Aug. 19, 2005

August 19, 2005

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Year of the Eucharist

Mystery of the Mass, Part 22; Vocations discernment day; Eucharist badges for Scouts

| Pages 6-7

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI August 19, 2005

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Finding strength in weakness

Diocesan event draws inspiring, nationally recognized speakers by

KAREN A. EVANS

WINSTON-SALEM — Some nights, the pain was so excruciating, all Chris Fuerst could do was lie in bed, clutching his crucifix and crying for God to take away his suffering.

Diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung — the most common form of lung cancer — Fuerst had an illness many smokers and past smokers develop in their 60s and 70s.

But Fuerst never smoked.

He grew up in a non-smoking household. He exercised regularly and ate a healthful diet.

And he was 34 years old.

See STRENGTH, page 5

DAVID HAINS

special to the catholic news & herald

staff writer

A devastating diagnosis The first sign that something was wrong was when he developed a pain in his right side in the summer of 2003.

The second came when fluid

no. 39

‘Jesus’ to appear at Eucharistic Congress

‘I’m the luckiest guy around,’ said cancer patient by

vOLUME 14

CHARLOTTE — A wellknown actor, a retired bishop and a priest who gets his message across through the use of martial arts are among the speakers to appear at the upcoming diocesan Eucharistic Congress.

The inaugural congress will take place at the Charlotte Convention Center Friday evening, Sept. 23, and all day Saturday, Sept. 24.

James Caviezel, best known for his portrayal of Jesus in the Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of the Christ,” will speak Friday See CONGRESS, page 6

Photo by Karen A. Evans

The Fuerst family — Kathy, Gabrielle, Michael and Chris — enjoy a summer afternoon in their backyard Aug. 1. Chris Fuerst was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2004 at age 34. Fuerst believed his illness was the catalyst for a dramatic spiritual transformation he experienced during the last 19 months of his life.

Revival of the Spirit 2005

A golden moment for Charlotte parish St. Ann Church celebrates milestone anniversary by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Young (and young-at-heart) parishioners of St. Ann Church in Charlotte dance the night away during the church’s 50th anniversary celebration Aug. 13. The weekend’s festivities also included Mass, a dinner and a brunch.

CHARLOTTE — For a half century, the little church on the corner of Park Road and Hillside Avenue has been the spiritual home for many Catholics living in the area.

The 700 families of St. Ann Church celebrated this milestone with Masses, a dinner, brunch and dancing the

weekend of Aug. 13 and 14.

In the 50 years since the establishment of St. Ann Church on Aug. 15, 1955, parishioners have built a church, school and activity center. In 1961, they helped establish a mission church, St. Vincent de Paul Church, which gained parish status just four years later.

Several charter members

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Franciscan Father James Goode and family pray during “Revival of the Spirit” at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte Aug. 13.

For more coverage, see page 12.

See MILESTONE, page 13

With Christ’s love

Gift of giving

Perspectives

Deacon, campus minister honored with awards

Businesswoman leaves funds; planned giving helps church

Bishop Jugis on stem-cell research; Masses for the dead

| Page 4

| Page 9

| Pages 18-19

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

August 19, 2005

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

U.S. bishop calls for more pressure to stop violence in Darfu WASHINGTON (CNS) — International pressure must be applied to the Sudanese government and rebel forces in order to end the violence and suffering in the Darfur region, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ international policy committee.

A larger presence of African Union troops in Darfur was needed for a sustainable peace, said the chairman, Bishop John H. Ricard of PensacolaTallahassee, Fla. The bishop offered his support for a U.S. House resolution, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which calls for an increase of African peacekeeping troops in Darfur and for the perpetrators of violence in Darfur to be brought before the International Court of Justice.

The act also calls for a stronger mandate for international troops and for an increase in logistical support for the troops

Faith ahoy

CNS photo by Martin S. Fuentes

Father Jerome Dillon of South Sioux City, Neb., a U.S. Navy chaplain, celebrates Mass aboard the combat support ship USS Sacramento. The Omaha archdiocesan priest holds the rank of commander.

Diocesan planner ASHEVILLE VICARIATE

From ship decks to desert sands, priests serve OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) — Father Jerome Dillon walks the polished decks of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and travels through the blowing sands of the desert to care for souls in need.

During his 20 years as a chaplain for the U.S. Navy, these remote locations have become his home away from home, where he serves his parishioners with love.

“I feel it is a great responsibility to provide for the sacramental and spiritual needs (of sailors and Marines) at sea and abroad, but especially when they are in harm’s way,” he said by phone from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California.

Father Dillon, a commander, is one of the many priests making sure the spiritual needs of military men and women are being met as they work to protect and defend the Constitution.

The chaplains serve personnel and families of the Army, Air Force and Navy, with Navy chaplains also serving the Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.

Catholic chaplains minister to about 1.4 million Catholics in the military, said Auxiliary Bishop John J. Kaising of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services.

That figure includes 375,000 people in uniform and more than 900,000 family members of active-duty personnel; 300,000 Catholics in the Reserve and Coast Guard; and those serving in government service overseas or in Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The bishop, who is vicar of chaplains, said that 349 U.S. priests serve

full-time as chaplains on loan from 147 dioceses and 37 religious communities.

A military chaplain is expected to work day and night and to visit people everywhere — on land, in the air and at sea. Many times the chaplain is the only Catholic priest in the area.

They supervise other chaplains, manage budgets and serve as pastors for Catholic parishes. They also make hospital visits, and provide worship services, sacramental rites, religious education programs and spiritual direction.

A large part of their ministry also involves counseling. Many personnel are dealing with a family crisis back home, problems within their own units, racism, spousal problems, suicide and separation from loved ones.

Military chaplains, too, face challenges, many of which are the same as for civilian priests. But priests in the military also must deal with the unique circumstances of serving thousands of parishioners, many of whom are young people from various backgrounds, cultures and religions. The parish community is constantly changing, too.

With thousands of women and men serving in the military, the need for priests who can minister to them continues to grow. This year, 10 bases in the United States will lose the priest assigned to the installations, meaning that those bases will have to depend on a part-time civilian priest from the local area.

Young people in the military “are hungering for food for their souls,” Father Dillon said. “They are not faithless, but they do need shepherds to lead them.”

ASHEVILLE — Join us as we pray the rosary and support our sidewalk counselors who offer real help to women going in for abortions at Femcare in Asheville, at 62 Orange St., Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at 8 a.m. No prayer is ever wasted. The Culture of Life needs you. Call (828) 689-9544 for more information and directions.

FHENDERSONVILLE — The St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order meets the fourth Sunday of each month 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 208 7th Ave. West. Visitors and inquirers are welcome. For more information, call Joanita Nellenbach, SFO, (828) 627-9209 or jnell@dnet.net.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE HUNTERSVILLE — A Mass to Honor Deceased Loved Ones is celebrated the last Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. For more Pam Schneider at (704) 875-0201.

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.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., will host a Christian Coffeehouse Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Single and married adults are invited for an evening of contemporary Christian music, food and fellowship. For more information, call Kathy Bartlett at (704) 400-2213.

CHARLOTTE — As a ministry to the hearing impaired, Vanessa Pappas will sign the Liturgy of the Word Sept. 11 during the 10 a.m. Mass at St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd. For more information, call the church office at (704) 536-6520.

from the international community.

“We believe this legislation will give added momentum to the search for a genuine peace in Darfur and relief for its suffering people,” Bishop Ricard said Aug. 10.

Bishop Ricard, who visited Darfur in August 2004, said the United States and international community “can and must do more to end this moral and humanitarian crisis.”

“We cannot stand idly by while human life is threatened,” he said.

After returning from his 2004 trip to Darfur, Bishop Ricard told Catholic News Service that there was “no question” that the killings in Darfur represented ethnic cleansing.

U.N. officials say more than 180,000 people have died in the last two years because of armed conflict in Darfur. Human rights advocates place the death toll as high as 400,000.

CHARLOTTE — A Blood Drive will take place at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Sept. 11, 8:15 a.m.-1:45 p.m. in the family room of the Parish Center. To register, call Ed Nenninger at (704) 366-6637.

CHARLOTTE — New Creation Monastery invites you beg God’s mercy on our hurting world Sept. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Also, we will celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. Both events take place at New Creation Monastery, 11517 Spreading Oak Ln. For more information, call Father John Vianney Hoover at (704) 541-5026.

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

CHARLOTTE — TGIF on Wednesday is a support group for separated or divorced women and men.

All are welcome to join us for encouragement and discussion with others making similar journeys at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the New Life Center, Room 114. If you have any questions, call Bonnie Motuz at (704) 543-8998.

HUNTERSVILLE — Elizabeth Ministry is a peer ministry comprised of St. Mark Church parishioners who have lost babies before of shortly after birth.

Confidential peer ministry, information and spiritual materials are offered at no cost or obligation to anyone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. For details, call Sandy Buck at (704) 948-4587.

CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order will meet Sept.

18 at 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Church, 2301 Statesville Ave. Those interested in learning more about the SFO and the Franciscan way of life are invited to attend. For more information, call Tom O’Loughlin at (704) 947-7235.

GASTONIA VICARIATE

aUGUST 19, 2005 Volume 14 • Number 39

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.

The Catholic News & Herald 3

August 19, 2005

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope encourages people to make God Pope’s brother released from hospital most important part of life after receiving pacemaker to God they will discover the purpose of — Adoring God means recognizing his Msgr. Ratzinger doing ‘satisfactory,’ says spokesman entered the hospital.

Pope Benedict spent about 20 minutes upstairs with his brother.

Returning to the ground floor, he blessed a new statue depicting Pope John Paul II being embraced by Mary.

Before leaving the hospital, Pope Benedict shook hands with members of the waiting crowd, blessing the sick and several small children.

After his release, Msgr. Ratzinger, a musician and the retired director of the famed Regensburg boys’ choir, returned to Castel Gandolfo.

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman, said Aug. 4 that the monsignor’s postoperative condition was “satisfactory” and he was expected to be released from the hospital within a few days.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) BELMONT — Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 North Main St., will host a Catholic Scripture Study beginning Sept. 18. Classes will meet Sundays, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Msgr. Kovacic Center. The study is based on the writings of Scott Hahn and will address the Gospel of John. Please register by Sept. 3 by calling Wendy Hood at (704) 393-1561.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — All Irish-Catholic women are invited to participate in the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, a social, cultural and charitable group for an ongoing series of fun and informative activities.

LAOH will meet the Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kloster Center of St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. Please join us for refreshments and to learn more about our group. Any questions can be directed to Mary Giff at (336) 855-7014.

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — A Charismatic Mass is celebrated the first Thursday of each month in Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, at 7 p.m.

For further information, contact Joan Moran (828)327-0487.

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

ROME (CNS) — Pope Benedict’s older brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, was released from Rome’s Gemelli hospital Aug. 6, three days after receiving a pacemaker and the morning after a visit from his brother.

Msgr. Ratzinger, 81, was taken to the hospital Aug. 3 with an irregular heartbeat. He had been staying with the pope at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.

Doctors inserted the pacemaker that same evening.

Pope Benedict left Castel Gandolfo in an Italian air force helicopter Aug. 5 and landed at the hospital helipad about 15 minutes later.

Alerted by the erection of security barricades and an increased police presence, about 50 patients and their visitors, as well as journalists and photographers, were on hand when the pope WAYNESVILLE — Adult Education Classes are held the first three Wednesday evenings of each month beginning at 6:45 p.m. in the St. John the Evangelist Church Social Hall, 234 Church St. For more information, call Charles M. Luce at (828) 648-7369 or e-mail luce54@aol.com.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE

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

CNS photo from Reuters

Catholic nuns holding torches leave Urakami Cathedral for a procession to Peace Park in Nagasaki Aug. 9. A Mass and procession marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki that killed more than 70,000 people. The Urakami neighborhood, a Catholic community, was obliterated in the attack.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. led to Japan’s surrender in World War II.

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

Aug. 27 — 5 p.m. Mass Sacrament of Confirmation Christ the King Church, High Point Aug. 28 — 11 a.m.

Dedication of new church Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem Aug. 30 — 5:30 p.m. Mass 50th Anniversary Celebration St. Mary, Mother of God Church, Sylva

Faith in the aftermath

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

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE

calendar

their existence.

The Vatican announced Aug. 8 that Catholics participating in World Youth Day events can receive a plenary indulgence if they attend any of the events or the closing Mass with prayerful devotion, receive the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist and offer prayers for the intentions of the pope.

“Other faithful, wherever they are during the encounter, will receive a partial indulgence if, with a contrite spirit, they ask with fervent prayers that God strengthen young Christians in their profession of the faith, that he confirm them in love and in respect for their parents” and that he help them form holy Christian families or follow a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, the Vatican statement said.

An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment, while a partial indulgence applies only to part of the punishment due.

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

12 for directions or information.

SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., celebrates a Charismatic and Healing Mass the first Sunday of each month at 4 p.m. Prayer and worship with prayer teams will be available at 3 p.m., and a potluck dinner will follow the Mass. Father John Putnam, pastor, will be the celebrant. For further information, call Bill Owens at (704) 639-9837.

Episcopal

presence as creator and lord of the universe and ensuring that God is the most important part of one’s life, Pope Benedict XVI said.

With about 2,000 people packed into the courtyard of his summer villa south of Rome and several thousand more people gathered in the square outside the villa Aug. 7, the pope focused his address on the upcoming celebration of World Youth Day. The theme of the Aug. 16-21 celebration in Cologne, Germany, is: “We Have Come to Worship Him.” Pope Benedict said an attitude of worship and adoration is the attitude that has marked the lives of saints throughout Christian history. It involves recognizing the greatness of God and the gift of salvation in Jesus with gratitude that “arises from the depths of one’s heart and marks one’s whole being,” he said.

During the Cologne gathering, the pope said, the church wants to help young people from around the world reach the “peak of love,” showing them that in dedicating their lives completely

Sept. 4 — 11 a.m. Mass Anniversary of the dedication Cathedral of St. Patrick, Charlotte Sept. 9 — 6 p.m. Mass Triumph of the Cross Conference St. Barnabas Church, Arden September 11–12 — USCCB Priestly Life and Ministry Committee meeting Washington, D.C. Sept. 13 — 11 a.m.

Diocesan requirements for reporting ministry-related sexual abuse of a minor 1. Any individual having actual knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect an incident of ministry-related sexual abuse is to immediately report the incident to the Chancery.

2. The Chancery will then report the incident to the proper civil authorities. The individual reporting the incident to the Chancery will be notified of the particulars regarding the Chancery’s filing of the incident with civil authorities.

3. This reporting requirement is not intended to supersede the right of an individual to make a report to civil authority, but is to ensure proper, complete and timely reporting.

Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authority, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

With Christ’s love

around the diocese

Deacon, campus minister earn pastoral care awards

by

correspondent

Pastoral response Deacon Rasmussen first saw the need for pastoral response teams while on a parish youth mission trip when their bus driver was killed in an accident.

“I saw reactions to this up to two years afterward,” he said.

He said that youths especially are vulnerable to such incidents because most deaths in this age group happen suddenly due to motor vehicle accidents, suicides or homicides.

Leaving the parish youth minister to help a youth group through a crisis is not the solution, he said.

“When tragedy happens, the youth ministers are hurting also, so we want to go into a parish and minister to the youth minister and the youth,” said Deacon Rasmussen.

For his proposal, he used a model for crisis intervention with which he was familiar from his work with the SBI, but it was missing the vital spiritual aspect.

“You cannot meaningfully explain death without a belief in eternal life,” he

Photo by Ellen Neerincx Sigmon

Gloria Shweizer, Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University, received her Bishop Curlin Pastoral Care Award because of her outreach to a student in crisis.

Building spiritual Father Allen to serve at Pontifical College Josephinum

ELLEN NEERINCX SIGMON

HICKORY — When Deacon Tom Rasmussen saw a need, he acted.

The permanent deacon at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory combined his years of experience in crisis response as a Special Bureau of Investigations agent and arson investigator, along with his master’s degree in counseling, and then added a spiritual component to create a pastoral response team.

He proposed the pastoral response team to Paul Kotlowski, director of diocesan youth ministry, and has been helping the diocese to develop the concept.

His efforts have earned him the Bishop William G. Curlin Pastoral Care Award, presented during Mass at St. Aloysius Church July 31.

The award recognizes individuals, groups and/or parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte that exemplify the principles of Christ’s love in the ministry of pastoral care.

The deacon is one of two recipients this year. Gloria Shweizer, Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University, earned the award for her care of a youth in crisis.

August 19, 2005

Photo by Ellen Neerincx Sigmon

Paul Kotlowski, director of diocesan youth ministry; Deacon Tom Rasmussen, permanent deacon at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory; and Father Robert Ferris, pastor, after a July 31 Mass at which Deacon Rasmussen was presented with the Bishop Curlin pastoral care award.

said.

Kotlowski said plans are underway to train people interested in joining pastoral response teams around the diocese as early as this fall. The diocese will need trained mental health workers, lay ecclesial ministers and youth peers to comprise the teams.

“I see the potential for this type of response going far beyond the youth populations,” said Kotlowski. “When one tragedy hits, it ripples throughout the whole parish.”

When the diocese piloted the program during a tragedy at a parish, at least one-third of those who came for help were adults, said Kotlowski.

Care in crisis Shweizer, who has been involved in campus ministry for 11 years, received her award from Mary Wright, director of diocesan campus ministry, during a ministry retreat in Boone May 26.

She earned the award because of her outreach to a student who had recently become a Christian and then lost his brother to homicide.

“She dropped everything and put herself at the disposal of this young man and his family,” said Kotlowski. “She provided transportation and she advocated for him to teachers and the university.”

“Without a doubt, Gloria ... is the epitome of the Bishop William G. Curlin Pastoral Care Award,” said Mary Wright, director of diocesan campus ministry.

“Gloria went above and beyond the call of duty with this student,” said Wright, “so much so, that the parents ... called Gloria for further assistance with their son.”

Now in its second year, the Bishop Curlin award originated in the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry but is not exclusively a youth ministry award, said Kotlowski.

“Each year we invite parishes to nominate individuals who are deserving of the award,” he said. “The hope is that potential applicants can come from any part of the church, not just the youth ministry population.”

WANT MORE INFO?

For more information on the Bishop Curlin award, contact Paul Kotlowski at (704) 370-3211.

CHARLOTTE — Father John Allen, a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, has been appointed recently to the faculty of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

He will serve as dean of men for the College of Liberal Arts and director of Pastoral Formation for the seminary. The appointment was announced July 29 by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Ordained in May 1990, Father Allen most recently served as director of vocations for the Diocese of Charlotte, rector of the Cardinal Newman House and chaplain of Charlotte Catholic High School.

“We are very thankful to Bishop (Peter J.) Jugis for granting our request to release Father Allen for service at the seminary,” said Msgr. Paul Langsfeld, rector of the Josephinum.

“I am confident that he will bring to our faculty and students his great love for the priesthood and the church, his rich experience as a pastor and his example as

Father John Allen

a teacher and mentor to seminarians and young people,” said Msgr. Langsfeld.

Established in 1888, the Pontifical College Josephinum is an international seminary with a four-year college and a graduate school of theology. It is a pontifical institution immediately subject to the Holy See through the apostolic nuncio.

Thirty North American dioceses and six international dioceses are currently represented in the seminary’s student body.

August 19, 2005

living the faith

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Cancer patient finds the spiritual side of suffering Strength, from page 1

and a small spot were found in his right lung during a routine physical exam in January 2004.

Fuerst and his wife Kathy had wanted a brother or sister for their son Michael, now 5 years old. After more than a year of trying to conceive without success, they decided to adopt. As part of the pre-adoption screening process, each had a physical.

Fuerst was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. His doctors couldn’t explain why an athletic, 34-year-old nonsmoker would develop lung cancer.

Three days after his diagnosis he had surgery, with no results. A course of chemotherapy had no effect except to leave him weak and sick.

The prognosis was grim: He had less than a 1 percent chance of surviving more than five years, and his doctors

gave him just eight to 10 months to live.

“We were basically told, ‘Pack your bags and get your things in order,’” Fuerst said.

Since medical treatments had failed to rid him of cancer, Fuerst decided to attack his tumor with prayer, a tool he had always used in his everyday life. He said countless novenas, touched firstclass relics of Blessed Mother Teresa, even visited Guadalupe, Mexico. None provided the miracle cure for which he had hoped.

Ten months after his diagnosis, Fuerst was still alive and feeling well enough to walk a half marathon.

“Just because you have a terminal illness, it’s not the end of the world,” Fuerst said.

Graces of a terminal illness Fuerst’s doctor suggested he keep a journal to track how he felt from day to day. Soon, he began recording how he felt spiritually as well as physically.

He had always been a devout Catho-

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Chris Fuerst, right, went on an extraordinary journey of faith following his diagnosis of lung cancer, including the birth of daughter Gabrielle, who was conceived while Fuerst was undergoing chemotherapy.

lic, building on the foundation his parents, Robert and Ruth Ann, provided for him as a boy. While in his 20s and early 30s, he regularly attended daily Mass, spent time in eucharistic adoration and prayed novenas throughout the week.

Fuerst said that through his illness, he was granted a number of graces, which he called his “graces of a terminal illness.”

“I feel like I’m the luckiest guy around,” Fuerst said. “I’m 35 years old and I have come so far in my spiritual life ... I am feeling closer and closer to God each and every day.”

As his body weakened, Fuerst found his spirit strengthening. Where he had once valued quantity of prayers, he focused on the quality of his prayer time.

“My body is really going downhill fast,” he wrote in his journal. “But I feel my spiritual life is doing nothing but taking off — higher and higher.”

Fuerst took great comfort in the late Pope John Paul II’s ideas on the value of suffering, that it is God’s gift to the church and to the world.

“By suffering, I have opened myself up to dependence on God,” he said. “It is always a choice. Follow God or not. If you do, you are better for it, but it does not mean that your life will be without suffering.”

As expected, Fuerst’s illness impacted his marriage and family. He described his eight-year marriage to Kathy at “tremendously wonderful.” Even so, their love grew “a hundred fold” since his diagnosis.

“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d have the strength or faith to make it through this trying time” said Kathy Fuerst. “He would never let me give up or give in.”

Gone were petty arguments and rigid schedules. They enjoyed each other and their children as much as possible, as often as possible. “(Kathy) is my advocate and my friend. She cares for me and she cares about me,” Fuerst said. “I, in turn, love and care for her more deeply than ever.”

Fuerst came to rely on others, rather than always being the “doer” — helping others at church and in the neighborhood. Two teenage brothers from church mowed the lawn. Neighbors and friends brought meals and baby-sat for the chil-

dren.

“It is a sign of humility to accept one’s offering ... because you never really know how much (it) means to the person giving it,” Fuerst said.

An unexpected blessing When Fuerst was diagnosed with cancer, he and Kathy thought they had the answer to her inability to become pregnant a second time.

“Obviously, we could not get pregnant because of me — case closed,” Fuerst said. “Once again, the Lord surprised us and we got pregnant.”

On March 25, 2005 — Good Friday — Gabrielle Fuerst was born. “(Gabrielle) has taught us yet another lesson with relation to God and his plan for us,” Fuerst said. “Kathy and I feel strongly that we are children of love and these two children we have, out of love, are really God’s children as well.”

Fuerst found a spiritual mentor and companion in his pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem, Conventual Franciscan Father William Robinson.

“Chris became a mystic because of his devotion to the cross,” said Father Robinson.

By early August 2005, the cancer had spread through his lymphatic system and into his brain. His doctors gave him only a few months, perhaps even weeks, to live. Still, he lived each day as fully as possible, treasuring his newfound relationship with God and his deeper love for his family.

“Recently, I asked Chris if he was ready to walk into the arms of God,” said Father Robinson. “He said, ‘No, Father, I want to jump into his arms.’”

In the early morning hours of Aug. 16, 2005, Chris Fuerst passed away in his home, surrounded by his family, friends and pastor.

His will be the first memorial Mass celebrated in the new Our Lady of Mercy Church after its dedication Aug. 28 — a Mass during which he was supposed to be the cross-bearer.

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

6 The Catholic News & Herald

year of the eucharist

Day of discernment

Courtesy Photo

High school and college students discuss possible callings to the priesthood with Bishop Peter J. Jugis, priests and seminarians for the Diocese of Charlotte during a vocations discernment day held at St. Barnabas Church in Arden Aug. 5.

Young men gather to explore vocations to priesthood ARDEN — Almost 50 male high school and college students gathered with Bishop Peter J. Jugis, priests and seminarians to explore their possible callings to the priesthood.

The gathering of teenagers and young men from around the diocese for the day of discernment was held at St. Barnabas Church in Arden Aug. 5.

“A number of priests have been suggesting that we hold an event such as this for some time,” said Father John Putnam, acting vocations director for the Diocese of Charlotte and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

“I was very excited about the response, and we certainly plan to hold these days in the future.”

The discernment day was organized

by Father Putnam and hosted by Father Roger Arnsparger, pastor of St. Barnabas Church.

Bishop Jugis spoke of the nature of the priesthood — how the one priesthood of Christ is continued in time through ordination, so that the Good Shepherd might still feed his sheep through the sacraments of the church, supremely the holy Eucharist.

“Priests are for the sake of the Eucharist,” Bishop Jugis said.

In addition to attending Mass celebrated by Bishop Jugis, the students spent the day in prayer, eucharistic adoration, recitation of the rosary, con-

fession and talks on proper formation of young men and the chief principles of discernment.

The students learned that virtue and character are stressed in formation, and that they should avoid the influences of modern culture that may tempt them toward self-absorption and fear of personal sacrifice.

Those who sensed a vocation to the priesthood were challenged to come to a place in their lives where they would be willing to accept the calling.

“It is obvious that vocations are there,” said Father Putnam. “We just have to encourage them and provide the means through which they can come to fruition.”

The students also enjoyed recreational activities and question-andanswer sessions with the bishop, priests and seminarians.

WANT MORE INFO?

The Diocese of Charlotte welcomes all inquires about vocations to the priesthood. Please call, e-mail, or write to: Father John T. Putnam 1123 South Church St. Charlotte, NC 28203 jtputnam@charlottediocese.org (704)370-3341

August 19, 2005

Speakers come to CONGRESS, from page 1

evening in a program featuring sacred music by a 75-voice choir comprised of singers from around the diocese.

Caviezel frequently speaks to large audiences about his passion for his Catholic faith. Caviezel’s wife, Kerri, will address the congress on Saturday.

The homilist for the Saturday morning Eucharistic Holy Hour is Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, who retired as bishop of Charlotte in 2002. Bishop Curlin’s soft-spoken, inspirational storytelling is well known throughout the diocese.

After Bishop Curlin’s talk and welcoming remarks from Bishop Peter J. Jugis, the congress program will be divided into four separate “tracks,” each including speakers and activities.

The Children’s Track is for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Teen Track is for youths in sixth through 12th grade. The Hispanic Track and the General Track are for adults.

In addition to a variety of activities and a play, children will hear from Father Antoine Thomas, a member of the Congregation of St. John, who understands how teens and youths can embrace and be enriched by spending time with the Blessed Sacrament.

Father Thomas also will be a featured speaker in the Teen Track.

Also speaking to teens will be Father Leo Patalinghug, a priest from Westminister, Md., who will entertain

and inspire teens with break dancing and karate; Charlie Aeschliman, a former Navy S.E.A.L. and basketball-handling champion, who will share his story of faith and showcase his basketball skills; and Father Francis Mary Stone, host of the EWTN program “Life on the Rock,” who will deliver his straightforward talk “The Extreme Make-Over: Putting on the Armor of Christ.”

The Hispanic and the General tracks will share two speakers who will present talks in both English and Spanish. They are: Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, a specialist in the interpretation of Scripture and tradition; Franciscan Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, appointed in 1980 by Pope John Paul II as the preacher of the pontifical household; and Dr. Dora Tobar, a speaker and theologian from The Catholic University in Washington D.C. In the General Track will be Johnnette Benkovic, a Catholic evangelization apostolate with outreaches in television, radio, print and Internet communications; and popular theologian Dr. Scott Hahn, a professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

The Eucharistic Congress ends with a vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the Eucharistic Congress, visit www.goeucharist. com or see the ad on page 20.

August 19, 2005

Mysterium Fidei

year of the eucharist

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Understanding the Mystery of the Mass, Part 22 Last time, we examined the sacred words of institution and consecration, which constitute the heart of the Mass. We discovered the amazing truth that these are not merely historical or biblical words used to recount the activity of the Last Supper, but in fact, in the Mass, Christ truly re-presents his sacrifice through his priest acting as his instrument.

Bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ as the words of consecration are spoken by Christ through each individual Catholic priest throughout time and history. All the prayers of the Mass until this moment prepare for our Lord’s sacramental arrival; from this moment forward, when Christ is truly present on the altar, the priest again addresses the heavenly Father on behalf of the church.

This week let us consider the four remaining parts of the Eucharistic Prayer that are now addressed to the Father.

Anamnesis Immediately following the consecration, the celebrant announces, “Mysterium fidei,” (that is, “[Let us proclaim] the mystery of faith”) and we respond with one of the four options that expresses the Paschal Mystery: “Dying you destroyed our death. Rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.”

This acclamation leads us into the next part of the Eucharistic Prayer, called by its Greek name, anamnesis, or “memorial.” The anamnesis is a prayer of remembrance in which the church calls to mind the Lord’s passion, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

We are reminded that the church is acting in memory of our Lord and obeying his explicit command, “Do this in memory of me.” We are mindful of our Lord’s parting mandate and the church rejoices in her fidelity to Christ; we are, in fact, faithfully following the command to “Do this in memory of me.”

Oblation The oblation or offering follows the memorial in the Eucharistic Prayer. Prior to the consecration, the priest asks the Lord to accept the gifts of bread and wine as a token of ourselves. But now, following the consecration, the bread and wine no longer exist; they have been changed into the body and blood of Christ. Christ is now offered to the Father.

Guest Column Father Matthew Buettner guest columnist

In the Roman canon, three Old Testament persons are mentioned whose offerings were acceptable to the Father: 1) Abel, who offered the firstborn lamb of his flock; 2) Melchisedech, who offered bread and wine as a priest of God; and 3) Abraham, who was willing to offer his own son.

Each of these three biblical sacrifices foreshadows the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which fulfilled all others. Christ is the high priest offering the Mass, but in the oblation, we discover that he is also the victim being offered.

Intercessions Because Christ is the high priest and mediator between God and man, intercessory prayers form the next part of the Eucharistic Prayer. The intercessions make clear that each Mass is offered for the salvation of the whole world in union with the entire church on earth, as well as in heaven.

All members of Christ’s mystical body are included in the benefits of the Mass: we seek the intercession of those in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints; we pray for the living and we intercede on behalf of the dead.

The pope, the bishop of the diocese and the clergy are always mentioned, since union with the pope and the local bishop establishes our unity with the Catholic Church throughout the world.

Doxology With the close of the intercessions comes the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer. The formula, known as the Doxology, is common to all eucharistic prayers. The Greek word doxology simply means “a word of glory or praise.”

The priest raises the chalice and paten in a final word of praise to the Father as he prays, “...all glory and honor is yours Almighty Father, forever and ever.” The faithful conclude the Eucharistic Prayer with the “Amen,” which may be recited or sung.

St. Jerome wrote in the fifth century that the “amen” at the conclusion of the canon “resounded in heaven, as a celestial thunderclap in the Roman basilicas.” Let us pray that our assent, that our “amen,” will proceed from the same ardent faith, hope and love.

We will continue next time by examining the Communion Rite.

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

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

Courtesy Photo

Ten Boy Scouts and adult leaders from Troop 171, all members of St. Therese Church in Mooresville, are the first Scouts in North Carolina to receive the Year of the Eucharist Scouting patch. Pictured are: (back row, from left) Gary Tadvick, Tyler LaChapelle, Nick D’Auria, Tam Ayers, Frank D’Auria, Debbie D’Auria, (front row, from left) Bill Reilly, Patrick Reilly, Anthony D’Auria and Jonathan Tadvick.

Understanding Jesus’ presence Local Scouts first in North Carolina to earn Eucharist patches MOORESVILLE — Seven Catholic Boy Scouts and three adult leaders from Troop 171, all members of St. Therese Church in Mooresville, recently received their Year of the Eucharist Scout patch.

The Scouts are the first in North Carolina to receive the patch, created

by Catholic Committee on Scouting in the Diocese of Dodge City, Kan., and believed to be the only religious emblem program of this type in the country.

With the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II, running from October 2004 to October of this year, the purpose of the religious activity patch program is to assist Scouts in better understanding Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist, the Mass as his sacrifice and the importance of eucharistic adoration.

“I see Scouts earning this patch as a tribute to Pope John Paul II,” said Tim Wenzl, religious emblems coordinator for the Diocese of Dodge City’s Catholic Committee on Scouting.

“The Holy Father proclaimed this special year to draw emphasis on the Eucharist. Scouts meeting the requirements and earning this patch will long remember that the pope died during the

Year of the Eucharist,” he said. “They are responding to the Holy Father’s call to understand the importance of the Eucharist in our Catholic faith.”

There were different requirements for Scouts in first through fifth grades, for those in sixth through 12th grades, and for adult leaders.

To earn their patches, the Scouts from Troop 171 read the apostolic letter “Mane Noviscum Domine,” recited the rosary and meditated on the Luminous Mysteries, discussed the meaning of Corpus Christi and identified terms associated with the Eucharist.

Catholic News Service contributed to this story.

WANT MORE INFO? Requirements for the Year of the Eucharist Scout patch, to be checked by adult leaders or parents, must be completed by October. For more information, e-mail twenzl@dcdiocese. org or call (620) 227-1556.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

Sisters of Mercy foundation awards grant to City of Funds will assist families in Wingate CHARLOTTE — Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation awarded a three-year $987,389 grant to the City of Charlotte Neighborhood Development Department June 22 for the Vision: Charlotte Initiative.

The initiative will deliver an innovative model of neighborhood-based integrated services, including case management, in the Wingate Community, a neighborhood in the western corridor of Charlotte.

The neighborhood is troubled by a school drop-out rate nearly three times the city average, high rates of teen pregnancy, unemployment and other conditions that contribute to its fragile status as reported in the City of Charlotte’s 2004 Quality of Life Study.

The initiative effort is a collaboration between a number of Charlottebased organizations and departments.

Each of the collaborating partners will provide on-site services and resources in an integrated model to assist the educational and economic advancement of individuals and families in Wingate.

Charlotte City Council recognized the foundation at its July 25 meeting, during which Mercy Sister Mary Jerome Spradley, foundation president, and Edward Schlinksup Jr., executive director, made a formal presentation of the check to Mayor Patrick McCrory.

Program services are expected to begin in August.

“The Vision: Charlotte Initiative could become a new paradigm for service delivery to other communities,” said Sister Spradley.

“The approach is holistic, focused on developing the strengths of individuals and families and reflects our desire as a foundation to promote systemic change and invest in helping people to empower themselves and improve the quality of their lives,” she said.

The foundation is the charitable arm

of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina and provides grants to selected tax exempt health care, educational and social service organizations, which assist women, children, the elderly and the poor.

Since it began receiving grant applications in October 1996, the foundation has awarded 582 grants totaling more than $26 million to organizations serving underserved populations. The award to the City of Charlotte is a special initiative outside of the foundation’s regular programs of grantmaking.

The city has made significant investments in the improvement of Wingate housing, infrastructure and crime rates over the past 10 years.

When the foundation approached the city with an interest in funding an intensive, supportive services program that would circumvent barriers to accessibility by bringing services to the neighborhood and empowering residents to take ownership of the program and their community, the revitalization efforts already underway made Wingate a ready candidate.

“The availability of affordable housing alone cannot eliminate the effects of generations of poverty,” said Sister Spradley. “Accessibility of supportive social and human services and education can make a lasting difference in revitalized communities.”

“We are pleased to assist the expanded efforts by the City of Charlotte to improve this neighborhood and the lives of the people who live there,” she said.

It is hoped that the long-term impact of the program will be reflected in a growing number of Wingate residents being employed and earning living wages, continuing their educations, and owning homes, said Sister Spradley.

August 19, 2005

Granting help

Funds will assist residents at House of Mercy BELMONT — House of Mercy, a nonprofit residence for persons living with advanced AIDS, recently received a $5,000 grant from the Carrie E. and Lena V. Glenn Foundation.

The funds will be used for direct care services for House of Mercy residents.

“We depend on the generous contributions of our community for more than 80 percent of our budget,” said Stan Patterson, House of Mercy president.

House of Mercy, the only facility of its type in the region, has housed more than 200 men and women since its founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1991.

Physical, psychological and spiritual support are provided to residents without concern for race, religion or sexual orientation.

“House of Mercy offers 24-hour compassionate care and housing for economically disadvantaged men and women living with advanced AIDS,” said Patterson. “We provide clinical

treatments and therapies designed to provide the best in medical services, as well as a variety of supplemental services to enhance the lives of our residents.”

On average, 72 percent of residents at House of Mercy have been minorities and almost 30 percent have been female.

The Glenn Foundation was established by two Gastonia sisters whose advice was that the contribution was to go “where it is needed most and will do the most good.”

The Glenn Foundation’s funding priorities include Gaston County nonprofit agencies in the areas of human services, children and youth, arts, community improvement, education, environment, health/science and religion.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on House of Mercy, visit www.thehouseofmercy.org.

August 19, 2005

Generous in spirit

The Catholic News & Herald 9

stewardship

fiscal year. Almost $1.5 million has been distributed in 11 years to parishes, schools and agencies to carry out the continuous wishes of many people who were devoted to the church.

Businesswoman leaves more than by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

GREENSBORO — Aurelia Isle Guffey was known as a judicious, respected and successful businesswoman.

But she is also remembered for her devotion to her church and community.

“Catholicism wasn’t something she practiced only on Sundays. She incorporated it into her daily life,” said Bryan Guffey, her grandson.

“She was always generous in her own quiet way,” said Deacon Timothy Rohan, a permanent deacon at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro. “Her whole life was giving until the day she died.”

Upon her death on Dec. 19, 2004, at the age of 96, Guffey found a way to continue her quiet way of giving to her church and community. She left $1.4 million to the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, Catholic Social Services and two parishes.

The foundation is a non-profit organization established to provide endowments for the diocese and its parishes, schools, agencies and organizations.

An endowment is a permanent fund placed in the foundation and earns income over time. The principal amount is not spent, but the income can be used in a manner stipulated in an estate plan or in an endowment agreement.

Through Guffey’s gift, $1 million went to establish an endowment in the foundation, $412,000 went toward Catholic Social Services, and $26,000 each went to Our Lady of Grace Church and St. Benedict Church in Greensboro.

A portion of the gifts to CSS and the parishes went into endowments in the foundation.

“By leaving her very generous

gift to the church, Mrs. Guffey is leaving a legacy in perpetuity to the things she valued when she was alive — her Catholic Church,” said Jim Kelley, foundation and development director for the diocese.

Guffey, with the help of her husband, Ed, of 35 years, owned and operated one of the largest poultry hatchery operations in the Southeast. She was honored with many industry awards and citations, including being named the poultry industry’s “Woman of the Year.”

Born in 1908 in Westphalia, Mo., she later relocated to Greensboro, living across the street from the future Our Lady of Grace Church.

“She sat on the porch and watched them build the church,” said Deacon Rohan.

“When they set the final stone in 1952, she became a parishioner and remained so until her passing,” said Bryan Guffey. “Likely one of the church’s oldest neighbors, she walked to Mass every Sunday morning for nearly 50 years.”

Aurelia Guffey was a regular participant in and supporter of church social functions and ministries, and became a good neighbor to the clergy who passed through Our Lady of Grace Church’s rectory and the women religious at the convent.

“She got to know them in a way many parishioners don’t — as neighbors, as regular people,” said Bryan Guffey.

“She brought eggs to the convent every week,” said Deacon Rohan, who considered Aurelia Guffey a good friend for the 30 years he has been at the parish.

“I thought the world of her,” he said.

In 1997, she joined the Catholic Heritage Society, whose members have committed to make a planned gift to the foundation, the Diocese of Charlotte, or

Aurelia Isle Guffey

any of its parishes, schools, agencies or organizations.

“Mrs. Guffey’s gift has come at a most opportune moment. It will provide CSS the funds to establish needed new programs and, just as importantly, to maintain them until other long term funding can be put in place”, said Elizabeth Thurbee, executive director of Catholic Social Services.

“It is not often that such a substantial and generous gift comes our way. We are most grateful”, she said.

“More people are doing what Mrs. Guffey did — taking another step in stewardship by leaving a gift to the church in a will or an estate plan after their deaths,” said Kelley.

Established in 1994, the foundation now has more than 125 endowments, 10 of which were added during the past

Catholic Heritage Society The society is open to individuals who make any of the following planned gifts: a bequest in their will; an annuity; a life estate gift; a gift of life insurance or real estate; a gift through a retirement plan; a remainder trust.

Estate gifts can be made either to the diocesan foundation or directly to a parish, school or agency.

Contact Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail kemurray@charlottediocese.org.

For more information on the foundation, contact Jim Kelley at (704) 370-3301 or jkkelley@charlottediocese.org, or go online at www.charlottediocese.org/ developmentoffice.html.

For more information on the society, contact Judy Smith, director of planned giving, at (704) 370-3320 or jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

Perpetuity is a long time Planned giving can help sustain dream, church that their annual giving to their parish would continue in perpetuity. They started the fund rather modestly, but plan to enlarge it with a bequest from their estate.

For now, at least they can see how their endowment works and what they can expect from it when they are gone.

We currently have 125 endowments at the foundation, and they are all managed prudently by investment professionals. These endowments provide support for a number of parishes, schools and programs in the diocese. The goal is to obtain both annual income and longterm growth.

It is the policy of the foundation to preserve endowment principal, with some portion of the earnings available to be used on an annual basis. This means our endowment funds will last. They will continue in perpetuity. And every name associated with every endowment will endure as well.

Would you like to do something lasting for your parish, school or another Catholic entity? You need look no further than our endowment program.

This is the ideal way to add to one of our existing endowments or create a new endowment.

You will have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift will give in perpetuity, providing income for one of your dreams for years to come.

For more information, please contact Judy Smith, director of planned giving for the Diocese of Charlotte, at (704) 371-3320 or e-mail jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

Guest Column JUDY SMITH guest columnist

“Perpetuity” is one of those words you don’t run across every day. Chances are, you’ll never hear it on the six o’clock news or read it in the evening paper. It’s not something you’ll see on a theater marquee.

But perpetuity is a word we relish at the Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. We use it often because it describes our endowments.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, perpetuity is “the state or quality of being perpetual.” The phrase “in perpetuity” means “forever or for an indefinite period.”

It is said that every noise produced on earth creates sound waves that expand outward toward the infinite reaches of space. The waves extend unendingly. Or we might say, the sound waves travel in perpetuity.

Creating your own endowment at the foundation is similar to blowing a trumpet into the air. Like the far-reaching waves of the notes, the effects of your endowment will carry unendingly to future generations.

A couple from the Diocese of Charlotte established an endowment to ensure

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Far and abroad

August 19, 2005

Abbey professor selected for AP program reading Dr. Coté assists with college board’s AP Exams

Courtesy Photo

Twenty-two students, parents and faculty from Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville stand at an old city square in Stockholm, Sweden, July 14 as part of a tour of European cities. Led by Mike Streich, history department chair; Tara Porter, English department chair; and her husband, Dr. Tom Porter, a professor of Russian history, the students and parents experienced a high level of commentary and experience on their visits to cities including Hamburg and Leubeck, Germany; Stockholm; and Copenhagen, Denmark. The high school’s summer foreign trips focus on both educational value and fun, and provide out-of-classroom experiences, such as touring a Holocaust memorial, a concentration camp and museums. Several of the students completed two semesters of Western Civilization for college credit.

BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College’s Dr. Nathalie Coté was selected this summer to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examinations in Psychology.

“It was wonderful to spend a week with people who love teaching psychology as much as I do,” said Coté, an associate professor and current chair of the college’s psychology department.

“The opportunity for college professors to mingle with high school teachers is rare, and I found it valuable,” she said.

“By scoring AP essays myself, I reassure myself that high-scoring Advanced Placement students do in fact understand psychology as well as college students who have taken my Introductory Psychology course, and I can assure colleagues of the validity of the AP program.”

According to Coté, the group of readers included textbook authors, teaching award winners, and even one of her college professors from 20 years ago.

For a week, the group spent every day grading essays and every evening in professional development or meeting new friends and sharing teaching tips.

The AP Program, sponsored by the College Board, each year gives more than one million capable high school students an opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses and examinations and, based on their exam performances, they can receive credit and/or advanced placement when entering college.

Approximately 2.1 million examinations in 19 disciplines were evaluated by more than 7,500 readers from universities and high schools. Representing many of the finest academic institutions in the world, these men and women are some of the best high school and college educators in the United States and abroad.

Coté, who will be celebrating her

Courtesy Photo

Dr. Nathalie Coté, a professor at Belmont Abbey College, was selected this summer to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s AP Examinations in Psychology. eighth year teaching at the Abbey, earned her doctorate in cognitive studies at Vanderbilt University, studying how people build mental representations based on what they read. Although she finds research interesting, she said teaching is even better.

Belmont Abbey College, ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report, is home to students from more than 34 states and 17 countries. The campus consists of the college, the monastery and the Abbey Basilica.

Founded in 1876, the college celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the college and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.

August 19, 2005

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August 19, 2005

FROM THE COVER

Revival of the Spirit

first black priest from the city of Roanoke, Va. Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, was the celebrant and homilist of the closing Mass on Sunday.

The gospel reading for the Saturday service was the parable from the Gospel of John in which Jesus heals the blind man. After he was healed, the man not only regained his vision, he also “saw” who Jesus was — the Son of Man. The man’s blindness was not the result of his parents’ sin, nor his own, but rather he had been born blind “so that the works of God might be made visible through him” when he was healed, Father Goode said.

“All of us were born with some kind of affliction, some kind of setback ... so that God’s work will be revealed in us,” he said.

Father Goode said Jesus teaches us there are many ways we can be blind,

such as spiritually or morally. Through God’s healing power, we can regain our “sight.”

As part of the healing service, Father Goode invited anyone in need of healing — physical, emotional or spiritual — to come forward for a special prayer.

The front of the church and middle aisle quickly filled with revivalists.

“As a people of faith ... we must pick each other up if we are fallen, and we must comfort one another,” said Father Goode. “We must care for one another and carry one another, because this is a part of our sacred tradition.”

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

WANT MORE INFO?

For more information on the AAAM, call (704) 370-3339 for go online at www.charlottediocese.org/aaam. html.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

A man is visibly moved while listening to Father James Goode preach about healing during the annual tent revival Aug. 13.

Catholics come together for annual tent revival by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

CHARLOTTE — On a hot, humid August night, a few hundred Catholics gathered at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, eager to have their spirits revived and their eyes opened to the wondrous love of Jesus Christ.

The sixth annual “Revival of the Spirit” tent revival, sponsored by the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry, was once again an uplifting experience for those who attended the weekend-long celebration Aug. 12-14.

The revival, this year themed “Christ in my life, all the days of my life,” was designed to be reminiscent of the early days of outdoor preaching and was an opportunity to publicly worship in the spirit of the black church.

Franciscan Father James Goode preached fiery sermons during the Friday and Saturday evening services. He is a member of the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception and the president of the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life. When Father Goode was ordained in May 1972, he was the

Even the youngest parishioner s were captivated by Father Goode’s preaching at the tent revival Aug. 13.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

August 19, 2005

FROM THE COVER

The Catholic News & Herald 13

St. Ann Church celebrates 50 MILESTONE, from page 1

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Bishop Peter J. Jugis and his parents, Joseph and Peggy Jugis, study photographs of the bishop being baptized at St. Ann Church in 1956. The photos are on display as part of the church’s 50th anniversary.

of St. Ann Church still worship there and form the foundation of the parish family, serving in many of the church’s ministries.

What St. Ann Church may have lacked in size over the years, it has more than made up for in prestige. Its founding pastor, Msgr. Michael J. Begley, became the first bishop for the Diocese of Charlotte in 1972. Another former pastor, Msgr. John McSweeney, is now pastor for St. Matthew Church, the largest in the diocese.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis was baptized by then-Msgr. Begley at St. Ann Church in 1957 and served as priest-in-residence during the summer of 1983.

“We are privileged to be part of a parish which has been at the center of the life of the Diocese of Charlotte since its beginning,” said Father Conrad Hoover, pastor. “We are no longer among the largest, but we are filled with the spirit of compassion and hope.”

At the conclusion of the Saturday evening Mass, Judeth Crowley, the late Bishop Begley’s niece, told the congregation how her family had visited Charlotte during the construction of St. Ann Church. Crowley came to Charlotte from her home in Warwick, R.I., for the anniversary celebration.

“I’m delighted to see how the church has flourished in 50 years,” she said.

Soon, St. Ann Church will flourish even more. A capital campaign is underway for a long-awaited renovation of the existing church building. The parish hopes to have a new façade and greatly refurbished interior completed in time for Christmas 2006.

DID YOU KNOW? * Bishop Michael J. Begley, the Diocese of Charlotte’s first bishop, was the first pastor of St. Ann Church, 1955-1966. * St. Ann Church was named to honor then-Msgr. Begley’s mother. * Bishop Peter J. Jugis was baptized by then-Msgr. Begley in 1957.

A timeline of St. Ann Church Aug. 15, 1955 — St. Ann Church was established with the purchase of the corner property on Park Road and Hillside Avenue. Parishioners joined in the celebration of weekend Masses in the Park Road School auditorium.

September 1956 — Original school building completed and dedicated. The celebration of parish Masses moved upstairs over the school’s original auditorium-cafeteria space.

1960 — Completion of current church structure.

1993 — Parish Activity Center completed and dedicated.

2003 — Parish Activity Center rededicated as the Msgr. Allen Center.

Spring 2005 — Capital campaign commences to finance major renovation of existing worship space.

Aug. 13-14, 2005 — Parish celebrates 50th anniversary.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Frank Gulli, one of the original members of St. Ann Church when it was established in 1955, talks with Father Joseph Dinh, parochial vicar, following Mass Aug. 13.

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

August 19, 2005

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

In sixth book, Harry Potter is growing up reviewed by JEAN GONZALEZ catholic news service

Harry Potter is growing up.

While his personal experiences continue to shape his moral judgment, Harry greatly appreciates the values of trust, loyalty, friendship, free will and, above all, love in his life. And judging by the outcome of J.K. Rowling’s latest (and sixth) book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” he will need those values to continue his fight against the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

In Rowling’s 2003 installment of the magical series — Book 5, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” — Harry was 15 and an angry young man, a typical teenager who seemed a little gawky, a little self-absorbed and full of angst.

But by the end of the book readers saw a glimmer of change within Potter’s attitude — a loving and generous spark that carried over to Book 6.

Now 16, Potter displays his budding maturity in his insights about his life, his friendships and his loyalty to his mentors.

Early in the book he ponders how his life would be different if Voldemort had gone after another family and not his own.

In the middle of the book, he considers how dating can change friendships.

And throughout the novel he weighs his physical, mental and emotional strength and his need for a loved one to protect him.

There are critics of the Potter series who believe Rowling’s novels and characters offer an invitation to study and participate in magic. There are others who recognize Christian values, and even biblical symbolism.

The Potter books are devoid of any religious references, much like J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” tril-

ogy. But that is not to say there is no respect for Judeo-Christian values.

The prominent lesson Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, tries to impart to his pupil, Harry, is simply: Love makes all the difference in the world. Respect, understanding, compassion, loyalty, courage, strength and sacrifice — all should be rooted in love.

Book 6 also concentrates on promises and the issue of free will versus fulfillment of a prophecy (particularly the prophecy revealed in Book 5). Dumbledore reminds Harry that his own moral judgment, again rooted in love, should guide his life decisions.

That could be a powerful life lesson for teens in which peer pressure or indecent media messages might serve as their own “prophecy” or “destiny.”

Rowling has a gifted way of writing for Harry, as each book’s structure truly reflects Harry’s age. While Book 1, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” is a good fit for 11-year-old readers, this book fits best for older teen readers.

Adults will enjoy this book as well.

Although it lags a bit in the middle where there is a lot of “snogging” — or, as Americans would say, “smooching” — among the teens, it is a tight and enjoyable read and a standout in the series.

And what about the half-blood prince? Adults, teens and preteens who were waiting for the midnight release of the book at a local Barnes and Noble had many theories about the prince and the book’s plot. Of the many I overheard, none of them — including my own — were correct.

Gonzalez is projects editor at The Florida Catholic in Orlando, Fla.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: Aug. 28, 2005

Aug. 28, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A Readings: 1) Jeremiah 20:7-9 Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 2) Romans 12:1-2 3) Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27

God’s love, compassion knows no end

by DAN LUBY catholic news service

One of the most compelling scenes from “A Man for All Seasons,” a movie about the life and death of St. Thomas More, focuses on an encounter between More and his protege, Richard Rich.

The young lawyer has just betrayed his mentor in exchange for appointment as attorney general of Wales. Largely on the basis of his ambitious friend’s false testimony, More is hauled off to prison in preparation for beheading.

When they meet face to face, More looks on his accuser and, with Christ’s

question from this Sunday’s Gospel in mind, says sadly, “Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world. But for Wales?”

When viewers watch this scene, we shake our heads in dismay at the folly of the compromise Rich has made. It seems so clearly to have been a fool’s bargain: his integrity and the life of a loving friend in exchange for a relatively minor post in provincial government.

While most of us will never be put into such dramatic circumstances as these, the questions rise up from this Gospel: For what are we spending our lives? An acquisitive, image-driven culture? A “might-makes-right” approach to family life or patriotism? An overdeveloped need to be well thought of by others?

These and other manifestations of our tragic human gullibility about what’s really important make clear how powerfully we are attracted to the illusion of control; how much, like Peter in the Gospel, we prefer our version of reality to God’s. The bad news is that we fall for it over and over and over again.

The good news is that God’s desire to draw us into communion with him — to give us blessings and happiness far deeper, more satisfying and more lasting than even our wildest imaginings — never runs out.

Questions:

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 21-27 Sunday (Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time), Isaiah 22:15, 19-23, Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 16:13-20; Monday (Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary), 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5, 8-10, Matthew 23:13-22; Tuesday (St. Rose of Lima), 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 23:23-26; Wednesday (St. Bartholomew), Revelation 21:9-14, John 1:45-51; Thursday (St. Louis, St. Joseph Calasanz), 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13, Matthew 24:42-51; Friday, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Matthew 25:1-13; Saturday (St. Monica), 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, Matthew 25:14-30.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 3 Sunday (Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time), Jeremiah 20:7-9, Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 16:21-27; Monday (Martyrdom of John the Baptist), 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Mark 6:17-29; Tuesday, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11, Luke 4:31-37; Wednesday, Colossians 1:1-8, Luke 4:38-44; Thursday, Colossians 1:9-14, Luke 5:1-11; Friday, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 5:33-39; Saturday (St. Gregory the Great), Colossians 1:21-23, Luke 6:1-5.

The Catholic News & Herald 15

August 19, 2005

From tragedy, triumph

Singer feels his career success has been guided by faith

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Daniel Rodriguez, the classical singer who gained fame for singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at New York Yankees games after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City, is enjoying a successful career.

But that career, in his view, “has been guided more than anything I’ve ever done.”

Rodriguez has released a new album of sacred and spiritual songs, called “In the Presence.” It includes hymns he sang at church such as “Joyful, Joyful,” “Amazing Grace” and both English and Spanish versions of “Nearer My God to Thee.”

The Spanish-language version, he said, is “the one I’ve sung the most” over the years in church.

It also includes such classical pieces as “Ave Maria” plus “Panis Angelicus and “Pie Jesu,” duets with fellow Catholic singer Lea Salonga, and the contemporary classic “On Eagle’s Wings.”

“My life has always been based on my faith,” hence the choice of sacred music for a new collection, Rodriguez told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from New York.

“My life has always been a series of happy coincidences, being at the right place at the right time,” he added, “and having the faith to say, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be.’”

Out of the tragedy of the terror attacks on New York, he noted, came the opportunity to sing the national anthem while a nationwide audience was watching the Yankees in the 2001 baseball playoffs and World Series. From that exposure came the chance to record a CD, “The Spirit of America,” and the opportunity to study with famed tenor Placido Domingo.

Because of the comparisons made between Rodriguez and another classical balladeer, Mario Lanza, Rodriguez was able to record a CD, “From the Heart,” that evoked Lanza’s memory, if not quite his style. And the riches that came with fame permitted Rodriguez to leave his job as a New York City police officer and buy a house in Florida for his mother.

“In the Presence,” as he sees it, is a chance to make a return for the gifts bestowed upon him. Still, it was not the easiest task.

The arranger for three songs on the album, Johnnie Carl, committed suicide a week before Christmas inside the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, Calif., where he worked as one of its music directors.

Rodriguez’s aunt, Concepcion Padilla, “who was central to my religious upbringing,” he said, also died during the recording of the album.

Rodriguez dedicated “In the Presence” to them.

“She was a devout Christian,” Rodriguez said of his aunt. “She got to hear the album, the rough mixes, the day before she passed.”

During his studies with Domingo, Rodriguez said he learned that “singing

CNS Photo

This is the cover to “In the Presence,” a new CD

by Daniel Rodriguez. A former New York City police officer, Rodriguez turned to song following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

with an operatic voice does not necessarily make you an opera singer.”

He told the story of an opera singer who sang a piece at a recital, and the audience jumped up and cried, “Sing it again! Sing it again!” The singer sang the song a second time, after which the crowd pleaded once more, “Sing it again!

Sing it again!”

Taken aback, the singer asked in astonishment, “How many times do you want me to sing this?” The crowd replied, “Until you get it right!”

Prior to his singing at Yankees games, Rodriguez said he considered himself “an equal opportunity New York fan,” partial to both the Yankees and the Mets. He recounted what he called “a ‘Seinfeld’ episode moment” when he sang before a Yankees-Mets interleague game at Yankee Stadium in early 2001.

His mother, “a huge Mets fan,” was watching her son perform.

After his rendition of “The StarSpangled Banner,” Rodriguez and his mother went to their assigned seats only to find others sitting there. Rather than roust them, Rodriguez asked to be shown some unoccupied seats. Instead, he and his mother were taken to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s suite.

“We got to Steinbrenner’s box, and my mom takes off her jacket, and she’s got on this big Mets T-shirt,” Rodriguez recalled. “Thank God Steinbrenner wasn’t there.”

“Whenever the Mets would score or have a rally, my mom would stand up and wave her arms and yell, `Go Mets!’” he said. “I’d have to get up and tell her, `Mom, please, there are other people trying to enjoy the game.’”

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

August 19, 2005

around the diocese

Breaking ground

A growing order

Two profess to Secular Franciscan Order CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity recently received the profession of two candidates in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Marie Cordero and Kathleen Zuckerman, both parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, completed two-and-a-half years of discernment and study through the order’s formation program before making their rite of profession during a Mass at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte Aug. 6.

Capuchin Franciscan Father Jude Duffy, pastor and the fraternity’s spiritual director, celebrated the Mass.

The Secular Franciscan Order, formerly known as the Third Order of St. Francis, is an official order within the Catholic Church, and was established

by St. Francis of Assisi early in the 13th

century.

Members do not live in community; however, members gather together in fraternity on a regular basis. By profession, they promise to follow a rule of life approved and confirmed by Pope Paul VI in June of 1978.

Currently, there are five inquirers in formation for the fraternity, which gathers the first Sunday of each month, 2-4 p.m., at Our Lady of Consolation Church for prayer, socials, ongoing formation and business.

WANT MORE INFO?

If anyone feels called to the Secular Franciscan way of life, contact Tom O’Loughlin, SFO, at (704) 947-7235 or Jennye Taylor Johnson at (704) 319-5343.

Courtesy Photo

Bishop Peter J. Jugis blesses the location for the new St. Joan of Arc Church in Enka-Candler, several miles from the current church in Asheville, during a groundbreaking ceremony July 31. After the ceremony, a picnic lunch was held on the property. Construction on the new church is expected to begin in September 2005 and to be completed in fall 2006. Pictured are (from left): Father John Pagel, pastor; Bishop Jugis; and Deacon Rudy Triana, permanent deacon.

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING SUPERVISOR: Catholic Social Services, Charlotte Regional Office. 35 hour/week.

Master’s degree in Counseling or Social Work; currently licensed; two year’ post-graduate counseling experience that includes administrative and/or supervisory responsibility. Please send resume to Geri King; glking@charlottediocese.org NURSE PRACTIONER: Full or part time. Family-oriented practice in rural community southwestern NC; serving uninsured, Medicaid or Medicare recipients through the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. Bilingual a plus. Please contact Trel Lowe NP-C at 828-894-2043(office) or email at trel@alltell.net SALES REPRESENTATIVE: J.S. Paluch Co., est. 1913, the nation’s oldest Catholic Publisher, is now interviewing for the position of Sales Representatives for parish church bulletins. Realistic earnings potential of 40K+, health insurance, paid vacation, 401K. Some travel required. Self motivation a must. Bilingual helpful in some areas. To arrange an interview call Les Black at 800-4323240. Seniors welcome to apply.

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

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

August 19, 2005

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 17

Celebrating faith and

Hibernians gather for convention in Charlotte CHARLOTTE — Hibernians from across the Southeast recently gathered in Charlotte for their third biannual convention.

Around 125 members of Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians from divisions in North and South Carolina, Virginia and Florida attended the event held at the Hilton Charlotte University Place hotel July 23-25.

The AOH, founded in New York in 1836, describes itself as the oldest lay Catholic organization in the United States and is comprised of Catholic men of Irish birth or descent. The LAOH, comprised of Catholic women of Irish decent, was founded in Omaha, Neb., in 1884 as the Daughters of Erin. The group officially became the LAOH in 1984.

During the Charlotte convention, members elected new state officers to two-year terms and celebrated their IrishAmerican and Catholic heritage with live Irish music, Irish dancing and Mass cel-

ebrated by Oratorian Father Joe Pearse, a member of the Rock Hill Oratory in Rock Hill, S.C., and chaplain of the AOH and LAOH in North Carolina.

The AOH has divisions in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh. The LAOH has divisions in Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington and Raleigh.

The Hibernians are active throughout the Diocese of Charlotte, providing assistance to Catholic schools, parishes and other Catholic organizations.

WANT MORE INFO? To learn more about the AOH, visit www.aoh.com.

To learn more about the LAOH, visit www.ladiesaoh.com.

Courtesy Photo

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians elected new state officers during the Hibernians’ state convention in Charlotte July 23-25. Pictured are (from left): Margaret Shannon of Charlotte, past president; Connie McAnaney of Wilmington, president; Alice Schmidt of Greensboro, vice president; Maureen Quinn of Wilmington, secretary; Julie Bryne of Charlotte, treasurer; Susan Ryan of Raleigh, Catholic action; and Mary Driscoll of Wilmington, missions and charities.

1 8 The Catholic News & Herald

August 19, 2005

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

We don’t know Roe Most Americans don’t understand details of case The Supreme Court confirmation battle is underway, and the nominee’s views about Roe v. Wade have already been the subject of controversy.

The strategy of abortion supporters in the Senate and among interest groups will be to present Roe as mainstream and to label those who oppose it as extreme.

Some will assert that a Supreme Court justice who opposes Roe is not qualified to serve on the court.

Of course, this conveniently ignores the fact that the current chief justice of the United States was one of the two dissenting votes in the 7-2 Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Moreover, the plaintiff, “Jane Roe” (Norma McCorvey) now rejects the decision and works to reverse it.

(I received her into the Catholic Church in 1998.)

Another significant fact is that the American people have never supported the Roe v. Wade policy of legal abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Polling on abortion consistently reveals that the majority of Americans support the legality of the procedure in cases of rape, incest or threats to the mother’s life and physical health, but that support quickly declines below the majority when other reasons are brought forward.

(Several years ago, Gallup did an excellent overview of multiple polls of Americans on abortion since Roe.) Because abortions for physical health, rape and incest constitute a miniscule fraction of the procedures, it is true to say that most Americans oppose most abortions.

An analysis of polling questions done by Professor Raymond Adamek shows that most questions about Roe v. Wade misrepresent the decision. The questions state that Roe allowed abortion during the first three months of

Guest Column FATHER FRANK PAVONE guest columnist

pregnancy. This is the truth, but not the whole truth.

Here are the words of the Roe vs.

Wade decision: “(a) For the stage prior to approximately the end of the first trimester, the abortion decision and its effectuation must be left to the medical judgment of the pregnant woman’s attending physician. “(b) For the stage subsequent to approximately the end of the first trimester, the State, in promoting its interest in the health of the mother, may, if it chooses, regulate the abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health. “(c) For the stage subsequent to viability the State, in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life, may, if it chooses, regulate, and even proscribe, abortion except where necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother” [410 U.S. 113, 114].

As the University of Detroit Law Review pointed out, “The Supreme Court’s decisions ... allowed abortion on demand throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy” (Paul B. Linton, Enforcement of State Abortion Statutes after Roe: A State-by-State Analysis, Vol. 67, Issue 2, Winter 1990).

Now is a perfect moment for educating the public about what Roe v. Wade really said. When they find out, they will have a new understanding about who the real “extremists” are in the Supreme Court battle.

Father Pavone is national director of Priests for Life.

Write a Letter to the Editor

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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.

Pope says Christians must acknowledge dependence on

by CINDY WOODEN catholic news service

VATICAN CITY — Like a small child still totally dependent on his mother, but old enough to recognize his need, Christians must acknowledge their dependence on God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Holding his weekly general audience Aug. 10 at the Vatican, the pope offered reflections on Psalm 131’s opening verses, which reject pride in one’s self-sufficiency.

Instead, the psalm presents a proper attitude toward God as being “like a weaned child,” still and quiet on the mother’s lap.

The image of the mother and child, the pope said, is a “sign of the tender and maternal love of God.” The child in the psalm “is tied to his mother with a very personal and intimate relationship, not merely one of physical contact or because of the need for food,” the pope said. “It is a more conscious bond, even though it is immediate and spontaneous.

“This is the ideal parable of true spiritual childhood, of abandoning one-

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI self to God, not in a blind or automatic way, but serenely and with responsibility,” he said.

The psalmist contrasts his dependence with the pride and conceit of those who busy themselves with the “great things” of this world, the pope said.

Humble trust in God, Pope Benedict said, leads to “security, life and peace, and it extends from the present to the future, now and forever.”

The Vatican estimated about 6,000 people attended the audience. Many were youths, sporting World Youth Day shirts or hats, who stopped at the Vatican on their way to Cologne, Germany, for the celebration of World Youth Day Aug. 16-21.

Making good marriages great said, “Be fruitful and multiply.”

The couple’s shared vocation is embodied in the unitive and procreative nature of marital sexuality. To make a good Christian marriage great, these two aspects of marital sexuality must be understood, nurtured and lived.

The marriage bond is formed by a free act of the will, and nurtured by selfless love. That means putting your spouse’s needs before your own. If both spouses strive to be mindful of each other, a real communion of persons can be built. Not “me,” but “we” can become second nature and their bond will become strong enough to blossom into a greater love for all human life.

The church teaches that marriage involves a radical act of giving. This is nowhere more clear than in the marital embrace. Husband and wife give all of themselves to each other — body, mind and soul.

Pope John Paul II has said that “nothing that is part of themselves can be excluded from this gift.” Their fertility, their power to create a new person to love in union with each other, is part of that gift.

Here lies the reason why contraception is wrong — it breaks that “inseparable connection” between the two meanings of the conjugal act, the unitive and the procreative” (Humanae Vitae, No. 12). Doing something that is against what God designed us for can only harm us.

Living your marriage according to God’s design can only make you happy.

It can make your good marriage great.

Theresa Notare is assistant director of the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning, Pro-Life Secretariat, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Life Issues Forum THERESA NOTARE guest columnist

Maybe I’ve just watched too many MGM musicals in my life, but I think most marriages are good.

I believe that most people enter marriage wanting the best for their spouses and themselves. They want their love to last forever. They hope life won’t be too hard and that they too can have the American dream of children, a home and a happy life.

These are good things to which to aspire. The Catholic Church has similar desires for married couples but it goes further — the church wants good marriages to become great marriages.

How can a good marriage become great? Our faith suggests how — by knowing and loving God, and by living in a way that reflects that relationship.

As Christians, the starting point for all human relationships is our relationship with God. It is only in light of that love that we can love the other person fully.

As members of the body of Christ, we are called to love as Christ loves — faithfully, generously and permanently. That’s a huge calling, but grace makes it possible.

This common Christian vocation to love God and neighbor takes on a unique focus in the lives of married couples. Its uniqueness is related to God’s original gift to humanity: God blessed man and woman to be “no longer two but one flesh,” and

The Catholic News & Herald 19

August 19, 2005

Protect human life at all stages Embryonic stem-cell research immoral, deadly Support for the practice of destroying human embryos for stem cell research received an endorsement recently from The Charlotte Observer, as it congratulated Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee on his recent change of mind: “Right Move

by Frist,” Aug. 2. The editorial, however, overlooked an important moral dimension of this critical issue, which must be addressed.

The subhead of the editorial captured the essence of Sen. Frist’s reasoning: “It’s better for embryos to go to research, not down the drain.” The truth is that neither option is better: neither discarding the embryos, nor consigning them to research. Both options are equally immoral. In both instances, an innocent human life is destroyed.

Every human life starts out as an embryo. The genetic makeup of the person is already given at conception. What remains is a continuum of development between the embryo stage and a fully formed adult.

All along the way, however, it is the same human person who is in the process of maturing. Whether the human being is called an embryo, fetus, child, teenager or adult — depending on his stage of development — each is the same creation of God, and therefore enjoys an inviolable right to life.

The human embryo is not an object of experimentation, but a living human

being. Pope John Paul II, in his 1995 encyclical on “The Value and Inviolability of Human Life,” saw, in the familiar question that God put to Cain after he killed his brother Abel, an appropriate question for today’s society: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”

(Genesis 4:10) John Paul II wrote: “The use of human embryos or fetuses as objects of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person.”

and dead. Maybe that explains in part the “favorite charity” idea you mention.

A valuable insight for us Catholics is the centuries-old practice of the church, which prays constantly and in many ways for those who have died. The Eucharistic Prayer in every Mass is a good example.

At least two excellent reasons exist for this Christian tradition that relate to your concerns. First, prayers for the dead, as all our prayers, go to a God who has no beginning or end; for God there is no past or future. All, from the beginning of time to the end of the world, is one eternally present moment for him.

Whenever we pray, therefore, recognizing the eternal and universal reach of God’s providence, our prayers are not limited by time; they extend back to the beginning of an individual’s life, through to the end and into eternity.

This is not speculation. It follows from what we believe about God. Prayers we offer years after a person’s death can be “applied” by God to when that person was still alive. This understanding, clumsy as human words always are when dealing with things of God, is reflected often in the church’s liturgies and prayers for the deceased.

Second, and more important, our prayers for loved ones who have died are also, in fact primarily, prayers of thanks, praising God for his unfailing goodness,

Q. I am a priest, 76 years old, and would like your comment on what I see as a decline in giving offerings for Masses for the dead. The one funeral Mass, of course, has eternal and infinite value, but my personal opinion is that souls can give merits of additional Masses to whomever he or she wishes. Is that bad theology?

Some, instead of Masses, just give a few bucks to their favorite charity. Certainly missionaries could use the Mass stipends for deceased family members and friends. Or is that idea outdated?

How can we encourage continued prayers and Masses for the dead?

(Maryland)

From the Bishop BISHOP PETER J. JUGIS bishop of charlotte

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK

(n. 63).

The Observer editorial concludes with a call to action: “Science and government must work together to create ethical and legal guidelines for this research.” Yes, our society will have a dialogue on the important topic of stem cell research. But the viewpoint of science and the viewpoint of government are not enough. The moral question of the illicitness of taking innocent human life must also be addressed. No discussion will be valid or acceptable without a consideration of this moral perspective.

Some polls may indicate that most Americans are in favor of embryonic stem cell research. But the moral question remains: Is there ever any justifiable reason to destroy an innocent human life, at any stage of that individual’s life?

How to encourage prayers and Masses for the dead

A. I’ve heard other priests make similar comments, but I have to say that hasn’t been my usual pastoral experience. In the past, some people have held what are, in my opinion, rather dubious attitudes about this.

One man asked me years ago how to bequeath $5,000 for Masses for himself after he died. I suggested he might leave part of that for education of a priest, who would remember him at Mass for years; the man obviously didn’t buy the idea.

I have seen a more balanced Catholic approach to leaving or giving money for Masses, recognizing that other corporal and spiritual works of mercy are also important and valid, and perhaps less selfcentered forms of prayer for the living

Accepting our new immigrant brothers and sisters

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN cns columnist

particularly to that person and to all others who were blessed by his or her life.

It is a wonderful and reverent way of acknowledging God’s graciousness and wisdom, shown in our care and service of one another.

For both these reasons, and there are more, our continued prayers for and with those who have gone before us make excellent psychological and spiritual common sense. In my experience, people of faith easily pick up on them if we help them understand what they are doing.

A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about cremation and other funeral customs is available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Father John Dietzen, Box 5515, Peoria, IL 61612.

Questions may be sent to Father Dietzen at the same address, or e-mail: jjdietzen@aol.com.

cns columnist

Bishop William Houck, president of the Catholic Church Extension Society, which serves mission dioceses, wrote in the July edition of Extension Magazine: “Do you ever wonder why Jesus did not tell his disciples to go and make disciples of some nations rather than go and make disciples of all nations? Do you think we sometimes have the mentality or even act as though Jesus said, ‘Go and take care of your own group of folks’? ...

“We are challenged in our time with the unprecedented influx of newcomers from various Hispanic countries. Some of us still find it difficult to accept these new cultures genuinely into our lives.”

As I read this I wondered how many of us ever ponder the profound meaning of the word “accept.” The word’s Latin root means “to take to yourself,” which creates the image of drawing a person into your arms as in an embrace.

Along this same line of thinking, accepting a person creates a solidarity with that person, which Pope John Paul II described as being one with another because we share the same humanity.

To be human is to feel the humanity of another as our own.

To understand the ramifications of the pope’s idea of “solidarity,” allow me to use a personal example.

“Acceptance” and “solidarity”: They imply having a heart that can easily be crushed upon seeing something inhuman happen to another person.

If, as Bishop Houck suggests, we are to accept the new influx of Hispanics to the United States, the first place to start is with our heart.

Many of our grandparents and greatgrandparents came from other countries and sacrificed their lives for us. Most of those grandparents were laborers, much like the many Hispanic laborers we see today.

“Acceptance” means seeing these Hispanic laborers as our own sacrificing grandparents, who were responsible for the quality of life and moral principles we enjoy.

In the same magazine, Msgr. Virgil Elizondo, a noted writer on social justice, gave yet another profound insight into “acceptance.” He wrote: “There’s a beauty in seeing differences not as divisive, but as enriching and life-giving. ... If we do that I think we can give an example to the world.”

To paraphrase Msgr. Elizondo, Hispanic immigrants possess rich gifts of humanity that add to our own humanity.

The more we embrace and accept these people, the more we become a newer and fuller humanity.

August 19, 2005

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