June 29, 2007

June 29, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives David Hains responds to column criticism; Tony Magliano compares healthy vs. blind patriotism

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI june 29, 2007

Defending all life

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

Refugees bring cultures to uptown Charlotte by

CHARLOTTE — People from around the globe gathered in uptown Charlotte to share their experiences as refugees and celebrate their native cultures June 20.

“World Refugee Day is designed to celebrate the courage and determination of refugees,” said Mary Jane Bruton, community relations coordinator for the diocesan Refugee Resettlement Office.

“It also showcases the cultural gifts they bring with them and allows refugees to share those gifts with the greater community,” she said.

In 2000, the United Nations declared that June 20 would be commemorated annually as World Refugee Day.

editor

See STEM CELLS, page 6

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

KEVIN E. MURRAY

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis was disappointed in a recent decision by N.C. legislators to fund embryonic stem-cell research and is calling on Catholics to oppose it.

As President George W. Bush vetoed a bill in Washington June 20 to expand federal funding for medical research on human embryonic stem cells, the N.C. House Science and Technology Committee approved House Bill 1837, the Stem Cell Research Health and Wellness Act. The bill, which was cleared to go before the House Appropriations Committee, allocates $10 million in public funds for embryonic stem-cell research.

no. 33

Celebrating a new life in America

Bishop calls on Catholics to fight pending legislation by

vOLUME 16

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Congolese singers and dancers perform a traditional dance as part of the World Refugee Day celebration in uptown Charlotte June 20. Nearly 100 participants from six ethnic groups performed traditional dances, played contemporary music and spoke about life for refugees in the United States.

Resisting evil

Reflections of Christ

Jubilarians, retirees honored at Mass by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Father Joseph Waters exchanges the sign of peace with his fellow priests during the Mass celebrating the anniversaries of priestly ordination and recognition of service for retiring priests at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte June 1.

CHARLOTTE — Priests serving in the Diocese of Charlotte were recently honored for their years of service to Catholics in North Carolina and elsewhere.

A dozen priests were recognized for the 25th, 50th, 55th or 60th anniversary of their priestly ordinations during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte June 1.

WANT TO SEE MORE? For more photos from World Refugee Day in Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese. org/catholicnews.html.

Program counteracts violence on news, around world

Also honored during the Mass were Oblate Father Thomas Fitzpatrick and Father Edward Sheridan, who are retiring July 5. Father Fitzpatrick has been serving as pastor of Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville; Father Sheridan has been serving as pastor of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

Father Thomas Selvaraj, pastor of St. Joseph of the Hills

MAGGIE VALLEY — Catholics from the Asheville and Smoky Mountain vicariates came to “The Nonviolence of Jesus: Living the Gospel Today” because they are Christians, concerned about the Iraq war, interested in social justice.

See JUBILEE, page 8

See NONVIOLENCE, page 5

JOANITA M. NELLENBACH

by

correspondent

Pastoral assignments

Faith-filled journey

Culture Watch

List of new pastors, parochial vicars, other assignments

Father Ed Sheridan retires after 44 years

Christian perspectives in Harry Potter; ad pros, cons

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June 29, 2007

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

A family of faith

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) — As chaplain of the South Carolina Firefighters’ Association for the past 23 years, Msgr.

Joseph Roth has made a habit of writing to the families of each of the 80 or 90 members who die each year.

But he never expected to have to write to nine families at once, as he will now do after a fire in a Charleston furniture warehouse claimed the lives of nine firefighters in the early morning hours of June 19. The fire began around 7 p.m. June 18.

Msgr. Roth, vicar general for the Diocese of Charleston, spoke briefly with The C a t h o l i c M i s c e l l a n y, Charleston diocesan newspaper, by telephone June 19.

“We offer the condolences of the Diocese of Charleston to the nine families of the Charleston Fire Department who died in the terrible fire this morning,” he said. “We also certainly express

CNS photo by David Maung

Francie Ware (left) greets parishioners during a June 14 Mass at the Marine Memorial Chapel at Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in Oceanside, Calif. Ware, who has four children and lives on the base, depends greatly on the spiritual support she has within the base’s Catholic community to help deal with her husband’s deployment to Kuwait.

Woman relies on faith, camaraderie during husband’s deployment WA S H I N G T O N ( C N S ) — Sometimes it’s the little things people miss the most.

Since Navy Capt. James Ware was deployed to Kuwait in February for a yearlong assignment as executive officer of the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Medical Facility, his wife, Francie Ware, has missed their daily conversations.

She also misses going to Sunday Mass as a family and taking up an entire pew with their four children.

In his absence, she has relied more on prayer, putting her husband “in God’s hands” and finding, as a result, that her “dialogue with God has been much stronger.”

She also has come to depend on members of the Catholic community at Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps Base in Southern California. The base is also home to Navy families because of its Navy hospital.

Ware, a religious education teacher, joined a Bible study group formed by members of the three Catholic chapels on base, primarily to brush up on Scripture knowledge. But with her husband’s absence, the group has helped fill a void.

Part of life as a parent with a deployed spouse, as she put it, is to worry about your spouse “every minute” and also “to be strong at all times for our children, even when we feel like being weak or scared.”

“I don’t know what I would do without the good folks from our Catholic community of Camp Pendleton,” she

South Carolina fire chaplain mourns loss of nine firefighters

said. “It’s through them that I see Jesus’ shining love, caring and effable goodness as this community continually pours out their support for me and our four children.”

The Bible study includes about 20 regular members; many are retirees and have been through long deployments and some are widowed.

The six members with active-duty spouses are jokingly referred to as the “kids” of the group.

They have joined her for big family celebrations such as birthdays and her son’s first Communion and also for just talking about the everyday things — filling in for the frequent conversations she used to have with her husband during the couple’s 27 years of marriage.

Father Chris Merris, a Navy chaplain who has been assigned to Camp Pendleton for the past four years, likens what families such as the Wares go through to a crisis situation that brings forth “humanity and grace.”

Father Merris said the church is a natural source of support for military families.

“There is a reason God gave us the church,” he added. “You can’t do it yourself.”

The priest said he is continually humbled by the way military families show bravery, “day after day.”

Shows of strength are not only on the battlefield, but everywhere, he said, adding that they are just “not always on display in a great theatrical way.”

Diocesan planner BOONE VICARIATE

JEFFERSON — Father Matthew Buettner will present a lecture July 16 at 6 p.m. in the parish hall of St. Francis of Assisi Church, 326 East Main St. The topic of the lecture will be related to his book, “The Mystery of the Mass.” Please call (336) 246-9151 for more information.

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

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

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate a Mass for military personnel July 8 at 3 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Rd. E. The Mass and a Rosary (to be recited at 2:30 p.m.) will be offered for all of our military personal. Please send a picture of your loved one who has died or is now serving in our military so that we may place their pictures in the cathedral vestibule for display prior to the Mass. Mail your photos to Nancy Weber, Bishop’s Office, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203

by July 5. List your loved one’s name and military rank on the back of the picture.

CHARLOTTE — A Family Ultreya will take place in the family room of St Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., July 15, 12-2 p.m. All Cursillistas, their families and friends are invited to join us for faith, food and fellowship. We will have an inspirational witness talk, grouping and a potluck lunch. For more information, call Tom and Heather Martin at (704) 544-7011. For babysitting, reserve a

condolences to the members of the fire department who are greatly distressed by what has happened. We hope and pray that they will be able to receive God’s choicest blessing of peace in this tragic situation.”

Bishop Robert J. Baker of Charleston was in New Mexico June 19 for the spring retreat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Msgr. Roth said he was heading to a meeting with the firefighters’ association at a local fire station to determine what help was needed and to possibly arrange chaplain’s visits to the families.

The organization provides services, benefits and information, and a relief fund for about 16,000 active and retired firefighters and their families.

He is the only Catholic chaplain in the 102-year history of the association and recently was inducted into the association’s Hall of Fame. spot by calling Vicki Torres at (704) 543-7677, ext 1011.

CHARLOTTE — All high school and college students are invited to “How Not to Lose the Dating Game,” an informative talk on the virtue of chastity by Dominican Sister Jane Dominic. The presentation will take place July 19, 7-9 p.m. in the St. Gabriel Church Ministry Center, 3016 Providence Rd. Food and door prizes will be provided. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail marysample5@aol.com.

CHARLOTTE — St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church will have a Ukrainian Mass in English in the chapel of Charlotte Catholic High School, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Rd., the third Sunday of each month at 10 a.m. The Mass is open to anyone who would like to attend. For more information, please contact Father Mark Shuey at mshuey2@nc.rr.com or call (919) 779-7246.

CHARLOTTE — Dominican Sister Jane Dominic will speak on Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical “God is Love” July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd. For more information, e-mail margaret_g_kennedy@yahoo.com.

CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church meet the first Wednesday of each month with a luncheon and program at 1 p.m. in the Msgr. Allen Center, 3635 Park Rd. All adults age 55 and older are welcome. For more information, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

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

GREENSBORO VICARIATE

GREENSBORO — The Men’s Bible Study Group

June 29, 2 007 Volume 16 • Number 33

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

The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

June 29, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 3

Pope says Iraqi Christians experience Vatican issues ‘Ten Commandments’ for drivers ‘authentic martyrdom’ VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican responsibility to stop and help others, FROM THE VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Christians of Iraq are experiencing an “authentic martyrdom” and must be supported materially and spiritually by the entire Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“Peace, so long implored and awaited, unfortunately is still largely being offended,” the pope said in a June 21 speech to representatives of the Catholic communities in the Middle East and to Catholic aid agencies that assist them.

In “vast areas” of the Middle East, including Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, “interpersonal and communal relationships” are being compromised by tension, unrest and allout war, he told participants in a Vatican meeting of church funding agencies for Eastern churches.

“Ancient and new injustices” are being perpetuated in the region, the pope said, leading to new violence and more war.

Pope Benedict said he and all those participating in the meeting wanted to express their solidarity with and closeness to the region’s Christian communities and to “those who venerate the name of God and seek him with a sincere conscience.”

“I knock at the hearts of those who have specific responsibility that they would adhere to their serious obligation to guarantee the peace of everyone, without distinction, freeing them from the deadly illness of religious, cultural, historical or geographical discrimination,” he said.

The pope offered his condolences to Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Bagdad for the June 3 “barbaric murder of an unarmed priest and three subdeacons” in Mosul in northern Iraq.

The pope also encouraged church representatives from Israel and the Palestinian territories “to reinforce the sorely tried hope” of their faithful.

at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd., meets Tuesdays at 6:30 a.m. in the Parish Life Center, room 4. The group will discuss the Books of Acts, July 17-Sept. 18. Bring your own Bible. For more information, contact Gus Magrinat at gmagrinat@pol.net or John Malmfelt at (336) 665-6450 or jmalmsie@aol.com.

Fridays at 3:30 p.m. in the Glenmary House of St. William Church, 765 Andrews Rd. join us for praise music, witness, teaching, prayers and laying on of hands for those in need. For more details, call Gery Dashner at (828) 494-2683.

HICKORY VICARIATE

MORGANTON — As Christians we struggle daily with negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and despair. “Spirituality of the Emotions” offers an opportunity to bring together insight, prayer and group support in this struggle. Dr. Ronda Chervin will present this program Wednesdays, 7:308:45 p.m., through Aug. 8. These free classes will meet at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 728 West Union St. For more information, call Dr. Chervin at (828) 413-4624 or St. Charles Borromeo Church at (828) 437-3108.

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

SALISBURY VICARIATE

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

MOORESVILLE — A Support Group for Parents Who Have Lost a Child of any Age meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Rd. We draw strength from others’ experience of loss and grief. For more information, call Joy at (704) 664-3992.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

MURPHY — A Charismatic Prayer Group meets

Episcopal

calendar

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

has issued a set of “Ten Commandments” for drivers, saying motor vehicles can be an “occasion of sin.”

A document titled “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” said driving can unleash road rage and other immoral behavior, including excess speed, reckless passing, cursing and just plain rudeness.

“Cars tend to bring out the ‘primitive’ side of human beings, thereby producing rather unpleasant results,” the document said.

The warning about driving came in the first part of the 59-page instruction, released June 19 by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers. The document said drivers need to remember that even when there is no one sitting next to them, they are never alone.

“This capacity for coexistence, of entering into relations with others, presupposes certain specific qualities in a driver: namely self-mastery, prudence, courtesy, a fitting spirit of service and knowledge of the highway code,” it said.

Accidents can occur anytime, and when they do, motorists have a moral

it said.

The “Ten Commandments” for drivers, as listed in the document, are: 1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Timeless tradition

FRANKLIN — The Women’s Guild of St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St., meets the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The meetings feature guest speakers and special events periodically. For more information, call Claire Barnable at (828) 369-1565.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

WINSTON-SALEM — St. Benedict the Moor Church, 1625 East 12th St., hosts a 12:15 p.m. prayer service, Veni Sanctus Spiritus, the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. All are welcome to reflect on God and refresh the spirit in the middle of a day. For more information call Sister Larretta Rivera-Williams at (336) 725-9200.

W I N S TO N - S A L E M — T h e H e a l i n g 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 sponsoring a free event open to the general public? If so, tell others about it here in the Diocesan Planner!

Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 15 days prior to desired publication date.

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

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

June 30 — 10:30 a.m.

Mass for new tribunal advocates Pastoral Center, Charlotte

July 8 — 2:30 p.m.

Rosary and Mass for military personnel St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

July 1 — 11 a.m.

Installation of Father LoMonaco as pastor St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville

Aug. 4 — 9 a.m.

Mass for Crossroads walkers St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

CNS photo by Romeo Ranoco, Reuters

A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water onto the faithful covered in mud and dried leaves during a ceremony celebrating the feast of St. John the Baptist in the remote village of Bibiclat in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, Philippines, June 24. Hundreds of Catholics participated in the religious tradition, which has been held in the village annually since 1945.

Pope says two-thirds majority always needed to elect pope VATICAN (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has stipulated that a two-thirds majority always is required to elect a new pope, undoing a more flexible procedure introduced by Pope John Paul II. In a one-page document released June 26, the pope said the two-thirds-majority rule cannot be set aside even when cardinal-electors are at an impasse.

Instead, the pope instructed that if the cardinals are deadlocked after 13 days, runoff ballots between the two leading candidates will be held. A papal election will continue to require a majority of two-thirds of the cardinals present.

In 1996, Pope John Paul introduced a change in the conclave procedure that allowed cardinal-electors to move to a simple majority after 13 days, when 33

or 34 ballots had been held.

Pope Benedict said there had been significant requests for a return to the old rules, under which a two-thirds majority was always required.

Under Pope Benedict’s new rule, if a conclave has not elected a pope after 13 days, the cardinals will pause for a day of prayer, reflection and dialogue, then move to a runoff election between the two cardinals who had obtained the most votes on the previous ballot.

The two leading cardinals would not vote in the runoff ballots, though they would remain in the Sistine Chapel, where conclaves are held.

Pope Benedict’s document, an apostolic letter issued only in Latin, was signed June 11.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Toward the ‘Promised Land’ Parishioners take part in Corpus Christi celebration by

June 29, 2007

Checks of charity

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER correspondent

FRANKLIN — As Pope Benedict XVI led a Corpus Christi procession with the Eucharist through the streets of Rome, Catholics in Franklin took part in a different kind of procession.

A Corpus Christi procession featuring carpets depicting sacred symbols of faith was held at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin June 7, the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Parishioner Michael Brucker originally suggested the idea to Father Matthew Kauth, pastor. Brucker’s former parish in Pennsylvania had used 15 carpets with symbols created from sawdust during its Corpus Christi procession.

Father Kauth was intrigued by the idea and gave Brucker the go-ahead.

“Michael had the idea and did most of the work getting the word out,” said Father Kauth. “He found so many to help in the project, making it a family affair in which our whole parish participated.”

The sawdust carpets at St. Francis of Assisi Church were created by families and various groups within the parish. Each carpet required considerable work and time, with each creation uniquely representing an aspect of the Catholic faith.

The project resulted in the largest participation by the parish in any event, outside the celebration of the Mass.

The Corpus Christi celebration began with vespers and eucharistic adoration in the church. Participants then went outside, where they lined either side of the carpets. A procession through the center of the carpets began with Father Kauth carrying a monstrance containing the Eucharist.

“Our Lord has not left us orphaned, but has sent us his Holy Spirit to allow us to worship in spirit and in truth,” said Father Kauth.

“As the Israelites processed through the desert and were fed by manna, we are processing to the true Promised Land and are fed with the body and blood of the Father’s own Son,” he said.

The parishioners followed behind the monstrance to the parish’s grotto of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where

In the steps of a saint

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Parishioners line carpets with religious symbols during a Corpus Christi celebration at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin June 7, the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Benediction was offered. The procession then continued back into the church for a final Benediction.

In Rome, the pope told those gathered for Mass celebrated outside the Basilica of St. John Lateran that the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a mystery, and “a God who becomes flesh and sacrifices himself for the life of the world puts human wisdom in crisis,” he said.

But Catholics continue to proclaim the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and, in traditional Corpus Christi processions, they bear witness to their faith by carrying the Eucharist through their cities, the pope said.

At St. Francis of Assisi Church, the Corpus Christi celebration helped enable a greater understanding of the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ and an increased appreciation of the Eucharist.

“One woman afterward said to me she had never seen anything so beautiful,” said Father Kauth. “She finally realized the ineffable gift of the holy Eucharist.”

WANT MORE INFO? For further information about how the carpets were made, contact Michael Brucker or Father Kauth at St. Francis of Assisi Church at (828) 524-2289.

Father Brian Cook, parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Clemmons and spiritual director of the parish Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild, is pictured with the group during their pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Md., April 28-29.

The group attended Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, visited the saint’s tomb and toured the grounds where she founded the first parochial school in the United States. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is considered the founder of the U.S. Catholic school system.

At the grotto, the group par ticipated in the Stations of the Cross and recited the rosary.

Father Cook, an alumnus of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, arranged for the group to meet with Jason Barone, Matthew Codd and Transitional Deacon Tri Vinh Truong, seminarians for the Diocese of Charlotte, who gave them a tour of the seminary.

Courtesy Photo

Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee, is pictured with members of Court St. Mary of the Catholic Daughters of America, who are presenting two $200 checks to Julie Sasscer (second from left) and Gayle Woody (third from left) of the Western Carolina Pregnancy Center in Bryson City and Linda Henderson (fifth from left) of the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center. The checks were presented during the court’s monthly meeting at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church May 12.

June 29, 2007

Program counteracts violence in news, world NONVIOLENCE, from page 1

They came to the program, held at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley June 16, to hear something to counteract the steady diet of violence on television, including the TV news.

Lisa Caldwell, a Methodist from nearby Waynesville, attended because violence concerns all Christians, not just one denomination.

“Violence is not an issue of Methodists or Catholics. All churches need to pull together,” she said.

Pat Mahon, Ph.D., who coordinates the Pax Christi chapter at St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hayesville, presented the program.

“Jesus was nonviolent but not a doormat,” Mahon said. “He actively resisted evil when he encountered it.”

For example, Jesus instructed his listeners in such passages as the “Woe to you” sayings in Matthew 23, in which he denounced the scribes and Pharisees for their unjust practices.

The beatitudes turn everything upside down, Mahon said. The Christian Scriptures tell us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter

from the cover

the homeless, love and forgive our enemies and take no revenge against them.

Jesus is the nonviolent lamb of God, who shows us God’s face: justice, mercy, compassion and steadfast love, he said.

Mahon cited the Amish community in Paradise, Pa., who forgave the man who murdered five young Amish girls before killing himself last year. They not only prayed for the murderer at his funeral, they also collected Christmas gifts for the man’s son and now attend his sports events to support him, since he has no father to cheer for him.

As Jesus’ disciples, all Christians are called to similar behavior.

Christ told his followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 6:43–45).

Jesus didn’t condone violence, even to protect himself, although he had defensive means at his disposal. As he was being arrested in Gethsemane, Jesus told one of his disciples, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

(Matthew 26:52).

Mahon cited others who, like Jesus, paid the ultimate price for adhering to

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Photo by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Peg Costigan (left) and Maryknoll Sister Theresa Mangieri of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville look over nonviolence-related materials at “The Nonviolence of Jesus: Living the Gospel Today” program presented at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley June 16. what they believed God was calling them to do. Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi used nonviolence to force the British government to grant independence to India in 1947 before a Hindu fanatic killed him in 1948. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and El Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero were murdered because they were in nonviolent solidarity with the poor and oppressed.

“The one who lives with the poor, the miserable, the peasant and who defends them and loves them like Christ our Lord ... this one is the Christ in our midst,” Archbishop Romero said in 1978, two years before he was assassinated while celebrating Mass.

Arms or alms The United States has spent trillions on national defense and the war on terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001, when more than 3,000 people died in terrorist attacks against this country. Yet on that day, Mahon said, another 35,000 people died of starvation.

“We give (less than 2 percent) of our gross national product to relieve suffering in the world,” Mahon said. “We are 22nd out of 22 among the wealthiest countries in terms of what is given to relieve suffering.”

Mahon outlined what constitutes a “just” war, including just cause (force to correct a grave evil), comparative justice (injustice by one party outweighs the other) and legitimate authority (duly constituted public authorities).

The U.S. bishops have written: “In a world where 42,000 children die every day from hunger and its consequences; where ethnic cleansing and systematic rape are used as instruments of war; and where people are still denied life, dignity, and fundamental rights, we cannot remain silent or indifferent.

“Nor can we simply turn to military force to solve the world’s problems or to right every wrong.”

Mahon quoted Pope Benedict XVI: “It is understood that nonviolence for Christians is not just a tactic. It is an entire way of being.”

Peace then must be every Christian’s mindset at all times.

“I think it’s a matter of relationships, one person at a time,” Mahon said.

“We’re not going to turn the world upside down. It’s a matter of consciousness and awareness.”

Augustinian Brother Bill Harkin, Living Waters’ director, said, “The more comfortable we get, the harder it is to live the Gospel. On this day, perhaps we will say that we have decided to live the Gospel in a different way.”

Contact Correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or e-mail jnell@dnet.net.

JUST WAR

During “The Nonviolence of Jesus” program, Pat Mahon outlined what constitutes a just war.

Before the war begins, there must be: — Just cause: only use force to correct a grave evil; that is, aggression or massive violation of the basic rights of entire populations; — Comparative justice: injustice suffered by one party must significantly outweigh that suffered by the other; — Legitimate authority: duly constituted public authorities; — Right intention: force may be used only in a truly just cause and solely for that purpose; — Probability of success: arms may not be used in a futile cause or where disproportionate measures are required to ensure success; — Proportionality: overall destruction expected from the use of force must be outweighed by the good to be achieved; — Last resort: only after all peaceful alternatives have been used.

During the conflict, there must be: — Noncombatant immunity: not the object of direct action, must take steps to minimize indirect harm; — Proportionality: use no more force than is necessary to achieve military objectives; — Right intention: even amid conflict politicians and military leaders must strive for peace with justice.

After the war, there must be: — Just termination: negotiate conditional surrender; — Restitution: victor must repair damage done.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

June 29, 2007

respect life

Keeping the ‘moral compass’ Bishop calls on Catholics to Cardinal praises Bush for vetoing embryonic stem-cell bill

WASHINGTON (CNS) — President George W. Bush June 20 vetoed a bill to expand federal funding for medical research on human embryonic stem cells, saying it “would compel American taxpayers, for the first time in our history, to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos.”

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, praised the veto.

“This bill would not actually enhance stem-cell research, but divert federal funds from legitimate research toward avenues requiring the destruction of innocent human life,” he said. “The cause of science is not enhanced but diminished when it loses its moral compass.”

In conjunction with the veto, Bush issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to strengthen the nation’s commitment to research on pluripotent stem cells.

Adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including bone marrow, the placenta and umbilical-cord blood, have led to successful treatments for a number of diseases. Adult stem cells are called pluripotent because they have the power to turn into many of the 200-plus types of differentiated cells found in the body.

Embryonic stem cells are called omnipotent because they can turn into any of those differentiated cells.

“Adult stem cells continue to produce new clinical advances on a regular basis, most recently showing benefits for patients with juvenile diabetes,” he said.

He said a recent research breakthrough has shown that ordinary adult cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells, showing that “science not only raises new ethical questions but at times can help address them.”

“Tragically, some embryonic stemcell advocates in Congress have dismissed such advances or even greeted them with suspicion, as though medical progress were less genuine or praiseworthy when it respects early human life,” he said.

The vetoed bill was titled the StemCell Research Enhancement Act of 2007.

It passed in the Senate April 11 by a 6334 vote and in the House June 7 by a vote of 247-176. Neither vote reflected the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a veto.

The day before the House voted to relax the funding restrictions on human embryonic research, Cardinal Rigali had urged it to defeat the bill.

In a letter to all House members, he said, “Embryonic stem-cell research has been as disappointing in its results as it has been divisive to our society. Pursuit of this destructive research will almost certainly require you to embrace more and more egregious violations of moral norms in the effort to bring its ‘promise’ to fruition.”

“Ethically sound research using nonembryonic stem cells has continued to advance, helping patients with over 70 conditions in clinical trials,” he added.

“Since Congress debated this issue last summer, further evidence has

emerged on the versatility of adult stem cells and on the ability of adult cells to be reprogrammed to rival the flexibility of embryonic cells,” he said.

Democratic leadership had made the bill a top priority when the Democrats gained control of Congress this year. It would have ended the Bush administration’s six-year-old policy limiting federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research to projects that relied only on colonies of embryonic stem cells created before Aug. 9, 2001, the date that policy was announced.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean sharply criticized the veto, saying, “Bush once again put political posturing ahead of sound science, turning his back on the ... 100 million Americans suffering from debilitating diseases who could benefit from this life-saving science.”

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York accused Bush of putting “ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families.”

White House press spokesman Tony Snow responded, “This actually is putting science before ideology. There are many people who believe that you have to force taxpayers into making a choice of destroying human life — destroying an embryo in order to proceed with embryonic stem-cell research. That would be an ideological position.”

“The president does not believe it’s appropriate to put an end to human life for research purposes,” he said. “That’s a line he will not cross.”

In his veto message to the Senate, Bush said since 2001 his administration “has made more than $130 million available for research on stem-cell lines derived from embryos that had already been destroyed. We have also provided more than $3 billion for research on all forms of stem cells, including those from adult and other nonembryonic sources.”

Bush’s order directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to ensure that any human pluripotent stem-cell lines produced in ways that do not create, destroy or harm human embryos will be eligible for federal funding.

fight pending legislation STEM CELLS, from page 1

“This bill violates a fundamental church teaching on the sanctity of life,” said Bishop Jugis in a statement released June 21.

“A human life cannot be terminated in an attempt to find cures for diseases,” he said. “Stem-cell research has made advances in the past 12 months that have not required the destruction of the human embryo. We remain supportive of these other methods of stem-cell research.”

Adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including bone marrow, the placenta and umbilical-cord blood, have led to successful treatments for a number of diseases. Adult stem cells are called pluripotent because they have the power HOW TO HELP Bishop Jugis asks Catholics to contact their N.C. legislators to oppose HB 1837.

To contact your legislator online: 1. Go to www.ncga.state.nc.us 2. Click “Who Represents Me” 3. Type in your 9-digit zip code 4. Click the representative’s name to receive his/her phone number, e-mail address and mailing address.

To contact your legislator by phone: 1. Call (919) 733-7760 and ask for your representative’s name and his/her contact information.

A proposed statement: Dear Representative (name): I am a citizen living in your district. I am contacting you to express my opposition to House Bill 1837, which allocates $10 million in public funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Embryonic stem-cell research results in the destruction of the embryo. I believe an embryo is a human life. I cannot condone the destruction of human life for the purpose of research.

Please vote against funding this research.

Thank you.

to turn into many of the 200-plus types of differentiated cells found in the body.

In conjunction with the veto, Bush issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to strengthen the nation’s commitment to research on pluripotent stem cells.

Bishop Jugis said he was saddened and disappointed by the N.C. House committee’s vote. Earlier this year, he and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh called on all Catholics in North Carolina to learn the Catholic Church’s teachings on stem-cell research and to help oppose any N.C. legislation for embryonic stem-cell research using taxpayer dollars.

The bishops sent letters to all pastors asking them to help mobilize their parishioners, along with documents on the teaching to be included in January parish bulletins.

Once again, the bishops are calling on their flocks to help defeat the bill.

“Bishop Burbidge and I are asking Catholics throughout the state to contact their legislators to express their opposition to this bill,” said Bishop Jugis. “We will also contact other like-minded citizens who support life to join us in defeating this proposed legislation.”

Timing is crucial, said Bishop Jugis.

“The House Appropriations Committee meets regularly as it attempts to hammer out a final proposed budget,” said Bishop Jugis in a June 23 letter to parishioners. “It is critical that legislators be contacted this week.”

The bishop’s letter contained information on how to contact N.C. legislators.

Both Bishop Jugis and Bishop Burbidge have stated that the voices of more than 400,000 Catholics in North Carolina “can make a difference on behalf of the unborn.”

“All life, including the human embryo, is sacred and must be protected at all cost,” said Bishop Jugis.

Communications Director David Hains and Catholic News Service contributed to this article.

June 29, 2007

around the diocese

New pastor installed at Divine Redeemer Church BOONVILLE — Behind a backdrop of colorful costumes and illustrious ceremony, Father Jose Enrique Gonzalez Gaytan, a 36-yearold native of Queretaro, Mexico, was officially installed as the new pastor of Divine Redeemer Church in Boonville June 10.

“I am your brother,” Father Gonzalez Gaytan told an overflowing crowd at the predominantly Hispanic church, “but I also want to be your friend.”

Bishop Peter Jugis J. Jugis presided over the ceremony.

Father Gonzalez Gaytan replaces Father Christopher Davis, who has been assigned to be pastor of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro.

Father Gonzalez Gaytan, ordained in 2003, has served at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem and Our Lady of the Americas Church in Biscoe.

Pastoral Appointments

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte announces the following pastoral changes: APPOINTMENTS OF PASTORS Effective June 1

Father Jose Enrique Gonzalez Gaytan From: Chaplain, Charlotte Catholic High School and Holy Trinity Middle School To: Pastor, Divine Redeemer Church, Boonville

Effective June 18

Father Lawrence LoMonaco From: Parochial Vicar, St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte To: Pastor, St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville, and Immaculate Conception Mission, Canton

Effective July 5

Father Brian Cook From: Parochial Vicar, Holy Family Church, Clemmons To: Pastor, St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem

Courtesy Photo by Andy Matthews

Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Father Jose Enrique Gonzalez Gaytan kneel during a ceremony for Father Gonzalez Gaytan’s installation as pastor at Divine Redeemer Church June 10.

Charlotte seminarian receives degree from Pontifical College Josephinum

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joshua Voitus, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte, recently received a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Voitus was one of 30 students from 17 dioceses who were awarded degrees during the 108th Baccalaureate Mass and commencement exercises at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, May 12.

The Baccalaureate Mass was held in St. Turibius Chapel with Auxiliary Bishops Earl A. Boyea of Detroit, a former Josephinum rector, as celebrant and homilist.

The Catholic News & Herald 7

“Each of you has played a unique role in making the Josephinum what it is today,” said Msgr. Paul Langsfeld, school rector and president, to the 2007 graduating class.

“As our graduates bid farewell to the Josephinum, they will remain part of the community, united with each other in the Holy Spirit wherever they are,” he said.

“May God who began his good work in them during their years at the Josephinum bring his purpose for them to fulfillment where they may serve him,” said Msgr. Langsfeld.

Father Carl Kaltreider From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: Pastor, Holy Redeemer Church, Andrews, and Prince of Peace Mission, Robbinsville Father Michael Kottar From: Pastor, Holy Redeemer Church, Andrews, and Prince of Peace Mission, Robbinsville To: Pastor, St. Mary Church, Shelby, and Christ the King Mission, Kings Mountain Father Francis Cancro From: Pastor, St. Joseph Church, Asheboro To: Pastor, Queen of the Apostles Church, Belmont

Father Timothy Reid From: Parochial Vicar, St. Matthew Church, Charlotte To: Pastor, St. Ann Church, Charlotte Father John Starczewski From: Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro To: Pastor, St. James Church, Hamlet, and Sacred Heart Mission, Wadesboro Father Johnathan Hanic From: Parochial Vicar, St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem To: Pastor, St. Joseph of the Hills Church, Eden

Effective Aug. 1

Father Christopher Davis From: Pastor, Divine Redeemer Church, Boonville To: Pastor, St. Joseph Church, Asheboro

Effective Sept. 1

Oblate Father James Turner From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: Pastor, Our Lady of the Highways Church, Thomasville

Effective Nov. 1

Augustinian Father John Denny From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: Pastor, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley

Father Francis O’Rourke From: Pastor, St. Ann Church, Charlotte To: Pastor, St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte

APPOINTMENTS OF PAROCHIAL VICARS Effective July 5

Father Patrick Hoare From: Newly ordained To: Parochial Vicar, St. Mark Church, Huntersville

Father James Stuhrenberg From: Parochial Vicar, St. Mark Church, Huntersville To: Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro

Father Patrick Cahill From: Newly ordained To: Parochial Vicar, St. Matthew Church, Charlotte

Father Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury

Father Patrick Toole From: Newly ordained To: Parochial Vicar, St. Matthew Church, Charlotte

Father Luis Osorio From: Parochial Vicar, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte To: Parochial Vicar, St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte

Father Frederick Werth From: Newly ordained To: Parochial Vicar, Holy Family Church, Clemmons Oblate Father Joseph Zuschmidt From: Pastor, Queen of the Apostles Church, Belmont To: Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point Oblate Father Anthony Gilborges From: Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point To: Parochial Vicar, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro

Father Nohe Torres From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: Parochial Vicar, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte Father Alejandro Ayala From: Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury To: Parochial Vicar, St. Leo the Great Church, WinstonSalem

OTHER

Effective July 5

Father Richard DeClue From: Newly ordained To: In residence, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte (for summer, then continuing advanced studies in theology at Catholic University of America in fall)

Courtesy Photo

Joshua Voitus, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte, accepts his bachelor’s degree from Msgr. Paul Langsfeld, rector and president of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, during the commencement ceremony May 12.

Father Christopher Roux From: Administrator, St. James Church, Hamlet, and Sacred Heart Mission, Wadesboro To: In residence, St. Ann Church, Charlotte (while continuing as priest secretary to bishop) Oblate Father James Byrne From: Ministry outside the Diocese of Charlotte To: In residence, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point Father James Ebright From: Academic studies in canon law To: In residence, Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury (while continuing advanced studies in canon law at Catholic University of America) Augustinian Father Robert Dueweke From: Hispanic ministry, Smoky Mountain Vicariate To: Reassignment by his order Father Edward Sheridan From: Pastor, St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte To: Retirement at his request

Father Thomas Selvaraj From: Pastor, St. Joseph of the Hills Church, Eden To: Retirement at his request Father Eric Houseknecht From: Pastor, St. Mary Church, Shelby, and Christ the King Mission, Kings Mountain To: Sabbatical year of study Father Thomas Kessler From: Pastor, St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem To: Faculty, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, St. Paul, Minn.

Oblate Father Thomas Fitzpatrick From: Pastor, Our Lady of the Highways Church, Thomasville To: Retirement at his request Oblate Father Paul Dechant From: Parochial Vicar, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro To: Reassignment by his order

Effective Aug. 1

Augustinian Father Doyle From: Pastor, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley To: Reassignment by his order

8 The Catholic News & Herald

Jubilarians, retirees honored at Mass JUBILEE, from page 1

Church in Eden, just recently announced his retirement and therefore was not included in this Mass.

Principal concelebrants for the Mass were Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, retired bishop of Charlotte; Msgr.

Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor for the diocese; Father Paul Gary, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral; and jubilarian and retiring priests.

“The Mass was a prayer of gratitude to God for having bestowed such exceptional blessings on our diocese through the ministry of these priests,” said Bishop Jugis.

“We experience the love, the compassion and the beauty of Christ reflected in their lives today, because of the daily contact they have had with Christ over the years of their pastoral ministries,” he said.

“I have not regretted one moment of these 50 years, and would change nothing,” said golden jubilarian Msgr.

Joseph Kerin, who retired in 2003.

“However, nothing has developed as I had planned or dreamed, but with each experience I have grown and I have learned to appreciate the providence of God and his loving care for all of us, his children,” he said.

With more than half a millennia of experience, the jubilarians and retirees had some valuable advice for the five priests ordained in Charlotte June 2.

“Be present to the people — pastoral presence is very important,” said Father Edward Sheridan, retiring after 44 years as a priest. “The parish is where the church is and the priest must develop a deeper relationship with the people and be there in good moments as well as sad ones.”

“Be patient with yourself and be open to God,” Msgr. Kerin advised. “You will be amazed how you will grow in your priesthood.”

“Be willing to change and adapt —

June 29, 2007

living the faith

“I am proud to have labored alongside these priests during their years of service in the diocese.”

— Bishop Peter J. Jugis

the Holy Spirit is with you,” he said.

Msgr. Kerin said one of the greatest challenges for today’s priests is continuing to “bring encouragement and the spirit of God to people who are struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing and diverse church in the midst of a general environment that is becoming more and more secularized and divided.”

Father Sheridan also said the laity plays an extremely important role in the Catholic Church.

“Lay ministry is essential; the voices of the people need to be heard and the laity need to be involved in the parish and church life,” he said.

For Msgr. Kerin, “the parishioners are my ministry. As I minister to them, they minister to me and provide inspiration, encouragement, purpose, energy and spirit to me.”

“With the Holy Spirit working through them and me — the church grows and flourishes,” he said.

“I am proud to have labored alongside these priests during their years of service in the Diocese of Charlotte,” said the bishop. “During the Mass, we prayed for vocations to the priesthood, asking the Lord of the harvest to send more priestly laborers for the scared ministry. The Lord will be generous to those who are generous to him.”

Looking back on his priesthood, Father Sheridan found it impossible to pinpoint one specific memory that stands above the rest.

“It has been great and very fulfilling in so many different aspects,” he said.

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

Photos by Karen A. Evans

Above: Father James Byer, Msgr. Joseph Kerin, Father Edward Sheridan and Franciscan Father Conall McHugh process into St. Patrick Cathedral June 1.

Below: Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin prays the prayer of consecration of the Eucharist.

Jubilarians and retirees

These priests were honored during the Mass June 1: 60 years Msgr. Anthony Kovacic 55 years Vincentian Father Joseph Elzi 50 years Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin Msgr. Joseph A. Kerin Franciscan Father Conall McHugh Father Joseph J. Waters 25 years Father James M. Byer Father Francis T. Cancro Father Carl T. Del Giudice Father William M. Evans Father Jose Antonio Juya Father Gnanapragasam Mariasoosai Retiring priests Oblate Father Thomas J. Fitzpatrick Father Edward J. Sheridan

June 29, 2007

living the faith

The Catholic News & Herald 9

A faith-filled journey Father Sheridan retires after 44 years of priestly ministry by

COLLEEN FORCINA

special to the catholic news & herald

CHARLOTTE — While reflecting upon his retirement, Father Edward Sheridan sat comfortably in his office, counting on his fingers precisely the number of assignments he has been on since being ordained a priest.

After having counted on all 10 fingers, he started over on his hands.

“I’ve had probably a total of 12 appointments in parish work,” he said.

“Also I have had some other assignments in schools.”

After 44 years of priestly ministry, Father Sheridan is both retiring and celebrating his 70th birthday this year.

He celebrated his farewell Mass June 24 at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, where he served as pastor since 2004.

During the Mass, Father Sheridan received two standing ovations from the approximately 1,600 people in attendance. Many of them wore stickers that read, “We love Father Ed.” Father Sheridan said it was hard to describe the highlights of his priesthood, but that it has been a very rewarding experience.

“I enjoy being a priest and I would do it over again,” he said. “The priesthood is so varied in so many things that I don’t know if I can pinpoint any one particular thing — just the opportunity to help people sometimes find God, sometimes rediscover God, remodel a sense of peace in themselves, receive the sacraments.”

Beginning the journey Father Sheridan was born and raised in New York City, where he attended Good Shepherd Church. His parents had immigrated to New York from Ireland in search of a better life.

The Sheridans were faithful Catholics who never missed a Sunday Mass or holy day of obligation. In his youth, Father Sheridan served as a choir boy and sang at Mass.

While in sixth grade, inspired by the priests and religious brothers and sisters in his parish, Father Sheridan knew he wanted to become a priest. His parents were both inspirational and supportive of his decision.

“I just felt like that would be a wonderful way to spend my life: to be a priest and help the church, to help bring people closer to God,” Father Sheridan said. “It’s more lasting than a lot of other things you can do in life.”

After completing high school, Father Sheridan attended St. Bonaventure University in New York, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and master’s degrees in theology and Scripture. Later, he also received a master’s degree in education and administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

He completed his studies at Christ the King Seminary in New York and was ordained a priest at Infant of Prague Church in Jacksonville, N.C., May 23, 1963. The Diocese of Raleigh

encompassed the entire state at the time, and it had the fewest Catholics of any diocese in the United States.

“It was less than 1 percent Catholic, so that’s why I volunteered to come here,” he said.

His first parish assignment was at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Newton Grove, located east of Fayetteville, where he served for two years. The Diocese of Charlotte was founded in January 1972 and he continued to serve there for the next 35 years.

“I’ve had assignments from the east to the west, and I’ve enjoyed ever assignment I’ve ever been on,” he said.

“There’s never been an assignment I felt like I did not like it. It’s mainly because of the people.”

Father Sheridan returned to parishes in which he had already served — St. Aloysius in Hickory, where he served a total of nine years (1984-87, 1998-2004), and St. Gabriel Church, where he served a total of 12 years (1989-98, 2004-07).

“It’s very, very rare that you return to a parish after you’ve left, and here it’s happened to me twice,” he said. “I’ve been blessed in both places. I would have gone back to any parish a second time.”

B.J. Dengler, pastoral coordinator at St. Gabriel Church, said she has been privileged to work with Father Sheridan.

A highlight of his ministry, she felt, was receiving converts into the Catholic Church, and helping those who had left the church to return.

“He has a gift for inviting and welcoming people by remembering their names,” she said.

The parish currently has 3,650 families, or about 11,000 members.

Father Sheridan created a welcoming environment in the very large parish, according to parishioner Ana Lothspeich.

His biggest accomplishment, she said, was to “incorporate and encourage the active participation of lay ministers to create and foster a true sense of a Catholic community, where everyone is welcome and everyone is an important part of the church’s life.”

To welcome the growing number of Hispanics in the diocese, Father Sheridan started a Hispanic ministry at St. Gabriel Church in 2004. He began celebrating Mass in Spanish and today the Spanish-language Mass averages 500 people a week.

During his time at St. Gabriel Church, Father Sheridan helped build St. Gabriel School and create dozens of ministries. Recently he added a “Guardian Angel Memorial Garden” for parents to remember their children who have died.

The days ahead Following the farewell Mass, approximately 1,000 people celebrated at a reception in the parish hall, where they presented Father Sheridan with gifts, a video and a scrapbook filled with memories and pictures.

Lothspeich said Father Sheridan made a significant difference in her family’s life and that they will miss him

Courtesy Photo

Father Edward Sheridan celebrates Mass at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte in 2004.

“Hopefully I’ve made a difference in peoples’ lives ...

Hopefully I’ve been there in some way and helped them experience God in their lives.”

— Father Edward Sheridan

Courtesy Photos

Above left: Father Edward Sheridan pictured in 1962. Above right: Father Sheridan blesses animals outside St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte in October 2006. at St. Gabriel Church.

“We will miss his wonderful charisma and beautiful smile,” Lothspeich said.

“He has always made us feel loved. His words, guidance and example have set the pathways to many of the steps we’ve taken as a family.”

On July 5, Father Sheridan will move to his 35-acre farm in Hickory, with a farmhouse that dates back to 1924.

“I will be there to revive my spirit and to enjoy the days ahead of me,” Father Sheridan wrote in a letter in the parish bulletin. “I am going to try to respect this little area of God’s earth, beautify it and work with nature and God to make it better.”

He said he plans to build a chapel in one of the buildings on the farm, where he will say daily Mass.

However, farming will not absorb all of Father Sheridan’s time.

“I’ll be 70 in September and I’m still in good health,” he said. “I’ll still

be celebrating Mass, still be helping out parishes.”

In addition, he also plans to volunteer at a Catawba County school to assist children with reading.

“I also hope to be playing golf a little more,” Father Sheridan wrote. “Over the past many years I have averaged around four to six times a year. I am not a good golfer, but perhaps I can improve.”

During his time as a priest, Father Sheridan said he hoped that he has impacted the people around him.

“Hopefully I’ve made a difference in peoples’ lives, helped them at times when there was sadness in the family, and when there was gladness,” he said. “Hopefully I’ve been there in some way and helped them experience God in their lives.”

Colleen Forcina is a rising sophomore at N.C. State University and an intern with The Catholic News & Herald.

June 29, 2007

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

‘A symbol of all of us’ Priest says Christian perspective can be found in Harry Potter series

by PEGGY WEBER catholic news service

WESTFIELD, Mass. — July will be a big month for Harry Potter fans and Father Michael Bernier, parochial vicar at St. Mary Church in Westfield, proudly counts himself among the myriad of Potter devotees.

In fact, he described himself as a “Pottermaniac” at a talk he gave in May about God and Harry Potter.

And he, like millions more, is looking forward to July 21 when the seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is released and July 11 when the fifth movie, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” premieres.

“Pottermania” is once again expected to sweep through bookstores and movie theaters this summer, and Father Bernier told those gathered for his talk at St. Mary High School that Christians should not fear this devotion to stories about a boy wizard.

“On the surface level it does sound suspect and does raise red flags,” he said. However, he said the magic in Harry Potter is not sorcery.

And he noted that the original title of the first book was “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” The title was changed to “Sorcerer’s Stone” for the book’s release in the United States.

“I happen to be one of the people who believes that there’s a great deal of Christian imagery and symbolism in the books. And I think it answers, at least in parts, a longing that we have for Christ,” he said.

Throughout his talk, Father Bernier quoted from “Looking for God in Harry Potter” by John Granger which emphasizes that the Harry Potter books focus on the triumph of love over death.

Father Bernier also said that many people believe that Pope Benedict XVI “came out against the Harry Potter books.”

“Pope Benedict has not said anything actually about the Harry Potter books themselves. I don’t know if he’s even read them,” he said.

He told his audience of about 25 people that before he became pope Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responded to a book written about the dangers of Harry Potter. He sent a note to the author thanking her for the book and said if the accusations were true then they would be of grave concern.

A majority of those attending the priest’s talk were Harry Potter fans. A few joked that they arrived by “floo powder” or “platform 9 3/4” — referring to ways people travel in the wizard world.

James Madigan, 14, said he planned to be at a local bookstore at midnight July 21 to get his reserved copy of the latest

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: July 8, 2007

July 8, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C Readings: 1) Isaiah 66:10-14c Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20 2) Galatians 6:14-18 3) Gospel: Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Jesus’ ‘advance teams’ are models of discipleship

by DAN LUBY catholic news service

CNS photo by Peggy Weber, The Catholic Observer

James Madigan (left), Father Michael Bernier and Lisa Miranda look over some of the items on display at a talk Father Bernier gave on God and Harry Potter at St. Mary High School in Westfield, Mass.

Harry Potter book.

Lisa Miranda, 14, said she came away from the lecture realizing for the first time that the Harry Potter books had “religious ties.”

Father Bernier predicted that author J.K. Rowling would end the series not with Harry’s death but possibly Hagrid’s.

He also predicted that Snape, who has always been portrayed in a dark light, would end up as a good character.

But above all the priest said he hopes readers embrace the goodness of the books and the enjoyment of reading.

“They’re wonderfully written books that appeal to kids and adults. They’re easy to read and they’re entertaining,” he said.

And he noted that Granger’s book praises the many good things in a series where “never has the Christian message been smuggled into hearts so effectively.”

Father Bernier said that Harry Potter is “a symbol of all of us as sons and daughters of God — humanity pursuing its spiritual perfection in Christ.”

During a recent visit to New England, my wife and I spent several days in New Hampshire, traditionally home to one of the “make-or-break” primaries in the presidential election cycle.

Everywhere we went we found evidence of multiple campaigns in high gear. Every newspaper, every local newscast featured the candidates, household names and long shots, appearing at a dizzying variety of venues.

And for every gathering with potential supporters — at pancake breakfasts in diners, giving speeches in VFW halls, shaking hands at “meet and

greet” cocktail parties in people’s homes — each candidate was preceded by what political pros call an “advance team.”

Advance teams travel ahead of their candidates to prepare people for his or her arrival and ensure a friendly reception and an enthusiastic turnout for the picnic, town hall meeting or fish fry.

I n S u n d a y ’s G o s p e l , J e s u s commissioned 36 “advance teams” for a similar purpose, sending them “to every town and place he intended to visit.” Like the political advance men and women of today, Jesus’ disciples were tasked with preparing those they met for the day when Jesus himself would come to them and invite them to be his disciples too.

Unlike today’s political operatives, however, Jesus’ advance teams did not rely on phone banks and direct mail and the sophisticated machinery of mass communications to accomplish their tasks. These disciples were told, in fact, to travel light, relying only on the power of their message, the sincerity of their generosity and the inspiration of the Lord Jesus to accomplish their mission.

The 72 whom Jesus sent are models for all of us who are his disciples today.

Everywhere we go, our conviction of the deep, abiding presence of God’s kingdom, made evident by the generosity and compassion to which that conviction moves us, prepares people for a more open hearing of the Gospel and a deeper, more personal encounter with Jesus himself.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 1-7 Sunday (Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time), 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21, Galatians 5:1, 13-18, Luke 9:51-62; Monday, Genesis 18:16-33, Matthew 8:18-22; Tuesday (St. Thomas), Ephesians 2:19-22, John 20:24-29; Wednesday, Genesis 21:5, 8-20, Matthew 8:28-34; Thursday (St. Anthony Zaccaria), Genesis 22:1-19, Matthew 9:1-8; Friday, Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 65-67, Matthew 9:9-13; Saturday, Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29, Matthew 9:14-17.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 8-14 Sunday (Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Isaiah 66:10-14, Galatians 6:14-18, Luke 10:1-12, 17-20; Monday, Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 9:18-26; Tuesday, Genesis 32:23-33, Matthew 9:32-38; Wednesday (St. Benedict), Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24, Matthew 10:17; Thursday, Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5, Matthew 10:7-15; Friday (St. Henry), Genesis 46:1-7,28-30, Matthew 10:16-23; Saturday (Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha), Genesis 49:29-32;50:15-26, Matthew 10:24-33.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 15-21 Sunday (Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37; Monday (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel), Exodus 1:8-14,22, Matthew 10:34—11:1; Tuesday, Exodus 2:1-15, Matthew 11:20-24; Wednesday (St. Camillus de Lellis), Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12, Matthew 11:25-27; Thursday, Exodus 3:13-20, Matthew 11:28-30; Friday, Exodus 11:10—13:14, Matthew 12:1-8; Saturday (St. Lawrence of Brindisi), Exodus 12:37-42, Matthew 12:14-21.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

June 29, 2007

‘Chocoholic’ archbishop talks to Nestle execs about advertising NICE, France (CNS) — U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley stood before an audience of executives of the Nestle corporation and confessed to being a “chocoholic.”

The archbishop, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, also confessed to being an admirer of well-done advertising campaigns. However, the prelate did make a plug for Nestle’s Pennsylvania-based competitor by pointing out that Milton Hershey “never advertised his products; he thought that their high quality and low price were sufficient advertisement, and he pulled it off for decades.”

The archbishop’s presentation to the Nestle executives in Nice June 22 focused on the power and pitfalls of modern advertising campaigns.

“Because you’re really trying to get people’s attention, advertising is among the best communication being done in the world today,” he said.

Archbishop Foley told the executives that when his council decided to write its 1997 document on ethics in advertising, the text had to pass muster with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as do all Vatican documents touching on faith or morals. At the time, the congregation was led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Foley said the congregation “objected to our beginning with the benefits of advertising. They thought we should begin with the general moral principles which apply to advertising.”

The archbishop said he met with

Cardinal Ratzinger and explained that he thought people who work in advertising might read the document if it began with a recognition of the legitimate good advertising can accomplish: informing consumers or voters, promoting competition and lower prices, and creating jobs.

“Cardinal Ratzinger replied, ‘You’re right; keep it as it is,’” the archbishop told the Nestle executives.

Archbishop Foley also told the executives that advertising can cause great harm when it gives the impression that “having is more important than being.”

The archbishop did not ignore the “public relations disaster” Nestle faced over its marketing of baby formula in poor countries.

“Women in the developing world thought — or were perhaps persuaded by advertising and peer pressure to think — that breast-feeding was not enough for their children,” he said.

So they used formula, mixing it with water than often was unclean, and babies got sick and many died.

The archbishop told the executives he thinks Nestle’s reputation still suffers because of the formula crisis.

He asked Nestle executives to commit themselves to excluding all advertising that would make people feel bad or unworthy if they cannot afford to buy a certain product.

“Emphasize quality, emphasize efficiency, emphasize even better grooming and cleanliness and good appearance — but please do not suggest that a possession is going to make one person better than another,” he said.

Willis still a ‘Die Hard’

Bruce Willis stars in the actionpacked thriller, “Live Free or Die Hard.”

The fourth installment in the durable series starts in formulaic mode, but builds in excitement, with some first-rate chase sequences, but repeated profanity and one outrageously vulgar line are unfortunate detriments.

Some crude and vulgar words and expressions, gratuitous profanity, innuendo, pervasive nongraphic violence including explosions and shootings, albeit with little gore.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience. The MPAA rating is

CNS photo by 20th Century Fox

PG-13. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

June 29, 2007

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June 29, 2007

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Receiving first Communion Children in parishes and missions across the Diocese of Charlotte are receiving the sacrament of Communion for the first time this year.

They are among the more than 800,000 children in the United States expected to receive their first Communion this year.

In 1910, Pope Pius X decreed that children could receive their first Communion as young as seven years of age.

Courtesy Photo by Josie Carter-Zieglar

Joanna Zieglar, a parishioner at St. Mary Church in Greensboro, is pictured before receiving her first Communion at the church May 30.

Courtesy Photo by Ann Sheridan

Second-graders from St. Matthew School in Charlotte are pictured following their school Communion Mass May 23, in honor of their first Communion May 12.

Courtesy Photo by Carolyn Tazioli

Father Gnanapragasam Mariasoosai, administrator of Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion, and Francesca Hagerty are pictured with children who celebrated their first Communion at the church May 6.

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Register before July 29th — Courtesy Photo by Joe Ordoyne

Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus from the Msgr. L.C. Newman Assembly 2208 in Charlotte served as honor guards during the first Communion celebration at St. Joseph Mission in Kannapolis May 20.

June 29, 2007

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Catholics in the ‘spin zone,’ Part II

Column responses indicate need for more understanding

It seems a little bit odd to write a column about a column. But since my last missive about political pundit Bill O’Reilly (“Catholics in the ‘spin zone,’” June 1), propaganda and name-calling has annoyed so many of you — many of whom took the time to write and call me names — I thought I should clarify a couple of things.

First, the name of this column is “Catholics & the Media.” I write about the intersection of our great faith and the impact the media has on it.

The fact that Bill O’Reilly and Father Charles Coughlin were the subjects of a study that was published under the name of a leading academic institution, Indiana University, is noteworthy. The fact that they are both Catholic makes it a subject for “Catholics & the Media.”

Many of the letter writers seem to feel that my O’Reilly column crossed a line and was political. Although I didn’t write it with that in mind, I accept responsibility for any impressions my writing makes.

While I received many compliments for the column, the critical e-mails and letters outnumbered the kudos.

It is clear that many respondents disagree with some of the conclusions that I drew. But that is one reason for columns being written in the first place — to generate discussion and foster a greater understanding of, in this case, how the media affects Catholics.

Some readers assumed that I didn’t do any research and that I was somehow parroting what others have written. For me, an opinion column is a waste of time unless it reflects original thinking that is backed by dispassionate research.

Let me tell you what I did before writing the column. I spent time over a two-week period reading and thinking.

I first came across the study when I read an op-ed essay in the Los Angeles Times.

That piece, written by Ron Mitchell, a producer for Mr. O’Reilly, was critical of the Indiana University study.

I then read the original study. I knew about Father Coughlin’s story from reading the book, “The Glory and the Dream,” by William Manchester. I then used online sources to learn more factual information about Father Coughlin and O’Reilly.

And finally, I watched a half-dozen unedited O’Reilly’s “Talking Points” segments on YouTube. Among these was the “Talking Points” segment that criticized the study.

Catholics & the Media DAVID HAINS communications director

I didn’t want to be influenced by what others were writing about the study, and so I avoided reading essays on the topic. I spent the better part of a day writing the column and then revised it repeatedly for another two days before submitting it for publication.

I was not a regular viewer of O’Reilly’s program or any other cable commentators. But I think I will start watching the “Talking Points” segment and the last few minutes of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” on MSNBC to have a balanced, if not fair, exposure to a range of views.

My one regret about the column is that most of the people who took the time to criticize it didn’t seem to get the point I was trying to make, which is: two Catholic men who have, or had, powerful media voices used that power in a negative way that does not reflect their faith.

And we who watch, listen and support these voices contribute to a growing shortage of civil discourse in our society.

But if there was a lack of understanding, I take the blame. I did find the amount of anger expressed in the letters, some of it aimed at me personally, to be a bit disturbing.

The difference between an opinion and propaganda is the effect each is intended to have. Opinion influences a point of view, while propaganda affects both the viewpoint and the behavior.

I am but one opinionated Catholic who would like to see the great compassion of our faith on display more often than the crowd-pleasing rancor that seems to be the central attraction of Bill O’Reilly’s “Talking Points.”

D a v i d H a i n s i s d i re c t o r o f communication for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains@ charlottediocese.org.

A podcast of this column is available at www.charlottediocese.org.

Write a Letter to the Editor The Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or less, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

Bequests — how to describe them When making your will or living trust, you may wish to leave a bequest to the Catholic Church — through your parish, Catholic school, the diocesan foundation, the diocese, Catholic Social Services or another Catholic institution.

Your bequest may take one of many different forms: — A specific dollar amount: “I give $5,000 to …”

— A specific property or asset: “I give 100 shares of ABC Inc. common stock to …”

— A percentage of your estate: “I give 5 percent of my estate to …”

— The remainder of your estate after your debts, estate administration expenses and other bequests: “I give the remainder of my estate to …”

A specific dollar amount is the most common form of bequest in a will or trust. However, many factors affect the value of your estate, so think seriously about whether this is the best approach in your situation.

For example, if you leave a specific amount to the Catholic Church and a substantial portion of your estate is consumed through nursing home costs, the church may receive a substantially larger share of your estate than you intended.

Also, if the market value of your assets increases significantly, the church may not receive as much as you wish.

A chance to be good Samaritans

In response to the letters to the editor from Ted Jaskot and Paul Deer (“Criticizing potential immigration reform,” June 15), I only suggest they ask themselves one question: WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)?

These readers are seemingly unfamiliar with the teaching of Christ about the Good Samaritan. If the Samaritan was to uphold these readers’ standards of righteousness, he would have walked straight past the beatendown man because he was an “illegal” or, in those times, an “enemy” and deserved “no rights.”

Or he would have considered the injustices caused him by helping another: “It will cost me money,” “It may interfere with my trip” or “It may slow me down.”

But no, the Samaritan helped the man regardless of what it cost him. Why do so many Americans ignore this basic teaching of Christ?

It is time all Christians recognize that this is our opportunity for our country to face the real test of loving our neighbor, regardless of what it costs. Let us rise to the occasion and make Jesus proud by being a current day Good Samaritan. It is time for each of us to become the Good American.

— Lisa Tolido Waxhaw “All God’s Children” is the motto of a committee formed at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe. This group’s mission is to educate non-Hispanics on the issues regarding immigration and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants initiative.

Guest Column JUDY SMITH guest columnist

An alternative approach might be to estimate the percent of your present estate represented by your intended bequest.

For example, if the present value of your estate is $500,000 and you plan to leave $25,000 to your parish in your trust, your intended bequest is 5 percent of your estate.

If your trust agreement or will describes your bequest as 5 percent of your estate, your parish will receive 5 percent whether your estate increases or decreases in value. This way, both your family and the church will be treated according to your intentions.

Your bequest to the church is an excellent witness of stewardship. It should be considered carefully and prayerfully in gratitude for the gifts God gives us during our lives.

Judy Smith is the Planned Giving director for the Diocese of Charlotte.

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

Letters to the Editor Father Shawn O’Neal (pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee), the diocesan liaison for the U.S. bishops on this initiative, spoke at the English-language Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church April 21-22.

We have been given a directive by God to “love one another as I have loved you.” We cannot fulfill this commandment and, at the same time, chase our North American brothers and sisters back across an arbitrary boundary because we cannot process the paper work.

Lowering quotas, deporting family wage earners, separating parents and children and building walls do not conform with Catholic social teaching.

From Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (on capital and labor) to Pope Pius XII “Exsul Familia” (“On the Spiritual Care to Migrants”), the popes consistently stated the Catholic Church’s position that people have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.

It is recommended that the Mr. Jaskot and Mr. Deer invite Father O’Neal to speak at their respective churches.

Information about “All God’s Children” may be obtained by contacting Our Lady of Lourdes Church office at (704) 289-2773.

Pope Leo XIII said, “No human devices can ever be found to supplant Christian charity, which gives itself entirely for the benefit of others.” We are all God’s children.

— Thomas Lalley Indian Trail

June 29, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Committing to an unwillingness to lie ‘Ethical signposts’ point only toward truth telling I recall years ago in Washington coming out of a Senate committee hearing on organized crime and stepping into the elevator in the Dirksen Senate Office Building with the committee’s general counsel.

We just listened to extended testimony from a veteran, straight-as-anarrow, state police chief from Michigan.

As the elevator doors closed, the counsel remarked, “My father told me long ago that anyone who always tells the truth doesn’t have to worry about having a good memory. That’s what you just witnessed in that hearing room today.”

A hostile questioner, a senator who was later found guilty of ties to organized crime, did his best to trip up this good cop, but to no avail. Integrity, which this police officer possessed in generous supply, means living truthfully.

Veracity means speaking truthfully.

Veracity is truthfulness, and the truth will always set you free.

It looks like Scooter Libby is going to jail for not telling the truth. Martha Stewart went to jail a few years ago for not telling the truth. Fudging the truth by persons famous and obscure is a familiar fact of American life.

Truth not just when convenient but in all circumstances is the only compass that works in an age of ambiguity. The truth

teller is, we like to say, “trustworthy.”

He or she is a person you can count on, whose word is always good, whose character is the pledge behind the claim.

A lie, for such a person, matches up well with the concise Latin definition of a lie employed by medieval scholastic philosophers: “locutio contra mentem.”

The “locution,” or external expression, is contrary to what the mind knows to be true, and that is unacceptable behavior.

(It also explains the physiological trigger that makes a lie detector work.)

Forgetful or confused persons are not necessarily liars when what they say is inaccurate; the problem is in their minds, not in the words or gestures that are consistent with their confused, uninformed or misinformed mind.

Truth telling, as difficult as it may be at times, is the only way to preserve an ethical corporate culture, a functional government, a happy family, a servant church, a happy human being.

Ralph Lancaster, a wise, experienced veteran lawyer from Portland, Maine, remarked to me a few years ago that “veracity and truthfulness are twins.

Implicit in conformance to fact is a commitment to accuracy and honesty.

“But I think you establish confidence in a person’s veracity if you can get that person to state it negatively and simply

Hispanic identity: Here to stay or go?

Immigrant traditions add to richness of America “Except for their younger ages and concentration in the West and the South, the assimilated Hispanic Catholics in our survey do not differ much from non-Hispanic Catholics. ... Hispanic Catholics have come to resemble nonHispanic Catholics ever more as time goes by.”

These results cited in the study “American Catholics Today” (Sheed & Ward, New York), conducted by William D’Antonio, James Davidson, Dean Hoge and Mary Gautier, raise an all-important question: Is the apparent assimilation of Hispanics into the American way of life good or detrimental?

It is a sociological fact that people coming to America from other cultures more often than not assimilate into a style of life that is radically foreign to them.

Evidence of this is seen, for example, in newcomers adopting American clothes, learning American idioms and becoming immersed in American music and a hectic, day-to-day existence.

It is also true that when newcomers adopt American culture, benefits occur: moving up in social status, gaining better employment, living in better homes and being more educated.

It is equally true that cultural blending tends to create American solidarity: cultures not only work and bond together but learn from each other.

As true as this is, it is imperative for America’s wellbeing that individual cultures maintain their uniqueness!

Why be so emphatic? Because their

Looking Around JESUIT FATHER WILLIAM J. BYRON cns columnist

say that he or she is committed to ‘an unwillingness to lie.’”

Now there’s a good way to think about veracity — simply as an unwillingness to lie. It is also a good way to stay out of jail.

The young owe it to their future to run a little veracity check on themselves during the summer months. This can be by way of preparation for their return to school or as an assessment of their readiness for life in the world of work if their schooling ended with graduation.

In either area — in school or on the job — and in social relationships while away from school or off the job, truth telling is the only way to go. There are no detours or alternate routes. The ethical signposts point just one way: Commit yourself to an unwillingness to lie.

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

CNS photo by Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin

Two-year-old Jesus Gonzalez dresses up as St. Juan Diego during a procession Dec. 12, 2004 through the Hispanic community surrounding a Georgia church on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. uniqueness contains values and traditions that enrich the United States and the church immensely.

Not long ago I spent considerable time in a Hispanic environment. As I listened to the music, it reminded me of tarantellas that make you want to dance forever. Unique to the music were Latin American melodies that not only delighted the ear but lifted one’s spirit.

Another beautiful trait I experienced is the wonderful manner in which time is

treated. The Hispanic liturgies I attended, for example, were lengthy and unrushed.

Even after they concluded, they seemed to continue with people milling around and enjoying each other’s company. We all could profit greatly from this unrushed custom in our frenzied millennium that gets more frantic by the year.

Years ago I worked at Fordham University with the revered researcher Jesuit Father Joseph Fitzpatrick. His deepest concern was young Hispanics losing their cultural traditions, especially reverence for family life. I couldn’t agree more with this concern.

In almost all Hispanics studies, it is found that that Hispanics are unique in the way they nurture family life.

For Hispanics in the United States, this solidarity reflects the immigrant neighborhood traditions of the past we all cherished.

No doubt Hispanics in the United States will continue to assimilate into the American tradition, to become more greatly Americanized. My hope is that just as others in the United States now are trying to resurrect their immigrant traditions, Hispanics will hold onto theirs and not leave themselves in the position of having to resurrect them in the future.

Pope says religious ed should help people integrate faith into lives The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Religious education programs should help people understand the doctrines of Christian faith, but also must help them integrate that teaching into every area of their lives, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Holding the 100th general audience of his pontificate June 27, Pope Benedict continued his series of talks about early Christian theologians, focusing on St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century bishop.

After briefly greeting 6,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope moved into the Vatican audience hall, where he explained the treasure left by St. Cyril in “Catecheses,” a series of lessons addressed to people preparing for baptism and to those who just had been baptized.

The pope said St. Cyril’s text is “a model of an introduction to being Christian,” one which addressed people’s intellects, their experience and their behavior.

St. Cyril’s catechesis was “profoundly biblical” and demonstrated the unity between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, demonstrating how salvation history began with creation and moved progressively toward fulfillment in Christ, the pope said.

In the early church, he said, “catechesis was an important moment inserted in the broad context of the entire life — particularly the liturgical life — of the Christian community in whose maternal womb, we can say, the gestation of the future faithful took place.”

“This was an important moment; it was not a catechesis that was only intellectual, but a journey of learning how to live the Christian life always accompanied by the community,” Pope Benedict said.

The communal nature of the candidates’ formation, he said, helped them understand “they were entering into a large companion of travelers.”

St. Cyril also explained to the candidates how the church’s moral teaching was “anchored in deep unity” with its teaching about God and about Jesus Christ, he said.

“Doctrine and life are not two distinct things, but one journey of existence,” the pope said. As a person grows in understanding the faith, he is prompted to transform his behavior to reflect his new life in Christ.

“We ask the Lord to help us learn a Christianity that really involves our entire lives so that we will be credible witnesses of Jesus Christ, true God and true man,” the pope said.

June 29, 2007

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