Oct. 17, 2008

October 17, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives Life is not a choice; fostering a missionary spirit; fixing problems with faith

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI OCTOBER 17, 2008

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

The costs — and profits — of abortion

Iraq War poses major challenges for next president Candidates differ in approaches, attitudes

by DENNIS SADOWSKI catholic news service

KEVIN E. MURRAY

Editor’s note: This is third in a series on the 2008 election.

editor

CHARLOTTE — Abortion is a tremendous moneymaking scheme that exploits vulnerable women, according to a former abortionist. “ Wo m e n a r e s o l d abortions over the phone using a telemarketing script to overcome every possible objection,” said Carol Everett.

Everett, who once operated six abortion clinics in Texas and is now a pro-life activist, was the keynote speaker during the 14th annual banquet benefiting Charlotte’s Room at the Inn at the Charlotte Convention Center Oct. 9.

Room at the Inn is a See ABORTION, page 4

no. 43

Campaign ’08

Former abortionist reveals industry secrets at maternity home banquet by

vOLUME 17

CNS photo by Erik de Castro, Reuters

WINNING IRAQ Above: A U.S. soldier of 101st Airborne Division greets boys near a local government office in Samarra, Iraq, Sept. 22. More than 130,000 U.S. military personnel will remain in Iraq when either Republican Sen. John McCain or Democratic Sen. Barack Obama takes the oath of office as America’s 44th president Jan. 20, 2009.

See CAMPAIGN, page 7

A spirit-filled gathering Service, virtues highlight annual retreat for permanent deacons and wives by

DEACON GERALD POTKAY correspondent

Photo by Deacon Gerald Potkay

Bishop Peter J. Jugis presents pins recognizing the 25 years of service of Deacon Louis Pais, Deacon Vincent Shaw and Deacon Dennis O’ Madigan during the deacons and wives annual retreat at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Oct. 10-12.

HICKORY — Bishop Peter J. Jugis recently honored permanent deacons celebrating milestone anniversaries in service to the church.

Pins were awarded to the deacons celebrating 20, 25 and 30 years of service during the annual retreat for deacons and their wives at the

WASHINGTON — The legacy of President George W. Bush will be framed primarily by one event: the ongoing war in Iraq.

At five and a half years and running, the Iraq War — portrayed by Bush as a vital front in what he has characterized as the war on terror — has left Americans divided and much of the world community looking beyond the United States for diplomatic leadership.

The war stands out for being the first whereby the

Catholic Conference Center Oct.10-12. Led by Father Edward Sheridan, a retired priest of the diocese, the retreat was part of the deacons’ continuing education and spiritual enrichment program.

Among those honored were some of the first permanent deacons ordained for the See DEACONS, page 5

Inspiring generations

Women in Bible held wide range of roles throughout history

by DENNIS SADOWSKI catholic news service

Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series on the Bible.

WA S H I N G T O N — Benedictine Sister Ruth Fox likes to tell stories about women. Not just any women, but women of the Bible.

See BIBLE, page 6

Culture Watch

A day of life

Trials and tribulations

Books on church history; the Bible in the movies, on TV

Catholic college students take pro-life retreat

Catholics find faith during Wall Street upheaval

| Pages 10-11

| Page 5

| Page 16

October 17, 2008

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

HARTFORD, Conn. (CNS) — The Connecticut Supreme Court’s Oct. 10 decision permitting same-sex marriage in the state was “a terribly regrettable exercise in judicial activism,” the state’s Catholic bishops said.

The court “has chosen to ignore the wisdom of our elected officials, the will of the people, and historical social and religious traditions spanning thousands of years by imposing a social experiment upon the people of our state,” the bishops added in an Oct. 10 statement.

In a 4-3 decision in Kerrigan v.

Commissioner of Public Health, the court majority said “the state’s bar against same-sex marriage infringes on a fundamental right in violation of due process and discriminates on the basis of sex in violation of equal protection.”

“We conclude that, in light of the history of pernicious discrimination faced by gay men and lesbians, and because the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the

Sewing saints

CNS photo by Joe Bollig, The Leaven

Maria Rioux and costume-maker Debra Fuhrman stand with children dressed as various saints Sept. 25.

This year, Fuhrman will make and ship approximately 1,500 saint costumes before Oct. 24, her cutoff date for rush orders. Halloween is Oct. 31.

Seamstress’s costumes of saints go marching out to customers CUMMINGS, Kan. (CNS) — Debra Fuhrman is under the gun.

Barraged by orders arriving from Kansas, around the United States and even overseas, Fuhrman has been shipping out product as fast as she can.

With All Saints Day just around the corner, you see, it’s high time for the saints — or rather, their costumes — to go marching out.

Fuhrman runs a business in Cummings, population 580 or so, and as best as she can tell, it is the Catholic children’s costume capital of the world.

That’s quite an accomplishment for Fuhrman, a member of the First Christian Church of Atchison. Until just a few years ago, she didn’t know the difference between St. Tarcisius and tartar sauce.

Fuhrman gives a lot of the credit for her success to her Catholic neighbor and friend, Maria Rioux, a member of St. Joseph Church in Nortonville.

Fuhrman began her costume career in 1999 with “princess style” dress-up clothes for her two daughters. When other parents began to ask her to make costumes for their kids, Fuhrman began a little bedroom-based business in 2002.

Initially, she only offered children’s costumes of historical and literary figures. Then Rioux encouraged her to consider making saint costumes.

“I can’t do that,” said Fuhrman.

“I’m Protestant. What do I know about the saints?”

But Rioux’s fellow Catholic homeschoolers were looking for patterns for saint costumes for children. Those already on the market were mostly of the

Bishops criticize ‘judicial activism’ in ruling on same-sex marriage

gag type for adults — shoddy and vulgar.

Parents hated them.

With Rioux’s help and guidance, Fuhrman began making saint costumes in 2004, and the saints must be smiling on her, because business has been very good.

Her first order — which she considered “huge” — was for 16 costumes.

This year, she’ll make and ship approximately 1,500 saint costumes before Oct. 24, her cutoff date for rush orders.

“We could double that if I had enough seamstresses,” said Fuhrman.

Those first years, and costumes, weren’t easy. Starting with patterns for a Benedictine monk, a Franciscan friar and a Jesuit priest, Fuhrman sought both quality and authenticity. A nun’s cowl and a bishop’s miter, for example, gave her fits.

“I lost so much sleep over the miter,” said Fuhrman. “It’s very hard to do the middle section.”

And the secret to making a good miter? “I’m not telling,” Fuhrman said with a laugh.

About 90 percent of the costumes made are of saints, and the majority of those are bought for Catholic homeschoolers. Occasionally, the costumes of saints not often requested are replaced by those growing in popularity.

“If I get more than three requests, I call Maria,” said Fuhrman. “‘People keep asking for Padre Pio. Should we add him?’ I’ll ask. She’ll say, ‘Yes,’ or ‘Why don’t we wait?’”

“Or I’ll say that he’s Franciscan, and we’ve already got that,” said Rioux.

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

ALBEMARLE VICARIATE BISCOE — A presentation on “The Catholic Church’s Case for Comprehensive Immigaration Reform” will take place at Our Lady of the Americas Church, 298 Farmers Market Rd., Oct. 22 , at 7 p.m. Antonio Cube, national director of the U.S. bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign, will present.

For directions, go to www.charlottediocese. org, click on “parishes.” For more information on this topic, go oinline to www.justiceforimmigrants.org. This event is sponsored by the diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office, Catholic Social Services and Our Lady of the Americas Church.

newly created classification of civil union does not embody, the segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions constitutes a cognizable harm,” said Justice Richard M. Palmer, writing for the majority.

“The state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same-sex couples from the institution of marriage,” said the 85-page majority opinion.

Each of the three dissenting justices wrote his or her own opinion, with Justice Peter Zarella criticizing “the majority’s unsupported assumptions that ... the sole reason that marriage has been limited to one man and one woman is society’s moral disapproval of or irrational animus toward gay persons.”

The Catholic bishops called on the citizens of Connecticut to vote “yes” on the Nov. 4 referendum on whether to call a constitutional convention. The state constitution requires asking voters every 20 years if they want such a convention. information on this topic, go online to www.justiceforimmigrants.org. This event is sponsored by the diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office, Catholic Social Services and St. Elizabeth Church.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — Elizabeth Ministry, in conjunction with the diocesan Respect Life Office, will be hosting “God’s Children, God’s Blessing: A Community-Based Response to Poor Prenatal Diagnosis” Oct. 24, 9 a.m.3 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center, 1123 S. Church St. The purpose of this conference is to help the Catholic community better encourage parents to carry to term after a poor prenatal diagnosis. Registration is required. For information, contact Tracy Winsor at (704) 5434780 or e-mail at ohboys@carolina.rr.com.

BOONE VICARIATE

CHARLOTTE —A series of talks on “Understanding Your Late Life Choices” will be held at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd., on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The first talk, “A Doctor’s Viewpoint on our Aging Brain,” will be presented by Charlotte neurologist, Dr. Mohammad Bolouri, Oct. 22. These talks are free and open to the public. To make reservations, call St. Gabriel Church at (704) 364-5431. For more information, call Suzanne Bach at (704) 335-0253.

BOONE — A presentation on “The Catholic Church’s Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform” will take place at St. Elizabeth Church, 259 Pilgrims Way, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. Antonio Cube, national director of the U.S. bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign, will present. For directions, go to www.charlottediocese. org, click on “parishes.” For more

CHARLOTTE — St. Peter Catholic Church, 507 S. Tryon Street, hosts “Learning and Voting the Common Good,” a presentation by Father James Hug, in Biss Hall (beneath the church) Oct. 25, 9-11 a.m., with refreshments served at 8:30 a.m. Father Hug is executive director for the Center of Concern in Washington, D.C., a Catholic organization working in collaboration with ecumenical and interfaith networks to

OCT. 17, 2008 Volume 17 • Number 43

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Editor: Kevin E. Murray 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 17, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican bank official says assets not threatened by global crisis VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican bank’s assets have not been threatened by the global financial crisis, largely because it has avoided speculative investments, said an official of the bank.

“Our goal of not allowing a loss of capital to the religious institutions that entrust us with their resources remains fully achieved today,” said Angelo Caloia, president of a supervisory council of the Vatican bank, known officially as the Institute for the Works of Religion.

He pointed out that the bank’s exposure is limited because it does not operate as a lending institution, and its investments have always been conservative. In particular, he said, the bank has avoided investing in “derivatives,” a type of higher-risk investment that is blamed for causing much of the current crisis.

Instead, Caloia said, the Vatican bank has made “clear, simple and ethically based” investments, avoiding

speculation and staying away from companies tied to things like exploitation of children or the arms trade.

“Our patrimony is solid and we don’t have a shortage of liquidity. We’ve always been very prudent, I would dare to say conservative, in managing our resources. We’ve always invested defensively,” he said.

Caloia said the current financial crisis, which has hit major banks especially hard, has been caused primarily by “behavior that has been improper to the point of fraudulency.” The solution, he said, will require more controlled regulation of the financial industry.

The Vatican bank 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. Like all banks, it has an investment portfolio, which is not public.

bring a prophetic voice for social and economic justice to a global context. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Barbara Dellinger at (704) 807-6125.

Catholic Daughters request that participating parishioners wear a white ribbon to make people aware of the damage pornography — via the Internet, TV, movies, books and magazines — is causing in our society.

CHARLOTTE — All women of the diocese are invited to hear Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church, speak about the Catholic Responsibilities Regarding Voting at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., Nov. 3, 10 a.m. This event is sponsored by the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group. For more information or to RSVP, contact Gayle Bell at gbell56@aol.com.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — A presentation on “The Catholic Church’s Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform” will take place in the Parish Life Center at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek, Oct. 20. 7 p.m. Antonio Cube, national director of the U.S. bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign, will present. For directions, go to w w w. c h a r l o t t e d i o c e s e . o r g , c l i c k o n “parishes.” For more information on this topic, visit www.justiceforimmigrants.org. This event is sponsored by the diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office, Catholic Social Services and St. Paul the Apostle Church.

GREENSBORO — All men of the Triad area are invited to participate in a short study of Pope Benedict XVI’s second encyclical, “Spe Salvi” (“Saved by Hope”), Tuesdays at St. Joseph’s House at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2205 W. Market St., 6:30-7:30 a.m. On Oct. 21, the group will be discussing paragraphs 10-23. This event is sponsored by Regnum Christi. For more information, contact John Endredy at (336) 449-3656.

GREENSBORO — The Catholic Daughters of the Americas invite all Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte to participate in White Ribbon Against Pornography Week, Oct. 26-Nov. 2. The

Episcopal

calendar

HICKORY VICARIATE HICKORY — The annual World Community Day ecumenical worship service will be held at Exodus Missionary Outreach Church, 1763 Highland Ave. NE, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. With the theme “God’s Wisdom Sets Us Free,” this celebration will explore how we can reach out with God’s love to those behind bars.

Guest speaker will be Deacon Scott Gilfillan from St. Joseph Church in Newton, who will speak about his experience in prison ministry.

For more information, call Carole Marmorato at (828) 256-8956.

Pope canonizes four saints, calls for end to violence in Orissa state VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI canonized four new saints, including the first native-born saint from India, where Christians recently have come under attack from Hindu gangs.

After the two-hour liturgy in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 12, the pope made a pointed appeal for an end to violence against India’s Christian minority.

He spoke after declaring sainthood for St. Alphonsa Muttathupandathu, a nun from southwestern India who was known for her holiness during a lifetime of suffering. The other new saints included an Italian priest, a Swiss missionary sister and an Ecuadorean laywoman.

The pope said their lives of faith and sacrifice should inspire contemporary Christians in all walks of life.

The liturgy marked a special moment for Indian Catholics. Thousands of Indian pilgrims, including many nuns and priests, applauded and cheered as the brief biography of St. Alphonsa was read aloud. An Indian government delegation also was present.

After the liturgy, the pope called for an end to violence against Indian Christians, in the wake of attacks on church personnel and institutions.

“As the Christian faithful of India give thanks to God for their first native daughter

to be presented for public veneration, I wish to assure them of my prayers during this difficult time,” he said.

The pope spoke in his homily about St. Alphonsa’s life of extreme physical and spiritual suffering before her death.

“She wrote, ‘I consider a day without suffering as a day lost.’ May we imitate her in shouldering our own crosses so as to join her one day in paradise,” he said.

The others canonized were: — St. Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran, a 19th-century Ecuadorian known for her deep prayer and penitence.

— St. Gaetano Errico, an Italian priest who founded the Congregation of Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in the 19th century. He was known for the many hours he spent in the confessional, and for seeking out the sick, the abandoned and the spiritually afflicted in his native area of Naples.

— Sister Maria Bernarda Butler, a Swiss nun who founded the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, Help of Sinners.

With these canonizations, Pope Benedict has created 18 new saints in his pontificate of three and a half years. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, presided over the canonization of more than 450 new saints.

Animal blessings

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — The national “40 Days for Life” campaign will be held Sept.

24 through Nov. 2. In addition to 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion in America, consider volunteering to pray outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility at 3000 Maplewood Ave. Volunteers are needed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday during the 40 days. For more information or to volunteer, contact Donna Dyer at (336) 940-2558 or Toni Buckler at (336) 782-6062, or go online to www.40daysforlife.com/ winstonsalem.

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. 19 (5 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Burnsville

Oct. 27 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville

Oct. 26 (2 p.m.)

Wedding anniversaries Mass St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte

Oct. 28 (7 p.m.)

Sacrament of confirmation St. Joseph Church, Bryson City

Courtesy Photo

Father Francis Cancro, pastor of Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont, blesses Lindsey Johnson’s dog during the parish’s blessing of the animals Oct. 5. The blessing was held the day after the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, known worldwide as the patron saint of animals, peace and the environment.

The blessing of animals on St. Francis’ feast day transcends denominational boundaries — Lutherans, Episcopalians and Presbyterians, among others, participate by inviting their congregants to bring in the animals in their care.

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

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

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

4 The Catholic News & Herald

around the diocese

October 17, 2008

Former abortionist reveals A rosary of prayers industry secrets at banquet ABORTION, from page 1

Catholic maternity home that offers pregnancy assistance for unmarried pregnant women and their babies, both born and unborn, in the Charlotte area.

Everett said she speaks to pro-life supporters to reveal the often unknown, inner workings of the abortion industry.

“I want you to know the other side of an abortion clinic, so you truly appreciate Room at the Inn,” Everett told the audience.

“It is truly a unique, life-affirming ministry … that physically saves lives,” she said.

Everett’s journey into the abortion industry began soon after Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion in 1973. She was under pressure from her husband and her doctor — an “abortion salesmen,” as she called him — to abort her pregnancy.

“Two weeks after Roe v. Wade, I was faced with a decision,” she said. “As soon as I made it, I knew I made the wrong one.

I knew I had killed my baby.”

Her life quickly fell apart — she had an affair, started drinking and eventually left her husband.

In the early 1980s, as a single mother with two children, she found herself selling medical supplies for a business in Texas that turned out to be an abortion clinic. She was quickly swayed by the amount of money she could make by “selling” abortions.

“The so-called ‘counselors’ are paid by commissions on the number of abortions they bring in,” said Everett.

They pretend to be the patient’s friend, a confidant who has their supposed best interests at heart and will help them get rid of their “problem” before anyone finds out, said Everett.

“If a pregnancy test is positive, the woman is strong-armed into having a quick abortion before any other options can be considered,” she said.

However, abortionists often perform “abortions” even if a woman’s pregnancy test is negative, said Everett. The patient is given a sonogram — the only time a sonogram is used in an abortion clinic, said Everett — and the abortionists claim any “spot” in the image is a fetus.

Then the abortionist performs a mock abortion, scraping the woman’s uterus in order to collect the payment. In the United States, the average cost of an abortion is $500, said Everett.

She helped the clinic double its business and income, and she was soon asked to help open and turn a profit at other locations. She was helping the clinics perform approximately 800 abortions a month. “I made $25 per abortion,” she said. “I wanted to be a millionaire in a year’s time.”

She then met a business counselor who turned out to be a Christian preacher.

Conversations with him planted doubts about the work she was doing.

“I literally fell to my knees in the

“The so-called ‘counselors’ are paid by commissions on the number of abortions they bring in.”

— Carol Everett abortion clinic. I said, ‘Lord, if this is not where you want me, hit me over the head with a 2 x 4,’” said Everett.

That “2 x 4” struck, she said, when a local television news station’s undercover report revealed her clinics were performing unnecessary abortions.

“I was the hammer. I made abortions happen, but something happened to me that day,” said Everett.

Within the month, she left the abortion industry for good.

“I had incredible peace that I was not supposed to be in that abortion clinic,” she said. “But I still struggled with a lot of things. Could I be forgiven for all that I had done?”

She felt — and still feels — remorse for taking the life of her own child. “I’ve struggled with my daughter’s death. I named her Heidi, which means ‘noble’ but it also means ‘hidden,’” she said.

The aborted babies are in heaven, Everett said, and they are all noble.

“When we get to heaven, they’ll be waiting for us — not to accuse us, but to hold us,” she said.

While the average cost of an abortion may be $500, said Everett, the true cost of an abortion can never be measured.

“The real cost is the life of the baby, and the lives of both the mother and father,” she said.

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

WANT MORE INFO? For more information about Charlotte’s Room at the Inn, visit www.rait.org.

Courtesy Photo

First-grade students at St. Mark School in Huntersville pray during a living rosary at the school Oct. 2.

Sixth-graders led the students in the prayers.

Courtesy Photo

Fourth- and fifth-grade students from the parish faith formation program at Holy Spirit Church in Denver take part in a living rosary on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 5. Held outside in a garden devoted to Mary, Mother of God, the rosary was led by parishioner Tony Fea, a member of the Knights of Columbus.

October 17, 2008

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 5

‘A Day of Life’

Catholic college students explore church teachings on life issues

Courtesy Photo

Father Walter Williams, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva, speaks to Catholic students from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee during a retreat Sept. 17.

“The Catholic students at WCU plan to live according to their dignity, so they can be faithful witnesses ....”

— Matthew Newsome

CULLOWHEE — Catholic students from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee gathered recently to explore building a culture of life in America.

Thirteen students participated in “A Day of Life,” a retreat focusing on the church’s teachings on the dignity of human life, at a lake house in Cullowhee Sept.

27. The event, which featured several guest speakers, was organized and led

by Matthew Newsome, Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University.

Newsome focused on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, and explained the concept of natural law.

“The fact that our Catholic moral teachings are grounded in the natural law means that we can have an open and honest discourse about these moral issues with people who are of different faiths — or no faith at all,” Newsome said. “Our morality is based on something that we all share in common — our human nature.”

Father Walter Williams, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva and chaplain for the college’s Catholic student center, spoke to the students about the “culture of death” and how today’s college students can combat it.

“There really is no such thing as a culture of death,” he told them. “Rather, it is a dead culture. A dead culture is no culture at all. We need to work then to build a new culture — one of life.”

Father Williams encouraged the students to help build an authentic culture based on the dignity of the human person.

“The highest place in heaven, closest to God, is not occupied by an angel but by a human woman, the Blessed Virgin

Mary,” said Father Williams. “God himself has taken into his own being a human nature, through the Incarnation.”

Dr. David Ramsey, a Catholic, shared his experiences as a pro-life physician. He spoke of the link between contraception and abortion, and of how these two issues stem from the same root — an anti-life mentality.

“Child abuse, out-of-wedlock children, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), abortion, adultery, divorce, reports of spousal abuse — all have doubled or tripled since the contraceptive pill came on the market,” said Ramsey.

Ramsey played a tape of fetal heart tones for the students and showed them a model of a fully-formed fetus at 9-and-ahalf weeks old.

“This is what abortion proponents would call ‘potential life,’” he said as students passed around the recognizably human model, complete with hands, fingers, toes and a face.

Students involved in the college’s Catholic campus ministry are stepping up their pro-life efforts this year, with plans to offer a nonpartisan pro-life information table on campus prior to the upcoming election. Some students work with the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center’s campus outreach office to be trained as student counselors to help those in crisis pregnancy situations.

Ramsey serves as medical director for the center.

“The Catholic students at WCU plan to live according to their dignity, so that they can be faithful witnesses to their fellow students to do the same,” said Newsome.

Service, virtues highlight retreat DEACONS, from page 1

Diocese of Charlotte in May 1983. They received certificates of recognition from Bishop Jugis.

“I must say that being in the position of director, this has been the most blessed time in my life,” said Deacon Louis Pais, director of the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte, during the ceremony. Deacon Pais was recognized for 25 years of service as a deacon.

“The thing that has left the biggest impression on me is being able to see all the ministries of you men and your wives here in the Diocese of Charlotte, many of which are being done behind the scenes,” he said.

As ordained ministers in the Catholic Church, permanent deacons may perform baptisms, witness marriages and assist in various liturgies. The permanent deacon is the only ordained man allowed to be married. However, if a deacon’s wife passes away, he is not allowed to remarry. If a man is single, he is not allowed to marry after ordination.

The first permanent deacons were ordained to serve only in their parishes.

In July 2003, the permanent diaconate

expanded its duties considerably by taking over the diocesan prison ministry program full time.

Many deacons visit prisons regularly to offer communion services, Bible studies and counseling to the incarcerated within the diocese.

“I challenge each of you who ministers here in the Diocese of Charlotte, to take your inspiration from the Gospel account of the washing of the feet,” said Deacon Pais to the deacons and wives.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus washed the feet of the Twelve Apostles, demonstrating an extreme form of humility and love.

During the retreat, Father Sheridan spoke about vices and their corresponding virtues.

“This weekend was very appropriate for what we need at this time,” said Ladis Zimmerle, wife of Deacon John Zimmerle at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville.

“I’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit.

It has been very rewarding,” she said.

WANT MORE INFO? For more information on the diocese’s permanent diaconate, visit www.charlottediocese.org/deacons.html.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

exploring the bible

October 17, 2008

Women in Bible held wide range of roles BIBLE, from page 1

She talks about Shiphrah and Puah in Exodus, two women who put their lives at risk by defying the pharaoh’s law of death in order to uphold God’s law of life.

Then there’s the prophet Huldah — one of few women or men called a prophet — who made history, as told in Chapter 22 of the Second Book of Kings, by verifying the authenticity of an ancient scroll discovered in the Temple.

And there’s Phoebe, whom Paul refers to by the Greek word for deacon in his Letter to the Romans because of her service to the church of Cenchreae.

(The New American Bible uses the word “minister” in place of the Greek “diakonis” because the concept of deacon had yet to evolve in the young church.)

Sister Fox, 72, said she tells these stories — and many others — because they are important for the faithful to hear, and especially because they are not included in the Lectionary used at Sunday Masses.

“I believe women have a very, very important role in Scripture and it’s not recognized,” Sister Fox said. “Women are often taken for granted but their role is so very important. I would hope it would be recognized by the church.”

It’s been about 20 years since Sister Fox wrote her widely circulated article, “Women in the Bible and the Lectionary.”

In it, she briefly recapped the stories of numerous women from the Old and New Testaments, sharing their inspiring examples of faith and leadership.

Her article was based on a lengthy study she conducted on the Lectionary, which found that the Mass readings in use since 1976 omitted or designated as optional numerous Scripture passages that refer to women’s leadership roles.

She also found that some of the passages about women that remained in the Lectionary reinforced what some consider to be more passive roles of women.

Today, Sister Fox is prioress of her community at Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, N.D., and still leads retreats about women in Scripture. “I come forth with the facts and not just opinions ... that can’t be denied. And what people do with it is their responsibility,” she said.

Sister Fox’s work is one aspect in the burgeoning research field of women in Scripture. Interest in the topic has exploded since the 1970s, corresponding with the secular women’s movement.

Dominican Sister Barbara Reid, professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said the field has opened new ways to look at Scripture by “holding up the lost stories of women.”

Such work has spanned both the Old and New Testaments as scholars try to decipher the role of women in history and in ministry. Some women have been depicted as influential, being

counted on by early Jewish kings for their advice and viewpoints. Others have been acknowledged as disciples for their work in establishing the church in far-off places in the first and second centuries. Many more go unnamed and contribute in small ways to the modern understanding of Scripture.

Carol Meyers, professor of religion at Duke University in North Carolina and a scholar on women of the Old Testament, said biblical women can serve as role models for anyone today.

She is one of the principal authors of “Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament,” which has become a widely used reference work. It contains more than 800 entries examining the women in Scripture, and includes prominent women such as Deborah, Esther and Mary Magdalene, as well as unnamed women and female imagery developed

by Scripture authors.

“In terms of public roles and community roles ... there’s 15 to 17 public roles depicted for women in the Old Testament,” she explained. “It means that women were not all relegated to the household, that there are women with positions of authority in the community. We tend to forget about that and think about women who are subordinate and subservient and that’s not necessarily the case.”

Like Meyers, Sister Reid has studied the topic of women in Scripture — in her case the New Testament — for much of her career. She examines the role of women from the viewpoint of women’s experiences.

“It’s not about analyzing female characters but more about using lenses of feminist consciousness ... reading with the eyes, mind and hearts of women, with women’s realities in the forefront,” Sister Reid explained. “Women have always been interpreting the Bible. What’s new is that women are starting to have each other’s work to build on.”

Sister Reid’s work has focused on what the roles of women in Scripture say to women today. She said that while New Testament books do not tell the stories of women being called as the Twelve Apostles were, women were alongside Christ on his journey through Galilee and later to Jerusalem.

The Gospel of Luke tells of Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna accompanying Christ as he went “from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.” After Christ’s ascension, the first generations of the church were largely domestic in nature, meaning the faithful met and worshipped in someone’s home, many times with a woman leading the gatherings, Sister Reid explained.

Paul’s letters to emerging Christian communities and Luke’s Acts of the Apostles mention several such women: Nympha (Col 4:15) and Prisca, or Priscilla, and her husband, Aquila (Acts 18:2-3 and Rom 16:3-5).

Such house churches were portrayed

CNS photos by Crosiers

Deborah, Mary Magdalene and Esther are depicted in stained-glass windows. Deborah was named a prophet and judge of Israel and is recognized as a mother of Israel. Mary Magdalene was a faithful disciple of Jesus and used her resources to support him and the apostles. Esther was a heroine who saved her people from annihilation. to show the connection between faith and family life, which was the domain of women, said Sister Carolyn Osiek, Catholic professor of New Testament at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

She said some women traveled, like Paul, as evangelists for Christ. But it was the house churches, she explained, where people formed bonds while learning the faith, providing hospitality for visiting

Christians, baptizing new believers and networking first-century style.

The women mentioned by Paul were among the most prominent and likely the most prosperous in their communities, said Sister Osiek, a member of Society of the Sacred Heart.

Nonetheless, their example of living faith-filled lives can serve to inspire women and men alike in the 21st-century church, she said.

Cardinal: Bible Belt a“There ‘frame of mind’ are surely issues and problems VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Bible Belt refers geographically to parts of the southern United States, but it is also “a frame of mind” in which Bible passages and images are alive and relevant to life, said Texas Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

The cardinal addressed the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible Oct. 11, sharing stories of faith from his region and suggesting the Catholic Church draw up a “compendium for the reading and sharing of sacred Scripture.”

He said the document should be addressed to the faithful, not experts, and should “highlight the rich and useful methods and approaches in the church, past and present, for reading, interpreting, praying and living the word of God.” The compendium would provide guidance to Catholics who read the Bible alone or in groups and would give them an understanding of the church’s approach to the Scriptures, which is important especially for Catholics who “deal regularly with non-Catholic Bible study groups and individuals,” he said.

Cardinal DiNardo told the synod he was speaking on “behalf of Catholics who live in the famous Bible Belt of the southern United States. But, though a location, the Bible Belt is a frame of mind also.”

with this mindset,” he said, “but it has kept alive a biblical imagination and vocabulary” as well as a sense of God still at work in the world.

Cardinal DiNardo told the synod about a Catholic woman whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Ike and a nonCatholic woman whose home was flooded.

He met the Catholic when he went to the cathedral to assess the damage. She noted that the statue of Mary was still on top of the cathedral and, quoting from the Gospel of Luke, she said, “‘Blessed is she among women.’ We will be okay.”

An hour later he met the other woman who talked about the damage to her home, saying, “but ‘the Lord drew me out of the miry clay,’” a line from Psalm 40.

“Both responses were deeply biblical and touching,” the cardinal said. While some Americans would ridicule their faith and Bible quoting, he said, “they both displayed intelligence and humility.

Their attitude reflected openness to the Holy Spirit and their quotations of the biblical texts were wise and prayerful.”

Cardinal DiNardo said he hoped the synod would keep such people in mind in its deliberations, helping the faithful, correcting them when necessary, but especially supporting “their hope and their lived knowledge that God is active in the world.”

October 17, 2008

campaign ’08

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Iraq War poses major challenges for next president CAMPAIGN, from page 1

United States took pre-emptive action to head off what it considered a potential threat to its national security.

However, surveys show Americans are growing increasingly impatient with the war as the cost of remaining in Iraq soars to nearly $560 billion and casualties mount.

The Web site www.icasualties.org recorded 4,182 U.S. soldiers killed and another 30,634 injured as of Oct. 13.

(The figures do not include Iraqi deaths or those of foreign military forces and private contractors.)

Even with the planned withdrawal of 8,000 troops within the next several weeks, more than 130,000 U.S. military personnel will remain in the country when either Republican Sen. John McCain or Democratic Sen. Barack Obama takes the oath of office as America’s 44th president Jan. 20.

Varying views How the two major candidates address the war is indicative of the personal histories of each man.

Obama, who publicly opposed the war even before his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, has pledged to seek a “diplomatic surge” to bring peace to the region.

McCain, the military hero who was tortured as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, adheres to a stay-the-course strategy, promising to eradicate Iraqibased terrorism before he will consider reducing U.S. forces in the country.

Specifically, Obama has said he plans a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops, beginning almost immediately after taking office. His plan calls for

virtually all troops to be withdrawn by the summer of 2010, leaving a residual force to perform limited missions in support of the Iraqi government.

Obama has said gradual troop withdrawals would pressure the Iraqi leadership to move more rapidly to take responsibility for the country’s security.

In contrast, McCain uses the language of his military background, promising to take whatever steps are necessary to fight terrorism and keep America safe.

McCain’s plan calls for reducing the U.S. military presence in Iraq only when Iraqi forces can safeguard the country.

Demonstrating his commitment to the war effort, the senator from Arizona said during a campaign stop in January that troops would stay in Iraq for 100 years if necessary.

Neither view matches exactly the stance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which initially opposed military intervention and since 2006 has called for bipartisan cooperation to bring about a “responsible transition” in the oil-rich nation.

The bishops seek the return of U.S. troops as soon as possible, provided the Iraqis can govern their country in the wake of the war, explained Stephen Colecchi, director of the USCCB’s Office of International Justice and Peace.

“The bishops don’t see the war in Iraq primarily as a partisan issue,” Colecchi told Catholic News Service.

“They see it primarily as a human and moral issue. They don’t support the extreme response of an immediate withdrawal nor the extreme response of an indefinite deployment (of troops).

They’re saying we have serious moral questions we have to deal with. We have to get out as soon as we possibly can, but we have to do it in a responsible way that minimizes loss of life and helps to

CNS photo by Ibrahim Sultan, Reuters

An Iraqi girl looks at a U.S. soldier as he tries to tie the strap of her school bag. U.S. forces distributed the bags to pupils during the opening ceremony of a primary school after its renovation in Mahmudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 6. rebuild the country of Iraq.”

Along with stabilizing the country, the bishops say the needs of more than 2 million Iraqi refugees — many of them Christians who fled to Syria and Jordan — and another 2 million internally displaced Iraqis must be addressed.

“The U.S., because of its role as the occupying power, has a legal responsibility under international law and a moral responsibility to assist the Iraqi people in doing that,” Colecchi said. “And the Iraqis themselves need to make difficult political decisions that will lead to reconciliation within their communities.”

Obama’s platform concurs with the bishops’ assessment. No mention of refugees and displaced people can be found in McCain’s platform.

‘Complicated mix’ Catholic analysts say the situation in the Middle East is much broader than Iraq, and that whoever becomes president will find the perilous relationship between Israel and the Palestinians undermining any attempt to achieve peace in the region.

Iran’s role in the insurgency in Iraq, Iran’s nuclear program and the dangers posed by Islamic extremists also pose challenges for the U.S. role in the region.

“It’s a complicated mix there,” said Gerard Powers, director of policy studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

“I think Obama would take a more regionwide approach, a more multilateral approach. McCain is more focused on the urgent need for security,” she said.

Despite the candidates’ current positions, Powers and Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, editor of America magazine and an expert in Middle East affairs, said with the changing political situation in Iraq — a gradually strengthening central government and declining violence — the positions of McCain and Obama appear to be inching closer together.

“I think the U.S. needs to abide by what an independent government of Iraq wants to do,” Father Christiansen said.

“I don’t think the Iraqis want the U.S. to pull out entirely, but they may want more (withdrawals) than some of the reluctant

members of the military and the foreign policy establishment would like.”

Father Christiansen said Obama’s experience in community organizing, where negotiating is a valued skill, may help bring more partners to the table in the hope of achieving a regional peace more readily than the primarily militarybased solution espoused by McCain.

The complexity of the issues will take patience and a commitment for a just solution for all parties, he said.

“But in addition to taking patience, it’s going to take wise and just policy on the part of the U.S.,” the Jesuit said.

“I don’t think we can presume we’re the biggest and the best. What’s happened, the situation in Georgia has indicated that just because we’re the biggest, we can’t think everyone is going to go along with what we want.”

“You need a wise, just, generous policy that is very longsighted,” he added. “And for some time to come the U.S. military will be needed for world stability. The U.S. is going to need to do that but with a policy that uses both hands and that the hand holding the olive branch has to be out front.”

Powers expressed concern, however, about McCain’s “embrace of the Bush administration’s pre-emptive war argument.” If McCain holds fast to that view, it would dim the prospects for a regional peace accord, he said.

Whether Obama or McCain occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., rebuilding the country’s credibility in diplomatic circles will be one of the most difficult challenges the next president faces, said Dave Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA. “Our concern is the way this war has been waged, U.S. credibility has been so damaged. It’s hard to imagine the U.S. will be able to broker the international engagement that will be necessary (to bring peace to Iraq),” he said.

He suggested that the 44th president must seek international cooperation, joining with the United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union to ensure peace for Iraq and its neighbors.

“That’s core to the Catholic view,” he said.

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October 17, 2008

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Culture Watch

Authors provide valuable volumes on church, from different angles reviewed by RACHELLE LINNER catholic news service

Boston College professor James O’Toole’s considerable gifts as a historian and writer make “The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America” both a pleasure to read and an important contribution to American Catholic history.

O’Toole, whose earlier works include a biography of Boston’s magisterial Cardinal William O’Connell, takes a different approach in this study. “The Faithful” tells the story of American Catholicism not through its leaders or institutions, but through the lens of “the men and women in the pews.”

The result is a richly layered narrative that communicates a complex history while retaining its focus on the lived experience of Catholicism.

“For Catholics, though they are members of an institutional church, the underlying loyalty is to a way of seeing the world (both this one and the one that is believed to come after it) no less than to an ecclesiastical structure,” he writes. “This vision requires nurturing through religious practice: sacraments, liturgy and prayer, both individual and communal.”

O’Toole identifies six broad periods of American Catholic history: the priestless church of the pre-Revolutionary period, the early years of the republic, the immigrant church, the church of Catholic Action, of Vatican II, and, projecting into the future, of the 21st century.

O’Toole clarifies what was distinctive about each era’s demographics, devotional practices, relationships between laypeople and clergy, and attitudes toward the papacy and American political and cultural life.

The book’s strength is its incarnational sensibility, the way O’Toole illustrates historical and theological ideas with specificity, narrating often poignant anecdotes with clarity, respect and a refreshing lack of polemics.

This is not to say that O’Toole is timid. He is impatient with people who long to return to a supposed golden age of Catholic life. He presents evidence that the “disaffection” of the laity and anger over clericalism in the aftermath of the sexual abuse crisis is radically different from earlier conflicts between laypeople and priests, a situation that is complicated by the “generational split ... in the ranks of the clergy.”

“The American Catholic Church has become a church of the middle class, even the upper-middle class, and a church of the poor and the working class, all at the same time. In its earlier immigrant eras it was a church mostly of the ‘bottom,’ without much representation at the ‘top’ of society,” writes O’Toole.

“During its present era, it is both.

There is a danger in this. Catholicism in

WORD TO LIFE

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

America may move toward becoming two churches, or perhaps three: one for the well-off and largely white; one for working-class ‘white ethnics’; and a third for poorer people of color. Such an outcome, however, can be avoided.

Catholicism has always been, in the often-cited words of James Joyce, a matter of ‘here comes everybody.’”

O’Toole hopes that “understanding the successive ages of their church may open (Catholics) to accepting change that will continue whether they want it to or not.” This wonderful book enhances confidence in the future because it demonstrates the resilience, fidelity and creativity of the faithful.

Father Richard McBrien, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, has written a comprehensive and useful one-volume study of ecclesiology, “the theological study of the church ... as a mystery, or sacrament.”

“The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism,” designed primarily for an academic setting, is also suitable for private study. Father McBrien is a skillful teacher, able to explain theological concepts, history and personalities in accessible language.

F a t h e r M c B r i e n ’s m o s t comprehensive treatment is of the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, which “retrieved much of the ancient church’s more dialogical stance toward the world and its emphasis on its communal, participatory life.”

Father McBrien offers a cogent reading of “Lumen Gentium” (the document that focuses on internal church matters) and “Gaudium et Spes” (which addresses the relationship of the church to the world).

Most helpfully, Father McBrien explains the ongoing conflict about whether the council was a reform of, or a rupture with, previous teachings.

The contentious debates about how to interpret the council have a direct relationship to controversial topics in post-Vatican II ecclesiology, including the nature of the church as a communion, the sacraments, authority in the church, the reception of doctrine, ordained and nonordained ministry, and ecclesiologies proposed by women and minorities.

Father McBrien provides a balanced explanation of these disputes, but his reputation as a polarizing figure in the church may result in the book being unfairly characterized by those who assail his liberal reputation.

That w o u ld b e u n f o r tu n ate, because this is a balanced resource that can serve the church’s pastoral and intellectual life.

Linner, a freelance writer, lives in Boston.

Sunday Scripture Readings: Oct. 26, 2007

Oct. 26, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A Readings: 1) Exodus 22:20-26 Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51 2) 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10 Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

Treatment of others related to view of ourselves by

SHARON K. PERKINS catholic news service

My sister-in-law is a professional genealogist — a family history researcher — and she helps people trace their roots and learn more about their heritage by gleaning information about their forebears.

About 20 years ago, I became fascinated enough by her work to begin our own family research. Examining birth and death records, strolling through cemeteries, interviewing elders and rummaging through dusty archives taught me a lot about my ancestors and the incredible hardships they endured as immigrants to this country.

The dates and names of history came alive as I connected them to the stories of real people and their relationships with one another. And although I am a product of a different time and place, I also see how my character traits aren’t all that different from theirs. By understanding them, I better understand myself.

Today’s selections from Scripture remind us that our treatment of others is closely related to the way we view ourselves. In the first reading, Yahweh makes a convincing case for Israel’s merciful treatment of the alien, the widow and the orphan by appealing to Israel’s own history in Egypt as a mistreated and marginalized people.

In the Gospel, Jesus declares that next to love of God, love of neighbor is the greatest commandment — and that one’s love of self is the measure with which one loves others.

By reflecting upon the way I would want to be treated, and by remembering my own personal experiences of being isolated, alienated, misunderstood and in need, I can more easily dissolve the barriers that stand between “me” and “them.”

By extending love and kindness to others, I open the door to experiencing God’s merciful love toward me.

In an election year when so many issues of social justice are thrown into sharp relief, and when the nation’s distribution of resources is often a topic of heated debate, perhaps it is helpful to remember who we are — and whose we are — by finding time to retreat from the clamor, remembering our own grace-filled moments, and regarding others with the same kindness with which God regards us.

Questions: When did you ever feel isolated or “marginalized,” and how were you treated? How can you as a voting citizen exercise your responsibility with justice and mercy?

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of October 19-25 Sunday (Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Isaiah 45:1, 4-6, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, Matthew 22:15-21; Monday (St. Paul of the Cross), Ephesians 2:1-10, Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday, Ephesians 2:12-22, Luke 12:35-38; Wednesday, Ephesians 3:2-12, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 12:39-48; Thursday (St. John of Capistrao), Ephesians 3:14-21, Luke 12:49-53; Friday (St. Anthony Mary Claret), Ephesians 4:1-6, Luke 12:54-59; Saturday, Ephesians 4:7-16, Luke 13:1-9.

Scripture for the week of October 26 - November 1 Sunday (Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time), Exodus 22:20-26, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Matthew 22:34-40; Monday, Ephesians 4:32--5:8, Luke 13:10-17; Tuesday (Sts. Simon and Jude), Ephesians 2:19-22, Luke 6:12-16; Wednesday, Ephesians 6:1-9, Luke 13:22-30; Thursday, Ephesians 6:10-20, Luke 13:31-35; Friday, Philippians 1:1-11, Luke 14:1-6; Saturday (All Saints), Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

October 17, 2008

Can’t wait for the book?

See the Bible at the movies by

HARRY FORBES and JOHN MULDERIG

catholic news service

NEW YORK — It’s no secret that the Bible has long offered filmmakers a wealth of rich source material.

The stories contained within this cornerstone of Judeo-Christian faith and pillar of Western literature provide an apparently irresistible mix of saints and sinners to those rapacious Tinseltown moguls always on the lookout for crowd pleasers in the public domain.

In his 1997 “Jesus at the Movies,” W. Barnes Tatum points out that within three years of the invention of cinema there were as many versions of the Passion narrative committed to film. The Crucifixion also figures in D.W. Griffith’s 1916 epic, “Intolerance.”

The life of Jesus has been recounted innumerable times, the earliest major version being “King of Kings.” That 1927 silent was the work of master biblical epic-maker Cecil B. DeMille, though it was Nicholas Ray who helmed the 1961 remake with Jeffrey Hunter’s blue-eyed matinee-idol Christ.

Both Old and New Testaments continued to provide rich fodder through the transition to sound, with DeMille again leading the charge with such

simultaneously reverential and racy fare as “The Sign of the Cross” (1932).

The stately, picture-postcard “The Greatest Story Ever Told” in 1965 featured a host of unlikely Hollywood stars in cameo roles: John Wayne as a centurion, Jose Ferrer as Herod and Sidney Poitier as Simon of Cyrene, to name a few, and Ingmar Bergman-star Max Von Sydow as an imposing and reverential Savior.

After these epic excesses, director Pier Paolo Pasolini’s no-frills rendering, “The Gospel According to St. Matthew,” was widely acclaimed as the definitive telling of the story — though Mel Gibson’s 2004 box-office champ, “The Passion of the Christ,” was the most detailed account of Our Lord’s final earthly day.

The year 1973 saw two musical incarnations of the Jesus story — both adapted from the stage. In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” and Stephen Schwartz’s “Godspell,” the narrative was filtered through a rock star and hippie sensibility, respectively.

Christ’s birth received a picturesque retelling in 2006’s “The Nativity Story,” though there was some consternation when star Keisha Castle-Hughes, who portrayed Mary, became the more usual

CNS photo by ABC

Charlton Heston stars as Moses in “The Ten Commandments.” kind of unwed mother in real life.

I n t e r m s o f O l d Te s t a m e n t adaptations, the prize goes to “The Ten Commandments” — DeMille’s 1956 remake of his 1923 silent — which never fails to garner whopping ratings in its annual TV outing. After Charlton Heston’s recent death, it was his portrayal of Moses that dominated all the obituaries.

John Huston’s somewhat ponderous “The Bible” (1966) — an anthology that covered creation through the story of Abraham — was a noble attempt to dramatize the earliest passages of Genesis. But Steve Carell’s 2007 “Evan Almighty,” with the star as a modernday Noah, arguably trumped the earlier movie’s flood story.

Pious, often lengthy epics like DeMille’s 1949 “Samson and Delilah,” 1959 “Solomon and Sheba” and 1960

“The Story of Ruth” continued to mine the Hebrew Scriptures with entertaining but less artful results.

Two popular scripturally themed 19th-century novels — Polish novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz’s “Quo Vadis” and Lew Wallace’s “Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ” — have received multiple screen treatments dating back to the silent era.

The former, which charts the activities of St. Peter in the early days of the church, was especially well-served in its 1951 MGM version.

The lavish 1925 silent version of “Ben-Hur” with Ramon Novarro still impresses with its evocative use of tinting and spectacular chariot race, but William Wyler’s 1959 remake with Charlton Heston was heralded as superior, picking up a then-unprecedented 11 Oscars, including one for best picture.

Other stories that intertwined fictional, biblical and historical events were adaptations of Lloyd Douglas’ “The Robe” (1953) and its even more kitschy 1954 sequel, “Demetrius and the Gladiators,” as well as 1962’s “Barabbas.”

Television picked up the biblical mantle early on, with Gian Carlo Menotti’s Nativity-themed opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” a holiday staple, starting in 1951.

Made-for-TV biblical movies — “Peter and Paul” (1981), “A.D.” (1985), “Joseph” (1995), “Moses” (1995), and “David” (1997), among them — are too plentiful for discussion here, but let it be said that Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977) stands high in the pantheon of quality Gospel adaptations.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

October 17, 2008

in the news

Visiting Venice

Courtesy Photo

A group of travelers taking part in a diocesan trip to experience the sights and culture of Italy Sept. 14-24 is pictured at St. Mark’s Square in Venice. While in Venice, Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, celebrated Mass for the group in a private chapel in St. Mark’s Basilica, the cathedral of Venice. The next diocesan trip is to Costa Rica Feb. 4-12, 2009. (See page 16.)

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October 17, 2008

School fans

in our schools

The Catholic News & Herald 13

All about apples

Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo

First-graders from St. Michael School in Gastonia choose apples during a class

Fourth-graders at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem raise their hands

trip to Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill in York, S.C., Sept. 23. The trip was to

to the question “Who likes school?� posed by senior wide receiver D.J. Boldin

celebrate the Sept. 26 birthday of Johnny Appleseed, a pioneer who introduced

of the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons football team. Boldin visited

apples to Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The students learned about Appleseed and

the class Oct. 2 as the special guest of student Brett Knorr, who gave a report

how apple cider is made, took a hayride and navigated a sunflower maze, and

on a book about football. Boldin spoke about the importance of education for

made a scarecrow, which they named Michael and brought back to the school

everyone, including athletes.

to share with their fellow students.

October 17, 2008

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Crisis in the economy Competence, conscience and faith needed to fix problems Few people think of it this way, but we live in a faith-based economy.

Not religious faith, to be sure, but faith nonetheless.

Religious language without religious meaning has dominated the headlines in recent weeks. “Confidence in Financial Markets Plummets,” we read. Notice that “con” is English for “cum,” the Latin preposition meaning “with,” and “fides” is Latin for “faith.” So con-fidence means “with faith.”

Whenever confidence in markets takes a hike, faith has slipped away before it.

The credit markets are frozen, business analysts warn. Well “credit” derives from the Latin “credo,” “I believe,” and there again, when credit stops flowing, faith has preceded lending into the deep freeze.

Banks stop lending to other banks — and to business or individual borrowers — because confidence in their ability to repay has vanished.

Interesting, isn’t it, to recall that when a company was formed in Boston some years ago to manage other people’s financial assets, the founders decided to call it “Fidelity.”

You’ll find “trust,” “providence” and other terms from the vocabulary of religious faith sprinkled throughout business directories listing banks, insurance and mortgage companies.

Religious faith would have you entrust yourself to God; secular faith involves mutual trust between buyer and seller, lender and borrower in the marketplace.

There are many markets in the world of finance. Best known, perhaps, is the stock market, but that’s not where the problem lies today.

To the extent that speculation displaces investment, and greed drives decisions to buy or sell, there will be speculative bubbles in the stock market and cause for genuine concern. Indeed, stock market fluctuations signal stress in the nation’s economic nervous system.

But our current problems relate chiefly to the credit markets and have their underlying causes in overpriced real estate and the subprime mortgage loans foisted upon willing but unqualified borrowers by greedy and profit-seeking lenders.

As the whole world knows, all this led to a legislative crisis and executive leadership challenge in our national government.

Neither Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson nor President George Bush is familiar, I suspect, with a classic principle of Catholic social teaching known as the “principle of subsidiarity.”

This principle is designed to keep government in its place. In essence, it

Looking Around JESUIT FATHER WILLIAM J. BYRON cns columnist

CNS photo by Lucas Jackson, Reuters

says that no decision should be taken to a higher level of organization that can be taken as efficiently and effectively at a lower level.

This principle was articulated by Pope Pius XI in 1931 in “Quadragesimo Anno,” marking the 40th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum.”

Although they may never have heard of it, both Secretary Paulson and President Bush did, however, use the language of subsidiarity when they argued in September that the federal government had to come to the rescue because the problem was “too big” to be handled efficiently and effectively at any other level in our economic system.

Only government, what some critics scornfully call “big government,” was up to the job. The president and treasury secretary were right. The Senate immediately agreed and the House of Representatives eventually came around to seeing the light.

This is not socialism any more than the New Deal was socialism. Much repair work remains to be done. The tradition of Catholic social thought can help.

Those responsible for fixing our problems must have competence (knowledge of economics and finance) and conscience (ethical principles).

Faith in themselves will help. Faith in God is not to be overlooked. Ideology at either extreme of the political spectrum will only get in the way.

Life is not a choice Children should be given opportunities to live Editor’s note: This is the last in a series on prenatal diagnosis.

The British Broadcasting Corporation produces many comedy series that are shown on American TV. One of those comedies, “Keeping Up Appearances,” is televised on PBS on Saturday evenings.

There is a character who is never seen nor heard, but exists by way of supposed telephone conversations between himself and his mother. The character’s name is “Sheridan.” Hopefully his character is not based upon a real life character by the same name.

T h e r e i s , h o w e v e r, a n o t h e r “Sheridan” who is not fictional at all, and she in fact is a 3-year-old girl who nearly did not make it into this life.

A couple in one of my former parishes are the proud parents of Sheridan. Both mother and father converted to the Catholic Church in different years and were eventually married.

The woman was in her late 40s when she and her husband learned she was pregnant. It was a surprise, but a happy one indeed.

In preparing for the birth of their child, the couple visited their doctor to get advice for the months ahead. That office visit turned into a very different kind of surprise.

The advice involved having an abortion. Perhaps it was based upon the age of the mother to be, or because of some testing upon the child and mother.

Whatever the specifics, their unborn child was given a poor prognosis.

The couple told the doctor that they could not follow his advice because of their faith and belief in the value of life. Months later, a beautiful little baby was delivered into the world and was named Sheridan.

I was flattered and proud in the choice of this name, but also and more importantly because the couple had chosen life for the child instead of death.

Now getting ready for her third birthday, Sheridan is a vivacious, healthy and beautiful little girl. She is alive today because of a faith and a trust in God’s providence, and the adherence of her parents to the principle of life.

Recently I ran into a similar situation involving the same advice — a different

Life Issues Forum FATHER EDWARD SHERIDAN guest columnist

doctor gave another expectant couple the advice to abort.

This couple works in the health care profession and knew what questions to ask. Their decision from the very beginning was that no matter what might be predicted, their baby would be born and not aborted.

Again, the result was the delivery of a gorgeous, healthy and wonderful baby.

Both couples had planned not to abort but instead to give their babies the wonderful opportunity to live. No matter what, both couples were ready to face any difficulty or challenge that might be presented to them.

But how many other couples or individuals either do not have a belief in life or do not know the right questions to ask? How many others would take the advice of the professionals and snuff out the life of another human being?

Life would not be the choice, and the heartache of abortion would haunt them forever.

As we read in Scriptures: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1, 5). God knows us intimately and loves us beyond our wildest imaginations.

In light of that, whose advice should be followed — the professional’s or the Lord’s?

Ultimately, the answer is found in Scriptures: “I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life” (Deut. 30, 19).

Father Sheridan is a retired priest of the Diocese of Charlotte.

For more information regarding prenatal diagnosis or available support services, contact elizabethministry@ roadrunner.com.

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October 17, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Fostering a missionary spirit in children As parents, we teach our kids to go, love, serve With World Mission Sunday around the corner, Oct. 19, let’s look at how parents foster a missionary spirit in their children.

In fact, we parents can’t be accused of not fostering a missionary spirit in our kids. (“Missionary,” coming from the Latin “mitto,” “mittere,” “misi,” “missus,” meaning “to send.”)

As our kids grow up, one of the most frequent commands they hear from us is “Go!” “Go get ready for bed.”

“Go set the table.”

“Go say you’re sorry.”

“Go do your homework.”

“Go outside and play.”

“Go to your room! Now! Go!” “You want more money? Go get a job this summer.”

Seeing the big picture, we moms and dads know that our little dears are “here,” but now it’s time for them to move “there.”

And while they’re “there,” they should brush their teeth and put on their pajamas. Or assist a sibling.

Or apologize for misbehavior. Or finish that school assignment that’s due tomorrow.

Or get some fresh air and exercise.

Or just settle down and be in a “time out.”

Or come to appreciate the fact that money doesn’t grow on trees.

(Yes, you promised yourself you’d never tell your kids that money doesn’t grow on trees, but there you are telling them just that. And if you want to do something nice for your own parents, let your mom and dad know that you told your children about money and trees.

That’ll make their day.)

Why are parents so fond of “Go!”?

It’s part of our job. Our duty. Our responsibility. We know from experience that after our children have heard it for many years they’re more likely to say it to themselves as they get older.

Maturity lets a person spot “here” and “there” and recognize there are some things he or she should be doing “there.”

In high school it might mean going over and talking to the new kid who seems to be floundering or the classmate who has a hard time making friends.

In college it could be getting up and going to class even if that class begins at (yawn) 9 a.m.

On the job, in a marriage, as a parent, at the parish and, of course, at the end of Mass: “Go. Love. Serve.”

As Catholics, each of us is a “multiple missionary.” Called. Sent — as a son or daughter, a brother or

Yes or no? Is that your final answer?

Doing God’s will means following through on good intentions In the Gospel of St. Matthew (Ch. 21), Jesus tells us of a man who asked his two sons to go to his vineyard. One said yes, the other said no.

Were those their final answers? They were not.

So although “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” was an invention of British television in 1998, apparently the Jewish people were playing a similar game 2,000 years ago.

But our Christian journey has nothing to do with such a game. The parable of the Gospel has a story beyond the story: There was a struggle between “yes” and “no” and that struggle is still going on.

Jesus Christ invites us to mean what we say and to say what we mean. The struggle between “yes” and “no” has been recorded throughout the Bible; for instance, the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:25-28) gives us an example of a “yes” changed into a “no” and a “no” changed into a “yes.”

The two sons mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel were both wrong

and Jesus was not really praising anyone. Rather, Jesus’ parable sets before us two types of people.

First, those who profess one thing and practice another — their promises do not match their actions.

Second, those who are better than they sound — they seem not to be interested in religion, but they really are and they live true Christian lives.

The challenge of the Gospel is to remind us that this world is full of these “yes people” and “no people.”

And the question for us is: “What is our final answer to God’s call to holiness?”

St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine were “no people,” as we have learned from their early lives, but they had the courage to become “yes people” later on and have become heroes.

To make this drastic change from “no” to “yes,” a process must take place: The process of repentance, which is not simply wishing to be good, but actually

Your Family BILL and MONICA DODDS cns columnists

sister, a friend, a classmate, a neighbor, a workmate, an employer, a spouse or single person, a priest or religious, a parent or grandparent, a retiree and on and on.

And in every setting that we find ourselves or move ourselves into over the years, it’s our heavenly Father who sees the infinite picture and tells us to go.

To love. And to serve.

And speaking of parents and missionaries, the mother and father of St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) are scheduled to be beatified on World Mission Sunday, Oct. 19.

Therese (along with St. Francis Xavier, 1506-1552) is the patron of foreign missions, even though she was a cloistered Carmelite nun.

You can read more about Therese and Francis at www.xaviermissionaries. org, and about Therese’s parents at www. sttherese.com.

Bill and Monica Dodds are the founders of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver and editors of My Daily Visitor magazine.

Guest Column CAPUCHIN FATHER JOHN C. AURILIA guest columnist

being good. I heard hell is full of good intentions, and nobody ever went to heaven with good intentions only.

Our country has recently witnessed some tragic events, such as devastating hurricanes and the financial meltdown. All this comes down to one simple issue: The world is full of uncertainties, so why don’t we make God our rescue plan?

After the disaster of Hurricane Ike, some brave souls gathered together in the nearly deserted cathedral in Galveston, Texas, where Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston said, “This calls us in times of great distress to have patience and kindness with one another.”

In those moments of catastrophe and destruction, there was a tiny light of hope — an impromptu baptism in one of the shelters. Praise the Lord! And say “yes” to him.

Capuchin Father John C.Aurilia is pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.

Pope says God, not people, created the church The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The church is not a club founded by people with a common interest; it is a living body convoked and created by God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

It is through the proclamation of the living Christ that “God comes to all peoples and reunites them as one people of God,” the pope said Oct. 15 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. The pope focused on St. Paul’s teachings on the church and its meaning.

The Greek word “ekklesia,” which is translated as assembly and church in English, was used in the Old Testament to mean an assembly of the people of Israel summoned or called upon by God, the pope said.

In his writings, St. Paul used the term to mean “the new community of believers in Christ” and “the new convocation of all peoples by God and before God,” the pope said. St. Paul realized “the God of Israel, through Christ, came to the people ... and became the God of all peoples.”

Different languages and cultures could not separate the people of God; “everyone was called in their diversity to become part of the one people of God, in the church of God, in Christ,” said the pope. This was the essence of St. Paul’s evangelical mission — to “embed the community of believers in Christ,” he said.

For St. Paul, the pope said, church meant both an assembly of God’s people in a particular place, city or home, and it also meant “all the church in its entirety.”

Each local church is in itself a reflection or “realization of God’s one church.”

St. Paul also formulated the concept of the church as the body of Christ, said the pope. Each individual Christian, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, is an integral part that is necessary for the life and functioning of the body as a whole. And the church is not just a gathering of individuals but “truly becomes the body of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist where everyone receives his body and we truly become his body,” he said.

He said in this way St. Paul shows people that the church does not belong to a particular person or group but is precisely the body of Christ, “the church of God, God’s field, God’s building.”

God is no longer confined to sacred places, the pope said. “God does not live in buildings made of stone; rather God’s presence in the world is in the living community of believers,” he said.

Pope Benedict called on Christians to remember “we are temples of God in the world, places where God truly lives, and we are at the same time a community, a family of God.”

October 17, 2008

The Catholic News & Herald 16

in the news

Trials and tribulations

Legatus members find faith helps them cope with Wall Street upheaval by

ANGELO STAGNARO catholic news service

CNS photo by Brendan McDermid, Reuters

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Oct. 2. Many Catholics who work on Wall Street and are trying to cope with the current upheaval in all sectors of the financial markets by finding strength in their faith and through Legatus, an organization of “ambassadors of Christ in the marketplace.”

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NEW YORK — Many Catholics who work on Wall Street and are trying to cope with the current upheaval in all sectors of the financial markets seem to be finding strength in their faith and the relationships they have made through Legatus, an organization of “ambassadors of Christ in the marketplace.”

Catholics “involved in the financial sector” are as vulnerable to “fluctuations in the economy as anyone else,” said Daniel Schreck, coordinator for the Manhattan chapter of Legatus. “From what I have seen, I do think the Catholic faith has given them a sense of peace even in these turbulent times” “Due to the personal relationships, which are the foundation of any Legatus chapter, members have a support system at their disposal,” he continued, adding, “Bottom line — Legatus gives these business executives the friendships and support necessary to confront life’s ups and downs.”

Legatus — Latin for ambassador — is an organization of Catholic business leaders. It was created by Tom Monahan, founder of Domino’s Pizza, to give Catholic CEOs an opportunity to bring their faith into their business and professional lives.

Membership is open to men and women. There are more than 60 chapters in the United States, Canada, Ireland and Poland. Members are expected to spread the faith through good example, good deeds and high ethical standards.

Members of the Manhattan chapter talked about the financial crisis at their most recent meeting, said Schreck.

Monthly meetings and regional and national conventions offer members opportunities “to connect with people of common interests and concerns,” he said, adding that he expected the country’s economic crisis to continue to come up in discussions among members.

“The best support anyone can be given (to get through it) is the support of

Christ through his church,” he said.

“Through the rock-solid foundation of the sacraments — and primarily the Mass and confession — Legatus offers its members the most fundamental and practical means to become good Catholics and effective ambassadors in the marketplace,” he said.

Legatus chapters around the country are independent of the local diocese but maintain a good relationship with the bishop, according to the organization.

Non-Catholics are welcome at Legatus functions.

Rod McCaughey and his wife, Betsy Irwin-McCaughey, belong to Legatus Manhattan and to St. David the King Church in West Windsor, N.J. McCaughey is the CEO of Residential Lending Services. Irwin-McCaughey is chief operation risk officer of the Federal Reserve Bank.

“I find solace in my spirituality,” McCaughey explained. “My faith helps me with the trials and tribulations of being in business. Frankly, I don’t understand how someone can be in this business without faith, without a moral grounding.

Faith is not just for bad times like this, but for every day, even the good times.”

He said he leads his life and business “by the golden rule.”

“Whenever people stray far from this key rule, it never bodes well for society.

It becomes a free-for-all. Greed punishes itself,” McCaughey said. “People become a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself as it should be.”

When asked how her faith in Christ translates to Wall Street, IrwinMcCaughey said, “My faith in people is an extension of my faith in God. Legatus helps ensure fellowship among the members, which encourages a better, more ethical marketplace.”

She said at the organization’s monthly meetings members pray the rosary, go to confession and attend Mass. They also have a dinner, “usually with a relevant Catholic speaker who comes in to talk about some aspect of theology and its importance to business ethics,” she said.