Catholic
& Herald
i NJtiWS Serving Catholics in
Western North Carolina
Volume 5 Number 24 • March
in the Diocese of Charlotte
1996
8,
Friends Gather To Honor The 'Mother Of Charity' By JO ANN
KEANE
Associate Editor
—
BELMONT
Over the years, Mother Mary Benignus Hoban served a myriad of roles
to her sisters in faith.
The
Sister of Mercy has held titles from novice mistress to superior general of
her order. But most aptly, she
known
is
Mother to hundeds of children Holy Angels. as
at
On Feb. 27, friends and family filled the parish hall of Queen of the Apostles
The Dominguez refugees
who
MAYBACH
brothers, Obdulio, 38, Alfredo, 35 and Yojanis, 21 are Cuban in the U.S. Dec. 28. With the help of the Charlotte Refugee
arrived
found employment Cuba.
Office, the brothers their family leave
at
a
textile mill
and hope
to help the rest of
By ELIZABETH
MAYBACH
CHARLOTTE
—
On Aug.
18,
Dominguez brothers boarded small wooden raft and set to sea,
1994, the a
seeking freedom for themselves; and eventually for their families left behind.
Seventeen months later, the three men reached their destination. Obdulio Dominguez, 38, and his brothers, Alfredo, 35, and Yojanis, 21, are Cuban refugees now living in Charlotte thanks to Catholic Social Services' Diocesan Refugee Office. In the summer of 1994, the Dominguez brothers were
among
the
more than
32,300 Cuban rafters picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Florida Straits and taken to Guantanamo Bay Naval
Base
Cuba. Cira Ponce, director of the Refugee Office, said government policy at the time dictated that Cubans be picked up and detained at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely. "The United States government soon realized that they were rescuing thousands of Cubans from the in
sea, far too
many
Guantanamo
for the facility at
to
accommodate
comfortably," Ponce said. "The current administration changed its policy and
began resettling unaccompanied minors, the elderly and the infirm." Obdulio Dominguez said there were initially "no conditions" at the Guantanamo Bay internment camp.
Refugees
crowded
every camp was
into
conceivable place, and the
not equipped to handle such a large
On May
To Mother Benignus,
the bishop
came
all
to share her special day.
Pauline Clifford,
regional president of the Sisters of Mercy
of America. Sister Pauline pointed out
The policy change meant that the Guantanamo Bay had to be
ago.
the focal point in the foundation of
1995, Attorney General
be allowed to come to the United States but from then on, all rafters would be returned immediately to Cuba.
first
but what you have done here is certainly
Reno announced a change in policy for Cuban refugees: the 2 1 ,000 refugees still detained at Guantanamo Bay would
2,
Angels was the
pastoral visit of Bishop Curlin two years
It was a compilation of love: from her community of Mercy, the Mayor of Belmont, friends collected over the years, family from her native Ireland, and the bishop of the diocese all
gift to us," said Sister
Janet
No wonder Holy
Sisters
United States.
Later, he said,
Angels," said Bishop William G. Curlin.
birthday.
returned to Cuba or were resettled in the
number of people.
conditions improved as refugees either
Staff Writer
"You built the foundation of Christ with the wonderful children of Holy
said: "I love everything in this diocese,
Master of Ceremonies Ty Boyd called those in attendance merely a smattering of what could have been. "We could fill a football stadium with people that Mother Benignus has touched," said Boyd. Tea cups tipped to toast the honoree, with testimonials of love and respect pouring from those who stepped forward to praise the beloved Mother. "Your personal impact; that's your
Diocesan Office Helps To Resettle Cuban Refugees
and favorite place to be. We knew that was number one on her list, no matter what other ministries we did."
honor of Mother's 90th
for high tea in
Photo by ELIZABETH
Mother Benignus, "We've all known that Holy Angels was her most special
that in her
40-year association with
the outreach in service to others.
all
What
you have done has spread in many ways. You are the Mother of great charity for of us."
Mother Benignus joined the
Sisters
of Mercy in 1926, completing a journey of faith from her homeland: County
Mayo,
Ireland. In
70 years of Mercy
service, she administered as president
of Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, St. Joseph Hospital in Asheville, and Sacred Heart College in Belmont, in addition to
numerous
teaching
assignments
throughout North Carolina.
A
fountain designed in her honor
was presented by the Holy Angels staff. With water trickling over the copper
See Mother, page 12
Going Out Of Her Way
Sister Serves Southern
refugees at
and the resettlement had to happen quickly The United States government wanted all of the refugees resettled by the end of January 1996. The Miami office of the United States Catholic Conference contacted Ponce in November, and 1 2 refugees arrived in Charlotte on Dec. 28. The Dominguez brothers were
resettled in the U.S.
.
among the last to leave the Guantanamo Bay facility. Ponce said there are two categories reunifications
refugees, family and free cases. Because
for
family reunifications are usually given
and the Dominguez brothers were free cases, they were resettled last. Amy Woolam, a Refugee Office caseworker, arranged for housing and medical appointments for the men. "It' a very quick process. There' s very short notice when a refugee is coming, sometimes we have less than a week to
priority
plan.
"Our main objective
is
See Refugee, page 12
to
make
Highlands For 25 Years By PAUL
FREDETTE
HAYESVILLE woman
solid
—
She
and a talented,
tall,
tireless
nurse. For 25 years, Sister of Charity
Loretta John
Meehan
(Sister John) has
been
serving the largely rural communities of Clay and Cherokee counties as an LPN through the Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice Agency in Hayesville. She brings her gentle care wrapped in a lilting New
York
Irish accent into countless
you that having her worth more than any high tech thing a nurse can do and just people will
a
is
homes
highlands with a firm step, a sure stride, and a spontaneous
in these southern
smile.
come
tell
for a visit
is
having her around is more of a comfort than any number of medications That' her real strong point, a natural caring .
which enables her to go out of her way do anything for anybody." And go out of her way she has. Sister John first came to the Appalachian highlands from New York in 1971. Nursing was far different then, and she to
misses the broad range of experiences afforded her in those early days. "Today we're more restricted in what we can
John's
do. There are social workers, physical
supervisor for the last year and a half,
therapists, occupational therapists,
Cathy
Diehl,
Sister
says the effects of Sister John's
home
"She's been in the area so long. Her biggest gift is her personal interaction with patients." Deihl's admiration is unabashed as she assesses Sister John's skills: "Most visits are astonishing,
speech therapists, available then.
etc. None of that was The nurse was the
plumber, the social worker, the cook, sometimes even the undertaker." She
See Sister,
next page