Oct. 2, 2009

October 2, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives The example of Jim Pouillon; Respect Life Sunday; Eucharistic Congress reaction

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI October 2, 2009

Foreign language, common faith

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

Thousands share in grace of fifth Eucharistic Congress by

HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

KATIE MOORE staff writer and

CHARLOTTE — Serenity and reverence greeted the bearers of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in a monstrance held high in the streets of uptown Charlotte Sept. 26.

In the middle of a business district buffeted by recession and banking industry upheaval, the Word made Flesh traversed the short route from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center in a public invitation to the redeeming love of Christ for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

An estimated 10,000 people from across the 46county Diocese of Charlotte joined Bishop Peter J. Jugis

HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

CHARLOTTE — In keeping with this year’s theme of the Eucharistic Congress, “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,” the speakers for the Hispanic track focused on the topic of the Incarnation and the importance of spreading Christ’s Word.

Claretian Father Walter Lawson, who serves as programming director for Radio Maria in New York City, said his ministry is about taking the Gospel out of the church and into the neighborhoods.

“A lot of people don’t See HISPANIC, page 9

no. 41

The Word on the streets of Charlotte

Hispanic track tunes into Eucharistic Congress theme by

vOLUME 18

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

Bishop Peter J. Jugis carries a monstrance under a canopy carried by Knights of Columbus during the eucharistic procession in uptown Charlotte Sept. 26.

Proclaiming Christ’s word Congress speakers inform and inspire by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

Rick Vande Kaay, of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, waits while Immaculée Ilibagiza signs her book after speaking at the Eucharistic Congress Sept. 26.

CHARLOTTE — Covering everything from stem cells to cooking, the speakers at the Diocese of Charlotte’s fifth annual Eucharistic Congress educated and inspired with presentations on their areas of expertise.

A diverse group of speakers presented, challenged and

See CONGRESS, page 7

Catholic leaders at UN summit urge immediate action on climate change

by BETH GRIFFIN catholic news service

enlightened their audiences with a variety of topics at this year’s congress in Charlotte Sept. 25-26.

The congress’ keynote s p e ak er w as I m macu l ée Ilibagiza, survivor of the Rwandan genocide.

In her talk Friday evening, Ilibagiza spoke about forgiveness and the power of the rosary.

UNITED NATIONS — Climate change is more than an environmental concern; it is an issue of justice that merits immediate attention by world leaders.

This was the message delivered repeatedly by Catholic participants in the

See SPEAKERS, page 6

See SUMMIT, page 4

Culture Watch

Around the diocese

Pope Visits Czech Republic

Woman runs to become nun; House resolution honors women religious

New board for ancient order; Honoring catechists; Catholic sports engender excellence

Message of hope urges Czechs to resist relativism, consumerism; Pope Speaks

| Pages 10-11

| Pages 12-13

| Pages 5, 15

October 2, 2009

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief Knights on shiny wheels

Vatican asks US bishops to help pay for apostolic visitation Study of women religious to cost $1.1 million

Members of the Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ministry arrive for the organization’s monthly meeting at St. Ann Parish in Raritan Borough, N.J., in late July.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The head of the Vatican congregation that ordered a comprehensive study of U.S. institutes of women religious has asked the U.S. bishops to contribute funds to offset the projected $1.1 million cost of the study.

The request came in a letter from Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Dated July 14, the letter was made public Sept. 28 by the National Catholic Reporter, an independent Catholic newspaper based in Kansas City, Mo. The study, known as an apostolic visitation, was authorized by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2008 and was expected to last three years.

“Because this apostolic visitation is so very important for safeguarding

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

cns photo by Chris

Donahue, The Catholic Spirit

Motorcycle ministry

Knights’ unique ministry combines spirituality, fundraising RARITAN BOROUGH, N.J. (CNS) — When about 15 men on motorcycles wearing “colors” or leather vests arrived at St. Ann Church, they weren’t looking for trouble.

Rather, as members of the Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ministry, they came to their monthly meeting to help spread the Gospel through the order’s principles of charity, unity and fraternity.

George Muniz, a member of Council 9199, Our Lady of Peace Parish in Fords, said the motorcycle ministry gives him an opportunity to help others and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.

Riding can also be a “spiritual” experience because it provides time to pray, he said.

“I wanted to join because I have been riding a motorcycle most of my life,” said Muniz, a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Piscataway, who serves as a maintenance employee at three parishes in Perth Amboy.

“I am one of those guys who make the sign of the cross whenever I ride by a church,” Muniz said.

With Father Edmund A. Luciano III, parochial vicar at St. Ann Parish, serving as chaplain, the ministry’s meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

John Brandon, founder and president, then led the 90-minute session in businesslike fashion interspersed with humorous anecdotes and some mild ribbing from members.

Minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed, old and new business was taken care of, finances were disclosed and plans were made for future charity events.

The organization’s first fundraiser,

the Alzheimer’s Disease Respite Care Motorcycle Run in late spring, raised more than $400, Brandon said. Another fundraiser in September benefited Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Middlesex.

After ending the meeting with a prayer, Father Luciano said he is happy to see anyone trying to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, even a group as unique as the motorcycle ministry.

“The Gospel comes to us in our everyday lives and riding is part of their everyday lives,” he said. “Pope John Paul II encouraged us to go for the new evangelization. I don’t know if this is what he had in mind but it is certainly the spirit of it.”

For Brandon, the organization also offers an opportunity to change the negative image some people have of motorcyclists.

“It is not 800 guys living in a house all carrying guns,” Brandon said.

“Nobody is here to knock over a grocery store or sell drugs.”

The motorcycle ministry’s roots go back about three years when Brandon, a member of St. Mary Parish in Middletown, started it with members from local councils.

With the approval of Thomas Ciborski, immediate past state deputy, the ministry was given the green light to go statewide, Brandon said.

“I told him there are a lot of guys that would join the Knights if they knew there was a motorcycle ministry,” Brandon said.

Since registration began at the Knights’ annual state convention in Wildwood in May, more than 100 members have joined, including 30 from the Diocese of Metuchen, Brandon said.

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

ASHEVILLE VICARIATE ASHEVILLE — A public rosary will be held in honor of Our Lady of Fatima and the miracle of the sun Oct. 10 at 12 p.m. The rosary will be prayed in the parking lot directly across the street from the Basilica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. This event is sponsored by America Needs Fatima with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. For more information, contact Lisena Maria Moss at jemoss@charter.net or call (828) 254-4526.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) will host a reflection featuring guest speaker Bishop William G. Curlin, bishop emeritus of Charlotte, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., Oct. 5. The CCWG is an inter-parish organization of lay Christian faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte. Its mission is to foster in women a greater desire to know, love and serve Jesus Christ and his church. Daily Mass begins at 9 a.m. with the bishop’s talk following at 10 a.m.

For more information, contact Molly Beckert at (704) 243-3252 or mvbeckert@carolina.rr.com.

CHARLOTTE — A presentation on Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Mary and Islam will take

and promoting consecrated life in the United States, it is also imperative that it be methodically and efficiently conducted,” Cardinal Rode wrote. “I am asking you, my brother bishops, for your help in offsetting the expenses which will be incurred by this work for the future of apostolic religious life in the United States.”

The cardinal said the $1.1 million budget would cover “the three years which the total work of the apostolic visitation will require.”

Part of the study of U.S. women religious involves a questionnaire distributed to 341 congregations Sept.

18. Included were questions about membership, living arrangements, the ministries in which members participate, and spiritual life, including the practice of prayer and the frequency of Mass.

place at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., Oct. 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Speakers will be Father Christopher Roux, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral, and Mike Sullivan, president of Catholics United for the Faith in Steubenville, Ohio. Light refreshments will be served after the talks. Come for fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ while we learn some fascinating facts about our Blessed Mother. For more information, contact Elizabeth Keating at ewkeating4@aol.com or Mary Sample at marysample5@aol.com or call (704) 341-9292.

CHARLOTTE — Presentations on the Shroud of Turin will be held at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. and St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. John Iannone, a Catholic writer, lecturer, and filmmaker who has studied the Holy Shroud for 30 years, will present the topic “The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: The Case for Authenticity.” Iannone has published several books on the Shroud of Turin and has done work for PBS and EWTN. For more information, contact the office at St. Matthew Church at (704) 543-7677 or the office at St. John Neumann Church at (704) 536-6520.

CHARLOTTE — Anyone interested in learning more about the Secular Franciscan Order and how to become a part of this group is invited to attend an informational meeting at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd. There will be concurrent sessions in English and Spanish on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 10 am. For more information, contact David Romero at (704) 877-5505.

CHARLOTTE — The 67th semi-annual rosary rally will be held Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral. The rally will include the holy rosary, a eucharistic procession and Benediction. The homilist will be Father Rick DeClue. Join us as we honor Our Lady. For more information, contact Tina Witt at (704) 846-7361.

october 2, 2009 Volume 18 • Number 41

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Interim Editor: Heather Bellemore STAFF WRITER: Katie Moore Graphic DESIGNER: Tim Faragher Advertising MANAGER: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Deborah Hiles 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

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

October 2, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Pope’s wrist still healing, but he Knights of Columbus leader named to Vatican bank council can write Second volume, following ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ bestseller, is in progress ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI said his right wrist has still not fully recovered from being broken after he fell July 17, but that it has healed enough so that he can write again.

During a two-hour flight Sept. 26 from Rome’s Ciampino airport to the Czech Republic, the pope answered questions submitted to the Vatican press office.

One of the questions, read by the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, was how the pope’s wrist injury was healing and whether he was able to get much work done on his second volume of a book

on Jesus of Nazareth.

The pope told reporters that the five weeks his hand was in a cast and the subsequent days of recovery were very difficult for him. “My thoughts mostly develop through writing, so for me it was truly a test of patience to not be able to write for six weeks,” he said.

“I did make a little progress on the book, but there is still a lot to do,” including the bibliography, he said.

He said the book “could be finished by the spring. But this is a hope.”

The book is expected to cover Christ’s childhood, passion, death and resurrection. The first volume, the best-selling “Jesus of Nazareth,” was published in 2007.

CHARLOTTE — “Grace in a Competitive World,” a lecture by Carolyn Woo, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, will take place in Biss Hall at St. Peter Church, 507 South Tryon St., Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The presentation will explore the role of grace in our work and behavior given the highly competitive practices common in our culture. Admission is free and the lecture is open to the general public with a reception to follow. For more information, contact Greg Crawford at (630) 730-2787.

books on the Shroud of Turin and has done work for PBS and EWTN. For more information, contact the church office at (704) 867-6212.

CHARLOTTE — The Young Adult Ministry of St. Peter Church will sponsor a Theology on Tap series Mondays during October from 6:30-8 p.m. at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, 911 E Morehead St. Theology on Tap is a dynamic speaker series aimed at providing young adults 18-40 with the opportunity to discover more about their faith in a relaxed and open environment. The series will explore important modern issues in today’s society. The first session will take place Oct. 12 on the topic “Everything that I needed to know I learned in...Genesis” presented

by Rich Yonakor. For more information, contact rebhay@gmail.com.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT —The departments of Biology and Theology of Belmont Abbey College are hosting a presentation, Catholicism and Evolution, by Abbey graduate, Father Michael J. Kavanaugh, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Haid Theatre on the campus of Blemont Abbey College, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd. Father Kavanaugh’s presentation will focus on how the Catholic Church understands the creation accounts of Genesis and on the current debate regarding evolution.

The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. David Williams at dr.fluellen@gmail.com or (704) 461-7373.

GASTONIA — A presentation on the Shroud of Turin will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Church, 708 St. Michael’s Ln., Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. John Iannone, a Catholic writer, lecturer, and filmmaker who has studied the Holy Shroud for 30 years, will present the topic “The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: The Case for Authenticity.” Iannone has published several

Episcopal

calendar

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — To mark the 92nd Anniversary of Our Lady’s Apparitions at Fatima, Portugal a rosary will be prayed on the front lawn of Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St., Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. The gathering will begin with an outside procession, rain or shine. For more information, contact the parish office at (336) 274-7326.

Oct. 4-9 Annual priest retreat Living Waters Reflection Center, Maggie Valley

president of the council, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, an Italian banker and a professor of financial ethics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, and a new vice president, Renaldo Hermann Schmitz, a retired German business manager.

The Vatican bank, known formally as the Institute for the Works of Religion, was established in 1942 and is used by Vatican agencies, church organizations, bishops and religious orders around the world. It offers currency exchange services and interest-bearing accounts and, like all banks, has an investment portfolio.

Anderson, 58, also runs the Knights of Columbus insurance program, which has more than $14 billion in assets and $71 billion worth of insurance in force.

For the 34th year in a row, Anderson said recently, the program has earned the highest rating given by A.M. Best and for the 17th year in a row it earned Standard & Poor’s top rating.

Katrina of the Philippines

GREENSBORO — A charismatic healing Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 West Market St., will be held Oct. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. The celebrant for the Mass will be Father Fidel Melo with guest speaker Richard Collins, OLG parishioner, and music provided by Freeway. Healing teams will be available for personal ministry after the Mass.

This Mass is sponsored by the parish health ministry and the Flames of Fire prayer group.

For more information, contact Ben D’Apollo at (336) 812-3730.

SALISBURY VICARIATE CONCORD — A presentation on the Shroud of Turin will be held at St. James the Greater Church, 139 Manor Ave. SW, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. John Iannone, a Catholic writer, lecturer, and filmmaker who has studied the Holy Shroud for 30 years, will present the topic “The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: The Case for Authenticity.” Iannone has published several books on the Shroud of Turin and has done work for PBS and EWTN. For more information, contact the church office at (704) 720-0600. cns photo by Cheryl Ravelo, Reuters

Is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public?

Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to kmmoore@charlottediocese. org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

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

Oct. 2 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation St. John Baptiste de la Salle Church, North Wilkesboro

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The head of the Knights of Columbus has been named by Pope Benedict XVI to a five-member council that supervises the activities of the Vatican bank.

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who heads the 1.7 million-member fraternal organization, was among three new council members announced by the Vatican Sept. 23.

“I hope that my experience in working with the Vatican on a variety of issues over the past decade, and my work in the business and financial sector — as Supreme Knight and Chief Executive Officer of the Knights of Columbus — will enable me to contribute to the success of the IOR’s (Vatican’s Institute for Works of Religion) many important initiatives,” said Anderson.

Leaving his post on the council was Virgil Dechant, who stepped down as head of the Knights of Columbus in 2000.

The pope also named a new

Oct. 13 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem Oct. 15 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Charlotte

People stranded by floodwaters take refuge inside a church in Cainta Rizal, outside Manila, Philippines, Sept. 28. The Philippines appealed for international aid to help tens of thousands marooned by flash floods related to typhoon Ketsana.

Catholic organizations aid Philippine victims of flooding WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic charitable organizations are stepping up to help victims in the Philippines after the worst flood in decades hit in late September.

“They’re calling this the Katrina of the Philippines,” said Luc Picard, Catholic Relief Services’ country representative in Manila. The equivalent of a month’s worth of rain fell in six hours and, at one point, more than 80 percent of

Manila was under water. “ Wi t h C R S ’ i n i t i a l f u n d i n g , we’re helping 5,000 families through Caritas,” Laura Sheahen, CRS regional information officer based in Cambodia, told CNS by e-mail.

Caritas is the umbrella organization of Catholic aid agencies. In a statement, the Caritas office in the Philippines said it was providing aid to a total of 10,000 families, or 50,000 people.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

October 2, 2009

Eucharistic Congress

cns photo by Kham, Reuters

A farmer pulls a cart transporting grains in a rice paddy near a cement factory just outside Hanoi, Vietnam. During the recent U.N Summit on Climate Change in New York, Catholic leaders urged immediate action on climate change.

Catholic leaders urge change at UN summit

Pope sends message that ‘creation is under threat’ SUMMIT, from page 1

Sept. 22 U.N. Summit on Climate Change in New York.

“It is unfair that people in developing countries pay the consequences for problems that rich countries have created,” said Elyzabeth Peredo, director of the Solon Foundation in Bolivia, at a Sept. 22 press conference.

As an example, she said Bolivia generates only 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but melting glaciers caused by the warming effect of emissions worldwide endanger crops for small-scale farmers in communities throughout the country’s Andes mountains.

The proposals now under discussion at the United Nations set goals and targets for international investment in adaptation technologies to help countries withstand climate change.

“We have 2020 targets and even 2050 targets, but it’s necessary to act now to reduce the vulnerability of the poorest,” said Rene Grotenhuis, president of CIDSE, a Belgium-based international alliance of Catholic development agencies.

“We’re trying to put a human face on climate change,” he added. “Beyond the statistics, there are people living with the effects of climate change already. It’s necessary and urgent to get a bold and ambitious treaty in Copenhagen.”

Pope shares concern Pope Benedict XVI urged world leaders to address global environmental issues “with generous courage” and reminded them that the world’s

resources are to be shared by all, including poorer countries.

He said “creation is under threat” and that it was everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment because “the earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator.”

The pope’s message was sent by the Vatican to the climate change summit and appeared on the U.N. summit’s Web site.

The papal message had been recorded during an Aug. 26 general audience in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

Government leaders have an obligation to work together for the “protection of the environment, and the safeguarding of resources and of the climate,” in respect of the law and in solidarity with weaker nations, he said.

Natural resources must be shared, he said, and the social and economic costs of consuming them “must be recognized with transparency and borne by those who incur them, and not by other peoples or future generations.”

Summit details The Sept. 22 summit, called by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is a prelude to a comprehensive international climate change deal that will be finalized at the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The nonbinding convention, or treaty, was adopted in 1992 and aims to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system.

Representatives of the 192 countries that are parties to the climate change convention meet annually to review progress on implementing it.

This year’s meeting in Denmark is viewed as a pivotal opportunity to reverse the causes of climate change by implementing a new treaty

that will expand the reach of the convention’s 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

That agreement set binding targets for developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Catholic contingency The 15-member Catholic delegation of laity and religious was organized by CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis, a network of 164 Catholic charities. It is led by Cardinal Keith O’Brien of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland. The group met with heads of state, government and religious leaders and delegates in multiple venues Sept. 20-23.

Cardinal O’Brien called on heads of state to give the issue the highest political priority and to attend the meeting in Copenhagen to make sure a strong and equitable agreement is reached.

“Leaders should be getting down to serious negotiations for the sake of all humanity,” he said. “Instead, we are seeing political disagreements and a lack of commitment. The lives of millions of people in the developing world, who have done least to cause the problem, are at stake.”

Grotenhuis said a fair, just climate treaty is endangered by “too many countries holding their cards close to the vest, waiting to see what the main actors will do. There is not yet a broad commitment from players other than” the European Union.

He said climate change relates to a basic principle of Catholic social teaching, the common good. “It’s a fundamental issue at the heart of Catholic social thinking to care about climate change and make it an important issue,” he added.

Catholic delegates also participated in a Sept. 21 panel that addressed

practical steps being taken to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience of affected populations. The speakers also gave examples from their regions to illustrate the scope of the situation.

Janet Mangera, executive secretary of Caritas Kenya, said changing climate patterns made rainfall unreliable in Kenya, where only 17 percent of the land is moderately productive. “Of 38 million people, 10 million are in need of food,” she said. “In the past, we have had drought and famine, but it has not affected this high a percentage of the people.”

She said Caritas Kenya is helping communities adapt to the water shortage by promoting traditional and droughtresistant crops, such as sorghum, millet and cassava, and demonstrating biofarming in the dioceses.

Mangera said Caritas is also “capacity-building in climate change,” by training development coordinators to enable communities to advocate for policy changes.

Nafisa D’Souza, executive director of Laya Resource Centre in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, said, “Local communities are very much affected by the climate crisis, but they are also very resilient.” But resilience erodes, she said, when scarce energy resources “go to meet the demands that come from the elites, either in or out of the country.”

Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala, said the Catholic delegation was committed to encouraging fundamental policy changes by its presence at the meeting and by promoting the relationships among development, climate change, social justice and the suffering of poor people.

He urged people to adopt an austerity toward natural resources. He said his morning shower at a New York hotel dumped a surprising amount of water on him. “It was not only incredible, but unfair,” he said, reflecting on the irregular availability of potable water in his country.

“We need to encourage a social system where to be is more important than to have,” Bishop Ramazzini added.

cns photo by

Devra Berkowitz, courtesy UN

Cardinal Keith O’Brien of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, speaks to the press about climate change during a summit at the United Nations in New York Sept. 22.

October 2, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 5

in the news

Message of hope

Pope urges Czechs to regain values that inspired fight for freedom

by CAROL GLATZ catholic news service

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the peaceful revolt that brought down the country’s communist regime, Pope Benedict XVI urged people in the Czech Republic to rediscover the spiritual and moral values that sustained their struggle for freedom.

In gatherings Sept. 26-28 with political, social, cultural and religious leaders as well as the Catholic faithful, the pope delivered a message of hope meant to inspire both the country’s majority of nonbelievers and the minority Catholic community.

Central to his message was that no society, no matter how democratic, could ever maintain a healthy and ethical sense of freedom without guidance from the truth found in God and the wisdom of faith.

The pope’s trip to Prague, Brno, and Stara Boleslav was his 13th trip abroad and his seventh to Europe. The fact that more than half of his apostolic journeys so far have been to Europe reflects his deep concern for revitalizing the continent’s Christian heritage.

“True freedom presupposes the search for truth — for the true good — and hence finds its fulfillment precisely in knowing and doing what is right and just,” the pope said during a meeting Sept. 26 with diplomats and political, civil, religious and cultural leaders in Prague’s presidential palace.

Under the soaring gilded stucco ceilings of the palace, the pope reminded his audience that the country’s hardfought freedom must be properly used.

Leaders in society have the duty to encourage citizens to seek the truth and goodness, he said.

“Jointly we must engage in the struggle for freedom and the search for

truth, which either go together, hand in hand, or together they perish in misery,” the pope said.

He urged people “to apply their faith respectfully yet decisively in the public arena” so that the truth and wisdom of faith could light the path of human progress.

“Far from threatening the tolerance of differences or cultural plurality, the pursuit of truth makes consensus possible, keeps public debate logical, honest and accountable” and ensures a society that is united and dedicated to the common good, he said.

The Czech Republic represents a unique challenge for the church. Some 60 percent of the population claims to profess no religious belief — making it the most secular country in Europe.

The largest faith community on the landscape is the Catholic Church, but Catholics are still only 30 percent of all inhabitants, and only a small percent say they are active members of the church.

At a welcoming ceremony at Prague’s airport, the pope said the impact of 40 years of an atheist totalitarian regime could not be underestimated. The flame of faith has been kept alive thanks to the many “courageous martyrs whose fidelity to Christ spoke far louder and more eloquently than the voice of their executioners,” he said.

The papal visit drew Catholics from all over the Czech nation and from neighboring Austria, Slovakia, Germany and Poland, specifically for the outdoor Mass Sept. 27 in the Moravian diocese of Brno, some 140 miles southeast of Prague. Local organizers said 120,000 people attended the event, making it the largest Mass ever celebrated in the Czech Republic.

The pope’s homily focused on hope and how “the only certain and reliable hope is founded on God.”

cns photo by

Max Rossi, Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI shakes hands with Czech President Vaclav Klaus after the pope celebrated an outdoor Mass in Stara Boleslav, Czech Republic, Sept. 28. During his three-day visit, Pope Benedict urged people in the Czech Republic to rediscover spiritual and moral values.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

October 2, 2009

Eucharistic Congress speakers inform, inspire

Talks illuminate faith centered around sacrament of Eucharist SPEAKERS, from page 1

Ilibagiza spent 91 days hiding in a bathroom with seven other women during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

During that time, anger was her obstacle and the rosary became her refuge.

“Prayer has the power to change us,” said Ilibagiza, who was able to forgive the men who killed her family.

“There is so much peace in forgiveness, so much freedom,” she said.

Ilibagiza prayed approximately 27 rosaries a day during the time she was in hiding.

“Our Lady said that if we say the rosary, anything is possible,” Ilibagiza said.

“We can do so much if we just trust in God.” Holy Hour and Benediction The homilist during the eucharistic holy hour and Benediction on Saturday morning, Sept. 26, was Bishop Felipe Estévez, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami.

Bishop Estévez talked about the powerful witness of having the eucharistic procession through the streets of uptown Charlotte.

“The civil society notices that we hold this treasure not as a private secret, but that we are bold to hold it publicly as a public gift to all,” he said.

“We do it because in exercising our religious freedom we are sharing our faith with others,” said Bishop Estévez.

He went on to talk about the importance of eucharistic adoration and

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, (left) chats with Bishop Felipe Estévez, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, in the Charlotte Convention Center during the Eucharistic Congress. Bishop Estévez delivered the Holy Hour homily at the congress.

how the practice of adoration goes handin-hand with receiving the sacrament of holy communion.

Bishop Estévez quoted St. Augustine when he said, “No one eats the flesh without first adoring it.”

“Only in this way do we become one with him (Christ),” he said, referring to a quote from Pope Benedict XVI. General track To kick off the general session, Ilibagiza spoke about the apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho.

The apparitions, which took place during the 1980s at an all-girls’ Catholic high school in the remote Rwandan village of Kibeho, are the only Vaticanrecognized Marian apparitions on the continent of Africa.

In keeping with the theme of this year’s Eucharistic Congress, “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,” Ilibagiza said that the messages of Our Lady of Kibeho were not just for Africa, but for the whole world.

Making his fourth appearance at the Eucharistic Congress was Father Leo Patalinghug, a member of the faculty of Mount St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore and host of the Internet cooking show “Grace Before Meals.”

Father Patalinghug is a multi-talented priest — a former national full-contact stick fighting champion, a black belt in tae kwon do and an ’80s break dancer.

His talk was centered on a cooking presentation in which he showed the audience how to make an Italian dish called “Penne a la Vodka.”

“As a priest I gave God everything, including my hobbies, and he turned it into a ministry,” said Father Patalinghug referring to how he has been able to incorporate his unique skill-set in his vocation as a priest.

“As a priest I feed people — body, mind and soul,” said Father Patalinghug.

With “Grace Before Meals” he follows a similar philosophy.

“I touch their hearts through their stomachs,” he said.

Next on the general speaker track was Father Tad Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Phildelphia, Penn.

In his talk, “The Science and Ethics of Stem Cells and Cloning,” Father Pacholczyk took a daunting topic and broke it down into understandable terms.

“We’ve got to help people understand why they should never lay their hands on a human embryo,” said Father Pacholczyk.

He touched on the moral and ethical dilemmas of scientific research using embryonic stem cells.

“I am convinced that the true measure of the greatness of a society will always be in terms of how it treats its lowest members,” he said. “When you choose to go after good ends by using evil means, you always end up in a pickle.”

photo by Vicki

Dorsey

Father Leo Patalinghug, general track speaker during the fifth annual Eucharistic Congress, illustrates his cooking metaphors for adding spice to a life of faith.

Closing Mass “The Eucharistic Congress is an opportunity for us to gather to thank our Lord for his great gift to us,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis in his homily during the closing Mass.

Bishop Jugis mentioned the many ways in which Jesus is present to us, specifically the ministry of the priest, the liturgy of the Word, and worship through prayer and song.

However, he said the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is different from the other ways in that it is real and substantial.

“We are a eucharistic people,” said the bishop.

“It is the real presence of Christ that moves us to say, ‘We cannot live without the Eucharist, because we cannot live without Christ,’” he said.

The bishop closed his homily with a reminder of the theme of the congress.

“The very reason ‘The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,’ was to offer himself as a sacrifice for our salvation,” Bishop Jugis said. “Jesus instituted the Eucharist so he could continue to offer himself for us and we could have new life in him.”

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

October 2, 2009

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Thousands share in grace of fifth Eucharistic Congress CONGRESS, from page 1

as he led the eucharistic procession, part of the fifth annual diocesan Eucharistic Congress held Sept. 25-26. The two-day event was themed “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us,” taken from John 1:14.

“We pray that the congress will produce the fruits of spiritual renewal in all of us, a greater appreciation for the central place of the Eucharist in our lives as Catholics, and an increased zeal to do our part in the great mission of the new evangelization,” said Bishop Jugis in a Sept. 4 letter to parishioners about the congress.

“It is through our participation in the eucharistic sacrifice that the Lord constantly enlivens us so that we can faithfully do his work in the midst of our secular society,” he said.

Seminarians of the diocese with bearers of the crucifix and torches led the procession, followed by a Knights of Columbus color guard, sodalities, first communicants, members of religious communities, deacons, and priests from around the diocese.

Gentle, rhythmic bells and curling incense signaled the approach of the Blessed Sacrament, held in a monstrance

by Bishop Jugis under a canopy carried by the Knights of Columbus.

Bishop Jugis was followed by Bishop William G. Curlin, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Charlotte, and guest Bishop Felipe Estévez, auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of Miami. The rest of the procession included representatives of many of the 93 parishes and missions, religious ministries, lay ministries and cultural groups in the diocese. Hundreds of people watching the procession along the city streets knelt reverently as the Eucharist passed by, then joined the procession behind parish banners.

“It’s emotional, beautiful,” said an onlooker from Raleigh, in town for business. “It’s impressive, even for this Baptist who is not high into ceremony.”

“The first year was also very impressive,” said Kevin Routen,

parishioner of St. Barnabas Church in Arden.

“All the construction workers along the route either knelt or took off their hard hats and stopped work. All the noise stopped,” he said.

“It may sound corny, but I think of myself as a rechargeable battery and this (Eucharistic Congress) as my charging station,” said Kevin Dieter, parishioner of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, who has attended all five congresses.

“As Catholics, we all know what the Eucharist is about, but we come here to be re-energized,” he said.

Call to evangelization After participants entered the convention center, Bishop Estévez emphasized the evangelistic nature of the Eucharistic Congress in a Holy Hour homily.

“The Lord does great things in your midst,” said Bishop Estévez, “through his real, divine, loving and sacramental presence.”

Citing only 30 percent regular Sunday Mass attendance by Catholics, the bishop said there exists an “urgency for Catholic evangelization.”

The Eucharist is our “source of strength to reach out and share Christ with others in an ongoing history of salvation,” he stated.

Bishop Estévez added that the Last Supper is the “most tangible expression of love passed from Jesus to the apostles, and from the apostles to every succeeding generation.”

“The church does not own the Eucharist, but is the faithful custodian,” he said.

He added that through a public event like the annual Eucharistic Congress, we are “passing on the most precious gift received from the apostles and Mary.”

Bishop Estévez also said that studies have shown the practice of eucharistic adoration results in increased participation in Sunday Mass.

Bishop Jugis then concluded the Holy Hour with an invitation to deepen appreciation and devotion to the eucharistic presence in adoration during the congress.

Faith intensified Eucharistic adoration during the congress began Friday evening, Sept. 25, when a number of groups — including clergy, religious, young adults and families — each spent an hour before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter Church until morning.

The Friday night opening of the Eucharistic Congress included a concert of sacred music and a talk by keynote speaker Immaculée Ilibagiza, survivor of the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

The concert choir included approximately 70 singers from 17 parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte accompanied by a trumpeter and an organist.

“One of the pieces we sang was a musical setting of the angelus prayer [from Biebl’s ‘Ave Maria’],” said Dr. Larry

photo by Katie

Moore

Participants of the fifth annual Eucharistic Congress browse the vendor area between speaker presentations at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 26.

Stratemeyer, concert director. “Within that text is ‘The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us.’” “It is not only a beloved piece for people to listen to and to sing but it was also the centerpiece of our theme,” he said.

Keynote speaker Ilibagiza expanded upon her Friday evening talk about the power of forgiveness and prayer, especially of the rosary, in a Saturday discussion of the Marian apparitions at Kibeho in Rwanda, Africa.

Expanding knowledge Ilibagiza’s Saturday morning presentation was part of an entire day of opportunities for all ages and interests, which were organized into specific programs called tracks. The general track consisted of three talks in English paralleled by three presentations in Spanish for the Hispanic track. Tracks were also available for youth and children, split into the three categories of high school, middle school, and kindergarten through grade five.

“They were great speakers, the best so far,” said Linda Dillon, parishioner of Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, who has attended all five annual events.

Referring to Father Leo Patalinghug, whose talk “Grace Before Meals” was part of this year’s general track, Dillon said “his humor and very energetic presentation keep you interested.”

“The speakers are phenomenal,” said Dr. Larry Kwan, parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point. “I could sit there all day.”

Jennifer Shinn, parishioner from

St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and past children’s track volunteer, said the Eucharistic Congress was a “very good experience” for her and increased the love of the faith for the children.

“It was extremely well organized, with two adults for each small group, bags full of activities, art projects, lunch provided, stories and dances,” Shinn said.

“Each year is a different experience,” said Leslie Choate, parishioner from St. Frances of Rome Church in Sparta.

“For me, it is a day of pride, when we can come together and share the presence of our Savior with everyone,” said Choate. “It is one of those ‘wow’ moments, a very humbling experience, to walk the streets of Charlotte and say this is what we’re all about.”

Throughout the day, a large area was filled with more than 80 vendors who provided information about religious ministries and sold books written by the speakers and a wide variety of religious items.

Congress participants spent time in eucharistic adoration and hundreds received the sacrament of Reconciliation offered by priests in both English and Spanish.

All events concluded with a lateafternoon vigil Mass.

“The Eucharistic Congress helps us grow in our amazement of the real presence of Christ with us in the Holy Eucharist,” said celebrant Bishop Jugis, who announced plans for the sixth Eucharistic Congress to be held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept.

10-11, 2010.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

October 2, 2009

The many faces of faith

Catholics gather from across diocese

Participants at the fifth annual Eucharistic Congress came from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life. The common thread of the universal Catholic faith connected them during the course of the congress.

photo by

Bill Washington

Thomas Moore, a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, bows his head in prayer during the eucharistic procession Sept. 26. Nuns and first communicants can be seen following him in the background.

photo by

Bill Washington

The multitude of banners carried into the Charlotte Convention Center by parishioners during the eucharistic procession Sept. 26 represent a wide participation by the 93 churches and missions of the Diocese of Charlotte.

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

Children dance and sing as part of the youth track during the Eucharistic Congress Sept. 26.

photo by Vicki

Dorsey

Members of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul from High Point pray the rosary during the eucharistic procession Sept. 26.

photo by Katie

Moore

Parishioners from St. John Baptiste de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro offer joyful music to the Lord with drums and song during the eucharistic procession Sept. 26.

October 2, 2009

Hispanic track fills 3,000 seats

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

Participants impassioned by program of speakers HISPANIC, from page 1

believe because they don’t know and they don’t have anyone to tell them about it,” said Father Lawson.

His talk focused on making theological sense of the Incarnation and God’s promise to his people that he would be born of human flesh in order to redeem them.

A second speaker in the Hispanic track, Maria de la Defensa Michel, is a homemaker with a master’s degree in civil engineering who now spends the majority of her time proclaiming the kingdom of God. Through the assistance of an interpreter, she told The Catholic News & Herald that the message of her presentation was the Incarnation of Jesus and how we become carriers of the Incarnate Jesus when we receive the sacrament of holy Communion.

“When we receive the Eucharist, we become eucharistic,” she said. “We are called to bring the Incarnate Jesus in ourselves to the world.”

A third presenter, Milton Lopez, felt called to work in the new evangelization, new ways of bringing the Gospel to all, after experiencing a personal encounter with Christ in 1985.

“At that time I was a musician,” said Lopez.

He recalled the days of touring with his band across the United States and how he was enthralled by material things.

“I was very lonely,” he said. “I was looking for an answer.”

It was at a Cursillo retreat, a movement which seeks to promote faith renewal for adults, that Lopez had a personal encounter with Jesus.

Now he spends the majority of his time proclaiming the Gospel by speaking at retreats and teaching weekly religion classes.

“New evangelization is the same Gospel but uses different ways of communication,” explained Lopez, who utilizes radio, TV, books and music to “bring the Gospel to the reality of life.”

His message was simple: “Love,” he said. “Jesus is love.”

Making an impression Those who attended the Hispanic track had unique and personal reactions to the eucharistic procession and the speakers.

Rosana Caruso, parishioner of St. James Church in Concord and

photo by

immigrant from Argentina, said she only occasionally attends Sunday Mass and was not even planning to attend this year’s events.

At the last minute she came and, with tears in her eyes, declared “I found God today.”

After hearing the first speaker, Father Lawson, she said, “Something big inside is changing. We all think we have God, but today we really can say God is with us.”

Father Lawson’s talk also made a big impression on Juana Martinez, parishioner at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.

“He said we not only need to believe in him but believe him when he says he gave his life for our salvation,” she explained.

Martinez said that this year’s event, her third experience of the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, seemed to have doubled in attendance from last year.

Each of the 3,000 seats in the Hispanic hall was filled for the entire day.

“At first I attended as a curiosity, I

The Catholic News & Herald 9

was used to it in Mexico,” she said. “I was amazed to see all the people gathered and the procession took my breath away.”

She joined in the singing in the streets and immediately “fell in love with it.”

This year she brought her brother and sister to experience the fact that “God is here with us and wants to change us to be similar to him.”

Juan Morales, parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte, said he came with his girlfriend’s family. Originally from Guatemala, he said the Eucharistic Congress reminds him of similar processions at home.

“I wanted to see everything,” he said.

When he heard the singing, he said it reminded him of home and brought tears to his eyes.

“Tomorrow I remember my father died two years ago, it’s the anniversary,” said Morales. “I prayed for my family, and I want to change my life for good. I want salvation with Jesus. I want him to touch my heart.”

Bill Washington

Milton Lopez (above) holds a Spanish copy of the Catholic catechism as he speaks to the audience in the Hispanic track of the fifth annual Eucharistic Congress Sept. 26. Participants (right) sway and clap to the musical portion of the Hispanic track presentations.

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

October 2, 2009

10 The Catholic News & Herald

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: OCT. 11, 2009

October 11, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

the Nun run

Cycle B Readings: 1) Wisdom 7:7-11 Psalm 90:12-17 2) Hebrews 4:12-13 3) Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

A little bit of heaven Need for God exists regardless of finances

by JEAN DENTON catholic news service

cns photo by Karen Callaway, Catholic

New World

Alicia Torres takes a lunchtime run outside the Cardinal Meyer Center in Chicago Sept. 8. She ran the Chicago Half Marathon Sept. 13 to help raise funds so she can pay off her student loans and become a nun.

For the long haul

Chicago woman runs in order to raise funds to enter religious life CHICAGO (CNS) — When Alicia Torres laced up her running shoes and tackled the 13.1 miles of the Chicago Half Marathon Sept. 13, her goal was to become a nun.

Torres is not a runner and had never run a distance race. But she ran the race as part of an appeal to friends and strangers to help pay off more than $90,000 in student loans so she can enter religious life.

When Torres felt God calling her to this vocation, she realized there was one major obstacle in her path — $94,000 in student loans that must be paid off to enter the Franciscan community she has chosen. Most of her loans are held by private lenders so they can’t be consolidated or the interest rates negotiated.

It is a contemporary issue. Men and women graduate from college with student loan bills and feel God calling them to join communities that take vows of poverty. But they must enter debt-free since the communities do not typically have resources to pay off the loans.

The 24-year-old graduated in 2007 from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in theology and bioethics and works in the Respect Life Office for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Facing this large debt and feeling God’s call to her becoming clearer every day, Torres chose to do something

public to seek help. She took the “nun run” vocation idea literally and decided to run a half marathon to call attention to her situation and to encourage donations.

Torres created www.TheNunRun. com to chronicle her journey. Several of her friends ran the half marathon with her in solidarity.

She is also working with the Laboure Society (www.labourefoundation.org), a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to individuals who must eliminate personal debt in order to pursue their vocations to the priesthood or religious life.

Torres tells anyone who asks that she’s not looking to get out of paying her loans. She will continue to work until they are paid and she can enter the community free and clear. She’s just looking for help to realize her vocation sooner rather than later.

She is peppered with questions and comments whenever she shares her story.

Why can’t her parents pay the loans for her? (They don’t have the means and still have kids at home.) Why doesn’t she just get a better-paying job? (She’s doing good work where she is.) Why can’t the community pay it for her? (They have a vow of poverty.)

They are all questions she takes in stride and opportunities she uses for evangelization.

I’m looking forward to visiting my church’s twin parish in Haiti in a few months. My standard explanation for traveling to the impoverished Caribbean island every couple of years is that I go there to find God. For me, Haiti is a little bit of heaven.

One wouldn’t think so, given the Haitians’ daily struggle for survival without the barest necessities for living: potable water, food, electricity, basic medical care. But in reading this weekend’s Gospel about the rich young man who asks Jesus what is required to enter the kingdom of heaven, I think of my Haitian friends. In today’s parlance, “They’re there!”

The pastor of the parish in Cabestor,

Haiti, helped me see why. He recently visited our church community in Virginia, and one evening over dinner I discussed with him how hard it is to be a pastor in Haiti.

He agreed, explaining that a continuous flow of parishioners come to him for help. “They say, ‘I’m hungry, I need money, my child is sick.’ Sometimes I can help. But usually I can’t. I don’t have what they ask for — in Haiti there is no money, there is not enough food.

“They keep coming, but I tell them I can’t provide those things,” the priest said. “I remind them to look to God for help. They come to Mass, and they always keep faith in God because they know food and money aren’t what they most need. They need the love of God, and they know God cares for them and their children.”

Then he smiled wryly. “Here in the United States it’s different,” he said.

“People have money. They have food.

But they don’t know what to do with it.

They know it doesn’t bring them faith,” he explained. “They know they need something more, but they don’t know how to find it. That’s difficult too.”

Guiding people to God, he said, “is different here.”

Living in a wealthy society presents a particular difficulty. Jesus made this point to his disciples after the rich man went away. Attachment to worldly comforts and success is hard to break.

One can forget a need that will come soon enough: the need for God. Questions: What material attachments are obstacles to your relationship with God? When have you experienced a deep need for God that couldn’t be fulfilled through your own resources?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of October 4-10 Sunday (Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time), Genesis 2:18-24, Hebrews 2:9-11, Mark 10:2-16; Monday, Jonah 1:1--2:2, 11, Jonah 2:3-5, 8, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (St. Bruno, Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher), Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday (Our Lady of the Rosary), Jonah 4:1-11, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday, Malachi 3:13-20, Luke 11:5-13; Friday (St. Denis and Companions, St. John Leonardi), Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, Luke 11:15-26; Saturday, Joel 4:12-21, Luke 11:27-28.

Scripture for the week of October 11-17 Sunday (Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Wisdom 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:12-13, Mark 10:17-30; Monday, Romans 1:1-7, Luke 11:29-32; Tuesday, Romans 1:16-25, Luke 11:37-41; Wednesday (St. Callistus I), Romans 2:1-11, Luke 11:42-46; Thursday (St. Teresa of Avila), Romans 3:21-30, Luke 11:47-54; Friday (St. Hedwig, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque), Romans 4:1-8, Luke 12:1-7; Saturday (St. Ignatius of Antioch), Romans 4:13, 16-18, Luke 12:8-12.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

October 2, 2009

House resolution honors work of women religious in United States WASHINGTON (CNS) — A U.S. House resolution passed Sept. 22 “honors and commends Catholic sisters for their humble service and courageous sacrifice throughout the history” of the nation.

The resolution approved with a voice vote also specifically supports the goals of a traveling exhibit on women religious in the United States that is being sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

The resolution was introduced

by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and co-sponsored by 67 members of both parties.

In speaking on the floor of the House in support of her resolution, Kaptur, a Catholic, cited the history of Catholic sisters in the country dating back to 1727, and their roles in nursing during the Civil War, in health care today, and in education and other types of ministries.

She noted that since 1980 at least nine U.S. sisters have been killed for their work; they include three Ohio nuns murdered in El Salvador in 1980.

The resolution also cited the legacy of the nuns who were murdered “while working for social justice and human rights overseas.”

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., a member of the United Brethren in Christ, also offered remarks for the Congressional Record about the influence of the sisters

in his state, particularly St. Mother Theodore Guerin, who established a system of parish schools in Indiana.

The resolution said “the social, cultural and political contributions of Catholic sisters have played a vital role in shaping life in the United States” and that “such women have joined in unique forms of intentional communitarian life dedicated to prayer and service since the very beginnings of our nation’s history, fearlessly and often sacrificially committing their personal lives to teaching, healing and social action.”

In addition, the resolution noted that about one in six hospital patients in the United States is treated in a Catholic facility and that Catholic sisters “have been among the first to stand with the underprivileged, to work and educate among the poor and underserved, and to facilitate leadership through opportunity and example.”

They also “continue to provide shelter, food and basic human needs to the economically or socially disadvantaged and advocate relentlessly for the fair and equal treatment of all persons,” it said.

It also noted that Catholic sisters “work for the eradication of poverty and racism and for the promotion of nonviolence, equality and democracy in principle and in action.”

“The humanitarian work of Catholic sisters with communities in crisis ... throughout the world positions them as activists and diplomats of peace and justice for some of the most at-risk populations,” the resolution said.

The traveling exhibit “Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America” opened in the Women’s Museum of Dallas Sept. 25, after a three-month showing at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The exhibit will move on to the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center in Washington in January, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York next September and the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, Iowa, in early 2011.

cns photo by

Beth Donze, Clarion Herald

Debbie Fagnano plays the calliope on a New Orleans steamboat Sept. 18. She also is a parish minister of music in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Music, a magnet for faith

Musician uses happy tunes to connect Catholics to faith

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — As the player of one of the country’s two working calliopes, Debbie Fagnano has a unique view from her perch atop the New Orleans steamboat Natchez.

Making people happy through the calliope’s joyful strains is her trade, and Fagnano, 54, is happy to oblige on the musical instrument fitted with steam whistles, played from a tiny keyboard.

When she is not playing the calliope, chances are she’s at the organ at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Belle Chasse, playing for the Saturday vigil and Sunday morning Masses, and directing the parish’s youth and adult choirs in her role as minister of music.

“On Saturdays I go from the boat to church, and on Sundays I go from church to the boat,” she said. “I’m on the river seven days a week.”

Born and raised across the river from New York City in Fairview, N.J., Fagnano comes from an extended family of musicians. Her Italian-born grandfather was a classical violinist, guitarist and mandolin player; her mother sang in her school and church choirs; and her father moonlighted with his brothers as a trumpeter in the house band of a local restaurant.

“I don’t ever remember not knowing about music,” said Fagnano, who began formal piano lessons at 7. “I remember being barely able to sit on the bench and plucking out little tunes on the piano before I even started school.”

After earning her degree in music

education from Jersey City State College and the University of Houston, Fagnano moved to New Orleans in 1988, smitten with a place she had discovered on countless vacations. She also was lured by the many musical opportunities spawned by the city’s hosting of the Republican National Convention that year.

“I loved the jazz. I loved the food.

I would go to all the clubs and listen to all the music,” Fagnano recalled in an interview with the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “I used to sit in the airport on the way (back to New Jersey) and cry because I didn’t want to leave.”

In 1989, when illness forced the Natchez’s regular calliope player to leave, Fagnano auditioned for the spot.

A professional highlight was her dedication of an extended calliope concert to New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond on Aug. 20, the day of his installation at St. Louis Cathedral.

When it comes to her music ministry, Fagnano said she believes the primary purpose of church music is to enhance the liturgy, not to entertain.

“Even the congregational hymns that I select should be appropriate to that day so the music becomes a very vital part of the liturgy,” Fagnano said.

At her parish church, Mass is more than “just showing up, sitting there for an hour and going home. We participate. Our church is a singing church,” Fagnano said.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

October 2, 2009

around the diocese

New board for ancient order Honoring our catechists

courtesy photo

Pictured above are the elected officers of the first County Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a Catholic-Irish organization, in North Carolina. They were installed in a special ceremony Sept. 24 at St. Mark’s Episcopal parish hall in Huntersville.

The installation was performed by Bruce Thompson, the president for the North Carolina Ancient Order of Hibernians.

A County Board can be formed when there are two or more Ancient Order of Hibernians divisions located in a single county. The two divisions in Mecklenburg County are Sons of Erin division in Charlotte and the St. Brendan the Navigator division in Huntersville.

The new County Board consists of members from both divisions. The president, secretary, treasurer and marshal are selected from the Sons of Erin division. The vice president, financial secretary, standing committee chairman and sentinel are from the division of St. Brendan the Navigator.

Collecting cans

courtesy photo

Patricia Dicarlo (right) and Amy Weckworth (left), teachers at Saint Pius X School in Greensboro, are shown enjoying lunch provided by the Youth Stewards in Action Committee of St. Pius X Church Sept. 9. “Our teachers are the ones who reinforce the importance of stewardship to our children on a daily basis” said committee member Karen Lizotte.

The committee will host a similar event in October to honor the catechists of faith formation for middle school and high school. “This is a small way to show our teachers and catechists that we appreciate them,” said Lizotte.

The Youth Stewards in Action Committee was formed in 2008 to bring parish and school youth leaders together to improve communication and to create a greater sense of parish-wide community among youth.

The committee meets monthly to highlight a stewardship topic which becomes courtesy photo

Student Council representatives and officers at Our Lady of Grace School are pictured with Father James Stuhrenberg, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace Church, and nearly 600 pounds of canned goods collected for Urban Ministry, an ecumenical outreach agency in Greensboro that provides crisis intervention and emergency services through the basics of food, shelter, and clothing.

The student council collected one can of food per student in conjunction with a fundraiser for a school “dress down” day and the middle school dance.

Jeff Smith, maintenance supervisor at the school, delivered the truckload of food to Urban Ministry Sept. 21.

the focus of the entire parish. The theme is intended to support catechesis in the parish and encourage youth to participate in related discussions and service opportunities. The October theme is Stewardship of Prayer.

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October 2, 2009

Passing on the Cup

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Rules may differ but health safety is common concern

by DAVID HAINS Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — With the early outbreak of flu season, parishes around the Diocese of Charlotte are taking different approaches to prevent the spread of the viral illness that brings fever, sore throat and general misery.

Unlike the Diocese of Raleigh, which has banned handshaking during the sign of peace and the consumption of the precious blood of Christ in the Communion cup, parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte are allowed to decide for themselves which practices to follow.

At St. Eugene Church in Asheville, Father Ed Sheridan has asked parishioners not to be offended when someone does not choose to shake hands during Mass. In his weekly bulletin letter, Father Sheridan wrote, “We do not know the reason for their actions but I am sure it is for health reasons and not an unfriendly action.

It is very important that we do join our hearts and minds in our prayers, not necessarily our hands. Again, use your good judgment and sensitivity.”

The sign of peace, which usually includes handshakes between Mass attendees, is an optional part of the liturgy.

Next door to St. Eugene Church at Asheville Catholic School, a different set of rules is being followed at the weekly Mass. Children, who often carry more germs than adults, are not allowed to hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer, exchange handshakes in the sign of peace or consume the precious blood of the cup.

Church teaching specifies that

Christ is truly present in the consecrated host and that an individual receives the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ when receiving Communion under only one species.

At St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, the use of a gymnasium during the construction of a new church has already curtailed the consumption of the precious blood by the laity at Mass.

Tracy Welliver, pastoral associate at St. Pius X Church, says that because of the flu parishioners have been asked to be “mindful and respectful of those around them who may not want to shake hands during the sign of peace.”

At St. William Church in Murphy Father George Kloster, the pastor, is taking what he calls a total libertarian approach. “For us it is liturgy as usual,” he said. Kloster is leaving decisions about shaking hands and sharing the cup up to parishioner’s individual judgment. “If they don’t want the cup, they don’t have to take it. But if the (flu) situation were to change, we would adapt to whatever information we received from the diocese or the health department.”

At St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, an announcement is read before all Masses that states, “St. Matthew has assumed a proactive role in securing the health and well-being of its faith community. To do so, parishioners are individually encouraged to take necessary precautions at their discretion.”

Diocesan churches have exercised individual authority over hand shaking and the use of the communal cup during past flu seasons. Bishop Peter J. Jugis said he is continuing to monitor the situation throughout the diocese.

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Catholic sports engender excellence Annual Charlotte Catholic High School awards recognize achievements by

HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

CHARLOTTE — The outstanding achievements of three individuals and an entire team were honored Sept. 25 with the annual Sports Hall of Fame and Distinguished Alumnus awards at Charlotte Catholic High School (CCHS).

While players from Charlotte Catholic and Olympic high schools took a break at half time at Keffer stadium, the Charlotte Catholic High School Alumni Association honored the 1992 Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team; Coach Ken Hazen; and Matt Kerry, class of 1991, for outstanding athletic achievements. Also recognized was Bill Whittaker, class of 1975, who was named Distinguished Alumnus for 2009.

Sports Hall of Fame Sports Hall of Fame inductees were selected based upon their outstanding athletic achievements at CCHS. The 1992 Varsity Soccer Team is the first soccer team in CCHS history to win a state championship. With a 260-0 season, this team was ranked 19th in the nation by USA Today.

Coach Ken Hazen started teaching and coaching basketball at the high school in 1976 and was named Varsity Men’s Basketball Conference Coach of the Year for 1997 and 2000. Hazen has also served as the Varsity Men’s Tennis Coach for 32 seasons and 19 consecutive conference championships.

Hazen was named Charlotte Observer’s Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year for 2005 and 2008. “ T h e r e ’s s u c h a s e n s e o f community,” said Hazen. “The teams at Charlotte Catholic just grow, and the senior members look out for the younger, new members.”

Matt Kerry was a three-sport athlete at CCHS, playing football, baseball and basketball. Kerry lettered three years in varsity football, four years in varsity baseball, and two years in varsity basketball.

When asked if his children, two boys aged seven and eight, would attend Charlotte Catholic one day, Kerry responded, “I hope so!”

Distinguished Alumni Award The 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient, Bill Whittaker, class of 1975, was honored for excellence demonstrated through his endeavors and his representation of the ideals of CCHS. After graduating CCHS, Whittaker began a career in the practice of law in 1988. His commitment to service ideals was formally recognized in 2003, when he was named the Mecklenburg County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service “Attorney of the Year” for

courtesy photo by Jennifer Johnson

Distinguished Alumnus award recipient Bill Whittaker, class of 1975, claps as Coach Ken Hazen is inducted into the Charlotte Catholic High School Sports Hall of Fame Sept. 25. Hazen was recognized for his consistent, excellent work as coach in football, basketball, and tennis at the high school since 1976. Whittaker was recognized at the same event for his personal example of service and representation of the ideals of the high school. distinguished service.

Whittaker made service central to his personal life as well, exemplified by volunteer work with St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, the Waxhaw-Weddington Rotary Club, Union County Red Cross, D.A.R.E, Matthews Chamber of Commerce, Matthews Athletic & Recreation Association and many other charitable organizations.

Whittaker contributed to Catholic leadership in the early 1990s through service as assistant leader for Chi Rho, a Catholic student organization at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He also serves the university as a current member of the UNCCharlotte Athletic Association.

In 2000, Whittaker joined the UNC-Charlotte Alumni Association board of directors and spearheaded the establishment of their need-based Dr. Gregory Davis scholarship and endowment. He explained, “This is the first year of the program, which awarded around $10,000 in need-based scholarships.”

“It’s probably what I am most proud of,” said Whittaker.

Looking back at his time at CCHS, Whittaker remembers annual student retreats as the highlights of his education. Despite typical teenager antics, Whittaker said the events were “excellent, spiritual and full of fun,” and nurtured positive relationships among the students and mix of clergy and lay teachers.

Regarding the tight-knit community, Whittaker remarked, “There were only 72 (members) in our graduating class.” He added, “We felt such a sense of camaraderie.”

October 2, 2009

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Protecting the vulnerable

Appreciation for the sanctity and dignity of each unique human life Respect Life Sunday, this year celebrated on October 4th, is a day set aside for Catholics in the United States to reflect with gratitude on God’s priceless gift of human life. It is also an occasion to examine how well we, as a nation and individually, are living up to our obligation to protect the rights of those who, due to age, dependency, poverty or other circumstances, are at risk of their very lives.

In the current debate over health care reform, it has become evident that a number of Americans believe that the lives and health of only some people are worth safeguarding, while other classes of people are viewed as not deserving the same protection. Such an attitude is deplorable, all the more so in the context of health care. Sanctioning discrimination in the quality of care given to different groups of people has no place in medicine, and directly contravenes the ethical norms under which Catholic hospitals and health care providers operate.

Protecting children Unborn children remain the persons whose lives are most at risk in America: Over one million children each year die in abortion facilities. The Roe v.

Wade decision in 1973 rendered states powerless to halt this killing. Thankfully Congress and most states acted to prevent public funding of abortions (with narrowly defined exceptions).

Yet despite the opposition of 67% of Americans to taxpayer-funded abortion, all current health care proposals being considered by Congress would allow

Respect Life Sunday CARDINAL JUSTIN F. RIGALI

or mandate abortion funding, either through premiums paid into government programs or out of federal revenues.

It bears repeating: Abortion – the direct, intentional killing of an unborn girl or boy – is not health care. Abortion robs an innocent child of his or her life, and robs mothers of their peace and happiness. For 25 years, the Project Rachel post-abortion ministry of the Catholic Church has helped women move beyond their grief and remorse after abortion, helping them find peace by accepting God’s forgiveness and by forgiving themselves and others involved in the abortion decision. Abortion funding can only increase the number of dead and grieving.

Protecting immigrants Unborn children are not the only human beings disfavored under current proposals. Many people insist that undocumented persons living and working in the United States should not be allowed in any new system to purchase health-care coverage, and that poor legal immigrants be denied coverage for the first five years they

Standing for life on the front lines The example of Jim Pouillon The front lines are always dangerous. Standing up for a just cause in the face of injustice is uncomfortable at best and deadly at worst. Jim Pouillon knew that.

According to LifeNews.com, almost every weekday for more than 10 years in Owosso, Mich., Pouillon publicly witnessed to the humanity of unborn life by holding a large picture of an unborn baby. With his oxygen tank and leg braces, he prayerfully endured verbal insults and projectiles.

But on Sept. 11, 2009, he paid the ultimate price. While holding a picture of an unborn baby on a public sidewalk in front of Owosso High School, Jim Pouillon was shot to death.

Scant media coverage has kept

Making a Difference TONY MAGLIANO cns columnist

most Americans in the dark concerning Pouillon’s murder. But when an abortionist who makes his or her living killing innocent unborn babies is murdered, it’s breaking news.

Killing is not the way of the nonviolent Jesus. Killing an abortionist

are in the United States. Do immigrants forfeit their humanity at the border? How can a just society deny basic health care to those living and working among us who need medical attention? It cannot and must not.

Death is not a solution While most Americans agree that those who cannot afford health insurance should have access to health care, some commentators have gone so far as to suggest offsetting the cost of expanded coverage by curtailing the level of care now given to elderly Americans. Other pundits have suggested that treatment decisions should be based not on the needs of the elderly patient, but on the patient’s allegedly low “quality of life” or the cost-effectiveness of treatment calculated over the patient’s projected lifespan. Such calculations can ignore the inherent dignity of the person needing care, and undermine the therapeutic relationship between health professionals and their patients.

It should not be surprising that the neglect, and even the death, of some people are offered as a solution to rising health care costs. Population control advocates have long espoused aborting children in the developing world as a misguided means for reducing poverty.

Some environmentalists now claim that the most efficient way to curb global climate change is to make “family planning” more widely available in the developing world. As used by population control advocates, the innocuous term “family planning” includes abortifacient contraceptives, sterilization, and manual vacuum aspiration abortions.

Oregon, where health care for lowincome patients is rationed by the state, has denied several patients the costly prescription drugs needed to prolong their lives, while reminding them that the assisted suicide option is conveniently offered under Oregon’s health plan.

Many scientists justify the manipulation and killing of embryonic human beings in stem cell research, based on unsubstantiated hopes of finding new cures. Yet the facts increasingly show

is gravely immoral. But the killing of unborn babies is also gravely immoral — arguably more immoral.

There’s a double standard here.

Where are all the news stories about Pouillon’s murder?

I have a firsthand sense of what’s happening here. Nearly every Thursday I stand with a few men and women on a public sidewalk near an abortion mill in Baltimore. There we pray the rosary and hold large pictures of aborted babies.

From passing motorists we get everything from thumbs up to middle fingers.

We live in a culture that often hides the truth. So when people are presented with the truth — like the reality of what an aborted baby looks like — many react with anger.

But most of the passing motorists are not angry; they are indifferent.

It’s mostly indifference that keeps the barbaric practice of abortion legal.

Why is it so difficult to persuade

this approach to pose risks to patients, and to women who may be exploited to provide eggs for the research.

Death is not a solution to life’s problems. Only those who are blind to the transcendent reality and meaning of human life could support killing human beings to mitigate economic, social or environmental problems.

Appreciating life The antidote to such myopia is to recover an appreciation for the sanctity and dignity of each unique human being.

Since the advent of widespread contraception and abortion, a cultural hostility to children has grown. They are often depicted as costly encumbrances who interfere with a carefree adult life.

No fewer than six recent books are dedicated to defending the childless-bychoice lifestyle – for selfish reasons, or to counter “overpopulation,” a thoroughly discredited myth. In fact, if married couples were to have more children, Medicare and Social Security would not be hurtling toward bankruptcy. Since 1955, because of fewer children and longer life spans, the number of workers has declined relative to the number of beneficiaries, from 8.6 to only 3.1 workers paying benefits to support each beneficiary. Without substantially more young people to enter the work force as young adults, in 25 years, there will be only 2.1 workers supporting each beneficiary. Eliminating our young does not solve problems even on pragmatic grounds. It adds to them.

Children, and those who are dependent on us due to disability or age, offer us the opportunity to grow in patience, kindness, and love. They teach us that life is a shared gift, not an encumbrance. At the end of life, we will be judged on love alone. Meanwhile, in the midst of so many challenges to life, we look to “Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1), who offers to all the world a share in his victory over death.

Cardinal Justin F. Rigali is chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-life Activities.

Catholics and other believers to join us on the front lines?

Yes, it’s potentially dangerous. But genuine Christianity cannot be lived in a protective shell.

Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, told me that “America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion.”

Despite the tragic indifference of many, the seeds of pro-life activism are being planted in the consciences of many others who see the horrific pictures of aborted babies.

Jim Pouillon is a modern pro-life martyr. He shed his blood to help end the shedding of the blood of unborn babies.

Te r t u l l i a n , a n e a r l y c h u r c h father, observed that during times of persecution the church’s membership grew enormously. He wrote: “The blood of the martyrs is seed.”

May Pouillon’s death be a seed that inspires many to actively join pro-life efforts — even on the front lines!

October 2, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Understanding the ‘Word made Flesh’ Participants grow in faith at Eucharistic Congress Catholics from throughout the diocese and beyond came to St. Peter Church and the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 25-26 by the thousands to nourish their faith in camaraderie with their fellow Catholics.

They had opportunities to grow closer to the risen Savior by praying and listening to inspiring music and speakers, each part of the program faithfully provided by the annual Eucharistic Congress.

“I look forward to listening to Immaculée Ilibagiza, the woman who found God in the slaughter of Rwanda,” said Hope Ziglar, parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

“But I also want and need to grow closer to the Lord and improve my spiritual life,” she added.

The theme of this year’s Eucharistic Congress was “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us.” “This means that God Almighty humbled himself to become a human being and lives with us,” said Joannie Newsome, parishioner of St. Mary Church in Sylva.

“He knows our triumphs and

failures yet he still loves us, because he understands. Thus he forgives all of our failings — showing that he is, indeed, pure love,” said Newsome.

The speakers in all of the tracks — general, Hispanic, high school, middle school, and children — delivered profound messages to their audiences.

Some were impressed by a direct message to evangelize, as in the Holy Hour homily given by Bishop Felipe Estévez, auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of Miami.

“Bishop Estévez said that we must continue to spread the word and bring more people into the church, something we can accomplish by showing pride in our Catholicity and the strength of our faith,” said Louis Bauer, parishioner of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton.

Others found a strong message of unconditional forgiveness, as in the talk given by Immaculée Ilibagiza. “(I learned that) our Lady only knows grace and mercy rather than justice,” said Joe Otranto, parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro.

“Now I will have a renewed devotion to our Lady in daily prayer, especially

Guest Column DEACON GERALD POTKAY guest columnist

through devotion to the rosary and her Seven Sorrows,” he added.

Still others enjoyed the message of Father Leo Patalinghug in his talk titled “Grace Before Meals,” which expressed the importance of family meal times for the growth of children’s spirituality and the adhesiveness of family life.

Though participants ranged from the very young to the very old, all had the strong desire to walk with their Eucharistic Lord through the streets of Charlotte. They did it to honor the Lord, whom they love and through whom they increase their faith.

Deacon Potkay serves at Holy Infant Church in Reidsville.

‘Birth Control Could Help Combat Climate Change’?

In case you missed the above headline of the Sept. 18 news story that originated in London, perhaps you may be interested to know more valuable information. As we enter this month dedicated to Respect for Life issues, let us examine this article in the light of our Catholic faith.

The article, which was circulated on the internet, states, “Giving contraceptives to people in developing countries could help fight climate change by slowing population growth, experts said.”

The article also reports that, “More than 200 million women worldwide want contraceptives, but don’t have access to them, according to an editorial published in the British medical journal, Lancet.”

What is the net result of all this unfulfilled desire for contraceptives?

The story reports that “76 million unintended pregnancies” occur every year.

The article continues, “If those women had access to free condoms or other birth control methods, that could slow rates of population growth, possibly easing the pressure on the environment, the editors say.”

Without further delay, let us list the assertions of this article that raise suspicion.

First, the piece begins with the assumption that man is responsible for climate change—a common, yet

unproven hypothesis.

It also assumes that contraceptives are the answer to slowing population growth.

However, in reality contraceptives often increase sexual activity rather than curb it. Those who rely upon them presume that they offer disease protection and pregnancy prevention without fail and without consequence.

Yet contraceptives are dangerously unreliable and unpredictable. The only reliable aspect of contraceptives is that their use always leads to sin and spiritual death.

The news article also postulates a common and glaringly false assumption that man is created for the world, not the world for mankind.

In other words, one of the common misconceptions of our post-modern age is that man is created to serve the environment, reflective of an unreasonable infatuation with environmental health.

Indeed, the Book of Genesis reveals that man is given proper stewardship over creation by God, but this stewardship is a function of his dominion over creation.

Mankind must care for creation, but he is not creation’s slave, he is its master.

Finally, and most heinously, this news story attempts to capitalize on the modern fascination with ecophilia (the love of the environment) in an attempt to halt more children from birth.

Guest Column FATHER MATTHEW BUETTNER

guest columnist

Sadly, more than a few Christians and even many who claim to be Catholic have already accepted the lie that contraceptives are good for relationships and marriage. At the same time these people endure the many deleterious side effects of contraceptive use, such as abuse, distrust, indifference, selfishness, and assorted medical problems associated with the contraceptive pill. Despite these facts, articles such as this news story still advance contraception as good for the environment.

As faithful Catholics, we should be able to identify and see through these subtle, yet unmistakably demonic attempts to thwart God’s plan of procreation and life. The fingerprints of the enemy are clearly imprinted on the page of this article.

Father Buettner is pastor of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton.

Czechs should resist relativism, consumerism

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped that his recent trip to the Czech Republic would help the largely secular country rediscover its Christian roots and resist the evils of relativism and consumerism.

At his general audience in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 30, the pope had warm words for his religious, political and cultural hosts during the three-day trip that took him to Prague, Brno and Stara Boleslav.

Pope Benedict told the faithful gathered in the sunny piazza that his trip had been “both a pilgrimage and a mission.”

The Czech people are undergoing a difficult moment, he said, like the rest of Western Europe. The “long winter” of atheism under 40 years of communist rule has produced “the poisonous effects of a certain secularism and Western consumerism.”

To resist these tendencies, he said, young people should be encouraged to invest their time in charitable and educational activities and to imitate Christ.

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

My Apostolic Journey to the Czech Republic last weekend was both a pilgrimage and a mission. It was a pilgrimage on account of the many saints who bore witness to Christ in the Czech lands through their holy lives, and it was a mission because, at the present time, Europe needs to rediscover the joy and hope that come from following the Lord Jesus. I pray that our liturgical celebrations in Prague’s magnificent Cathedral, in Brno and in Stará Boleslav will have served to deepen the faith and enkindle the Christian commitment of the people of Central Europe, especially the young.

I am most grateful to the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in the Czech Republic who made me so welcome, especially to President Václav Klaus and Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. I was glad to have the opportunity to meet leaders of other Christian communities and to encourage them in the task of ecumenical dialogue.

And it was a pleasure to come together with University Rectors and leading figures from the world of culture. I spoke with them of the need for scholarship to be rooted in truth, an integral truth that shuns the limitations of relativism and determinism.

I ask all of you to join me in praying that this visit may bear abundant spiritual fruit for the Czech people and for the unity and peace of the whole continent of Europe.

October 2, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 16

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

Eucharist is central to faith, congress The fifth annual Eucharistic Congress of the Diocese of Charlotte venerated the Blessed Sacrament and made it central to all activities Sept. 25-26. Adoration lasted through the night Friday and continued all day Saturday.

The pinnacle of the congress was the Holy Mass, emphasized in a letter Bishop Peter J. Jugis wrote in anticipation of the weekend’s events. He said, “The celebration of the Mass is the center of the whole Christian life, as the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (n. 16) reminds us.” Bishop Jugis added, “It is through our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice that the Lord constantly enlivens us so that we can faithfully do his work in the midst of our secular society.”

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

Bishop Peter J. Jugis holds the monstrance while Deacon John Eckert kneels at the altar in the Charlotte Convention Center just after the eucharistic procession in the streets of uptown Charlotte Sept. 26.

Save $500 per couple before December 1st! photo by

Bill Washington

photo by

Deacon Gerald Potkay

photo by

Bill Washington

The experience of the holy sacrament of the Eucharist was the center of the Eucharistic Congress held Sept. 25-26. Members of the faithful from the Diocese of Charlotte (above) kneel in prayerful eucharistic adoration in an area designated for adoration during the congress. A parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin (top left) kneels to receive the Eucharist from Father Ben Roberts, parochial vicar of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, during the Mass. First communicants (top right) process through the streets of uptown Charlotte in advance of the Blessed Sacrament carried

by Bishop Peter J. Jugis.