dirty water from a tank of drinking water.

The church workers also began distributing sacks of rice and clothes.

One of the volunteers, Mary Khin from the Karuna Myanmar Social Services office in Yangon, said she was “shocked” and it “pained” her to see all the dead bodies of people and animals that washed in at night over the delta.

Karuna Myanmar is the local Catholic Church’s relief and development organization.

Villagers were trying to come to grips with the tragedy. About 70 were living in the one house left standing, 150 in the Baptist church, and 20 more in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The rest were staying in the wreckage of their homes.

One woman said her 4-year-old son was washed away by the flood and she and her husband climbed a tree in the dark to stay above the water, which rose to 13 feet. Almost a week later, “our first problem now is food,” the 47-year-old woman told UCA News.

On May 8, Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon hosted the visiting apostolic delegate to Myanmar, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, for a tour of the disaster area. More than 15 villages simply disappeared. About 70 percent of the trees in Yangon were uprooted. All churches, priests’ houses and convents have been damaged.

The church in Myanmar has appealed for international aid. The Myanmar Disaster Relief Committee, under the leadership of the Yangon Archdiocese, the local church has begun offering food, clothing, shelter materials and medicine to the affected people.

May 16, 2008

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Author’s book examines future of Catholic Worker Movement by

DENNIS SARDOWSKI catholic news service

WA S H I N G TO N — A l t h o u g h the Catholic Worker Movement in all of its nuances has carried on for 75 years, its future will depend on how community members adapt to a changing world, said Dan McKanan, the author of “The Catholic Worker After Dorothy: Practicing the Works of Mercy in a New Generation,” published this year.

“The Catholic Worker is at a crossroad,” said McKanan, associate professor and chairman of the theology department at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in Minnesota.

“If we are headed into the worst economic crisis since the Depression, then it is a moment for the Catholic Worker to step up and articulate its vision clearly,” he said.

The fact that no one person can be considered a leader of the movement today, as co-founder Dorothy Day was between 1933 and her 1980 death, says much about the Catholic Worker’s structure, or lack thereof, in McKanan’s view.

“It is remarkable that it has gone on for these almost 30 years since Dorothy’s death,” he said. “There aren’t too many movements you can say that about.”

That also leaves McKanan with questions about the movement’s future.

“The biggest challenge in moving forward for the Catholic Worker is to be a little less reactive and a little more proactive in putting forward a personalist vision for a new

“The Catholic Worker movement is at a crossroad.”

— Dan McKanan society,” he said.

“In the early years, the Catholic Worker got a lot of attention because everybody knew the globe was in crisis and (movement co-founder) Peter (Maurin) and Dorothy put forth a very distinctive vision that you could resolve that crisis by bringing people back to the land and caring for others’ needs,” he said.

McKanan also sees the movement being challenged to “transition to the next generation of leaders.”

C a t h o l i c Wo r k e r h o u s e s o f hospitality opened during the 1980s have not survived at the same rate as those opening in the two previous decades.

As a friend of the movement, McKanan believes the Catholic Worker must promote a wider range of community models, those that “stir the enthusiasm” of young people who may be attracted to the Catholic Worker life.

“The movement is still leaning on the Vietnam generation,” he said. “It will be important for a critical mass in the next generation to make a lifelong commitment to the movement.”

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: MAY 25, 2008

May 25, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Cycle A Readings: 1) Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 2) 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Gospel: John 6:51-58

We are nourished

by Christ’s presence in us

by JEAN DENTON catholic news service

We sat at the Easter Vigil Mass valiantly trying to stay awake. My friends Tom and Leah, their teenage daughter, Michelle, and I had arrived in this remote Haitian village in the late afternoon after traveling 12 hours.

But it was midnight before the Mass began.

We weren’t a bit tired when we first got there because of the excitement of being reunited with our friends. Our church community in Virginia and the parish in Cabestor, Haiti, have had a partnership for a dozen years.

Guided by Tom and Haitian pastor Father Hermann, the parishes together have built three schools and developed several other projects there. In the process, our friendship has become very personal and close.

So when we get together, it’s like a family reunion.

Every time a group from our parish visits, our Haitian friends ask by name about members of our church whom they know — even if they only spent a few days with them years ago.

The Virginia parishioners have

come to know the Haitians from stories and photos and from Father Hermann’s periodic visits to our church.

There is a palpable sense of oneness among the people of both communities, largely because our relationship is based on our shared faith in Jesus — something we continuously talk about and celebrate openly together.

We understand, experientially, this weekend’s reading from Corinthians that says we, though many, are one body because we all partake of the same life of Christ.

Whenever I go to Haiti, I am blessed by intense experiences of Jesus, both through old friends and new people I meet each time. We are nourished by his real presence in each other.

In that late Easter watch, we were crowded in among our Haitian brothers and sisters, our skin touching theirs.

When Father Hermann offered the eucharistic prayer, he movingly, lovingly reminded us how the blood of Christ flows through his body.

Holding the cup aloft he said, “He took the cup. He remembered Tom, he remembered Leah, he remembered Michelle, he remembered Jean, and he remembered all of us. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples and said, take this, all of you, and drink from it, this is the cup of my blood.”

Questions: How have you experienced being many, but one body, in Christ? How do you — or will you — allow your life to flow into another as nourishment?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16)

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of May 18-24 Sunday (Most Holy Trinity), Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9, Daniel 3:52-56, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18; Monday, James 3:13-18, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday (St. Bernardine), James 4:1-10, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions), James 4:13-17, Mark 9:38-40; Thursday (St. Rita of Cascia), James 5:1-6, Mark 9:41-50; Friday, James 5:912, Mark 10:1-12; Saturday, James 5:13-20, Mark 10:13-16.

Scripture for the week of May 25-31 Sunday (Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ), Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58; Monday (St. Philip Neri), 1 Peter 1:3-9, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday (St. Augustine of Canterbury), 1 Peter 1:10-16, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday, 1 Peter 1:18-25, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday, 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12, Mark 10:46-52; Friday (Sacred Heart of Jesus), Deuteronomy 7:6-11, 1 John 4:7-16, Matthew 11:25-30; Saturday (Visitation of the Virgin Mary), Zephaniah 3:14-18, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 1:39-56.

CNS photo by Gregory A. S hemitz

Full-time volunteer Jim Reagan prepares bread that will be served along with soup to people in need at the Catholic Worker’s St. Joseph House in New York May 1, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Worker Movement. A new book, “The Catholic Worker After Dorothy: Practicing the Works of Mercy in a New Generation,” was published this year.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 16, 2008

‘In the spirit of peace and love’ ‘Prince Caspian’ charges into theaters Pope welcomes Chinese orchestra to Vatican, greets nation’s Catholics

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In welcoming China’s Philharmonic Orchestra to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI said he was extending a hand of friendship to the Chinese people and greeting the country’s Catholics.

The pope also wished the people of China well in their preparations for the upcoming Olympics, calling the games “an event of great importance for the entire human family.”

The Beijing-based, state-run orchestra, together with the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, performed for the first time a concert in honor of the pope in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall May 8. Led by conductor Yu Long, the 145 musicians and singers performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Requiem” and a Chinese folk song, “Jasmine Flower.”

Some 7,000 people, including top Vatican officials and diplomats, attended the hourlong concert.

Before the performance, Yu said the concert was of “historical significance” and said he hoped it would “help spread a message of peace and love.”

“As the leading symphony in China, it is our unwavering belief that music can serve as a powerful instrument to deepen cultural understanding among people of all nations,” Yu said.

He said the musical repertoire chosen for that evening “reflects the value of every man and woman in the world, regardless of cultural difference, in the spirit of peace and love.”

The pope, an aficionado of Mozart and classical music, sat in a special chair in the middle aisle of the audience hall.

In remarks at the end of the performance, the pope said, “Music and art in general can serve as a privileged instrument for encounter and reciprocal knowledge and esteem between different populations and cultures.”

He praised the orchestra’s “highquality musical performance” and thanked the musicians in Chinese at the end of his speech. The pope noted “with pleasure” the orchestra and choir’s interest in European religious music.

All different cultures can appreciate music with religious themes, such as Mozart’s “Requiem,” because all music “transcends the boundaries of every individual culture” and “expresses universal human sentiments,” he said.

The pope said the performance also helped put the audience “in touch, as it were, with the living reality of the world of China” and helped them better understand “the history of the Chinese people, their values and their noble aspirations.”

CNS photo by Disney

Ben Barnes and Warwick Davis star in a scene from the movie “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince of Caspian.” The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

Exciting, well-crafted film marred by edgy elements by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” brings C.S. Lewis’ revered mythical realm of magic, adventure and talking animals back to theaters May 16.

A follow-up to 2005’s successful “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Prince Caspian” will present a Narnia, as a character says in the film, as a “more savage place than you remember.”

Not only have the Pevensie siblings (and the actors playing them) grown a bit older and found themselves wrestling with teenage angst and problems (such as fighting bullies in a World War II-era London Underground station), but the story of “Prince Caspian” — with its slightly darker, edgier tone — seems to be geared toward a more mature crowd.

Granted, the increase in violence quotient is modest, and the film is wellcrafted, well-acted and sprinkled with intermittent humor, themes of bravery and heroism and Christian allegory. But it also contains minor ethnic and cultural overtones and a general attitude toward war that some viewers may find problematic.

Courageous individual and communal sacrifice in the service of peace is the ultimate theme, and the costs of war are emphasized. But depicting armed conflict, no matter how honorable, as a feasible — let alone morally

justifiable — solution is another matter.

Set one year after the events in “Wardrobe” (but 1,300 years in Narnian time), the siblings are summoned back to Narnia by Prince Caspian. His uncle, Miraz, rules the kingdom following the invasion by his people, the Telmarines, who have forced Narnia’s residents into hiding. The Pevensies quickly join forces with Caspian, who pledges to lead a revolt against Miraz. This leads to a climatic battle — with bloodless yet fairly graphic fighting — that will decide the fate of Narnia.

The special effects and scenery are again top-notch, and nature (on the side of the righteous and faithful) plays a key role in vanquishing the enemy.

The religious allegory revolves around whether Aslan, the messianic lion, will return to help his beloved Narnians.

The film contains much battlefield violence and deadly hand-to-hand combat, a decapitation, a brawl involving schoolchildren, some intense scenes of child peril and several frightening sequences. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

John McCarthy of the U.S.bishops’ Office for Film & Broadcasting, greatly contributed to this article.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 16, 2008

in our schools

Ready for a magic carpet ride

Courtesy Photo

Pictured is the cast of Bishop McGuinness High School production of “Nunsense”: (from left) Elyssa Brannen, Sister of St. Joseph Anne Thomas Taylor, Micki Sharpe, Pam Hernandez, Amy Weckworth and Tracy Shaw.

Photo by Carole McGrotty

Students rehearse for a production of “Aladdin Junior” at Asheville Catholic School, held May 1-3.

Students stage production of ‘Aladdin Junior’ by

CAROLE McGROTTY correspondent

ASHEVILLE — Asheville Catholic School recently became a temporary gateway for those wanting to experience “Arabian Nights.”

Students put on a colorful production of “Aladdin Junior” at the school May 1-3.

“Aladdin Junior” is a one-act, sevenscene theatre musical adapted from the animated Disney film “Aladdin.”

The play is a part of the Broadway Junior Collection by Music Theatre International.

“Aladdin,” released in 1992, was based on a version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp, one of the tales of medieval Arabian origin in “One Thousand and One Nights.”

The Asheville Catholic production featured colorful costumes, and music supplied by religion coordinator Rita Pisano on piano and music teacher Tiffany Gallozzi on clarinet.

“Aladdin Junior” was chosen as this year’s student production “purely for entertainment,” said Pisano.

“I wanted something the students would recognize. Last year’s play, ‘Godspell,’ was completely new to them,” she said.

“Next year, we’ll probably do something new to them again,” she added.

Tryouts for roles began last fall and were open to any students wanting to participate. Eighth-graders made up the

production crew.

Seventh-grader Bryan Head played Aladdin, the street urchin who finds a magic lamp and releases the Genie, played by seventh-grader Abbie Sigmon.

Sixth-grader Clark Wilson played Grand Vizier Jafar, who plots to overthrow the sultan, played by seventhgrader Phillip Dorsey. Seventh-grader Abby Lenderman played Jasmine, the sultan’s daughter.

Triad-area women put on ‘Nunsense’ for high school KERNESVILLE — Bishop McGuiness High School in Kernersville recently staged a version of the musical comedy “Nunsense” to raise money for its drama department.

With a cast of adults from the Triad Area Catholic Schools community, the production was held at the school April 25-27.

Based on the off-Broadway production, “Nunsense” is about five of 52 surviving religious order sisters who try to raise money to bury the other sisters who died of food poisoning.

“It is a hysterical show with many

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mishaps along the way,” said Tracy Shaw, a teacher at St. Pius X School in Greensboro who starred in the Bishop McGuinness production.

Also starring were Sister of St. Joseph Anne Thomas Taylor, dean of students at Bishop McGuinness; Micki Sharpe, drama program director at Bishop McGuinness; Pat Hernandez, development director at Bishop McGuinness; Elissa Brannen, teacher’s assistant at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem; and Amy Weckworth, a parent of students in both Bishop McGuinness and St. Pius X School.

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May 16, 2008

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The Catholic News & Herald 13

May 16, 2008

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Relatively speaking, it’s all about me Relativist views lead to decline of moral foundation, says pope A tourist riding the subway under Manhattan turned to the person next to him and asked, “Can you tell me where I should get off for the Metropolitan Museum of Art?” “Sure,” said the New York native obligingly. “Just watch where I get off and get off two stops before.”

This is relativism in its purest form.

Relativism is a concept that has acquired recent prominence because of pointed criticism from Pope Benedict XVI. “Have you noticed how often the call for freedom is made without ever referring to the truth of the human person?” the pope asked at an appearance before 25,000 young people during his recent trip to the United States.

“Some today argue that respect for freedom of the individual makes it wrong to seek truth, including the truth about what is good. In some circles to speak of truth is seen as controversial or divisive and consequently best kept in the private sphere.

“And in truth’s place — or, better said, in its absence — an idea has spread which, in giving value to everything indiscriminately, claims to assure freedom and to liberate conscience.”

“This we call relativism,” the pope said.

Relativism holds that there is no objective truth; therefore, there is no right or wrong. It asserts that there are no absolute truths or values; rather, they are all determined by time, culture, society and persons.

Relativism all but rules out the possibility of common values which makes it profoundly anti-community.

That’s why relativism is popular: It’s all about me. As a full-of-himself author once said after monopolizing a conversation, “Well, enough about me.

What did you think of my book?”

The ability to distinguish right from wrong and the freedom to act on those decisions make the human person different from any other being, the pope said.

That isn’t Catholic — or Christian — in origin. In fact, it is not new, having had its origins in Greek philosophy.

Thousands of years ago Plato dealt with the question of all things being relative to individuals, the appearance of things in the eye of the beholder and man being the measure of all things.

Many Americans believe moral truth always depends on the situation, rejecting the idea of unchanging moral absolutes in the name of freedom.

“But what purpose has a ‘freedom’ which, in disregarding truth, pursues

Extra!

Extra!

STEPHEN KENT cns columnist

what is false or wrong?” the pope asked the young people he addressed.

A widespread skepticism about the existence of moral truths and objective moral law brings a crisis of culture.

Freedom as personal autonomy is a powerful force in culture.

True freedom is the freedom to search for the truth; it is not unrestrained license.

The irony is this: That which is touted as free actually limits the search for truth because it makes us satisfied with something much less: ourselves.

“Relativist views lead to a decline of the moral foundation,” said the pope. “How many young people have been offered a hand which in the name of freedom or experience has led them to addiction, to moral or intellectual confusion, to hurt, to a loss of self-respect, even to despair and so tragically and sadly to the taking of their own life?”

Relativism is popular because it is all about me, and there certainly is nothing more important than me. Advertising tells me that incessantly 24/7.

The “Me Generation” is criticized for its materialism, for its conspicuous consumption encapsulated in their contention that “they who die with the most toys wins.”

At least they have a standard of measurement.

Roadmap for a “Journey of Hope”

Pope outlines steps, essentials for bettering world Pope Benedict XVI was speaking to about 25,000 seminarians and young people on the next-to-last day of his six-day visit to the U.S. when he said, “Walking in the Lord’s footsteps, our own lives become a journey of hope.”

He might just as well have had all Christians in mind as he mapped out this path of discipleship.

He recalled that St. Peter urged all Christians to “proclaim the Lord Christ” and to “have your answer ready for people who ask the reason for the hope that is within you” (1 Pt 3:15).

This successor of Peter repeated St. Peter’s challenge, sharing “some thoughts about being disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Pope Benedict described discipleship as “walking in the Lord’s footsteps.”

Take that walk, he said, and your life becomes “a journey of hope.”

Twice in the talk the pope urged his hearers to offer “an outstretched hand of hope” to those they meet along the way, and by that simple gesture perhaps “awakening in them a life of faith.”

After recalling that his own teenage years “were marred by a sinister regime” (Nazism in Germany) that was eventually “recognized for the monster it was,” he went on to say that the “power to destroy ... never triumphs.”

We recall this most dramatically, he said, in the season of Easter, and he noted that the conviction that the power to destroy never triumphs “is the essence of the hope that defines us as Christians.”

Unbelievers must first see some signs of hope before they will be prompted to ask, as St. Peter said they would, about “the reason for the hope that is within you,” the pope said.

By making the “hand of hope” visible in our time, we Christians can help to dispel the darkness of heart and mind in our world.

That darkness sets in, he said, “when people, especially the most vulnerable, encounter a clenched fist of repression or manipulation rather than a hand of hope.”

He had in mind those “affected by drug and substance abuse, homelessness

Letter to the Editor

Better word needed to describe Latin-language Mass I cringed when I read the headline, “Back to the ‘old Mass,’” (May 2).

The word “old” has many connotations, some of them derogatory.

“Latin-language” or “traditional” are much nicer words and more accurately

describe the church’s Mass of the last 2,000 years. Surely you could have given a better title to the article.

— Grace Ardito Hendersonville

Looking Around JESUIT FATHER WILLIAM J. BYRON cns columnist

and poverty, racism, violence and degradation — especially of girls and women.”

Acknowledging that the causes of these problems are “complex,” Pope Benedict said they are rooted in “a poisoned attitude of mind” and a certain “callousness of heart.”

“Such tragedies also point to what might have been and what could be, were there other hands — your hands — reaching out,” he said. “We are tempted to close in on ourselves, to doubt the strength of Christ’s radiance, to limit the horizon of hope. Take courage! ...

Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship.”

He then outlined a roadmap for discipleship by calling attention to “four essential aspects of the treasure of our faith: personal prayer and silence, liturgical prayer, charity in action, and vocations.”

In personal prayer and silence you can hear God’s call, he continued. You can “look about you with Christ’s eyes, listen with his ears, feel and think with his heart and mind.”

Out of this prayer “hope in action” can emerge. Putting it bluntly, Pope Benedict asked the young: “Are you ready to give all as he did for truth and justice?”

When he turned to vocations, he first praised “the vocation of marriage and family life,” and then urged consideration of the call to priesthood and religious life.

In responding to your own vocational call, he said, “Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others.”

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May 16, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Before we go running to convert others

The Human Side

Effective evangelization begins with our own conversion

FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK

What would happen if we prayed for the conversion of Muslims as we once prayed for the conversion of Russia?

Presently Muslims outnumber Catholics worldwide, and they are also out-evangelizing us.

In our ecumenical age, how should Catholics approach evangelizing Muslims or members of any other faith group?

Do we aggressively pursue them, or is it more proper to respect each other’s religion and co-exist in hopes that unity will result?

Cardinal John Henry Newman, a convert to Catholicism himself, once wrote, “Everywhere with Catholics, to make converts is doing something; and not to make them, is ‘doing nothing.’”

He then gives us his version of conversion.

“To me conversions are not the first thing, but the edification of Catholics is. ... I am afraid to make hasty converts of educated men, lest they should not have counted the cost, and should have difficulties after they have entered the church. ... The church must be prepared

Cardinal Newman and Pope John Paul challenge us to ask, “Do we mirror Christ to the point of attracting non-Catholics? Do we cause them to wonder why we love one another as we do, and what is it we have that they don’t have?”

Cardinal Newman’s and Pope John Paul II’s love for the church ran very deep, and they wanted others to share in it. But they were also realistic in understanding that Catholics aren’t all that unified.

Today especially we have many more “cafeteria Catholics” than before who pick and choose but never fully commit to the totality of Catholicism.

There is an old saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Until we cultivate a deep love for Christ that first inspires us to be one with him and his church, praying for the conversion of Muslims and others will be much less effective.

Effective evangelization begins with our own conversion.

for converts, as well as converts prepared for the church.”

Cardinal Newman would tell us we should be more active in trying to make converts, but not in the sense of going into Muslim neighborhoods and proclaiming Catholic doctrine.

Our first priority must be to look into ourselves and ask, “How deep is my commitment to Christ and a truly Christian life?”

Pope John Paul II would second this, telling us, “New evangelization is not a matter of merely passing on doctrine but rather of a personal and profound meeting with the savior. ... It is important to recall that evangelization involves conversion, that is, interior change.”

Years ago there in an interview with a Vietnamese communist a reporter asked, “How could your people convert to communism when your culture was French Catholicism?”

The man replied, “Because Catholics weren’t very Christian; they didn’t mirror Christ!”

Becoming a Marian family

Suggestions for developing, deepening love for mother of God We’ve written a number of books over the years, but “Encyclopedia of Mary” is the only one we began with an apology.

After several years of researching and writing, we knew there was no way to include all the variations of all the Marian devotions and traditions worldwide.

We also knew — for certain — that Mary is loved. In country after country and culture after culture, people have chosen her as “theirs” and they see themselves as “hers.” It’s an amazing display of affection and trust that goes back to apostolic times.

The month of May — dedicated to Marian devotion since the 16th century — is a good time to consider how your family can develop or deepen its own love for the mother of God. Here are a few suggestions: — Imitate Mary’s openness to God’s will in her life.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that God’s invitation that she become the mother of the Messiah startled her but she immediately answered yes.

Pay attention to where, when and how God is asking you or your family to do something and, imitating Mary, accept that invitation.

— Choose a family Marian devotion or image.

There are countless Marian images and devotions, many with fascinating histories or pious legends. Find one that “fits” and place that sacramental (that image) in your home.

— Ask for Mary’s intercession to help your family. Say the rosary as a family, or a decade of the rosary. Add a Hail Mary to grace before dinner.

— Learn more about the four Marian doctrines of the church: Mary as the mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and her assumption.

Learn, too, about the particular devotion shown to Mary, which isn’t “worshipping” her. Only God is worshipped. Only God is adored.

The theological term used to describe homage shown to the saints is “dulia,” and to Mary it’s “hyperdulia.” Adoration of God is “latria.”

— Design a “Mary garden” or at least plant a few “Mary plants.”

It was a medieval custom to plant small gardens with flowers, herbs and shrubs associated with Mary. That tradition was revived in the mid-20th century in the United States and Europe.

There are hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of plants that tradition and custom associate with Mary. To name just a few, there’s baby’s breath (our Lady’s

cns columnist

Your Family BILL and MONICA DODDS cns columnists

veil), columbine (our Lady’s slippers), daffodil (Mary’s star), forget-me-nots (eyes of Mary), marigold (Mary’s gold), rose (emblem of Mary) and tulip (Mary’s prayer).

— Set up an outdoor or indoor shrine.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate: a print or statue, a few flowers, a candle.

A reminder that your family can turn to “your mother” for help.

— Attend your parish’s May crowning. Have your own service at home.

— Make a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine in your area.

The University of Dayton, a Marianist school, is home to the Marian Library and the International Marian Research Institute. As their Web site (“The Mary Page”) explains: “Our goal is to gather and present information about the Virgin Mary and to lead people to a loving knowledge of her.

Learning more about Mary, we develop a fuller knowledge of Christ, his church and Christian life.”

This is a fantastic — and fascinating — resource. Go to: http://campus. udayton.edu/mary.

Pope says real dialogue looks for truth, unity The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Real dialogue is not a superficial exchange of ideas, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“The true spirit of dialogue looks not for the things that separate us, but for the truth” whose light will cast aside all that is false and unite on the basis of experiencing what is true, he said.

At his May 14 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, the pope spoke about a sixth-century author whose writings have been attributed to a first-century disciple of St. Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite.

Instead of reading from his prepared text, the pope spoke extemporaneously about this “rather mysterious” author who created the “first mystical theology” in the Christian tradition.

The author’s work is in essence “a cosmic (hymn of) praise” in which all of God’s creatures praise their maker, he said.

Here is the Vatican text of the pope’s remarks in English.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today’s catechesis, we turn to the teaching of a sixth-century author whose writings have been attributed to the firstcentury disciple of St. Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite.

His two principal works, “The Divine Names” and “Mystical Theology,” strive to present a knowledge of God which surpasses rational understanding and culminates in spiritual perfection and transforming contemplation.

Pseudo-Dionysius stresses the apophatic or “negative” understanding born of pondering God’s infinite transcendence and otherness. By contemplating what God is not, and by entering more deeply into the rich symbolic language of Scripture, we grow in our relationship with the One who reveals himself in hiddenness.

Contemplation is thus an ascent leading from purification to illumination, perfection and union with God. In the West, Dionysius’ writings influenced the early scholastics and St. Thomas, as well as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.

His vision of a great cosmic harmony reflecting the beauty of the Creator and the love freely bestowed on us in Christ can also inspire our efforts to work for unity, reconciliation and peace in our world.

May 16, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 16

in the news

A pilgrimage toward Christ Cardinals, bishops to be among Americans at eucharistic congress ART BABYCH “And we would QUEBEC CITY — About like very much to 40 cardinals and bishops from the United States are among the nearly 500 have American Americans who have registered for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress Catholics share in Quebec City June 15-22.

Not surprisingly, said Msgr. Jean their religious Picher, secretary-general of the congress, most who have signed up are from the experience northeastern United States, an area geographically close to Quebec. with us.”

He said in an interview in late April by catholic news service

CNS photo/courtesy of International Eucharistic Congress

Young people carry the Ark of the New Covenant in Gaspe, Quebec, in this June 2006 file photo. The ark is traveling through Canada as a means of promoting the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City June 15-22.

that many of them also have ancestral links to Quebec, founded 400 years ago

by Samuel de Champlain and known as “the cradle of French civilization in America.”

“I think this number could easily double in the next few weeks because it’s so easy to travel from the United States to Canada,” said Msgr. Picher. “And we would like very much to have American Catholics share their religious experience with us.”

Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington will be the first speaker at the opening plenary session the first full day of the congress, June 16.

Archbishop Wuerl is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis and chairman of the board of the National Catholic Educational Association.

The official opening ceremony and the opening of the eucharistic adoration sites are to be held June 15 in the coliseum in ExpoCite, the exhibition complex where most of the congress events and the plenary sessions will be held.

For the weeklong congress the complex is being dubbed “Eucharist City.”

“ExpoCite is a big complex where you have six or seven buildings,” said Sister Doris Lamontagne, a member of the Little Franciscans of Mary and assistant secretary-general of the congress.

“The coliseum will be used in the mornings for the plenary sessions, and we’ll use a small hall near the middle of ExpoCite for the perpetual

— Msgr. Jean Picher adoration,” she said.

The youth-inspired Ark of the New Covenant — an icon-covered chest carried on foot to the more than 70 dioceses and eparchies in Canada — will be housed in the chapel throughout the congress.

The ark’s pilgrimage began in Rome two years ago with a papal blessing and will arrive in Quebec City May 25 for the feast of Corpus Christi.

Sister Lamontagne said that because of the ark’s travels and the publicity it has generated many people have been able to reflect on the importance of the Eucharist and the “presence of Jesus” in their lives.

As a result, the people who come to the Congress “will be an expression of the many other people who will be in touch with this event throughout the week,” she said.

There are still many details to be resolved before the congress begins, “but I think it will be a wonderful adventure,” said Msgr. Picher, who attended the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2004.

The congress is part of the celebration of Quebec’s 400th anniversary and the 350th anniversary of the appointment of Blessed Francois de Laval as Canada’s first bishop.

The Archdiocese of Quebec is the oldest diocese in Canada.