June 10, 2005

June 10, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Mystery of the Mass, Part 18; celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI june 10, 2005

| Page 7 Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

A life renewed

vOLUME 14

no. 34

Supporting the sick

New priest answers God’s call

Catholic Church at forefront of AIDS

Father Ebright ordained by Bishop Jugis by

Year of the Eucharist

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

by TRACY EARLY catholic news service

CHARLOTTE — Father James Ebright recently celebrated his first Mass as a priest in the church where he was baptized 30 years ago.

“It was glorious,” he said of the May 29 Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville. “I was baptized there on Easter Sunday in 1975. It was one of many things that made it (celebrating Mass) wonderful.”

Not only did he celebrate his new ministry as a priest in the church where he began his life as a Catholic, he gave Communion to the faithful where he received his first Communion.

Life, it seems, has come full circle for the North Carolina native, and it continues on.

Before a church filled with clergy, seminarians, family and his parents, Mabel and Arthur, Father Ebright officially began his new life as a priest during his

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

See EBRIGHT, page 6

Father James Ebright gives Communion to his mother, Mabel, during his ordination Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte May 28.

UNITED NATIONS — The Catholic Church is at the forefront of efforts for the prevention and treatment of AIDS, Vatican representatives said during a day the United Nations devoted to reviewing See AIDS, page 17

Certainly their cup of tea

Mercy Sister Higgins celebrates 100th birthday with unique tea party by

KRISTINE REICH

special to the catholic news & herald

Adieu to school

BELMONT — She may never have been a mother herself, but that did not keep Mercy Sister Margaret Mary Higgins from loving every infant and mother for whom she cared.

Catholic schools let out for summer by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Charlotte Catholic High School graduates celebrate following commencement ceremonies at Ovens Auditorium June 2. Charlotte Catholic graduated 256 seniors this year.

CHARLOTTE — School has officially let out for the summer for the 7,240 students in diocesan Catholic schools.

After 180 days of classes, recesses, Masses and exams, students across the diocese celebrated the transition to the next grade, school or stage in life. Yearbooks were inscribed, diplomas handed out and tears flowed as students and teachers said goodbye.

See TEA, page 5

For 368 graduating seniors, the coming months hold the promise of new challenges as they head off to college. For the rest, there will be new classmates, teachers and subjects.

But for the moment, there is just the celebration of another school year finished, marked with hugs and handshakes, laughter and tears, fond farewells and fonder memories.

For end-of-school coverage, see pages 10-13.

Courtesy Photo

Mercy Sister Margaret Mary Higgins is all smiles during her 100th birthday tea party in Belmont May 26.

Knightly recognition

Waiting for marriage

Perspectives

Knights of Columbus bestow awards on deserving youths

Hispanic youths promise chastity until marriage

Father’s Day; priesthood reflections; blessedness of marriage

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2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

June 10, 2005

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

Catholic, Muslim scholars continue work on joint marriage document WASHINGTON (CNS) — Muslim and Catholic scholars continued work on a joint document on marriage and family life during a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Muslim-Catholic Dialogue May 4-5 in Douglaston, N.Y. Citing a “strong consensus” among adherents of both faiths about the topic, a May 24 news release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops about the meeting said, “Catholics and Muslims together affirm that marriage is a blessing from God, situated in the order of creation as a natural relationship between a man and woman.”

“They also believe relationships woven together in matrimony provide an environment in which faith and the moral life of the virtues may flourish,” the release added. “Holding similar views on marriage and family life, Muslims and Catholics can enrich, strengthen and encourage one another in working together to testify to shared values before the wider

Religion behind bars

Diocesan planner CNS photo by Sam Lucero, Catholic Herald

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan joins inmates in a closing song during a Palm Sunday Mass celebrated at the Dodge Correctional Institute March 20. The Supreme Court May 31 upheld a federal law that requires prisons to accommodate the religious practices of prisoners.

Supreme Court upholds religious rights of WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Supreme Court May 31 upheld a federal law that requires prisons to accommodate the religious practices of prisoners.

In a unanimous vote, the court said the 2000 Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), does not violate the Constitution by giving what might be perceived as an advantage to members of religious groups.

The court was not asked to address and did not rule on the law’s provisions protecting the rights of religious groups to use their land without undue government interference.

Several Ohio prisoners who follow nontraditional religions sued the state when the prison refused to let them meet in a group for worship and rejected their requests for certain ceremonial items and religious publications. The state had argued, among other things, that being required to accommodate prisoners’ religious beliefs would amount to state support of religion and that other prisoners would abuse the law because it might entitle them to certain foods and privileges they could not otherwise have.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that RLUIPA violates the Establishment Clause by “impermissibly advancing religion by giving greater protection to religious rights than to other constitutionally protected rights.”

The ruling said it was inconsequential that the prisoners who sued were members of nontraditional faiths. The petitioners followed the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a white racist church; Asatru, a Norse neopaganist faith; Wicca; and Satanism.

Ginsburg wrote that RLUIPA “confers no privileged status on any particular religious sect, and singles out no bona fide faith for disadvantageous treatment.”

But the protection conferred by the law does not “elevate accommodation of religious observances over an institution’s need to maintain order and safety,” she wrote. “Our decisions indicate that an accommodation must be measured so that it does not override other significant interests.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was among religious organizations filing a brief urging the court to uphold RLUIPA. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which wrote that brief, said in a statement that the ruling was “a thumping victory for religious accommodation statutes throughout the country.”

“Religion is often the root of rehabilitation,” said the statement, “and so inmates must be free to practice as their faith requires. This the Supreme Court has embraced by today’s decision.”

BOONE VICARIATE SPARTA — St. Frances of Rome Church, Hendrix and Highlands Rds., sponsors the Oratory of Divine Love Prayer Group in the parish house the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 1 p.m. Call (336) 372-8846 for more information.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — The next women’s talk at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., will be June 15 at 7:30 p.m. Father John Starczewski will present “What we as Catholics believe from evolution to the death penalty.” For more information, call Peggy at (704) 588-7311.

CHARLOTTE — We invite you to join us so that we may be with you in your illness and pain be it mental, spiritual or physical. We will pray with you in the name of the Lord Jesus for your healing. Come and know the gentleness and unconditional love of the Lord. Claim his promise of healing and give praise and thanks for all that will be done in the Lord’s holy name. We meet the third Monday of every month in the St. Matthew Chapel, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Barbara Gardner at chlt5nc@aol.com.

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

For details, call Sandy Buck at (704) 948-4587.

society.”

Catholic and Muslim leaders have united against proposals in several states to legalize same-sex marriages.

The dialogue group began its discussions of marriage and family life in 1998, but those talks were interrupted after Sept. 11, 2001, when participants decided to explore the relationship between religion and violence.

Already drafted and/or edited for the marriage document are chapters on the context, history and purpose of the document; the religious basis of marriage and its laws and rituals; concerns related to family life; the impact of society and social change on the family; Catholic and Muslim views on interreligious marriages; an appendix on the process and principles of interreligious dialogue; and a bibliography.

Dialogue participants hope to finalize the chapters this summer and to complete work on the document by the end

CHARLOTTE — Christians in Career Transition is a ministry of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., devoted to helping people in career crises. The meetings take place on the first and third Monday of each month 7-9 p.m. in the conference room. For more information, call Deacon Jim Hamrlik at (704) 576-0456.

CHARLOTTE — The Charismatic Prayer Group of St. Matthew Church will host a Prayer Service for the Sick at St. Matthew Chapel, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Barbara Gardner at chlt5nc@aol.com or Carol Vincent at jlclvincen@aol.com.

CHARLOTTE — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, St. Brigid Division 1, an Irish-Catholic group of women dedicated to their faith, country and Irish heritage, meet the third Wednesday of each month. Anyone interested in membership, call Jeanmarie Schuler at (704) 554 0720.

CHARLOTTE — Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF), a weekly support group for separated and divorced women, meets every Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the New Life Center building, room 114, of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., including a potluck dinner. Divorced men are invited every third Wednesday of the month. TGIF is a healing ministry sponsored by Catholic Social Services, Charlotte Regional Office and St. Matthew Church. For details, call Karen Wepasnick at (704) 541-1891 after 3 p.m.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — If you have a special need for prayers, or would like to offer your time in prayer for others’ needs, please call the Prayer Chain at Our Lady of Grace Church. The Prayer Chain is a sizable group committed to praying for your

June 10, 2 005 Volume 14 • Number 34

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Karen A. Evans Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

June 10, 2005

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope says world must mobilize to assure human right to education and human dignity must be the central concerns.

The pope said his predecessor had called on UNESCO “to build peace starting from the foundation: respect for all human rights, those tied to the person’s material and economic dimension as well as those tied to the spiritual and interior dimension of his existence in the world.”

Pope Benedict said Pope John Paul’s words are just as important today as they were 25 years ago.

In the modern world, he said, “men and women must learn more and more to recognize each other as brothers and sisters,” an educational task the church can promote by underlining “the relationship that binds each person to the Creator of all life and who is the source of the inalienable dignity of each human being from conception to natural death.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Dio-

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The international community must mobilize to assure respect for the human right to education, Pope Benedict XVI said.

In a world increasingly marked by the globalization of the economy and information, “it is important at this moment to mobilize the powers of intelligence to ensure everyone’s human right to education and culture is recognized, especially in the poorest countries,” he said.

Pope Benedict’s remarks were made in a letter read at a special June 2 seminar at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to mark the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Pope Benedict reminded seminar participants of Pope John Paul’s insistence that in all educational and development programs the good of the person

needs and the needs of your family and friends on a daily basis. To request a prayer or to participate in the Prayer Chain, call the church office at (336) 274-6520, ext. 10 and leave your name, address and phone number.

Childcare will also be available. For details and to RSVP, call Susan Chaney at (704) 720-0772 or e-mail sujo94@aol.com.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, is offering a weekly Catholic Scripture Study.

Catholic Scripture Study is a program whose members not only learn the Scriptures, but come to a deeper understanding of their faith in a setting that builds Christian fellowship. Evening and daytime classes will be held each at the church, Wednesdays, 6:45-8:30 p.m., and Thursdays 9:30-11:15 a.m. For more information, call Ann Miller at (828) 441-2205, or email stalscss@charter.net.

NEWTON — The Little Flowers Catholic Girls’ Group is for all Catholic girls ages five and up. The group meets the fourth Monday of each month at St. Joseph Church, 720 West 13th St., at 4 p.m. in the Holy Family Hall. For more details, call Debbie Vickers at (828) 495-2039.

SALISBURY VICARIATE CONCORD — Father Matthew Habinger of the Natural Family Planning Outreach will celebrate all the Masses at St. James Church, 139 Manor Ave., the weekend of July 16 and 17. For information on NFP outreach, visit www.nfpoutreach.org.

For general details, call Susan Chaney at (704) 720-0772 or e-mail sujo94@aol.com.

CONCORD — Father Matthew Habinger will be conducting a free three-hour workshop, “God’s Plan for Human Love,” at St. James Church, 139 Manor Ave., July 16. A light luncheon will be served after the 11 a.m. Mass, followed by the workshop. The workshop will include talks by two local NFP-only physicians and a witness couple.

Episcopal

calendar

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

June 20 —7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Monroe June 22 — 6 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Mountains Church, Highlands

cese of Rome formally opened the sainthood cause of Pope John Paul II, asking Catholics around the world to present evidence “for or against” his reputation for holiness.

The edict signed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome, launched the information-gathering stage of the late pope’s cause. In mid-May, Pope Benedict XVI waived the normal fiveyear waiting period and said work on the sainthood cause of his predecessor could begin immediately.

Cardinal Ruini’s announcement was published May 31 on the front page of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, and was ordered posted on the doors of church offices in Rome and in Pope John Paul’s native Poland.

The request for information was expected to prompt an avalanche of testimonials from Catholics and could also bring to light unpublished letters and other writings of the late pope.

The edict noted that Pope John Paul’s reputation for holiness “exploded in a remarkable way at the moment of his death.” Now the faithful should commu-

nicate directly with the Rome diocesan offices to help document the sainthood cause, it said.

It invited all Catholics to come forward with “any information that can in some way support arguments for or against the reputation for holiness” of Pope John Paul.

The diocese was also to gather all the writings attributed to Pope John Paul throughout his life. The edict directed “whoever is in possession of such writings to forward them with due care” to officials working on the cause.

Of primary interest, it said, were unpublished manuscripts, diaries, letters and other private writings of the late pope.

Even without the normal five-year waiting period, the work on Pope John Paul’s cause is expected to take several years. In addition to studying his writings and interviewing witnesses, the church officials must confirm that two miracles occurred after his death, as the result of prayers asking for his intercession with God.

Crawling toward the

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE KERNERSVILLE — Holy Cross Church, 616 S. Cherry St., hosts a Senior Coffee House the first and third Monday of each month, 10 a.m.12 p.m. in Salesian Hall in the Child Development Building. Call the church office at (336) 996-5109 ext. 12 for directions or information.

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

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Please submit notices for the Diocesan Planner at least 15 days prior to the event date in writing to Karen A. Evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

CNS photo by Art Babych

A giant spider appears to be headed toward Notre Dame Cathedral in Ottawa May 15. In reality it is Maman, a bronze sculpture by Louise Bourgeois permanently erected outside the National Gallery of Canada, opposite the cathedral.

Federal court strikes down Virginia’s partial-birth abortion ban

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

June 15-18 USCCB Spring meeting Chicago

Diocese of Rome formally opens sainthood cause for Pope John Paul II

June 25 — 11 a.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Americas Church, Biscoe June 26 – July 1 Pallium visit by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta Rome

RICHMOND, Va. (CNS) — A threejudge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled June 3 that a Virginia ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure is unconstitutional because it does not include an exception to protect a woman’s health.

The 2-1 decision by the appeals panel upheld a ruling by a federal judge last year on the 2003 Virginia law, which made it a felony to perform a partialbirth abortion. The date the law was to take effect was blocked by the lawsuit challenging it.

The appeals court judges who struck down the Virginia law said they based their decision on a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a similar Nebraska law banning partial-birth abortions because it did not contain a health exception.

Gail Quinn, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said the court’s action “in overturning this law makes it painfully clear that even infanticide cannot be banned in the United States.”

4 The Catholic News & Herald

Making a difference

around the diocese

Bound in prayer

Catholic Daughters award contest winners ASHEVILLE — The Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Joan of Arc No. 2471 recently awarded prizes to the winners of their local education contest.

The themes of the national contest, sponsored locally by Court St. Joan of Arc, were “Our Mother’s Loving Touch” and “I Can Make a Difference.”

Six entries were awarded cash prizes on the local level. Four of the entries were then judged on the state level and won first place in their respective age divisions and categories.

G.G. Hampton, vice regent and education contest coordinator, presented the following awards during a presentation at St. Joan of Arc Church in Asheville May 1.

Magic marker art, third-grade division to Julian Pinelli of the St. Andrew Church in Mars Hill; pencil art, seventh-grade division to Daniel Pinelli of St. Andrew Church; art, seventh-grade division to Raminta Holden of St. Joan of Arc Church; poster art, fifth-grade division to Hayley Lusk of St. Joan of Arc Church; art, and 10th-grade division to Jaclyn Burchell of St. Joan of Arc Church.

A poem by Kelli Tinsley, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, won recognition on the local and state levels in the adult poetry division.

From its inception in 1903, Catholic Daughters of the Americas has grown

June 10, 2005

and developed into the largest organization of Catholic women in the Americas. Headquartered in New York with 100,000 members in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic and Mexico, Catholic Daughters of the Americas’ purpose is to help the church in its religious, charitable and educational works.

The organization, open to Catholic lay and religious women 18 years of age or older, supports Covenant House, which provides shelter and services to homeless and runaway youths; Support Our Aging Religious, a national agency that helps religious orders meet retirement needs; Holy Cross Family Ministries; the U.S. bishops’ Apostleship of the Seas; Teachers of Exceptional Children in conjunction with the National Catholic Educational Association; Morality in Media; Catholic Relief Services; and Habitat for Humanity.

It also provides scholarships and support for seminarians.

The Junior Catholic Daughters of the Americas, the national program for girls ages 6-18, was founded in 1925.

There are currently six courts in the Diocese of Charlotte.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information about the Catholic Daughters’ education contest, e-mail G.G. Hampton at ggh1@bellsouth.net.

Courtesy Photo

Hayley Lusk, Jaclyn Burchell, Raminta Holden and Kelli Tinsley were among the winners of the education contest sponsored by Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Joan of Arc No. 2471.

Courtesy Photo

The Christian Mothers of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory sponsored a living rosary celebration at the church May 21. The multicultural event featured reciting the rosary in English, Spanish, Filipino, Hmong and Portuguese. Participants lit candles and prayed their part of the “luminous mysteries” of the rosary, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II in 2002 that added to the traditional trio of joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries. Prayers and intentions were for an increase in vocations to the religious life, pro-life issues and Pope Benedict XVI.

Hickory teen to attend gifted-students program HICKORY — Peter McAnulty, 16, a parishioner of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, was selected to participate in the 2005 Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics, a summer residential program for academically gifted high school students.

The state-funded program is administered by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

As one of 550 high school students in North Carolina invited to participate, Peter will focus his studies on physics and topology during the four-week program

at Appalachian State University in Boone. The program involves coursework, research projects and extracurricular activities in the fields of study.

Peter is a member of Life Teen and an altar server at St. Aloysius Church. At school, he is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, cross country and track teams, and is historian for the Interact Club and co-treasurer for the National Latin Honor Society.

Peter also is a Life Scout and has earned the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow.

June 10, 2005

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Sister celebrates 100 years

Faithful service

TEA, from page 1

Courtesy Photo

Sister of St. Joseph Helene Nagle, principal of St. Ann School in Charlotte; Franciscan Sister Kathleen Ganiel from Winston-Salem; Mercy Sister Mary Timothy Warren, vicar for women religious in the Diocese of Charlotte; and Mercy Sister Mary Rosalind Picot from Belmont celebrate anniversaries to the religious life during the Sisters’ Appreciation Day held in Curtin Hall at the Sisters of Mercy community in Belmont. Sister Nagle and Sister Picot are golden jubilarians, while Sister Ganiel and Sister Warren are silver jubilarians.

Msgr. Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor for the Diocese of Charlotte, presented a message of gratitude to the sisters and, along with Sister Warren, presented certificates and gifts to all those in attendance.

Fifty-four attendees were present, representing eight religious congregation and 1,520 years of service to the Diocese of Charlotte. There are 21 congregations of women religious currently ministering within the diocese.

was then considered the “mission” fields of North Carolina.

She traveled alone by ship and then by train, eventually arriving in Belmont where she entered the Sisters of Mercy on June 11, 1925. She took the name Sister Mary Lawrence, but in August 1967, returned to her baptismal name.

She soon graduated as a registered nurse from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing and began caring for patients, initially serving as a floor and night supervisor before moving into the pediatric and obstetric areas of the hospital.

“When I first took over the archives (of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina), I found a small red stocking,” said Mercy Sister Mary Andrew Ray, “and was told it was an example of many like it that Sister Margaret Mary would place a newborn infant into before she delivered them to their mothers during the Christmas season.”

Until October of 2000, Sister Higgins remained an active presence at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Her familiar figure could be seen scurrying down the halls, sorting the mail or praying in the chapel.

When not at the hospital, she could often be found in the convent’s kitchen, usually baking any number of her specialty breads. She became famous for the Christmas stollen and friendship breads that were sold at the annual Sisters of Mercy Bazaar.

Even though retired from active nursing, she has reinvented herself as an indispensable asset to her local community through her current ministry of prayer. She remains an avid reader, a loyal citizen of Ireland and is devoted to God and her community of sisters.

Kristine Reich is director of communications for the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina.

Courtesy Photo

From left, centenarian Mercy Sister Margaret Mary Higgins and Mercy Sister Paulette Williams (standing), president of the Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of N.C. wear party hats and boas during a birthday tea party.

Sister Higgins, whose 45 years in health care were served mostly in maternity and delivery wards, was honored at a unique tea party at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont May 26, three days before her 100th birthday.

Wearing a special birthday hat over her veil, she was joined by more than 60 of her closest sisters and friends who donned special party hats and multicolored feather boas.

Those assembled were treated to an unusual fashion show, at which the train of a wedding dress sported a toy train, bell-bottom pants had bells on the bottom and necklines dubbed scoop and plunging were decorated with ice cream scoops and plungers.

Sister Higgins, who served as both a pediatric and obstetric supervisor at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville, was thenknown as Sister Mary Lawrence, a name that became synonymous with loving medical care.

Born May 29, 1905, in Westport in County Mayo, Ireland, Sister Higgins determined her future would be in what

6 The Catholic News & Herald

living the faith

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis anoints the hands of Father James Ebright with sacred chrism during his ordination Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte May 28.

Priest answers God’s call EBRIGHT, from page 1

ordination celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte May 28.

“This is a day of great joy for the Diocese of Charlotte,” said Bishop Jugis during his homily.

Bishop Jugis said Father Ebright was being ordained during the Year of the Eucharist, “a time of special grace for the Church when we renew our amazement at the sacrifice of our Lord’s body and blood, which the Savior gave to his Church.

“This is the sacrifice which will be offered through your hands,” the bishop told Father Ebright.

Father Ebright’s family watched joyfully as his ordination unfolded.

“I am so full of joy, so happy and thankful,” said his mother, watching her son standing on the altar with the bishop after Mass.

“It’s beautiful to see a young man

give himself to God,” said Linda Payne, Father Ebright’s aunt. “There’s hope for the world.”

For Father Ebright, becoming a priest was an answer to a call heard long ago. He began serious consideration about being a priest shortly after high school, and his parents were encouraging.

“I felt that something was missing in my life, and I knew that God was calling me to do something more,” said Father Ebright. “I went through many years of discernment to confirm that it was the priesthood that was missing.”

So Father Ebright left his engineering job in Winston-Salem and followed his heart to Theological College at Catholic University of America in Washington.

Becoming a priest, he said, has put him on “cloud nine,” and he’s ready for the challenges ahead.

Father Ebright said he believes a good priest is one “whose heart is in union with Christ and who has a zeal to save souls.”

“I hope to bring the people to God and God to the people,” he said. “Everything we do (as priests) is aimed toward that.”

“He brings a pastoral heart. He genuinely cares about people,” said Father John Putnam, acting vocations director and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

Father Putnam said Father Ebright’s qualities and background will make him a good priest.

“He’s a very bright man, and has a wonderful ability to work with a wide range of people,” said Father Putnam.

In addition to Jesus Christ, Father Ebright said he has many inspirations.

“There are many people over the last 2,000 years whom I’d like to emulate,” he said. “Many stories of the faith and of modern-day saints are inspiring.”

Specifically, he said, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. “His mind remained strong as his body failed,” said Father Ebright of the late pope. “There are so many aspects of people’s lives that I’d like to emulate.”

Concelebrants of the ordination Mass included Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and diocesan chancellor; Father Paul Gary, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral; Father Putnam; and other priests serving in the Diocese of Charlotte. In attendance was Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin.

During the rite of ordination, Father Ebright confirmed his promise to fulfill the office of the priesthood. Kneeling, he placed his hands between Bishop Jugis’ hands in a promise of obedience to the diocese.

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

During the rite’s most solemn moment, Father Ebright knelt in silence before Bishop Jugis, who laid his hands on Father Ebright’s head. The celebration of the sacrament of holy orders was completed as the bishop extended his hands over the kneeling candidate and prayed the prayer of consecration.

Father Ebright was vested with a stole and a chasuble — outer garments of the priestly office. The bishop anointed his hands with sacred chrism and he was then presented with a chalice and paten

June 10, 2005

signifying his role as celebrant of the Eucharist.

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

“My brother, James, go now with Jesus into the depths of his heart,” said Bishop Jugis. “You are his priest. The paschal mystery is yours to live ... yours to celebrate for the people of God.” It was a command Father Ebright had waited to hear.

“My greatest joy? Turning myself over to God,” said Father Ebright.

PRIESTLY ASSIGMENT Effective July 5, 2005, Father James Ebright will serve as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

Father James Arthur Ebright Born: March 11, 1975 in Mocksville, N.C. Ordained: May 28, 2005 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte Background: Spent youth in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Schooling: Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem (bachelor’s degree in religion and theology); Theological College at Catholic University of America in Washington (master of divinity).

Hobbies: reading, CAD (computer as-

June 10, 2005

year of the eucharist

My sacrifice and yours

Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, Part 18 For the past several weeks, our catechesis on the Mass has focused on the first movement of the liturgy of the Eucharist: the offertory. And last time we discussed the preparation of the altar, the offertory procession of the gifts and the offering prayers for the bread and the wine.

After the offering prayers for the bread and the wine are recited and the sacred vessels are placed on the square linen cloth (called the corporal), the celebrant bows to the altar and prays silently: “Lord God, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts.”

The priest speaks in his own name, as well as on behalf of the faithful, asking God to receive the gifts that he has just offered — namely, the gifts of bread and wine, as well as the sacrifice of ourselves. At this moment, the celebrant may place incense in the thurible, bless the incense and incense the gifts, the altar and the crucifix.

This is now the third time that the incense may be used to signify the church’s offerings and prayers rising like incense in the sight of God. The incense unites the symbols of Christ: the altar, which is the central symbol in the sanctuary for Christ; the crucifix, which recalls the redemption that is re-presented in the sacrifice of the Mass; and the bread and wine, which will actually become the body and blood of Christ in the consecration of the Mass.

The incense may then be used to incense persons: first the celebrant and then the concelebrants, by virtue of their sacred ministry; then the faithful, by reason of their baptismal dignity.

After this third incensation, the celebrant washes his hands. What is the purpose of this gesture? Ritual purification is not a novel practice in the Mass.

Many ancient religions, in particular the Jews, maintained numerous traditional rites for the purification of vessels, as well as for the hands of those who are partaking in the ritual itself.

Further, in the early church, it became practical necessity for the priest to wash his hands after the offertory. The faithful would present a vast array of offerings for the benefit of charity to the poor, including food, bread, vegetables, fruits, flasks of wine and clothing. Following this extended offertory, it became

The Catholic News & Herald 7

A command to action

Guest Column Father Matthew Buettner guest columnist

necessary for the priest to purify his hands before touching the sacred vessels to offer the sacrifice.

The ritual maintains its place in the Mass. Known as the lavabo rite, the washing of hands now refers more to an internal, spiritual purification rather than an external one. As the celebrant is washing his hands, he recites a private prayer in silence to this effect: “Lord, wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sins.”

Notice that there is a distinction made between the iniquity that underlies the desire to sin, and the actual sins themselves. St. Cyril of Jerusalem comments on the mystical meaning of this ritual in the fourth century: “[The lavabo] shows that we must be free from all sin. We perform actions with our hands; to wash our hands is the nearest thing to purifying our deeds.”

The celebrant returns to the center of the altar and implores the faithful to unite themselves with him in the sacrifice that is drawing near. In the original Latin text, the priest says, “Orate, fratres: ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium...” [Pray, brethren: that my sacrifice and yours...].

The prayer indicates the two distinct sacrifices of the Mass: Christ and his body, the church. Our current English translation simplifies this expression: “Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice ....”

The prayer is a sort of extended form of the more common “Let us pray.” The people stand and respond, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands ....”

Finally, the “Prayer Over the Gifts” is the second proper collect or prayer of the Mass and signals the end of the offertory. This prayer usually acknowledges our inability to offer to God gifts adequate to his goodness and power. The church prays that God will accept what we offer with sincerity and respond with generous graces as we prepare to enter the most solemn movement in the Mass: the consecration.

Next week, we will begin to examine the consecration as we move to the Eucharistic Prayer.

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

WANT PREVIOUS COLUMNS? Father Buettner’s “Mystery of the Mass” series is available online at www.charlottediocese.org/mysteryofmass.html.

Photo by Ellen N. Sigmon

Father Jim Collins, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Newton, leads a eucharistic procession as part of a parish celebration for the feast of Corpus Christi May 29.

Celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi in Newton by

ELLEN NEERINCX SIGMON correspondent

NEWTON — Speaking about the Eucharist, Deacon Scott Gilfillan related a unique story about his puppy.

“For more of us, the word ‘rabbit” is a noun. For her, the word is a call to action,” he said. “Her body goes tense, her ears perk up and she is ready to go.”

“Sometimes we treat the Eucharist as an object of adoration, but it is also a command for us to participate in the life of Christ,” said the deacon. “It shows that God loves us and that we must love one another.”

Deacon Gilfillan, permanent deacon at St. Joseph Church in Newton, spoke in both English and Spanish during a special Mass to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi at the church May 29.

The Mass, in which prayers, readings and hymns were in both languages, was the only Mass held that day at the church to show unity in the body and blood of Christ.

A highlight of the celebration was a eucharistic procession, during which parishioners followed Father Jim Collins, pastor, outside as he carried a monstrance containing the Eucharist.

A group of boys at the parish know all about bringing the Eucharist to others.

The Holy Crusaders is made up of boys eight years and older who have received their first Communion. Each commits to one or more hours each month of giving presentations on the Eucharist to first communicants and confirmands, or praying for specific intentions.

The club’s purpose is “to help bring other people to Jesus and the sacrament,” said Brendan Vickers, club president, who serves in the club with his brother, Andrew.

The best part of being a member, said Andrew, is “that we are learning our faith.”

The parish celebration was held in commemoration of the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II to be celebrated from October 2004 to October 2005. Many parishioners from St. Joseph Church also are planning to charter a bus to attend the Diocese of Charlotte’s Eucharistic Congress, which takes place in Charlotte Sept. 23-24.

DID YOU KNOW? A monstrance is an exposition case and stand, generally large and ornate, used to display the Eucharist for certain processions and devotions.

A eucharistic procession is a way of bringing the Eucharist out into the community.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

youths in action

June 10, 2005

Walking in the footsteps of Christ during Lent

Courtesy Photo

Madeline Rose Lewis accepts the Staddon-Cain scholarship award from Chip Evans, grand knight of Knights of Columbus Council 8509 at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville.

Courtesy Photo

Pictured is the youth group from St. John the Baptist de La Salle Church in North Wilkesboro, which sponsored a Lenten Stations of the Cross and fish fry at the church March 18. Each Friday during Lent, a different parish group — such as the youth group, Hispanic Leadership Team, Peace and Justice Group, etc. — sponsored and led parishioners in walking the 14 Stations and retracing the steps of Jesus Christ.

The Stations were preceded by a Lenten soup and bread supper prepared and shared by parishioners.

Rewarding excellence

Past Grand Knight Felipe Villalon of Knights of Columbus Council 10504 presents the 200506 Canice Conners Scholarship to Conner Brannan, a rising eighth-grader at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem, April 29.

The $500 scholarship is sponsored by the Council 10504 and given yearly to a Catholic school student who is actively involved in his or her school and parish.

Courtesy Photo

Teen wins Knights’ Staddon-Cain award KERNERSVILLE — Knights of Columbus Council 8509 at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville recently announced the winner of the John R. Staddon and Frank L. Cain Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Grand Knight Chip Evans presented the award to Madeline Rose Lewis, 14. Madeline received a $500 check in February toward the continuation of her education.

Council 8509 presents the annual award to a young student parishioner of Holy Cross Church based on the individual’s scholastic achievement and for community- and church-related accomplishments.

Madeline has been home schooled

and plans to enter Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville next fall. She is an active volunteer with Peace Goods Mission, therapeutic riding stables and a homeless women’s shelter, and she teaches other students about Catholicism.

Madeline is the daughter of Ken and Melanie Feeney Lewis.

The scholarship fund, founded to perpetuate Catholic education, was named after two non-Catholic men who married Catholic women. During their lives, Staddon, who later converted, and Cain both supported the Catholic Church and their children’s faith formation.

June 10, 2005

Youths in action

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Waiting for marriage

Hispanic youths, young adults promise chastity by

DEACON GERALD POTKAY correspondent

CLEMMONS — Hispanic youths and young adults from the dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh recently renewed their vows of chastity until marriage.

The promises were made during a weekend retreat, “True Love Waits,” held at Holy Family Church in Clemmons May 27-29. More than 70 youths and young adults participated.

“It is very important for the Hispanic Ministry that the people of Hispanic traditions and customs are engaged in overall growth, especially in the areas of human sexuality,” said Ricardo Veloz, director of diocesan Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

“In the Spanish community, we don’t speak about sexuality,” said Erica Guerra, a parishioner of St. Eugene Church in Wendell, N.C. “We only learn these things in school.”

“One of our goals is to create awareness of the Catholic perspective on purity and chastity, as well as the importance and worth of their own sexuality as it relates not only to themselves, but more importantly, to God and then society in general,” said Veloz.

Much of the information delivered at the retreat came from the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” according to Laura Flores, a volunteer at the retreat.

“Along with the lectures, there are a lot of plays or skits, singing, praying and small and large group activities, all of which involve much interaction between presenters and participants,” she said.

“The premise is for the participants to remain chaste until marriage,” said Flores. “There are different reasons being presented for taking this stance, and they all center on God, self-worth, social life and the advent of sexually transmitted diseases.”

“The process leading to chaste sexuality begins with self-awareness and ad-

vances through the stages of friendship, courtship and finally marriage,” she said.

T he r e t r e a t , w h i c h f e a t u r e d Masses and confession, included sessions on abortion and the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

“We had sessions on a holistic view of self and how to apply all of this (Catholic faith) to self and others through a true Christian ethic, what we are supposed to do and what we are not supposed to do,” said Flores.

One skit related sexual activity to roses.

“The petals relate to each sex act,” said Flores. “The chaste virgin is a rose, untouched by sexual activity. Each time you have sex you would peel off a petal.

If you continually have sex and peel off the petals, you end up with nothing left to offer for marriage.”

“But if you refrain from having sex ... you can still have a lot to offer your future spouse,” she said.

After the skit and discussion, the participants were asked to renew their vows of chastity, even if they had previously been sexually active.

“It’s hard sometimes to do the right thing,” said Flores. “... We must have a commitment to ourselves, to our future spouses and our future children,” said Medina.

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

More than 70 Hispanic youths and young adults participate in the “True Love Waits” weekend retreat held at Holy Family Church in Clemmons May 25-27. The participants learned about human sexuality according to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

First Communion

Contact Correspondent Deacon Gerald Potkay by calling (336) 427-8218 or e-mail gpotkay@triad.rr.com.

UPCOMING RETREATS Similar retreats will be held in Monroe July 15-17 and in Hendersonville Aug. 12-14. For more information, contact Ricardo Veloz at (704) 661-2243.

Courtesy Photo

Emilie Hughes, Melissa McMath and Alynna Summit stand with Oblate Father Albert Gondek, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, after receiving first Communion May 1. The children, families and parishioners celebrated after the Mass with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald

Stepping out into a wide-open world by

GRADUATION What was the most important thing you learned at Charlotte Catholic?

staff writer

FAST FACTS Charlotte Catholic’s class of 2005 consisted of 256 students who received more than $5 million in combined scholarships.

Charlotte Catholic sports teams won 15 conference championships and seven state championships in 2004-05.

SAT scores for CCHS seniors (1105) exceeded the average scores for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina (1006) and the United States

Tomorrow’s leaders take next

“I learned that life goes on whether you have a good day or a bad day.”

KAREN A. EVANS

CHARLOTTE — A close-knit group of students is taking their first steps into the world beyond high school.

The Charlotte Catholic High School class of 2005 received their diplomas at Ovens Auditorium June 2.

“The bonds that we have forged, especially this year, as well as the sense of family that we have established, cannot be ignored,” said Andrew Petrilli, in his salutatorian address. “It is such a blessing to be able to call each one of you my classmate and my friend.”

The diplomas were conferred by Mgsr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor for the Diocese of Charlotte; Linda Cherry, superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools; and Gerald Healy, principal of Charlotte Catholic High School.

The commencement exercises for Charlotte Catholic reflected the Catholic faith that is taught alongside French, American history and algebra.

“We have been taught for years to find Jesus in everyone that we meet,” said Samson Mesele, valedictorian. “In the bonds that we have formed, I swear, for a brief moment we stroked the face of God. Following the closing prayer, the euphoric graduates marched out into the open green space outside the auditorium. After tossing their caps into the air against a soft evening sky, young men and women embraced each other as if for the first time and the last.

June 10, 2005

— Thomas

“How to practice my fatih without being ashamed.”

— Kaitlin Gilbride Courtesy Photo

“Work hard, pray always and have fun.”

The 2005 graduating class of St. Michael School in Gastonia was honored at a special school Mass May 12 celebrated by then-pastor Father Joseph Mulligan of St. Michael Church. As part of a school tradition, during the Mass the graduating eighth-graders passed candles to the seventh-graders, who will be next year’s role models and leaders at the school.

—Christine Mancusi

Who has been the biggest influence on you?

“Mr. (Norman) Rioux ... because he inspired me to succeed in whatever I do and taught me many things, not only in Spanish but life.”

— Amanda Sain “Andrew Petrelli, because he is one of the nicest, classiest guys you will ever meet and is always there for you.”

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Holy Trinity students Emily Blazer, Alyssa Farls and Jessica Short sign each other’s yearbooks on the last day of school.

June 10, 2005

t step into larger world

GRADUATION

The Catholic News & Herald 11

A new purpose

Courtesy Photo

The 119 graduates of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville pose for a group photo before their commencement ceremony May 28.

Bishop McGuinness graduates 119

Photo by Karen A. Evans

An exuberant fifth-grader exchanges “high fives” with the students of St. Ann School June 3. The celebration has been an annual school-wide event for the past five years.

KERNERSVILLE — As their high school careers came to a close, graduating students were encouraged to discover their purposes in life.

Father John Olenick, a 1988 graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, gave that message to 119 graduates during the school’s commencement ceremony at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem May 28.

Father Olenick, who now serves in New York, told the students to discover their purposes in life in light of the opportunities that they have enjoyed at Bishop McGuinness.

Diplomas were distributed by Principal George Repass; Msgr. Mauricio W. West, chancellor and vicar general for the Diocese of Charlotte; and Linda Cherry, superintendent of diocesan Catholic schools.

Richard Valittuto, student council

president, was class valedictorian and Jennifer Williams was salutatorian.

Two days before commencement, the graduates participated in a baccalaureate Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro May 26. Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrated the Mass, with priests from the Greensboro and Winston-Salem vicariates concelebrating.

FAST FACTS Bishop McGuinness’ class of 2005 consisted of 119 students who received more than $1.7 million in cmbined scholarships.

52 graduates were inducted into the National Honor Society.

100 percent of the 2005 graduating class will attend more than 60 colleges/ universities this year.

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

in our schools

Lasting embrace

June 10, 2005

Learning never

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Courtesy Photo

Principal Wanda Garrett and seventh-grader Anna Tillery hug goodbye as the last bell rings for the school year at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point June 3.

Catherine Chambers, Susannah Huth and Caroline Chambers cram a few more geography facts in before leaving St. Gabriel School for the summer June 3.

June 10, 2005

A fond farewell

in our schools

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Two admired, loved principals retire by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — After more than 5,700 school days spent educating thousands of students, Pat Murphy and Bill Meehan said tearful goodbyes to current and former students, parents and faculty and staff as they left their positions as principals of diocesan Catholic schools.

Murphy retired at the end of the 2004-05 school year, having spent 26 years working in the Diocese of Charlotte, as math and science teacher and principal at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte and as principal of St. Michael School in Gastonia.

Meehan retired after serving six years as principal of Immaculata School in Hendersonville. After relocating to Illinois, where his grandchildren live, he plans to continue to work, but on a more limited basis and reduced responsibilities.

Both Murphy and Meehan were asked to reflect on their experiences and what the future holds for each of them.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Murphy: The day the student council was making a banner for Catholic Schools Week that said, “We are not just a school, we are a family.” We had a large banner made and it has been hanging on the front of the building for the past 10 years.

Meehan: Providing a climate for others to realize their own potential. Here at Immaculata, that climate has allowed others to create and develop a viable sports program, an award winning chess program, a school choir and more.

How did you convey Christ’s message to your staff and students?

Murphy: I convey Christ’s message to the staff and children each and every

time I see them. I greet them each morning, I call them by name, I honor and respect them, I believe in their goodness, I am willing to help them as best as I can, and I am there to see them off at the end of the day and tell them that I will see them tomorrow.

Meehan: I tried to convey Christ’s message to the staff and students though prayer and personal example. I encouraged the creation of a school choir to lead us in singing at our weekly school Masses, as I believe that the voices of children sung in praise to the Lord is one of the highest forms of worship and most pleasing to him.

What are you looking forward to in your retirement?

Murphy: I am looking forward to spending time with my family. My husband, John, and I can visit the children and grandchildren. I love to sew, cook and garden. I will have more time to do this.

Meehan: I will have more time to

Photo by Karen A. Evans

A brownie embraces Pat Murphy after Troop 82 presented Murphy with a painting of Mary during Murphy’s retirement party May 22. Murphy retired as principal of Our Lady of the Assumption School after working in the Diocese of Charlotte for 26 years. “stop to smell the roses” and spend more time with my grandchildren. Also, I want to concentrate more on my ballroom dancing lessons and explore other possible interests such as music and the arts.

I will probably want to take a trip to Ireland and northern France, especially the area around Normandy for its historical significance.

What is your favorite quote or personal motto?

Murphy: I believe that everyone has special gifts that are freely given to us. It is an opportunity for educators to help the children reach their full potential. I also believe that it takes the whole village to raise the children.

Meehan: Being a Vermonter, I like Calvin Coolidge’s statement to the effect that perseverance is the greatest of all personal attributes.

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

Courtesy photo

Bill Meehan pitches in by sweeping the floors of Immaculata School in Hendersonville. Meehan retired after six years as principal of the school.

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

June 10, 2005

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Early Catholicism

In U.S. history, Florida beats New England, says retired professor by

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO catholic news service

ORLANDO, Fla. — When speaking of firsts in U.S. history, the place should be Florida’s St. Augustine, not Plymouth, Mass; the first settlers should be Spanish, not British; and the religion should be Catholicism, not Puritanism.

“It’s about time that we corrected our brethren in the northern climes,” Michael Gannon told an audience of Catholic journalists during a May 27 workshop at the Catholic Press Association’s annual convention in Orlando.

“By the time the pilgrims came to Plymouth, St. Augustine was up for urban renewal,” he said.

A professor emeritus at the University of Florida, Gannon has done extensive research on the history of the state and written the landmark book on the subject, “The Cross in the Sand,” published in 1965.

He also wrote the first chapter of “Florida’s Catholic Heritage Trail,” a book to be published this year that encompasses the history of all seven of Florida’s Catholic dioceses, beginning with the events in 1565 in St. Augustine.

Known as “the Grinch who stole Thanksgiving” by some New Englanders, Gannon said, “we have to tell the story” of Florida’s early history and, by extension, the Catholic contribution to the history of the United States.

It was Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521 who first explored the territory he christened Florida, after the Spanish name for Easter, Pascua Florida. That was 86 years before the British arrived in Jamestown, Va., in 1607 and nearly a century before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.

“There is a place called St. Augustine. It’s critically important to Florida history. It’s critically important to Catholic history. It’s critically important to our country’s history,” said Eric Johnson, director of the Mission Nombre de Dios (Name of God) in St. Augustine, the first Catholic parish in the United States.

Johnson and Susan Parker, of the Division of Historical Resources for Florida’s Department of State, joined Gannon as co-presenters of the workshop.

According to Gannon and evidence uncovered by state archeologists, Ponce de Leon and subsequent Spanish explorers had landed in what are now Tampa Bay and Pensacola Bay, and explored as far north as the Chesapeake Bay, by 1526.

They brought with them not just soldiers but farmers, families and Spanish priests — Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits — who set up 38 mission outposts in Florida by 1655. In fact, the name San

Francisco was given to a mission in Potano, near present-day Gainesville, about 170 years prior to the use of the name in California.

“These were selfless men of God who wrote one of the great stories in the history of the faith in North America,” Gannon said. “Here were the first people who carried the lamp of Christianity into the darkened interior of North America.”

Contrary to popular belief and what is taught in some history books, “the natives were not in any way used or abused by the friars, nor would they let them be abused by others,” Gannon said.

He described the priests as living among the Indians as Peace Corps volunteers do today, teaching them European ways without imposing their beliefs. By 1655, the Franciscans counted 26,000 native converts in Florida.

Gannon called the Spanish priests “the first great defenders of human, civil and religious rights in what is now the United States.” He stressed that “no Indian was ever converted by force.”

Johnson noted that when Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed in 1565 in present-day St. Augustine, just south of Jacksonville, he claimed the land for Spain with both a flag and a cross. Seeing him and the rest of the Spaniards reverence the cross, the Timucuan Indians who had gathered at the site followed suit.

“The very beginning of the teaching of the Gospel in the United States was by example rather than by word,” said Johnson.

That gesture was followed by the first Mass on U.S. soil. It was celebrated by the priest who accompanied the expedition, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, on Sept. 8, 1565, on the site known to this day as Mission Nombre de Dios (Name of God).

After the Mass, Menendez de Aviles invited the Timucuans to join him for “the first communal meal of Europeans and natives together,” Gannon said.

“This was the first communal act of thanksgiving in the first permanent European settlement of what is now the United States.”

Nombre de Dios also is the site of the first Marian shrine in the United States, the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche y Buen Parto (The Milk and Happy Delivery), a devotion carried over from Spain by couples seeking to conceive or bear healthy children.

“People come from all over the United States and other countries to pray to Our Lady of La Leche,” Johnson said.

“What started with Father Lopez as the first parish priest has continued to this day.”

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: June 19, 2005

June 19, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A Readings: 1) Jeremiah 20:10-13 Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 2) Romans 5:12-15 3) Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33

An example of sustaining faith

by BEVERLY CORZINE catholic news service

By mid-June, school vacation days have begun across most of the country.

Breakneck schedules for families subside.

During this blessed time, travel is usually on the agenda. Those of us who live where it is hot long to go to some place cool.

On the other hand those who have endured months of living in a deep freeze often plan trips to sunny realms.

No matter what direction the compass may lead us, the summer itinerary of most vacationers will include a visit to at least one historical site. Walking the same ground where our fellow human beings have been put to the test often mesmerizes us. Their past becomes part of our past, and their stories become part of our own.

I never will forget my first visit to the lush Pennsylvania farmland where fields rich with sweet corn create towering green roadside walls. My destination that day had once been simply part of the rolling

landscape — an open field that stretches to a patch of trees in the distance.

I was one of millions of people to have visited this quiet place where the echoes of birdsong and muffled voices fill the air. One of history’s great ironies lay before me.

The green grass now covers ground that once was soaked with blood. In the peace of a summer day the thunder of war raged — men and animals alike were trapped in the great pandemonium of suffering.

As I walked around the field, I thought of Abraham Lincoln, tormented by loneliness and the anguish of leadership, waiting for the horrific battlefield reports telegraphed from Gettysburg in July. Biographers tell us he was a man of great prayer, a man chosen by history whose only constant was God. The first reading for this Sunday comes from the prophet Jeremiah. When we hear this ancient voice, it is helpful to know something of the man. God called Jeremiah to preach a message of repentance to God’s people who had strayed far away from their faith.

In times of doubt, Jeremiah thinks that perhaps God has made a fool of him. In today’s passage from this great prophet we have a window into his suffering. However, we also have a palpable example of his sustaining faith.

Questions: What people in your life have been models of courage sustained through their reliance on God? When has your trust in God strengthened your ability to stand against the work of evil?

Scripture to be Illustrated:

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of June 12-18 Sunday (Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time), Exodus 19:2-6, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 9:38—10:8; Monday (St. Anthony of Padua), 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 5:38-42; Tuesday, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, Matthew 5:43-48; Wednesday, 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday, 2 Corinthians 11:1-11, Matthew 6:7-15; Friday, 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30, Matthew 6:19-23; Saturday, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Matthew 6:24-34.

Scripture for the week of June 19-25 Sunday (Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Jeremiah 20:10-13, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33; Monday, Genesis 12:1-9, Matthew 7:1-5; Tuesday (St. Aloysius Gonzaga), Genesis 13:2, 5-18, Matthew 7:6, 12-14; Wednesday (St. Paulinus of Nola, St. John Fisher, St. Thomas More), Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Matthew 7:15-20; Thursday, Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16, Matthew 7:21-29; Friday (Nativity of St. John the Baptist), Isaiah 49:1-6, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66,80; Saturday, Genesis 18:1-15, Luke 1:46-50, 53-55, Matthew 8:5-17.

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June 10, 2005

New Zealand to air animated series lampooning papacy,

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CNS) — An animated series that the British Broadcasting Corp. canceled after protests by Catholics because it lampooned the papacy will make its world premiere on New Zealand television June 8.

“Popetown,” described by its creators as “‘Father Ted’ meets ‘South Park,’” will air on C4, a youth-oriented music television station, which last year purchased the rights to air the show in New Zealand before the BBC pulled the show from its schedule.

The BBC was inundated with complaints about “Popetown.” The show was said to feature the pope, who travels around on a pogo stick, as a childish retiree whose every fickle whim must be indulged.

“When we purchased ‘Popetown,’ there was no controversy,” said Andrew Szusterman, station and program manager for C4, a CanWest network. “There was no word of ever pulling the show.”

Szusterman said the BBC only pulled “Popetown” from its schedule after the health of Pope John Paul II declined.

However in September, Stuart Murphy, controller of BBC Three, announced the show’s cancellation, saying, “There is a fine judgment line in comedy

between scurrilously funny and the offensive.”

Szusterman said he did not see any problems with the show.

“The scope of it, and I’ve seen four episodes, is much tamer than ‘Father Ted’ and much tamer than ‘South Park’ in its context,” he said.

“It is satire in the same sense that ‘Father Ted’ was satire, and I don’t think anyone complained about that. I think this has been blown out of proportion,” he said.

“Father Ted” was a British show that satirized life in an Irish parish. “South Park” is a scatological animated series on the Comedy Central cable channel that tells the stories of young children in the mythical town of South Park.

Szusterman said the station recommends parental guidance in allowing children to watch “Popetown.” He said nothing in the show raised any red flags when tested against broadcasting standard guidelines.

The show’s creators say “Popetown” is a satire of office life.

“Office politics exist in any workplace, but in ‘Popetown’ there’s a bizarre twist: The company is the Vatican and the chief executive happens to be the pope,” says the show’s Web site.

No signs of cancellation

Actor Gilyard finds Catholicism is role for a

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Actor Clarence Gilyard is well known for being Chuck Norris’ right-hand man on “Walker, Texas Ranger” and for being Andy Griffith’s on “Matlock.”

“Why I got to do 13 straight years of network television and somebody else didn’t, who knows?” Gilyard mused in an interview June 2 with Catholic News Service in Washington.

What’s less well-known about Gilyard is that he’s Catholic. It has been a 10-year run since he joined the church and it shows no signs of cancellation.

He was in town to attend meetings of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications, on which he serves as a consultant.

Gilyard, originally a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, said his journey to Catholicism came as the result of the breakup of his first marriage.

“I went through a serious divorce that brought me to my knees. I had to think on all aspects of my life,” he said, speaking in quiet, measured tones.

“Someone took me to Mass, and I looked anew at life at that time, and I felt at home - immediately,” Gilyard recalled. “Not long after that I started praying the rosary, too. The man who brought me to Mass essentially taught me to pray the rosary. And praying it was hard.”

Now, his family prays the rosary together, said Gilyard, who is married and has three children. “(The Virgin) Mary knows how to teach.”

Gilyard, whose home is Texas, has been on a sabbatical from TV and movie acting so he could pursue a master’s degree in classical theater at Southern Methodist University.

“I’m about twice the age of my

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Actor Clarence Gilyard, who joined the Catholic Church 10 years ago, serves as an advisor on communications and media to the U.S. bishops. fellow students,” said Gilyard, who will celebrate his 50th birthday on Christmas Eve this year. “I really have to work hard to keep up with them.”

The discipline has helped him as a consultant to the bishops’ communications committee, on which he has served for about three years.

“I missed the last meeting” in January, Gilyard said, so to prepare for the May 31-June 2 meeting, “I really had to do my homework.”

He got the consultant’s post based on his friendship with Bishop Joseph A. Galante of Camden, N.J. He attended the episocpal ordination of Bishop Galante when he became coadjutor for the Dallas Diocese in 1999, Gilyard told CNS. When Bishop Galante assumed the chairmanship of the communications committee, he asked Gilyard to be a consultant; of the committee’s 10 current consultants, he is the only one who works in show business.

But he is more than just an actor, he said. He sees himself “as a Catholic Christian,” he explained.

“People don’t necessarily want to see you in that way,” nor do they see him, he added, “as a person, as a father,” as someone “called to marriage” or “as an artist.”

Gilyard turned down reprising his role as Pastor Bruce Barnes for a third “Left Behind” movie.

“That made Bishop Galante really happy,” he said with a laugh. The movies stress a fundamentalist theology of the end times seen as being in conflict with Catholic teaching.

But taking the Barnes role had some important elements for Gilyard.

“I took the (part) because of the character,” he said. “Not just because of his being clergy, but the predicament he faces ... the struggle of the individual, and that’s putting it lightly.

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Abbey’s alumni magazine wins international awards BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College’s alumni magazine, “Crossroads,” earned high honors for the second straight year, garnering three Communicator Awards in the 2005 Print Media competition.

The college won two Awards of Distinction for its Winter/Spring 2004 issue in the Best Magazine for an Educational Institution and Best Magazine for a NonProfit categories. The Abbey also won an Honorable Mention for Best Writing for a Magazine.

“We are certainly proud of the recognition,” said Fran Kirk Piñeros, the college’s director of alumni and parent relations. “Without a doubt, the awards fall in line with the college’s initiatives outlined in its strategic plan — achieving excellence and virtue.”

Belmont Abbey College’s director of public relations agreed.

“Our goal for the magazine has always been to reach the Abbey’s alumni in a meaningful way,” said Teresa Sowers, also the magazine’s editor-in-chief.

“From the redesign of the magazine to putting more of their personal stories in print, from the use of captivating photos to the participation of everyone at the college so it’s a true product of the

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Responsible, articulate, detail-oriented person needed to handle day-to-day management of a financial planning office. Responsibilities include: client service, activity follow-up, filing, scheduling appointments and maintaining contact management database. Basic computer skills needed but advanced people skills required. 24-40 hours per week. Next to Charlotte Catholic High. Telephone 704-540-7771 or fax resume to 704-540-7763.

RN SUPERVISOR: 2nd shift, fulltime. Care and treatment children/adults MR/DD. Requires supervisory experience, pediatric and/or acute care. Apply in person: Holy Angels, Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 7:00 pm, 6600 Wilkinson Blvd, Belmont, NC. info@holyangelsnc.org SALES REPRESENTATIVE: J.S. Paluch Co., est. 1913, the nation’s oldest Catholic Publisher, is now interviewing for the position of Sales Representatives for parish church bulletins. Realistic earnings potential of 40K+, health insurance, paid vacation, 401K. Some travel required. Self motivation a must. Bilingual helpful in some areas. To arrange an interview call Les Black at 800-4323240. Seniors welcome to apply.

TEACHER, FIRST GRADE: St. Francis Catholic School Pre-K through 8th Grade has an opening for a first grade teacher. Successful candidate must hold a valid state certification with experience in teaching primary grades. St. Francis is located on Hilton Head Island, SC; enrollment approximately 235 children. Interested candidates may send a letter of interest and resume to: Dr. Mike Rockers, St. Francis Catholic School, 45 Beach City Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926. Fax: 843-689-3725 TEACHER, LANGUAGE ARTS: Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School has an opening for a part-time, middle-school Language Arts Teacher for the 2005-2006 academic year. Must be North Carolina certified. Please fax or email cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements

Abbey — we couldn’t be more proud.”

“No one starts a project thinking it will necessarily win anything,” she said.

“But it is always nice when you are able to not only meet the goals you set, but also have your work recognized by a group of your peers.”

The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field with entries judged by industry professionals. Belmont Abbey College was chosen from among 5,078 entries in this year’s competition from advertising agencies, corporate communications departments, educational institutions, government entities, designers, writers, video production professionals, broadcast and cable operations and other businesses throughout the country.

“Crossroads” is published bi-anto (336) 884-1849 or nachter@ihmchurch.org.

-ATTN: Principal or mail to IHM School, 605 Barbee Avenue, High Point, NC 27262. Deadline - July 15, 2005.

TEACHER, SOCIAL STUDIES: Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School has an opening for a full-time 8th Grade teacher with emphasis on Middle School Social Studies for the 2005-2006 Academic year. The ability to teach Middle School Math class is a plus. Must be North Carolina Certified. Please fax or email cover letter, resume, references and required salary range to (336)884-1849 or nachter@ihmchurch.org. Or mail directly to IHM School, 605 Barbee Avenue, High Point, NC 27262 - ATTN: Principal. Deadline is July 15, 2005.

TEACHERS: Positions available for the 2005/06 academic year: Art (K-8), Music (K-8), Grade 2. St. Pius X is a K-8 Catholic school with an outstanding academic and spiritual reputation in the greater Greensboro community based on its excellent learning environment and a great place to teach. Competitive salary and benefits available.

Candidates must meet NC certification requirements. For information, please pick up an application at school office, 2200 N. Elm St., Greensboro, SERVICES NC 27408. or call (336) 273-9865, M-F, 9-2.

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Rates: $.70/word per issue ($14 minimum per issue) Deadline: 12 noon Wednesday, 9 days before publication How to order: Ads may be E-mailed to ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org, faxed to (704) 370-3382 or mailed to: Cindi Feerick, The Catholic News & Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Payment: For information, call (704) 370-3332.

nually by the college’s Office of Public Relations with assistance from Alumni Office and the Development Office. The magazine features success stories of alumni and current students of the Abbey and includes; news, sports, arts, calendar events, alumni news, and open letters from the college president, the abbot and alumni president.

This year’s Communicator Awards had 187 categories with three awards in each category; the Crystal Award of Excellence, the Award of Distinction and Honorable Mention.

The Crystal Award of Excellence was given to 13 percent of entries, which demonstrated the best in their field.

The Award of Distinction is awarded for projects that exceed industry standards in communicating a message or idea. Approximately 19 percent of the entries won this award.

Honorable Mention certificates are granted to those entries that meet the high standards of the industry. Approximately 10 percent of entries were honorable mention winners.

In 2004, Belmont Abbey College won three Awards of Distinction and two Honorable Mentions for the 2003 Winter issue of “Crossroads” featuring Ed Antosek ’68 on the cover.

June 10, 2005

Msgr. Richard Allen dies at

Msgr. Richard Allen CHARLOTTE — Msgr. Richard Allen, a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, died June 7 in Charlotte. He was 74.

Born Aug. 28, 1930, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Msgr. Allen was ordained to the priesthood in Durham by Bishop Vincent S. Waters or Raleigh in May 1956.

After serving in several parishes throughout the Diocese of Charlotte, Msgr. Allen retired in July 2000 and began a new ministry as a “circuit priest” in Alaska, traveling by plane across an archdiocese covering nearly 14,000 square miles.

Look for more on Msgr. Allen’s enduring ministry as a priest in the next issue of The Catholic News & Herald.

June 10, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 17

from the cover

Church at forefront of AIDS treatment, prevention AIDS, from page 1

the international community’s AIDSrelated programs.

Father Robert S. Meyer, a U.S. priest on the staff of the Vatican’s U.N. mission, cited estimates of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers that more than a fourth of all AIDS services were sponsored by the Catholic Church.

The Catholic AIDS Funding Network Group of donor organizations reports that it funds or sponsors AIDS programs in 102 countries, he said.

Father Meyer presented the Vatican statement to a session described as a “round table on treatment, care and support.” It was one of several meetings held by the U.N. General Assembly June 2 to review progress toward goals set at a 2001 special session on AIDS. At a round table on prevention, Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan, another staff member of the Vatican mission, said the church does not accept condom use and called for changes in behavior to prevent transmission of the disease.

When people live out their sexuality in a responsible way, the prevention issue has been largely resolved, he said.

Francisco Dionisio, a Portuguese intern at the Vatican mission, told a conference on the question of stigmatizing people with AIDS that the inherent human dignity of every person means “we are called today to fight against the stigma and to continue to care generously and without judgment” for those with AIDS. At the beginning of the AIDS crisis, he recalled, while “most government agencies, public and private entities, and even family members” abandoned those in need, church agencies “embraced and cared for” people with AIDS. The call to speak the truth “chal-

lenges us to shout that HIV/AIDS is not a punishment, is not a crime, is not a horror, and is not a curse, but rather it is the face of suffering in our brothers and sisters,” Dionisio said.

Father Meyer said his round-table topic recalled “the particularly strong and determined leadership shown by the late Pope John Paul II in this area.”

The pope promoted education to prevent AIDS, led the church to care for AIDS patients and “through his own personal witness and example” discouraged any kind of stigmatizing of people with AIDS, he said.

Citing a statement on the priority of human rights issued by Pope Benedict XVI shortly after his election, Father Meyer said, “The Holy See wishes to register its strong concern that the rights of people affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic demand more careful safeguarding and promotion by both governments and civil society.”

On treatment, he reported that Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Medical Mission Board were working with other agencies in a program funded by the U.S. government.

He also said the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference had sponsored programs at 22 sites in three areas most seriously affected by AIDS — South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland.

And church leaders in many areas are developing ways to mobilize their resources “in a more strategic, efficient and effective manner,” he said.

Peter Piot, director of the UNAIDS program, and Richard Feachem, director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, were asked whether Christianity, Judaism and Islam were part of the problem or were the solution to the AIDS crisis.

“Part of the solution — there’s no doubt about that,” Piot responded.

Raising awareness

Courtesy Photo

Capuchin Brother Lombard D’Auria (left) stands with members of the AIDS support team from Our Lady of Consolation and St. Gabriel churches in Charlotte who participated in the May 7 AIDS Walk Charlotte 2005, a two-mile walk that is the largest HIV/AIDS awareness and fund-raising event in the Carolinas.

Brother D’Auria is a Capuchin postulant serving at Our Lady of Consolation Church. Pictured (from left): Brother D’Auria; Jorge Patino and his son, Alejandro, and niece, Jaime, of St. Gabriel Church; and Jaime Martinez of St. Gabriel Church.

1 8 The Catholic News & Herald

June 10, 2005

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Archbishop Emeritus John Donoghue, a nice guy finishes Love of Eucharist one of archbishop’s many qualities The room became silent as the lovely tune and her soaring lyric soprano voice filled each of us with awe at the new beauty she brought to the familiar verses.

All who were gathered, indeed all who have been privileged to experience Archbishop John Donoghue’s leadership — in Charlotte and in Atlanta — had a lot for which to be thankful.

David Hains i s d i re c t o r o f communication for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains @ charlottediocese.org.

Archbishop Emeritus John F. Donoghue Archbishop Emeritus John F. Donoghue’s dream come true was making the fire marshall worry in College Park, Ga., June 4. The Archdiocese of Atlanta’s 10th Eucharistic Congress was underway inside the cavernous Georgia International Convention Center near Atlanta and the place was packed.

The congress’ record crowd of 23,000 people in 2004 was eclipsed this month by the 29,000 souls who came to hear the speakers, attend Mass and to understand better the source and summit of Catholic life, the Eucharist.

The problem was that there were too many people.

The crowd was orderly, but was apparently larger than the building was designed to hold. Kathi Stearns, chancellor of the archdiocese, added, “At one point the fire marshall was thinking of closing the building to additional attendees.”

In 1993, long before the celebrations of this Year of the Eucharist, then-Bishop Donoghue wrote the pastoral letter, “Rejoice in the Lord, Always!” In it he called the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ “the wellspring of our salvation and the ultimate meaning of our individual lives.”

He backed up those words, first by establishing perpetual adoration in the Archdiocese of Atlanta — something he

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS guest columnist

had established in the Diocese of Charlotte when he served as bishop 1984 to 1993. Two years later he instituted the first Eucharistic Congress for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. About 1,000 people gathered in a church for a day of worship, praise and proclamation, all centered on the Eucharist.

The congress grew each year to the point where it is now — a focal point of Catholic life in the Atlanta area, an event to which thousands look forward each year, and the model for other dioceses, including the Diocese of Charlotte, that are planning Eucharistic Congresses of their own.

(Mark your calendar for Sept. 23-24 at the Charlotte Convention Center for our first diocesan Eucharistic Congress, and visit the Web site at www.goeucharist.com.)

This year’s Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta also marked the last one for Archbishop Donoghue. He retired in January and was succeeded by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.

Will the congress continue? A fair question, as Archbishop Gregory may have other spiritual plans for north Georgia. But at a dinner at the end of the June 4 congress, Archbishop Gregory made it clear that the event would continue. His announcement was met with enthusiastic applause, and a smile from Archbishop Donoghue.

This year’s congress also marked another milestone for Archbishop Donoghue. It was held on the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

Speaking to the 200 people who gathered for the dinner, the archbishop reminisced about his years in Charlotte, his appointment to Atlanta and his gratitude for the growth of the congress.

His talk was sprinkled with humorous stories, such as his appointment as archbishop. When the papal pro nuncio called to ask if he would go to Atlanta, then-Bishop Donoghue responded, “What for?”

He also explained with a laugh that his new title of archbishop emeritus means that he has a voice, but no vote.

There were tears amid the laughter and it was clear that he would be missed.

When dinner was over and goodbyes were being said, a young Dominican nun began singing, a cappella, “Ave Maria.”

Pope, at audience, urges faithful to appreciate life’s great gifts

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — An optimistic outlook on life and an appreciation of life’s great gifts prepare us for the great gift of the Eucharist, said Pope Benedict XVI during his weekly general audience.

“Too easily we see the negative aspects of our life,” he said June 8 in remarks apart from his prepared text at his audience in St. Peter’s Square.

The faithful are invited “to also see the positive things, the many gifts that we receive,” and be more appreciative and grateful, the pope said.

“Only a grateful heart can worthily celebrate the great liturgy of gratitude that is the Eucharist,” he said.

Some 35,000 people from around the world gathered in the square to hear Pope Benedict’s weekly catechesis.

Focusing on Psalm 111, the pope underlined God’s unique compassion and tenderness toward his people.

“Compassion is the divine grace that envelops and transforms the faithful” and the Lord’s tenderness is even “more merciful than a mother’s,” he said.

The Lord’s saving acts reflect the “intimate bond that ties God to his people,” the pope said.

While the psalmist invites the faithful to “fear the Lord,” the pope explained

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

this fear refers not to “fright and terror” but to “serious and sincere respect that comes from love.”

He said just as the psalm calls on us to be thankful to the Lord, it also asks us to give him praise.

Just as God’s covenant and his “saving justice” endure forever, there is “no break” in the psalmist’s gratitude and his prayer is “without end.”

At the end of the audience, Pope Benedict offered pilgrims greetings in more than 10 languages.

He also made special mention of the presence in the audience of Ukrainian Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Lviv and a group of about 30 bishops from Eastern Catholic churches in Europe.

Cardinal Husar later introduced each bishop to the pope. The bishops were on a pilgrimage to Rome and other Italian cities to venerate the tombs and relics of some of the church’s saints.

The blessedness of Our commitment to each other is similar to God’s commitment to us

Some time ago I was running with a group of men through a park. During the run, they began to talk about the difficulty at times of understanding their wives.

This makes us wonder why God created marriage in the first place! Why commit one’s entire life to a significant other?

Let’s go to the Bible for our answer.

The English language gives us the word “chaos” and its opposite “cosmos.”

In Genesis we read that all was chaos, lacking any semblance of unity. Then God breathed into it, and it became a cosmos, i.e., it was unified.

In other words, life from the beginning is based on the principle of oneness.

When the Hebrews arrive in the Promised Land, they fall into the bad habit of forgetting God who brought them there. Prophets come on the scene and tell the people that they are like an unfaithful wife or husband who has broken the marriage bond. As the prophets tell it, God is a jealous lover forever in pursuit of his beloved.

Moving to the New Testament, we read of the Prodigal Son, a strong-headed young man going his own way. He is given his inheritance, which he squanders.

Suddenly he finds his life coming apart.

No longer is he connected to his father, his true friends or his home.

The story does not end here, but has the father and son reuniting again.

Through their renewed union “a son that was dead is now alive.”

The Human FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

Here Christ teaches us of God’s mercy and especially of God’s desire that we be one and alive in him.

When we step back from these examples, we see that the new life the Prodigal Son found is the life God wants for us. This life depends on unification: being one within ourselves, with one another and with God. As humans, we were born to be one with others. When we disconnect and go our own way, we end up like the people of Babel, the unfaithful Israelites and the wayward Prodigal Son. We tend to come apart, become chaotic and self-destruct.

Marriage signifies the unity that dispels chaos, selfishness and disconnection, and opens the way to beauty, goodness and oneness.

As humorous as that runner’s words were, they were profound. Our life is all about committing to a significant other.

Actually, when it is all said and done, a principal reason for living our lives virtuously is to be eternally joined to God, who has committed himself completely to us. Our goal is thus to end up in what might be called a truly blessed marriage.

The Catholic News & Herald 19

June 10, 2005

Priesthood: Reflections on my 45th anniversary A holy priest is one who gives no matter what As Catholics, we stand firmly against moral relativism and reject that modernday heresy called “situation ethics.” This claims that there are no absolutes and no unbreakable principles.

At the same time we recognize the fact that Jesus condemned the legalistic spirit of those Pharisees who delighted in rigidly enforcing the letter of the law.

They put sins like murder and the breaking of the Sabbath fast on the same level.

Jesus rebuked this.

We believe that there are absolutes, that is, unbreakable prohibitions like abortion, blasphemy and child abuse.

These are always sinful.

However, missing Mass on Sunday is not. Canon law allows you to excuse yourself from the divine command to worship on the Sabbath if you are sick, but not if you are merely lazy or neglectful of your Christian duty to worship God. I celebrated my 45th anniversary as a priest May 28. I congratulate all my brother priests and deacons who are celebrating their anniversaries this time of year.

Here is a little piece, which I adapted from St. Paul’s beautiful passage in 1 Corinthians 13:1: “If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels but speak

FATHER JOHN CATOIR cns columnist

without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing ...”(Jerusalem Bible).

Here are a few of my reflections for priests: —If we were to preach like prophets and impress everyone with our flair for storytelling but had no real love for our audience, the people of God, our words would be lifeless seeds scattered on good soil.

—If we were to administer huge parishes with expert skill but showed no charity toward those under our care, our skills would be fruitless and our people denied.

—If we were to visit the sick and bury the dead with meticulous fidelity to the rubrics but had no empathy for those grieving, we would be robots, light-years removed from the heart of Christ.

—If we loved honors and fancy titles

but had no compassion for the poor, we would be like expensive caskets filled with dead men’s bones.

—If we were loyal to the church but never rose to her defense in the face of unjust criticism, we would be mere functionaries lacking in courage.

—If we surmounted all temptations and persevered to the end but failed to understand our vocation as instruments of God’s love, we would be rosebuds that never bloomed.

A holy priest is one who has the love of Jesus flowing through him. This love never depends on good feelings or kind treatment. It keeps on giving until it hurts.

We priests may not always live up to our highest ideals, but we do try to be loving ministers of the Word. Pharisee-ism is an unconscious vice. Those Pharisees who were criticized always saw themselves as righteous men. Today there may still be some priests who unconsciously tilt in that direction.

But the vast majority of priests agree with St. Alphonsus Liguori, the patron saint of moral theologians, who taught quite clearly in “Theologia Moralis,” VI, 918, that a sense of exception can be applied in difficult cases to all manmade laws, and even to secondary formulations of the natural law, as long as there is no malice present.

If you are struggling with some unresolved moral issue, seek the guidance of a good priest to help you to understand the church’s teaching on the primacy of an informed conscience.

Here is the bottom line: Orthodoxy without charity is not Christianity.

What fathers really want

Your Some ideas, prayers for dads everywhere Family A dad loves it when a son or daughter shows an interest in something he enjoys doing, but — be warned — it can take patience on both sides to learn to share this skill. Teacher and student need to go slowly and remember that, ultimately, the point is not just to learn a particular skill but to spend time together as that learning occurs.

So, ideally ...? Perhaps a reasonably priced toy for Dad and his children to play with, with Dad doing a little coaching along the way. Followed by a treat!

And don’t forget!

Use this special day to thank not only dads and granddads but godfathers, uncles, older brothers and any other man who has played an important role in your life.

F-A-T-H-E-R “F” is for his being my No. 1 fan, always rooting for me in every good thing I attempt.

“A” is for the anxiety I caused him when he agreed to help me learn to drive the car.

“T” is for the times we sat together in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.

“H” is for the heat he applied — a

Sometimes it’s tough coming up with gift ideas for dear old Dad. (Father’s Day is June 19!) Here are a few points to keep in mind: —No matter their age, all boys like toys.

Dads DON’T like it when family members spend a lot of money on something, and that certainly includes a gift for them. (“I got this for you, Dad” should always quickly be followed by “and it was on sale.”)

—No matter their age, all boys like to play.

One of the joys of fatherhood is goofing around with the children. One of the joys of fatherhood is, at least for a little while, getting to be a kid again.

—No matter their age, all boys like treats.

What boy didn’t imagine himself all grown up and able to eat whatever he wanted whenever he wanted! While common sense and the physical facts of being middle-aged or older have eliminated “whatever” and “whenever,” a treat is still a treat. Even a small and reasonably sensible one is much appreciated.

—No matter their age, all boys like showing somebody else what they’ve learned or what they can do.

BILL and MONICA DODDS cns columnists

look, a word, a grounding — when he knew I needed a little straightening out.

“E” is for the education he encouraged me to pursue, convincing me that learning is a lifetime process.

“R” is for the reward he so richly deserves. One that’s so big it can’t possibly fit on this side of heaven.

Put them all together and they spell “love.”

(For Russ Faudree and John Dodds.

Thank you, Dad! Monica and Bill) A Prayer for Fathers Lord, bless all dads. Thank you for teaching us about our heavenly Father’s love through a dad’s care and concern, about divine providence through a dad’s unwavering support, about eternal joy through a dad’s playfulness. Bless all the men of faith, of hope and of love who have been a part of our lives. Amen.

Bill and Monica Dodds are the editors of “My Daily Visitor” magazine.

The diary of a bad Abortion ‘increase’ is misleading claim

Life Issues Forum SUSAN E. WILLS, Esq. guest columnist

Did you know that some politicians claim “abortions have gone up 25 percent since George Bush was president”? Are you shocked? Skeptical?

According to data from the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), abortion rates are continuing their gradual 20-year decline. AGI’s interim figures show 0.8 percent fewer abortions nationwide in 2001 than in 2000, and a similar drop in 2002.

It’s a politically useful claim for those who want to discredit efforts to protect the unborn. But it simply isn’t true.

Factcheck.org (a service of the Annenberg Public Policy Center) has traced the claim that abortion rates are increasing during Bush’s presidency to a pre-election article published in the online edition of Sojourners. In the article Dr. Glen Stassen’s conclusion that abortions increased during the Bush presidency (“52,000 more abortions occurred ... in 2002 than would have been expected”) is loosely cobbled from misread and/or unrepresentative data, plus erroneous extrapolations and unsupported assumptions.

Some examples: His “nationwide” claim is based on figures from only 16 states. By comparison, AGI found decreased abortions from analyzing 44 states, after excluding two statistically unreliable states that Stassen showcased.

Stassen lists South Dakota and Wisconsin as states where abortions increased from 2001 to 2002, but state health records contradict his claim. For South Dakota, he may simply have misread the table: he asserts a 2.1 percent increase in abortions (in fact births rose 2.1 percent), while abortions decreased 9.7 percent that year.

He claims that abortions are rising in Illinois, based on a 0.9 percent increase in 2002. But he ignored Illinois’ 10 percent decrease in abortions in 2003, more indicative of a long-term downward trend than a one-year statistical blip.

Moral: If an abortion statistic seems too good, or too awful, to be true, check your facts.

Susan Wills is associate director for education in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for ProLife Activities.

June 10, 2005

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