At a glance
CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
December 5, 2025
VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 5
1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@rcdoc.org 704-370-3333
PUBLISHER
The Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte
WCATHOLIC ALL WEEK
Timely tips for blending faith & life
hen most people think of Christmas baking, cookies are the first thing that usually comes to mind. However, there are many sweet treats to stir up during this season that are not only delicious but also have a deeper spiritual meaning. This Advent, feed your soul as well as your sweet tooth by baking something different and then taking the time to share the meaning behind the recipe.
ST. LUCY BUNS
Contact us 2
Español 17-20
Our Diocese 4-12
Our Faith 3
STAFF INDEX
EDITOR: Trish Stukbauer
704-370-3392, tmstukbauer@rcdoc.org
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EDITORIAL TEAM: Kimberly Bender
704-370-3394, kdbender@rcdoc.org Lisa Geraci 704-370-3294, lmgeraci@rcdoc.org Troy C. Hull 704-370-3288, tchull@rcdoc.org Christina Lee Knauss 704-370-0783, clknauss@rcdoc.org Amelia Kudela 704-370-3333, arkudela@rcdoc.org Brian Segovia 704-370-3235, bmsegovia@rcdoc.org
St. Lucy’s Feast Day is Dec. 13, and it’s the perfect time to talk about this saint whose name means “light” and who can remind us that Christ is the light of the world. Saffron buns – or Lussekatter – are a favorite Swedish sweet roll made using saffron, which gives them a distinctive yellow color that recalls Christ’s light. Traditionally, young girls serve these to their parents with coffee on the morning of St. Lucy’s Day before taking part in a procession.
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German traditions feature star-shaped cookies that are called Zimtsterne if they are cinnamon stars. The shape is meant to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to baby Jesus, and it can lead your family on a discussion of your Advent journey. Although cinnamon is almost synonymous with the holidays today, it was once a rather expensive and exotic spice whose use was reserved for special occasions – like Christmas.
Diocesan calendar of events
EVENTS
CATHOLIC GRANDPARENTS ASSOCIATION
MEETING Starts at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 with coffee and Christmas treats at St. Ann Catholic Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. Preregistration is required to: cgakac24@gmail.com.
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SACRED MUSIC CONCERT
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. This annual concert by the Cathedral Choir, children’s choir and high school choir will feature “Magnificat in C” by Johann Georg Reinhardt and other pieces by Parsons, Rathgeber, Bach and Mendelssohn.
HOLIDAY CONCERT 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, Belmont Abbey Basilica. Join the Abbey Schola and other music students in a performance to end the semester and celebrate the Christmas season.
Scan the QR code for this week’s recommended prayers and activities
CHRISTMAS FRUIT BREAD
Blessing the bread consumed during Christmas dinner is a tradition for some families, but Christmas Fruit Bread has a double meaning because it is tied to a specific saint, St Thomas the Apostle. His feast day was Dec. 21 in the old Roman calendar, a date coinciding with the time families amped up Christmas preparations in many European traditions and the day on which many gave alms to the poor. In Austria they honored the saint with Kletzenbrot, a fruit bread that gets its name from the word for dried pears, Kletzen, and was able to be preserved for an extensive time, making it the ideal food to give as a gift in advance of Christmas celebrations.
SEMINARY OPEN HOUSE : 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, St. Joseph College Seminary, 22 Arctus Ave, Mount Holly.
PRIESTS VS SEMINARIANS ANNUAL SHOWDOWN : December basketball madness continues this year with the second annual showdown at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Charlotte Catholic High School, 7702 Pineville Matthews Road, Charlotte.
PRAYER SERVICES
VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS : Vigil begins with 8 p.m. First Friday Mass on Dec. 5, followed by nocturnal Eucharistic Adoration and concludes with the 8 a.m. First Saturday Mass on Dec. 6. St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Sign up for an hour of Adoration at www. defendthefamily.org/two-hearts.
DEC. 6 – 10 A.M. Liturgy of Ordination to the Diaconate Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville
Michael Martin,
Conv., will participate in the following events over the coming weeks:
DEC. 24 – 4 P.M. Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte
Bishop
OFM
CINNAMON STARS
— Catholic News Herald, Catholic Culture, Gulf Coast Catholic
Our faith
Generating life requires hope in life’s meaning
A“sickness” that is widespread in the world is not believing in the meaning and beauty of life, and, consequently, lacking the courage to live and to generate life, Pope Leo XIV said.
To generate life “means to trust in the God of life and to promote humanity in all its expressions: first and foremost, in the wonderful adventure of motherhood and fatherhood,” the pope said Nov. 26 at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
And to generate life is also “to be committed to an economy based on solidarity, striving for a common good equally enjoyed by all, respecting and caring for creation, offering comfort through listening, presence and concrete and selfless help,” he said.
Continuing his series of talks on “Jesus our hope,” the pope focused on “hoping in life in order to beget life.”
“Do not be afraid to welcome and defend every child conceived – proclaim and serve the Gospel of life,” he said.
“Trusting in God, we are invited to participate in this plan of life and love by generating life,” Pope Leo said.
“For those of you living the vocation of married life, this means discovering the gift and adventure of motherhood and fatherhood, in which you are called to participate in bringing new lives into this world and preparing them for the life that is eternal,” he said. “Do not be afraid of this adventure, but prayerfully open yourselves to the gift of life, trusting in the God who we know loves us.”
Life, he said, is “a gift from God who has created us out of love.” However, one of the prevalent temptations today “is a lack of trust in God’s goodness and love.”
“Perhaps we no longer experience life as a gift because we are weighed down by its burdens, but the Risen Christ reminds us that God is always faithful to his plan of love,” he said.
“Many lives, in every part of the world, appear laborious, painful, filled with problems and obstacles to be overcome. There is a widespread sickness in the world: the lack of confidence in life. It is as if we have resigned ourselves to a negative fatalism, to renunciation. Life risks no longer representing a gift, but an unknown, almost a threat from which to protect ourselves so as not to end up disappointed,” he said.
“For this reason, the courage to live and to generate life, to bear witness that God is the quintessential ‘lover of life,’” he said, “is today a more urgent call than ever.” Life “is offered to us, we cannot give it to ourselves, but it must be constantly nurtured: it needs care to maintain, energize, protect and revive it,” he said.
Advent reflections from the women Doctors of the Church
MICHELLE JONES OSV News
We radiate the life of Jesus to the world to the extent that we live with the conviction that we are divinely loved. Advent calls us beyond being merely virtuous into the daring surrender to God’s love.
But our feelings and the circumstances of our lives and the world around us make it difficult for us to be grounded in the love of God. As we contemplate weekly Advent themes, we welcome the thoughts of four radiant women, all Doctors of the Church, who put all their hope in God’s love.
THÉRÈSE
OF LISIEUX
It is natural for us to live by the changing weather patterns of our emotions. One day, we are anxious about finances or deadlines or the results of health tests, so we withdraw into a cocoon or snap at those around us. The next day, we are feeling in control of life and rather successful at being human, so we beam joviality and peace upon the world.
A particular genius of St. Thérèse of Lisieux was to live in constant trusting vigilance to God’s love for her and thus to be an unwavering beacon of divine goodness. The sweetness of Thérèse’s writing makes it easy to miss her refusal to conform to her changing emotions.
In a letter describing to her prioress her experience of a relentless “night of nothingness,” Thérèse goes on to articulate her steadfast trust. She writes: “When I sing of the happiness of heaven and of the eternal possession of God, I feel no joy in this, for I sing simply what I want to believe.”
For at least one day, try to live in the spirit of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, acting not according to your changing feelings, but rather according to what you want to believe.
Daily Scripture readings
DEC. 7-13
Sunday (Second Sunday of Advent): Is 11:1-10, Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Rom 15:4-9, Mt 3:1-12
Monday (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Gen 3:9-15, 20, Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, Eph 1:36, 11-12, Lk 1:26-38
Tuesday: Is 40:1-11, Ps 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13, Mt 18:12-14
Wednesday: Is 40:25-31, Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10, Mt 11:28-30
Thursday: Is 41:13-20, Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab, Mt 11:11-15
Friday (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe): Zech 2:14-17 or Rev 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab, Jud 13:18bcde, 19, Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47
Saturday (Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr): Sir 48:1-4, 9-11, Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19, Mt 17:9a, 10-13
ST. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN
How can we possibly live as Advent stirs us to live? The messiness of our lives frequently exerts an all-consuming claim over us. How can we live in the security of being divinely loved and so be for others the presence of the living God? Is it simply a matter of dogged spiritual willpower?
The writings of St. Hildegard of Bingen crackle with a living awareness of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. For Hildegard, the Holy Spirit is the source of “viriditas,” or greenness – that vitality and dynamism that makes all life, both physical and spiritual, alive. The strength to live confidently as loved sons and daughters of God is not something we muster from our own resources. It is what, with our cooperation, the Holy Spirit causes to spring up within us. Take some time to notice the creation around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir vitality in the dormant areas of your interior life, bringing about new vigor and commitment.
ST. TERESA OF AVILA
It is perhaps easy for committed Catholics to gloss over the description of Jesus in the first chapter of John as one we “do not recognize.” We know Him! We go to Mass every Sunday; we grasp the gist of the Gospels. But Advent challenges us to confront the comfortable presumption that we know the Lord and beckons us to deepen our personal relationship with Him.
Our spiritual tradition teaches that praying with the Gospels is a singularly effective way of coming to know Jesus more intimately. For St. Teresa of Avila the Gospels are a fruitful context for
DEC. 14-20
Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent): Is 35:1-6a, 10, Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, Js 5:7-10, Mt 11:2-11
Monday: Num 24:2-7, 15-17a, Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9, Mt 21:23-27
Tuesday: Zeph 3:1-2, 9-13, Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 1718, 19 and 23, Mt 21:28-32
Wednesday: Gen 49:2, 8-10, Ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17, Mt 1:1-17
Thursday: Jer 23:5-8, Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 1819, Mt 1:18-25
Friday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a, Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17, Lk 1:5-25
Saturday: Is 7:10-14, Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6, Lk 1:26-38
focusing our attention on Jesus and speaking with Him in faith.
She gives us a demonstration when she contemplates keeping Jesus company in the Garden of Gethsemane in a letter to her sisters. Teresa is alive to the truth that the Gospel episodes are not over and done with, irretrievably in the past. The Jesus who lived then lives now, and all his earthly life is alive in him; the way he was for the people he encountered in the past is the way he is now for us. So, we can be the person touching his cloak, or asking him for mercy, or pleading for living water, or consoling him. The episodes of the Gospels are pathways to deepening our knowledge of the living Jesus.
ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA
Was Mary’s personal identity eradicated at the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38)? Did her generous, “I am the handmaid of the Lord” signal the end of her life story as she began her life as the God-bearer? On the contrary, with her “yes” to the unfolding of God’s plan, Mary leaned more fully into her unique selfhood. Her witness prompts us to step back and discern the same flourishing at work in our own lives.
St. Catherine of Siena had a vivid insight into the reality that our true self flourishes as we grow in union with God. Her prayer “My Nature is Fire” takes our self-understanding to new depths and profoundly enriches our sense of what our life in Christ offers others.
Advent reminds us of our transcendent calling and nurtures its fulfillment in us. Throughout this sacred season, we are created into beacons of divine tenderness as the Holy Spirit shapes our lives into Jesus’ “yes” to the Father’s love.
This Advent, guided by the wisdom of the women named Doctors of the Church, let us throw our hearts open to God’s transforming work of love as never before.
DEC. 21-27
Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Advent): Is 7:10-14, Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Rom 1:1-7, Mt 1:18-24
Monday: 1 Sam 1:24-28, 1 Sam 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd, Lk 1:46-56
Tuesday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-24, Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14, Lk 1:57-66
Wednesday: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16, Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29, Lk 1:67-79
Thursday (The Nativity of the Lord): Is 52:7-10, Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6, Heb 1:1-6, Jn 1:1-18 or Jn 1:1-5, 9-14
Friday (Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr): Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59, Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17, Mt 10:17-22
Saturday (Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist): 1 Jn 1:1-4, Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, Jn 20:1a and 2-8
Pope Leo XIV
St. Thérèse
St. Hildegard
St. Teresa
St. Catherine
TRADITION TAKES ROOT
Nigerian Catholics celebrate first Igbo Mass in Charlotte Our diocese
2026, Igbo
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — More than 220 Nigerian Catholics gathered at Our Lady of Consolation Church Nov. 25 for a joyful celebration of Mass in the Igbo language that was also a milestone – the first Igbo Mass celebrated in the city of Charlotte.
Men, women and children, many dressed in brightly colored and ornate traditional clothing, prayed, sang hymns in Igbo (pronounced “EE-boo”) and swayed and danced to music performed by Nigerian musicians and a choir made up of members from Charlotte and Greensboro. During the offertory, men and women lined up to place their offerings in a basket at the altar.
The Igbo come from the Igboland province in southeastern Nigeria, which is predominantly Christian and has Catholicism as its largest faith community. Igbo Catholics have settled in this area for many years and organized their own faith community in western North Carolina 11 years ago.
Sunday’s beautiful liturgy was the beginning of efforts to build up the Igbo Catholic community in Charlotte, said celebrant Father Marcel Amadi, parochial administrator at Our Lady of Consolation. Since 2015, he has served as spiritual director for the Igbo Catholic Community in the diocese.
“Things went overwhelmingly well – there was a nice level of cooperation among everyone and many here were attending the Igbo Mass for the first time,” Father Amadi said. “It was a great opportunity to gather the communities together in the spirit of family and Thanksgiving.”
While many Igbo Catholics live
in the Triad area, Father Amadi said more are moving to the Charlotte area, which makes it important to make the Igbo Mass
which also attracted Nigerian Catholics from Charlotte. Igbo priests from around the diocese attended and concelebrated the Mass. Father Innocent Amasiorah, parochial administrator at Our Lady of the Angels in Marion, offered a homily that touched on themes from the day’s readings for the Feast of Christ the King. Also present were Father Henry Ogu, a doctoral student at North Carolina A&T, and Father Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu, the first Igbo priest ordained in the diocese and current campus chaplain at Charlotte Catholic High School.
“It’s fantastic to have a Mass here in Charlotte, because the Church brings the people together,” said Godfrey Uzochukwu, a professor at North Carolina A&T and communications director for the Igbo community. “We are excited to have another place where Igbo people can hear the Mass in our native language.”
The Igbo Catholic Community in the diocese first organized after Nigerian Catholics met with retired Cardinal Francis Arinze during his 2011 visit to the Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress.
The cardinal, who is of Igbo heritage, encouraged them to find a way to have Mass celebrated locally in their language. At the time there were no Igbo priests in the diocese, so local Nigerians reached out to Spiritan Father Joseph Orji, who was serving in the Diocese of Raleigh. He celebrated the first Igbo Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte at St. Mary’s Church in 2014.
When Father Amadi started serving in campus ministry in the Triad area in 2015, he took on the role of spiritual director for the community, which has grown to about 300 people.
The Igbo community in the diocese has grown to about
300 people who participate in activities such as the Eucharistic Congress and delivering food to the Urban Ministry and diapers to Room at the Inn in Greensboro.
available to them.
People traveled from Greensboro, High Point, WinstonSalem and Salisbury for the Mass,
Members participate in many activities around the diocese, including annual visits to the Eucharistic Congress. They gather online to pray virtual rosaries during May and October, as well as the Stations of the Cross during Lent, and take part in charitable activities such as delivering food to the Urban Ministry in Greensboro and diapers to Room at the Inn.
“I loved having the Mass in Charlotte – this empowers us to be more together as a community,” said Martina Ukattah of Greensboro.
Beginning in January, Igbo Masses will alternate between Greensboro and Charlotte. The next Igbo Mass will be offered Sunday, Jan. 25, at St. Mary’s Church in Greensboro.
Igbo Masses are offered in the Igbo language and feature brightly colored clothing and traditional music. In
Masses will alternate between Greensboro and Charlotte.
Igbo Catholics from across the Diocese of Charlotte came together to attend the milestone celebration.
PHOTOS BY TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Father Marcel Amadi, parochial administrator at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, celebrated the first Igbo Mass in Charlotte.
St. Andrew the Apostle celebrates 40 years of faith modeled after its patron saint
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
MARS HILL — Parishioners at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill gathered for its 40th anniversary on the feast day of the church’s patron saint, St. Andrew, Nov. 30.
“We are calling it the 100th celebration because we are celebrating 40 years of St. Andrew’s and 60 years of Father Anthony’s life. His birthday was earlier this week,” parish secretary Kelly Hansen said.
To accommodate the entire parish of the little church nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, organizers opted to hold festivities a few blocks away at a hall on the Mars Hill University campus.
Father Anthony Mbanefo of
the Missionary Society of St. Paul, the pastor of St. Andrew, expressed his contentment with being a 60-year-old priest, his family in Nigeria, and his mountain congregation, which continues to thrive.
“If you want to know how I feel, I am so happy. … I pray that by the 50th anniversary, we won’t celebrate in this small hall but will rent out the whole compound,” Father Mbanefo said. “This parish is a good parish because the people are good. If I think about the works of charity, the impact of our volunteers … we have a good spirit.”
The tiny parish with an elevated heart serves a sparse population
of Catholics, with a modest 200 members, but is a constant reminder of the first apostle, St. Andrew, who is known for turning little into plenty.
Event organizer Donna Bange explained, “St. Andrew first appeared at the Sermon on the Mount, pointing to the little boy with the two barley loaves and the five fishes.”
“A small church like this has a big impact, and it connects people,” she said.
St. Andrew the Apostle Church and its mission, Sacred Heart in Burnsville, cover a 764-squaremile territory and are the only Catholic churches in Yancey and Madison counties.
Although the parish officially started in 1985, local Catholic roots run deep, and that history proudly covered the wall with posters Bange designed. The information mostly came from Sister Peggy Verstege, RSM, who joined the Jesuits in 1984 at The Jesuit House of Prayer Center, which at the time was in Hot Springs. The prayer center changed hands long ago, but Sister Peggy continues serving Sacred Heart Mission.
DEEPLY ROOTED FAITH
The first chapel, St. John Church, was erected in Hot Springs in 1887 by the Rumbough family, who owned the hot springs the town was named after. The family quickly befriended the Jesuits.
By 1931, the Jesuits opened a small chapel, Church of the Little Flower in Revere, and faithful Catholic Bessie Rumbough Safford conveyed the famous Hot Springs Inn plus her 500-acre property to the Diocese of Raleigh, which the Church later sold.
Meanwhile, Father Andrew Graves, a Jesuit priest from the Maryland province, became pastor of the Church of Little Flower, presiding over Mass both in Revere and in Hot Springs.
The Jesuits bought a large estate in Hot Springs in 1955 which they named the Jesuit House of Prayer. Over the years, they extended their mission to include Mars Hill, mostly ministering to the college community, tourists, and a handful of locals who gathered at
Framing the future
MOUNT HOLLY — Construction continues to progress on the new chapel at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly. In mid-November workers were completing the steel framing and beginning construction on the bell tower, and wooden trusses for the interior ceiling arrived. Father Matthew Kauth, seminary rector, visits the building site frequently and said masonry work on the chapel will hopefully begin in January. “We’re not just on schedule but we’re on budget – we’re very grateful to God for that,” Father Kauth joked. The $24 million project includes $20.7 million for construction, related site work and furnishings, $2 million for the endowment and $1.7 million for debt elimination.
local storefronts for Sunday Mass. Rocko Meeker, the longestattending parishioner, remembers those early days 40 years ago.
“When I first started coming here, there were only about 10 to 12 of us. It was at the storefront,” Meeker said. “The community had to get to know us … once they did, they accepted us.”
In 1985, with almost all Catholic churches and properties resold or destroyed by fire, the Diocese of Charlotte agreed to start the new parish in the Mars Hill area. The handful of local area Catholics and the Jesuit community raised enough money to build St. Andrew Church, completing construction in 1991.
The Jesuits relocated in 2007 when they sold their prayer center, but their legacy remains in the parish they formed and the parishioners who joined.
Most parishioners today were not involved with the start of the church, but when they relocated to the area, they were happy it was there.
As parishioner Joe Oliveti shared, “We wanted to go to a small church, and this place is such an integral part of our lives.”
He followed his daughter to Mars Hill from Texas during COVID and was attending the celebration with his wife and granddaughter.
Parishioners surprised Father Mbanefo with a handmade quilt, a cake and a bag of cards.
Before blowing out his birthday candles, Father Mbanefo, who speaks four languages – Igbo, Wolof, English and Spanish –presented his own surprise to parishioners: copies of his new book published Oct. 16, titled “Women in Jesus’ Story.”
St. Andrew’s own faith story continues to be written.
LEGACY REMAINS
PHOTOS BY TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill recently had two reasons to celebrate: the 40th anniversary of the parish and the 60th birthday of its pastor, Father Anthony Mbanefo. Parishioners gathered at Mass (above) and surprised him afterward with a handmade quilt (at left).
In Brief
St. Patrick Cathedral to host 10th Advent and Christmas Concert
CHARLOTTE — The three choirs of St. Patrick Cathedral will collaborate for their 10th annual Sacred Music Advent and Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13. Director of Sacred Music and organist Dr. Gianfranco DeLuca will feature the adult Cathedral Choir, the high school choir, and the children’s choir at the event.
“The choirs are neat because they are open to the entire diocese, so we have kids that come from a lot of other parishes and schools,” DeLuca said. “It is a great mix from different places.”
The night brings with it a chamber orchestra of local freelance musicians. The choirs have practiced for this event since early October and will sing choral pieces mostly in Latin from the likes of Parsons, Rathgeber, Bach and Mendelssohn.
- Lisa Geraci
St. Therese parish rushes to aid
Mooresville Christian Mission
MOORESVILLE — The St. Therese community came together in a snap to help Mooresville Christian Mission when it ran out of canned meat and fish for its food pantry in November. Sophia McNiff, commission chair of St. Therese’s Community Ministries, heard about the shortage on a Monday morning during the parish’s daily Zoom rosary meeting, and from there quickly organized the emergency drive. The message hit Flocknote and Facebook, with the collection set for Thursday, Nov. 13.
“It was just amazing! Over the course of two hours, 2,500 pounds of food was collected,” McNiff said. “I know we have a generous parish, but I never expected that much. We had so much food we had to ask the parish manager if we could use his truck.”
McNiff said Second Harvest was unable to supply Christian Mission with the amount of food they typically receive and the gap needed to be filled quickly.
“They were completely out, so that’s why we did this emergency fund,” McNiff said. “Sometimes, we fill in the blanks.”
- Lisa Geraci
Bishops call on Catholics to care for marginalized
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Bishops of the Carolinas and Georgia urged Catholics to embody Jesus by walking more closely with the poor and marginalized, signing a statement Dec. 2 after a twoday gathering at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Pastoral Center.
The nine bishops were in Charlotte Dec. 1-2 for a semiannual meeting of the Atlanta Province, which includes the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the dioceses of Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah.
While together, they reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te (I have loved you).
Released in October, Dilixi Te urges believers to use their Christian faith to become disciples in service to the poor and those on the margins of society.
“Many of us fall short … by not fully infusing the mind and heart of Christ into every aspect of the human endeavor, especially as it relates to the fullest respect for the dignity of every human person,” the statement read.
The bishops urge people to find the face of God “in the unborn, the poor, the migrant, the incarcerated, the aged, the undereducated, the unloved, the ill and those with whom we disagree. … As disciples seeking the fullness of life, we must unite ourselves with,
advocate for and care for those who are cast aside: the poor among us.”
The sentiments in the statement were foreshadowed in the opening Mass in the Pastoral Center chapel celebrated by
Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv. Concelebrants were Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.; Raleigh Bishop Luiz Zarama; Charleston Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, C.S., and
Three seminarians installed as acolytes
CINCINNATI — Three seminarians from the Diocese of Charlotte were installed as acolytes by Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati on Nov. 19. Mark Becker from St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, Mateo Perez from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir, Matthew Stanley from St. Mark Parish in Huntersville and four other seminarians studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Ohio took this step. Acolytes are entrusted with the duties of attending to the altar, assisting the deacon and priest at Mass and distributing Holy Communion as an extraordinary minister. Ministry of the acolyte is one of three formal steps required by the Church to being ordained a transitional deacon and later a priest.
Bishops from the Carolinas and Georgia gathered Dec. 1-2 in Charlotte for the semiannual meeting of the Atlanta Province. After the meeting, they issued a joint statement urging Catholics to care for the poor and the marginalized.
Charleston’s retired Bishop Robert Guglielmone; Savannah Bishop Stephen Parkes; and Atlanta’s three auxiliary bishops: Bishop Joel Konzen, S.M., Bishop Bernard Shlesinger III and Bishop John Nhan Tran. During his homily, Archbishop Hartmayer said, “We are going to see how we can increase our own awareness of the poor and heighten that awareness in our own dioceses.”
READ THE STATEMENT on page 27.
HUNTERSVILLE — On the Nov. 23 solemnity of Christ the King, St. Mark parish held a Eucharistic procession through a neighborhood inhabited mainly by Hispanic families. The 3.5 mile procession was organized by parochial vicar Father Kevin Martinez and several members of the church. Some residents joined the walk, while others shared WhatsApp messages as the Blessed Sacrament passed by their homes. The initiative sought to bring the presence of Christ to members of the Hispanic community who, due to heightened immigration activity, had been afraid to leave their homes.
2024 CONCERT | PHOTO PROVIDED
PHOTO PROVIDED
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PATRICK TARBOX
PHOTOS BY BRIAN M. SEGOVIA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Annual collection for religious retirement fund coming Dec. 13-14
CHARLOTTE — During Masses Dec. 13-14, parishes are asked to take up a collection to support retired consecrated religious men and women.
The annual Retirement Fund for Religious Collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, which then distributes the funds to eligible religious communities to help care for their aging members.
In 2024, Diocese of Charlotte parishioners contributed $281,917 to this collection.
John Knutsen, director of the
NRRO, said, “The generosity of U.S. Catholics continues to make a profound difference in the lives of aging religious. This year, we invite all Catholics to help provide the care and dignity these women and men of faith so richly deserve.”
Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests – collectively known as men and women religious – have selflessly served for decades without significant financial compensation.
However, escalating healthcare costs mean that numerous
religious communities face a substantial gap between their elderly members’ needs and the financial resources available for their care.
Compounding the problem, many religious orders currently experience insufficient retirement savings.
The U.S. bishops initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection in 1988 to address this deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, supporting more than 21,000 religious over the age of 70. In 2024, the average annual cost
of care was about $56,600 per person, with skilled nursing care averaging $96,000.
The 2024 appeal demonstrated Catholics’ tremendous generosity – raising $28.1 million nationwide to support the retirement needs for 266 U.S. religious communities.
The NRRO is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
— Catholic News Herald
Sisters of Charity flourishing at St. Joseph in Asheboro
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
HIGH POINT — The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (SCV) recently welcomed three sisters to the national motherhouse in High Point.
At a time when several congregations have left the Diocese of Charlotte and the number of women professing vows is in stark decline nationally, the SCV congregation continues to positively impact the Carolinas.
Sister Jancey James, Sister Elizabeth Abraham and Sister Maria Wilson, all from Kerala, India, will carry out their charisms alongside the six Triadarea SCV sisters who serve three local parishes – Immaculate Heart of Mary and Christ the King, both in High Point, and St. Joseph in Asheboro.
Although the three professed their vows more than a decade ago, this is their first time ministering in the United States. Here they will sing in the choir, teach faith formation classes, help with the sacraments and decorate their assigned church, St. Joseph in Asheboro.
As the pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Father Ramiro Tijerino, explained, “The sisters have always helped us so much. They have been a true blessing amongst us.”
The SCV congregation tends to the High Point area as they have for the past 26 years, serving as licensed educators, accountants and nurses.
At the De Paul Academy preschool and after school, established by the sisters in 2002, children sing, dance and learn with their habit-wearing teachers. The residents at Pennybyrn retirement community find joy as the sisters nurse them back to health.
The sisters host small retreats, school students in faith formation and teach English.
‘THIS PLACE IS A MIRACLE’
The sisters say walking through their motherhouse is like walking inside a miracle. Mother
“Sometimes we say that we have nothing to fear because this
was
The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul have been in the High Point area for 26 years. They serve as educators at the De Paul Academy preschool, accountants and nurses, among other roles.
Mary and Jesus,” Sister Vinaya said. “Lots of blessings and grace come upon here. We have great protection. We always can feel the Lord is guiding us.”
The land was donated by Ken and Sally Hughes, founders of K & S Tool & Manufacturing Co. in High Point and long-time parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary who now reside at Pennybyrn.
The monastic-style convent was designed by Father Phillip Kollithanath, former pastor of Christ the King.
“This place is a miracle. … We did not have any investment or
anything, nothing,” Sister Vinaya recalled.
“We prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and rosary every single day. We used to come over here and walk around and pray, and then the miracles started coming to us,” she said.
Thousands donated toward the convent, some as little as $85, some more than $100,000.
“It is a 22,000-square-foot building, but we were able to finish it for less than a million,” Father Kollithanath said.
CATALYST FOR GROWTH
Father Kollithanath not only played the role of contractor but was also the catalyst behind the sisters’ 1999 arrival in High Point. He knew the women as young girls, serving as their priest, friend and teacher in India.
“We all know each other, we have family connections. I have a great-aunt in the congregation and a niece,” Father Kollithanath said.
Father Kollithanath asked for help from the sisters, and they were sponsored by Charlotte’s then-Bishop William Curlin on the condition they keep the habit.
Father Kollithanath was reassigned to St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte earlier this year but still visits the sisters regularly for a taste of India and fellowship.
In total, around 250 SCV sisters serve in India, the United States, Germany and, most recently, Africa.
Any income earned is pooled to uplift the global SCV community, offsetting a severe lack of resources in missions located in areas of extreme poverty.
The congregation is growing, recruiting from the nations they serve.
The sisters now have three convents in the Carolinas: Charlotte, High Point and Clover, South Carolina.
The High Point convent, built in 2010, still has room for four more.
“We need more sisters. We are looking for candidates from here to join us,” said Sister Vinaya. “God’s call is universal.”
Superior
Vinaya remembers when the parcel was just a patch of grass with a pond and a dream.
building
made by the Blessed
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
DISCIPLE MAKER INDEX
Diocese-wide results of a 2025 survey of 24,332 Catholics from across western North Carolina about insights on faith and parish life.
Part 3: Sunday Experience
INTRO:
the sign of peace during Mass. DMI respondents praised the Lenoir parish for being welcoming and offering engaging Masses with insightful homilies.
Welcoming parishes with engaging Masses nurture people’s faith experience
Hot coffee and sandwiches made with homemade sourdough. A warm handshake. A kind word. A sympathetic ear.
3
That’s the recipe for success at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir, which was identified as one of the top 10 most welcoming parishes in the Disciple Maker Index (DMI), an anonymous survey of nearly 24,000 regular Mass-goers in the
My parish makes me feel welcomed and accepted.
My parish makes me feel
My parish offers vibrant and engaging Sunday Masses.
Diocese of Charlotte earlier this year. Everyone at the church – from the ushers at the door before Mass to the staff answering the phone – is committed to making people feel accepted.
“It’s important to welcome the stranger,”
says Angela Smith, who with her husband Steve runs the parish’s hospitality ministry and cooks up hearty fare including her LEGEND
Strongly agree Agree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Disagree
My
My parish offers music that deepens my desire to participate more fully in the Sunday liturgy.
My parish offers music that deepens my desire to participate more fully in the Sunday liturgy.
Top takeaways desired from a homily
Among
My parish
My parish offers preaching and homilies that connect my faith with my everyday life.
Strongly Disagree
Top 5 churches with preaching and homilies that ‘connect my faith with my everyday life’
Highest % of respondents who ‘strongly agreed’ 1 St. Francis of Assisi (Lenoir) 2 St.
(From left) Deacon Stephen Pickett preaches during Mass for All Souls’ Day Nov. 2 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir. Parishioners at St. Francis share
PHOTOS BY PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
WELCOMING
famous sourdough bread. “You may be entertaining angels and not even know it. Just being kind to people shows your love of Christ – it flows out of you.”
Nearly every Sunday after the 10 a.m. Mass, volunteers brew coffee and bring in salads, soups, sandwiches or donuts for folks to enjoy. Everyone gathers in the parish hall to eat, chat, laugh and connect.
It’s a familiar scene repeated at many churches around the diocese, and it’s an essential part of building community and discipleship.
“A few minutes talking and spending time together goes a very, very long way,” says Tony Novak, who puts his decades of people skills as a salesman to work as St. Francis’ head usher. “People like people who like them. It’s a fact.”
Yet there is work to do. The diocese’s DMI survey found that some do not feel welcome at their church.
Only 50% of DMI respondents said they strongly agreed that their church makes them “feel welcomed and accepted.” That number was lower for older people (56 and over), divorced or widowed Catholics, and people without kids.
The feeling of belonging is a combination of factors bundled together in what the Catholic Leadership Institute calls the “Sunday Experience” – the 90 or so minutes each week parishioners spend at church, from the parking lot to the pew.
“The Sunday Experience makes or breaks parishioners’ experiences with the Church,” notes CLI’s Tricia Cellucci, who oversaw the diocese’s DMI survey.
Accessible parking, ushers at the door to greet people and answer questions, a reverent worship space, vibrant and engaging Masses, uplifting music, time after Mass to meet other people, parish information that’s easy to find – these are just some of the factors necessary to create an inviting parish.
Parishioners who feel welcome are twice as likely to recommend their parish to a friend, CLI has found.
So which parishes have created an exemplary Sunday experience, according to DMI respondents? Thirty-five of the diocese’s churches scored above the diocese’s average, chief among them: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Joseph in Bryson City and St. Ann in Charlotte.
A PASTOR WHO ENLISTS PEOPLE
Someone who says they feel positively about their pastor is nine times more likely to recommend their parish, CLI has found. A key to feeling welcome is being listened to and invited to get involved in the life of the parish.
Members of St. Joseph Parish in Bryson City find that to be true. They are especially proud of their church and their pastor, Father Victor Ameh.
“He really reaches out to people, his energy is very positive,” said Dan Von Behren, a committed parishioner and its finance manager.
Overlooking the Tuckasegee River that ripples through downtown Bryson City, the picturesque granite church attracts many tourists. Yet with only 50 or so regular
who just built Father Ameh an office in the parish hall basement – with the pastor lending a hand alongside them, of course.
“It’s a family, where everybody understands that they have a role to play –not just come to church, sit in the pew, and then go home,” Father Ameh says.
A TRANSCENDENT MASS
St. Ann Church in Charlotte is well known for its beautiful interior, especially its soaring apse mural depicting a scene from heaven with the Lamb of God, saints and angels that was inspired by the famous Ghent Altarpiece. But it’s not art for art’s sake – the art is meant to evoke the sacred, especially at Mass.
“The church is a symbol of heaven, so that when you come to Mass you should have a heavenly experience,” says Father Timothy Reid, pastor since 2007. His Masses regularly include organ music, Gregorian chant and incense – “things that hearken back to an older age in the Church.”
The beauty and reverence of St. Ann’s Masses captivate people, he says. “I think people in the world today are seeking a transcendent experience, something where they feel close to God.”
exhausted of what lies the enemy tells us and tired of what the world has to offer,” Sholtis says. “We want something different, something pure and unchanging, that is God Himself, and when you walk into St. Ann, this is what is offered. It is attractive because it is so different from the outside.”
HOMILIES THAT ILLUMINATE
Homilies should connect faith with daily life, and clergy who preach well inspire people to greater discipleship, CLI advises. Parishioners who appreciate their priest’s homilies are 1.7 times more likely to recommend their parish to a friend, its research has found.
At St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 81% of respondents – the most of any church in the diocese’s DMI survey – strongly agreed that their church offers great homilies by Father Alfonso Gamez Jr. and Deacon Stephen Pickett.
Father Gamez credits the Holy Spirit. “Throughout the week I am thinking about the readings and taking notice of my interactions with people and conversations
families, people realize they all must pitch in.
Father Ameh says it’s important to involve everyone. “This is the people’s church, not the clergy’s church. It’s my goal to get people to know that this is their church.”
Since Father Ameh came to St. Joseph last year, the parish has restarted faith formation classes for children and adults (“We have six catechists and about 30 kids learning about the faith,” Von Behren says proudly), trained lectors and formed a choir. The new men’s group has 20 members,
That’s especially true, he says, of young people at St. Ann, where the average age of a parishioner is 28.
Katie Sholtis, 30, is one of them.
“We live in a world where truth is relative, anything goes, and standards are plummeting. Many people, especially younger generations, are
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Disciple Maker Index survey, conducted in March-April 2025 at the Diocese of Charlotte’s 93 parishes and missions, drew responses from 24,332 people at 78 parishes and missions. While not a random or representative sample of all Catholics in the diocese, the results largely captured the views of active Catholics who regularly attend Mass and chose to participate in the 75-question survey. Data were tabulated by the Catholic Leadership Institute, which conducted the DMI for free as part of a future strategic plan for the diocese.
that
Sacred art, including an apse mural inspired by the Ghent Altarpiece, draws people to worship at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
Ameh
Sholtis
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DAN VON BEHREN
Prayer blanket ministry shares warmth of God’s love
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
SAPPHIRE VALLEY — For the past 16 years, women at St. Jude Church in Sapphire Valley have been gathering each month to create warm fleece blankets and pray for those who receive them. Recipients, like those recovering from surgery and a woman who lost her husband and carries her blanket and his memories with her, are thankful for their labor of love.
The women belong to the prayer blanket ministry at the mountain parish, started in 2009 by the late JoAnn Zannone as a tangible reminder of God’s love for people going through illness, trauma or other difficulties.
Members don’t need to know how to sew, knit or crochet – just how to tie knots. The only requirements are a dedication to prayer and a commitment of a few hours each month.
“I’ve been personally touched by these prayer blankets because I’ve seen the healing process that can take place and the hope it brings people,” said founding member and group organizer Kathy Borzell. “I’ve read thank-you notes from people who were in desperate straits and received one. Just knowing other people are praying for you can be huge.”
Zannone originally discovered a prayer blanket ministry at a parish she attended in Atlanta and wanted to bring the concept to St. Jude, Borzell said. Originally women met to create “prayer bears,” but that was a complicated craft and they shifted to blankets so more people could participate.
The group meets twice a month during the spring and summer and monthly during fall and winter when seasonal parishioners leave for second homes in warmer climates. During the off season, local members work on blankets in their homes.
“I bring blankets home and make them as I’m watching TV,” Borzell said.
The free blankets are made with a soft, warm fleece material. Parishioners, visitors and some recipients make
donations for the ministry.
the trip back to Florida for the winter.
The blankets mean a lot to recipients, Carrasquillo said. Several years ago, she sent one to a close friend whose husband was seriously ill and later died.
“She takes that blanket everywhere she goes, to bed with her, and on visits out of town,” she said. “She says it reminds her of her husband.”
Carrasquillo’s own family has benefited from the ministry.
“My husband Thomas had some back surgery and we gave him a blanket that gave him a lot of comfort when he was recuperating, and one of my brothers received one after major surgery,” she said. “He would wrap up in the blanket each evening while he was watching TV.”
“We got a donation of $500 once from someone in Texas who was grateful for the blanket and also sent a nice note,” Borzell said. “But we don’t ask for a dime. Donations are appreciated but never required.”
Some are made for specific people, but most are made ahead of time and placed in a closet where Father Jason Barone, pastor, blesses them before they are sent out. Parishioners pick up blankets as needed and write the names of intended recipients in a book, which the women then pray over at their meetings.
Ann Carrasquillo discovered the ministry on a visit to Sapphire Valley to see a friend. She and her husband eventually bought a second home there 13 years ago, and she joined. She now participates seasonally before making
The blankets start out as pieces of fabric about 54 inches wide and a yard and a half long. Members cut fringed edges and then tie knots in the fringe to hold them firm, a process that takes an hour or two. Carrasquillo said occasionally makers will hem a blanket for male recipients who don’t like the fringe. Each blanket comes with a prayer card that lets the recipient know where it came from and that they are being lifted in prayer.
Sometimes the women will pray a rosary or other devotional during meetings, but most of the time, the prayers are spontaneous, “asking God to be with all the people and with their families, and to guide our hands as we make the blankets,” Carrasquillo said.
“For me the best part of this is the fellowship with the other women, to know we’re working together in this ministry,” she said. “It’s like the Scripture says, ‘Wherever two or three of you are gathered, I am there with you in your midst.’ We know that God is there guiding our fellowship.”
ROME —Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., and other pilgrims from the Diocese of Charlotte took part in a Nov. 14-23 pilgrimage to Rome. As part of the trip, Bishop Martin had a brief but meaningful encounter with Pope Leo XIV during his general audience.
Bishop Martin said he shared with the pope “how much the people of western North Carolina are praying for him and supportive of his ministry,” and he “thanked him for the messaging that he’s so clearly offered on behalf of migrants in our area who are in so much distress and
experiencing so much anxiety these days.”
He also asked Pope Leo to continue praying for the people of the diocese and assured the pope that they would continue to pray for him.
The group prayed at the basilicas of St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Peter, and walked through the Holy Doors as part of the Jubilee year. They made an excursion to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order to which Bishop Martin belongs.
A Jubilee journey
PHOTOS PROVIDED
Home Again Foundation celebrates Veterans at Hometown Heroes Ball
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdox.org
MATTHEWS — Paying tribute to our nation’s heroes, Home Again Foundation of Charlotte held its 2nd Hometown Heroes Ball Nov. 7 at Levine Senior Center.
The night, filled with war stories, fight songs and color guard presentations, honored veterans while raising funds to house Mecklenburg’s homeless population.
Home Again Foundation, founded by Rick Gilbert, a long-time parishioner of St. Luke in Mint Hill, provides transitional affordable housing for those lacking stable shelter until they gain the ability to unlock the doors of their own home.
The banquet’s guest speaker, Marine Corps veteran Latrone Walters, now owner of a web development company, discussed his struggles after leaving the military.
“I went through a very difficult time in life,” Walters said. “I basically slept on the street and lived outside, but through God’s grace, persistence and the discipline that the Marine Corps gave me, I was able to climb back up.”
According to the “Built for Zero” initiative, Walters is not alone. There are currently 138 unhoused veterans in Mecklenburg County.
“Some are living out of their car, others living on someone’s couch,” Gilbert said.
“They shouldn’t have to. They served our country. They should have a place to call home, some dignity, and something they could afford.”
Gilbert and his team work tirelessly every day to change that, currently housing four veteran families in their first tiny cottage community called “Small Beginnings.”
“They’re not homeless anymore. They’re all working, paying their own way,” Gilbert said.
‘Together
“People’s lives are changing here through this housing program, and they are receiving the dignity they deserve.”
The community is filled with families occupying eight tiny cottages: one with three bedrooms, two with two bedrooms and five with a single bedroom.
Since the 2021 ribbon cutting, three families have become stable enough to leave the program, opening up space for those on what Gilbert characterizes as a “three-milelong waiting list.”
Each resident has their own story – a mother escaping an abusive relationship, a single mom living in a car with her two children, a man who lived in a shed for years. At Home Again, they were able to take the situation they were dealt and change it for good, and now they’re thriving.
Rick said that without God, all this would not have happened. “We didn’t do this. God
in Holiness’ conference focuses on building hope in marriages
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE AND ARDEN — Couples gathered for the 7th annual “Together in Holiness” marriage enrichment conference Nov. 22, which was held at St. Barnabas Church in Arden and St. Ann in Charlotte. The retreat, themed “Courageous Hope in Marriage and Family,” presented an opportunity for 66 couples to celebrate their vocation while meeting others who share their faith and are walking a similar path.
“This annual conference is a great event for couples to develop a holier marriage by learning from one another and hearing from a variety of speakers,” said Brendan Dudley, marriage preparation and enrichment coordinator for the diocese. The event was organized by the Saint John Paul II Foundation in conjunction with the diocese’s Family Life Office.
Couples from all different stages of married life came together. Some were engaged, others newlyweds, all the way up to couples who have been married for 53 years, Dudley said.
The day featured multiple nationally recognized speakers and a spiritual
boost with Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, confession and time to mingle.
Mallory Smyth, national speaker, author and podcaster, kept this year’s jubilee theme of hope center stage with her talk on “Hope Does Not Disappoint: A Firm Foundation for Marriage and the Family.”
Greg Shutte, a licensed independent social worker and senior director of Marriage Works! Ohio, discussed the family being a beacon of hope for others.
Dr. Mario Sacasa, a licensed marriage and family therapist with a Charlotte practice, delivered his presentation, “In Good Times and In Bad.”
As Dudley explained, the speakers help reinforce the idea that “we can grow in the virtue of hope, and trusting in God, our families can become stronger and can shine the light of the Gospel to other families.”
“The conference is a great springboard for parishes to offer a variety of marriage enrichment activities throughout the year,” he said. “That can take a number of forms, and our staff in the Family Life Office looks forward to consulting with parishes about how to develop and implement marriage enrichment opportunities.”
did. I just kept praying and praying.” St. Luke’s parishioners clapped extra loud at the ball, as many have helped along the way. The Knights of Columbus put in the swing set and landscaped the one-acre lot. Parishioners furnished cottages and volunteered their own time and money. Many rode shotgun while Gilbert’s dream came to fruition and are ready for whatever happens next.
Gilbert, who organized Room in the Inn, a shelter for the homeless during the winter months, at St. Luke Church since 1995, still felt compelled to do more.
In 2018, he humbly took to the St. Luke parish pulpit, describing his vision and announcing the formation of the Home Again Foundation.
Now in its seventh year, the foundation is ready to expand. Gilbert’s dream is to eventually open a 300-tiny-cottage development on a large plot of land with a medical center, general store and on-site daycare.
“It is so much easier for us all to come together as a village,” said Gilbert. “This can all come together faster if we all work together.”
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Parishioners at St. Luke Catholic Church have taken an active role in helping Home Again Foundation of Charlotte provide transitional housing for homeless veterans
Small mission lives out powerful Advent message
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
GASTONIA – “Soon and very soon we are going to see the king …”
These simple words of a Gospel song, sung a cappella by a small but powerful choir, welcomed the season of Advent Nov. 30 at St. Helen Mission, near Spencer Mountain just outside Gastonia.
In a homily during that morning’s Mass, Father Marcel Amadi, parochial administrator of the mission, gave the congregation of about 40 people three guidelines to live by during Advent: “Stay awake, prepare and wait.”
“Stay awake because salvation is nearer now than ever before,” Father Amadi said. “Wake up from anything dragging you down.”
His words held special relevance for the small mission, where parishioners are preparing for the blessings and challenges of growth as the area around the cozy brick church changes rapidly. They are welcoming new members and visitors during Advent with an outpouring of love.
“It’s always exciting to see a new face at this church, and when people come for the first time, we typically see them again,” said Lyle Wilson, a member at St. Helen for 54 years. “There’s just something about this church.”
St. Helen is a mission of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, the only historically Black parish in the diocese. Like Our Lady of Consolation, St. Helen is home to a long-standing community of Black Catholics and has welcomed members of increasing diversity over the years.
Like Pat Beaty, who found St. Helen while driving down the winding road near it shortly after she and her husband moved to the area from Florida in 2013.
“I looked up and saw this little church – it called to me,” she said. “I came to Mass and immediately felt the welcoming, the love and the Holy Spirit. And now here I am every Sunday.”
Several members of the congregation like Wilson have been attending St. Helen since childhood.
Lynn Setzer has spent Sunday mornings at St. Helen for almost 60 years alongside her family and recalls going to Mass with her parents, the late George Gardin and Barbara Gardin, who is still a member.
“This is a family church that has instilled a lot of traditions in me,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of people come and go here, but it still has the spirit.”
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was a longstanding
Membership has fluctuated over the years as members died or moved away. The COVID-19 pandemic caused some to stop attending, and activities dwindled. Members are working to rebuild the mission’s pastoral council and hope more young families with children will find St. Helen.
Residential building projects are springing up on roads surrounding the parish, and members know that eventually the influx of people may bring more Catholics to their doors. They welcome the new faces but want their church to stay intimate and welcoming, the way it’s been for generations.
“I’d like to see us eventually have two Masses every Sunday, but I don’t want to see the church building get any bigger,” Wilson said.
The building’s size makes it easy for members to see and greet each other every Sunday and also to pick out visitors. On the first Sunday of Advent, Father Amadi greeted a family visiting from Cleveland, Ohio, and gave a blessing to one of the children who celebrated a November birthday.
After Mass, another woman who had been visiting for several weeks stayed to talk about joining some of the ministries.
Wilson said that’s not uncommon – those who come to the mission are welcomed and remembered.
As Wilson said, “Once you’re here, you’re part of us.”
Preparing for Christmas? Make time for confession
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
MOUNT AIRY — The Advent season is in full swing, marked by lighting candles each week on wreaths in churches and homes. Many Catholics use the season as a time to do special spiritual reading or works of charity in preparation for Christ’s coming.
But the weeks leading up to Christ’s birth also can be a season of penance as people ready their hearts for Christ.
“This season is a moment when we prepare our hearts and minds as we await the coming of the Messiah,” said Father Peter Nouck, pastor at Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy. “We renew our desire for His return in the Second Coming and prepare to celebrate his birth at Christmas. In the penitential aspect of this season of preparation, we are called to repent and convert to make room for Christ.”
Catholics most often associate Lent with penance and are actively encouraged to go to confession then. However, Advent is also an important time to consider confession as a way of welcoming the Savior at Christmas.
The idea of penitence as preparation for Christ’s birth was a central part of Church practice prior to the early
fasting during Advent was removed by
the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Today, the season has shifted to preparation that can also ideally include confessing sins.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for Advent with “an element of penance … in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas.”
During Advent, many parishes offer penance services that include communal prayers and Scripture readings, followed by private confessions. St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, for example, held one Dec. 1 that drew more than 700 people, Father Patrick Cahill reported.
“Advent penance services give us an opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness and prepare for the coming of Christ,” said Father Nouck, noting that Holy Angels Church will hold its Advent penance service at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Attending a parish penance service also raises awareness of how sin can impact those around us, he said.
“Penance services are communal because sin does not just have a personal dimension but a communal dimension as well – our sins influence others, too,” he said.
During Advent, check your parish bulletin to see if a service is planned at your parish or one nearby, or attend confession on your own.
tradition that Setzer treasures, even though the service is now earlier because many older members no longer drive at night.
20th century. Advent was considered a penitential season, with practices that varied depending on the region and the historical era, including fasting and abstaining from meat on Fridays. Mandatory
TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
A priest hears a confession at the 2025 Diocese of Charlotte’s Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage. During Advent make time for confession.
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD (Clockwise from far left) St. Helen is a mission of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte. From original members to newcomers like Pat Beatty (at left) people stay at the welcoming church where services are punctuated by a cappella singing from a small but powerful choir.
Our schools
Father Reid returns to full-time parish ministry after 5 years as vicar of education
CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid is stepping down as vicar of education for Catholic Schools after five years of leadership marked by significant expansion, strengthened Catholic identity and record enrollment across the Diocese of Charlotte’s 20 schools.
With his five-year commitment to this role completed, Father Reid says he’ll miss his daily interactions with students and educators but is looking forward to devoting more time in service of his growing parish, St. Ann Church and School, which he has shepherded for most of his two decades of priestly ministry.
“We are grateful for Father Reid’s service through the pandemic and at a time of unprecedented growth in our schools,” said Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., “and I know the parishioners of St. Ann will appreciate having his full attention as the parish also manages the blessings and challenges of growth.”
The leadership transition aligns with Bishop Martin’s effort to place priests where they are uniquely qualified and can have the greatest impact – in parish ministry, providing sacraments and pastoral care – rather than in administrative roles that can be filled by laypeople.
Other priests serving as administrative ministry leaders have already transitioned back to parish ministry, including Monsignor Roger Arnsparger, formerly vicar of education for catechetical and faith formation; Father Julio Dominguez, formerly vicar of Hispanic ministry; and Father Peter Ascik, director of the diocese’s Family Life Office until a replacement is hired.
Bishop Martin praised Father Reid’s leadership and focus on the Catholic Schools’ mission. Father Reid partnered closely with Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Gregory Monroe, who joined the diocese in 2020 and will now serve as the schools’ top administrator in collaboration with the bishop.
“Father Reid has been a tireless champion of our mission to form disciples
of Jesus Christ who pursue excellence and go forth to transform the world,”
Bishop Martin said in a Nov. 25 letter to the Catholic Schools community. “The work of our Catholic Schools is ultimately the work of salvation, and he has always approached his role as vicar of education as a natural extension of his priestly ministry.”
Father Reid was appointed by Bishop Peter Jugis to the new position of vicar of education for Catholic Schools in 2020 and played a key role in unifying the diocese’s Mecklenburg area and parish-based schools into a more integrated system.
Under his leadership, total enrollment grew by more than 20%, and students earned increased numbers of academic scholarships. Major capital projects were launched or expanded at Asheville Catholic, Christ the King, Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Mercy, Our Lady of Grace, Immaculata and St. Ann, and the MACS Fine Arts Center was opened at Charlotte Catholic High School. In 2023, the diocese’s Catholic Schools system received national recognition as the Catholic Education Foundation’s Catholic Organization of the Year.
Father Reid said the transition will enable him to focus on the needs of his growing parish of 1,300 families, especially since his parochial vicar, Father Brandon Jones, is now spending more time each week serving the new Chapel of the Little Flower in Mooresville.
He will also continue to serve on the formation faculty at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly.
“I can’t express how gratifying it has been to work with school leaders and staff, and to watch our children grow academically and spiritually,” Father Reid said. “We worked hard to expand the Catholic Schools Office to serve our schools, and our schools are in an excellent position to serve our students and families.”
Education has always been an important part of his ministry, Father Reid said, and he’s not giving up that focus. “Getting to be around the kids at our schools regularly was always a lot of fun for me,” he said, “and now I get to do even more of that at St. Ann School.”
— Catholic News Herald
Holy Trinity seventh grader wins Bishop’s Christmas card contest
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Diocese of Charlotte Catholic School students broke out the watercolors, crayons, colored pencils and paint in a challenge to create the best Christmas card for Bishop Michael Martin’s Christmas Card Contest. The bishop’s traditional annual
competition resumed this year after a five-year hiatus. Beginning in October and going through Nov. 4, the diocese received about 200 entries.
Judging the contest for the very first time, Bishop Martin had a tough time choosing a winner. Ultimately, he decided on the abstract watercolor painted by Isabella Dawson, a seventh grader from Holy Trinity School, because “it was a depiction of both the Nativity and the Cross.”
Dawson will receive a certificate
“May you see the joy of Jesus in your family and His hopeful promise in whatever cross you may bear.”
( MESSAGE INSIDE CARD )
and $50 VISA gift card. The Christmas cards will be sent to more than 500 of the bishop’s family, friends and colleagues. The inside message is, “May you see the joy of Jesus in your family and His hopeful promise in whatever
cross you may bear.”
Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools, handpicked the second-place winner, Elizabeth Sie, an eighth grader also from Holy Trinity School, who will receive a $25 VISA gift card.
Her colored pencil drawing reads “Merry Christmas,” with two angels holding a banner above the Nativity, proclaiming, “Glory to the newborn King.” The Catholic Schools Office (CSO) will send her card to parishes, school departments, community partners and principals across the diocese.
“With so many extremely talented student artists across our 20 schools, it was very difficult to choose a single winner,” Monroe said.
“In the end, the way the beautiful imagery, thoughtful use of negative space and bright yet reverent color palette in this card came together in a unique way to draw our eyes to the birth of the Christ child,” he said.
The inside of the CSO Christmas card will also feature small images of the honorable mentions: Immaculate Heart of Mary seventh grader An Le’s painting of a stained-glass window with the Nativity scene and Angel Gabriel in the background, and the crayon portrayal of the Nativity designed by fifth-grader Caroline Henrich from St. Gabriel.
The inside message reads, “Believe in the Miracle of Christmas,” with a verse from Luke’s Gospel, “The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.’”
Reid
PHOTOS PROVIDED AND BY BRIAN M. SEGOVIA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD (From left) Bishop Michael Martin signs one of his Christmas cards, featuring artwork designed by contest winner Isabella Dawson, a seventh grader from Holy Trinity Catholic School. Artwork from Elizabeth Sie, an eighth grader from Holy Trinity, graces the Catholic Schools Office Christmas card. The winners are being surprised with the news this week.
Students enjoy classroom furniture made for kids’ needs
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Most adults have memories of classrooms where they sat in the same place, in a fixed row of desks, all day. That is still the experience of most students.
But those who walk into many classrooms at St. Gabriel School see something very different – adjustable tables and chairs, movable shelves and storage units and comfortable padded seats in a variety of shapes, all on wheels and able to be arranged by the kids to accommodate the day’s activities.
It’s called flexible furniture –part of an ongoing project to make a concept called dynamic movement a priority in the school’s classrooms.
Dynamic movement allows kids to move throughout the entire school day, not just during recess. Students can easily adjust chairs and work surfaces according to their height. They can move chairs and tables together to work in groups or push a seat into a quiet area for solitary reading. It also benefits neurodivergent students who might need to move or fidget during a lesson to maintain focus, something that’s nearly impossible in older, rigid seating.
was first used in the media center – new chairs, tables, seating and storage units that she could easily rearrange depending on the lesson and that the kids could move according to their needs.
“Kids today are different, with more diverse ways of learning – this furniture helps with that,” Boyle said. “And everybody needs to move. They’re not confined to one spot all day, and it allows them to collaborate and communicate with each other.”
The result is a classroom alive with activity. On a recent morning, her 25 students worked on a math review, moving between several stations each with its own problem to solve. In one corner of the room, two boys sat next to each other poring over a book, looking for information to answer one of the morning’s math questions. In other areas, groups of students huddled together, working on problems and discussing concepts, while others worked on their own.
“Studies have shown that movement helps imprint memory and retain information,”
“What began as a simple search for new classroom furniture quickly became something far more meaningful,” said Principal Michele Snoke. “We realized that furniture today is not just a desk and a chair – it’s a tool that supports student learning. This is more than just a furniture upgrade – it’s a commitment to excellence.”
Second-grade teacher Michelle Boyle was the first to adopt the concept after attending a 2022 conference on movement in class. She incorporated desks with pedals and other items in her room, but she soon realized they were too heavy for students to move. Then came the flexible furniture that
Movement expert Dieter Breithecker, Ph.D., president of Germany’s Federal Institute of Posture & Exercise, has noted that it’s not only a student’s brain that must be active during learning, but that body, mind and soul form a holistic package that must be engaged, particularly for those under 12.
“When children are being active,” he noted, “the brain is more alert, and the brain will absorb information (taught) by the teacher better.”
An adjustable chair might not sound like much to an adult, but to a child it can mean the difference between effective learning and frustration, Boyle said. Swinging feet in the air when a chair is too tall can be a distraction – one that flexible furniture allows students to solve on their own.
“They’re not having to focus on the fact that their feet can’t touch the ground,” Boyle said. “They can focus on lessons.”
Following Boyle’s lead, other teachers have signed on, and the eventual goal is to make the transition to flexible furniture in every classroom, which the school has been raising money toward through its Jaguar Fund.
St. Gabriel is leading the way in diocesan
embrace the concept of flexible furniture for classrooms. By allowing students to move and adjust desks and chairs depending on their needs, the students are better able to focus on learning.
schools when it comes to flexible furniture, but others are joining in. Holy Trinity Middle School incorporated flexible furniture in its newly built science wing, and others are integrating the style into classrooms and libraries.
Superintendent represents U.S. Catholic education at Vatican jubilee
VATICAN CITY — Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Charlotte, and Kevin O’Herron, principal of St. Matthew Catholic School in Charlotte, were invited to be part of a group of 10 Catholic education leaders to represent American Catholic education at the Vatican’s October Jubilee of the World of Education in Rome. The delegation, spanning the spectrum of Catholic education from pre-K through university, engaged with global Church leaders on the future of Catholic schooling.
Monroe, who also serves as an advisor to the president of the National Catholic Educational Association, described the experience as humbling and inspiring.
“It was an honor to represent American Catholic education as part of the U.S. delegation to the Jubilee of the World of Education in Rome,” he shared.
“We were also fortunate to share with
Vatican leadership the issues affecting Catholic education in the United States, as well as offer advice on global topics shaping the future of our schools. These included the role of AI and technology in the classroom, the safeguarding of Catholic identity, the impact of immigration, and demographic trends affecting enrollment and access.”
The U.S. delegates met with Vatican leaders from the Pontifical Association, Scholas Occurrentes, and the Dicastery for Culture and Education to discuss challenges and opportunities facing Catholic schools across the globe. They visited institutions such as the Teutonico College and the Pontifical Biblical
Institute (Biblicum), and spent time at the Pontifical Gregorian University examining foundational texts of Catholic education.
One of the most significant moments of the pilgrimage was attending the papal Mass on the Solemnity of All Saints, where the Holy Father declared St. John Henry Newman the 38th Doctor of the Church and named him a co-patron of Catholic education.
Monroe said the pilgrimage was a deep affirmation of the Church’s enduring investment in Catholic education and a powerful reminder of the global mission shared by educators. “To pray at the tomb of St. Peter, walk through the Holy Doors, and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow educators from around the world was a true gift, and a commissioning. Our ministry is essential to the future of the Church,” he said.
-Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools
PHOTOS BY TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
St. Gabriel Catholic School is among the first in the diocese to
PHOTO PROVIDED
Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese, and St. Matthew Principal Kevin O’Herron were part of a group of educators invited to Rome.
Monroe
Kernersville nonprofit celebrates new graduates
• By Amanda Astillero, Staff Reporter | Kernersville News
• Fri, November 7,
2025
This past Saturday, a cohort of a dozen mothers dressed in navy-blue scrubs and graduation caps entered the main hall of the Room At The Inn’s Volunteer Center in Kernersville.
With every step towards the stage, the tassels on their caps swayed, signaling the start of a new future. Each of the graduates were presented with certified nursing assistant diplomas. For the mothers, the diploma is not just a tangible result of their hard work, but a key to unlock new opportunities for their careers and their families.
The Room At the Inn is a nonprofit organization that helps support pregnant women and single mothers in poverty or homelessness with services and professional- and personal-development opportunities.
The Room At The Inn partnered with Arise Health Training Institute to help give mothers access to health care education and professional training. Each of the mothers received full scholarships from Room At The Inn to pursue their education.
Amanda Johnson, one of the CNA graduates, said the program gave her the support she needed to pursue a new career path.
“We got to know our instructor, and she was a motherly figure to all of us, and she was understanding of what we were going through with our struggles as parents and as individuals,” Johnson said.
The owner of Arise, Lorna Pennix, said she was inspired by the mothers’ perseverance and determination despite the challenges they faced.
“I thought I was the one blessing them, but honestly, they blessed me and they blessed us,” Pennix said.
“To see the things that they are going through, especially in life, and they’re trying to deal with all that. They have newborns coming or some of them already have a baby, and they’re still working, and they’re not giving up. It has been the most incredible thing to us, so we are really proud of them.”
Tyara Morrison, a former Room At The Inn client, approached the podium, telling the graduates that they are celebrating the personal stories of resilience behind each diploma.
“We gather to celebrate something far greater than a diploma. We are celebrating survival. We are celebrating strength. We are celebrating the power of the human spirit to rise, even from the darkest places,” Morrison said. “Every person sitting here in a cap and gown has a story, a story of persistence, sacrifice, and faith. But today, I want to take a moment to shed light on the fact they walked an even harder road: single mothers who faced homelessness, uncertainty, and pain, yet refused to give up.”
Tarikah “Terry” Etheridge, another of the CNA graduates, said the program was a meaningful experience that allowed her to pursue her passion for service and caring for others.
“It was very important because I can help my family members, help people on the outside, and I can really help everybody. The thought of helping the elderly touched my heart. I just want to be a change in the world,” Etheridge said.
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Sacred Heart principal now works with her own fourth-grade teacher
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
SALISBURY— Erin Brinkley once donned a plaid jumper, high-cut socks and a pair of penny loafers as a student attending Sacred Heart School in Salisbury – the same school where she now serves as principal.
Over the years, the building relocated, the priests of her youth have long retired, the Sisters of Mercy withdrew, and the uniforms are a little more casual, yet there is one thing that has remained constant –her teacher.
“I don’t know if you know that Miss Cornelison was also my fourth-grade teacher,” Principal Brinkley announced to a room full of wide-eyed, open-mouthed fourth graders in Crystal Cornelison’s 20252026 class.
Cornelison is in her 36th consecutive year of teaching at Sacred Heart and claims fourth grade is where she belongs. The children can take care of their own bodily functions and still like their teachers, she said.
As Brinkley recalls, “We were the second class she had. I just remember her being a lot like she is now. She is consistent and she is very smart, and now here we are working
together,”
What Brinkley remembers most is doing the North Carolina Project, which has students learning more about their state, something she took a lot of pride in and which Cornelison continues assigning. Brinkley and Cornelison reminisced, telling the children about when the school had no gym and physical education classes were conducted outside as students battled the elements. Cornelison added with a laugh that when it rained they had to do morning assembly in the hallway.
“Do you remember what I told you when you became principal?” Cornelison asked Brinkley. “I told you I was really excited that you were principal, but I never dreamed my little fourth-grade Erin would be my boss someday.”
Cornelison also taught Brinkley’s brother, a fact that Brinkley still jokingly blesses her for. Even before she became principal, the two stayed connected through Facebook. To this day, Cornelison still displays the pinecone ornament Brinkley made her in fourth grade on the Christmas tree that garnishes her classroom.
“She has always been a huge part of Sacred Heart,” Brinkley said. “I’ll never forget her teaching me.”
Stepping into the season
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Sacred Heart School Principal Erin Brinkley (left) was a student in teacher Crystal Cornelison’s class. Cornelison continues to teach at the school, inspiring the next generation of students in her fourth grade class.
SIOBHAN WHIPP | DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
BELMONT — Students at Belmont Abbey College swung and stepped into Fall with a little help from Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte. He took over the microphone at Haid Theater & Ballroom to teach a mixture of line dancing and swing to the more than 70 students who attended the Nov. 21 Fall dance sponsored by the Honors College. Monroe taught a line dance to kick things off, switched to a basic swing and finished up with a more advanced line dance.
December 5, 2025 | catholicnewsherald.com
Corona masiva sigue creando unidad en Morganton
BRIAN SEGOVIA Bmsegovia@rcdoc.org
MORGANTON - Como han hecho durante los últimos 33 años en la parroquia San Carlos Borromeo en Morganton, la familia Diego dedica el día antes del comienzo del Adviento a construir una enorme corona de Adviento. La familia de Antonio Diego y otros feligreses de la parroquia utilizaron ramas de siete abetos Fraser cultivados en Carolina del Norte para montar la corona, hecha a partir de una estructura de PVC de 11 pies que se suspende con cuatro cuerdas del techo a unos 14 pies del suelo. El proceso de construcción de las ramas lleva un par de horas y las ramas provenientes de una
DIC. 7–13
granja de árboles de Navidad en Newland deja un fragante olor fresco a pino que refresca el ambiente y recuerda a todos la celebración de la Navidad.
Antonio Diego quien ha estado creando esta obra de arte durante las últimas tres décadas dice que la corona significa mucho para la comunidad que sirven.
“Yo creo que crea una esperanza para la comunidad. Siendo tan grande, nos recuerda en qué deberíamos tener nuestro enfoque,” dijo Diego.
Antonio Diego explica que su familia siente gran significado de servicio cuando él y su esposa Angelina y sus tres hijos trabajan para crear la corona.
“Para nosotros es algo inolvidable,” dijo.
La temporada de las posadas
BRIAN SEGOVIA bmsegovia@rcdoc.org
Hamlet – Las posadas, una de las tradiciones más arraigadas en la devoción popular mexicana dentro de la Iglesia Católica, ocupan un lugar especial para los feligreses de la Diócesis de Charlotte. En la parroquia St. James en Hamlet y su misión Sagrado Corazón en Wadesboro, esta celebración de Adviento se ha convertido en una cita indispensable durante los últimos años.
“Grupos de fe como el coro, los lectores, Emaús y el Movimiento de Apóstoles de la Palabra y otros, toman turnos para servir como anfitriones”, señaló el párroco de St.
Domingo (Segundo Domingo de Adviento): Is 11:1-10, Sal 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Rom 15:4-9, Mt 3:1-12
Lunes (Solemnidad de la Inmaculada Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María): Gen 3:9-15, 20, Sal 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd4, Ef 1:3-6, 11-12, Lc 1:26-38
Martes: Is 40:1-11, Sal 96:1-2, 3 y 10ac, 11-12, 13, Mt 18:12-14
Miércoles: Is 40:25-31, Sal 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 y 10, Mt 11:28-30
Jueves: Is 41:13-20, Sal 145:1 y 9, 10-11, 12-13ab, Mt 11:11-15
Viernes (Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe): Zac 2:14-17 o Ap 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab, Jud 13:18bcde, 19, Lc 1:26-38 o Lc 1:39-47
Sábado (Memoria de Santa Lucía, virgen y mártir): Sir 48:1-4, 9-11, Sal 80:2ac y 3b, 15-16, 18-19, Mt 17:9a, 10-13
BRIAN
La familia Diego completa ha estado trabajando juntos los últimos ocho años, cortando el árbol, sus ramas y colocándolas cuidadosamente en la corona. El padre Kenneth L. Whittington, quien fue asignado a la parroquia en 1992, ha sido un testigo fiel de la dedicación de esta familia.
James, padre Fidel Melo. El sacerdote destacó que las posadas son especialmente significativas para esta comunidad, integrada mayoritariamente por familias originarias del sur de México. Recordó que la tradición tiene sus raíces en el siglo XVI, cuando los misioneros agustinos del convento de San Agustín de Acolman instauraron un novenario de misas nocturnas, del 16 al 24 de diciembre, como preparación para la Navidad. Este periodo evocaba los nueve meses de gestación de la Virgen María.
Durante el siglo XVII, la práctica salió de los templos y comenzó a celebrarse en los hogares mediante rosarios comunitarios en los que los vecinos cantaban para
DIC. 14–20
Domingo (Tercer Domingo de Adviento): Is 35:1-6a, 10, Sal 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, Sant 5:7-10, Mt 11:2-11
Lunes: Núm 24:2-7, 15-17a, Sal 25:4-5ab, 6 y 7bc, 8-9, Mt 21:23-27
Martes: Sof 3:1-2, 9-13, Sal 33:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 y 23, Mt 21:28-32
Miércoles: Gen 49:2, 8-10, Sal 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17, Mt 1:1-17
Jueves: Jer 23:5-8, Sal 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19, Mt 1:18-25
Viernes: Jue 13:2-7, 24-25a, Sal 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17, Lc 1:5-25
Sábado: Is 7:10-14, Sal 23:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6, Lc 1:26-38
“pedir posada” y meditaban en el misterio navideño. Para el siglo XVIII, las posadas ya se habían consolidado como una expresión distintiva de la cultura mexicana. La tradición incluye una procesión que simboliza el peregrinar de María y José en busca de alojamiento, con dos grupos que cantan versos tradicionales hasta que se “abre la puerta” y se da paso a la oración comunitaria.
La celebración culmina con una convivencia que suele incluir platillos típicos de México y la tradicional piñata, cuyo simbolismo conserva un profundo mensaje espiritual. Sus siete picos
POSADAS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20
DIC. 21–27
Domingo (Cuarto Domingo de Adviento): Is 7:10-14, Sal 23:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Rom 1:1-7, Mt 1:18-24
Lunes: 1 Sam 1:24-28, 1 Sam 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd, Lc 1:46-56
Martes: Mal 3:1-4, 23-24, Sal 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 y 14, Lc 1:5766
Miércoles: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16, Sal 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 y 29, Lc 1:67-79
Jueves (La Natividad del Señor): Is 52:7-10, Sal 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6, Heb 1:1-6, Jn 1:1-18 o Jn 1:1-5, 9-14
Viernes (Fiesta de San Esteban, primer mártir): Hch 6:810, 7:54-59, Sal 31:3cd-4, 6 y 8ab, 16bc y 17, Mt 10:17-22
Sábado (Fiesta de San Juan, apóstol y evangelista): 1 Jn 1:1-4, Sal 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, Jn 20:1a y 2-8
Lecturas Diarias
SEGOVIA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
(De izquierda a derecha) El diácono
Stephen Pickett predica durante la Misa del Día de los Fieles Difuntos, el 2 de noviembre, en la iglesia de San Francisco de Asís en Lenoir. Los feligreses de San Francisco se dan el saludo de la paz durante la Misa. Los participantes en la encuesta DMI elogiaron a la parroquia de Lenoir por ser acogedora y ofrecer
Misas atractivas con homilías enriquecedoras.
DISCIPLE MAKER INDEX
Resultados diocesanos de una encuesta de 2025 realizada entre 24,332 católicos, con información sobre su fe y su vida parroquial.
Part 3: Experiencia dominical
CaféINTRO: La Visión General Nov. 7, 2025
PARTE 1: Enseñanza central católica Nov. 7, 2025
PARTE 2: Prácticas espirituales Nov. 21, 2025
PARTE 3: Experiencia dominical Dec. 5, 2025
PARTE 4: Eficacia parroquial Dec. 19, 2025
PARTE 5: Eficacia parroquial (cont.) Jan. 9, 2026
PARTE 6: Impulso misionero Jan. 23, 2026
Ahora Pasado Próximo
Las parroquias acogedoras con Misas atractivas fortalecen la fe de las personas
caliente y sándwiches con pan de masa madre hecho en casa. Un apretón de manos cálido. Una palabra amable. Un oído comprensivo.
Esa es la receta del éxito en la parroquia de San Francisco de Asís en Lenoir, identificada como una de las 10 parroquias más acogedoras en el Disciple Maker Index (DMI), una encuesta anónima realizada a casi 24,000 católicos que asisten regularmente a Misa en la Diócesis de Charlotte a principios de este año.
Todos en la parroquia – desde los ujieres en la puerta antes de Misa hasta el personal que atiende el teléfono – están comprometidos en hacer que las personas se sientan aceptadas.
“Es importante acoger al forastero”, dice
Angela Smith, quien junto a su esposo Steve dirige el ministerio de hospitalidad de la parroquia y prepara abundantes comidas, incluido su famoso pan de masa madre. “Puede que estés hospedando ángeles sin saberlo. Ser amable con las personas muestra tu amor por Cristo: fluye de ti.”
ATRACTIVAS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 19
My parish
My parish makes me feel welcomed and accepted.
Mi parroquia me hace sentir bienvenido y aceptado.
My parish offers vibrant and engaging Sunday Masses.
LEGENDA
Totalmente de acuerdo
De acuerdo
Ni de acuerdo ni en desacuerdo
En desacuerdo
Mi parroquia ofrece Misas dominicales vibrantes y atractivas.
Mi parroquia ofrece música que profundiza mi deseo de participar más plenamente en la liturgia dominical.
Principales conclusiones deseadas de una homilía
Entre
Mi parroquia ofrece predicación y homilías que conectan mi fe con mi vida cotidiana.
My parish offers preaching and homilies that connect my faith with my everyday life. 3
My parish offers preaching and
Totalmente en desacuerdo
Las 5 principales parroquias con homilías que “conectan mi fe con mi vida cotidiana”
Mayor porcentaje de encuestados que “estuvieron totalmente de acuerdo”
1 San Francisco de Asís (Lenoir)
2 Santa Ana
3 Sagrado Corazón (Salisbury)
4 San Juan Evangelista
5 San Judas y Iglesia de la Epifanía
FOTOS DE PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
ATRACTIVAS
Casi todos los domingos después de la Misa de las 10 a.m., voluntarios preparan café y traen ensaladas, sopas, sándwiches o donas para que todos disfruten. Todos se reúnen en el salón parroquial para comer, conversar, reír y compartir.
Es una escena familiar que se repite en muchas iglesias de la diócesis, y es una parte esencial de construir comunidad y discipulado.
“Unos pocos minutos hablando y compartiendo tiempo juntos hacen una gran, gran diferencia”, dice Tony Novak, quien pone sus décadas de experiencia en ventas al servicio como jefe de ujieres en San Francisco. “A la gente le gusta la gente que los hace sentirse apreciados. Es un hecho.”
Sin embargo, aún queda trabajo por hacer. La encuesta DMI de la diócesis encontró que algunos no se sienten bienvenidos en su iglesia.
Solo el 50% de los encuestados dijo estar totalmente de acuerdo con que su parroquia los hace “sentirse acogidos y aceptados.” Ese porcentaje fue menor entre las personas mayores de 56 años, los católicos divorciados o viudos, y quienes no tienen hijos.
El sentido de pertenencia es una combinación de varios factores reunidos en lo que el Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) llama la “Experiencia dominical”: los aproximadamente 90 minutos que los feligreses pasan en la iglesia cada semana, desde el estacionamiento hasta la banca.
“La experiencia dominical puede hacer o deshacer la relación de los feligreses con la Iglesia”, señala Tricia Cellucci, del CLI, quien supervisó la encuesta DMI diocesana.
Estacionamiento accesible, ujieres en la puerta para saludar y responder preguntas, un espacio de culto reverente, Misas vivas y atractivas, música inspiradora, tiempo después de Misa para convivir, información parroquial fácil de encontrar… estos son algunos de los factores necesarios para crear una parroquia acogedora. El CLI ha encontrado que los feligreses que se sienten bienvenidos tienen el doble de probabilidades de recomendar su parroquia a un amigo.
Entonces, ¿qué parroquias han creado una experiencia dominical ejemplar, según los encuestados del DMI?
Treinta y cinco parroquias de la diócesis
obtuvieron una puntuación superior al promedio diocesano, entre ellas: San Francisco de Asís en Lenoir), San José en Bryson City y Santa Ana en Charlotte. UN PÁRROCO QUE INVITA A PARTICIPAR
Según el CLI, una persona que tiene una opinión positiva de su párroco tiene nueve veces más probabilidades de recomendar su parroquia. Una clave para sentirse bienvenido es sentirse escuchado e invitado a participar en la vida parroquial.
Los miembros de San José en Bryson City lo saben bien. Están especialmente orgullosos de su iglesia y de su párroco, el Padre Victor Ameh.
“Realmente se acerca a la gente; su energía es muy positiva”, comenta
Dan Von Behren, feligrés comprometido y encargado de finanzas de la parroquia.
Con vista al río Tuckasegee, que atraviesa el centro de Bryson City, la pintoresca iglesia de granito atrae a muchos turistas. Sin embargo, con solo unas 50 familias habituales, todos saben que deben colaborar.
El Padre Ameh dice que es importante involucrar a todos: “Esta es la iglesia del pueblo, no del clero. Mi meta es que la gente sepa que esta es su iglesia.”
El nuevo grupo de hombres de la parroquia de San José construyó recientemente una oficina para su párroco, el padre Victor Ameh. En la pequeña parroquia de Bryson City, todos están llamados a colaborar cuando hay algo que hacer.
Las 10 parroquias más acogedoras
Mayor porcentaje de encuestados que “estuvieron totalmente de acuerdo”
1 San José (Bryson City)
Comunidad Eritrea Ge’ez de Charlotte
2 San Francisco de Asís (Lenoir)
3 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Charlotte)
Santa Elena
4 Santísima Trinidad
5 Nuestra Señora de las Américas
San Francisco de Asís (Jefferson)
6 Sagrado Corazón (Salisbury)
Iglesia de la Epifanía
7 San Pedro
8 San Eugenio
Nuestra Señora de los Caminos
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Cherokee)
9 Santa Ana
San Francisco de Asís (Mocksville)
Reina de los Apóstoles
10 San Judas
Desde su llegada el año pasado, la parroquia ha reiniciado las clases de formación en la fe para niños y adultos (“Tenemos seis catequistas y unos 30 niños aprendiendo la fe”, dice Von Behren orgulloso), ha formado lectores y un coro. El nuevo grupo de hombres ya cuenta con 20 miembros, quienes acaban de construirle al Padre Ameh una oficina en el sótano del salón parroquial – con el propio párroco ayudando, por supuesto.
“Es una familia, donde todos entienden que tienen un papel que desempeñar – no solo venir a Misa, sentarse en la banca y luego irse a casa”, dice el Padre Ameh.
UNA MISA TRANSCENDENTE
La iglesia de Santa Ana en Charlotte es conocida por su hermoso interior, especialmente por su ábside con un mural monumental que representa una escena celestial con el Cordero de Dios, santos y ángeles, inspirado en el famoso Retablo de Gante. Pero no es arte por arte: el arte está pensado para evocar lo sagrado, especialmente durante la Misa.
“La iglesia es un símbolo del cielo, de modo que cuando vienes a Misa deberías tener una experiencia celestial”, explica el Padre Timothy Reid, párroco desde 2007. Sus Misas suelen incluir música de órgano, canto gregoriano e incienso –“elementos que evocan una época más antigua en la Iglesia.”
La belleza y la reverencia de las Misas en Santa Ana cautivan a las personas, dice. “Creo que la gente hoy busca una experiencia trascendente, algo que los haga sentir cerca de Dios.”
Eso es especialmente cierto entre los jóvenes: la edad promedio de los feligreses en Santa Ana es de 28 años.
Las 10 parroquias principales que ayudan a las personas a crecer espiritualmente al ofrecer Misas dominicales vibrantes y atractivas
Mayor porcentaje de encuestados que “estuvieron totalmente de acuerdo”
1 Santa Ana
2 San José (Bryson City)
3 Sagrado Corazón (Salisbury)
Iglesia de la Epifanía
4 San Francisco de Asís (Lenoir)
5 Nuestra Señora de las Américas
6 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Charlotte)
7 Cristo Rey (Kings Mountain)
8 San Juan Bautista
9 Santo Tomás de Aquino
Inmaculada Concepción (Canton)
10 Santa Bernardita
Santa Elena San Judas
Katie Sholtis, de 30 años, es una de ellas. “Vivimos en un mundo donde la verdad es relativa, todo vale y los estándares están decayendo. Muchas personas, especialmente las generaciones jóvenes, están cansadas de las mentiras que el enemigo nos dice y de lo que el mundo ofrece”, afirma. “Queremos algo diferente, algo puro e inmutable, que es Dios mismo, y cuando entras en Santa Ana, eso es lo que se te ofrece. Es atractivo precisamente porque es tan distinto del mundo exterior.”
HOMILÍAS QUE ILUMINAN
Las homilías deben conectar la fe con la vida cotidiana, y los sacerdotes que predican bien inspiran a un mayor discipulado, aconseja el CLI. Un feligrés que aprecia las homilías de su sacerdote tiene 1.7 veces más probabilidades de recomendar su
NOTA DEL EDITOR: La encuesta Disciple Maker Index, realizada entre marzo y abril de 2025 en las 93 parroquias y misiones de la Diócesis de Charlotte, recibió respuestas de 24,332 personas en 78 parroquias y misiones. Aunque no se trata de una muestra aleatoria ni representativa de todos los católicos de la diócesis, los resultados reflejan en gran medida las opiniones de los católicos activos que asisten regularmente a Misa y eligieron participar en las 75 preguntas de la encuesta. Los datos fueron tabulados por el Catholic Leadership Institute
Principales valores comunitarios que describen la cultura de tu parroquia
Entre todos los encuestados
1 Acceso a los sacramentos y a la adoración
2 Espiritualidad y oración
3 Enfoque en la familia
4 Tradiciones parroquiales
5 Compartir la fe con los demás
6 Servicio y alcance comunitario
7 Diversidad e inclusión
8 Corresponsabilidad
9 Justicia social
El arte sacro, incluido un mural en el ábside inspirado en el Retablo de Gante, atrae a los fieles a la adoración en la iglesia de Santa Ana en Charlotte.
ARCHIVO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Ameh
Sholtis
FOTO PROPORCIONADA POR DAN VON BEHREN
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ATRACTIVAS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 20
No tengan miedo, Cristo lleva el control de nuestra vidas
Ante toda esta realidad, qué podemos hacer, mis queridos hermanos en Cristo? Yo les invito a todos ustedes a no desesperar. En este momento crítico para nosotros, les invito a recordar las palabras de Santa Teresa de Ávila: Nada te turbe, nada te espante, todo se pasa. Dios no se muda, la paciencia todo lo alcanza; quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta; solo Dios basta. También recordar la frase favorita de San Juan Pablo II: tiene que ser fuerte en este momento: No tengan miedo, Cristo lleva el control de nuestras vidas.
Les invito a que seamos muy unidos en este momento, eso es lo que más necesitamos. Me dio mucha dulzura ver todas las manifestaciones de apoyo que la comunidad anglo está haciendo, diciéndonos que están con nosotros.
Ayer leía mensajes en grupos que dirijo, de personas muy solidarias y caritativas que les decían a sus amigos: No salgan; si necesitan algo de la tienda, díganos y nosotros se los llevamos.
En un momento hostil de la historia, hermanos, debemos de ver la aparición del rostro de Dios y su luz infinita, siempre presente entre nosotros, para poder perseverar en la esperanza.
Yo les invito a que, día a día, doblemos rodilla, recemos juntos la oración de San Miguel Arcángel y, en familia, encomendemos a nuestros hijos a María Santísima a través del Santo Rosario. Podría decirles que más no podemos hacer, pero rezar y pedir no es cosa pequeña, sino que tiene un alcance sobrenatural y fuerte.
FATHER JULIO CESAR DOMÍNGUEZ es Párroco de San Jose en Newton.
Cristo Rey en el vecindario
BRIAN SEGOVIA bmsegovia@rcdoc.org
Huntersville — Mientras que los miedos siguieron persistiendo en comunidades de la Diócesis de Charlotte debido al aumento de operativos de control migratorio en el estado, la parroquia San Marcos en Huntersville llevó a cabo una iniciativa que emocionó e inspiró a feligreses que aún sentían temor en vecindarios cercanos.
Luego de que se desplegaran agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza en el área de Charlotte, San Marcos indicó un descenso del 50% en la participación en la misa en español del domingo. Esto llevó a una conversación entre el padre Martínez y Emilio Gómez, líder del ministerio hispano, acerca de cómo acompañar a la comunidad en un momento de miedo.
“Sentía dolor por lo que estaba pasando en la comunidad,” dijo Gómez. “Y cuando hablé con el Padre Martínez, supo que se necesitaba hacer algo.”
El padre Kevin Martínez, vicario parroquial de San Marcos, dice que cuando vio la falta de feligreses en la misa, fue personalmente a llevar la Eucaristía con quienes querían recibirla en sus casas, pero sintió que no era suficiente para una comunidad tan afectada en ese momento.
“Si las personas no pueden ir a la misa, soy responsable de que puedan nutrirse espiritualmente”, dijo Martínez. “Sentí al Señor llamándome a hacer una procesión eucarística por los vecindarios”.
A petición del vicario parroquial, el
POSADAS
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representan los pecados capitales, y el acto de romperla simboliza el combate contra el pecado mediante la fe.
“Se trata de luchar contra el pecado a través de la fe, sin ver con los ojos, ya que están vendados”, explicó el padre Melo. “Originalmente, nació como una forma de evangelización.”
El significado y la conexión cultural y espiritual de las posadas se ha desarrollado a lo largo de varios siglos, surgida originalmente como una manera de unir las fuertes tradiciones comunitarias de los pueblos indígenas con una celebración católica. En esencia, buscaba ser una fiesta que preparara y diera la bienvenida a Jesús.
“La Iglesia es una fraternidad, y las posadas son un ritual muy eficaz para demostrar la dimensión fraternal de la Iglesia”, enfatiza el Padre Melo. “Tienen una dimensión comunitaria muy grande para todos.”
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Durante la procesión, que duró aproximadamente una hora y media, familias salieron a sus balcones para observar la exposición del Santísimo Sacramento.
padre Martínez, y con el permiso del párroco, padre John Putnam, comenzaron a organizar la procesión junto con varios miembros de la iglesia. Identificaron un área con muchas familias de la comunidad hispana y eligieron procesionar a pie,
ATRACTIVAS
parroquia a un amigo, según su investigación.
En San Francisco de Asís, el 81% de los encuestados – la cifra más alta de toda la diócesis – dijo estar totalmente de acuerdo en que su parroquia ofrece excelentes homilías, predicadas por el Padre Alfonso Gámez Jr. y el Diácono Stephen Pickett.
El Padre Gámez atribuye el mérito al Espíritu Santo:
“Durante la semana voy pensando en las lecturas y observando mis interacciones y conversaciones. Si noto un tema recurrente, siento que el Espíritu Santo me está indicando que sobre eso debo predicar.”
“El propósito de mi homilía es iluminar los misterios de la fe a través de la experiencia”, explica. “Es un enfoque práctico y accesible, porque la gente comprende lo que vive. Si no tienes ese toque – ese componente encarnacional de que Dios vino y habitó entre nosotros – entonces se convierte en una idea que simplemente se desvanece.”
Además de ofrecer la Misa y los sacramentos, los sacerdotes dicen disfrutar el tiempo que pasan con sus feligreses – ya sea compartiendo café y donas después de Misa, en un festival parroquial o en una actividad devocional.
“Amo mi parroquia”, declara el Padre John Eckert, párroco de unas 1,500 familias en Sagrado Corazón en Salisbury. Le encanta conversar con la gente después de Misa, en lo que llama “una reunión familiar semanal” en las escaleras de la
acompañados por varios monaguillos.
El domingo 23 de noviembre, día de Cristo Rey, realizaron la pequeña procesión en un vecindario cercano con aproximadamente 300 casas móviles, ocupadas en un 90% por familias hispanas, muchas de las cuales son feligresas de la Iglesia Católica San Marcos. Durante la procesión caminaron aproximadamente 3½ millas por todo el vecindario, recorriendo cada calle durante más de una hora y media. Durante la caminata, algunos miembros de la comunidad se unieron y caminaron con el Señor, siendo testigos de la verdadera presencia del Santísimo Sacramento.
“Aunque muchos no salieron de sus hogares, comenzaron inmediatamente a enviar mensajes por WhatsApp y a informar a otros lo que estaba ocurriendo”, dijo Gómez. “Niños corrían dentro de sus casas para buscar a sus padres y se unieron a la procesión; fue emocionante”.
El padre Martínez menciona que hubo mucho respeto y admiración también por parte de aquellos que no estaban participando. Muchos vehículos se detuvieron y esperaron para asegurarse de que la procesión pudiera avanzar por la calle con seguridad.
“Creo que todo esto fue una inspiración del Espíritu Santo. Dios quería estar con su pueblo y mostrarles que no los ha abandonado durante estos tiempos difíciles que han vivido”, dijo Gómez.
iglesia.
Este tiempo compartido es importante porque construye relaciones y una comunidad de fe, ya que una función de la Iglesia es hacer visible a Cristo para los demás.
Jesús “es el corazón de todo; Él es la razón por la que estamos aquí”, dice el Padre Eckert.
La iglesia debe ser el “tercer lugar” de las personas, después de su hogar y su trabajo o escuela, añade el Padre Gámez. Al ofrecer un ambiente acogedor, liturgias reverentes y muchas oportunidades de participación, las parroquias pueden convertirse en ese “tercer lugar” en la vida de las personas.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle
PRÓXIMAMENTE: La experiencia dominical es importante, pero no es el único rasgo de una parroquia eficaz. En las Partes 4 y 5, veremos lo que dijeron los encuestados del DMI sobre el apoyo personal y espiritual que reciben de sus parroquias.
Padre Julio Domínguez
VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 19
Gámez
FILE PHOTO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD Padre John Eckert disfruta conversar con las familias después de la misa en la Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón.
Our nation
Kids Catholic prayer app aims to bring 1 million children together for Advent campaign
FRANCESCA POLLIO FENTON Catholic News Agency
Theo, a free Catholic prayer and meditation app for children and their parents, plans to host the largest Advent celebration for children to help them discover the true meaning of the season.
Now through Dec. 24, more than 1 million children are expected to take part in a 25-day journey filled with stories, songs, activities and reflections.
The Advent campaign will be led by Theodore, a cheerful animated donkey who is described as a direct descendant of the donkey that carried the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bethlehem. It will also feature several special guests, including Catholic actor David Henrie and Father Ambrose Criste, among others.
Participants will read through the first two chapters of Luke, which will be accompanied by some meditations and reflection questions for children to do with their parents as well as hearing the stories of several saints, listening to songs, and explaining activities that parents and children can do together.
Francisco Cornejo, CEO of Theo, told CNA in an interview that this campaign will help children “hear the word of God” and
“prepare their hearts for the birth of Jesus.”
“We prepared these four weeks in a way that is engaging; it’s fun, but it’s also educational,” he added.
While Theo can be used for children of all ages, Cornejo pointed out that the
Advent campaign is best suited for children between the ages of 4 and 12.
“The content tends to be on the more mature side of things, I would say, meaning 6 to 8 and older, but again this is the beauty of creating an app that is for the parent and the child – if the theme or the topic is a little hard to grasp or we want to go deeper in the learning, you have your parent by your side,” Cornejo said. “So you can discuss that and we’ll provide those discussion points and all the guidance there.”
Theo launched seven months ago and already has over 2 million users. Cornejo attributes the app’s success first and foremost to God but also to the need among Catholics families for a tool like this.
“We’ve seen over the last few years how families and how parents specifically wanted to have something like Theo because it’s not enough to take kids to Mass every Sunday or to get them through holy Communion preparation or confirmation preparation,” he said. “What happens every other day of the year or of their lives? So we really wanted to create a tool that makes faith accessible and teachings accessible for everyday kids and families regardless of where they are in their faith journey.”
He added: “It’s not meant to replace all the good things that we parents have to do, but it’s meant to help make faith an everyday thing. Something that kids want to hear more because it’s packed in a way that it’s accessible for them.”
The content on Theo includes daily Scripture readings, prayers, bedtime stories, faith-based affirmations, meditations, novenas, stories of the saints, the rosary, and much more.
Cornejo also highlighted the importance of having both child and parent involved in using the app, because “education needs to be done together.”
“You need to exemplify what you want to try to teach, and you have to do it with your kids – that’s the domestic Church. That’s what we are meant to do as parents,” he added.
As for what he hopes children and their parents will take away from participating in the Advent campaign, Cornejo said: “I think the main thing is remembering and living the actual meaning of Advent – the waiting for Jesus’ birth, preparing our hearts as the manger to welcome Jesus into our hearts” and that participants “forget about the fluff and the gifts and the ‘me, me, me’ and start thinking about what this actually represents.”
Our senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests need your help. Decades of caring for others with little or no pay have left many communities without sufficient retirement savings. Over 20,500 elderly religious depend on the Retirement Fund for Religious for health care, medication, and daily living expenses. Your gift helps ensure they receive the care they deserve. Please give back to those who have given a lifetime.
Please donate at your local parish, December 13–14, or by mail at: National Religious Retirement Office/CHA 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.
THEO
Theo, a free Catholic prayer and meditation app for children and their parents, plans to host the largest Advent celebration for children to help them discover the true meaning of the season.
‘Sacré Coeur’ blockbuster will come to the U.S. in time for consecration to Sacred Heart
PARIS — The hit French film “Sacré Coeur” (“Sacred Heart”) is set to reach American audiences next spring, with a U.S. release planned for June 12, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The date may move even earlier to help prepare for the U.S. bishops’ planned consecration of the nation to the Sacred Heart, also set to take place on the solemnity, according to distributor SAJE.
The American debut comes as “Sacré Coeur” continues its unexpected box-office surge in France nearly two months after opening. The docufiction, which portrays Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 17thcentury France, has sold out theaters across the country and is frequently being added back into cinema lineups to meet demand.
SAJE founder Hubert de Torcy calls the film’s performance “unprecedented,” saying ticket sales are on track to hit 500,000 admissions by early December and possibly 600,000 by year’s end – far beyond the typical reach of Christian films in France.
He says viewers are responding on a personal level, with some returning to confession for the first time in decades. The film’s visibility has also stirred debate over French secularism, following a briefly canceled Marseille screening – later reinstated by a court.
International rollouts continue, with releases scheduled across Europe, Africa, Canada and Latin America before the U.S. debut.
175 lawmakers demand probe on risks of abortion pill
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are demanding a “robust” investigation of federal safety standards and health risks connected to mifepristone, a pill commonly, but not exclusively, used for early abortion.
The letter dated Nov. 20 and co-signed by 175 Republican lawmakers asks Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary to investigate the “deleterious and grossly underreported effects” of mifepristone on women, prohibit mail shipment of the drug and immediately “reinstate the inperson dispensing requirement.”
Released Nov. 24, the letter also condemned the Biden administration’s “egregious action to remove critical safeguards that once applied to abortion drugs.” The letter urged an end to the mailing of the drugs. It objected to “the FDA’s approval” in September of a new generic form of mifepristone and called on the Trump administration to provide more information about that approval.
Signers of the letter include House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana; Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota; and Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich, Republican conference chairwoman. “Americans deserve straight answers about the risks involved,” signer Rep. Diana
Harshbarger, R-Tenn., said in a separate statement. A licensed pharmacist, she is vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
Pope would ‘love to’ throw a season opening pitch in future
CHICAGO — A stakeholder – and next owner – of the Chicago White Sox baseball team said Pope Leo XIV told him that he’d “love to” throw a season opening first pitch in the future –“schedule permitting.”
Pope Leo’s favorite sports team is the White Sox, and much has been made of his being a huge fan of the Chicago South Siders. He grew up as a diehard Sox fan in a Chicago suburb.
Justin Ishbia, a Chicago billionaire, co-owner of the team, told several major news outlets he met the pope outside St. Peter’s Basilica at his general audience Nov. 19 and shared with him his vision for the future of the White Sox.
“In the conversation I extended an invitation for him to visit Chicago and throw out the first pitch on opening day should this ballpark come to fruition,” said Ishbia, who gave him a jersey.
– OSV News
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I have, and if there’s a particular overarching theme, I feel like that’s the Holy Spirit trying to tell me that’s what I should preach on,” he says.
“The purpose of my homily is to illuminate the mysteries of the faith through experience,” he explains. “It’s a practical approach and it’s very accessible, because people know what they experience. If you don’t have that touch – that incarnational component that God came and dwelt among us – then I think it just becomes an idea that just floats away.”
Besides offering Mass and the sacraments, priests say they enjoy spending time with their parishioners – whether that’s over coffee and donuts after Mass, at a parish festival, or through a devotional activity.
“I love my parish,” declares Father John Eckert, pastor of about 1,500 families at Sacred Heart in Salisbury. He loves catching up with people after Mass in what he calls a “weekly family reunion” on the church’s front steps.
This time spent is important because it builds relationships and a community of faith, because one function of a church is to make Christ visible to others. Jesus “is at the heart of everything, He’s why we’re here,” Father Eckert says.
Church should be people’s “third place,” second to their home and workplace or school, Father Gamez adds. By offering a welcoming environment,
Fr. Cuthbert Allen, O.S.B. – 1977
Fr. Boniface Bauer, O.S.B. – 1974
Abbot Jude Cleary, O.S.B. – 2005
Abbot Walter Coggin, O.S.B. – 1999
Most Rev. William G. Curlin – 2017
Fr. Jerome Dollard, O.S.B. – 1985
Fr. Michael J. Hoban – 1995
Fr. George M. Kloster – 2019
Fr. Andrew J. Latsko – 2022
Fr. Matthew J. Leonard – 2019
Fr. Thomas M. McAvoy – 1978
Fr. Joseph L. McCarthy – 2001
Fr. Francis A. Scheurich – 1975
Msgr. Francis M. Smith – 1983
Fr. Vincent M. Stokes – 1979
Fr. Wilbur N. Thomas – 2022
Fr. Philip Tierney, O.S.B. – 1971
Fr. John Joseph Tuller – 2013
Fr. Aloysius Wachter, O.S.B. – 1977
Msgr. Thomas R. Walsh – 2016
Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of December: Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus www.kofcnc.org
reverent liturgies and plenty of ways to get involved, parishes can become that “third place” in people’s lives, he says.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle
COMING NEXT: The Sunday experience is important, but it’s not the only trait of an effective parish. In Parts 4 and 5, we’ll look at what DMI respondents had to say about how well their parish supports them personally and spiritually.
Catholic school, Catholic
Gámez
FILE PHOTO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Father John Eckert enjoys catching up with families after Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. Time spent builds relationship and community, he said.
world
Pope’s first trip focuses on religious harmony, peacemaking
CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Visiting two countries over six days on his first foreign papal trip, Pope Leo XIV preached unity, dialogue and respect for differences as the only paths to peace.
Spending time with Catholics, other Christian leaders and top Muslim clerics in Turkey Nov. 27-Nov. 30 and Lebanon Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the pope made formal speeches about how believing in God as the Father of all means
GOMEZ | CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Pope Leo XIV and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hand each other copies of a declaration that they signed Nov. 29. Christian leaders gathered in Iznik, Turkey, to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which produced the Nicene Creed.
with representatives of other Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, Pope Leo said that at a time when humanity is “afflicted by violence and conflict,” the world “is crying out for reconciliation.”
“The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings,” he said. “In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith ‘in one God, the Father.’ Yet, it would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God.”
The desire to reach out was on display when Pope Leo, like his two predecessors, removed his shoes and entered
LOLA
Pope urges release of kidnapped children in Nigerian school
PAPIRI, Nigeria — During the Nov. 23 Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV appealed for the release of more than 300 children and teachers abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria.
“I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release,” Pope Leo said.
The number of children abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school on Nov. 21 has been updated to 303 schoolchildren, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Nov. 22. Twelve teachers also have been taken by gunmen.
The abducted students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18, CAN said in a statement.
A Catholic diocese in central Nigeria is appealing for prayer and calm after gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State. The Diocese of Kontagora said the attack happened between 1 and 3 a.m. local time, leaving security personnel seriously wounded.
Bishop Bulus Yohanna said the Church is working closely with security agencies and community leaders as rescue operations continue. Nigeria’s police confirmed they’ve deployed tactical units and military partners to comb nearby forests, aiming to bring the hostages home safely.
The Christian Association of Nigeria also condemned the assault, calling it part of a disturbing rise in violence against Christian communities.
The kidnapping follows a string of recent attacks on churches and schools across northern Nigeria, which advocacy groups warn reflect an escalating campaign of persecution targeting Christian leaders and families nationwide.
Children suffer the most in attacks on Ukraine, say bishops
NEW YORK — Across the U.S. and Canada –and from Kyiv to the Vatican – thousands have gathered in recent days to recall millions of Ukrainians killed in an artificial famine under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
The remembrances have taken place as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, launched in 2014 and accelerated in 2022, approach the 12-year mark – with Ukrainian faithful recalling the chilling parallels between Stalin’s crimes and current atrocities inflicted by Russia under its
president, Vladimir Putin, and with children bearing the greatest suffering, said several bishops.
“A new genocide is being inflicted upon the Ukrainian nation, 90 years after the last,” said Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, Connecticut.
Bishop Chomnycky joined Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Ukrainian and U.S. officials, and hundreds of participants Nov. 22 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, which for some four decades has hosted an annual prayer service for victims of the Holodomor.
Amid Russia’s ongoing attacks, thousands of children have been abducted, speakers noted.
“May the abducted children of Ukraine be returned quickly into the embrace of their loving families,” said Bishop Chomnycky.
Vatican:
Marriage is an exclusive union requiring ‘tender care’
VATICAN CITY — The foundation of sacramental marriage is the unity of the spouses, a bond so intense and grace-filled that it is exclusive and indissoluble, said a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document, “’Una Caro’ (One Flesh): In Praise of Monogamy. Doctrinal Note on the Value of Marriage as an Exclusive Union
and Mutual Belonging,” was released only in Italian by the Vatican Nov. 25. Pope Leo XIV approved its contents Nov. 21 and authorized its publication.
“Although each marital union is a unique reality, embodied within human limitations, every authentic marriage is a unity composed of two individuals, requiring a relationship so intimate and all-encompassing that it cannot be shared with others,” the document said. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the doctrinal dicastery, wrote in the document’s introduction that the dicastery wanted to draw from Scripture, theology, philosophy and “even poetry” to explain why it is best to choose “a unique and exclusive union of love, a reciprocal belonging that is rich and all-embracing.”
Pope: Lebanese have what is needed to build a future of peace
BEIRUT — Even in the face of difficulties and the constant threat of war, the young people of Lebanon and the country’s religious leaders have enormous resources that can build a better future for all people, Pope Leo XIV said.
“The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love, a love capable of healing one’s own wounds while also caring for the wounds of others,” he said Dec. 1 as he met thousands of young people outside the headquarters of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké, overlooking Beirut.
Pope Leo met the 15,000 young people after meeting their elders – representatives of the country’s Christian, Muslim, Druze and Alawite communities – in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square, which honors those who fought for Lebanon’s independence and were executed in 1916. The martyrs came from every religious community. At their meeting, the young people posed two questions to the pope: how to preserve one’s inner peace and hope “in a country deprived of stability, whether in terms of security or economy”; and how can people keep their families, marriages and friendships solid in a world dominated by the digital and ephemeral.
“Draw from the good roots of those dedicated to serving society without using it for their own interests,” he said. “Draw from the good roots of those dedicated to serving society without using it for their own interests,” he said. - OSV News and Catholic News Service
Derita 704-596-3291
ViewPoints
A pastoral reflection on voting rights and the call to justice
In recent months, renewed attention has been given to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a landmark piece of legislation that helped secure the right to vote for Black Americans, particularly in the South, where discriminatory practices persisted even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Supreme Court recently heard a case that will have wide implications for how the Voting Rights Act is enforced. The court has the power to preserve the kinds of protections our faith motivates us to defend and must do so.
The Church consistently teaches that all persons have both a fundamental right and a responsibility to have their voice heard in the public square, to promote human dignity and build the common good of society. Pope Leo XIV reiterated as much in his recent exhortation,”Dilexi Te.”
As the Supreme Court revisits the Voting Rights Act, we remember that the journey to that decision was long and hard. Black Americans labored tirelessly for civil rights, including the right to vote – a right that had been systematically denied.
REMEMBER THE STRUGGLE
One of the most pivotal moments in this struggle was the march from Selma to Montgomery. After two attempts, the third march drew more than 25,000 demonstrators, including clergy and faithful from diverse religious traditions. This powerful witness of solidarity helped break the dam for the waters of justice. Soon after, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on Aug. 6, 1965. This history must be remembered, honored and protected. These rights were not freely given – they were won through sacrifice, courage and the unwavering pursuit of justice, which is in line with the Church’s foundational belief in the dignity of each person. Today, we once again find ourselves at a crossroads. The Supreme Court has taken up Louisiana v. Callais, a case concerning Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. At issue is whether Louisiana’s newly enacted congressional map – with two majority-Black districts – adequately balances constitutional rights and preserves the protections of the Voting Rights Act. This case is not merely about lines on a map; it is about representation, dignity and the enduring struggle against exclusion.
In oral arguments, we heard about how the Voting Rights Act has contributed to the development and appropriate representation of communities that reflect the rich diversity of the people of God.
One argument explains the potential consequences of weakening Section 2, saying that in Louisiana, “every congressional member who is Black was elected from a VRA opportunity district.”
BISHOPS HAVE SPOKEN CLEARLY
Over the decades, the bishops of the United States have consistently affirmed the importance of voting rights. From a 1965 testimony before Congress to statements in 2013 and again in 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has reiterated that the right to vote for citizens and the right to civic participation are expressions of human dignity and means for fulfilling the duty to participate in decisions that affect them.
In “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the U.S. bishops’ teaching document on the political responsibility, we affirm that “where the effects of past discrimination persist, society has the obligation to take positive steps to overcome the legacy of injustice, including vigorous action to remove barriers to education, protect voting rights, support good policing in our communities, and ensure equal employment for women and minorities.”
As Catholics, our acts of solidarity must seek to uphold the sacred dignity of every person, and we must speak boldly when justice is at stake. Let us then, as people of faith, remain vigilant and prayerful. May we continue to walk alongside those who labor for justice, and may this decision protect existing rights and inspire renewed efforts to protect the rights of all God’s children – especially those whose voices were silenced for too long.
BISHOP JOSEPH N. PERRY was chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, which transitioned to a permanent Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation in November.
The Catholic roots of ‘pumpkin spice,’ and the saint who first used it with joy
While some might think Starbucks is to thank for the beloved spice combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, the origins of a favorite fall beverage are much older than that.
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine nun from medieval Germany whose many wide and varied contributions as an abbess, theologian, mystic, composer and an herbalist (among other things) led her to be declared one of the four female Doctors of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 7, 2012.
In her classic work on health and healing, “Physica,” she wrote about using cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to “make your heart joyful”:
“Take some nutmeg and an equal weight of cinnamon and a bit of cloves and pulverize them. Then make small cakes with this and fine whole wheat flour, and water. Eat them often. It will calm all bitterness of the heart and mind, open your heart and impaired senses, and make your soul joyful. It purifies your senses and diminishes all harmful humors in you. It gives good liquid to your blood and makes you strong.”
MEDIEVAL COOKING FOR BODY AND SOUL
A version of the “joy cookies” described above are included in a new book recently put out by Sophia Institute Press, “St. Hildegard’s Garden.” The title, which I have on my shelf, is more than just a cookbook. It’s a guide for using medieval herbal cooking and plant-based healing foods for immunity, digestion and balance.
Its back cover aptly describes how “Hildegard built up an immense store of knowledge of diverse creatures and used it to serve others. Our human illnesses, she observed, are often caused by our disrespect for nature and our own bodies. So she researched, conducted experiments, prayed, and cataloged these ingredients to achieve spectacular results for healing both body and soul.”
more than nostalgic flavor to this favorite fall drink. St. Hildegard broke down the benefits of the three main spices further in “Physica.” The summaries below are provided by Humble Housewives:
n Cinnamon: Recommended for paralysis caused by gout and malarial fevers. It is to be infused in wine and baked into bread, cakes and cookies. It is recommended to be eaten in its powdered form to cure nasal congestion.
n Nutmeg: It will open a person’s heart, make his judgment free from obstruction, and give him a good disposition. Nutmeg should be baked into cakes and cookies. It should be steeped into beverages.
n Cloves: Recommended for a stuffy head and plugged ears due to sinus inflammation, swollen intestines, gout and hiccups. Cloves are antispasmodic to the digestive system.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons of half and half
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice
1 cup of strong coffee
(decaf or regular)
1 tablespoon of whipped cream
Of course, St. Hildegard didn’t refer to the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove explicitly as “pumpkin spice” in “Physica” or any of her other writings. That prepared blend, which also includes ginger and allspice, was first introduced by McCormick & Company in 1934. Since then, it’s become ubiquitous during the holiday season, showing up and showing off in desserts, side dishes and beverages alike.
Speaking of beverages, the already mentioned Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is so popular, eager fans line up to buy the drink every year at the end of August, well before the leaves are even starting to change color. But perhaps there is something
Combine the first five ingredients; heat in the microwave to desired temperature. Top with whipped cream, but before you take a sip, raise your glass, seek St. Hildegard’s intercession for good health and enjoy!
MAKE YOUR OWN, WITH A SAINT’S BLESSING
As a homeschooling mom to seven who favors herbal remedies to modern medicine, I’m now glad to have even more reason to sprinkle pumpkin spice more liberally during this cold and flu and holiday season. That being said, I rarely find time to pick up my lattes at the drive-thru. But that’s not a problem. Nothing compares to one made from scratch. Enjoy the recipe my sons and I have been using for years.
SARAH ROBSDOTTIR is a Catholic convert and homeschooling mom to seven sons. Her latest novel, “Joan of Arkansas,” was released by Voyage Publishing earlier this year. Visit her at www.sarahrobsdottir.com.
Bishop Joseph N. Perry
Sarah Robsdottir
CNS FILE, ST. LOUIS REVIEW | OSV NEWS
Sister Mary Antona Ebo, a Franciscan Sister of Mary, walks in the front row at the center with her superior, as they march in Selma, Ala., March 10, 1965, to support voting rights for Blacks.
Region’s bishops call Catholics to service to the poor
of Christ to our world in need.
The Catholic Bishops of Georgia and the Carolinas gathered recently and reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te (I have loved you). The heart of his message and the fruit of our conversation is to call Catholics beyond simply believing in Jesus, to the deeper relationship of being his disciples in service to the poor by fully implementing the mind and heart of Christ in every human endeavor. We, your shepherds, invite all Catholics and people of goodwill to prophetic acts to reach that goal. Many of us fall short of this invitation by not fully infusing the mind and heart of Christ into every aspect of the human endeavor, especially as it relates to the fullest respect for the dignity of every human person. We do this when we do not see the face of God in the unborn, the poor, the migrant, the incarcerated, the aged, the undereducated, the unloved, the ill, and those with whom we disagree. We nine bishops would like to raise a greater consciousness of all Catholics in Georgia and the Carolinas to bring the communion we share at the altar
We are called to ensure that the flesh of Christ whom we encounter in the Eucharist is seen and revered in the faces of all God’s children as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1397): “The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren.” As disciples seeking the fullness of life, we must unite ourselves with, advocate for, and care for those who are cast aside: the poor among us.
How can the insights of Pope Leo XIV move the hearts of the faithful to further embrace the values of the Gospel by engaging those who feel distanced by the Church and excluded from society? How can we change ourselves and spur systemic change?
We are committed to further exploration of bringing this vision of Jesus to open hearts and deepen our desire for the lead of the Holy Spirit over the views of the world and invite everyone to join us in this conversation.
Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Atlanta
Bishop Joel Konzen, S.M., Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta
Bishop Bernard Shlesinger, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta
Bishop John Tran, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta
Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, Bishop of Charleston
Bishop Robert Guglielmone, Retired Bishop of Charleston
Bishop Stephen Parkes, Bishop of Savannah
Bishop Luis Zarama, Bishop of Raleigh
Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte
Los obispos de la región llaman a los católicos al servicio a los pobres
Los obispos católicos de Georgia y las Carolinas nos reunimos recientemente para reflexionar sobre la primera exhortación apostólica del Papa León XIV, Dilexi Te (Te he amado). La esencia de su mensaje y el fruto de nuestra conversación es hacer un llamado a los católicos a ir más allá de una simple creencia en Jesús, a la convicción más profunda de que somos sus discípulos al servicio de los pobres, poniendo plenamente la mente y el corazón de Cristo en cada acto que asumamos. Nosotros, sus pastores, invitamos a todos los católicos y personas de buena voluntad a actos proféticos para alcanzar ese objetivo. Muchos de nosotros no cumplimos con esta invitación al no infundir plenamente la mente y el corazón de Cristo en cada aspecto de nuestro comportamiento humano, especialmente en lo que se refiere al pleno respeto por la dignidad de cada persona. Lo hacemos cuando no vemos el rostro de Dios en los no nacidos, los pobres, los migrantes, los encarcelados, los ancianos, los que carecen de educación, los que no son amados, los enfermos y aquellos que no comparten nuestra opinión. Nosotros, los nueve obispos deseamos incrementar el nivel de concientización de todos los católicos de Georgia y las Carolinas para que lleven la comunión que compartimos en el altar de Cristo a un mundo que lo necesita. Estamos llamados a garantizar que el cuerpo de Cristo, a quien encontramos en
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la Eucaristía, sea visto y venerado en los rostros de todos los hijos de Dios, tal como lo expresa el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica (1397): «La Eucaristía nos compromete con los pobres. Para recibir en verdad el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo entregados por nosotros, debemos reconocer a Cristo en los más pobres, sus hermanos». Como discípulos que buscan la plenitud de la vida, debemos unirnos, defender y cuidar a los marginados: los pobres entre nosotros. ¿Cómo pueden las reflexiones del Papa
León XIV conmover los corazones de los fieles para acoger aún más los valores del Evangelio, conectando con quienes se sienten distanciados por la Iglesia y excluidos de la sociedad? ¿Cómo podemos cambiar e impulsar un cambio sistémico?
Estamos comprometidos a continuar explorando cómo llevar esta visión de Jesús de abrir los corazones y profundizar nuestro deseo de escuchar la guía del Espíritu Santo por encima de la percepción del mundo y los invitamos a todos a acompañarnos en esta conversación.
Arzobispo Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., Arzobispo de Atlanta
Obispo Joel Konzen, S.M., Obispo Auxiliar de Atlanta
Obispo Bernard Shlesinger, III, Obispo Auxiliar de Atlanta
Obispo John Tran, Obispo Auxiliar de Atlanta
Obispo Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS, Obispo de Charleston
Obispo Robert Guglielmone, Obispo Emérito de Charleston
Obispo Stephen Parkes, Obispo de Savannah
Obispo Luis Zarama, Obispo de Raleigh
Obispo Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Obispo de Charlotte
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Editor’s note The bishops of the Atlanta Province issued the following statement on Dec. 3:
Nota del editor : Los obispos de la Provincia de Atlanta emitieron la siguiente declaración el 3 de diciembre:
