June 21, 1996 by Catholic News Herald

The Catholic News

Herald

June 21, 1996

Jubilee Mass, from page

Wolf Begins Work As Western Region's New Coordinator Of Faith Formation

of living the Christian

you

PAUL FREDETTE

ASHEVILLE

more you rely on the Gospel and the idea of trying to convince people to live

the

mentum for this year. At the ini-

— "Theolo-

tial

life: "The older you're in priesthood,

get, the longer

a Christ-centered

planning session for "Fire Mountains '96" convened

Lady of Mercy

life."

The pastor of Our Winston-Salem

parish in

shared his belief in the principle that has sustained him through 40 years of priest-

gians are scientists," said Father

in the

James Hawker, diocesan Vicar for Education. "Catechists, on

by Wolf

the other hand, are artists." His

ing our gifts" as a follow-up to

Benedictine Father Lawrence Willis

calculated to high-

Dr. Ford's focus "becoming a

said that his 30 years of teaching at Bel-

contrast

light the sort

in late

ers explored the

May, organiztheme "realiz-

'Eucharisting' community."

of challenge fac-

new

coordinator of faith formation

an emphasis that would certainly gain Jane Kieffer' s en-

for the western region of the

dorsement.-

diocese.

nited the first

Wolf's job involves being on site and in conversation with parish catechists, being a resource for them as well as a collaborator. Since beginning his

Kieffer believes strongly in the

ing Richard Carl Wolf, the

work

February,

in early

Smoky Mountain

Richard Carl Wolf

which

make up the western region. His thoughtand reflective manner seems well suited to the task. Wolf makes listening attentively seem effortless and responds The

both gra-

Duquesne Univer-

1977 and

sity in

later

received a Master

of Arts from the university's famed Institute

of Formative Spirituality. The

stitute,

whose

in-

international reputation

derives largely from the

work of

re-

nowned religious psychologist Adrian van Kaam, provided Wolf with the op-

established office and resource center for

portunity to develop skills in pastoral

religious education adjacent to Catholic

counseling, spiritual direction and famil-

Social Services on Orange Street.

iarity

Hawker, who has been evaluating

personal

faith,

impressed with Wolf's his academic credentials

and his considerable experience

catechetics. For the past seven years

Wolf has been

pastoral associate for edu-

cation at St. Joseph Catholic

Commu-

growing parish of more than 2,000 families in the suburbs of Baltimore. Prior to this, he did personal development counseling in Pittsburgh for several years and was in charge of the religion department at Charleston Catholic High School in West Virginia. Wolf's qualifications are, in Hawker's estimation, "part of the whole mosaic which includes his sensitivity to people and his eagerness to engage them in conversation about effective approaches for sharing the person and mesnity, a

with the Church's mystical tradi-

tion.

One

the Catholic identity of the schools of the diocese,

among area

have

retirees

of the first tests of Wolf's abilisays Jane Kieffer, who preceded

ties,

their donations in the collection

Wolf

as coordinator of the western re-

gion,

the challenge of planning the

Mountains." Scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Lake Junaluska Conference Center, this day-long convocation of Catholics from the mountain area has drawn participants from more than 16 parishes in the past two years. Last year's program, which third annual "Fire in the

featured Dr. Elinor Ford, formerly the

same range of services they obtained from wherever they moved. It just doesn't work like that here. We've been trying to get people to make the church by contributing

and

their personal gifts

talents."

Fire in the

Mountains has been, in way of reminding the

Kieffer' s mind, a

somewhat isolated pockets of the Catholic Church throughout the small and

mountains, that they are not alone; that without their active participation in the larger Church, the community won't grow. "First they have to be convinced that they have gifts to share," she says. "Then that those gifts will be welcomed." Fire in the Mountains, suggests Kieffer, "tries rubbing gether, hoping that

two

sticks to-

when the gifts of one

interact with the gifts of another,

will

kindle a flame." Like Kieffer before him,

Richard Wolf is hoping that such flames the can set a fire in these mountains

—

of the Spirit at work in God's people.

fire

superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese of

New

York, received

sufficient praise to sustain a steady

>CVlptViV£

mo-

fairings for

Sunt 23

Irenaeus of Lyons

Sunday:

fij£

iottk of

29 Jeremiah 20: 10-13 Romans 5: 12-15 Matthew 10: 26-33

sage of Jesus Christ."

Wolf indicates that a strong commitin the community he previously served "to empowering and training la-

Monday:

Isaiah 49: 1-6

Acts 1 3: 22-26 Lukel: 57-66, 80

and an emphasis on collaboration and

collegiality" attracted tion.

him

Tuesday:

His work there enabled him to de-

2 Kings 19: 9-11, 14-21, 31-36 Matthew 7: 6, 12-14

people toward formation opportunities

family-based education and classroom catechist training." He sees liturgies,

leadership as "facilitating a spiritual

journey process rather than directing static programs and services." This seems fortuitous since Hawker too believes that overseeing the quality of the

parish catechetical programs involves

enabling

teachers

develop a beyond the

catechetical vision that goes

cognitive dimensions of learning.

Wolf obtained

Bachelor of Science

at the

windows! Over the years, community in Lincolnton and elsewhere has become more and more a surrogate family for me." Msgr. William Wellein's 44 years as a priest have seen him involved in a variety of ministries, from running the former St. John Vianney preparatory seminary in Asheville, "I was shepherding 45 young men for nine months of the year," to preaching to pristained-glass

the Hispanic

marily Protestant crowds in the

summer

raceway "motor chapels", to parish priest. "But to me, the whole mystery of priesthood is offering the Holy Mass. All the other ministries spring from that. His next assignment as resident chaplain at the Little Flower assisted living facility in Charlotte is, he says,

months

"just a continuation of a lifelong experience for me," when it opens in August. "I already have a man signed up who's 99-years-old and wants to be an

altar-server at

Mass!"

I know what it is to be Bishop Curlin said in address-

"You and

ing the honorees, "...we cannot explain it,

ment

can't describe the joy and fulfill-

in the lives

we live as priests." The in many ways; some-

comes

times unexpected ways. the

experience

overwhelming sense of God

our

ministry with our people," the bishop

sign and present programs that "guided

regarding the catechumenate, children's

going strong

frequent celebrations of Mass for the Hispanic community, Fathers Lawrence and then-seminarian Fidel were serving at St. Patrick Cathedral, when Fidel asked the congregation if they ever wondered how "Padre Lorenzo" learned Spanish. "I had to confess," Father Lawrence smiled, "that I had taught myself Spanish years ago by reading Donald Duck comics in Spanish. They all laughed so hard," he recalled, "I thought they were going to crack the

affirmation

to that posi-

still

of priesthood shared what turned out to be an amusing link with the diocese's newest priest, Father Fidel Melo. In his

priests,"

ment ity

ginning: "I'm

wider variety of courses next year than ever before." The celebrant of 30 years

basket and in return receive the

degree in education

a newly

results of his quiet

energies are already evident

FREDETTE

sacramen-

"fires,"

settled here expecting to place Photo by PAUL

ful

cious and earnest.

numerous

his

service to the diocese are but a be-

college," he stated. "I'll be teaching a

tion surfaces," she explains, "that

mont Abbey College and tal

ig-

"Sometimes the no-

Catholics.

vicariates

two

who

value of these annual conflagra-

Wolf

with a gentle deliberation that

the one

tions of conviviality

has lost little time getting acquainted with the personnel in the parishes of the Asheville

and

hood: "If we really live the life of Christ, we can accept almost anything."

Wednesday:

2 Kings 22:

8-13,-

23: 1-3

Born in Asia Minor, Irenaeus was well educated and knew men who were

Matthew

15-20

priesthood.

friends of the Apostles, especially St.

Polycarp,

who was

a pupil of

St.

John.

Thursday:

time of the celebration of Easter. It is believed 203. His feast

June '

28.

Friday:

Graphics

Acts

21-29

1-10

1: 11-20 John 21: 15-19

Qalatians

Saturday:

that Irenaeus died about

2 Kings 24: 8-17

Matthew

Irenaeus became bishop of Lyons and

fought the spread of Gnosticism, which he refuted in a five-book treatise. He served as a successful mediator between Christians in Asia Minor and the pope in a dispute over the

added "The presence of Christ in their lives affirms the presence of Jesus in our

Acts 12: 1-11 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18 Matthew 16: 13-19

We find Him in the sick, the

poor, the children, the elderly, in recon-

and the sacraments. "The T love you, Fathers' and 'God bless you Fathers' that come from your parishioners are real. You have done good work. And we, as priests, are loved. Perhaps not as the world expects. But

ciliation

we're loved in a deeply spiritual way that never ends. ..it never ends."