May 23, 2008

May 23, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Abortion and the role of conscience; overcoming difficulties to serve church

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI May 23, 2008

Carrying to term

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

no. 29

Challenged to be faithful citizens U.S. bishops' document to assist Catholic voters

Feminists for Life president praises local outreach to pregnant college students by

vOLUME 17

The U.S. bishops have issued a 10,000-word document on political responsibility entitled “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.”

The document, part of a series that has been issued before every presidential election for more than 30 years, contains several key themes on church teaching and public policy.

A summary of the document and a letter from Bishop Peter J. Jugis are included inside to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with Catholic teaching.

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

CHARLOTTE — The president of Feminists for Life of America recently commended a Charlotte-area Catholic maternity home for its outreach to pregnant college students.

Serrin Foster spoke to staff and board members of and donors to Room at the Inn at a reception in Charlotte May 16.

The next day, she was honored during commencement ceremonies at Belmont Abbey College for her defense of human life and promotion of women's rights. Also honored was Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh for his life of service to the church and for fostering vocations

CNS photo by Jessica Rinaldi, Reuters

See OUTREACH, page 6

A woman emerges from a voting booth after casting her vote at a polling station in Berlin, N.H., during the state’s U.S. presidential primary Jan. 8.

See pages 8-9

Celebrating Sister Helene

St. Ann School principal retiring after 17 years by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

Photo by Katie Moore

Sister Helene Nagle, a memeber of the Sisters of St. Joseph and principal of St. Ann School in Charlotte, watches as students perform an experiment during a first-grade science lab May 12.

CHARLOTTE — “It was a regular first day of school,” said Sister Helene Nagle, a Sister of St. Joseph, recalling her first day as principal at St. Ann School in Charlotte.

“The students were all dressed up and cleaned up for an exciting day,” she said.

And that was just the beginning. During the next two decades, she would experience that feeling of first-

day excitement 17 more times with the start of every new school year during her tenure as principal at the school.

When it came to setting goals for that first year, she said, “I knew I needed to learn the environment first.” “ Yo u d o n ’ t c o m e in with ideas,” said Sister Nagle. “You want to see how everything operates.”

See SISTER, page 7

Culture Watch

A Rule to live by Couple celebrates lives of faith as Secular Franciscans | Page 5

Novel follows Jesus; film school partners with Vatican | Pages 10-11

Faith, fun and fellowship International festival brings together culturally diverse parishioners by

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER correspondent

ARDEN — The church’s vibrant spirit was felt as parishioners came together to celebrate their diverse backgrounds.

T h e p a r i s h ’s f i r s t international festival and See FESTIVAL, page 13

Training the spirit Catholic volunteers to serve athletes at Olympics | Page 16

May 23, 2008

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Catholic leaders decry court ruling striking down ban on gay marriage SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) — Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco and other California Catholic leaders condemned the May 15 ruling by the California Supreme Court that struck down the state’s ban on samesex marriage.

In a statement released shortly after the ruling, Archbishop Niederauer said Catholic teaching on marriage is clear and based on the teaching of Jesus Christ, who said God “made them male and female” and “for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.”

“At a moment in our society when we need to reinforce the strength of marriage and family, this decision of the Supreme Court takes California in the opposite direction,” he said.

Several gay and lesbian couples joined the city of San Francisco and gay rights groups to sue the state

Mass around the world

Diocesan planner CNS by Karen Callaway, Catholic New World

David Heimann, pastoral associate at St. Ignatius Church in Chicago, gives a presentation to parishioners about his recent yearlong trip around the world. Heimann, 33, visited 365 different parishes around the globe in 2007 for daily Mass.

Chicago man attends Mass at 365 parishes around the world in 365 days CHICAGO (CNS) — David Heimann’s dream was to spend 365 days in 365 different places, each destination a new opportunity to experience Christ made flesh in our world today.

“Forget about it,” his spiritual director told him. “If you can forget about it, then it was nothing, but if it keeps coming back to your heart, then it is something of the Spirit, and we need to pay attention to it.”

He could not forget.

Heimann, 33, pastoral associate of St. Ignatius Church in Chicago, has since made his dream a reality, having visited 365 different parishes around the globe in 2007 for daily Mass, with the support of Ad Sodalitatem, a group dedicated to “evoking solidarity in the Roman Catholic Church through prayer, education and development of the poor by building personal relationships with Christians throughout the world.”

“I abandoned everything I knew,” Heimann said. “I left my fishing nets at the boat. I followed.”

Every day, he began with the same simple prayer: “Lord, lead me where you need me to go and show me what you need me to see.” And every day he felt his prayer was answered.

On his pilgrimage, Heimann came to realize that true holiness comes from the miracle of Christ’s body in the

Eucharist, wherever it is celebrated.

“The beauty of the Eucharist is not in how much gold is around our tabernacles but how we have surrounded our hearts with the sanctuary of love we experience in the Eucharist,” he said.

It was in this love that he found the consistent comfort of Christ’s presence throughout such constant change.

“The Eucharist was the center of the experience — even when I felt lost and abandoned, I always understood the Eucharist,” Heimann said. “You can go to a poor village in Zimbabwe and still experience the same love. It was always there.”

Heimann said he now better understands “the mystery of the church as being one body yet diverse in its members.”

Heimann now realizes that, more than a physical journey, it is the spiritual journey that counts.

“America doesn’t do pilgrimage because we think we’ve already arrived,” he said. “We think this is the Holy Land.

In doing so we’ve lost that sense that there’s another journey that we must make, one to the center that lives in the heart of every human being.”

“This discipline of being a pilgrim is recognizing that our ultimate home is not here — our ultimate home is in heaven,” he said.

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

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 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, 3 p.m. Following the talk, P.G.A. Life member and Immaculate Conception Church parishioner Ron Garcia will testify to how his asthma and allergies were miraculously cured by water from Lourdes. A question and answer session will follow, along with a reception.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call Ron Garcia at (828) 696-8163.

government to overturn the ban on samesex marriage.

The 4-3 ruling — which said that domestic partnerships currently recognized by the state are an inadequate substitute for marriage — would make California the second state after Massachusetts to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Opponents said they would fight the ruling; the court’s order was to become final in 30 days.

“This action challenges those in society who believe in the importance of the traditional understanding of marriage to deepen their witness to the unique and essential role that marriage between a man and a woman has in the life of society,” Archbishop Niederauer said.

Catholic groups and others are supporting efforts to put a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

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 CHARLOTTE —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.

CHARLOTTE — St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., will host “Men’s Spirituality” the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 12 p.m. The hour-long meetings will include silence, prayer and faith sharing. The next sessions will be June 10 and 24. For more information, call Michael LaVecchia at (704) 363-7729 or Kevin Bezner at (704) 907-3875.

CHARLOTTE — Christians in Career Transition is a ministry devoted to helping people in career crisis. The group meets the first and third Mondays of each month, 7-9 p.m., in room 132 of the New Life Center at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. For more information, contact Deacon Jim Hamrlik at (704) 543-7677, ext. 1040; or Jack Rueckel at (704) 341-8449 or jrueckel@earthlink.com.

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

May 23, 2008 Volume 17 • Number 29

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 23, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican to participate in expo on water, sustainable development

Pope encourages Christians to support, engage in missionary work

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican said it hopes its participation in a world exposition on water will remind people of their responsibility to safeguard and share this “precious gift.”

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said because water is essential to survival everyone, especially the poor, has a right to it.

Cardinal Martino said that through the Vatican’s presence at the June 14-Sept. 14 Expo Zaragoza 2008 the Vatican hopes to remind people “the role of humanity in protecting water will be enhanced.”

The cardinal was one of a number of speakers at a May 19 Vatican press conference unveiling plans for the Vatican pavilion at the expo in the northern Spanish city of Zaragoza.

The expo is also dedicated to sustainable development.

Organizers said 104 nations and

organizations were to be represented at the expo.

Cardinal Martino noted that much of what has been said recently about the earth and its resources has been “gloom and doom.”

Such a catastrophic vision of the future “is paralyzing,” he said, and therefore the Vatican wanted to “concentrate on water as an integral part of our Catholic faith” and “to look at what people can do while facing these threats” such as global warming and desertification.

The Vatican wants “to celebrate water as a life-giving sign of the presence of God in creation,” he said.

Cardinal Martino also announced that July 10-12 the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Zaragoza will host an international congress on ecology.

Congress participants will give talks on intelligent design and people’s ethical responsibility toward nature and human life.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Every Christian has an obligation to share the love of Christ with others and the primary means for doing so is to engage in or support the church’s missionary activity, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“It is love that must push us to proclaim to all men and women the truth that saves with frankness and courage,” the pope said May 17 in a meeting with participants in the annual assembly of the pontifical missionary societies.

The assembly brought together top Vatican officials and the 129 national directors of the missionary societies: the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, the Society of St. Peter Apostle and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious.

While the societies are instruments for the promotion and support of the church’s missionary activity around the world, they also are expressions of each

DENVER — The Senior Group of Holy Spirit Church, 537 N. Highway 16, 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.

Andrews Rd. The adult classes will be led by Rev. Ben Bushyhead June 22, 6:30 p.m., and June 23 and 24, 7 p.m. The children’s vacation Bible school will be held Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be a closing Mass for all participants followed by a potluck dinner, June 27 at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Michelle Calascionea at (828) 837–2000.

MURPHY — Scripture Study of the Gospel of John and the Johannine Letters is being offered now through the first week in August at St. William Church, 765 Andrews Rd. The classes are held on Mondays 10-11:30 a.m. and on Thursdays 6:30-8 p.m. Each session includes reflection on Scripture, commentary, daily questions and a brief synopsis. For more information, contact Michelle Calascione at (828) 837-2000.

Hands together

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s, 30s and 40s, will take place at Natty Greene’s Pub and Brewing Co., 345 S. Elm St. The next series will be held on Wednesday evenings, June 4, 11 and 18. Socializing begins at 6:45 p.m. Speaker begins at 7:45 p.m. For more information, email greensborotot@yahoo.com or call Deb at (336) 286-3687.

HIGH POINT — A Scripture sharing, “Praying, Sharing and Living the Scripture,” will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., Thursdays during May and June, 9:30–10:30 a.m. in meeting room 1. Led by Oblate Father Joe Zuschmidt. All are welcome to attend. For more information, call the church office at (336) 869-7739.

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

SALISBURY VICARIATE SALISBURY — Our Lady Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., are making cord rosaries for the missions and the military. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month in the church office conference room, 10-11 a.m. For more information, call Cathy Yochim at (704) 636-6857 or Joan Kaczmarezyk at (704) 797-8405.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE MURPHY — June 22-27 is designated as Vacation Bible School Week at St. William Church, 765

Episcopal

calendar

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 27 (12:30 p.m.)

Diocesan Building Commission meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte May 28 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Mark Church, Huntersville

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE CLEMMONS — A Charismatic prayer group meets Mondays at 7:15 p.m. in the eucharistic chapel of Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd. Join us for praise music, witness, teaching, prayers and petition. For more details, call Jim Passero at (336) 998-7503.

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.

May 29 (10 a.m.)

Diocesan Foundation Board meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory May 29 (7:30 p.m.)

Baccalaureate Mass for Bishop McGuiness High School graduates Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point

diocese’s and each nation’s commitment to mission, the pope said.

The local church, he said, must be “the place where the Spirit manifests himself with the richness of his charisms, giving each of the faithful the call and the responsibility for mission.”

Mission aims to bring all people together into the one body of Christ, preserving and valuing the gifts of each individual person and culture, the pope said. It counters the tendency of divisiveness “rooted in humanity because of sin,” he said.

“The mission of the evangelization of humanity remains urgent and necessary,” Pope Benedict said.

As with St. Paul, who traveled throughout the Mediterranean preaching salvation in Christ, the pope said “it is the love of Christ” that motivates the desire to share the gift of faith.

The love of Christ is “a love that must radiate everywhere and reach the heart of every man and woman,” he said.

CNS photo by Wolfgang Rattay, Reuters

The Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, claps with kindergarten students in a Catholic church in Bochum, Germany, May 16. The Dalai Lama was in Germany for a five-day visit.

Economic toll of health care crisis threatens all, CHA president says

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Adding up the economic toll on the nation caused by the health care crisis, the head of the Catholic Health Association urged the United States to “act in its own best interest and in the interest of its people” to solve the problem.

Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and CEO, spoke on health care reform at the City Club of Cleveland May 16. The club’s prestigious Friday Forum has hosted speakers that include U.S. presidents and public figures.

Sister Keehan presented what she called “a very ugly picture of what many people in our country are having to cope

with.” With the U.S. spending 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health care and other developed countries spending a median of 8.5 percent, U.S. businesses face “a serious competitive disadvantage,” she said.

U.S. firms also pay twice as much for health insurance as their foreign competitors, she added, citing a recent study. But that does not result in better health care or reduced mortality in the U.S., she said.

She called the estimated 18,000 unnecessary deaths that result annually in the U.S. because of the lack of insurance or underinsurance “a silent tsunami that we are ignoring every year.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Knightly donation

May 23, 2008

Continuing mission

St. Matthew Knights donate funds to Allegro Foundation CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Knights of Columbus Council 10852 recently donated $5,000 to an organization working with disabled children.

Council members presented the funds to the Allegro Foundation from the Knights’ L.A.M.B. Foundation of North Carolina April 22.

This is the fifth year Council 10852 has donated to the Allegro Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works on enhancing the quality of life for children with disabilities.

“We are so grateful to the St. Matthew Knights of Columbus for their continued support through the years,” said Patricia Farmer, Allegro founder and director.

“Since we are a small nonprofit organization that is not a United Way

agency, the steady support of the Knights of Columbus is instrumental in helping Allegro to continue growing,” said Farmer. “We feel blessed to have them as a part of the Allegro family.”

The L.A.M.B. (Least Among My Brethren) Foundation, a nonprofit public charity that assists the intellectually disabled, is supported by the Knights of Columbus councils throughout North Carolina.

Knights raise funds for the foundation through annual Tootsie Roll sales as well as corporate and individual donations.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the St. Matthew Knights of Columbus Council 10852, visit www.kofc-stmatthew.org.

Courtesy Photo

Members of St. Matthew Knights of Columbus Council 10852 (back row) pose with students and volunteer instructors of the Allegro Foundation in Charlotte April 22. Pictured (back row, from left) are Knight Jack Barton; Patricia Farmer, Allegro Foundation director; Grand Knight Richard White; and Deputy Grand Knight Bob Desch.

Cardinal receives award from Charlotte couple

Courtesy Photo

Cardinal William H. Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore, receives the John Paul II at the Western Wall Award from members of Our Elder Brothers and Sisters Foundation at the Temple Beth Sholom synagogue in Miami, Fla., May 20. Pictured with the cardinal are (from left) Zaydee Lopez, foundation vice president; Bernardo Benes, foundation president; and Tony Lopez, vice president. The Lopezes are parishioners of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. The Our Elder Brothers and Sisters Foundation promotes interfaith dialog between Catholics and Jews. Though he retired as archbishop of Baltimore in 2007, Cardinal Keeler continues to serve as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ moderator for Catholic-Jewish relations.

Courtesy Photo

Six of the 127 youths who celebrated their confirmation at St. Therese Church in Mooresville May 16 are pictured at a party in Mooresville May 17, during which they collected approximately 25 grocery bags full of donated food items. The six youths wanted to continue their mission of community service and asked their peers to bring to the party food donations, which the youths later delivered to Mooresville Soup Kitchen. Pictured (from left) are Jonathan diBernard, Meghan Schwartz, Andrea Pratt, Eamonn Murphy, Eddie New and Courtney Reilly.

May 23, 2008

living the faith

The Catholic News & Herald 5

A good Rule to live by

Couple celebrates lives of faith as Secular Franciscans by

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

ARDEN — Next month, Barbara and Larry Carter will celebrate a total of 127 years as Secular Franciscans.

Larry, 90, made his permanent Secular Franciscan profession June 15, 1941; Barbara, 84 this June, made her profession June 20, 1948.

Parishioners at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, they are also members of St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO).

They joined the fraternity, now located in Hendersonville, about a year after its establishment in Maggie Valley in 1987.

“They (Barbara and Larry) encourage everyone just by their presence, and they’re attentive to each person,” said Patricia Cowan, a charter member of St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity and its current formation director.

“They always see something as new; nothing ever gets old,” Cowan continued.

“They’re just as excited about coming to meetings as they were when they first joined our fraternity. They’re just very special people.”

Larry credits “the example of my grandmother and my mother” for his entrance into the order.

“I think my mother (who died at age 85) was the oldest one in her fraternity.

They were always helping somebody,” he said.

That included people from poor

neighborhoods. “They would come over to our house, and my mother always fed them," Larry said.

Larry joined St. Elizabeth Fraternity in Southfield, Mich., about two years before he entered the U.S. Army and was sent to Lancashire, England, as a member of an engineer unit attached to the U.S. Army Air Corps.

When off duty, he visited Secular Franciscan fraternities, attending meetings in Taunton, England and Cardiff, Wales.

Secular Franciscans are “supposed to take care of the widows and the orphans,” he said, so he and another soldier asked the local parish priest about orphanages. Learning that there were two nearby, both run by Missionary Sisters of St. Francis, he and other members of his unit started visiting the children.

“We’d take trucks full of GIs over to the orphanages, and the kids would really swamp them,” Larry said. “A lot of the kids wrote to me after I got home.”

Mustering out of the Army in 1946, Larry returned to his pre-war job, sorting industrial diamonds in Detroit, Mich.

He met Barbara at a young people’s club in Royal Oak, Mich. At the end of a six-month engagement, they married Feb. 1, 1947.

Getting settled back into civilian life, Larry hadn’t been to SFO meetings since coming home, but then he returned to St. Elizabeth Fraternity.

At that time, Secular Franciscans

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Barbara and Larry Carter, parishioners of St. Barnabas Church in Arden, wear their Tau crosses, symbols of their lifetime commitments to the Secular Franciscan way of life. They are pictured in their home May 9. observed their Rule as Pope Leo XIII had updated it in 1883. Under that Rule, if a woman wanted to join the SFO, she had to have her husband’s permission. For Barbara, permission wasn’t an issue.

“At the time I wasn’t sure, I really wasn’t, but during the year of formation it really took,” she said.

What attracted her?

“First of all, the people in the fraternity,” she said. “They were so welcoming, so eager to answer my questions.”

Since the SFO Rule was further updated in 1978, Secular Franciscans wear a T-shaped Tau cross as a sign of their commitments to SFO life, but under the 1883 Rule they wore a white cord, with three knots, around their waists under their clothes.

“When we were professed we had to wear the (St. Francis) scapular and the cord,” Barbara said. “When I was pregnant, I didn’t like that.”

Humility and spirit Barbara and Larry became parents to seven sons and six daughters in 18 years. They have 36 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

“The most striking part in family life was our (commitment to) poverty — explaining to the kids when they complained that they couldn’t have something, ‘Look you have everything you need,’” Barbara said.

The antidote for appreciating what they did have, she added, is to “Look around and find someone who doesn’t have as much as you do. Being Franciscan, I look at things differently, at what I can forgo, what I don’t need.”

Larry agrees. He eventually became vice president of his company and could have afforded a luxury car, but he never bought one: “My sister used to ask, ‘Why don’t you have a big car?’ I’d say, ‘I don’t need that.’”

“And I’d say that our kids are the same way,” Barbara added. “Another thing that comes from a Franciscan influence is always being ready to give something to someone who needs it.”

Larry volunteered with several credit unions, interviewing people to see how the credit unions could help them.

Barbara did volunteer work.

After moving to North Carolina, she taught English to Koreans who attended Mass at St. Barnabas Church.

Why have their Secular Franciscan vocations remained important to them?

“It hasn’t changed,” Larry said.

“I’ve always felt that call. It’s a way of life that Francis followed. It strengthens your faith. I’d say, if you want to be a better Catholic (and) get closer to God, look to St. Francis, his determination. He gave up a rich life, he gave all that up to do God’s work.”

For Larry, it’s Francis’ humility. “He could have had everything, but he was just humble.”

“Having the courage to embrace the leper,” Barbara said, “from then on, he had an extreme love for everybody.”

Franciscans forever Nowadays, the Carters don’t drive and they have some health problems, but when a fraternity member or one of their children can drive them, they still attend St. Francis of the Hills fraternity meetings.

“I miss it, not being able to go,” Larry said. “If we can get a ride, we go.”

Although Barbara has severe back trouble, she doesn’t let that keep her away. The examples of St. Francis’ later life and Jesus’ death on the cross have been especially helpful. She recalls that Francis experienced severe stomach and eye trouble and, after receiving the Stigmata, was unable to walk.

“Reading about St. Francis and St. Clare was very influential,” Barbara said.

“And now, when I’m in so much pain, I pray to St. Francis. He was in pain, too, and even had to be carried. And our Savior suffered for me, so I should be more than willing to bear a little pain for him.”

Fraternity members stay in touch and the Carters receive meeting updates and newsletters.

"It keeps me wanting to be active when I can," said Barbara.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

FROM THE COVER

May 23, 2008

Feminists for Life president praises local abortion outreach OUTREACH, from page 1

to the priesthood.

Room at the Inn offers pregnancy assistance for unmarried pregnant women and their babies, both born and unborn.

The organization recently established its In Good Company college outreach program, and has partnered with Belmont Abbey College to construct a residential facility on campus for pregnant college students.

“Room at the Inn is working to enact a dream of mine, and of Feminists for Life, to have a place on campus that pregnant women need most — with support and services — so they can have their babies and continue their education,” said Foster in an interview with The Catholic News & Herald.

Feminists for Life was established in 1972 and works through advocacy and legislation to support pregnant women and their families. It was Foster’s work and her organization’s materials that motivated Room at the Inn to pursue a college-based residence program, according to Jeannie Wray, Room at the Inn’s executive director.

“She inspired our board and staff to look at the situation for college women in this area,” said Wray.

Foster is especially proud of Room at the Inn’s college outreach in light of a survey commissioned by Feminists for Life, which revealed U.S. college campuses frequently lack the resources for pregnant or parenting students or, if they have them, students are not always aware of their availability.

The survey, “Perception Is Reality,” stemmed from the pregnancy resource forums conducted by Feminists for Life, based in Alexandria, Va., over the past 11 years.

Foster moderated the first of these forums at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1997 in order to evaluate resources on and off the campus.

“This survey confirms everything I have been told during the last decade,” Foster told Catholic News Service.

“Even when students who are not feeling the pressure of an unplanned pregnancy try to look for resources, either they can’t find them or the resources are inadequate or expensive.”

“Perception is reality,” she added, noting that a “perceived lack of resources” can drive a pregnant woman to have an abortion or drop out of college.

The survey, released April 23, drew participants from 117 of the 400 colleges and universities nationwide with pro-life student groups. Fiftyeight percent of the schools surveyed were state schools, with an equal representation (21 percent each) of private and religious colleges.

Although some campuses offer information on pregnancy resources through posters and brochures, many of the survey respondents said they had not seen these materials.

According to the study, some colleges and universities have gone a step beyond simply providing resources and also are creating supportive academic environments for pregnant and parenting students through flexible class scheduling.

Abbot Placid Solari, chancellor of Belmont Abbey College, reached out to Room at the Inn a few years ago to offer assistance in expanding its programs. The monks of Belmont Abbey later donated the land upon which the residence will be built.

Room at the Inn hopes to build a facility that will house up to 15 women — both maternity and after-care clients. The women will be able to stay at the residence for up to two years after giving birth.

“This will allow them to finish their education and help keep them from getting locked into the cycle of poverty,” said Wray.

The college also will offer a full scholarship to a mother in the program.

“President (William) Thierfelder understands the statistics and the need for

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Serrin Foster (right), president of Feminists for Life, speaks to staff and board members of and donors to Room at the Inn during a reception in Charlotte May 16. a facility in this area for pregnant students to choose the life option,” said Wray.

Materials promoting the college outreach program already have been placed in seven regional colleges.

Foster told those at the Room at the Inn reception that she was grateful for all

their efforts.

“You will impact lives here or at some other college campus that will follow what you are doing here,” she said.

Contributing to this story was Catholic News Service.

May 23, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 7

from the cover

Sister Helene Nagle retires at 17 years as principal SISTER, from page 1

Photo by Katie Moore

Sister Helene Nagle, a Sister of St. Joseph and principal of St. Ann School in Charlotte, stands in the doorway of a fifth-grade classroom May 12. After 17 years as principal she will retire in June.

Ask just about anyone these days and they’ll tell you that Sister Nagle has St. Ann School running like a welloiled machine.

“Sister Helene has been an instrumental part in the success of St. Ann School,” said Linda Cherry, superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools. “Her prayerful, caring, loving demeanor has molded the family atmosphere that exists at St. Ann." She gets to school every day around 6:15 a.m., opens the building, feeds the fish, and waters the plants. Then she heads over to the church for the 7 a.m. Mass.

“That I value,” she said. “That makes my whole day.”

And after that, “There really is no typical day,” she said.

“I plan for the week and often those plans go to the greater need,” said Sister Nagle, adding, “One phone call can change your day.”

This June marks the end of her 17year term as principal at St. Ann School.

“I’m retiring from this job to pick up something else,” said Sister Nagle, who will stay in Charlotte following her retirement. “I’ll miss the school schedule and everything that goes with it. I’ve been in schools for 50 years.”

Originally from Philadelphia, Pa., Sister Nagle grew up attending Catholic schools administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1956, at the age of 18, she entered the order.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of Chestnut Hill in Pennsylvania and two master’s degrees – one in education administration from Catholic University of America in Washington, the other in psychology and family counseling from the College of Chestnut Hill.

Over the years, her assignments have included teaching positions and

principalships at schools in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.

Her first position in the Diocese of Charlotte was teaching seventh and eighth grades at St. Leo the Great School in Winston Salem.

When she started at St. Ann School in 1991, the school was kindergarten through eighth grade, there were 600 students and there was a waiting list for every classroom. Now the school is kindergarten through fifth grade with enrollment just under 200.

She has seen many changes during her years as an educator.

“The kids, teachers and parents all have different needs than when I started 50 years ago” she said.

“When I first started teaching, the classrooms had 70-plus students,” said Sister Nagle. “Now, the smaller the classrooms the better."

She often compares her role as principal to a series of one-act plays.

“I’m always living in that element of surprise,” she said.

But one thing is certain — faith has played a fundamental role in each and every school day.

The entire school gathers for prayer on Monday mornings. And every day Sister Nagle prays for her students and what they will be doing 10 to 15 years from now. It’s something she is known for.

When former students come back to visit, “They ask if I’m still praying for them,” she said. “They don’t forget.”

Former student Jonathan Jerome credits Sister Nagle for instilling in him a strong set of morals and values during his youth.

“She laid the framework for my future education and future as a young Catholic,” said Jerome, a parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte who is studying theology at Catholic University of America in Washington.

“If it weren’t for her, I don’t know if I’d be where I am in my faith life today,” he said.

Jerome said he also remembers Sister Nagle’s innate ability to keep students in line.

“She’d give you that look and you’d know you were out of place,” he said.

But that’s not to say she takes herself too seriously.

“She has a great sense of humor,” said Nancy Russo, guidance counselor at St. Ann School for the past 13 years.

“She could have so much fun with the kids and then be so spiritual with them.”

“We’re a school that laughs a lot,” said Sister Nagle.

In terms of her plans for the future, she said she would like to spend more time working at the parish and visiting the sick.

“Our community slogan is ‘ready for any good work,’” said Sister Nagle. “The Lord will show me what the right thing is, I have faith in that.”

“Whatever I’ll be doing,” she said, “I know it will be with people.”

Staff Writer Katie Moore is an alumna of St Ann School and was in first grade during Sister Nagle’s first year as principal.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

faithful citizenship

“The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:2627). She is convinced that faith sheds new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10).

“Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high calling, and the hope that inspires us to work for an ever more just and fraternal society.

“Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation.”

— excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s address during the welcoming ceremony at the White House, April 16, 2008

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope that the beauty of spring and your Marian celebrations during this month of May have drawn you closer to our Risen Lord.

Every four years, the U.S. Catholic bishops call upon the Catholics in our nation to reflect very seriously on the tremendous responsibility we have as participants in our nation’s political life. The title of this year’s statement is “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.”

To assist in disseminating this statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has developed a Web site that contains statements from the U.S. bishops and the Vatican on the political responsibilities of Catholics, prayer and worship materials, educational programs, youth resources, family discussion guidelines, and clip art and logos to assist in publicizing the U.S. bishops’ statement.

I encourage you to visit the Web site, www.faithfulcitizenship.org (en Espanol, www.ciudadanosfieles.org) which includes the entire text of the faithful citizenship statement.

This edition of The Catholic News & Herald includes a condensed version of the U.S. bishops’ statement.

As the statement explains, the U.S. Catholic bishops “do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth.”

Each Catholic has the responsibility to properly form his or her own conscience in preparation for the important role of being a participant in the democratic process.

As Catholics we believe the Catholic Church, through its teachings, plays a critical role in helping Catholics to form their consciences. A properly formed conscience, that has weighed carefully the moral and social teachings of the Church, is a firm foundation upon which “Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms, and candidates’ promises and action.”

We are called to promote the common good by affirming the value of every human life and combating threats to human life and human dignity. When we promote the common good we must acknowledge that the direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong, and always to be opposed.

We are required to act against policies that diminish, disregard or violate the dignity and rights to which all humanity is entitled. The most vulnerable and weakest of our brothers and sisters have a claim on our attention, our assistance and our prayers.

As you prepare yourself for involvement in the political process, I ask you to examine concurrently the teachings of the Church, the positions of candidates on the many issues that directly impact human life and dignity, and the integrity and performance of the women and men who seek your votes.

Thank you for your attentiveness to the message of “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.”

May Mary our Mother, patroness of the Americas and Queen of Peace, intercede for us as we seek to be faithful witnesses to the moral and social teachings of Christ and the Church.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte

May 23, 2008

The Challenge of Form for Faithful Citizenshi In anticipating, and trying to ward off, Catholic voter confusion, the U.S. bishops wrote a 10,000-word document on political responsibility, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” overwhelmingly approved during the bishops’ fall meeting in 2007.

The document is part of a series that has been issued before every presidential election for more than 30 years. “Faithful Citizenship” outlines for voters in 2008 seven key themes: right to life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and caring for God’s creation.

The following is a summary of “Faithful Citizenship.”

O

ur nation faces political challenges that demand urgent moral choices. We bishops seek to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with the truth, so they can make sound moral choices in addressing these challenges.

We do not tell Catholics how to vote. The responsibility to make political choices rests with each person and his or her own formed conscience.

Why does the church teach about issues affecting public policy?

The Catholic Church’s obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith, a part of the mission given to us by Jesus Christ.

Faith helps us see more clearly the truth about human life and dignity that we also understand through human reason.

As people of both faith and reason, Catholics are called to bring truth to political life and to practice Christ’s commandment to “love one another” (Jn 13:34). According to Pope Benedict XVI, “charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity’” (encyclical Deus Caritas Est, no. 29).

The U.S. Constitution protects the right of individual believers and religious bodies to participate and speak out without government interference, favoritism or discrimination. Civil law should recognize and protect the church’s right and responsibility to participate in society without abandoning our central moral convictions.

Our nation’s tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened, when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions into public life. The Catholic community brings to the political dialogue a consistent moral framework and broad experience serving those in need.

Who in the church should participate in political life?

In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group.

In today’s environment, Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and few candidates fully share our comprehensive commitment to human life and dignity. Catholic lay women and men need to act on the church’s moral principles and become more involved: running for office, working within political parties, and communicating concerns to elected officials.

Even those who cannot vote should raise their voices on matters that affect their lives and the common good.

How does the church help Catholics to address political and social questions?

A well-formed conscience The church equips its members to address political questions by helping them develop well-formed consciences.

“Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act. . . . [Every person] is obliged to follow faithfully what he [or she] knows to be just and right” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1778).

We Catholics have a lifelong obligation to form our consciences in accord with human reason, enlightened by the teaching of Christ as it comes to us through the church.

The virtue of prudence The church also encourages Catholics to develop the virtue of prudence, which enables us “to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1806).

Prudence shapes and informs our ability to deliberate over available alternatives, to determine what is most fitting to a specific context, and to act. Prudence must be

May 23, 2008

ming Consciences ip

faithful citzenship

accompanied by courage which calls us to act.

As Catholics seek to advance the common good, we must carefully discern which public policies are morally sound. A good end does not justify an immoral means.

At times Catholics may choose different ways to respond to social problems, but we cannot differ on our obligation to protect human life and dignity and help build through moral means a more just and peaceful world.

Doing good and avoiding evil There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. These intrinsically evil acts must always be rejected and never supported.

A preeminent example is the intentional taking of human life through abortion. It is always morally wrong to destroy innocent human beings. A legal system that allows the right to life to be violated on the grounds of choice is fundamentally flawed.

Similarly, direct threats to the dignity of human life such as euthanasia, human cloning and destructive research on human embryos are also intrinsically evil and must be opposed. Other assaults on human life and dignity, such as genocide, torture, racism, and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified.

Disrespect for any human life diminishes respect for all human life.

As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.

Opposition to intrinsically evil acts also prompts us to recognize our positive duty to contribute to the common good and act in solidarity with those in need. Both opposing evil and doing good are essential.

As Pope John Paul II said, “the fact that only the negative commandments oblige always and under all circumstances does not mean that in the moral life prohibitions are more important than the obligation to do good indicated by the positive commandment” (encyclical Veritatis Splendor, no. 52).

The basic right to life implies and is linked to other human rights to the goods that every person needs to live and thrive — including food, shelter, health care, education and meaningful work. The use of the death penalty, hunger, lack of health care or housing, human trafficking, the human and moral costs of war and unjust immigration policies are some of the serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act.

Making moral choices Difficult political decisions require the exercise of a well-formed conscience aided by prudence. This exercise of conscience begins with always opposing policies that violate human life or weaken its protection.

“Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good” (U.S. bishops, “Catholics in Political Life”).

When morally flawed laws already exist, prudential judgment is needed to determine how to do what is possible to restore justice — even if partially or gradually — without ever abandoning a moral commitment to full protection for all human life from conception to natural death (see Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae, no. 73).

Prudential judgment is also needed to determine the best way to promote the common good in areas such as housing, health care and immigration. When church leaders make judgments about how to apply Catholic teaching to specific policies, this may not carry the same binding authority as universal moral principles but cannot be dismissed as one political opinion among others.

These moral applications should inform the consciences and guide the actions of Catholics.

What does the church say about Catholic social teaching in the public square? (Seven Key Themes) A consistent ethic of life should guide all Catholic engagement in political life. This Catholic ethic neither treats all issues as morally equivalent nor reduces Catholic teaching to one or two issues.

It anchors the Catholic commitment to defend human life and other human rights, from conception until natural death, in the fundamental obligation to respect the dignity of every human being as a child of God. Catholic voters should use Catholic teaching to examine candidates’ positions on issues and should consider candidates’ integrity, philosophy and performance.

The Catholic News & Herald 9

It is important for all citizens “to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest” (U.S. bishops, “Living the Gospel of Life,” no. 33).

The following themes of Catholic social teaching provide a moral framework for decisions in public life.

The right to life and the dignity of the human person Human life is sacred. Direct attacks on innocent human beings are never morally acceptable.

Within our society, life is under direct attack from abortion, euthanasia, human cloning and destruction of human embryos for research. These intrinsic evils must always be opposed. This teaching also compels us as Catholics to oppose genocide, torture, unjust war and the use of the death penalty, as well as to pursue peace and help overcome poverty, racism and other conditions that demean human life.

Call to family, community and participation The family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, is the fundamental unit of society. This sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children must not be redefined, undermined or neglected. Supporting families should be a priority for economic and social policies.

How our society is organized — in economics and politics, in law and public policy — affects the well-being of individuals and of society. Every person and association has a right and a duty to participate in shaping society to promote the wellbeing of individuals and the common good.

Rights and responsibilities Every human being has a right to life, the fundamental right that makes all other rights possible. Each of us has a right to religious freedom, which enables us to live and act in accord with our God-given dignity, as well as a right to access to those things required for human decency — food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing.

Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities — to one another, to our families and to the larger society.

Option for the poor and vulnerable While the common good embraces all, those who are in greatest need deserve preferential concern. A moral test for society is how we treat the weakest among us — the unborn, those dealing with disabilities or terminal illness, the poor and marginalized.

Dignity of work and the rights of workers The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Economic justice calls for decent work at fair, living wages, opportunities for legal status for immigrant workers and the opportunity for all people to work together for the common good through their work, ownership, enterprise, investment, participation in unions and other forms of economic activity.

Solidarity We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. Our Catholic commitment to solidarity requires that we pursue justice, eliminate racism, end human trafficking, protect human rights, seek peace and avoid the use of force except as a necessary last resort.

Caring for God’s creation Care for the earth is a duty of our Catholic faith. We all are called to be careful stewards of God’s creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for vulnerable human beings now and in the future.

Conclusion

In light of Catholic teaching, as bishops we vigorously repeat our call for a renewed politics that focuses on moral principles, the defense of life, the needs of the weak and the pursuit of the common good. This kind of political participation reflects the social teaching of our church and the best traditions of our nation.

WANT MORE INFO? For a wide range of educational and other resources on the U.S. bishops' “Faithful Citizenship,” go to www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

May 23, 2008

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Anne Rice’s newest novel follows Jesus to Cana reviewed by

CHARLOTTE MILLER catholic news service

As with her first novel about Christ, Anne Rice has used careful research and scholarship to re-create the first century world of Yeshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) in “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.”

This novel begins not long before Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water into wine at a wedding celebration, and, indeed, the wedding in this narrative is more significant for Jesus than we might have imagined.

Like many sequels, this book might not captivate the reader to the extent that the first installment — “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” — did.

But the reason is probably not that the novel is less meticulously researched and written than the first, but that the first book intrigued readers at least in part because of the author herself.

The explanation, in an afterword, of Rice’s return to the Catholic faith after about 40 years of atheism, a time during which she wrote a number of popular vampire novels, made the first “Christ the Lord” book all the more compelling.

This time readers know the personal context, so the joy and mystery of Rice’s faith are more subdued.

Still, this book has much to lure the reader into mind-stretching thoughts about the Lord. As she did with the first book, Rice portrays Jesus as a human

being, albeit divine as well.

Actually this book, more than the first, suggests her vision of him as a man.

Jesus himself narrates the text, as he did in the first book, and he acknowledges his divine-human perspective: “What I must know, I know. And what I must learn, I learn.”

He recalls that Satan tempted him to “stop time,” but he says he “did not come to stop it. ... I came to live it, to surrender to it, to endure it, to discover in it what it was I must do.”

He fully accepts his temporary role of living in time rather than in eternity even though, as he says, “I’d always known who I really was. I was God.” Later in the book he reiterates that he is a man, with human desires and temptations.

Unlike the boy Jesus in “Out of Egypt,” this Jesus is not a child seeking to understand himself but a man who, while not knowing the details of his future, does understand that he is the promised Messiah.

Some of his family members have a little more difficulty with the concept.

“Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” was published in 2005 and “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana” in 2008, so perhaps 2011 will see “Christ the Lord: The Road to Calvary” or some such title. These books are worth the wait.

Miller is an English teacher at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, Ark.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: june 1, 2008

June 1, Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A Readings: 1) Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32 Psalm 31:2-4, 17, 25 2) Romans 3:21-25, 28 Gospel: Matthew 7:21-27

God’s guidelines offer happiness, salvation

by JEFF HENSLEY catholic news service

Obedience. We tend to think there must be an easier way.

We have the end of the Sermon on the Mount here in these readings.

Jesus tells us to hear and obey the words of the preceding sermon with its admonishments to have pure hearts, doing our religious works of prayer and fasting so that only the Lord himself sees them, loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, not worrying about our material needs.

Then finally he sets out the simplicity of God’s law in the golden rule, “Treat others the way you would have them treat you: This sums up the law and the prophets.”

This is such a simple set of high standards, not replacing all that God has required of those who follow him, but refining all that has gone before in the law and the prophets.

But why? Why does God make even this summary set of requirements of us? Is this all for his benefit, for some

heavenly ego of monstrous proportions that demands obedience for no reason but his own glorification?

Well, no.

I once knew an author of bestselling Christian books, Harold Hill, who referred to the Bible as “The Manufacturer’s Handbook.” It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see what he meant.

If the maker of your new car tells you to put water in the radiator and gas in the gas tank, to keep the fluid levels up in the master brake cylinder and the windshield washer fluid in the washer tank, you don’t express your individuality and free will by doing the opposite of each of these.

You follow the instructions, knowing that the one who designed and built the car knows best what to do to keep the vehicle in good running order.

Want a good and happy life, one that will withstand the winds and the torrents when they come? Build your house on rock. Follow the creator’s guidelines.

Only God knows what will make us truly happy in this life and prepare us for the life to come. Live by The Manufacturer’s Handbook, and especially pay attention to the beatitudes and the golden rule.

Questions: How can you spend more time reading the Bible? Can you join a parish Bible study group, pick up a Scripture study guide to read along with, or establish a daily reading habit?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock” (Matthew 7:24).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE 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 1:1825, 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.

Scripture for the week of June 1-7 Sunday (Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32, Romans 3:21-25, 28, Matthew 7:21-27; Monday (Sts. Marcellinus and Peter), 2 Peter 1:2-7, Mark 12:1-12; Tuesday (St. Charles Lwanga and Companions), 2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18, Mark 12:13-17; Wednesday, 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, Mark 12:18-27; Thursday (St. Boniface), 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Mark 12:28-34; Friday (St. Norbert), 2 Timothy 3:10-17, Mark 12:35-37; Saturday, 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Mark 12:38-44.

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 Katie Moore at (704) 370-3354 or kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 23, 2008

Film schools partner with Vatican for programs on human condition

Programs to help aspiring filmmakers tell more spiritual stories

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — The New York Film Academy is partnering with the Vatican and a Mexican film school to offer new programs to help aspiring filmmakers tell their stories from a more human, spiritual dimension.

“Film has extraordinary potential” to delve into the meaning of life, go beyond the superficial, “transcend reality” and encounter the human soul, said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

The archbishop and others spoke at

a May 13 press conference at the Vatican to unveil four initiatives to help future filmmakers get hands-on experience and become more effective in delivering a message about the human condition to their audiences.

The Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Higher Education Center for Cinematographic Production in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the New York Film Academy are sponsoring the alternative filmmaking initiatives.

Michael Young, provost and director of education at the New York Film Academy, said a secular filmmaking

school partnering with the Vatican should not be surprising because “we see the basic question for all filmmakers is the anthropological aspect.”

“We share some of the same core values” with Judeo-Christian tradition, he said, “and we’re very interested in this approach to really examine the transcendental questions” in film.

He said film educators do not have “the secret formula” for showing students how to make a film that will have a powerful impact on the audience, but they do try to challenge the students to ask themselves what their perspective of the human experience is and how the

choices they make in writing, lighting, directing and shooting are going to reflect or enhance their message.

Most “early filmmakers are absolutely mystified about what their film is really about,” he said.

He said these joint programs will help turn students’ attention to deeper themes and how they can be expressed, which should help artists produce “more thoughtful work.”

Young said when the head of the Mexican film school, Father Javier Magdaleno Cueva, approached him about the programs, he asked the priest what films he thought explored transcendental questions.

“We were expecting something with very heavy religious themes like ‘The Passion of the Christ,’” Young said, but instead Father Magdaleno pointed to “The Matrix” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

Exploring the transcendental meanings of life is not about “indoctrination or specific religious practices or rules,” Young said, “but is asking people to take the time to think about fundamental questions when making their film.”

The four joint programs presented at the May 13 press conference were: — A five-week intensive course in Guadalajara dedicated to “filming the ineffable” or the unseen.

— A master’s degree in fine arts in cinematography and anthropological questions run by the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

— An exclusive, one-year, free program at the Higher Education Center for Cinematographic Production in Guadalajara.

— Funding for first feature films exploring the transcendent.

WANT MORE INFO? More information is available online at www.filmarloinefable.org/ welcome/home.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 23, 2008

around the diocese

Around the world and into the classroom

School showcases diversity, celebrates culture by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

CHARLOTTE — At Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) School in Charlotte, every day is a celebration of diversity.

“Our school tends to attract families who are new to American culture and are looking for a place that offers an environment where all cultures are celebrated,” saidAllana-Rae Ramkissoon, vice principal.

This year, that cultural diversity was recognized in a special way with the third annual observance of multicultural week May 12-16 “Our multicultural festival has become not only the forum for celebrating the 30 or so families who are originally from other countries, but the event at which we highlight the cultural heritage of each family at our school,” said Ramkissoon.

In preparation for the festivities, each grade level was assigned a continent to research and study.

“Throughout the year, teachers and students have been learning about countries from the seven continents of the world through art, music, social studies, dance and literature,” said Ramkissoon.

The students decorated the hallways of the school to represent the seven continents. Each grade level was responsible for giving a presentation on its continent to the rest of the school.

A multicultural Mass was celebrated Thursday morning, followed by a day of celebration that included an “international market” featuring food from around the globe and multicultural crafts and games.

Students were encouraged to dress in costumes representing the different cultures they had studied.

“Our school is very diverse,” said Angeline Morales, fifth-grader.

“We want to celebrate and appreciate

our different heritages.”

The students are not the only ones representing a broad spectrum of cultures.

The school is comprised of faculty members from Chile and Ecuador and Ramkissoon hails from the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago.

“We feel that this school exhibits the epitome of American culture,” said Marwin Gbenyon, parent and co-chair of multicultural week.

Gbenyon, who is originally from Liberia, took the day off from work to volunteer at a craft station during Thursday’s festivities. Her station featured traditional African hair braiding.

Other parent volunteers helped by making and serving food at the “international market,” assisting with art projects, face painting and even teaching students how to use chopsticks.

“I think this is the best way to celebrate our OLA family,” said Mary Morales, vice president of the parentteacher organization and co-chair of multicultural week.

“For me, the reward at the end is seeing all the kids trying something new,” she said.

Parents were invited to come for a final hallway viewing on Friday afternoon. That night, students closed the week with the presentation of a multicultural variety show.

“OLA boasts of a school community that is truly representative of American society,” said Ramkissoon. “It is one of the things that set us apart from the other schools.”

“It’s a small school but we have a lot of cultures,” said Meghan Santschi, fifth-grader. “It’s amazing how much you can learn.”

Photo by Katie Moore

A little girl learns to make a paper flower with the help of a parent volunteer at one of the craft stations.

Students were encouraged to dress in costumes representing the different cultures they had studied.

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

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Two students learn to use chopsticks during a multicultural celebration at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte. The week of May 12-16 was designated as a multicultural week, a time to celebrate different heritages.

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May 23, 2008

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 13

International festival brings together diverse parish FESTIVAL, from page 1

potluck dinner drew more than 200 parishioners of St. Barnabas Church in Arden May 10. They shared a banquet of cultural foods and entertainment from around the globe during the event at which 26 nationalities were represented.

Aided by Cathie Stout, parish volunteer coordinator, the festival planning committee sought to develop an event that would encourage dialogue, participation and interaction within the parish.

“What I wanted was for people to come and talk to each other; then this would be a success,” said Kimberlee Zorich, event chairperson.

During the event, which featured the culinary and entertainment talents of fellow parishioners, the parish hall was filled with laughter, unexpected recognition of commonality and newfound respect for the diversity among the parish.

F a t h e r D e a n C e s a , p a s t o r, encouraged the committee to incorporate the festival theme into the Pentecost Masses as well. Parishioners read the Petitions first in their native languages — German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish and Filipino — followed by the English translation.

Parishioner Vince Indelicato emceed the talent portion of the festival and personally participated with an Italian

rendition of a Neapolitan love song.

“It was my first time (emceeing) and I was a little leery, but found myself getting very relaxed,” said Indelicato.

“Everyone was having such a good time; it was hard to get their attention.”

Laughter and fun filled the hall as the entertainment became a veritable variety show of local talent.

“All of the performers were parishioners at St. Barnabas Church,” said Stout.

A blue grass band played; the Filipino community performed the Subli and Tinikling traditional dances; Marisa Panzer fiddled while her mother, Carole, danced a traditional Irish jig; Gosia Graves read a poem in Polish; and the Spanish-language choir sang songs and read a poem dedicated to the mothers in the audience.

The diverse crowd danced together and mingled in line for food and desert, talking and discovering common ground in their various backgrounds.

“It was nice to see when it was time to break down, everyone stayed to clean up,” said Indelicato. “Normally, after an event, there are a few people who stay to put things away, but no one wanted to leave; within 20 minutes everything was all cleaned up.”

Afterward, Zorich felt the committee had accomplished its goal of bringing the parish together. She said they hoped the festival will become an annual event.

“People here are like a second family and really care about each other. It is a welcoming community,” said Stout.

Photo by Kathleen Healy Schmieder

Parishioners stand in line for a banquet of cultural foods during the first parish international festival at St. Barnabas Church in Arden May 10.

Swaying with the Spirit

Courtesy Photo by Joe Diaz

A young girl performs a traditional Indian dance during a multicultural event at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte May 17. The multicultural festivities provided an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of the parish.

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Contact Staff Writer Katie Moore at (704) 370-3354 or kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.

May 23, 2008

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

A place at the table Difficulties can be overcome to share in church’s mission For me, the most moving segment of Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to the United States was his meeting with young people with disabilities at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. As the Holy Father greeted the young people and their caregivers, tears of delight and gratitude sprang to my eyes.

For many others too, the meeting marked a significant milestone in the lives of Catholics living with life-altering physical and emotional challenges. The pope did more than pay lip service to those who suffer.

With love, respect and dignity he offered a place at the church’s table — and challenged each of us to action.

Rather than giving a perfunctory blessing or encouraging everyone to pray for a cure from all pain and disability, Pope Benedict recognized the importance of bringing the chronically ill or disabled into more active roles in the church.

His manner and remarks reflected not pity, but piety, which underscored the importance of treating those gathered as equals in their standing as brothers and sisters in Christ.

In his message at the meeting, the pope also reminded those gathered of their responsibility to serve.

He said, “God has blessed you with life and with differing talents and gifts.

Through these you are able to serve him and society in various ways. While some people’s contributions seem great and others’ more modest, the witness value of our efforts is always a sign of hope for everyone.”

It was good to be reminded that all contributions, however “modest,” are vital to the parish community’s witness to God’s love.

Throughout its history, the church has ministered to the sick, championed the vulnerable and taught respect for life. Unfortunately, many church communities, strapped for resources, time and support, have not been able to incorporate the chronically ill into the fabric of regular parish life.

And many people who are chronically ill often get so caught up in their illnesses and disabilities that they lose sight of the

Living Well MAUREEN PRATT cns columnist

possibilities around them for participation in the life of a faith community.

Pope Benedict encouraged those gathered to see beyond their pain, to look with faith to see the “reason for what appears only as a difficulty to be overcome or even pain to be endured.”

Our faith, he said, “helps us to break open the horizon beyond our own selves in order to see life as God does. ... Through his cross, Jesus in fact draws us into his saving love and in so doing shows us the way ahead — the way of hope which transfigures us all, so that we too become bearers of that hope and charity for others.”

The pope encouraged all gathered to pray. This is an excellent way to bring the disabled into service within home parishes!

Parish prayer groups would do well to invite those who are ill to join them, blending their prayerful voices with their own. Those who are homebound can help grow a parish community’s presence on the Internet through online prayer groups and Web page content.

There are many other possibilities that can be encouraged and developed among all parishioners who make the effort to communicate consistently.

I’ve long dried my tears since watching the pope’s visit on TV. What remains, shining brightly, is renewed resolve, enthusiasm and hope.

Illness and pain can be isolating and socially repellant. But all of us have a reason to be, a reason to celebrate. We have a place at the church’s table.

Now, let’s step up and get busy!

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Abortion and the role of conscience

Stopping a beating heart is a departure from God’s will

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the controversy between freedom of conscience and abortion on his recent visit to the United States. The pope simply said, “Freedom of conscience is a good thing, as long as it does not cause one to go against the will of God.” He made it clear that the objective norm in these matters is always God’s will, not private opinion.

The pope condemned relativism in every talk he gave on his visit to America.

Relativists say, “I am free to do whatever I want, as long as my conscience approves it.” The church teaches that this view is totally wrong.

Think about it. Would someone have the right to rob banks if his personal conscience approved of the idea? Just try it, and you’ll see how quickly the law enforcement establishment will stop you.

Private opinion never supersedes the law.

“Ah, yes,” the relativist says, “but abortion is legal.”

Perhaps so in the United States, but not in nearly every other country in the world; besides, an unjust law does not make an immoral act moral. We legalized slavery for a long time, but that didn’t change the moral nature of slavery.

Slavery is always evil.

This brings up the question: May a person receive holy Communion if he or she is personally convinced that abortion, in certain circumstances, is permissible?

No! An erroneous conscience may be a private matter, but when one receives the Eucharist, it becomes a public act.

If the person is a politician who has publicly declared him- or herself to be in favor of keeping abortion legal and the local bishop says nothing when he receives, it could be construed as giving tacit approval to that position. But the matter is deeper than one of mere discipline.

Even though the politician’s conscience may be clear, his erroneous private opinion is publicly known, and therefore he is giving scandal by showing defiance of the will of God. For his own

Spirituality for Today FATHER JOHN CATOIR cns columnist

good, and for the good of the church, it is necessary to ask him not to receive.

What if the politician is privately pro-life but his public position is to keep abortion legal?

This position sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of a misguided compassion, but it is essentially a contradiction. We know there can always be mitigating circumstances in any moral act. Assigning culpability is a different matter.

A woman may be forced to have an abortion against her will, but in itself that does not make abortion “permissible in some circumstances.” The abortion procedure always stops a beating heart, even though the guilt of the parents may vary from case to case.

A woman out of her mind with fear would be less culpable than a Hollywood star who calmly has an abortion in order to clear her schedule for a new movie. When full consent of the will is lacking, the subjective guilt of the parents is lessened, but the gravity of the act always remains a serious matter.

Freedom of conscience is not a license to do whatever you want. Those who believe that it is are deluded.

The Ten Commandments set the limits of human freedom as far as God is concerned. Abortion is clearly a departure from God’s will.

It is extremely important to understand that we cannot trivialize the reality of objective evil by appealing to conscience. God is not mocked.

Relativism is a false doctrine.

May 23, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Hats off to all graduates!

Encouragement, optimism needed for big transitions Let’s start with a top-four countdown of “Ways to Spot a Soon-to-Be Graduate” (who has completed all assignments and exams): 4. He’s busy practicing moving his mortar board tassel from one side to the other.

3. She breaks into deep sighing and spontaneous giggles.

2. Her parents are sighing more deeply and giggling even more.

1. He’s certain that from here on out, his life is going to be all smooth sailing.

Hmm. All smooth sailing?

It takes optimism to move from high school to college or from school to “real life.” And it takes courage, too. Thank God — really, thank God — that most young people have plenty of both.

Life is nothing if not a series of these “rookie seasons.” Again and again, we step into new situations feeling awkward, uncomfortable and unsure.

It can help to remember that, not just so we’ll cut ourselves some slack when we need it, but so we’ll have more compassion and understanding for others who find themselves in that situation.

It’s not easy: For a 5-year-old, used to preschool only a few days a week, to adjust to kindergarten, or for a first-grader to get used to full days.

For a middle-schooler to get into the rhythm of five distinct classes and five distinct teachers. (Not to mention changing classrooms and mastering the combination on a locker.)

For a high school student to stand up to the adult pressures and temptations teens face.

For a college student to start cracking the books without Mom, Dad or a teacher cracking the whip.

For a young employee to get used to a 9-to-5 routine while trying to safely negotiate the Byzantine maze known as office politics.

We’re only fooling ourselves if we think receiving that high school diploma or college degree is our last graduation.

Over and over, we complete one chapter in our lives and move on to the next.

If there’s anxiety when the change is something we choose, something we want, it’s not surprising there’s a feeling of panic when that new chapter in our life is one we’d prefer to avoid, one we would love to just push away but we know we can’t.

Chronic illness strikes. We lose our job. Our child is born with a disability.

Our spouse dies. The list is long and varied, and none of us escapes having some of its items on our personal resume.

What can we do when there’s no running or hiding from what life has brought us? These are a few suggestions: Take it day by day. That’s how we learn, that’s how we adjust, that’s how we grow, that’s how we cope.

Don’t get down on yourself just because you’re a rookie. (No one is an instant expert.)

Don’t be too proud or too timid to

Your Family BILL and MONICA DODDS cns columnists

ask for help. Others have faced similar situations and want to help.

Pray. Remember, no matter how you may feel at this moment, you’re not alone, and you are loved.

Planning ahead can help ensure lasting lesson of our faith children will sometimes live their lives in negative ways.

One of the ways to model our Catholic faith for our beneficiaries and heirs is through our final intentions in our will. Whether we give a portion of our remaining assets to our parishes, Catholic schools, Catholic Social Services or other Catholic causes through a simple bequest or through a more complex arrangement such as a trust, we let our immediate heirs and beneficiaries know how important the Catholic Church has been to us during our lifetimes and provide one last lesson, especially to our children, through our wills.

Often, estate related terms seem so “legal,” but they actually may be relatively simple concepts. A “bequest,” for instance, is a testamentary gift or a gift made through a last will and testament. “I leave 10 percent of my estate to my parish,” is an example of a simple bequest.

Whether we give an actual dollar amount, such as $10,000; a percentage, such as 10 percent; or the remainder of our estate after all other bequests have

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

Wills, estates and stewardship You have spent your entire life working, saving and preparing for the next major event, including marriage, children, college costs and retirement.

Most of us never feel we have enough for tomorrow’s emergencies.

What do you do then, when you don’t need this accumulation of assets any longer? If you want to be proactive, you become involved in planning your estate and how you will distribute your left-over wealth.

In the big picture, we all want our heirs to be provided for, but how much is enough? There are different answers depending on the makeup of the family. Having small children and a young spouse is an entirely different scenario from being a widow(er) with adult children.

There have been a number of studies regarding the negative impact that very large inheritances can have on children.

If they are not prepared, even trained, regarding the handling of wealth, they can have a difficult time adjusting to the windfall. As a result of unanticipated wealth, or unearned wealth, adult

Christian-inspired art, music are living treasures, pope says

Guest Column JUDY SMITH guest columnist

been made, we can make a significant difference with a charitable donation to our church.

Taking a proactive approach to planning the transfer of your estate is as important as the many decisions you made to acquire that wealth during your lifetime. It is even more important to remember that your last act of stewardship can also be an example that inspires your heirs and leaves a legacy of your Catholic faith.

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

Contact her at (704) 370-3320 or jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christianinspired art, architecture and music are not dead artifacts from the past, but are living treasures reflecting the beauty of God and the joy of being a child of God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

The Christian culture is “born out of faith, born from the heart of one who has encountered Christ” and has felt his truth and love, he said.

As long as this “faith stays alive, this cultural heritage does not die, but stays alive and timely,” he said during his May 21 general audience.

The pope focused his catechesis on the life and contribution of St. Romanus the Melodist, a sixth-century poet and composer. He said this patron saint of church singers shows how powerful “symbolic communication” is when it “joins earth to heaven” in the liturgy and “uses imagery, poetry and song to lift our minds to God’s truth.”

The pope said creativity and innovation that bring in a new Christian culture do not discard Christianity’s cultural past, but are part of the same, continuous heritage and represent “one single reality.”

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today’s catechesis we turn to the Christian poetry of Romanus the Melodist. Born in Syria at the end of the fifth century, Romanus received a classical education, was ordained a deacon and settled in Constantinople.

His preaching took the form of chanted metrical hymns known as “kontakia,” consisting of an introduction and a series of stanzas punctuated by a refrain. Some 89 of these have come down to us, and they testify to the rich theological, liturgical and devotional content of the hymnography of that time.

Composed in simple language accessible to his hearers, these kontakia are notable for their dramatic dialogues and their use of sustained metaphors.

Romanus was a catechist concerned to communicate the unity of God’s saving plan revealed in Christ. His hymns, steeped in Scripture, develop the teaching of the early councils on the divinity of the Son, the mystery of the Incarnation, the person and role of the Holy Spirit and the dignity of the Virgin Mary.

Romanus shows us the power of symbolic communication which, in the liturgy, joins earth to heaven and uses imagery, poetry and song to lift our minds to God’s truth.

May 23, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 16

in the news

Training the spirit Catholic volunteers get ready to serve athletes at Beijing Olympics

by

CNS photo by Reinhard Krause, Reuters

Catholic nuns pray for a successful Olympics during a Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing April 30. The Beijing Diocese has designated seven priests, five nuns and four seminarians to serve athletes from around the world who will compete in the Beijing Olympics in August.

The Diocese of Charlotte

invites you, your family and friends to escape winter and join with Fr. Mo West to

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BEIJING — Mainland Catholic volunteers are getting ready to serve athletes from around the world who will compete in the Beijing Olympics in August.

The Beijing Diocese has designated 16 people — seven priests, five nuns and four seminarians — to join the religious volunteer service group and work alongside Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim and Protestant volunteers, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.

The Beijing Summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games will be Aug. 8-24 and Sept. 6-17, respectively. A religious service center will operate in the Olympic Village during the events.

Father Joseph Zhao Qinglong, leader of the Catholic team, said the religious volunteers attended three training courses last year — the longest one lasted two months, with sessions twice a week.

“Our participation as volunteers can be a concrete service the church offers to society,” he told UCA News recently.

“Certainly, we will serve all foreign athletes, government officials and visitors who need the service, hoping they will feel at home,” he said, noting that the church in China is part of the universal church.

Father Zhao, who studied in Rome for five years and returned to Beijing last year, speaks English, Italian and some French.

Li Jiangang, a student at the national seminary in Beijing, told UCA News about one of the courses the Beijing Religious Affairs Bureau held last summer for 60 volunteers representing the five government-recognized religions.

The volunteers learned about the history of the Olympics, psychology, first aid, etiquette, English, customs and practices in Beijing, and the names of famous Chinese athletes, he recalled.

Li said that, based on exchanges with volunteers of other religions, they hold the common view that “the spirit of the Olympics coincides with religions’ and

the state’s idea of harmonious society.”

So the Olympics will be “a juncture for development of the country and religions,” said Li, who speaks English.

Li said he practices the organ daily for an hour during the seminary’s lunch break, because he will provide accompaniment at Masses in the Olympic Village. He added that he spends another hour playing basketball to be fit for the strenuous service during the games.

Sister Dong Siuhong is “studying hard about religious knowledge, especially about the church in China.”

In order to provide the best religious services for the foreign athletes and accompanying personnel, she said, she is learning about liturgical arrangement and church decoration.

During the Olympic events, she said, the Catholics and the 18 Protestant volunteers will stay at the Protestants’ Yanjing Theological Seminary near the Olympic Village.

Volunteers all have to wear the same uniform, but volunteer nuns will wear their habits at Masses to “show Catholic identity,” said Sister Siuhong, who speaks Korean.

“We will present to the visitors warm hospitality and a good image of Chinese Catholics,” she said, expressing hope that visitors would gain a better image of the church in China than they might have had a few decades ago.

Li said he hopes to show the foreign athletes and visitors that the church in China is young and energetic. He noted that the Beijing Diocese is baptizing more and more young and educated people each year.

Sister Kou Suzhen, who studied in France, said she thinks being a volunteer fits in with the spirit of consecrated life.

“I will express my devotion to God in my service,” she told UCA News.

“As the Olympics takes off soon, I’m preparing myself to serve the foreign guests with a positive attitude, happiness and warmth.”

Chinese Catholics observe silence to mourn quake victims CHENGDU, China (CNS) — Catholics joined other Chinese in observing three minutes of silence May 19 to pray for and mourn those killed by the earthquake that hit southwestern China a week earlier.

The Chinese government declared an unprecedented three-day period of national mourning May 19-21 for victims of the magnitude 7.9 quake.

Entertainment businesses were to be closed and the Beijing Olympics torch relay in Zhejiang and Shanghai was suspended until May 22.

After a Mass at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan, about 80 Catholics stood and observed the three minutes of silence at 2:28 p.m., the time at which the quake struck a week earlier.

The quake’s epicenter was in Wenchuan, just northwest of Chengdu.

Around the country, air-raid sirens and the horns of cars, trains and ships were sounded in expressions of grief as the Chinese stood in silence.

Father Simon Li Zhigang, diocesan administrator, said about 100 people attended a memorial Mass for the dead that morning.

In Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun led diocesan priests in observing the three-minute silence.

Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, a Catholic and the chief executive of Hong Kong, led high-ranking local officials in the moments of silence, after which he made the sign of the cross.

Approximately 35,000 people died and more than 245,000 people were injured in the quake.