Sept. 28, 2007

September 28, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Eucharistic Congress

Included in this issue are articles and photos from the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte Sept. 21-22.

More coverage is online at www.charlottediocese.org.

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI September 28, 2007

Diocese holds 3rd Eucharistic Congress by

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

‘To Know Jesus Christ’

‘A blessed opportunity’

Catholic doctor helps hospice facility grow by

KAREN A. EVANS staff writer

KATHLEEN HEALY SCHMIEDER correspondent

CHARLOTTE — Prayer and song, interjected with reverent silence, greeted a humid September morning as thousands of Catholics processed through the streets of uptown Charlotte.

People from across the 46-county Diocese of Charlotte joined Bishop Peter J. Jugis as he carried a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.

The eucharistic procession was part of the third annual diocesan Eucharistic Congress held Sept. 21-22. An estimated 9,000 people attended the congress, themed “To Know Jesus Christ.”

Knights of Columbus color guard and first communicants

HENDERSONVILLE — In Dr. Colin Thomas’ view, the journey always continues.

“God calls us where he wants us to go,” said Thomas, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville. “The call comes from him through others.

I pray about it and spend a lot of time reacting to his calls.”

Six years ago, a friend called Thomas — a retired urologist who helped found the Free Clinics of Henderson County — and asked him to put his fundraising and organizational skills to work in hospice care.

He accepted and found a place where his faith would be central to the mission.

See HOSPICE, page 12

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

See CONGRESS, page 5

no. 41

vOLUME 16

A man bows in reverence as Bishop Peter J. Jugis carries the Blessed Sacrament in the eucharistic procession through uptown Charlotte during the 2007 Eucharistic Congress Sept. 22.

Getting to know Jesus

Participants reflect on Eucharistic Congress theme by

DEACON GERALD POTKAY correspondent

Courtesy photo by Vicki Dorsey

Bishop Peter J. Jugis is silhouetted by incense smoke as he kneels before the Eucharist during the Holy Hour at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22. Also pictured are Deacon Tri Vinh Truong and Father Roger Arnsparger.

CHARLOTTE — Catholics from around the Diocese of Charlotte recently converged to become better acquainted with Jesus Christ.

“To Know Jesus Christ” was the theme of the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress, held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 21-22.

The congress featured a eucharistic procession through

uptown Charlotte, nationallyknown speakers, spiritual music and Mass. It was, according to Bishop Peter J. Jugis, a “time of celebration, adoration and teaching centered on the mystery of the Eucharist.”

“The talks and other events of the congress have been directed toward coming to know the Lord better, and deepening our friendship with See THEME, page 7

Cruel and unusual?

Supreme Court to consider constitutionality of lethal injection by

NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

catholic news service

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Sept. 25 to hear oral arguments on whether lethal injection violates the constitutional ban See INJECTION, page 13

Culture Watch

Perspectives

Around the Diocese

Jesuit script doctor; deacon’s novel turned into movie

Breaking down cultural differences; intelligent design

Presbyteral council; Knights of Columbus

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 14-15

| Page 4

September 28, 2007

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Happy in their new home

CNS photo by Kristin Lukowski, Michigan Catholic

Iraqi refugees Madlene Zitto and her sister, Shameran Zitto, share a laugh with Shameran’s husband, Astefan Zrow Yousef, at their home in Sterling Heights, Mich., Sept. 17. Yousef and his wife, who have six children, fled their home in Baghdad, Iraq, for the safety of Turkey in 2004 and now have resettled in the Detroit Archdiocese.

Iraqi refugees feel they have good futures in Detroit Archdiocese STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich.

(CNS) — Astefan Zrow Yousef was scared for his family. He was scared of the persecution they endured because of their Chaldean Catholic faith. He was scared they would be forced to abandon their faith. And he was scared they would be killed for trying to escape from their life in Iraq.

For much the same reason, Issa Toma, his wife, Nano, and their families had already fled from Iraq to the safety of Turkey.

Both men had a common goal — to live with their families in peace — and now they and their families have been resettled in the Detroit Archdiocese with the help of the archdiocese and other agencies.

In June 2004, Yousef and his family left their home near Baghdad, Iraq, for Turkey.

“It was a very bad time,” he said at his new home in Sterling Heights. “We left everything behind. We had nothing.

We had to flee to save our lives.”

For three years, the family lived in a basement in Turkey. Yousef, his wife and their six children arrived in metro Detroit in August.

They now have a place to live — a house across the street from Yousef’s sister-in-law — and are working on paperwork to get themselves settled. They also have started attending St. George Chaldean Church in Shelby Township.

“We have to go step by step,” Yousef said. “I think we have a good future here, for everyone — especially the kids.”

Yousef’s family is one of many displaced Iraqi families leaving their country to escape the persecution and violence. The Detroit Archdiocese has helped to settle more than 200 people since the recent wave of refugees arrived in July.

The family said they were thrilled when they found out they would be coming to the United States. They now live in a comfortable yet sparsely furnished home. There’s not a lot of extra space — his four daughters share one of the three bedrooms.

Yousef said he’s determined to stay on the correct path in the United States, applying for their Michigan identification cards, learning English, finding jobs and becoming a part of the community.

“We are going to try to do things the right way, follow the rules,” he said. “We are happy and excited to be here.”

A few blocks away, in another modest house, the extended Toma family is also getting settled into a much safer life.

The Tomas, their younger children and their son’s family fled Iraq to spend four years living in Turkey before they were approved to come to the United States.

In Iraq, the children were prevented from going to school, the parents couldn’t work and the family couldn’t go to church. They fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

In Turkey, they applied to get refugee status in the United States and eventually received permission, arriving in late August. They have distant family that lives nearby. The family attends Mass at St. Joseph Chaldean Church in Troy.

“The plan is to go to school, to learn English, to learn the language and to find a job,” Nano Toma said. “That is most important — to go to school.”

The Toma family still has other members in Turkey, and Nano Toma said she prays every day for friends and family there.

“We ask God to save everyone, and to let everyone leave that country,” she said.

“Our faith is in God and in Jesus Christ.”

Polish bishop says 17th-century battle sparked Sept. 11 attacks WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — The head of Poland’s military diocese has accused Islamic militants of seeking revenge for a Polish-led victory over the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century and urged Christians to prevent Europe being turned into “Euro-Arabia.”

“The military defense against Islamic terrorism is being led today by the United States, which is playing a very similar role ... to that (role) played centuries ago

by Poland, when it was the rampart of Christianity,” said Bishop Tadeusz Ploski, head of Poland’s military diocese.

“Today, alongside the American soldiers and those of several dozen states in the anti-terrorist coalition, there are also soldiers of the Polish army,” he said.

Poland is among the 21 nations contributing to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. Polish military forces also are deployed in Afghanistan.

During a homily in Warsaw Sept.

11 for a Mass marking Poland’s Land Forces Day the following day, Bishop

Diocesan planner CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity will host a Transitus Service in remembrance of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi to eternal life at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. There will be a reception after the service with light refreshments.

For more information, call the church office at (704) 549-1607.

HUNTERSVILLE — Come Be Fed Physically and Spiritually at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd., Oct. 8, 6-8:30 p.m. Escape your daily stresses with Jason Kotecki, author and cartoonist, as he shares his insights into how each of us can develop a more childlike faith, amid the busyness of life. Reservations are required; e-mail Donna Smith at dsmith18@bellsouth.net or call (704) 948-1306.

HUNTERSVILLE — Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski of the Fordham University Philosophy Department will present “The Problem of Dirty Hands” Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in the family center of St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Within a framework of Catholic moral teaching, Father Koterski will address a variety of issues. Sponsored by the diocesan offices of Family Life and Justice and Peace. To register, please call (704) 3703382 or e-mail sabeason@charlottediocese.org.

Visit www.cssnc.org.

CHARLOTTE — An Immigration Reform Workshop will be held in Biss Hall of St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., Oct. 9, 7-8:30 p.m.

The issue of immigration and migration has been called the “central narrative of our faith today.”

An immigration panel will present and discuss the issue as is affects our lives and the lives of

Ploski said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States had been planned with “criminal precision” by Osama bin Laden to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, Austria, in September 1683.

It was during that battle when an Ottoman Empire invasion force was defeated by Christian armies under King John Sobieski of Poland.

He said Islamic extremists had used the same anniversary in 2006 as a pretext for a “brutal attack” on Pope Benedict XVI after his controversial remarks about Islam in Regensburg, Germany.

“They again proclaimed a jihad, a holy war with the West — as they have declared for centuries, the final aim of history is the whole world’s submission to Allah,” said the bishop.

Al-Qaida, the terrorist group led by bin Laden, claimed responsibility for the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.

our neighbors. For more information, please call the office at (704) 332-2901.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE HIGH POINT — The Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour will be celebrated at Maryfield Perpetual Adoration Chapel, 1315 Greensboro Rd., Oct. 5. Adoration will begin in the large chapel at 6:30 p.m. call Dianne at (336) 887-7303 for further information. For questions, call Geri at (336) 644-8883. The sacrament of reconciliation will be available during the Holy Hour.

GREENSBORO — Mark Shea, Catholic convert, writer, speaker and apologist, will give three talks at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 W. Market St., Oct. 6. For more about Mark Shea, visit www.mark-shea.com Registration is required, as seating is limited. Register with Jim McCullough by email at jmcculloug@olgchurch.org or call (336) 274-6520, ext. 335.

GREENSBORO — Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski of the Fordham University Philosophy Department will present “The Problem of Dirty Hands” Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Within a framework of Catholic moral teaching, Father Koterski will address a variety of issues. To register, call (704) 3703228 or e-mail sabeason@charlottediocese.org.

Visit www.cssnc.org.

GREENSBORO — The Men’s Early Morning Bible Study Group at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd., meets Tuesdays at 6:30 a.m. in the Parish Life Center, room 4. “Genesis 1-11: The Primordial History,” will be studied Oct. 2Dec. 18. Bring your own Bible. For more information, contact Gus Magrinat at gmagrinat@pol.net or John Malmfelt at jmalmsie@aol.com.

SALISBURY VICARIATE KANNAPOLIS — St. Joseph Church, 108 St.

SEPTEMER 28, 2007 Volume 16 • Number 41

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.

September 28, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican: Pope’s refusal to meet Rice should not be seen as snub VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI declined to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during his August vacation, but Vatican officials said it should not be interpreted as a diplomatic snub.

“The only reason she wasn’t received was that she came during a period when the pope doesn’t receive anyone. It was a purely technical question of protocol,” an informed Vatican source told Catholic News Service Sept. 20.

The source said it was “absolutely not” the Vatican’s intention to rebuff Rice or signal disagreement with U.S. policy on the Middle East.

Rice was about to travel to the Middle East for diplomatic talks in early August when the request for a papal meeting was made. The pope was vacationing at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome.

Even as it declined the request, the source said, the Vatican made it clear that

top officials of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State would be happy to meet with Rice at any time.

“So clearly there was no intent to send a negative signal,” the source said.

Rice instead ended up speaking by telephone with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, while he was visiting the United States in August.

Cardinal Bertone later praised Rice’s mediating attempts, saying, “I recognize the untiring efforts of the secretary of state in reconciliation among the governments of the Middle East.”

In an effort to cut down on the number of papal audiences, early in his pontificate Pope Benedict made it a practice not to meet with government ministers below the level of prime minister.

There have been exceptions, however, and Vatican sources said an exception would no doubt be made for Rice if another request were made when the pope was at the Vatican.

Joseph St., will celebrate being designated as a parish in the Diocese of Charlotte Oct. 7, 3-6 p.m. with a bilingual Mass, potluck dinner, parish history slideshow, Spanish and English singing, events sponsored by the youth group and preschool and soccer games starting at 11 a.m. If you are a priest or deacon who has served at St. Joseph Church or a parishioner interested in joining us, call Christine in the office at (704) 932-4607.

of Mercy Church, 1730 Link Rd., Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. A reception will follow hosted by the Fraternity of St. Clare. For more information, call Betti Longinotti at (336) 725-3751 or e-mail bssf_sfo@yahoo.com.

MOCKSVILLE — St. Francis of Assisi Church, 862 Yadkinville Rd., will hold a parish mission, “Living Our Faith With Joy,” Oct. 13-17 at 7 p.m.

Themes include “Loving God and One Another,” “Am I Forgiven? Can I forgive?” and “Wholeness of Body and Soul.” Franciscan Father Roderic Petrie will preach at Masses Oct. 13-14. The sacrament of reconciliation will be offered Oct. 16. For more information, call Gayle O’Grady at (336) 751-2117.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATE MURPHY — The office of faith formation of St. William Church, 765 Andrews Rd., will present a four-part film, “Feast of Faith: The Transforming Power of the Eucharist,” Oct. 2 and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Commons. For more information, call Michelle Calascione at (828) 837-2000 or e-mail stwilliamfaithformation@msn.com.

MAGGIE VALLEY — Renew International’s “Why Catholic?” program will be presented at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr., Oct. 8-Nov. 26. Morning, afternoon and evening groups are available. For more information, call Sharon Foy at (828) 926-9968.

SYLVA — St. Mary Mother of God Church, 22 Bartlett St., will present “The Autumn of Our Lives” led by Father Walter Williams Oct. 13, beginning with Mass at 9 a.m., followed by a light breakfast.

We will end with a noon luncheon. People over 40 are invited to attend. For more information, call the office at (828) 586-9496.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — A Transitus Service in remembrance of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi to eternal life will be held at Our Lady

Episcopal

calendar

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican said the recent ordination of two Chinese bishops in communion with Rome was a positive sign for the church and raised hopes of further appointments.

The comment came in an article in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, which reported on the Sept.

21 ordination of Bishop Joseph Li Shan as head of the Diocese of Beijing, the Chinese capital.

The ordination liturgy, attended by hundreds of local Catholics and a number of government officials, followed the ordination of Coadjutor Bishop Paul Xiao Zejiang of Guizhou, China, earlier in September.

The Vatican newspaper indicated that both ordinations had been carried out with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. The local Catholic communities, who elected the bishops, had indicated to the Vatican that they were worthy candidates, the newspaper said.

At the Vatican, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, an assistant secretary of state, told reporters Sept. 21 that Bishop

Li’s nomination was a significant step forward in Vatican-Chinese relations.

“We hope it is the first page of a long chapter, of a new reality” in church-state relations in China, he said.

L’Osservatore Romano noted that the principal consecrating bishops at both ordinations were in communion with Rome but said some of the coconsecrators were not — a “cause of regret,” it said.

The article noted that Pope Benedict, in his recent letter to Chinese Catholics, had called for a “respectful dialogue” between church and state authorities, and added: “Catholics in China and in the rest of the world are praying so that this may become a reality.”

In his letter to Chinese Catholics, issued in July, Pope Benedict said the Vatican “would like to be completely free to appoint bishops.”

He proposed a dialogue with Chinese authorities to resolve the problematic situation in which some bishops were selected and ordained without papal approval.

Planting the future

KERNERSVILLE — The Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour will be celebrated at Holy Cross Church, 616 South Cherry St., Oct. 5. Adoration participants will meet in the library at 5:45 p.m.

Adoration will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the First Friday Mass at 7 p.m. For questions, call Geri at (336) 644-8883. The sacrament of reconciliation will be available during the Holy Hour.

WINSTON-SALEM — Franciscan Sister Kathy Ganiel will present “Franciscan Theological Tradition” Oct. 7, 3-5 p.m. as part of a series of free talks offering an exploration into some of the major contributions of Franciscan men and women of faith. The talk will take place at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. For more information and registration, e-mail spiritofassisi@bellsouth.net or call (336) 723-1092.

WINSTON-SALEM — Spirit of Assisi presents the Wednesday Lunch Series, 12:30-1:15 p.m., at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. Enjoy a light lunch and free presentations on a variety of topics.

Sister Joanne Jacovec will present “Following in the Footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi” Oct. 3.

David Harold will present “Decalogue for Peace” Oct. 10. For more information, e-mail Sister Kathy Ganiel at spiritofassisi@bellsouth.net or call (336) 723-1092.

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date.

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

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

Sept. 29 — 12 p.m.

2007 Cursillo Grand Ultreya Mass Steel Creek Park, Morganton

Chinese bishops’ ordinations with papal OK raises hopes, says Vatican

Sept. 30 — 11 a.m.

Dedication of new church St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville

CNS photo by UCAN

Newly installed Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal plants one of 10,000 tree saplings he received as gifts in Madhya Pradesh in central India Sept. 18. The archbishop said that he wanted to highlight the church’s concern for the environment amid rising pollution levels and increased news of environmental destruction around the globe.

Vatican official says climate change demands new cooperative strategy UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — Addressing the United Nations, a Vatican official said climate change demands a new cooperative international strategy in order to avoid a “bleak future.”

“Climate change is a serious concern and an inescapable responsibility for scientists and other experts, political and governmental leaders ... as well as every sector of human society and each human person,” Msgr. Pietro Parolin, Vatican undersecretary of state, told the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 24.

The Vatican, he said, believes

protecting the environment is a “moral imperative” that requires collective action among nations.

All states have a “responsibility to protect our planet and ensure that present and future generations be able to live in a healthy and safe environment,” he said.

Solutions, he said, will necessitate not only technical adaptations but also a change in “selfish attitudes” toward consumption of resources.

Msgr. Parolin spoke during a one-day U.N. summit on climate change attended by representatives of more than 150 countries.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

AROUND THE DIOCESE

September 28, 2007

Newly elected

Columbiettes elect officers

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

The new officers for the North Carolina Western Chapter Columbiettes are pictured at their installation ceremony at Good Shepherd Mission in King Aug. 11. The Columbiettes is the women’s auxiliary group of the Knights of Columbus. The Western Chapter includes Columbiette councils from St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, Holy Family Church in Clemmons, Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, Good Shepherd Mission in King and Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy.

Pictured (from left): Adreann Bell, stand-in for Mary Joyce, sentinel; Paula Johnson, vice president; Debra Orden, president; Christina Pasquerelli, secretary; Kris Miller, secretary; and Marie McCann, stand-in for Megan Hauser, immediate past president.

Tournament of champions

Courtesy Photo

Members of High Point’s Knights of Columbus Bishop Hafey Council 4507 golf team display the tournament trophy Sept. 16 after winning the 37th annual Knights of Columbus State Golf Tournament, held in Jacksonville, N.C., Sept. 15-16.

Pictured are (from left): Jim Ragno, Joe Kushner, Joe Hughes, Jim Neely, Rick Boedicker, Joe Dominick, Joe Skee, Joe Deering, Ron Money and Oblate Father John Kelly, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point. Ragno also won the individual crown as the lowest scoring golfer of the tournament.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis (seated, left) is pictured with the newly elected officers for his presbyteral council, which met at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Sept. 11.

The council is comprised of priests of the Diocese of Charlotte whom the bishop consults concerning policies and major decisions in the governance of the local church.

Clockwise from top left: Father John Putnam, chairman and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury; Father Wilbur Thomas, vice chairman and pastor of the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville; Father Roger Arnsparger, secretary and pastor of St. Michael Church in Gastonia; Father John Schneider, treasurer and pastor of St. Eugene Church in Asheville; and Bishop Jugis, who serves as council president.

September 28, 2007

Diocese holds third Eucharistic Congress CONGRESS, from page 1

from around the diocese led the procession, followed by deacons and priests of the diocese and guest clergy, including Archbishop Emeritus John F. Donoghue, second bishop of Charlotte.

Following Bishop Jugis in the procession were representatives of many of the 92 parishes and missions in the diocese, as well as members of religious ministries, lay ministries and cultural groups. Hundreds of people watching the procession along the city streets knelt reverently as the Eucharist passed by, and many of them joined the procession behind their parish banners.

The procession made its way into the convention center, where a Holy Hour followed with eucharistic adoration, prayer and song. Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin delivered the homily during the Holy Hour.

Songs and the Savior A concert of sacred choral music opened the congress Friday evening, Sept.

21. The choir, comprised of nearly 120 singers from churches around the Diocese of Charlotte, performed a collection of songs from traditional classical through contemporary classical pieces.

Following the concert, Father Benedict Groeschel spoke on the topic, “What the Presence of Christ Means in

eucharistic congress

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Your Life.”

Founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Father Groeschel is familiar to many for his program, “Sunday Night with Father Groeschel,” on the Eternal World Television Network.

After Father Groeschel’s talk, eucharistic adoration took place throughout the night at St. Peter Church, with a number of groups — including clergy, religious, young adults and families — each spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Sharing the message Highlighting Saturday’s events were a variety of speakers, some familiar to participants of previous eucharistic congresses.

Patrick Madrid, a popular Catholic apologist and author, presented “A Course in Eucharistic Miracles.” Steve Ray, an author and regular guest on the Catholic Answers Live radio program and “The Journey Home” on EWTN, presented “They Recognized Him in the Breaking of the Bread.”

Helen Alvare, associate professor of law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., gave a presentation entitled “To Know Jesus Christ — A Catholic Woman’s Perspective.” Father Leo Patalinghug, the ever-popular breakdancing martial-arts guru, told high school students the story of his vocation to the priesthood. He also spoke to adults about “Mary as Magnifier for Jesus.”

Speakers at the Hispanic track

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, leads the recessional at the close of the vigil Mass at the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte Sept. 22. included Héctor Antonio Molina Jr., a dynamic Catholic preacher and evangelist; and Roberto Ramirez, an active member of the Servants of the Living Christ, a community of lay people.

In addition to a large vendor area and a cultural hour — where members of the Korean, Filipino and Vietnamese Catholic communities shared their cultures and traditions — there was a series of talks for middle- and highschool students and children.

Congress participants spent time in eucharistic adoration and hundreds received the sacrament of reconciliation in both English and Spanish.

During the Mass closing the congress, Bishop Jugis presented Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin with an engraved chalice in honor of his 50 years in the priesthood.

Bishop Jugis then announced the plans for a fourth Eucharistic Congress for Oct. 3-4, 2008. That gathering will be themed “It Is Christ We Proclaim.”

Photo by Karen A. Evans

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

Archbishop Emeritus John F. Donoghue, second bishop of Charlotte, confers with his successor, Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, prior to the vigil Mass Sept. 22.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

September 28, 2007

Uplifting music permeates Eucharistic Congress CHARLOTTE — A variety of spiritual and uplifting musical selections punctuated the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress, held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 21-22.

A concert of sacred choral music kicked off the congress Friday night. Nearly 120 parishioners from churches around the diocese comprised the choir under the direction of Tiffany Gallozi, music director at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, and Larry Stratemeyer, music director at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

The hour-long concert featured a cross section of choral music — from English, French and American composers — and included Gregorian chant.

Musicians young and old also entertained with lively songs between speakers during the Hispanic and youth tracks on Saturday.

The Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir from Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, as well as a children’s Latin choir, entertained the crowd before the vigil Mass Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

The Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte performs Sept. 22.

Courtesy Photo by Vicki Dorsey

Bishop Peter J. Jugis and others enjoy a concert of sacred choral music, which kicked off the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 21.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Above: A band entertains during the Hispanic track Sept. 22. Below left: Young musicians perform during the middle school track. Below right: Children sing in the Latin choir.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

September 28, 2007

eucharistic congress

Thousands explore friendship, mystery of Christ THEME, from page 1

him,” said Bishop Jugis during his homily at the vigil Mass Sept. 22.

St. Paul can teach us about what it means to know Jesus, said the bishop.

“Before his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul did not know Jesus.

His heart was closed to Jesus, and he persecuted Jesus’ followers,” said Bishop Jugis.

But after St. Paul’s conversion, his heart was opened and he began to know Jesus, said the bishop.

“Love made all the difference in opening him up to the Lord. The more St. Paul knew the Lord and became his friend, the more he loved him, and eventually Jesus became the overriding passion of his life,” said Bishop Jugis.

“Without Jesus, there is no reference point (for how to live your life),” said speaker Steve Ray, author and creator of “The Footprints of God” DVD series.

“Knowing Christ gives life meaning and purpose,” he said.

“To know Jesus is to make your life complete,” said Ed Hartle, a parishioner of St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

“There is often something missing in our lives, and that something is a relationship with Jesus,” he said.

“To know Christ answers the questions that we all have — Who am I? Why am I here?” said congress speaker Patrick Madrid, a Catholic apologist.

“To know Jesus is to be with him, to share in his divinity,” said Capuchin Father Stanley Kobel, a parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.

“When we accept him in the Eucharist, he shares with us his grace,” said Father Kobel.

“To know Jesus Christ is to love him and serve him by loving and serving others, which are the signs of holiness,” said Father Leo Patalinghug, pastoral field education director at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. “For young people, this can mean obeying one’s parents, being faithful to one’s prayer life, befriending the lonely and avoiding sin,” he said.

“If we can teach young people now to love and serve others, then they will develop healthy faith habits as adults,” said Father Patalinghug.

Knowing Jesus is to realize he’s with you at all times, according to Edra Alonso, a parishioner at St. Luke Church in Mint Hill.

“When I have fallen, he has always picked me up again,” she said.

To be like Christ While all Catholics know Jesus in some ways, Bishop Jugis said the congress was an opportunity “to have even a closer friendship with him.”

“The speakers create enthusiasm.

You learn a lot,” said Alonso. “At the congress, you see everyone so devout and spiritual — it’s inspiring.”

“Through the talks and lectures, we are being affirmed on how important the Eucharist is and reminded that without it, we have absolutely nothing,” said Donna McCormack, a parishioner of St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

“Gatherings such as the Eucharistic Congress are important,” said congress speaker Helen Alvare, associate professor of law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “We need many opportunities to explore our faith, and the congress provides ways for us to know Christ,” she said. “It really gives you a boost.

It provides both short- and long-term

The Catholic News & Herald 7

‘Blanket Banquet’ brings Christ’s love to Charlotte homeless

CHARLOTTE — A homeless man sang a rendition of “Amazing Grace” that brought tears to the eyes of the volunteers around him.

The singer, a man in his 50s, didn’t have a penny to his name, so he gave the only thing he had — his voice and his song of joy — to express his gratitude to those who helped clothe and feed him.

He was one of 150 of Charlotte’s homeless who came to the third annual “Blanket Banquet” held outside St. Peter Church in Charlotte Sept. 22.

At the close of the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress, Catholics from churches in the Charlotte area distributed hundreds of blankets, clothing and food to the homeless at the event, which was inspired by the words of Jesus in Luke 14: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor and lame.”

“We’ve seen our numbers double from just two years ago,” said Linda Flynn, a parishioner of St. Luke Church in Mint Hill and this year’s banquet coordinator.

“While our guest list grew, so did our clothing and blanket contributions.

The outpouring of generosity from various local parishes was incredible.”

The idea for the Blanket Banquet began three years ago as a social action component of the Eucharistic Congress. means to persevere in the Christian life.”

“I really can’t get over the excitement it (the congress) generates for all who participate in it,” said Michael Kitson, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.

“When we see thousands of Catholics walking through the streets in procession with our Lord, it gives us the ability to share our faith. It gives us courage to share our faith,” said Ray. “When people see us in the streets, following our Lord, it will help them to understand who he is and how we receive his grace from being with him,” said Tina Witt, a parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

“The congress is a big, exciting and fun event for everyone, because it has such a high and good purpose — to draw all souls to our Lord and Savior, Jesus

Courtesy Photo

The homeless who attend also receive spiritual encouragement and practical advice on where to find help to get off the streets.

“This is a sign of hope and the love of Christ in the world,” said volunteer Timothy Brennan, a parishioner from St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis.

Many volunteers felt they, too, benefited from the experience.

Kathleen Smith, a parishioner of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, volunteered with her husband Michael and their three children.

“This event changed my children’s prayers that night from their usual selfcentered perspective to real concern and love for the homeless people we met,” she said.

Christ,” said Richard Worthington, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte.

“Christ is with us in the Blessed Sacrament. We can’t help but benefit by being in his presence as a faith community,” said Madrid. “The more we learn and know, the more we will grow in his grace.”

“As a result of knowing Jesus, we become more like him,” said Bishop Jugis. “The goal is to be more like Jesus — poor in spirit, humble and merciful like Jesus.”

“May our faith in the eucharistic Lord remain strong. By our love for Jesus … may our friendship with him continue to grow strong,” said Bishop Jugis.

Contributing to this article was Editor Kevin E. Murray and Staff Writer Karen A. Evans.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

eucharistic congress

September 28, 2007

Eucharistic Congress 200

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Above: A girl dressed in her first Communion outfit waits with other children to help lead the eucharistic procession through uptown Charlotte Sept. 22.

Below: A Korean woman discusses the history of Korea during a cultural hour at the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte Sept. 22.

Above: Thousands of people from around the Diocese of Charlotte take part in the eucharistic procession throug the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress, held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 21-22.

Below: Priests and deacons of the Diocese of Charlotte gather on the altar during the vigil Mass concluding the E

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Photo by Karen A. Evans

September 28, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 9

eucharistic congress

07: ‘To Know Jesus Christ’

Courtesy photo by Vicki Dorsey

Bishop Peter J. Jugis presents Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin with an engraved chalice to celebrate his 50 years in the priesthood during the Mass concluding the Eucharistic Congress Sept. 22.

Courtesy Photo by Vicki Dorsey

Above: Bishop Peter J. Jugis raises the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament during the Holy Hour at the Eucharistic Congress, held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

gh uptown Charlotte Sept. 22. The procession was part of

Eucharistic Congress Sept. 22.

WANT MORE PHOTOS? More photos of the 2007 Eucharistic Congress are available online at www.charlottediocese.org.

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Hector Molina speaks during the Hispanic track at the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress in the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Geri King, director of the Charlotte Regional Office of Catholic Social Services, gives a chocolate to young man at the congress Sept. 22. Each chocolate came with a challenge, such as “Before you eat this, pray for a baby who has no family.”

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Knights of Columbus color guard are pictured as the eucharistic procession passes the front of the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis signs a copy of “Voices and Places of the People of God,” the Diocese of Charlotte’s coffee table book, during the congress Sept. 22.

September 28, 2007

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Jesuit recalls his time as script doctor for N.Y. play on Judas

by MARK PATTISON catholic news service

WASHINGTON — Jesuit Father James Martin would never be accused of slumming around the Stage Door Canteen, much less a backstage entrance to New York City’s dozens of theaters.

Still, he found himself in a theater role — as script doctor for a play about Judas Iscariot that had a healthy offBroadway run more than two years ago.

Father Martin has recounted the experience in the book, “A Jesuit OffBroadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas, and Life’s Big Questions.”

In the process, Father Martin said he had one revelation: Actors are people, too.

“Sam Rockwell, an actor who I’d already known, was the first person to contact me and (said) that (actor) Philip Seymour Hoffman was going to be the director. So I was excited to be part of that,” said Father Martin, an associate editor for America, a weekly magazine published by the Jesuits.

As he spent more time with the actors, the priest said, he went “from being tonguetied to being relaxed and comfortable ... to being friends with them.”

“As a writer, I frequently meet writers who are notable Catholics. You regard them with a sense of awe, but over time you see they’re approachable,” he said.

During rehearsals, Father Martin said Hoffman had to excuse himself several times because he had “a shoot” in Toronto for a movie.

“He never bragged about being a movie actor, or talked about the film he was doing,” he said of Hoffman.

The movie turned out to be “Capote,” which earned Hoffman an Oscar

New edition of Catholic blessings, prayers book published

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The original “Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers” book, introduced in 1989, was a big seller for the U.S. bishops’ publishing office. In 18 years, it sold 150,000 copies. The book also spun off several shorter paperback versions on specific topics found in the original.

Now, a revised edition has been published. This edition, like the original, was compiled by the staff of the bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy.

The new “Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers” has 10 sections, including basic and daily prayers, family prayers, prayers for Catholic living and excerpts from the New American Bible for times of need. The original edition was used by many parishes as a gift to newly married couples or to new parents as they prepared for a child’s baptism.

for best actor.

To the cast and crew in New York, the play was the thing: “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” examined the motives behind Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and the anguish that led Judas to suicide.

“I was very surprised at how quickly, at the table readings, the conversations turned into incredibly deep subject matter. The questions — Can we really believe the Bible? Did Jesus really resurrect from the dead? Can we really believe in God’s forgiveness? — were the stories we were reflecting ... the same kinds of things people meditate on in their personal prayer, no matter what walk of life they’re in,” Father Martin said.

There were struggles in staging the show night after night. Father Martin recounts in “A Jesuit Off-Broadway” how cast members told him that, unlike the typical play, they found “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” harder to do with each passing performance.

“It was the subject material that was so tense. You’re talking about Jesus and Judas and peace and forgiveness and prayer and grace,” Father Martin said.

“It’s bound to take a tremendous toll.”

“As one of the actors said in the book, ‘It’s like when you preach and you have a really intense experience of the Spirit in your preaching.’ It takes a lot out of you,” Father Martin said. “Also, they moved deeper and deeper into the story each night. ... It was seriously draining for a lot of actors.”

Father Martin said that, to help launch the book, principals connected with the off-Broadway version of the show — including Hoffman — were going to read their own quotes from the book in a series of dramatic readings.

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: OCT. 7, 2007

Oct. 7, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C Readings: 1) Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 2) 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 3) Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

Imitating Christ anonymously will bring rewards

by DAN LUBY catholic news service

Waiting tables is hard work, especially if you do it right. Balancing the demands of finicky diners, passionate chefs and intense managers on a busy Saturday night can be like juggling chain saws.

So when I see a server snubbed by prima donna customers who act as if their food is being served by a robot, it annoys me more than a little.

That’s why I find Jesus’ story about table service in Sunday’s Gospel somewhat challenging. It ends with this rhetorical question: “Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?”

The implied answer is, “Of course not.”

Does that mean we shouldn’t say “thanks” to a hardworking waiter or acknowledge a co-worker’s job well done or express appreciation to friends for loving support? Not at all.

Gratitude is an essential virtue for those

who follow Jesus.

What it does mean, I think, is that we ought not be in the habit of fulfilling our responsibilities with the expectation of rewards above and beyond the reward of the work itself.

Baptism, and the membership in the body of Christ which it confers, commits us to following Jesus, to living in a way that makes evident the presence and mercy and love of God. Every time we celebrate Eucharist, every time we profess our faith through the creed, every time we pray “Our Father,” we reaffirm that central commitment to be not only hearers, but doers of the word.

If we focus on our responsibilities as Christians — welcoming the stranger, challenging injustice, doing good to those who injure us and loving with the abandon and openhandedness of Christ himself — then we won’t obsess over whether or not we are “properly” thanked.

We will know instead that we have expressed our gratitude for the faith we’ve received by living it out with generosity and compassion.

Questions: What is one way in the coming week that I can imitate the love of Jesus anonymously? Who is one person in my life to whom I might express my gratitude more freely?

Scripture to be Illustrated: “With the strength which comes from God, bear your share of the hardship which the Gospel entails” (2 Timothy 1:8).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6 Sunday (Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Amos 6:1, 4-7, 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Luke 16:19-31; Monday (St. Thérèse of Lisieux), Zechariah 8:1-8, Luke 9:46-50; Tuesday (The Guardian Angels), Zachariah 8:20-23, Matthew 18:1-5, 10; Wednesday, Nehemiah 2:1-8, Luke 9:57-62; Thursday (St. Francis of Assisi), Nehemiah 8:1-12, Luke 10:1-12; Friday, Baruch 1:15-22, Luke 10:13-16; Saturday (St. Bruno, Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher), Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29, Luke 10:17-24.

Scripture for the week of Oct. 7-13 Sunday (Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time), Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4, 2 Timothy 1:68, 13-14, Luke 17:5-10; Monday, Jonah 1:1--2:2, 11, Jonah 2:3-5, 8, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (St. Denis and Companions, St. John Leonardi), Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday, Jonah 4:1-11, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday, Malachi 3:13-20, Luke 11:5-13; Friday, Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, Luke 11:15-26; Saturday, Joel 4:12-21, Luke 11:27-28.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

September 28, 2007

Deacon’s novel is turned into major motion picture with Pitt

by RICK DelVECCHIO catholic news service

SAN FRANCISCO — Deacon Ron Hansen, who serves in ministry for the Diocese of San Jose, is also a novelist and English professor, and recently received a professional compliment about his writing from actor Brad Pitt.

“He said, ‘Hey, man, great book,’” Deacon Hansen said.

“He was a really nice guy, very generous and gracious,” the novelist said, adding: “I was prone to like him.”

Deacon Hansen met Pitt on the set of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” a movie starring Pitt as the paranoid post-Civil War outlaw and based on Deacon Hansen’s 1983 novel of the same name.

What Deacon Hansen appreciates even more than Pitt’s compliment is the movie’s faithfulness to his story.

The director, Andrew Dominik, who spotted the book at a Melbourne, Australia, bookstore and thought it would make a great movie, adapted the novel in a remarkably light-handed way for a Hollywood treatment of literature.

“What Andrew did with my novel was go through it with highlighter and take all the parts he wanted right out of the novel,” Deacon Hansen said. “Even the action descriptions were taken right out of the novel.”

“There wasn’t a single thing in the script that didn’t appear in the novel, which is strange and wonderful for an adaptation from an author’s point of view,” he said.

Jules Daly, a member of the film’s production company, wrote in an e-mail: “For me, Ron delved so deep within the characters, the culture and the landscape — so deep that one wonders when reading how he conceived of this time, place and story, almost as though he had known it himself.”

Pitt, who also produced the film, became involved with the project because he had wanted to work with Dominik and agreed to play James for less than his normal fee, making the movie feasible on a $30 million budget.

The novel’s hero is Bob Ford, the 19-year-old kid brother of one of James’ gang members. Ford killed James in 1882 by shooting him in the back of the head while James was tidying a picture with a feather duster.

Ford, played by Casey Affleck, had reason to believe James intended to kill him and that the crime boss might have been planning the deed to take place in

CNS photo courtesy of Ron Hansen

Deacon Ron Hansen, of the Diocese of San Jose, Calif., had his 1983 novel turned into a motion picture starring Brad Pitt. conjunction with a robbery the gang had scheduled the next day.

In real life, Ford became a celebrity who toured the country. The public, reveling in the blood and guts of James’ career, initially elevated the assassin to the status of hero for eliminating a public menace but later turned on him for shooting a man in the back.

A popular 19th-century tune branded Ford as a “dirty little coward.”

The Ford story, like all Deacon Hansen’s novels, has a Christian theme.

His characters cope with the forces of good and evil and his settings dramatize the moral struggle.

“A lot of people would be surprised you could find a Christian idea in a story about Jesse James, but I think it’s implicit in the text,” he said.

“A lot of times it’s about recklessness, ambition, ego and how those can really ruin your life, and I think a lot of times there is this sense of peace and redemption operative in most of my books,” he said.

Deacon Hansen cited the influence of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola on his storytelling.

“One of the exercises is you are who you follow — Christ or the evil one?” he said.

While working on his 1991 novel, “Mariette in Ecstasy,” about the phenomenon of stigmata, Deacon Hansen returned to school for a midcareer refresher in the faith. In 1995 he graduated from the University of Santa Clara, also a Jesuit school, with a master’s degree of arts in pastoral ministry with an emphasis on spirituality.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

September 28, 2007

respect life

Catholic doctor helps hospice facility grow HOSPICE, from page 1

To stand for unborn life

Life Chains to be held around Diocese of Charlotte by

KEVIN E. MURRAY editor

This October, Thomas will end his tenure as board chairman of Four Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care in Flat Rock.

The hospice is an independent, nonprofit, volunteer-supported organization led by a community board of directors.

In Henderson County, 55 percent of deaths are hospice patients. The national average is 23 percent.

When Thomas began working with the hospice, 35 percent of its patients were served by a 45-person staff. Today the staff includes 190 people at a sevenbuilding campus in Flat Rock.

Thomas also served on the capital campaign fundraising committee for expanding the hospice’s Elizabeth House in-patient facility.

“I have watched this grow from its ‘teenage years’ to full maturity,” said Thomas. “There are so many more services now and we maintain a family atmosphere where every person is part of that family.”

While hospice care is for terminally ill patients, about 230 non-terminal patients are currently enrolled in the hospice’s palliative care program, which offers patients consultations and resources on managing their symptoms.

While many hospices are dealing with euthanasia issues, Thomas said faith plays a central role in determining what is considered to be extraordinary life support measures.

“We are very pro-life. While some hospice programs have promoted withholding nutrition and hydration, we see those as meeting ordinary needs,” he said.

Thomas, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at his parish, said there is a spiritual component to hospice care, and it has been a major factor in his involvement.

“When I first came here, you couldn’t ask if a patient were Catholic. We now

Photo by Kathleen Healy Schmieder

Dr. Colin Thomas has served on the board of Four Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care in Flat Rock for six years. He steps down as board chairman in October. ask if they would like someone from their church to visit them,” he said. “The staff then calls the churches and invites the pastors,” he said.

The inclusion of spirituality is a vital factor for both patients and families when facing death, said Thomas.

For some people, he said, hospice care can seem threatening — it means death is coming. But in the Catholic faith, he said “death is our birthday” to eternal life.

“Saints’ feast days are the days they died,” noted Thomas. “Death should be a celebration, not a mourning.”

Through hospice care, terminally ill patients can face death with dignity, he said.

“Most of us don’t know when we can expect to die, but hospice patients have the window and we help them walk through it,” said Thomas. “We can help allay the suffering of the last few months and make the occasion a blessed opportunity.”

After stepping down as board chairman, Thomas will continue to serve in faith through his work at the Free Clinics and his involvement with the ministry of the sick at Immaculate Conception Church.

CHAROTTE — Catholics will once again be standing up for life across the Diocese of Charlotte and the United States.

The U.S. Catholic Church observes October as Respect Life Month, with Respect Life Sunday falling on Oct. 7.

To help kick off the month and show their support for life, hundreds of parishes in dioceses around the country will be participating in Life Chains.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, parishioners will be standing along

property lines of their respective churches, on city sidewalks and with other church groups in their towns. People will hold pro-life placards with messages such as “Abortion Kills Children” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals.”

Pro-life individuals are welcome to participate in any of the gatherings.

The U.S. bishops inaugurated the Respect Life program with a resolution they adopted in the spring of 1972.

The first of what the resolution called a “week of prayer and study dedicated to the sanctity of human life and the many threats to human life in our world” was held that October.

LIFE CHAINS in the DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE Participants should arrive 30 minutes before scheduled start time. Life Chains include: BELMONT Queen of Apostles Church, at N. Main St./N. Central Ave., 12:45-2 p.m.

GASTONIA St. Michael Church, at Garrison Blvd./York, Chester Sts., 2-3 p.m.

CHARLOTTE Our Lady of the Assumption Church, at Shamrock/Crestmont Dr., 1-2 p.m.

GREENSBORO Battleground Ave., 2:30-3:30 p.m. Contact David Foppe (336-510-4218).

Our Lady of Consolation Church, at Statesville Rd./Dearborn Ave., 12 p.m.

KERNERSVILLE Holy Cross Church, at S. Cherry St., 10-11 a.m.

St. Ann Church, at Park Rd./Hillside Ave., 2-3 p.m.

St. Gabriel Church, at Providence/ Sharon Rds., 2-3 p.m.

St. John Neumann Church, at Idlewild/ Valley Grove Rd., 1:30-2:30 p.m.

St. Matthew Church, at Ballantyne Commons Pkwy./Rea Rd., 2-3 p.m.

St. Patrick Cathedral, at Kings Dr./ Morehead St., 2-3 p.m.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church, at UNC-C on University City Blvd., 1-2 p.m.

St. Vincent de Paul Church, at Old Reid/Park Rds., 12:45 -1:45 p.m.

HUNTERSVILLE St. Mark Church, at Stumptown/Ranson Rds., 2-3 p.m.

FRANKLIN Meet in Big Bear Park, 2-3 p.m. Contact Julie Tastinger (828-421-2473).

MINT HILL St. Luke Church, at 13700 Lawyers Rd., 12-1:30 p.m.

SALISBURY Sacred Heart Church, at Innes/Main, 1-2 p.m.

SYLVA Old Sylva Courthouse, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

WAXHAW Designated areas along Rts. 16 and 75, 2-3 p.m. Contact Peggy Dvorak (704-8433495) WINSTON-SALEM Hanes Mall Blvd. west of Stratford Rd., 2:30-3:30 p.m. Contact Donna Dyer (336-940-2558)

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Rates: $.80/word per issue ($16 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.

September 28, 2007

FROM THE COVER

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Supreme Court to consider constitutionality of lethal injection INJECTION, from page 1

on cruel and unusual punishment.

The case before the court directly involves only Kentucky death-row inmates Ralph Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., but it could have farreaching implications throughout the United States.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 928 of the nearly 1,100 U.S. executions since 1976 have been by lethal injection.

Father Pat Delahanty, a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky., who chairs the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, applauded the high court’s decision in a statement and said it was ironic that the announcement was made on the same day that Baze was to have been executed.

The Kentucky Supreme Court had stayed the execution Sept. 12.

“The law certainly, but unfortunately, grants (Kentucky) Gov. (Ernie) Fletcher the power to kill Ralph Baze,” Father Delahanty said in the Sept. 25 statement.

“We certainly hope this decision by the court would cause the governor to forgo the use of that power as long as any court proceedings are pending in a capital case,” he said.

At issue is whether the three-drug cocktail used for lethal injections in Kentucky and other states violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Opponents of the method say the

“Descriptions of the way we put people to death ... may convince a majority of the justices that the process is indeed cruel and unusual.”

— Frank McNeirney, Catholics Against Capital Punishment combination of an anesthetic, a muscle paralyzer and a drug to stop the heart can cause unbearable pain that the inmates are not able to signal because of their paralysis.

F r a n k M c N e i r n e y, n a t i o n a l coordinator of the Maryland-based Catholics Against Capital Punishment, said the Supreme Court action was good news since “it may mean a temporary halt in executions nationwide.”

He said he hoped that “descriptions of the way we put people to death via lethal injection may convince a majority of the justices that the process is indeed cruel and unusual.”

If the court were to disallow execution by lethal injection, “state lawmakers would then face the dilemma of coming up with an alternative procedure that would pass constitutional muster,” McNeirney said.

“Many might throw up their hands

and choose to replace the death penalty with sentences of life without parole,” he added.

Coalition for change The coalition Father Delahanty heads includes the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops; Women and Men Religious Against the Death Penalty; social justice offices in the Kentucky dioceses of Covington and Owensboro and the Archdiocese of Louisville; the National Mercy Justice Center of the Sisters of Mercy; and a number of Catholic religious communities.

Through the Not in My Name Campaign, the coalition has gathered more than 3,700 signatures from Kentuckians asking the governor to commute Baze’s sentence from death to life imprisonment.

“We recognize and abhor his crime,

but we and most citizens of Kentucky are turning away from executions as an appropriate punishment,” the petition says.

“We believe that execution is not only immoral, but it serves no deterrent or social purpose, is increasingly expensive and is irreversible. Mistakes cannot be corrected,” it says.

Baze was sentenced to death for the 1992 shooting deaths of Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Arthur Briscoe. Bowling was convicted of killing Edward and Tina Earley and wounding their 2-year-old son in 1990 outside their dry-cleaning business in Lexington, Ky. “The right thing for the governor to do now is heed the voices of Kentuckians and go ahead and sentence Baze to prison, rather than kill him,” Father Delahanty said. “This would allow all involved to move on with their lives.”

September 28, 2007

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Exploring the faith and doubts of Mother Teresa Nun’s experiences similar to those of many believers Mother Teresa’s now widely reported crisis of faith seems decidedly unfair. If someone as pious and prayerful as the late “saint of the gutters” is unable to tangibly feel the presence of Christ, what hope is there for the rest of us?

As thoughtfully outlined in an article by David VanBiema in Time magazine, Mother Teresa in letters to her confessors over a period of six decades or more reported that she could not feel the love of Christ and that there was only “silence and the emptiness.”

This was so even as, in publicly accepting the Nobel Prize and other awards, she often reminded our troubled world that the “radiating joy [of Christ] is real... because we have Christ with us — Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor that we meet, Christ in the smile that we give and in the smile that we receive.”

Given her simultaneous interior anxiety, her public statements now seem hypocritical in the extreme. Not that we aren’t familiar with this routine.

It is, if we are honest, often our own practice.

Of course, it’s one thing to associate moral duplicity with sinners; it’s another to have proof of it from a woman whose essence seemed the saintly denial of self.

The theological explanations being given for the two sides of Mother Teresa now pose their own test of faith. Much of what is being said has the distinct air of post-hoc rationalization.

We’re told the darkness of soul that Mother Teresa encountered was a manifestation of Christ’s extraordinary love for her. The God-made-man was sharing what he could only share with his closest of confidants: namely, his own darkest moment when he thought his Father had forsaken him on the cross.

Mother Teresa’s discomfort, and at its lowest point even her questioning of God’s existence itself, gives an opening to atheists who are only too happy to portray the divine’s interaction with man as a version of “heads, Christ wins; tails, we lose.”

Christopher Hitchens, for example, whose best-selling book “God Is Not Great” can be heard saying, “See, I told you so — religion is just so much hooey.”

Closely behind the disbelievers are the worshipers of the Enlightenment

Faith & Precedent DOUGLAS W. KMIEC cns columnist

who attribute all of Mother Teresa’s angst to a conflicted subconscious. Mother Teresa sought humility and the denial of worldly goods, they say, only to receive fame and big bucks, so she needed some way to mentally balance one against the other.

Putting aside those either predisposed to deny faith or worship at the altar of science without ever grasping how science has become for them its own god, Mother Teresa’s experience does sit uneasily with the Catholic understanding of the continuing strength and presence of the Holy Spirit and the scriptural assurance that taking up the yoke of Christ is not heavy.

If we are candid, Mother Teresa’s suffering and nagging doubts demand answer because if we actually try to emulate her great love, we don’t want to be taken for suckers.

Of course, that’s it, isn’t it? Love is all about vulnerability, not certainty.

Love is dependence, not autonomy.

Love is giving without expectation of recompense.

The church may have overridden Mother Teresa’s desire to keep these letters confidential to remind us that God never promised to explain himself by man’s reasoning. Quite the contrary, Christ said he came to overturn the old order.

Mother Teresa was his instrument, and the fact that her joy in serving as such was less than what she expected or dearly wanted is but a reminder that in this place of exile we are still well short of heaven, or as Thomas More yearned of “seeing God in the face.”

Neither the heroic charity of Mother Teresa nor our far less notable actions can make it otherwise. Only by Christ’s grace are we saved.

A point, it seems, that Christ teaches in his own way to the most noble and the least deserving alike.

Will the true athletes come forward?

Inordinate lust for power, glory is behind sports scandals “It is not who wins the game, but how the game is played.” This used to be a revered motto in the world of sports.

Recent scandals have sports fans wondering what makes a true athlete and whether they know how to play the game.

Take, for example, this year’s Tour de France that was labeled the Tour de Mort, the Death of the Tour, because of several cyclists who failed drug testing.

And then there are loyal baseball fans who refuse to accept Barry Bonds’ recordbreaking homer because of accusations of steroid use. More disturbing than this are millionaire athletes in trouble with the law because of irresponsible, bizarre behavior.

Even though elegant stadiums are being erected, records are being smashed and awesome feats are being performed, a new breed of cynicism is plaguing the world of sports. Many fans are wondering aloud why its standards have plummeted.

In my lifetime, I have competed in a number of sports, all of which thrived on power. Power is essential to athletics.

When it is possessed to a high degree, it makes a conqueror of you, allowing you to bask in the light of admiring fans.

On the other hand, power creates an insatiable appetite for more power.

A million-dollar business that has been built on this appetite is the marketing of energy drinks and bars guaranteed to generate greater strength and stamina.

The well-known theologian and world observer Romano Guardini once wrote that the biggest problem facing the postmodern world is not a lack of power

Letter to the Editor

Gratitude for addressing social issues

To commemorate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 4, I would like to thank The Catholic News & Herald for its recent attention to environmental justice issues.

Catholic social teaching includes the specific theme of “the care for God’s creation.” We are called to be good stewards of this earth and good neighbors to our fellow human beings.

Please continue to make us more aware of our personal responsibility in carrying out this calling and to inform us what the pope and bishops are teaching us and asking us to do in the area of social justice.

— Linda Yutzy Dysartsville, N.C.

The Human Side FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK cns columnist

but how to control it.

We live in an era that has more power than ever at its disposal. This has heightened an even greater appetite for it.

When we can hit a golf ball 290 yards, why not desire a technologically advanced driver that hits it 300 yards?

It is no exaggeration to say that the appetite for power will not stop growing.

The downside to this is that there are people willing to do anything to win.

This inordinate lust for power and glory, whether it is for physical or financial power, is ultimately behind the scandals that threaten the demise of the sports world.

Fortunately, there are many great athletes who are esteemed because they not only have talent, they can control their appetite for power as well. They are the good crop of athletes in the world of sports who have to live side-by-side with the weeds — athletes acting like irresponsible children.

The sports world now faces a harvest time which, as Christ taught, is a time to separate the weeds from the good grain.

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September 28, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Intelligent design Deliberate inadvertence is sin by which angels fell The universe cries out to us all the time, telling us about the supreme intelligence behind it.

Did you know that the umbrella bamboo flowers on the same day once every 100 years? This happens all over the world, be it in a field in China or in a greenhouse in Chicago.

Doesn’t that amaze you? A hidden intelligence does exist and is responsible for the entire universe.

Why do some people deny the idea of a divine Creator? Albert Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist that ever lived, readily conceded the necessity of an intelligent design behind the visible universe.

He said that when he looked up at the sky at night he felt like a little boy in a huge library. He knew instinctively that the wonders of the sky above didn’t simply appear out of nowhere.

If you said that the Library of Congress had no cause, it just appeared one day after a huge windstorm, could anyone take you to be serious? The problem with non-believers is that they

are in denial about a matter that is vitally important to their own futures.

Everything we see in nature screams out to us that there is a divine being behind it. Teilhard de Chardin put it more poetically: “By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, molds us. We imagine the divine as distant, inaccessible, whereas in fact we live steeped in its burning layers.”

The poet Catherine de Vinck wrote about all the umbrella bamboo trees that bud on the same day once every 100 years.

“How do they count the years?

Do the buried roots know the code; do they telegraph the exact date through what layers of earth, what conduits of stone? Something soft, flexible, a gauzy net flung over the world, or is it a strict mathematician mapping diagrams, the line drawn straight toward infinity. ...

“Something else is at work, something beyond definitions, beyond visibility, something outside of cold

Breaking down those artificial lines Celebrating cultural differences and commonalities is essential When I started high school, I was excited to see that the curriculum in Spanish class had us learning about the culture of Spain and Latin America.

After all, I’d just spent the summer in Colombia, eating, talking, and living the way Colombians did. I had a lot to share.

During my first week of travel, I felt like an outsider. What could I possibly have in common with people from a country halfway across the world — a country with an adversarial relationship to my own?

One day, my hosts took me to a basketball game at a Medellin high school, where one girl offered me a slice of mango and asked me about high school life in the United States: Did we have school dances? Exams? Hall monitors?

Did everyone in the U.S. really have two cars? Did I have a boyfriend?

She helped me to see that although we came from two very different cultures, we still shared a lot in common.

All we had to do was break down the artificial lines between us.

That afternoon, we weren’t “American” and “Colombian” but two girls sharing snacks and giggling about boys.

It saddens me that such things don’t

happen more often.

Despite the advances of the past 50 years regarding equality and civil liberties, many American schools are still segregated either by class or by choice.

The law used to separate lunchrooms; now black, white, Latino and Asian students often choose separate tables of their own volition.

If we want to move towards being a truly tolerant and diverse society, what’s going on?

Is diversity simply recognizing that there are other cultures and ways of life outside the ones in which one lives, or is there more to it?

Drawing artificial lines between groups of human beings is nothing new. Throughout history humanity seems to have had a tendency to divide between “us” and “them.” Romans versus barbarians. Catholics versus Protestants. Blacks versus whites.

In one of his letters, the apostle Paul tells the early Christians that there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free, woman and man — that all, in fact, are equal “in the sight of God.” That was a revolutionary idea in a world that was as divided as we are today.

These days, the writings of Paul and other peacemakers such as Rev. Martin

Spirituality for Today FATHER JOHN CATOIR cns columnist

calculations. ... No way to cross over, says the clock, but on the other side of probability the bamboo pushes through centuries of sleep the cathedral of its flowers.”

People of faith know that something doesn’t come from nothing. Whereas, those who have no faith feebly protest: “Why do we need a first cause? If the universe always was, and there is support for the theory that the universe had no beginning, then why do we need to believe there is intelligent design behind everything?”

How facile, how dumb! Their “deliberate inadvertence” blinds them.

They are predisposed to say, “I will not believe,” no matter what! So be it!

Deliberate inadvertence is the sin by which the angels fell. They knew that God created them and still they remained hell-bent on saying, “I will not serve.”

Life is short; eternity is forever.

Don’t imitate the fallen angels.

Coming of Age KAREN OSBORNE cns columnist

Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II are merciless in their criticism of those artificial dichotomies, and many teens are still raised on their lessons.

Why then did I walk into my college cafeteria to see students of different races seated at different tables? Why did I feel so much trepidation when I walked into that gymnasium in Medellin?

I think we need to not only strive for simple tolerance for different backgrounds and opinions, but to actively try to see others as worth something because of their innate humanity, not how much money they have, where they grew up or the color of their skin.

We need to celebrate our cultural differences, but never lose sight of the commonalities that make us all human.

This begins at an individual level, with people willing to look beyond a different religion or political philosophy to see someone who loves and strives just like ourselves.

I believe that committing to active tolerance on a personal level is the first step in creating a truly equal society.

Why not try offering a mango — or a seat at your lunch table — to someone different? Perhaps we can work to make Paul’s revolutionary vision a reality.

Poverty must be tackled by overhauling social structures, pope says The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Handouts to the poor are not enough; poverty must be tackled by overhauling social structures that deny people basic human rights, Pope Benedict XVI said at his weekly general audience.

“It is not enough to give alms and help the poor on a case-by-case basis,” he said, citing the teachings of St. John Chrysostom.

The saint saw that a new structure, based on the Christian vision of the human family, is needed, the pope said.

Pope Benedict returned briefly to the Vatican from his papal summer villa south of Rome for his Sept. 26 audience in St. Peter’s Square.

The pope continued a catechesis he began Sept. 19 that focused on the life and writings of St. John Chrysostom, the fourth-century doctor of the church and archbishop of Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey.

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today we continue our reflections on St. John Chrysostom. In 397, when he became bishop of Constantinople, he set an example to the people of the city by his simplicity of life and his constant concern for the poor.

He did not hesitate to speak out against corrupt or pagan practices, even in the Imperial Court, and for this he was sent into exile.

In his teaching, he showed how our wonder at the beauty of creation should lead us to give glory to the Creator.

Yet God is also a tender father, a healer of souls and an affectionate friend.

The Creator of the universe loved us so much that he did not spare his only Son. The Holy Spirit also features prominently in St. John’s writings — the life-force that transforms the world and gives wings to those Christians who are docile to the Spirit’s promptings.

This authoritative teaching earned St. John Chrysostom the title of a second St. Paul, Teacher of the Universe.

The exiled bishop continued until his death to proclaim the infinite love of God, who wants all to be saved. With his last breath he spoke of the ultimate end of human life — the glory of God. Let us learn from St. John’s example to love Christ in the poor and to bear faithful witness to the truth of the Gospel.

September 28, 2007

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

The Catholic News & Herald 16

A final look at the third diocesan Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte

Photo by Kevin E. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis asks faith-related questions of children attending the Eucharistic Congress at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Father Leo Patalinghug performs one of his signature break-dancing moves during the program for high school students at the Eucharistic Congress Sept. 22.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Sister Mary Lucy and Sister John Thomas, members of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, prepare to judge a trivia competition during the program for middle schoolers at the Eucharistic Congress Sept. 22.

Photo by Karen A. Evans

Bishop Jugis lends a volunteer a hand by helping move a table during the Eucharistic Congress at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 22.