Oct. 9, 2009

October 9, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Month of the Rosary; Living through job loss; The love of large families | Pages 14-15

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI october 9, 2009

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

True choice

vOLUME 18

no. 42

A herald of joy and hope

Planned center to care for pregnant college women

by NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN Catholic News Service

Respect Life Sunday kicks off new parishbased program

BELMONT — Lacy Dodd, a 33-year-old banking professional and mother of one, knows precisely where supporters and opponents of legal abortion can find common ground.

It’s on nearly four acres donated by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C., where Room at the Inn, a Charlotte-based pregnancy resource center, hopes to build the nation’s first campus-based maternity and after-care residence for pregnant college women.

Back in 1999, Dodd was a Notre Dame senior, pregnant and under pressure to have an abortion from the counselor at a local women’s clinic and from her boyfriend, also a Notre Dame senior.

courtesy photo by usccb

See CHOICE, page 6

St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte displayed a large-scale version of this 2009 promotional poster for Respect Life month during its launch of The Gabriel Project, a parish-based program of Catholic Social Services.

by

HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

CHARLOTTE — What’s in a name? It appeared that the hand of God matched the parishioners of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte with a like-named ministry — The Gabriel Project.

On Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 4, St. Gabriel Church hosted the launch of The Gabriel Project, a new parishbased outreach program created

by Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte to support women of all religious affiliations who are navigating

AParishioners chain for life around diocese stand with pro-life signs by

KATIE MOORE staff writer

Photo by Katie Moore

A young girl stands in a Life Chain with other pro-life supporters outside St. Ann Church in Charlotte on Respect Life Sunday Oct. 4.

CHARLOTTE — In the Diocese of Charlotte, parishioners stood along the property lines of their respective churches, on city sidewalks and with other church groups in their towns.

People held pro-life signs with messages such as “Abortion Kills Children” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals.”

This show of support for

the sanctity of human life, called Life Chains, was part of a nationwide kick off for Respect Life month, observed this year by the U.S. Catholic Church on Oct. 4.

“The Life Chain provides an opportunity for all who cherish the gift of life to prayerfully witness to others,” said Maggi Nadol, Respect Life program director for Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Charlotte.

SEE PAGE 4 FOR ADDITIONAL LIFE CHAIN PHOTOS.

See GABRIEL, page 5

Health care and human life issues Medical specialists speak at conference by

JEREMY KRYN guest writer

Amidst the nation’s current health care debate, the North Carolina Guild of the Catholic Medical Association recently convened a conference of nationally recognized speakers in Mount Airy to address human See HEALTH CARE, page 6

Culture Watch

Around the diocese

In the news

A living mosaic; Priests review movies; Musicians for peace

Bishop issues flu precautions; Knight to remember

Immediate Catholic response to international disasters

| Pages 10-11

| page 7

| page 16

October 9, 2009

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

Catholic Canonization

Catholic University president to step down in 2010 Father David O’Connell concludes 12 years WA S H I N G T O N ( C N S ) — Vincentian Father David O’Connell, president of The Catholic University of America, announced Oct. 2 that he notified the university’s board of trustees he has decided to step down as president next August.

The priest, who is in his 12th year at the helm of the university, indicated he is considering several opportunities for the future but has made no specific commitments.

“That I have had the privilege of serving as the 14th president of The Catholic University of America is an experience that I shall treasure as long as I live,” he wrote in his monthly newsletter to the university community.

“As I reflect upon my tenure and

cns photos, courtesy of the Little Sisters of the Poor (left) and the

Diocese of Honolulu (right)

Pope Benedict XVI announced that Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Blessed Damien de Veuster, a Belgian missionary priest famed for his work with leprosy patients in Hawaii, will both be canonized at the Vatican Oct. 11. Blessed Jeanne (left) is seen in an image provided by her order and Blessed Damien (right) is depicted in a mosaic by Karen Lucas at Immaculate Conception Church in Lihue, Hawaii.

Charity in action

Impact of new saints continues in United States VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The long path to official sainthood is drawing to a close in October for Blessed Damien de Veuster, a missionary priest famed for his work with leprosy patients in Hawaii.

Pope Benedict XVI will canonize him Oct. 11 along with four others, including Blessed Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Both Blessed Damien and Blessed Jeanne are important figures for U.S. Catholics, and reflect the pope’s priority on the faith as charity in action, especially toward society’s outcasts and forgotten.

Neither was born in the United States, but both continue to have a major impact there. Hundreds of U.S. pilgrims will be descending on Rome for the canonization liturgy in St. Peter’s Square.

Blessed Damien, a Belgian-born member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, is renowned for having spent the last 16 years of his life ministering to patients with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. At that time, in the mid-19th century, lepers were considered outcasts and leprosy was an incurable disease.

Bles sed Jeann e g r e w u p i n revolutionary France and formed a small prayer community. In 1839, at the age of 47, she brought home a sick and blind elderly widow, giving the woman her own bed. Eventually, caring for the abandoned elderly became the primary focus of her religious order, and remains so today for the approximately 2,700

Little Sisters of the Poor.

The two new saints were models of personal holiness and self-sacrifice, and epitomize the church’s long record of service in health care. But in their own day they were not necessarily known as heroes.

Blessed Damien sailed for Hawaii in 1864, was ordained a priest and served there for eight years. When a priest was needed for the leprosy settlement on the island of Molokai in 1873, he volunteered. He found himself essentially alone as pastor, doctor, adviser and guardian to the approximately 800 residents suffering from the disease. Many hope he will be named the patron saint of those with HIV/AIDS and leprosy.

For Blessed Jeanne, recognition came long after her death — even in her own religious order. When she died in 1879 the younger members of her order didn’t even know she was the foundress. Today she is known as the patron of the elderly, and is seen by many as introducing a unique model of health care delivery that has particular relevance in modern times of costly end-of-life care.

Blessed Jeanne and Blessed Damien seem to embody a favorite theme of Pope Benedict: that Christianity is not merely a “moral code” or a set of rules, but a religion that embodies love of God and neighbor. Although their causes have been under study by church authorities for decades, they are very much saints of this pontificate.

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

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE 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.

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.

CHARLOTTE — The Young Adult Ministry of St. Peter Church will sponsor a Theology on Tap series Mondays during October from 6:308 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.

service at the helm of the national university of the Catholic Church in our country,” he said, “I feel a profound sense of gratitude for what we are and have become and what we do — thanks to the dedication, commitment and hard work of so many people here — and for the many lives we have touched in so many ways over the years.”

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, chairman of university’s board of trustees, will chair the search process for finding a successor to Father O’Connell, and will be assisted by fellow trustee Paul Chiapparone of Palm Beach, Fla. According to a university news release, the board hopes to have a new president in place by Sept. 1, 2010.

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.

The second session will be Oct. 19 on the topic “Saying Yes to Christ: Your call to Serve,” presented

by Dr. Barney Offerman. For more information, contact rebhay@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE — An Ignatian Retreat for Women will be offered at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., Oct. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Biss Hall. The theme for the retreat is “Choices.” Consider setting aside some time for personal reflection, prayer and silence. The retreat will conclude with Mass.

Parking is free in The Green parking garage next to the church. To register, call the church office at (704) 332-2901 or e-mail www.retreat4women@ gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Young Adult Life presents Theology on Tap, a speaker series for Catholics in their 20s and 30s. The Real Life series will take place once a month from August through November. The series will take place at Harper’s Restaurant, 11059 Carolina Place Pkwy. Come and mingle at 6:30 p.m., speaker will start around 7 p.m. The next session will be “Ask a Priest” Oct. 15, featuring clergy of St. Matthew Church, Father Patrick Toole and Father Patrick Cahill. For event details, visit www.meetup.com/youngadultlife or e-mail st.matthews.yal@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE — “Guiding Youth Toward Making Healthy Choices,” a presentation by Susie Vanderlip and the Legacy of Hope, will take place at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Oct. 21 and 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Vanderlip, a national speaker and writer on prevention, youth and family issues, will convey a message of resiliency and hope in the midst of life’s ups and downs. The Tuesday night program will focus on the high school age range and the Wednesday session is geared toward middle school. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the church office at (704) 543-7677.

OCTOBER 9, 2009 Volume 18 • Number 42

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 9, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Aid tied to family planning is ‘an abuse of power,’ says papal nuncio VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican’s chief representative to the United Nations said giving foreign development aid only if a country adopts family planning programs that promote artificial birth control is “an abuse of power.”

Speaking at the recent United Nations meeting in New York, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, papal nuncio to the world body, said true development entails respecting human life.

However, in some parts of the world, “development aid seems to be tied rather to the recipient countries’ willingness to adopt programs which discourage demographic growth of certain populations by methods and practices disrespectful of human dignity and rights,” he said.

In general, it “has been proven to be a naive or cynical and fatal delusion”

for leaders to think political, economic and social policies can be forged and managed without any ethical framework aimed at protecting the rights and dignity of all people, he said.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, addressed the needs of the millions of refugees and displaced peoples around the world.

He said that people who have been forced to migrate “urgently need access to opportunities affording integral human development.”

If host countries and donors invest in more educational and vocational development programs for forcibly displaced people, then they will be helping alleviate some of the problems and the “negative conditions that caused these and other populations to move in the first place,” he said.

CHARLOTTE — Join Fr. Patrick Hoare for Encyclical Tuesdays in November from 7-9 p.m. in the education wing at St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., as he explores Pope Benedict’s third encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate.” This encyclical calls us to see the relationship between human and environmental ecologies while linking charity and truth to the pursuit of justice, the common good, and authentic human development. Materials will be provided for this series of workshops. To reserve a space, call (704) 535-4197.

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

CHARLOTTE — The 2009 Blanket Banquet will be held on the front steps of St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., Oct. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. Catholics from various Charlotte area parishes are invited to help keep the homeless warm this winter by contributing extra blankets, sleeping bags, gently used coats and backpacks, as well as new undergarments and socks for both men and women. All are invited to come to the fellowship reception to distribute the items and share refreshments with brothers and sisters in need. For more information, call Linda Flynn at (704) 366-9889.

GASTONIA VICARIATE GASTONIA — A statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was made in Portugal, is available for weekly home visitations from St. Michael the Archangel Church, 708 St. Michael’s Lane. The statue can be taken to your home for one week beginning on Saturday evening or Sunday morning and must be returned the following Saturday by 5 p.m. Families are encouraged to use their week as an opportunity to pray for the intercession of our Blessed Mother.

For more information, contact Deacon Art or Rosemary Kingsley at (828) 713-4341.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE 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

Episcopal

calendar

GREENSBORO — A public rosary crusade to honor Our Lady of Fatima and pray for our nation will take place every Saturday in October at the corner of Hwy. 68 and Skeet Club Rd. at 11:45 a.m. St. Louis de Montfort said, “Public prayer is far more powerful than private prayer to appease the anger of God and call down his mercy, and holy mother church, guided by the Holy Ghost, has always advocated public prayer in times of public tragedy and suffering.” Parking is available in the Big Lots parking lot. For more information, contact Ann Keefe at (336) 434 -4174.

Holy See urges ‘nuclear-weapons-free zone’ in Middle East VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican official called for the establishment of a “nuclear-free zone” in the Middle East and urged all countries to work toward total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.

Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, t h e Va t i c a n ’s f o r e i g n a f f a i r s minister, released a statement Sept.

24 outlining the Vatican stance on nuclear disarmament. The U.N. Security Council held a summit the same day to discuss nuclear disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation.

“Nuclear-weapons-free zones are the best example of trust, confidence a n d a ff i r m a t i o n t h a t p e a c e a n d security are possible without nuclear weapons,” said Archbishop Mamberti.

He strongly encouraged all countries with nuclear capabilities to adopt all the protocols of nuclear-free treaties and to “establish such a zone in the Middle East.”

Under the treaties, nations agree to ban the development and use of nuclear weapons in a set location. The United States has not signed such a treaty. It has, however, signed the Non-Proliferation

Treaty, which aims at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.

The Security Council summit adopted a resolution to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, calling for tighter controls on nuclear materials and encouraging the enforcement of international treaties dealing with nuclear nonproliferation.

Archbishop Mamberti said that responding to the modern world’s need for safety and security “demands courageous leadership in reducing nuclear arsenals to zero.”

He said the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is of “highest importance,” adding that the universal banning of explosions of nuclear components in the testing phase “would inhibit the development of nuclear weapons, contributing to nuclear disarmament.”

The summit was held in conjunction with the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and preceded the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, which aims to promote universal adherence to the treaty.

Synod synchronization

HIGH POINT — A fall session of HOSEA (Hope of Seeing Everyone Again) will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St., Wednesdays from 7:15 to 9 p.m. beginning Oct. 21 and running for six weeks. If you, or someone you know has been away from the Catholic Church but might want to come back, HOSEA is a small group setting where one can ask questions, get answers and find out what is new since they have been away. For information, call Jan Hitch at (336) 884-5097.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave., will be holding a free seminar on “How to Find the Hidden Job Market” Oct. 27. There is no charge for the seminar and dinner is included. This outreach effort is designed to meet the needs of the unemployed/under-employed throughout the Diocese of Charlotte. For more information, contact the church office at (336) 724-0561.

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. 13 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem

Oct. 16 (10 a.m.)

Diocesan Finance Council meeting Pastoral Center

Oct. 15 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Charlotte

Oct. 17 (11 a.m.)

Centennial Celebration Mass Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville

cns photo by Paul

Haring

Pope Benedict XVI leads the opening session of the Synod of Bishops for Africa in the synod hall at the Vatican Oct. 5.

Synod calls Africans to justice, peace VATICAN CITY (CNS) — “On a continent, parts of which live under the shadow of conflict and death, the church must sow seeds of life,” said Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana, as he opened the work of the second special Synod of Bishops for Africa Oct. 5.

Before the cardinal spoke to the synod assembly, Pope Benedict XVI opened the meeting with a spiritual reflection, calling the synod members

to listen to the Holy Spirit and to recognize that every blessing and every challenge is a result of human beings’ relationship with God. “We become Christians only if our faith is transformed into charity,” he said.

Pope Benedict asked the synod members to work to ensure that the love of God, which is offered to all men and women, is able to cross boundaries of ethnicity, tribe and social class in Africa.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

LIFE CHAINS

October 9, 2009

Parishioners around the Diocese of Charlotte gathered in Life Chains, holding pro-life signs along public routes on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 4.

Courtesy photo by Dr. Matthew Harrison

Photo by Katie Moore

Redemptorist Father Joseph Dionne, pastor of St. James the Greater Church, stands with parishioners during a Life Chain along Route 29 in Concord Oct. 4.

A young boy holds a pro-life sign as he watches the Life Chain in front of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte Oct. 4. Approximately 130 people participated in the Life Chain around the parish property.

Courtesy photo by David Foppe Photo by Katie Moore

A pro-life supporter holds a sign in Spanish outside Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte Oct. 4.

Parishioners from Our Lady of Grace Church participate in the Greensboro Life Chain Oct. 4. Nearly 600 people stood for life at this year’s event including five priests from the diocese of Charlotte. Father James Stuhrenberg, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace Church, is pictured.

October 9, 2009

from the cover

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Respect Life Sunday kicks off new program GABRIEL, from page 1

unplanned and crisis pregnancies.

The coincidence of the name St. Gabriel for the new project seemed a “natural connection” said Father Francis “Frank” O’Rourke, pastor of St. Gabriel Church.

“It was as if the Holy Spirit was leading us,” said Mary Lou Powers, Respect Life Committee chair for St. Gabriel Church.

Father O’Rourke and Powers contacted Catholic Social Services to find a hands-on way to engage their parish in Respect Life month. The Gabriel Project name caught their attention and they decided to help launch the pilot program at the parish.

Gabriel, the archangel who brought news to Mary of her pregnancy with Jesus, is a logical naming choice for a program which organizes concrete support services for unplanned and crisis pregnancies. Parish members trained in providing compassionate, practical help are called Gabriel Angels.

Through Catholic Social Services, the program also provides trained counseling, assistance with natural family planning, adoption and infant foster care, medical care referrals, mother and baby assistance (such as diapers and layettes), and Rachel’s Vineyard services for post

abortion healing and reconciliation.

“There are so many aspects to becoming involved, so many opportunities to match up gifts and interests and ‘plug in’ to support women in need,” said Father O’Rourke. “It is very important that we, as Catholic Christians who respect life, show mothers with unplanned or crisis pregnancies that they have the support of our parish, whatever their religious affiliation, in their time of need.”

During all Masses for Respect Life Sunday, The Gabriel Project was introduced and parishioners were encouraged to visit sign-up tables.

Answering questions at the tables were Catholic Social Services staff members Maggie Nadol, director of Respect Life; Geri King, director for the Charlotte Regional Office; and Jeannie Beall, director of adoptions and social work supervisor for the Charlotte Regional Office.

Colorful signboards prominently displayed The Gabriel Project artwork as parishioners signed up to become Gabriel Angels, offer prayers, and organize baby showers to collect items like maternity clothes, new car seats, mattresses, cribs, diapers, formula and baby clothes.

The parish has designated Oct. 24 as an inaugural Gabriel Angels t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n , f a c il i ta t e d b y Catholic Social Services.

St. Gabriel Church Christian Mother’s Group Consignment Sale has plans to donate unsold gently used children’s clothing, toys, furniture and accessories to The Gabriel

photo by Katie

Moore

Geri King, director for the Charlotte Regional Office of Catholic Social Services, provides information to members of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte during the launch of The Gabriel Project on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 4.

Project. Parishioners also have plans for parish-wide service projects to collect additional items.

Support for the project has also spread to St. Luke Church in Mint Hill, whose book club held a September baby shower and collected several items.

The group read “Silent Tears” by Kay Pratt, who spoke to the group of her passion for working with children during her five years in China. Book club facilitator Marilyn Armstrong said the group felt inspired to do something for children in this country, so they contacted Catholic Social Services and learned of The Gabriel Project from Geri King.

More than 20 ladies brought baby items which served as the first donations to the mother and baby assistance portion of The Gabriel Project.

“Although it was hard to pass up buying the adorable baby outfits, I remember never having enough onesies and wanting enough pacifiers to stash everywhere!” said Pam Cavallero, St. Luke book club member who opted to bring practical necessities.

Reflecting on the women who will benefit from The Gabriel Project, Cavallero said, “I cannot imagine the pressure and just plain fear a woman must experience facing a pregnancy and birth alone. Or what she must perceive as being alone.”

Cavallero continued, “Our church teachings tell us to respect life, all life,

and to me that includes the everyday life and spiritual life of these women facing this challenging situation.

“If we ask them to accept this new life as a gift, shouldn’t we do everything we can to support them on their journeys?” added Cavallero.

“The Gabriel Project is a way that we can reach out to these women and let them know they are not alone.

Ultimately, it is a way for us to ‘live out our faith’ and act upon our beliefs,” she said. “We can all play a part in building the kingdom here on earth, one heart and one life at a time.”

courtesy photo by Ann Kilkelly

Members of the St. Luke book club (left to right) Marilyn Palmer, Carol Trautman, Marilyn Armstrong (facilitator), Mary Wasylak, and Carol Henderson stand behind fellow members Betty Romenello and Eileen Koteles during the baby shower they recently organized to collect items for The Gabriel Project.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

from the cover

Medical specialists address pro-life issues

Planned center to care for pregnant college women CHOICE, from page 1

She never considered abortion, and with the help of supportive family and friends, is now the proud mother of a 9-year-old daughter, whose name she prefers not to make public.

Dodd told her story to Catholic News Service and to radio listeners on Christopher Closeup, the half-hour weekly radio interview produced by the Christophers, available online as a podcast at www.christophers.org/ CloseupPodcast.

“The great unique thing about our project is that it’s nonpartisan, it’s an initiative that everyone can support,” Dodd told CNS. “Pro-life or pro-choice, if we want women to feel that they have a choice, this is where we can all agree.

“The lack of resources is a huge cause of abortion,” she added. “If women feel that they don’t have the emotional resources, the financial resources, the educational resources” that they need to choose to give birth, “we can focus on giving them that choice.”

When Dodd and her daughter moved to Charlotte, she said she “finally had some stability in (her) life” and “felt called to get involved with a pregnancy resource center.” That led her to Room at the Inn, the only Catholic pregnancy resource and maternity after-care facility in Charlotte.

Prompted by studies that showed that most young women do not perceive college campuses as places where pregnant students can get support, even when such resources are actually available, and thanks to the monks’ donation of the land in 2005, the Room at the Inn board began a $3 million capital campaign to build a residence that they hope will be a national model for other college campuses.

The facility — which will be open to students at other colleges or

HEALTH CARE, from page 1

life issues. Hosted by Holy Angels Church, the conference included lectures by medical specialists in psychiatry, palliative care and fertility treatment. cns photo courtesy of Lacy

Dodd

Lacy Dodd, an alumna of the University of Notre Dame and a member of the board of directors of Room at the Inn, is pictured with her daughter in an undated photo. Room at the Inn is a pregnancy resource center in Charlotte that hopes to build the nation’s first campus-based maternity and aftercare residence for pregnant college women. vocational schools in the region — will have two residential wings housing up to 15 mothers, 15 infants and eight toddlers, as well as a chapel, laundry, playroom, kitchen and family-style dining room. Staff members with social work backgrounds will be on duty 24 hours a day.

The capital campaign is about halfway to its $3 million goal, Dodd said, adding that she hopes it will be a model for other Catholic colleges nationwide, including her alma mater, Notre Dame.

She said she is encouraged by the decision of Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, to form a task force on supporting the choice for life in order to recommend ways that the university can support the sanctity of life.

“I hope this is an initiative that Father Jenkins’ task force will consider, because it would meet the goals of the task force,” Dodd said.

“This is a way that campus administrators can start walking the walk to help” pregnant women and parenting students, she added.

Office of Economic Opportunity to celebrate tenth anniversary by

HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

MURPHY — T h e O ff i c e o f Economic Opportunity for Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Charlotte will celebrate its tenth anniversary at the Bishop Begley Center in Murphy during the fourth annual Bishop Begley Conference on Appalachia Oct. 23–24.

This organization brings community and faith leaders together to build trust and share skills and scarce resources to address community needs. It operates based on the generosity of parishioners throughout the diocese who support Office of Economic Opportunity efforts with their contributions.

Monsignor Mauricio West, chancellor and vicar general of the Diocese of Charlotte, established the Office of Economic Opportunity in Murphy when

October 9, 2009

Good Shepherd Home Health Care and Hospice closed. Msgr. West led community dialogue and planning efforts for more than a year before the Office of Economic Opportunity was launched Oct. 1999.

Catholic Charities USA honored the Office of Economic Opportunity with a family strengthening award in 2007. A variety of Catholic Charities agencies sent representatives from as far away as the Virgin Islands to Murphy to learn more about the Office of Economic Opportunity.

The strength and effectiveness of the Office of Economic Opportunity lies in its partnerships with other organizations, churches, and community leaders.

“It is truly an ecumenical effort and an example of networking at its best,” said Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William Church, Murphy, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission, Hayesville.

Abortion and health The conference convened with a presentation by psychiatrist Dr. Martha Shuping from Winston-Salem on “The Correlation Between Abortion and Mood-Altering Effects.”

Shuping, an internationally recognized expert in post-abortion issues who has given medical testimony regarding the health effects of abortion to the Houses of Representatives of South Dakota and Maryland, explained how abortion is a huge risk factor for women’s mental health.

“Women,” Shuping said, “experience more stress from abortion than from rape.” Focusing on psychiatric illness, she stated factors such as perceived coercion, existing mental illness, ambivalence about the abortion, a prior intention to have the baby, and adolescence all put women at higher risk for emotional side effects.

“Women who have had abortions experience anxiety, difficulty sleeping and a high rate of alcoholism and substance abuse, in addition to arthritis and heart disease,” said Shuping.

“Women may also suffer from depression, causing them to drop out of school or to lose their jobs,” she added.

Stem cell ethics After a break for lunch, Greenville, SC palliative care specialist Dr. Mark O’Rourke, a former hospice medical director, addressed “Human Embryonic Stem Cell Ethics and Politics in 2009.”

O’Rourke stated that human embryonic stem cell research is unjustifiable, mentioning that “the human embryo is a life, three to five days old.”

While the Ten Commandments dictate “Thou shall not kill,” the medical profession rejects utilitarian ethics, O’Rourke continued.

He expounded, “In fact, the medical profession goes out of its way to protect human life, rejecting the exploitation of organs from individuals on death row.”

O’Rourke drew his talk to a close by stating, “since President Obama’s executive order this year to support and conduct human embryonic stem cell research, extraordinary education is required on the unethical nature of the practice.”

Fertility and medicine Dr. Patrick Yeung, an expert in fertility awareness methods at the Duke Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, concluded the day’s event with the question: “What is Catholic medicine?”

Citing Pope Paul VI’s well-known

encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” Yeung said, “The two ends of the marital embrace are babies and bonding, procreative and unitive.”

Yeung ad ded, “G o od ethics is good medicine.”

Yeung cited “The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTechnology”

by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Natural procreative technology identifies the problems and cooperates with a woman’s fertility, correcting the condition, maintaining the human ecology and sustaining the procreative potential.

Medical professionals interested in learning more about the Catholic Medical Association may visit its Web site www. cathmed.org, contact Dr. Ted Kryn, president of the North Carolina Guild for the Catholic Medical Association at (919) 550-9425 or doctorkryn@nc.rr.com.

Jeremy Kryn, son of Dr. Ted Kryn, is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Dunn, Diocese of Raleigh.

October 9, 2009

Around the diocese

Bishop issues flu precautions

by DAVID HAINS director of communications

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis has issued flu season guidelines for pastors and parishioners. These guidelines will lead to minor changes in the celebration of the Mass.

The Diocese of Charlotte, with the rest of the country, is making adjustments to accommodate the early onset of the annual flu season and the presence of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Guidelines from Bishop Jugis address hand-shaking, hand-holding, and drinking from the Communion chalice of the precious blood.

Priests received an email of the guidelines Oct. 2. The full text of the bishop’s letter follows.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we enter into the flu season, I write to ask you to exercise special precautions during the celebration of the Mass in order to limit the |spread of the flu virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remind us that the influenza virus is spread when a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or speaks and spreads the virus into the air, and other people inhale the virus. The virus is also spread when a person touches a surface with flu viruses on it and then touches his or her nose or mouth. Adults may be contagious from one day before developing symptoms to up to seven days after getting sick. Children can be contagious for longer than seven days.

Those persons who are sick with the flu should exercise consideration for their fellow parishioners and remain home so as to prevent spread of the virus.

Those persons who suspect they have been exposed to the virus should refrain from holding hands during Mass.

Since the instructions for the celebration of Mass do not envision holding hands during the Our Father, holding hands is not required. Those persons who suspect they have been exposed to the virus should also refrain from the handshake at

the sign of peace, so as not to transmit the flu virus through hand-to-hand contact.

Those persons whose health would be seriously compromised by contracting the flu virus should also refrain from such hand-to-hand contact.

Those persons who suspect they have been exposed to the virus should not drink from the chalice at the time of Holy Communion. Christ is received whole and entire in the consecrated Host and in the Precious Blood. As regards the reception of the Sacred Host, the communicant retains the right to receive either on the tongue or in the hand.

If pastoral need suggests it, pastors may suspend the practice of holding hands, and the handshake at the sign of peace, and drinking from the chalice.

If the priest decides to give Holy Communion by intinction, the communicant does not receive the Host in the hand, but only on the tongue. The communicant is not permitted to intinct the Sacred Host into the Precious Blood.

The procedure to be used for intinction is found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 287.

All those who distribute Holy Communion should wash their hands before Mass begins. As a further precaution they may clean their hands again by using an alcohol-based antibacterial solution before distributing Holy Communion. After distributing Holy Communion they should purify their fingers using an ablution cup, and then may proceed to use the alcoholbased anti-bacterial solution again.

I am grateful for your attention to these important matters. The Eucharist is the sacrament of the Paschal Mystery of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, and deserves our utmost care and reverence. May our participation in the celebration of the Eucharist help us grow in love as one family in Christ.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Knight of honor

photo by

Don Davis Jr. for High Point Enterprise

Special Olympian Rusty Corley (right), a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus, marches in with the honor guard last month during the opening day of the Miracle Field in High Point.

Knight to remember

Rusty Corley follows in his father’s footsteps

by JIMMY TOMLIN high point enterprise

HIGH POINT — Rusty Corley figures his dad, Fred, would have been proud.

Amid all the fanfare of opening day Saturday at the new High Point Miracle Field, an especially poignant story unfolded quietly during the opening ceremonies: Corley, a longtime Special Olympian, served in the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard — his first time for the distinction.

“It was a really neat experience,” says Corley, 31, of High Point. “I’m sure (my father) would’ve been proud.”

It may not seem like much, but don’t miss the significance of the moment: On a field designed to let children with disabilities play baseball — something most kids take for granted — a young man with disabilities of his own served in the honor guard — something most Knights of Columbus probably take for granted.

“He was just beaming,” said Deborah Weithofer, who attends Immaculate Heart of Mary Church with Corley.

Corley, who was adopted by Fred and Bea Corley, was especially close to his dad, who for many years was immersed in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization.

The elder Corley was a fourth-degree Knight and served as Grand Knight, and in 1986 the Corley family was named the International Family of the Year for the

Knights of Columbus.

Naturally, the younger Corley wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, so he, too, joined the Knights of Columbus.

Like his father, he attained the level of fourth-degree Knight last October, a little over a year after his father’s death. Once he became a fourth-degree Knight, he was eligible to serve in the honor guard, and he got that chance Saturday.

Corley wore a tuxedo donated by the wife of a former Knight, as well as regalia once worn by a Knight who lived in the Asheboro area. Weithofer altered the tuxedo for Corley and helped him with the regalia.

“We worked on it to get it ready, so he could be part of the honor guard for the Miracle Field,” says Weithofer, whose husband, Frank, also was part of the honor guard.

The local Knights of Columbus have taken good care of Corley, especially since his father died. They provide transportation for him to get to and from meetings, and help him in other ways as well.

“Rusty has stayed very involved in the Knights of Columbus, and they’ve taken very good care of him, which I think is an honor to my dad,” says Corley’s sister, Erin Boger of Wallburg.

“I think my dad would’ve been very proud of Rusty on Saturday.”

Article reprinted with permission from the Sept. 29 issue of High Point Enterprise.

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Culture Watch

WORD TO LIFE

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Sunday Scripture Readings: OCT. 18, 2009

October 18, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle B Readings: 1) Isaiah 53:10-11 Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 2) Hebrews 4:14-16 3) Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

Trust in God Assurance that God’s grace is poured out by

SHARON K. PERKINS catholic news service

cns photo by Tracy

Deer-Mirek, courtesy Sacred Heart

Centro Aletti artist Maria Secchiaroli and Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, center, discuss the installation of mosaics in 2008 at Sacred Heart University’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Fairfield, Conn. At left is artist Svetozar Zivkovic. Father Rupnik and his team of Italian artists with Centro Aletti in Italy installed the artwork during a two-week period in 2008.

A living mosaic

Acclaimed Jesuit artist creates campus chapel mosaic FAIRFIELD, Conn. (CNS) — In the late summer of 2008 acclaimed Jesuit artist Father Marko I. Rupnik arrived at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield with a team of 15 artists and craftspeople.

When they departed from the campus about two weeks later, they left a work of light, joy and beauty: large-scale mosaics in the university’s new Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

The university formally dedicated the chapel this year, with Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport as principal celebrant of the recent rite of dedication.

Four years in the planning, the mosaics are the centerpiece of the $17 million chapel at the heart of the Sacred Heart campus. Composed of hundreds of thousands of pieces of stone, tile and glass, the mosaics depict the central themes of Christian belief - the Incarnation, Resurrection and Pentecost.

“By devoting such a visible, central location to the chapel, Sacred Heart makes a proud, strong statement about the role of faith in today’s campus life, influencing how students learn, how they interact, and how they live on campus and in the world,” Anthony Cernera, president of Sacred Heart University, said in an interview last year with the Fairfield County Catholic, Bridgeport’s diocesan newspaper.

The chapel itself was designed

by Sasaki Associates, an architectural firm that won first place in an international design competition for the

2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In all, the mosaics cover 2,690 square feet and represent the largest Rupnik installation in the United States.

The Slovenian-born Father Rupnik gained international attention when he was chosen by Pope John Paul II to restore the mosaics in the Redemptoris Mater chapel in the papal household.

Father Rupnik’s work can also be seen at the Marian shrines in Lourdes, France, and Fatima, Portugal. His only other American work is in the Knights of Columbus Chapel in the fraternal organization’s New Haven headquarters.

Father Rupnik, who has been credited with creating work that bridges Eastern and Western sensibilities, said that such a mosaic “is an act of remembering” that links faith communities of the past and present, and speaks to the power of faith and spirituality across generations.

“It affirms the ability of the senses to discover the spirit and bring you to a higher level toward the mystery of God,” he said. “This act of observing and praying unites us with God through the mystery of his birth, sacrifice, suffering and death.

“The church is a living mosaic,” concluded Father Rupnik, who unites art and prayer in his work and worship.

“I like making things that are beautiful.

The church has a special wisdom because Christ is living in history. Beauty can help reveal this truth.”

There’s a proverb I’ve often heard people cite when they have to confidently make a quick but potentially risky decision: “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” I admit that I’ve had to fall back on this maxim myself occasionally. It gives me a sense of confidence (or is it bravado?) when the deliberating has been done; it’s time for action, and I know that I’ll ultimately be accountable for the risk.

In the Gospel, when James and John approached Jesus, making the seemingly outrageous appeal to be seated at his

right and his left hands, their request may have been delivered with a certain amount of bravado (thereby prompting indignation from the other 10 disciples).

But Jesus did not dismiss them out of hand. Rather, he took advantage of a prime teaching opportunity.

The confidence to which the psalmist and the author of Hebrews refer is much more than bravado. I am reminded of the origins of the word “confidence” - coming from the Latin “cum fidere” - meaning “with trust.” In this sense, one’s confidence is placed in God whose throne is grace and whose love is kind and merciful. According to the psalmist, it is precisely when we place our trust in God that God’s mercy is upon us.

Jesus qualified James’ and John’s request by making clear that a share in his glory comes only when one places one’s self at the service of others. The world often views servitude as weakness.

But a disciple who places confidence in the Son of God — a “high priest” who has been “tested in every way” and can sympathize with weakness — has the assurance that God’s grace is poured out because of trust.

QUESTIONS: In what area of your life are you most in need of God’s mercy and grace right now? What is the greatest obstacle to your being the kind of servant Jesus describes?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE 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.

Scripture for the week of October 18-24 Sunday (Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Isaiah 53:10-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, Mark 10:35-45; Monday (St. John de Brébeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and Companions), Romans 4:2025, Luke 1:69-75, Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday (St. Paul of the Cross), Romans 5:12, 15, 17-21, Luke 12:35-38; Wednesday, Romans 6:12-18, Luke 12:39-48; Thursday, Romans 6:19-23, Luke 12:49-53; Friday (St. John of Capistrano), Romans 7:18-25, Luke 12:54-59; Saturday (St. Anthony Mary Claret), Romans 8:1-11, Luke 13:1-9.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

October 9, 2009

Boston priests debut movie-review TV series

Catholic reviews highlight classic, current films

WA S H I N G T O N ( C N S ) — Everybody’s a critic, so the saying goes.

Well, maybe not everybody, but two priests from the Archdiocese of Boston are trying their hand at a Siskel-andEbert-style movie-review TV show.

“Spotlight” debuts Oct. 5 on CatholicTV, run by the Boston Archdiocese. The priests, Father Chip Hines and Father Bill Kelly, will review classic films and current fare in theaters.

Father Kelly, who is director of the archdiocesan Office of Clergy Support, likes “arty” films, according to Father Hines, who spoke to Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from Wrentham, Mass., where he is pastor of St. Mary Parish.

For his part, Father Hines is a fan of American cinema.

He estimated he goes to the multiplex about once a week on average to take in a film. “I love going to the movies, and renting them too — renting the DVDs and poring over the extras,” he said.

He has a subscription with a video mailing service in which the retailer sends him three flicks a week — and he sees all three.

“Some of them I like, some of them I don’t, some of them I can’t wait for,” Father Hines told CNS. “I remember ‘Lord of the Rings’ (films) were so highly anticipated I couldn’t wait to see them.”

“I saw recently an independent movie, ‘Five Minutes in Heaven’ with Liam Neeson,” said Father Hines.

“It’s about reconciliation, really.

A Protestant, played by Neeson, who killed an Irish Catholic in Northern Ireland in the ‘70s, and trying to reconcile with his brother,” he said.

“I’m big on reconciliation themes. I’m a priest, I should be.”

“I think it’s going to become a real fan favorite,” said Brian Swift, who produces “Spotlight” for CatholicTV. “We’re trying to get some fun programming on the station.”

cns photo by courtesy CatholicTV

Starting in October, CatholicTV will air a new movie review show starring two Boston priests, Father Bill Kelly, left, and Father Chip Hines. The idea for the show came about when a fellow priest overheard them debating whether a movie star’s recent performance was Oscar-worthy.

Young musicians for peace

Vatican hosts concert remembering WWII

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican hosted an unusual concert with an eye to encouraging future generations to turn to music rather than violence when faced with conflict between nations.

Titled “Youth Against War,” the Oct. 8 concert aimed to promote the practice of dialogue and reciprocal respect as a means of avoiding future wars, said Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The German cardinal said the 2009 date is significant because it marks the 20th anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall and the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland, which sparked World War II. Young musicians from 10 countries performed music by Felix Mendelssohn and Gustav Mahler at the concert.

The importance of a constant effort by individuals and institutions to promote peace “is exactly what these musicians from all over the world are trying to show with the instruments available to them, that is their music and their enthusiasm,” the cardinal said.

The cardinal pointed out that both Mahler, born in 1860 in what is now the Czech Republic, and Mendelssohn, born in Germany, were Jews who later were baptized.

Cardinal Kasper said the conversions need to be seen within their historical context, but people also must recognize that “the Nazis did not take into account these baptisms and so their music was not allowed.”

Therefore, he said, “it is important that the music of these musicians is played in this concert for peace.”

The initiative was supported by the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations as well as by the German Embassy to Holy See. The concert, held in the Santa Cecilia Auditorium near St. Peter’s Basilica, included performances by German actor Klaus Maria Brandauer and South African mezzo-soprano Michelle Breedt. The orchestra was directed by Jochem Hochstenbach a n d Wo l f g a n g G o n n e n w e i n . T h e musicians who performed are part of a German project called InterRegionales JugendsinfonieOrchester.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

October 9, 2009

around the diocese

Calling on coordinators

Living the Gospel

Courtesy photo

Kathy Motyka, a speaker from RENEW International, conducts a “Why Catholic?” training program at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte Sept. 29. The topic of the training session was “Living the Gospel Values in the 21st Century,” specifically focusing on the seven principles of Catholic social teaching. Joining members of St. Matthew Church were delegates from St. Luke Church in Mint Hill, Holy Spirit Church in Denver and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. “Why Catholic?” is an adult faith formation process based on Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Motyka conducted four area workshops for the Diocese of Charlotte. The others were held at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone and St. Barnabas Church in Arden.

Courtesy photo

Msgr. Michael Clay of the Diocese of Raleigh speaks to Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) coordinators during a workshop at Sacred Heart Church in Brevard Oct. 3. The training was to help various parish coordinators implement the third stage of the RCIA process — The Purification and Enlightenment Period. Twenty-six coordinators attended the workshop for rural and small parishes.

Golden Girl Scout Lucia Leahy, a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School and a member of St. Ann Church Troop 216, recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouting.

Lucia ear ned her Gold Award by creating Running My Life, a program that focuses on good health, physical fitness, goal setting and self esteem.

Dore Academy, a K-12 college preparatory school devoted to the education of students with learning disabilities and ADHD, has adopted Running My Life as a club sport that will be offered to fifth- through eighth-grade girls as a regular part of the school program.

When asked about the experience, Lucia responded, “I hope that this program empowers each girl to continue to be physically fit, a leader in the community and ready to accept any challenge the future has in store. I feel proud to have created an effective program that the school can use to help girls grow for years to come.”

Bonds of mercy

courtesy photo

Classifieds Courtesy photo

Past and present House of Mercy residents, volunteers and staff gather for a photo during a reunion Sept. 11.

A nonprofit residence in Belmont, House of Mercy provides compassionate, specialized care for lowincome persons living with AIDS. Since its founding in 1991 by the Sisters of Mercy, more than 260 men and women have made their home there. “The reunion gives past and present staff a time to really enjoy the people we have served and grown to think of as part of the House of Mercy family. It is a bond that can’t be put into words,” said Shirley Stowe, director of nursing.

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October 9, 2009

AROUND THE DIOCESE

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Inaugural Crop Walk

courtesy photo

St. Gabriel School in Charlotte participated in the first ever school-wide crop walk Oct. 2.

The 108 fifth-graders led the entire student body in 15 minute walks completed by each successive grade level. Five students led each group with a St. Gabriel Crop Walk banner and “Blisters,” the Crop Walk for Hunger mascot.

This inaugural Crop Walk culminated the school’s efforts to teach methods of assisting the hungry around the world and in Charlotte and raised $4,200 in donations for the national Crop Walk organization.

“I am so proud of our students,” said Michele Snoke, assistant principal at St. Gabriel School. “They honestly want to give like Jesus did.”

Students in service

courtesy photo

Eighth-grade students from Holy Trinity Middle School in Charlotte volunteer at Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte Sept. 24. They worked with John Klish, media arts teacher at Holy Trinity School, Lauren Pruett, writing teacher at Holy Trinity School, and Linda Cherry, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte.

The students volunteered as part of their eighth-grade service requirements to sort donated clothing while learning about the ministry. Holy Trinity sends a different group to volunteer for a few hours every two weeks throughout the year. In total, the eighth-graders of Holy Trinity have donated well over 700 hours of service to Crisis Assistance Ministry.

October 9, 2009

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Memory of a prayer despite dementia Growing old is especially hard when we are aware that we are losing even our memories. There is a sense of urgency. We want to pass our memories along to others so that these memories will live on for a while after our own minds have gone dark.

Recently I received a letter from a lady in my parish with progressive dementia. Let’s call her Mary.

Every day Mary feels some bit of her mind slipping away. Even though she is still relatively young, she knows that she is losing her memory and it won’t be long until she cannot recall even simple things.

Mary’s anguish is compounded by the fact that she watched her husband die from Alzheimer’s only a few years ago.

Over the years I have received thousands of letters from parishioners and readers. But few letters have touched and encouraged me like the one I received from Mary on the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of our parish. I thought I should share it: “Dear Father Daly, “It is the feast of St. John Vianney (our parish patron), and I believe it’s more than appropriate to tell you how much I appreciate all that you bring to the parish. At the same time, I want to share with you a prayer/poem that I wrote in my early teens and have used over the years as a Communion offering to our Savior. I do this because many times I have heard you describe your love for the Eucharist with words that articulate my own feelings and belief. Your homily a week or so ago exemplifies this.

Parish Diary FATHER PETER DALY cns columnist

Communion Prayer I have prepared my heart as a palace For you, my King, to stay.

And when I receive you, sweet Jesus, Reign in my heart through the day.

I have prepared you a throne of repentance.

With love I shall make you a crown.

With a heart full of prayer I shall praise you.

Love greater than yours can’t be found.

“I pass this on with the hope that you might wish to keep my prayer alive after dementia precludes my ability to remember it. With heartfelt prayers for your intentions, “Mary.”

Mary does not have to worry. Her prayer will live on with me. Maybe others will pick it up too, so that it will become part of the collective memory of the church and be prayed by many minds.

Don’t worry, Mary. The memory of your prayer is safe. It lives on already in the mind of one who cannot forget. It lives on in the mind of God, the eternal Word.

October: Month of the Holy Rosary Power of prayer combats evil On September 1, 1883, Pope Leo XIII promulgated an encyclical in which he announced that, “the rosary is an effective spiritual weapon against the evils afflicting society.” Perhaps he was referring to the historical events 300 years prior that led to this Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

In the fall of 1571, a mighty Turkish fleet that was considered the most powerful navy in the world vastly overshadowed its opposing Christian force and endangered the very stability of Europe.

The faithful of Europe answered a call by Pope St. Pius V to pray the rosary for victory. On Oct. 7, 1571, the Lord demonstrated his strength in the midst of human weakness and the Catholic forces triumphed at Lepanto.

This victory was attributed not to human strength, but divine intervention: to faithful Catholics imploring divine assistance and protection through the holy rosary. The victory at the Battle of Lepanto proves what Pope Leo XIII would announce years later that, “the rosary is an effective spiritual weapon against the evils afflicting society.”

A more recent pontiff, Pope John Paul II reiterated this crucial message in his encyclical “On the Most Holy Rosary” in 2002. In this letter he wrote that, “The church has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the rosary…the most difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of the Rosary was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation” (39).

Guest Column FATHER MATTHEW BUETTNER

guest columnist

If our Holy Father encouraged the faithful recitation of the Rosary to combat the evils that afflict our s o c i e t y t o d a y, w h a t b a t t l e s are particularly threatening?

Without hesitation, we can quickly conclude that what is most vulnerable to attack in our contemporary world is threefold: Christianity, family, and human life. This is summarized in one simple phrase: Christian family life.

The litany of evils that afflict Christian family life include such rampant evils as contraception and abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning, pre-marital cohabitation and divorce, pornography and homosexual unions, infidelity and abuse.

History provides ample evidence for the veracity of the rosary as a means of conquering evil and generating authentic devotion and holiness. To this end, Pope John Paul II made a sincere plea to rediscover the great benefits of praying the rosary, not merely individually, but especially in our families, saying that “The family that prays together stays together.”

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

Living through job loss Part one of a three-part series

It’s a regular Monday morning, but you do notice that the nice, retired security guard has been replaced by two guerillas. Also, the parking lot seems unusually full this early on a Monday.

Thinking that your favorite security guard must be on vacation, you bound up the steps and notice a cart full of moving boxes as you open the door.

Something feels funny, but you can’t quite get a grip on why.

You dismiss this oddness as your mind races ahead to the to-do list and the day ahead.

You can’t kick the feeling though that something must be going on, because there is no cube talk. That big meeting you were preparing for all weekend…cancelled. Eerie silence seems to be everywhere. Then you see

Professionals In Transition DAMIEN BIRKEL Guest Columnist the note from your boss: See me as soon as you get in — important!

Before you can even turn on your computer, he is at your door. He doesn’t look very happy, and on the way to his office you wonder what you did. “Come in and sit down, while I close the door.”

Looking straight at you, he mentions that the company has been hit hard by the recession. “A number of positions are

being eliminated and for that reason we are terminating you.”

After the word termination, everything goes blank. You hear the words but you can’t comprehend them. In one sentence your professional identity is gone. It feels like you have just been hit in the gut with a baseball bat. Next, he tells you that you must exit the building, and a security officer is standing by to escort you to your car.

Like a common criminal you are escorted to your office, grab a few personal things and your keys, and are guided out of the building. Blinded by the sun, you remember your sunglasses are upstairs in your office. You turn back and remember that your ID badge has been disabled.

Finding your car, you fumble for the keys and get in. Thoughts explode...“Now what? How do I tell my family? What about the kids? How will I ever find another job?”

With the unemployment rate at a 26-year high, this unfortunate scene could happen to you. For me, it happened four times. Each time the scenario was different but the emotional and financial impact the same. So where do you go from here?

Damian Birkel is a nationally certified career counselor. On Oct. 27, Birkel will speak on “Finding the Hidden Job Market” at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem. For more information, see the Diocesan Planner on page 3.

October 9, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Judgment must match the speed of news The birth of a grandchild is a joyous event for the whole family.

Despite my resolve to resist the temptation to go on and on about my own newborn grandchild, the circumstances of her arrival did provoke some thoughts on the stewardship of communication.

She was born in Shanghai, China, where her parents are both educators.

Within 15 minutes of her birth, the news was communicated by cell phone from China to the United States. Photos were sent to all grandparents, siblings and new uncles and aunts.

Compare that to the birth of our first child.

The father-to-be sat in a hospital waiting room when a nurse announced a son might be seen in a half-hour or so.

The new father pumped some quarters into the payphone to pass the news. Two days later, prints of photos taken through the nursery window were sent by mail to grandparents and others.

Days and hours in family communication have become minutes and seconds. The same is true for news of the world.

As the speed of transmission of news increases exponentially, it becomes

more important that judgment increases at the same speed.

Back in the day when fathers sat in hospital waiting rooms, news organizations, both print and broadcast, functioned with an established quality-control process.

A mantra among wire services used to be “get it first and get it right.”

A reporter would gather information and check facts. The city editor would challenge, pass the story on to the copy desk that checked grammar and style.

The process also provided a filter. Eccentrics who called the city desk with their latest “news” about a UFO on their front lawn were given a polite dismissal.

There was also a bar to entry. The cost of a printing plant, of a television station limited the number of people involved.

Today, anyone, for a few hundred dollars, can easily buy a computer, hook up the Internet and promulgate a spaceship from Venus or a conspiracy at the highest level of government.

The stewardship of communication, however, recognizes that information is acted upon sometimes to the

Consider This STEPHEN KENT cns columnist

detriment of truth, a point not lost on Pope Benedict XVI. The mass media are not morally “neutral,” he wrote in his most recent encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”). They are often subordinated to “economic interests intent on dominating the market” and to attempts to “impose cultural models that serve ideological and political agendas.”

Oh, about that temptation I mentioned earlier: Remember a reading in the nuptial Mass which prayed for the blessing to see our children and our children’s children? Ever think they would be so darn cute?

Hispanic heritage exemplifies Catholic family values For now, the Catholic Church in this country will continue to grow because of the influx of immigrants and the large families of its Hispanic members. A declining population will have devastating economic consequences.

That is one reason why immigrants, including the undocumented, are an asset rather than a liability.

It has not been long since having large families was cherished by many cultures in the United States.

Steve Reichert, a friend who served as a Maryknoll lay missioner, comes from a Missouri family of 16 children. I am from a family of 10.

Today, however, many see having children as inconvenient, or worse, as a drag on the “good life.” Others fear not being able to support and educate them adequately.

Still others cling to the false vision that an exploding population will overwhelm the resources of the planet.

In families like mine and the Reicherts, parents felt that God would provide, and their faith was not misplaced.

My parents paid for only one college education, that of one daughter, but nine of their children graduated from college.

We are not exceptional. Uncle Alfonso and Aunt Dora Sandoval had 12 children before he was killed at the age of 45 while working for the Union Pacific Railroad in Wyoming in 1970.

She was left with the seemingly insurmountable burden of feeding and educating them. Charlie, the fifth

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

Love of large families A retired lawyer friend laments that his Catholic education from kindergarten through college never taught him that the Spaniards were the first to plant the Catholic Church on lands now in the United States.

For him, a non-Hispanic, as well as for me, National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15, is not just about recent immigrants but about the very foundation of the faith in the U.S. The Spaniards permanently established the church in St. Augustine, in what is now Florida, in 1565, 42 years before the settlement of Jamestown by the English and more than half a century before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.

Juan de Onate’s expedition brought Catholicism to New Mexico in 1598.

From Florida across the Southeast to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and up the west coast to Washington’s Olympic peninsula, Spanish missionaries were the first evangelists.

Yet, Hispanic heritage, specifically the love of large families, also has something to say about the future.

In the next few decades, the world’s population will undergo a steep decline.

Europe will lose 100 million people in the first half of the 21st century. The mainstream population in the U.S. will also diminish.

So-called underdeveloped nations will also see their numbers go down.

Demographers have not found the causes.

Saintly pharmacistpriest shining example, pope says

Seeking Life MOISES SANDOVAL cns columnist

youngest, said: “We had to clean house, put food on the table; it was not easy.

Sometimes we had no money.”

Only Irene and Katie graduated from college, both with master’s degrees in social work. But the others did just fine.

Charlie owns two restaurants in Las Vegas, N.M. Rita, a professional artist, owns with her husband a janitorial service in Santa Fe. John runs two service stations in Albuquerque.

All the others, some of whom graduated only from the eighth grade, became skilled in art, cooking, carpentry, construction and other trades that provide a good living. Dora, now 81, says, “All of my children turned out to be very smart. I can hardly believe it.”

Having a large family calls for sacrifice and a generosity of spirit worth recovering, as is the faith of our parents that the job is not theirs alone.

God does provide, often in ways that we would never imagine, if we make the effort and trust him.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI held up the “luminous figure” of a 16th-century saint as an example of the missionary spirit every Christian should adopt.

St. John Leonardi, an Italian pharmacist-priest, also stands as an excellent example for clergy in the current Year for Priests, the pope said at his weekly general audience Oct. 7.

Pope Benedict told pilgrims gathered in a sunny St. Peter’s Square that it was the evangelical zeal of St. John Leonardi that helped establish the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, the precursor to the current Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The saint “worked with great realism and zeal to promote holiness and the reform of society,” the pope said. This dedication led him to help found the church’s missionary arm, now the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

St. John Leonardi died in Rome in 1609 as he was ministering to people stricken by an epidemic. He was canonized in 1938 and made the patron saint of pharmacists in 2006.

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

This week marks the four hundreth anniversary of the death of Saint John Leonardi, the founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God and a priest whose missionary zeal found expression in the establishment of the congregation of Propoganda Fide. Saint John was born near Lucca, and after training as a pharmacist, became a priest committed to offering “the medicine of God” to the men and women of his time.

At a period of great reform and renewal in the life of the Church, he made the crucified Christ the centre of his preaching and the criterion of all his activity. John understood that all true reform is born of fidelity to Christ and love for the Church. It was love for Christ which inspired his efforts to catechize the young, to promote missionary activity and to renew Christian life and practice. Saint John was convinced that Christ is the true measure of man, and so he worked with great realism and zeal to promote holiness and the reform of society.

During this Year for Priests, may the figure of this great missionary inspire priests and laity alike to “start anew from Christ” and embrace their vocation with passionate enthusiasm.

October 9, 2009

in the news

The Catholic News & Herald 16

Catholics respond to international disasters

cns photo by

Dylan Martinez, Reuters

Catholics receive Communion during Mass celebrated outside the earthquake-damaged Puri Dhama Cathedral in Padang, Indonesia, Oct. 4. The cathedral was among the buildings damaged in the Sept. 30 earthquake and aftershocks that rocked the island of Sumatra. The death toll from the quake rose above 1,000 as workers continued to search the rubble for victims.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) — In a week of natural disasters in Asia and the South Pacific, Catholics gathered to pray for the victims, and Catholic aid agencies helped the survivors.

In Indonesia, two earthquakes hit within two days.

In the South Pacific, more than 170 people died after an earthquake triggered tsunamis Sept. 29.

In the Philippines, nearly 300 people died in and around Manila from Typhoon Ketsana and Typhoon Parma left at least 16 people dead.

And in southern India, torrential rains caused floods and mudslides, claiming more than 200 lives and displacing nearly 750,000 people.

Much of the aid in all these countries was being coordinated by Caritas, the Catholic Church’s network of charitable aid agencies, although religious orders, lay communities and organizations, and Catholics at the parish level were doing what they could to help the victims.

On Oct. 5, the Indonesian government announced that more than 1,000 people had died in the earthquakes and, in Padang, they abandoned the search for the remaining 1,000 missing. The same day, UNICEF announced it was erecting classroom tents, and more than 70,000 children in Padang returned to class that day.

CRS spokeswoman Laura Sheahen said the agency, part of the Caritas network, was providing emergency shelter for 5,500 families in 23 villages in West Sumatra province, where Padang is located. CRS initially pledged a minimum of $400,000 in aid to the survivors. It was working with partner agencies to get shelter, hygiene and tool kits to quake victims.

The Indonesian branch of the

Sant’Egidio Community, an international lay Catholic association, was collecting clothing and supplies.

In Samoa, the local branch of Caritas collaborated with the National Disaster Team and the Red Cross to coordinate the tsunami response.

Many residents of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga live along the coasts, and church officials were among those who helped lead residents to higher ground, then assist them with shelter.

In New Zealand, where Samoans form the largest Pacific ethnic group, parishes around the country held prayer services for victims and their families and friends.

A spokeswoman for the New Zealand Catholic bishops’ conference said its Caritas agency expected to join the wider Caritas network in Oceania to help provide relief for the tsunami victims, and Caritas officials in Australia said the same.

Luc Picard, CRS country representative in Manila, told Catholic News Service Sept. 28 that Ketsana was being called “the Katrina of the Philippines.” CRS and Development and Peace, the Canadian Catholic bishops’ international aid agency, were working with Caritas in the Philippines and Vietnam to help victims of the flooding.

The Knights of Columbus also pledged aid to help the typhoon victims.

The Indian government said Oct. 5 that more than 270 people had been killed by flooding in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states.

Jimmy Mathew, Karnataka regional manager for Caritas India, said staffers would work with CRS to devise a joint strategy for flood victims. He said the region had not experienced such flooding for 50 years.