Dec. 18, 2009

December 18, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Perspectives War and peace; Room for the Christ Child; Just laws protect human life

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI December 18, 2009

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

vOLUME 19

no. 7

Christmas blessings

Pope Benedict XVI visits a Nativity scene during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 16. The clay Nativity scene and tree decorations were gifts from Mexican artisans.

cns photo by paul haring

SPRED the joy Advent Mass brings special friends into community | Page 6

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus Three groups of area Catholics visit the Holy Land | Pages 8-9 photo by heather bellemore

courtesy photo

Culture Watch

Around the diocese

In our schools

Top stories of 2009; Archbishop Sheen considered for sainthood

Hope, help and inspiration; Youth group donates over $9,600

Generosity at Bishop McGuinness High School; How to spell Christmas

| Page 11

| Page 4-5

| Page 10

December 18, 2009

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

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

House moves comprehensive immigration bill forward WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a packed House hearing room Dec. 15, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, or CIR ASAP, was unveiled before a roomful of advocates from churches, community groups and others with interests in fixing the current immigration system.

Ryan Dwyer, immigration policy adviser for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, outlined for Catholic News Service some of the differences between the new legislation and previous immigration reform bills: new standards for immigrant detention; no “touchback” provision, which in previous bills would have required undocumented immigrants to return to their home countries to apply for legalization in the U.S.; the end of a program that gave local law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce federal immigration laws; a prohibition

on creating a national identification card; provisions allowing spouses and minor children to continue with their applications for naturalization or status adjustment even after the death of the family member that is a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

The bill also calls for a new independent federal commission on immigration and labor markets. This commission would be charged with setting levels of immigration based on employment needs.

A 12-page summary of the bill, which had not yet been formally introduced, includes points on border security, detention standards and employer verification in its enforcement sections.

Once the bill is introduced, it will be submitted to a committee for markup, then moved on to the House floor for consideration. Neither step was expected until after Christmas recess.

cns photo by karen callaway, catholic new world

A crowd of Latinos and Anglos watch as fireworks explode at Our Lady of the Shrine in Des Plaines, Ill., Dec. 11. According to Pew research, the growth of the Latino population in the U.S. is the primary reason that the percentage of Catholics in the nation has remained unchanged.

Growing Latino population challenges, energizes Church NEW YORK (CNS) — The rapid growth and cultural diversity of Latino Catholics makes tremendous demands on the Catholic Church at the same time it enriches and revitalizes the church community, according to speakers at a forum on “Becoming Latino: The Transformation of U.S. Catholicism.”

Latinos, like Catholics throughout the church, vary greatly and require a variety of pastoral responses. The U.S. bishops support integration as a way to receive people of different cultures into the church, rather than assimilation, which is dehumanizing and racist, the speakers said.

The Dec. 9 forum was sponsored by the Center on Religion and Culture at Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York.

“Latinos are two decades away from constituting (as much as) 50 percent of the Catholic population,” said Peter Steinfels, the center’s co-director.

“Latino Catholics will not just have a place at the table, they are likely to be the hosts at the table.”

The growth of the Latino population, through both immigration and births, is the primary reason the percentage of Catholics in the United States has remained consistent, at 23 percent to 24 percent, according to Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

“The U.S. is not becoming less Catholic because the Roman Catholic Church is becoming more Hispanic,” he said.

Lugo said the three main factors that determine a religious group’s share of the population are immigration, fertility rates

and the degree to which members change religious affiliation.

In general, the Catholic Church is a “leading demographic indicator,” said Lugo. “If you want to see where the country as a whole will be in 40 years, look at the Roman Catholic Church today.” He added that almost 50 percent of Catholics under age 40 are Latino.

“Ours is truly an immigrant church,” Lugo said. “If there’s a group that knows how to integrate immigrants through long practice, it’s the Roman Catholic Church.”

Msgr. Arturo Banuelas, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in El Paso, Texas, said comparisons of Latinos to groups who emigrated from other continents are misleading.

“Unlike other ethnic groups who lost many of their cultural traditions and language, we have not lost touch with our roots,” he said, as evidenced by the “dominant use of Spanish in our homes.”

Father Banuelas said, “Pastoral practice has to go beyond assimilationist attempts to integrate Latinos into mainstream USA or efforts to stop the wave of Catholics from becoming Protestant..”

He said church leaders needed to accept Latino popular religion as an authentic expression of Catholicism.

He also said Latinos want Catholic Church leaders to speak Spanish and address issues such as the needs of the rising Latino middle class; the departure of Latino youths from the church; Pentecostalism among Latinos; and the need for comprehensive church leadership formation and training programs.

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

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel Church will present “The Journey – A Walk to Bethlehem,” a glorious festival of lessons and carols, on Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at the church located at 3016 Providence Road. This free program will feature beautiful live scenes, traditional Christmas music and the extraordinary unfolding of the Christmas story narrated by Ty Boyd.

The church is located at 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. For more information, call (704) 364-5431.

HUNTERSVILLE — St. Mark Church will sponsor the 8th Annual St. Mark Christmas Pageant on Friday, Dec. 18 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the church located at 14740 Stumptown Road. All are invited to attend this evening of song, dance and drama as we follow the adventures of Seraphim and Cherubim who are on a mission from God to find hope for the world. For more

information, call Donna Smith, director of religious education, at (704) 948-1306 or by email at dsmith18@bellsouth.net.

CHARLOTTE — Father Rick DeClue will lead an Advent Retreat for women on Saturday, Dec. 19 at St. Vincent DePaul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road. It will begin with Mass at 9:00 a.m., followed by talks in the Activity Center on the theme, “The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us.” For more information and to register, call Peggy Pohlheber at (704) 5887311.

CHARLOTTE — “Annunciations” – A Guided Ignatian Advent Retreat will be offered by St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St., on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon in Biss Hall (under the church). Parking is free in The Green parking garage next door to the church. To attend the Saturday session, please email retreat4advent@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE — A Polish Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. at St. Matthew Church at 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. The sacrament of Reconciliation will be available beforehand starting at 2 p.m. For more information, call (704) 948-1678.

CHARLOTTE — A Healing Prayer Service will be held in the St. Matthew Chapel, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. The Charismatic Prayer Group will pray with you for your metal, spiritual or physical healing. For more information, email Barbara Gardner at CHLT5NC@aol.com.

decEMBER 18, 2009 Volume 19 • Number 7

Publisher: Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Interim Editor: Heather Bellemore 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.

December 18, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 3

FROM THE VATICAN

Vatican official promotes prayer during Year for Priests Encourages Catholics to pray for their priests’ daily ministry VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Without a daily diet of personal prayer, Catholic priests risk falling spiritually ill and endangering the well-being of the communities they serve, a top Vatican official said.

“Truly, without the vital food of prayer the priest becomes sick, the disciple does not find the strength to follow the Master, and thus dies of hunger. As a consequence his flock is scattered, and dies in its own turn,” said Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, head of the Congregation for Clergy.

His comments came in the latest in a series of periodic letters published by his congregation to mark the Vaticansponsored Year for Priests, which began in June 2009 and concludes in June 2010.

Cardinal Hummes offered for priests

the model of Moses, who was “found with his arms raised to heaven in prayer so that the people will not perish.” When a priest truly prays, the cardinal said, his daily ministry will be filled with joy and happiness and he will not risk dying of spiritual hunger.

“The Spirit will rekindle the fire in his heart. He will rekindle the passion and enchantment of the Lord, who is ever present,” he said.

Cardinal Hummes also encouraged Catholics to pray for their priests who he said “need to be strengthened by the prayer of the church and of every Christian.” He noted that the Congregation for the Clergy sponsors a holy hour for priests at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on the first Thursday of every month.

CHARLOTTE — The Cathedral of St. Patrick will host an Epiphany Celebration with the Cathedral of St. Patrick choir featuring traditional Christmas carols, on Sunday, Jan. 3. The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. in the cathedral, with a reception immediately following in the Family Life Center located at 1621 Dilworth Road. For more information, call (704) 334-2283.

for sharing, prayer and Bible study every Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. in the parish library, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road, Greensboro. For more information contact the church office at (336) 294-4696 or email gmagrinat@pol. net.

CHARLOTTE — March For Life Charlotte will be held Friday, Jan. 15. Please join others to march and pray for an end to abortion. At 11 a.m. marchers will gather in the Charlotte Diocese parking lot at the corner of W. Palmer and S. Church St. Signs will be available to carry and the march will start at 12 p.m., go to the corner of Trade and Tryon streets to pray, then continue on to the courthouse where we will pray a rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. For more information, call Tina Witt at (704) 846-7361. The website is www. marchforlifecharlotte.org.

HICKORY — St. Aloysius Church will offer a monthly Charismatic Mass on January 7 at 7 p.m. This Mass will be in English. Every other month, the Mass will be in Spanish. The Mass will be in the Sebastian Chapel, located at 921 Second Street NE. For more information, call Joan Moran at (828) 994-0880.

GASTONIA VICARIATE BELMONT — Queen of the Apostles Church will host The Newman Singers, a free concert, on Monday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. at the church located at 503 North Main St. They are a group of 20 college students from the Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Iowa. Their music is contemporary, and they will perform original liturgical music written by their director, Joe Mattingly. For more information, call (704) 825-9600.

GREENSBORO VICARIATE GREENSBORO — The Men’s Early Morning Bible Study Group will discuss the Catholic Epistles through December. Join us

Episcopal

calendar

January 4-9 Annual Bishop’s Retreat January 12 – 11:00 a.m.

Presbyteral Council Meeting Pastoral Center

Vatican says pope outraged by sex abuse in Ireland VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI shares “the outrage, betrayal and shame” felt by Irish Catholics over cases of clerical sexual abuse and the way abuse claims were handled by church leaders, and he plans to write a special pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Vatican said.

The letter “will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation,” said a statement issued by the Vatican Dec. 11. The statement was released after the pope and top Vatican officials spent 90 minutes meeting with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, president of the Irish bishops’ conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.

Cardinal Brady said the pope’s letter, which is expected early in January, will outline several initiatives, including public services of repentance for Irish bishops and priests.

“The climate in the church,” which

allowed abusers to go unpunished, will only change once there is a renewal, a willingness to publicly accept responsibility for one’s actions and greater involvement by laypeople in all areas of church life, the archbishop said.

The report concluded that, rather than being concerned about the victims, Catholic leaders were more interested in “the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of its assets.”

Describing acts of clerical sexual abuse as “heinous crimes,” the statement said Pope Benedict asked Catholics to join him in praying for the victims.

The pope wanted “once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large,” the statement said.

HICKORY VICARIATE

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATE WINSTON-SALEM — The Secular Franciscans invite area Catholics to a Come and See, an opportunity to find out about St. Francis and St. Clare, their way of life, and to learn about the Secular Franciscans.

The event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 5 at Our Lady of Mercy School Media Room, at 1730 Link Road, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Anne Modrow SFO at (336) 760-1938 or email annemodrow@ hotmail.com.

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 catholicnews@charlottediocese. org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events: January 13 – 10:00 a.m.

Mass for Vocations Awareness Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, Greensboro January 15 March for Life, Charlotte Pastoral Center

cns photo/pool via reuters

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet and Pope Benedict XVI exchange gifts during their meeting in the pope’s private library at the Vatican Dec. 11.

Vietnamese president meets pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI’s meeting with Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet marked an important step toward normalizing relations with the communist nation, said the Vatican.

The encounter Dec. 11 was the first time a president of communist Vietnam met with the pope and high-ranking Vatican officials.

Pope Benedict and President Triet spent 40 minutes in closed-door talks discussing “cooperation between church and state” said a Vatican statement.

President Triet had told an Italian newspaper that his government wanted to

establish diplomatic ties with the Vatican.

The Vatican and Vietnam have not had diplomatic relations since 1975 when the country was reunified under communist rule. At that time, the government severed ties with the Vatican and confiscated church property.

According to a Vietnam News Agency report, Vietnam has six staterecognized religions and more than 20 million believers, half of whom are Buddhists. Catholics comprise the nextlargest group at more than 6 million people, just slightly more than 7 percent of the population.

TO OUR READERS Due to the celebration of Christmas and the New Year, The Catholic News & Herald will not publish on Friday, Dec. 25 or Jan. 1. Our next edition will be Friday, Jan. 8. We wish everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas and New Year.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

December 18, 2009

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Hope, help and inspiration Burial assistance program perseveres despite increased costs, demand HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

Katie Dunne, Youth Minister St. Matthew Church in Charlotte

Beneficiaries of the burial assistance program are pictured from left. Harriet Bright, shown helping her son Aaron with homework in an undated photo, lost her husband to cancer after a long battle that drained their financial resources. Jonathan Flores, shown in the library at Queens University in Charlotte Dec. 14, lost his mother to apparent heart failure during his sophomore year.

“Everybody (who works at CSS) was God-sent. I don’t know how we would have gotten through the school year, the holidays, or even been able to cremate my husband if it hadn’t been for them,” said Bright.

She admits she had difficulty asking for help during those months, but “Jeannie Beall helped tremendously.”

Beall, a CSS social worker, kept in regular touch with the family to help provide for their needs.

Before J.T. Bright’s death, CSS provided school supplies for Aaron and gave the family Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets as well as holiday gifts of essential household items. J.T. Bright received a jacket and an electric blanket because he was always cold. CSS

also replaced their worn-out washing machine.

After J.T. Bright died, CSS offered the burial assistance program.

Harriet Bright says she will never forget the love she felt at this very difficult time. “I don’t know what I would have done without you,” she says with gratitude.

After her husband’s death, Bright found employment at Forest Lawn West funeral home. “There are so many people who walk through that door with not a dime to bury their loved ones. It is a way for me to give back,” she explains. “I know I can help people in their grief.”

See HOPE, next page

Although burials assisted through the program average 10 per month, the limited funds available this fiscal year, combined with increased burial costs, will fund only two burials per month.

Last fiscal year, June 31, 2008 to July 1, 2009, the Burial Assistance program buried 122 at a cost of $600 each. Some families could pay all or part of it. The Burial Assistance program paid a total cost of $54,200 for the 122 burials.

104

2009

2008

82

2007

63

75

2006

70

2005

47

65

2004

34

61

71

2003

9

46

65

2002

115

2001

On behalf of Monsignor McSweeney, the teens and parish family of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte, I am forwarding on to you the funds raised for your organization at our recent Just Cause Fast. ...During our 29 hours together, we educated ourselves on local crisis and homelessness issues, Catholic Social Services, the burial assistance program and its mission, shared that message with parishioners at all Masses, asking each person to consider donating $1, slept outside in cardboard boxes, participated in service opportunities in the local community, and celebrated the close of the fasting period with Mass and dinner. ...Through your continuing efforts to serve the individuals and families in our community, we ask you to ‘pass on the gift’ as needed.

Continue the gift “They’re angels,” said Harriet Bright, a Charlotte resident who discovered the CSS program through a hospice referral.

When her husband, J.T., learned he had terminal cancer, they had no insurance, no savings, and a five-year-old son named Aaron.

Bright found it necessary to quit her job to care for her family as all of their resources were poured into health care.

Two years ago, her husband died.

courtesy photos

2000

CHARLOTTE — The burial assistance program of Catholic Social Services recently received an unexpected gift of over $9,600 from the high school youth group at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. The group raised the funds through the LifeTeen Just Cause Fast held Nov. 7-8. This annual event is directed by teens who choose the cause, coordinate local service projects and schedule speakers to educate the larger parish community.

Youth group members benefit from the experience, too.

“It was an awesome experience to be a part of the planning team this year,” said Rocky Spinelli, junior at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw.

“It was such a humbling experience, and we were honored to be able to spend some time and pray a rosary together at Oaklawn cemetery,” said Natalie Nido, a senior at Providence High School in Charlotte.

Following is an excerpt from the letter sent to the burial assistance program with the donation:

1999

Teens choose burial assistance program as recipient

1998

Youth group donates over $9,600

1997

The St. Matthew Church youth group prays the rosary at Oaklawn Cemetery in Charotte Nov. 7.

CHARLOTTE — It’s hard enough to lose a loved one but it’s even harder when there are no financial resources for a funeral service or even a burial.

W h e n M e c k l e n b u rg C o u n t y discontinued funding to assist with indigent burials in 1994, Catholic Social Services (CSS) convened with a group of concerned citizens, social work professionals, funeral home directors and the Director of the City Cemetery.

The burial assistance program of Catholic Social Services was then created to provide funeral and burial or cremation services to families in need from Mecklenburg County, regardless of their faith. The cost to provide one burial increased this past July from $600 to $1,100.

The numbers of those in need of burial assistance have also risen by 40 percent at the same time that funeral costs have nearly doubled during the economic downturn.

Despite these challenges, the burial assistance program continues to assist those who find themselves without the means to bury loved ones.

1996

courtesy photo

December 18, 2009

AROUND THE DIOCESE

HOPE, from page 4

Completely unexpected When Blanca Lucia Londoño died of apparent heart failure Dec. 6, her 20-year-old son Jonathan Flores was in the middle of his sophomore year at Queens University. He suddenly found himself with no family other than his 14-year-old brother, no will for guidance, no financial resources, and an unpaid mortgage and bills.

Reeling from the sudden loss, Flores accepted a card from a police officer with a phone number for assistance. He called but received no information other than a recommendation to look up an attorney in the phone book.

With the “whole world” on his shoulders, Flores went to his professors to tell them he would be absent while he sorted out the costs of a funeral equivalent to his life savings.

“Thank God for a good community,” said Flores. A professor in the business department contacted three attorneys willing to help Flores pro bono. The school’s dean knew a funeral home director who referred Flores to the burial assistance program of CSS. Flores said his experience with the CSS burial assistance program was in stark contrast to his reception at the previous number he had called. He said the CSS staff received him with “warmth and sympathy” and genuinely understood his predicament.

“They’ve been angels and helped

me through a difficult situation,” said Flores. A memorial service at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte and other arrangements were made through the burial assistance program.

While his mother was still alive, Flores had offered to quit school to help with the mounting bills. However his mother, a first generation immigrant from Colombia, insisted he stay in school saying that “if I passed away right now, I would be fine because you have stepped through the door of the university.”

Flores said, “She also taught me to finish whatever I’ve started.”

His goal has been to complete dual degrees in corporate communications and business, with hopes to one day work in the financial district of New York City.

However, with the passing of Flores’ mother, education may have to wait. He says, “I don’t know how I can continue school full-time and get a full-time job.”

Community response Catholic Social Services, in partnership with local funeral homes and the City Cemetery Department, has administered the burial assistance program at no cost for the past 14 years.

The agency also absorbs the costs of social service support and eligibility verification for the program.

Since inception, the program has been administered with regular reporting to funding sources and undergoes a yearly audit.

Applicants are asked to contribute to the program as much of the cost of the burial as possible. Financial assistance is provided through charitable contributions of individuals, churches and other civic organizations when families are unable to cover the cost.

Join us in the March For Life Washington, D.C. Friday, January 22, 2010

The greatest financial support comes from generous people in the community who come forward as matching-gift donors. CSS is also managing an endowment fund established in 2000 to help address the long-term financial needs of the burial assistance program.

Over 500 indigent families have been helped through this program, whose directors describe it as a Christian ministry “dedicated to providing help to those in need, hope to those in despair, and inspiration for others to follow.”

Fees have not changed since the inception of the program but due to increased costs for funeral services over the years, it has become necessary to increase the payments to the funeral homes and the City Cemetery Department.

The burial assistance program recently received a donation of over $9,600 from a youth group at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte (see page 4). “For a youth group to take on that subject and delve into it shows a very mature outlook,” remarked an excited Geri King, director for the Charlotte Regional Office of Catholic Social Services.

However, those funds will quickly be used. During the course of the last fiscal year, which ended this past July, 122 burials were facilitated through the program at a cost of $54,200.

King tells how one family went door-to-door in their apartment complex, searching for funds they could contribute to the burial assistance program.

“Another person came to CSS to make a down payment for her funeral, since she is dying of cancer,” she said.

King observes, “The face of poverty covers the gamut of human circumstances from a stillborn birth to advanced age…; from an unexpected and sudden accident to a long, drawn-out terminal illness; from American-born to a resettled refugee from half way around the world; and people of all races and faiths. These faces are many and varied but the need is the same: ‘How can I bury my mother, father, brother, sister, spouse or child?’”

CSS will continue to administer this program at no charge and will continue to make every effort to raise the needed funds through donations from the community it serves.

For further information, contact Geri King, director for the Charlotte Regional Office of Catholic Social Services, at (704) 370-3224 or by email at glking@ charlottediocese.org.

Theme: Stand Up Now! Unite for the Life Principles No Exception! No Compromise!

Mass: 11:30 am

Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Upper Church Bishop Jugis, Celebrant; Bishop Burbidge, Homilist Rally site: The Mall at 7th Street If your parish or school has a group attending the March for Life, please call the Diocesan Respect Life Office at 704-370-3229 or e-mail mnadol@charlottediocese.org.

The Catholic News & Herald 5

1938-2009

Sister of Mercy remembered for wisdom and wit

Sister of Mercy Pauline Mary Clifford BELMONT — Sister of Mercy Pauline Mary Clifford died Dec. 12 at Marian Center at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont after a valiant struggle with ovarian cancer. She was in her 52nd year as a Sister of Mercy.

Sister Pauline was noted for her wisdom, her love of people, her wonderful sense of humor, and her dedication to her life as a Sister of Mercy, as well as her laughter and Irish wit.

The daughter of the late Anna Bernadette McBrinn Clifford and James Gerard Clifford, Sister Pauline was born June 27, 1938 in Dublin, Ireland.

She received a baccalaureate degree from Sacred Heart College in Belmont, a master ’s degree in business administration from Notre Dame University, a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University in Chicago, and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

As a leader Sister Pauline was noted for her clarity, ingenuity, determination, and passion for all the ministries in which she served. Her early years in the convent were dedicated to elementary education and she later served in many positions of responsibility at Sacred Heart College. Those included dean of students, director of campus ministry, academic dean, registrar and instructor.

Sister Pauline ministered with Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Charlotte from 1981-1985 as a family and marriage counseling coordinator.

She also served as the first lay parish administrator in the Diocese of Charlotte at Holy Infant Catholic Church in Reidsville from 1985-1988.

Sister Pauline was president of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina from 1988-1996 and vice-president from 1996-2000 and 2004-2008. She served as an administrator, retreat and tour director at Mercy International Centre in Dublin, Ireland, from 2001-2003.

The recipient of many honors, Sister Pauline was presented in 1992 with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal, the highest award given by the Roman Catholic Church to a lay person or clergyman for distinguished service to the Church.

The wake service for Sister Pauline was held at Cardinal Gibbons Memorial Chapel in Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont Dec. 14. A funeral Mass was held at Cardinal Gibbons Memorial Chapel Dec. 15.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

December 18, 2009

FROM THE COVER

SPRED the joy Advent Mass brings special friends into community HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

CHARLOTTE — “It’s a tactile, visual way of forming a relationship with Christ in the sacraments,” said Father Patrick Toole, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

He was describing the Special Religious Development Program, known as SPRED, spearheaded in the diocese by St. Matthew Church and currently also being implemented at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, and St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Those churches were all represented at the sixth annual Advent SPRED Mass held Dec. 13. Representatives from St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis, St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, and Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont were also there with hopes of starting SPRED programs at their parishes.

SPRED is a program in which persons with developmental disabilities come together with a spiritual friend, a trained catechist, to share a oneon-one relationship and form a small faith community with others. The program gives persons of all ages with developmental disabilities an opportunity for celebration and worship and prepares them to become members of the parish community.

“We found out about the program because Bill was serving on the altar and was invited to assist with their Communion last May,” said Lillian Griffin, who joined St. Matthew Church with her husband, Deacon Bill Griffin (pictured on the cover).

They moved from the Diocese of Rockville Center in Long Island, N.Y. last year with Matthew, their 34-yearold son with special needs.

“We didn’t know what kind of

program it was, or how it would work for Matthew,” said Lillian. She said that their son didn’t talk very much but loved to go to Mass. They tried it out and heard that Matthew was very talkative during the program. “He loves it,” she said.

“We see a smile from heaven on this day,” said Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church, at the conclusion of the Advent SPRED Mass.

He related how the SPRED program began with a coincidence of funding and parishioner support. As she lay dying, a professional special education teacher and parishioner of St. Matthew asked him to ensure the continuation of her work with the developmentally disabled. Not long after her funeral, a check arrived from her estate to support the ministry.

At the same time, Jan Clemmons moved to the area joined St. Matthew Church. She had been involved in the SPRED program at her previous parish in Washington, D.C. She approached Monsignor McSweeney with her idea and six years later, she is still at the helm of this growing ministry.

“I found my heart with our special friends, their families and catechists,” said Clemmons. Explaining how the program works, she said, “We reach our special friends through their senses.”

“Big gestures and miming during readings are based on the Montessori method,” added Father Toole, who acts as chaplain to the program. “Gestures are an extension of God’s Word.”

While a student in seminary, he had worked with children who have special needs. More than two years ago, Monsignor McSweeney sent Father Toole to Chicago to learn about the SPRED program. Today, the program at St. Matthew Church has over 40 students ranging from six-year-old children to a pair of 80-year-old gentlemen, all

photo by heather bellemore

Parishioners of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte (from left) Jan Clemmons, volunteer, Carlee Guidice, special friend, and Ronee Garwych, catechist, stop to smile during the reception for the Special Religious Development Program (SPRED) Dec. 13. training together in their faith.

“It’s about relationships with God,” said Father Toole, “watching the marginalized be completely welcomed into the Catholic faith community and

watching those who might not otherwise be able to engage in their faith grow in such a beautiful way.”

“It’s been an incredible ministry,” he said.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING CLASSES sponsored by Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte Research studies have found Natural Family Planning to be 97-99% effective when used correctly. Engaged and married couples, clergy and anyone interested in learning more about Church-sanctioned methods of natural family planning are welcome to attend. Engaged couples can receive verification of attendance to fulfill diocesan pre-Cana requirements.

INTRODUCTION CLASSES

Take a local class or learn from the convenience of your home with a FREE home-study course CD. Keep your NFP charts online or use your iPhone!

RSVP required: (704) 370-3230

cssnfp@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE Diocesan Pastoral Center January 6 – 6:30 pm St. Ann Church January 8 – 7:30 pm (engaged couples only) February 2 – 7 pm St. Gabriel Church January 13 – 6:30 pm Our Lady of Guadalupe Church January 19 – 7:30 pm (Spanish) South Charlotte January 22 – 7:30 pm Diocesan Pastoral Center February 3 – 6:30 pm CONCORD January 20 – 7 pm STATESVILLE St. Philip the Apostle Church January 24 – 11:30 am (English) January 24 – 1 pm (Spanish)

CLASS SERIES

Class 1 Class 2 Charlotte Diocesan Pastoral Center February 3 March 3 Start 6:30 pm South Charlotte January 25 February 22 Start 7 pm Greensboro Our Lady of Grace Church January 23 February 20 *Optional Postpartum Class Start 2 pm Shelby St. Mary Church January 23 February 6 Start 11 am

Class 3 April 7 March 22

March 27 February 27

March 6

December 18, 2009

AROUND THE DIOCESE

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Thrifty donations

Truckloads support ministries across diocese JOANITA M. NELLENBACH correspondent

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Father Nick Mormando, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. last November. On the altar is a basket of written prayers carried on the pilgrimage.

Plenty of prayers

Pilgrimage to National Shrine made for sick and homebound KATHLEEN SCHMEIDER correspondent

HENDERSONVILLE — Capuchin Father Nick Mormando, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, and 40 parishioners traveled to Washington, D.C. to carry the prayers of those in the parish who were unable to make the journey themselves Nov. 6-8.

The idea was developed by Dr. Colin Thomas, director of the parish Sick and Homebound Ministry, who learned that a plenary indulgence was offered for each pilgrim to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. between November 2008 and November 2009.

“I learned that if you were sick and homebound, you could join your prayer intentions with someone who was going and you would receive the same graces,” said Thomas. “This was a perfect opportunity for us to include the members of our parish who often feel forgotten.”

Plenary indulgences are unique opportunities. Not only is one’s sin absolved through the sacrament of reconciliation, but the plenary indulgence removes the penance assigned after sin is forgiven.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Pope Paul VI as saying “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.” The catechism continues, “‘An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.’

The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead” (1471).

The Sick and Homebound Ministry at Immaculate Conception Church boasts almost 60 ministers who, on a monthly basis, serve over 100 parishioners in nursing homes, retirement facilities, in their own homes and at local hospitals.

These ministers gathered more than 70 intentions from those whom they visited over several months.

The prayers were enclosed in envelopes which the pilgrims carried to place upon the altar of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Each envelope represented a parishioner bound in promise to pray for the intentions of the homebound and sick.

“I was really surprised at how much everyone came away with,” said Father Mormando.

“It was a special feeling of being able to carry prayers of people who are incapacitated and know they were receiving the same graces,” said Thomas.

The journey to the basilica was the beginning of many opportunities to reconnect the parish with the sick and homebound who are no longer able to travel to the church.

“Our goal is to register all of the sick and homebound,” said Thomas. “We also hope in the future to hold eucharistic services at the larger nursing homes for groups, in addition to taking Communion to individuals.”

MURPHY — How far can you reach? St. Matthew Church in Charlotte has found that it can reach beyond the four farthest western counties of the diocese.

Through its Donated Goods Ministry, the parish sends collected items to several locations around Charlotte. It also sends items to six thrift shops in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties as well as in Young Harris, Ga., which is just over the state border.

Each month, one thrift shop in one of the counties gets a truckload. Proceeds help to support various ministries local to the thrift shops, such as REACH and SAFE, which assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Sometimes St. Matthew parishioners Steve Polite and Chuck Elgin make the run; but most often it’s parishioners Nick Cimmento and Bob Wilcocks, who left the church at 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 14 for the 250-mile trip to Murphy. They arrived at the Re-Cellar thrift shop around noon.

“I look forward to this,” said Cimmento, who drove the truck this time.

In short order, volunteers from the Hurlburt-Johnson Friendship House Inc. homeless shelter had the truck unloaded: boxes filled with clothes labeled with their contents; a dark red and a white sofa; a handsome wood coffee table inlaid with floral tiles; toys and a rolledup carpet.

The Re-Cellar helps to support the homeless shelter, which is privately run and depends on donations and the sales from Re-Cellar. Currently, the shelter, an 11-bedroom, four-bathroom house, has 28 residents, including four families. The shelter is open nights and weekends but is closed during the day because adult residents are required to put in 40 hours each week working or volunteering.

“The Catholic Church is our biggest supporter,” said Deni Graves, ReCellar’s manager and the shelter’s

executive director. “We couldn’t do it without them. It’s like a whole month’s sales, just from their truck.”

For a number of years, St. Matthew Church trucked items to Elkhorn City, Ky., but in February 2007 they began delivering closer to home.

Monsignor John J. McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church, knew how the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) at the Bishop Begley Center in Murphy was working with organizations throughout the community.

“I got to thinking that we have good ecumenical relations in that community,” Monsignor McSweeney said. “I called Father George.”

Monsignor McSweeney “knew that we serve a four-county area,” said Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville.

“The thrift shops are in the four-county area. A lot of people from Young Harris go to church in Hayesville; that’s how we made the connection there.”

Susan Haley, parishioner of St. William Church, maintains the shipment schedule.

“The best part is when I call a thrift shop and tell them the truck is coming,” she said. “They get so excited. The shops advertise that the truck from St. Matthew is coming.”

“My wife and I just love doing this,” Wilcocks said. “As Monsignor McSweeney says, ‘We’re the hands and feet of Christ.’”

“We believe that when the poor call out, somebody’s got to hear them,” said Monsignor McSweeney. “Everybody can do something. It goes all the way back to Bishop Begley’s idea of helping everyone.”

“It shows,” Haley said, “that Catholics do a lot for others, and not just for Catholics.”

Contact correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or e-mail sfowriter@att.net.

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Volunteers smile with Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, while loading the church truck with donated goods collected from parishioners. The truck went to The Re-Cellar thrift shop in Murphy Dec. 14. The Re-Cellar supports Hurlburt-Johnson Friendship House, Inc that provides shelter and supportive services to homeless families and individuals around Cherokee County.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

FROM THE COVER

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus Three groups of area Catholics visit the Holy Land SUEANN HOWELL Special to The Catholic News & Herald CHARLOTTE — It’s not every day you get to take a spiritual journey and immerse yourself in thousands of years of history. Last month, three separate groups of parishioners and clergy from the diocese had the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land, to see where Our Lord Jesus Christ lived and died.

The Diocese of Charlotte pilgrimage,

December 18, 2009

“Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus,” was led

by Monsignor Mauricio West, chancellor and vicar general of the diocese. The group of 43 pilgrims embarked on a 10day trip Nov. 10. The pilgrims visited holy sites in Jaffa, Caesarea, Tiberias, upper Galilee, and Jerusalem, which took them on a journey through the life of Christ.

John and Marlene Olenick, Sr., parishioners at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, were also on the diocesan pilgrimage.

“Just to walk the paths that Jesus

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Above: A view of the old city of Jersalem through a window at the Dominus Flevit Church at the Mt. of Olives. Below left: Ed Hartle, parishioner at St. Mark in Huntersville, reaches out to touch the spot where Jesus was born at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Below right: Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, celebrates Mass at the Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre.

walked and see the holy sites firsthand was truly inspirational. It was as if the Gospels came to life right before our eyes,” said Marlene.

“What made the journey even more meaningful was that our son, Father John Olenick (a Redemptorist priest at Visitation Parish in Philadelphia, Pa.) was able to come with us. Every day Monsignor West and Father John concelebrated Mass in one of Christianity’s holiest sites.…It was truly a blessing to us, his parents,” she added.

Father Olenick, who was on his first visit to Israel, feels blessed as well.

“I was so grateful that my parents invited me along. They were the ones who first taught me the faith, and I had the chance to deepen my faith with them as together we followed in the footsteps of Jesus,” said Father Olenick.

“When you see the remains of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house in Capernaum, sail upon the Sea of Galilee and walk the same path down the Mount of Olives as Jesus did on Palm Sunday, it all becomes very real. Those stories you’ve heard Sunday after Sunday in the Gospels take on a whole new significance. The Incarnation makes more sense,” he said.

Another group of 34 pilgrims from around the diocese accompanied Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, Nov. 12-20. They also visited prominent holy sites that included old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth, Cana, Mt. Tabor, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho, Bethlehem, Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered) and Jerusalem.

“I now have in my mind’s eye an understanding of what these places were really like,” said Father Reid.

“Bethlehem is one of my favorite places in the Holy Land. On my first trip I was able to offer Mass at the manger a few feet from where Our Lord was born. This time, we offered Mass in the Shepherd’s Field across the way. It was really wonderful because it gives you a great sense of what they (the Holy Family) had to go through in terms of travel,” said Father Reid.

Traveling there “gives you a good feel for what the land is like, so as you meditate on the mysteries of our faith that surround Our Lord’s birth, it is so much easier to visualize it,” he added.

Regarding the trip’s affect on his preaching, Father Reid said, “It helps you to make your preaching more real.

It gives you a layer of depth that you wouldn’t have otherwise. You feel

Christ’s presence in those places. You walk away from the holy sites with a sense of joy. I hope to be able to tap into that joy in my preaching.”

Among those accompanying Father Reid on his pilgrimage were Michele and Ed Hartle, parishioners of St. Mark Church in Huntersville, and their 10-year-old son, Jordan, whom they home school.

One of the most beautiful gifts of the pilgrimage for the Hartle family was seeing Jordan serve Mass with Father Reid each day at the holy sites.

“Many people on the pilgrimage commented on how this little boy served so reverently. It really impacted them,” Michele Hartle said.

Catholic author and apologist, Steve Ray, who is a certified guide of Israel and has traveled to the Holy Land on more than 70 pilgrimages, led a third group of pilgrims Nov. 15-23.

Members of Catholic Scripture Study International, founded by Gail Buckley who is a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, accompanied Ray. “In Bethlehem, we went to a shepherd’s cave (and celebrated Mass) in the area of the Nativity. It was nice that we were there just prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas.…We sang Christmas carols there and thought about the shepherds and Mary and Joseph being in a cave with the new-born babe right there on that ‘cold winter’s night,’” said Buckley.

“Many people don’t realize that the word Bethlehem means ‘house of bread,’ she continued. In John 6, Jesus calls himself the ‘True Bread that came down from heaven,’ and he says that, ‘Unless we eat this bread (which is his body)… we will not have eternal life.’”

“We receive that True Bread in the Holy Eucharist,” she continued. “Our Blessed Mother laid ‘the True Bread’ in a manger (an animal feeding trough) when he was born in a town named ‘house of bread.’”

Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, is also the chaplain for Catholic Scripture Study International and joined the pilgrimage for his first trip to the Holy Land.

“It strengthened my whole sense of the universal church because Christians

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December 18, 2009

from the cover

in the Holy Land are such a minority, only about 1.5 percent of the population.

They are very strong in their faith. They are being pushed out, basically. You wonder, ‘How can you have a Holy Land without Christians?’”

Father Lawlor felt the presence of Christ most in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“Everything for us is drawn on the Paschal Mystery, so the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which contains within it Calvary and the tomb, was very special,” said Father Lawlor.

“There is a hole in the floor under the altar of Calvary where you can reach down and touch the rock of Calvary, and the idea that the Precious Blood could have been right on that spot is very moving.…Everything in the Holy Sepulchre — praying, celebrating Mass, visiting all the little shrines — all helped me feel close to Christ,” he added.

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Father Lawlor is one of many priests Steve Ray has guided on their first trip to the Holy Land.

“I love taking priests there for the first time because they are reading the Gospel — reading the Scriptures to us….

They live the Gospel,” said Ray. “In the Upper Room I remember the priests stood there amazed, joyful.

We always pray a mystery of the rosary at each holy site, so there we prayed the ‘Institution of the Eucharist’ and the ‘Descent of the Holy Spirit.’ Then we asked our priests to come forward and we prayed for them and sang to them. We thanked them for being priests and for what they do, acknowledging that this is the place where it all began.”

To listen to the interview with Steve Ray, visit the Diocese of Charlotte website at www.charlottediocese.org.

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(From left) Jordan Hartle serves Father Timothy Reid during Mass at the Grotto at Gethsemane in Jerusalem during their pilgrimage in November.

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John and Marlene Olenick, Sr., parishioners of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, are pictured with their son, Father John Olenick, on the Mount of Beatitudes during their trip to the Holy Land in early November.

The Very Reverend Christopher Roux, Rector Rev. Mr. Nicholas Fadero Deacon

CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES 3:30 p.m. – Children’s pageant 4 p.m. - Children's Mass 6:30 p.m. - Mass 11:30 p.m. - Carols Midnight Mass Bishop Peter Jugis, Celebrant

Rev. Mr. Carlos Medina Deacon

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(From left) Father John Olenick, a Redemptorist priest at Visitation Parish in Philadelpia, Pa., concelebrates Mass with Monsignor Mauricio West, chancellor and vicar general of the Diocese of Charlotte, near the Cenacle Chapel in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.

CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 9 a.m.- Mass 11 a.m. Mass Bishop Peter Jugis, Celebrant NEW YEAR'S DAY MASSES (Solemnity Mary Mother of God Holy Day of Obligation) 9 a.m., 11 a.m EPIPHANY OF THE LORD 6 p.m. – Lessons & Carols 1621 Dilworth Road East Charlotte, NC 28203 (704) 334-2283 Visit our website at www.stpatricks.com

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Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, is pictured with parishioners from his parish at the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem.

10 The Catholic News & Herald

IN OUR SCHOOLS

Generosity

A true characteristic of Bishop McGuinness High School BRYAN FAULKNER Special to The Catholic News & Herald

Poverty and unemployment are reaching an all-time high across the United States of America. One area suffering in particular is the northwest region of North Carolina. Approximately one in seven people is living at or below the poverty line (Winston-Salem Journal), and the unemployment rate for North Carolina is 11 percent (B.L.S.).

Recently, the Bishop McGuinness High School Peer Ministry Program sponsored a “Jeans Day.” To wear jeans in class, a student had to either pay $3 or provide a new or slightly used article of clothing to benefit all those in need of a coat or sweatshirt.

The results from that simple event were truly a gift from God. The student body donated over 200 pieces of clothing (sweatshirts, jackets, mittens, coats, and hats) and raised $300.

These donations went out to anyone who needed a coat to beat the frigid temperatures that this region sees every year at this time.

Northwest North Carolina provides some of the most beautiful, rugged countryside anywhere in the nation. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds throughout an area that is recognized around the world for great trout streams, breathtaking vistas, and acres of beautiful Christmas

trees. Visitors to the area would rarely notice the need for assistance.

However, a short detour off the Parkway will quickly demonstrate the poverty and the effect of double-digit unemployment. For a child to go to bed, cold and hungry in this country, is unimaginable at any time, but in the twenty-first century, it is deplorable.

The students and peer ministers at Bishop McGuinness High School have done something amazing. They have made a difference in the lives of people.

You can see the difference everyday around the entire Piedmont-Triad area.

Canned food drives consistently generate thousands of cans and food items for the benefit of Catholic Social Services.

Clothing drives help provide warm coats and sweatshirts to many in need.

Beyond all this is a simple “Spirit in Christ” that cares about the people themselves. It is this compassion and willingness to pitch in and try to change things that defines Bishop McGuinness High School.

The students of Bishop McGuinness High School understand how to make things better and they show it every day, not just in their school motto “Praesis ut Prosis” (to excel that they might better serve), but in their actions as well.

Bryan Faulkner is a student at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville and parishioner of St. Frances of Rome Church in Sparta.

December 18, 2009

Baby love

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Students in the four-year-old pre-kindergarten class at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem display their donations Dec. 11. With the help of their parents and under the guidance of their teacher, Jan Wilson, they collected baby items to be donated to Catholic Social Services Wee Care Shop.

How to spell Christmas

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The Peer Ministry Team at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School collects 1700 canned and boxed food items for less fortunate residents of the Triad Area in November. The students organized a food drive collecting canned food items from within the student community. After collecting the food, the group loaded three trucks full of food and delivered them to Catholic Social Services for distribution. The need for food donations has increased with the difficult economic challenges currently facing the Piedmont Triad.

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Students from kindergarten through third grade at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro are ready to perform in a Christmas pageant Dec. 11. With the school choir, they presented “The Christmas County Spelling Bee.” This presentation of the Christmas story portrayed contestants vying for the roles of Joseph and Mary in the Christmas pageant through a spelling bee competition. Pictured left to right are shepherds (Rachel Klenke, Laura Yow, Megan Lush), Mary (Ali Southard), Angel (Hannah Kohler), Joseph (Will Hornfeck) and Three Wisemen (Christopher Sharkey, Bo Howland and Garrison Trotter).

The Catholic News & Herald 11

December 18, 2009

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

Tourism brings peace to Middle East JERUSALEM (CNS) — Pilgrimage to the Holy Land can become a bridge to peace, said an Israeli tourism official, noting the positive effect the spring pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI had on creating cooperation between Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli officials.

“There are many disputes in the Holy Land but something we don’t have disputes about is when it comes to pilgrims,” Rafi Ben Hur, deputy director general of the Israeli Tourist Ministry, said during a Dec. 16 press conference.

He said Israeli and Palestinian tourism officials have been working together to promote the region as a pilgrimage destination. There also has been cooperation with Jordanian tourism officials, he said.

“We are putting our first priority on pilgrimage; pilgrimage in particular is a bridge to peace,” he said, citing how the Holy Land visit of Pope Benedict XVI in May created “tremendous” cooperation between Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian tourism officials. The papal visit has helped attract pilgrims despite the worldwide economic slump, he said.

Israel also was endorsing Bethlehem as an important part of the pilgrimage experience with tour operators abroad, he explained.

“Here is an opportunity to show that it is safe (to go to Bethlehem) and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity should be taken,” he said.

Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov saw Christian religious leaders not only as “real friends” in the endeavor to promote the Holy Land as a pilgrimage site, but as “real partners in creating bonds with Israel and her

neighbors.”

“Tourism and pilgrimage can be a real uniting force through joint economic interests and job creation,” he said The year 2009 was another peak year in tourism with nearly 3 million visitors expected to make the trip to Israel by the end of the year. Misezhnikov said about a third of them also have visited Bethlehem.

“A peak year in Israel also translates into a peace year in the Palestinian Authority,” Misezhnikov said.

Israeli tourism officials expect some 70,000 visitors during the Christmas holiday.

With the improving economic and security situation Civil Administration Bethlehem DCO Commander Lt.-Col. Eyad Sirhan said he expects that travel permits over the monthlong Christmas holiday season would be given to all Palestinian Christians who request them as long as they meet security requirements.

Israel also was considering giving permits to 100 Christians from Gaza.

Christian citizens of Israel will be able to cross freely into Bethlehem during that period, he said.

“There is a clear indication of improving economic and security conditions in the West Bank and that makes it easier to ease restrictions,” he said.

He said soldiers and police officers who will be staffing the border crossings into Bethlehem during Christmas will receive daily briefings explaining the significance of the holiday and the correct procedure for allowing pilgrims, religious leaders and local Israeli and Palestinian Christians to cross the borders easily.

Archbishop Sheen considered for sainthood NEW YORK (CNS) — The purpose of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s philosophy and theology, radio and TV programs, books, articles, retreats and conferences was “to help us discover the purpose of life — eternal union with God,” said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

“His pivotal insight, central to revelation, was that Jesus Christ was the way to heaven, the truth about how to get there, the life we hope to share for all eternity,” he said a homily Dec. 9 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The archbishop was the principal celebrant of a Mass at the cathedral to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Sheen.

Masses were celebrated in all 50 states and in 35 countries — including Pakistan, Fiji and the Czech Republic — to mark the anniversary and to promote the late archbishop’s cause for canonization, formally opened by the Vatican in 2003.

The body of the late archbishop, who was an auxiliary bishop of New York from 1951-65, is interred in the crypt of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The crypt was open to the public immediately before and after the Mass.

Archbishop Sheen “wanted to get to heaven… wanted to bring all of us with him… wanted to be a saint …wanted us to be saints, too,” Archbishop Dolan said.

Upon his retirement as bishop of Rochester in 1969, the late prelate received the title of archbishop.

Several items in the cathedral pay homage to Archbishop Sheen. One is the baldacchino, or canopy, now located over the cathedral’s tabernacle. In his day, it was over the cathedra, or bishop’s chair.

Other items are the pulpit he used, which is still in use today, and his crest, which is displayed along with the crests of all of Rochester’s bishops.

Born in El Paso, Ill., in the Diocese of Peoria, John Fulton Sheen was ordained a priest of that diocese in 1919.

He eventually left his central Illinois roots and became known nationwide

as the host of pioneering radio and television programs, including “The Catholic Hour” and “Life Is Worth Living.” The latter was a television series that aired from 1951 to 1957 and attracted an estimated 30 million weekly viewers.

In February 2008 the Peoria Diocese marked the end of five years of preliminary research into Archbishop Sheen’s life and virtues.

Msgr. Deptula told the Catholic Courier that the collected information has been sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes. This information is being summarized, work that could be completed within six to eight months, he said.

The summaries would then be used by theologians, cardinals and bishops to determine whether Archbishop Sheen’s cause for sainthood should advance.

cns file photo

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s sainthood cause is under consideration. The famed radio and television host and author is pictured in an undated file photo.

12 The Catholic News & Herald

December 18, 2009

around the diocese

Year of the Priest Interviews with priests around the diocese

Multi-lingual praise

FATHER PATRICK HOARE Pastor, St. John Neumann Church Charlotte Place of Birth and Home Parish – Willow Grove, Pa., St. David Church High School – Bishop McDevitt High School, Wyncote, Pa. College/University – LaSalle University (BA Business Administration), Drexel University (MBA) Seminary – St. Charles Borromeo (M Divinity, MA Theology) Date of Ordination – June 2, 2007

What assignments have you had since ordination?

I have been parochial vicar at St. Mark Church in Huntersville (2007-09); pastor of St. John Neumann Church since July 7.

What have been some of the greatest joys for you as a priest?

Visiting the sick and working with youth.

Who influenced you most to consider the vocation to priesthood?

Many good priests. Locally, Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

What was your background before you entered seminary?

I was vice president of underwriting for Montgomery Insurance Company and financial manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I’m a big-time Phillies fan!

What are some of your hobbies?

Reading.

What are some of your favorite books/ spiritual reading/magazines?

I enjoy American history and Scripture studies/journals.

Father Patrick Hoare Who is a hero to you?

I have many heroes, but they would mostly be unrecognized. Any person who is faithful to their vocation these days is a hero. Couples who have been married for 50+ years and raised children, and stuck it out through the tough times. Priests who have been priests for decades, serving where they were truly needed rather than doing what they’d rather do.

These are true heroes in my mind.

What are some ways that we can help all people/families understand their roles in promoting and supporting vocations?

If every parent and every child came to truly understand that their vocation has been CHOSEN for them by God from before they were conceived, rather than something THEY choose, more young men and women would consider the priesthood and religious life.

What advice would you give a young man who is contemplating a vocation to the priesthood?

Be who YOU are called to be by God. Do not be intimidated by what you think the priesthood is, or what others tell you the priesthood is. A priest is a man called by God to serve the people through prayer, administering the sacraments, and working hard each day to bring people to understand God’s love for them, especially those most vulnerable and in need. It is not about how educated you are, how you dress, or how important your assignment appears to be. Each of us will be judged on how well we served the people of God by bringing them closer to Him.

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Conducted by Joie Arrojado, a choir sings in multiple languages during the Filipino Simbang Gabi at St. Joseph Church in Charlotte Dec. 11. This is the traditional Advent novena of Masses celebrated before the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. The choir sang during Mass in Tagalog, Visayan and English. The prayers during the General Intercessions were done in Pangalatok, Kapangpangan, Boholano and Cebuano, which are some of the main languages in the Philippines.

Breaking new ground

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Bishop Peter J. Jugis broke ground for the new 600-seat, 11,000-square-foot Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City Dec. 3. The dedication of the new church is targeted for September 2010. Pictured from left to right: Luciano Flores, Mike Hunter, Bishop Jugis, Father Herbert Burke (pastor), Deacon Andy Cilone, Linda and Dr. Michael Roberts.

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December 18, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 13

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Ministry at the altar

Seven new acolytes installed at St. Patrick Cathedral HEATHER BELLEMORE interim editor

CHARLOTTE — For seven men who will become permanent deacons, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was an opportunity to celebrate the completion of the third step in a four-year journey.

With the support of their wives, children, pastors and teachers, these men accepted their call to the ministry of acolyte from celebrant Bishop Peter J. Jugis at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte Dec. 12. Previous steps included a period of discernment and an institution to the ministry of lector, or reader during Mass.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis placed the responsibilities of acolytes in the context of the Advent season and the feast day celebration.

The institution to the ministry of acolyte “is a very significant blessing from the Lord during the holy season of Advent,” said the bishop. He compared the diaconate formation process to the watchful preparations “of waiting in joyful hope” during Advent.

Bishop Jugis continued, saying that “Our Lady of Guadalupe is your model of a truly Christ-centered life.” He pointed out that in the role of extraordinary minister, the new acolytes were already responsible for bringing Holy Communion to the weak and the sick. This is reflective of “the Blessed Virgin’s desire to bring all people

to Christ” and “a form of true preparation for diaconate ordination,” he said.

Father John Allen, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, shepherds one of his parishioners as a current deacon candidate. Father Allen described the ministry of acolyte as “one of the final steps conferred before one is ordained to the diaconate. The acolyte ministers at the altar, distributes Holy Communion, and is responsible for the purification of the sacred vessels.”

Deacons are the third group of clergy that receive the sacrament of holy orders.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “There are two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy and the presbyterate. The diaconate is intended to help and serve them” (1554).

The vast majority of deacons in the United States are married and have secular employment. A directory for deacons published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remarks, “This, in turn, enables the deacon to bring back to the Church an appreciation of the meaning and value of the Gospel as he discerns it in the lives and questions of the people he has encountered” (page 31).

Deacon candidate Martin Ricart, parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, said “Your whole life is basically a formation when you really start thinking and praying about it.” The

2010 Charlotte Diocese Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

process of formation has impressed upon him that “it’s about being more open, the ability to discern more and more how God guides us all in different ways.”

Emmanuel Ukattah Sr., parishioner of St. Mary Church in Greensboro and father of five children, started thinking of becoming a deacon in 1989 while he worked in lay administration for St. Teresa’s Catédral in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

He immigrated to the United States, where he has a cousin in Greensboro, and is now part of the current deacon candidate class. “It’s a good process. It makes a remarkable difference and you keep growing,” said Ukattah.

Michael Martini, parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Church, spent the day before the initiation in a self-directed retreat at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville. Martini said that around 18 years ago, a priest in his Chicago parish inspired him to consider the diaconate.

Five years later, he moved to Houston and it came up again. He’s finally a deacon candidate in the Diocese of Charlotte and says, “You can try to ignore it and look the other way, but the call never goes away.”

According to William “Chip” Wilson, parishioner of Queen of the Apostles in Belmont, his call really started at baptism.

As an adult Catholic, he was inspired by the example of a friend who handled a difficult situation at a funeral “with the compassion that Jesus would have had.” Wilson stresses that for the whole group, “wives are with us every step of the way… their participation is essential.”

Wilson says, “The call, like any call from God, is both exciting and a little scary. I still have a long way to go.”

Current Deacon Candidates Diocese of Charlotte Enedino Aquino, parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro Daren Bitter, parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte Michael Martini, parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro David Reiser, parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte Martin Ricart III, parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte Emmanuel Ukattah Sr., parishioner of St. Mary Church in Greensboro William Wilson, parishioner of Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont

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December 18, 2009

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

War and peace

Catholic reflections on Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize As it is perhaps impossible not to know by now, U. S. President Barack Obama is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009, an honor which he shares with Red Cross founder Jean Henry Dunant, Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, and Blessed Mother Teresa.

In recent years the awarding of the Nobel Prize has often been attended by controversy, perhaps never more so than in 1994, when the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Yasser Arafat shared the prize with Israeli leaders Yitzak Rabin and Shimon Peres.

Though the peace prize may be awarded to those in the process of resolving conflict, rather than on the basis of past accomplishment, the naming of Barack Obama as this year’s laureate has generated its own share of skeptical response. Perhaps it is because President Obama is as yet so relatively untried, and his accomplishments towards peace exist largely in rhetoric rather than record, that our attention has been so intensively focused on his Nobel acceptance speech, delivered last week in Oslo.

It is a speech of particular interest for Catholics, framed by the “just war” doctrine developed by such thinkers as saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

Just-war principles include the waging of war only for purposes of defense or to right injustice, and as a last resort, when the benefits of prosecuting war can reasonably be said to outweigh its evil consequences. Under just-war doctrine, war cannot be waged for the purpose of material gain, and it cannot be carried out deliberately against civilians.

The doctrine recognizes the unfortunate necessity of war as a tool “to correct a grave, public evil, i.e., aggression or massive violation of the basic human rights of whole populations,” as the USCCB declared in 1993.

It is in these terms, with their Catholic geneaology, that President Obama attempts to frame his acceptance of a peace prize as the leader of a nation at war.

“The United States of America,” he says, “has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms… the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.” In the current climate of global terrorism, he continues, “the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight.”

This is a right and noble view of the role of war in establishing a better peace.

So far, so good, it would seem.

More problematic, however, is the

Guest Column

WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture Readings: dec. 27, 2009

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Cycle C Readings: 1) Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm 128:1-5 2) Colossians 3:12-21 3) Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

Family relationships bring challenges, love JEAN DENTON cns columnist

Sally Thomas guest columnist

set of assumptions which the speech reveals, regarding war and peace.

Catholics should receive with caution an assertion like the President’s, that “no Holy War can ever be a just war.”

For evidence he offers, not unpredictably, “the cruelties of the Crusades” as a moral equivalent to the actions of today’s terrorists. This ignores the historical fact that the Crusades were wars of defense against an encroaching Islamic empire which sought to spread its own religion, by the sword, across any part of the world which it could reach.

A truer parallel exists between the Crusades and our own efforts against Islamic terrorism today.

Joseph Bottum, Catholic editor of the religion-and-culture journal First Things, commented on public television, directly following the speech, that the President had been “incoherent.” In this he was right: despite the undeniable elegance of its rhetoric, to speak in terms of just-war doctrine but to arrive at a conclusion of vague utopianism — in the President’s words, “a gradual evolution of human institutions,” a belief that “human nature can be perfected” in this world — is philosophically and morally incoherent.

Utopianism believes that there is no objective evil, only bad habits which enlightened people outgrow. Just-war doctrine, as part of the larger Christian framework, posits the existence of evil as an objective absolute, always and everywhere to be fought by whatever means necessary.

Despite the just-war phraseology, the President’s vision of peace does not submit that good will triumph over evil, but that everyone will simply learn to play nice. And while we all pray for peace, while we celebrate the Prince of Peace at Christmas, as Catholics we should consider this brand of peace — the peace of tolerance and moral equivalences – bought at too high a price.

Sally Thomas is a homeschooling mother and a contributing writer for First Things magazine.

Here we are amid that time of year Americans call “the holidays” which, culturally, extends roughly from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. It ends — some would say mercifully — when people return to their routine.

A centerpiece of the holidays is the gathering of family. We come together to celebrate traditions and joyfully remember how we are bound to one another.

So why did my mid-November parish bulletin advertise a number to call for counseling if the stresses of family and the holidays become overwhelming?

Why did my friend complain that her daughter-in-law isn’t much for attending holiday gatherings with “the other side of the family?”

Just before the Thanksgiving break, the instructor of a college class I’m taking told students to feel free to call him during the next week “preferably between the hours of 3 and 8 p.m. Thursday.” The class laughed, knowingly. “Mother-inlaw?” someone asked. “Anybody I’m related to,” he responded. It was a joke, but as the adage goes: Many a truth has

been spoken in jest.

It’s not easy to be family.

But God gives us family to help us understand how he loves us. So today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.

The readings call us to honor our parents, respect our children as they mature to independence and, in unity, to dedicate ourselves to God. However, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians addresses the reality of the family’s more difficult challenges in living together and loving each other.

Calling us to imitate Christ’s patience and compassion, he goes to the heart of the matter when he says to bear with one another and forgive each other as God has forgiven us.

At an interreligious discussion, I recently heard a Protestant minister explain that, “among Christians, the intent of forgiveness is reconciliation.

“If your brother sins against you,” she said, “you must persist in forgiveness.

Because what can be worse than losing your brother?”

Being family can be stressful.

Emotions run high and feelings run deep, but that’s because we care so much.

So we must persist. We must be patient and understanding. We must bear with one another and forgive.

Because what can be worse than losing your family?

Questions: What is a difficult situation in your family at present? How can forgiveness and reconciliation in your family honor your relationship with God? Scripture to be illustrated: “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body” (Colossians 3:15).

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE Scripture for the week of December 20-26 Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Advent), Micah 5:1-4, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45; Monday (St. Peter Canisius), Song of Songs 2:8-14, Luke 1:39-45; Tuesday, 1 Samuel 1:24-28, Luke 1:46-56; Wednesday (St. John of Kanty), Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, Luke 1:57-66; Thursday, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Luke 1:67-79; Friday (The Nativity of the Lord), Isaiah 62:11-12, Titus 3:4-7, Luke 2:15-20; Saturday (St. Stephen),.

Scripture for the week of December 27-January 2 Sunday (The Holy Family), Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14, Colossians 3:12-21, Luke 2:41-52; Monday (The Holy Innocents), 1 John 1:5-2:2, Matthew 2:13-18; Tuesday (St. Thomas Becket), 1 John 2:3-11, Luke 2:22-35; Wednesday, 1 John 2:12-17, Luke 2:36-40; Thursday (St. Sylvester I), 1 John 2:18-21, John 1:1-18; Friday (Mary, Mother of God),Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21; Saturday (St. Basil The Great, St. Gregory Nazianzen), 1 John 2:22-28, John 1:19-28.

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December 18, 2009

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Room for the Christ Child Like Mary, some pregnant women today face many challenges

Every Christmas, people from Mexico and other parts of Central America celebrate Las Posadas, a nine-day novena of prayer, song, and hospitality built around Mary and Joseph’s struggle to find lodging in Bethlehem. Families walk from home to home, singing their request for shelter.

But owners reject their uninvited wouldbe guests, turning them away with excuses like: “we’re not running an inn” or “you could be a thief.”

The “pilgrims” are finally received humbly by the last home each night, where they often sing: “Posada os brindo / Santos Peregrinos, / y disculpa os pido, / no os reconocía” (“I offer you hospitality / Holy Pilgrims, / and for not recognizing you / I apologize”). They then host one of the nine nightly parties with more songs, a shared meal, and a piñata for the children.

Having received the hospitality of others, neighbors then offer it in turn.

The nine-day vigil prepares the whole neighborhood to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion on Christmas, celebrating God’s generosity to us.

The children — and by extension, all the family members — learn what

it means to make room for the unborn Christ Child and his parents in their own lives: “Entren Santos Peregrinos, Peregrinos / Reciban este rincón, / que aunque es pobre la morada, la morada / os las doy de corazón” (“Enter, Holy Pilgrims / Take this little corner of our house, / even though it is a poor place to stay / we give it to you with all our heart”).

Like Mary, some pregnant women today face many challenges and may need our hospitality. This is especially true for a woman pregnant with an unplanned child. Whether rich or poor, they require welcome in an age when the unborn child is seen as an unwelcome burden — and, at times, even as a threat.

Tragically, abortion is often offered as a violent response to that perceived threat. But this “choice” is the ultimate failure to recognize a great gift wrapped in the living gift-wrap of a mother’s womb. The Posadas invite us to welcome the unborn child as a precious guest “with all our heart,” even when we may have little to offer.

Maternity homes for unwed or displaced mothers offer such hospitality in a tangible way every day. The Gabriel

The compassion and hardheartedness around us Recently, I enjoyed again “Les Miserables,” a movie based on Victor Hugo’s novel of forgiveness and redemption.

A bishop’s compassion redeems a thief, but the police inspector cannot forgive even himself. I was struck with how relevant that classic is to life today.

Compassion and redemption are easy to find.

When Clare Effiong, an AfricanAmerican from New Rochelle, N.Y., first went to Rwanda 10 years ago to see the consequences of the 1994 genocide, she was heartbroken at the sight of hundreds of orphaned children living in the jumble of the garbage dump. Most of them refused to come out, saying nobody wanted them.

But a 7-year-old named Wayesu Justus did, telling her: “I want to go to school.”

She took him to her lodging, bathed him, enrolled him in school and found a place for him to live. He had spent three years living in the garbage dump.

That was the beginning of a faithbased charity called Esther’s Aid, named for the biblical Esther, also an orphan.

This organization, whose entire New York staff consists of volunteers, has rescued 3,000 orphans and street children in Rwanda.

It opened a free primary school, established training centers for auto mechanics, catering, welding and sewing, and fed hundreds of victims of AIDS.

Justus, the first boy Effiong rescued, was at Esther’s Aid’s 10th anniversary celebration this fall in New Rochelle.

Now 17, an articulate and poised high school student who hopes to become a physician, he told a reporter from the local Gannett newspaper: “If these children can get the opportunity to go to school or go from the street, they could become good people, important people.”

In another inspiring story, a doctor’s personal response to the health care crisis, 81-year-old Dr. Lloyd Hamilton opened a free clinic in Nyack, N.Y. His generosity inspired many others.

Father Rees Doughty, pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Nyack, provided office space in an old convent. Hamilton’s friends, including an anonymous businessman, and a foundation at his alma mater, Harvard Medical School, contributed $31,000. Others donated malpractice insurance, nursing assistance and even cleaning services.

Unfortunately, hardness of heart is also common.

In a recent New York Times column, “Are we going to let John die?” Nicholas D. Kristof wrote about 23-year-old John Brodniak, who blacks out from bleeding in the brain caused by an abnormal growth of blood vessels.

Unable to work, Brodniak lost his job as foreman in an Oregon sawmill and along with it his health insurance.

Without it he cannot have the surgery

Guest Column DEIRDRE A. MCQUADE usccb columnist

Project, a parish-based program, brings pregnant moms together with “angels” who befriend them, get to know their needs on a personal level, and offer ongoing support and care both before and after their children are born. Pregnancy care centers provide confidential services and referrals for women in need — some of whom are tempted to abort their children. All such organizations help women and their families realize that it is never impossible to do the right thing, and that the answer to a crisis pregnancy is to eliminate the crisis, not the pregnancy.

This Christmas, through the motherly intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may we and our families receive the Christ Child into our hearts, recognize all the vulnerable holy pilgrims in our midst, whether born or unborn, and share the little we have “en el nombre del cielo” — in the name of Heaven.

Deirdre A. McQuade is assistant director for Policy & Communications at the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Seeking Life

Just laws protect human life The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A law is just only if it protects human life, Pope Benedict XVI said.

The only laws that can be considered just “are those laws that safeguard the sacredness of human life and reject the acceptance of abortion, euthanasia and unrestrained genetic experiments (and) those laws that respect the dignity of marriage between one man and one woman,” the pope said Dec. 16 during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

Pope Benedict dedicated his audience talk to the writings of the 12th-century British philosopher and theologian, John of Salisbury.

Pope Benedict said just laws must also respect the separation between church and state in a way that protects religious freedom, must allow local issues to be handled locally and must promote solidarity with the poor “on a national and international level.”

The pope also said John of Salisbury believed strongly that those who had the means to communicate truth and beauty were obliged to do so.

MOISES SANDOVAL

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

cns columnist

In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to John of Salisbury, an outstanding philosopher and theologian of the twelfth century.

Born in England, John was educated in Paris and Chartres. A close associate of Saint Thomas Becket, he was involved in the crisis between the Church and the Crown under King Henry II, and died as Bishop of Chartres.

In his celebrated work, the Metalogicon, John teaches that authentic philosophy is by nature communicative: it bears fruit in a message of wisdom which serves the building up of society in truth and goodness. While acknowledging the limitations of human reason, John insists that it can attain to the truth through dialogue and argumentation.

Faith, which grants a share in God’s perfect knowledge, helps reason to realize its full potential. In another work, the Policraticus, John defends reason’s capacity to know the objective truth underlying the universal natural law, and its obligation to embody that law in all positive legislation.

John’s insights are most timely today, in light of the threats to human life and dignity posed by legislation inspired more by the “dictatorship of relativism” than by the sober use of right reason and concern for the principles of truth and justice inscribed in the natural law.

he needs.

Brodniak’s plight is not unusual, Kristof wrote. A Harvard study shows that almost 45,000 Americans die prematurely each year because they lack insurance. Yet, health care reform that would help them has taken decades to stand a serious chance of becoming law.

And the likely legislation still leaves many people out of the system.

A bipartisan study group and a human rights organization concluded that growing numbers of noncitizens, including legal immigrants, are held unnecessarily and transferred heedlessly in an expensive immigration detention system that denies many of them basic fairness.

The system is so haphazard that some detainees do not even receive proper notice of why they are being held.

In “Les Miserables,” the bishop tells the thief who stole his silverware, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil but to good.”

We must acknowledge our common brotherhood with the victims of genocide, the victims of an unjust system that denies health care to millions and the victims of poverty and oppression forced to come to the United States seeking survival.

December 18, 2009

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