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News & Herald Volume
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in th e Dio cese of Charlo tte
Number 22
7
Protests
«
February
6,
1998
Go Unheeded
Karia Tucker
Executed HUNTSVILLE, Texas (CNS)
—
Despite protests from Pope John Paul II, American Catholic bishops and other
groups opposed to the death penalty, convicted killer Karla Faye Tucker was executed Feb. 3 in Huntsville. Tucker, given a lethal injection, bethe first woman executed in Texas
came
since the Civil
War and
the first in the
nation since 1984.
Before her death, the 38-year-old Tucker apologized to the families of her victims and said, "I hope God will give you peace for this." Speaking to her own husband and other family members, she said, "I
am
going to be face to face with Jesus now. I love all of you very much. I will see
you
all
when you
get there.
I
will wait
for you."
Less than a week before the execution. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Domestic Policy Committee, had urged Texas Gov. George W. Bush to "heed the calls of our Holy Father, our brother bishops and concerned citizens
Texas to grant clemency in this case." "Our call for mercy in this case does way detract from the brutality of Ms. Tucker's crime," Bishop Skylstad wrote Bush. "We can only imagine the depth of the loss felt by the surviving in
not in any piece, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life," is one of two stained-glass works designed by Our Lady of Mercy Church parishioner Betti Pettinati-Longinotti for the Winston-Salem parish. The design is placed in the church, while another, "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," resides in the eucharistic chapel at Joseph House on the parish grounds.
The above [
See Tucker, page 6
RCIA Commission Gathers Catechists, Offers Support By
JIMMY ROSTAR
Baptist
Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE — Those who the
community of faith through
Church
in
training for those
serve
the Rite
Tryon. "This is team are charged with
who
rating Scripture, prayer, theology, sacred
to help
mission of the Diocese of Charlotte sponsored a workshop Jan. 10 at St. Thomas
Aquinas Church for
RCIA team mem-
bers, pastoral associates, clergy,
one involved
and any-
in coordinating the initia-
tion process at the parish level.
Through
"The people here today have
vari-
ous degrees of experience and opportunities to go to workshops and learn," said Joanna Case, who is serving as commission co-chairperson with Father
Lawrence Heiney, pastor of
St.
John the
list
pose, Villapando said, is vice to pastors and parish RCIA staffs." "This is not a juridical body and does not fit into any official diocesan organizational flow chart," Villapando added. "It is not policy-making. Its reason for
for full reception into the church.
have a new resource
them celebrate their ministry. The recently appointed RCIA Com-
of Faith Formation, submitted a
in their parishes."
such gatherings, commission members hope to offer a network of support to those who make the RCIA process come alive for the men and women preparing
in the diocese
fice
of quaUfied individuals.
Case, a board member of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, was one of four presenters of ideas, suggestions and resources at the workshop, attended by 75 catechists who traveled from as far away as the Asheville and Greensboro vicariates to attend. "When you're teaching, you also constantly need to update yourself, so I really think this workshop is great," said Helga Bracke, an RCIA team member at St. Therese Church in Mooresville. Like Bracke, dozens of catechists heard about and experienced ways of incorpo-
of Christian Initiation of Adults process
Villapando, director of the diocesan Of-
the responsibility of the catechumentate
tradition, doctrine
RCIA
and discussion
in their
group sessions. The commission was appointed late last fall by Bishop William G. Curlin, after Father Anthony Marcaccio, diocesan director of liturgy, and Dr. Cris
existence
is
primary purto "provide ser-
Its
service, service
and more
service."
includes visible signs tices
—
itself
liturgical prac-
and understanding of history
lation to Scripture, for instance
in re-
—
that
give people a very real sense of Jesus
and his purpose, she added.
Workshop
sessions explored the role
of sponsors in the initiation process, the
wealth of resources available to present-
and the variety of prayer styles and forms that can enhance one's faith life. Throughout the seminar pervaded an emphasis on making the process an exciting and experiential one for those in ers,
In addition to Father
Case, commission
important part of our Catholic faith," said
Case. Like the sacraments, faith
Heiney and
members
are
Linda
Schlensker of St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Mars Hill; Miriam Picconi of St.
Thomas Aquinas Church; Carlos Castaneda of St. John Neumann Church, Charlotte; Capuchin Father Martin
RCIA groups. "Know who they are and where they are in their faith journey," said Father
Thomas
Schratz to catechists during a session on
Aquinas Church; and Linda Licata of St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro. At the workshop, facilitators evidenced various ways to illustrate tenets
prayer he led with Picconi. The two are
Schratz, parochial vicar of St.
of Catholicism during
"The sense of
RCIA
leaders of the RCIA team at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, and they pointed out ways of encouraging and creating meth-
sessions.
the tangible
is
a very
See RCIA Commission, page 3