At a glance
SEPTEMBER 12, 2025
VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 24
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
MoreCATHOLIC ALL WEEK
Timely tips for blending faith & life
than 10,000 people turned out to renew their spirit and walk with Christ at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Eucharistic Congress last weekend, trekking through the streets of Uptown Charlotte in one of the largest Eucharistic processions in the nation. While participants were energized by Bishop Michael Martin and other dynamic Catholic voices, the weekend was much more than a one-time event. The Eucharistic Congress is meant to be one step on a lifetime journey of renewal and a call to share the message of hope with a world longing for it. Here are some ways you can relive those moments (or live them for the first time) and deepen your experience.
Contact us 2
Español 16-17
Our Diocese 4-14
Our Faith 3
Our Schools 15
Scripture 3, 17
U.S. news 18
Viewpoints 22-23
World news 19-20
STAFF INDEX
EDITOR: Trish Stukbauer
704-370-3392, tmstukbauer@rcdoc.org
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Troy C. Hull 704-370-3288, tchull@rcdoc.org
Christina Lee Knauss 704-370-0783, clknauss@rcdoc.org Brian Segovia 704-370-3235, bmsegovia@rcdoc.org
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LISTEN TO THE SPEAKERS
Whether you were there for every moment of the programming and Mass or weren’t able to attend, you can hear the educational tracks in English and Spanish, as well as Bishop Michael Martin’s homilies. Visit the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel to take advantage of this opportunity to grow in your faith and understanding of Catholic teachings through these inspiring talks.
Speakers at the Diocese of Charlotte’s 21st Eucharistic Congress included Father Tri Truong, TV and radio ministry leaders Chris Stefanick and Father John Riccardo, and author Paula Umaña. DAVID PUCKETT | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
SPEND TIME IN ADORATION
Eucharistic Adoration is at the heart of the Congress, and there are many opportunities to take that experience further.
Many of our churches offer regular Eucharistic Adoration, and some offer Perpetual Adoration chapels that are open 24/7. Visit the diocese’s website, www.charlottediocese.org, and click on “Eucharistic Adoration” under “Faith Life.”
Diocesan calendar of events
PRAYER SERVICES
WALK WITH ONE
Building on Bishop Martin’s call to step outside our comfort zones and into a world in need of hope, the National Eucharistic Congress offers materials to help you have one-on-one conversations about faith. The Walk With One initiative walks you through the steps of asking God who He wants you to approach, how to intercede in prayer on their behalf, how to connect with them on a deeper spiritual level, and how to invite them to take a concrete next step in fostering a personal relationship with Jesus and the Church. Visit their website for a downloadable guide and prayers in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
— Catholic News Herald and National Eucharistic Congress
25TH AND 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS: 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Bishop Michael Martin will celebrate the diocese’s annual Mass for couples commemorating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries. Reception to follow. Register at www.charlottediocese.org/form-wedding-anniversary-mass.
EVENTS
IGBO MASS : 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, St. Mary’s Church, 812 Duke St., Greensboro. Parking is available at the adjacent Windsor Center. For details, call Dr. Godfrey Uzochukwu, coordinator, at 336-707-3625.
BECHTLER TRIO OPENS 2025 SEASON OF ARTS AT THE ABBEY: 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at Mary Help of Christians Basilica, Belmont Abbey College. The Bechtler Trio will explore dance through music from Central European folk traditions up through broader European and Latin American dance rhythms, music and more. Free, donations accepted.
the coming weeks:
Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., will participate in the following events over
Our faith
Pope Leo XIV
Crying out to God is sign of hope, not crisis of faith
Crying out to God during moments of extreme trial does not mark a crisis of faith but can reflect an act of total surrender to and enduring trust in God, Pope Leo XIV said.
“In the journey of life, there are moments in which keeping something inside can slowly consume us,” the pope told thousands of people huddled under umbrellas or dressed in rain gear in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 10 for his weekly general audience.
“Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to cry out, as long as it is sincere, humble, addressed to the Father,” he said.
“A cry is never pointless if it is born of love, and it is never ignored if it is delivered to God,” he said. “It is a way to not give in to cynicism, to continue to believe that another world is possible.”
Pope Leo also asked the faithful to find inspiration in Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, the two young men he canonized Sept. 7, and, like them, “learn from Christ the cry of hope and the desire to open our hearts to the will of the Father who wants our salvation.”
In his main talk, the pope continued his series of reflections on lessons of hope from the Gospel stories of Jesus’ last days, focusing specifically on the crucified Christ’s cry to God and His death on the cross.
Before He cried out on the cross, Pope Leo said, Jesus asked “one of the most heart-rending” questions that could ever be uttered: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
“The Son, who always lived in intimate communion with the Father, now experiences silence, absence, the abyss. It is not a crisis of faith, but the final stage of a love that is given up to the very end,” the pope said. “Jesus’ cry is not desperation, but sincerity, truth taken to the limit, trust that endures even when all is silent.”
“We are accustomed to thinking of crying out as something disorderly, to be repressed,” the pope said. However, “the Gospel confers an immense value to our cry, reminding us that it can be an invocation, a protest, a desire, a surrender,” even an “extreme form of prayer, when there are no words left.”
Crying out can express “a hope that is not resigned,” he said. “One cries out when one believes that someone can still hear.”
“Jesus did not cry out against the Father, but to Him. Even in silence, he was convinced that the Father was there,” Pope Leo said. “And, in this way, He showed us that our hope can cry out, even when all seems lost.”
Catholic experts share 6 ways to help during a mental health crisis
KATIE YODER OSV News
Everyday people, including Catholics, and churches can help those experiencing a mental health crisis and save lives, according to experts.
During National Suicide Prevention Month in September, ministry leaders and crisis experts are listing practical steps that individuals, families and churches can take to help.
In the United States, nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in 2023, which amounts to about one person every 11 minutes, according to numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The government agency reports that many more think about or attempt: An estimated 12.8 million adults seriously considered taking their lives in 2022. The numbers are rising: rates increased roughly 36% between 2000 and 2022.
In the hopes of saving more lives, four experts shared their advice. Their comments come before November, when the pope’s prayer intention is for the prevention of suicide.
1. TAKE MENTAL HEALTH SERIOUSLY
These experts emphasized the importance of mental health.
“If you’re thinking of suicide, treat that the same way you would if you were having chest pains or maybe tingling in your arms,” said Deacon Ed Shoener, president of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, a lay association dedicated to helping people with mental illness and their families.
“Similarly, if you’re having thoughts of suicide, don’t feel ashamed, just be concerned and make it a point to talk to your doctor, or if you know a therapist –but talk to someone about it,” he said.
2. KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS.
Daily Scripture readings
SEPT. 14-20
Sunday (Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross): Num 21:4b-9, Ps 78:1bc-2, 3435, 36-37, 38, Phil 2:6-11, Jn 3:13-17
Monday (Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows): 1 Tim 2:1-8, Ps 28:2, 7, 8-9, Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35
Tuesday (Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs): 1 Tim 3:1-13, Ps 101:1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6, Lk 7:11-17
Wednesday: 1 Tim 3:14-16, Ps 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Lk 7:31-35
Thursday: 1 Tim 4:12-16, Ps 111:7-8, 9, 10, Lk 7:36-50
Friday: 1 Tim 6:2c-12, Ps 49:6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20, Lk 8:1-3
Saturday (Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs): 1 Tim 6:13-16, Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5, Lk 8:4-15
Learning the warning signs can help, according to experts like Wendy Martinez Farmer, vice president of 988 strategy, quality improvement and clinical standards at Vibrant Emotional Health. Her nonprofit runs 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7 call, text and chat access to crisis counselors.
She listed signs that “may help determine if an individual is at risk,” especially if the behavior is new, has increased, or seems related to a painful event, loss or change, she noted. Those include:
n Looking for a way to harm themselves.
n Talking about feeling hopeless.
n Talking about feeling trapped or in pain.
n Talking about being a burden to others.
n Increasing use of alcohol or drugs.
n Withdrawing or isolating themselves.
3. TALK ABOUT IT
These experts encouraged people to reach out to those who may be having a mental health crisis.
“If you think someone is suicidal or
SEPT. 21-27
Sunday (Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time): Amos 8:4-7, Ps 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8, 1 Tim 2:1-8, Lk 16:1-13 or Lk 16:10-13
Monday: Ezr 1:1-6, Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6, Lk 8:16-18
Tuesday (Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest): Ezr 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20, Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5, Lk 8:19-21
Wednesday: Ezr 9:5-9, Tob 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8, Lk 9:1-6
Thursday: Hag 1:1-8, Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b, Lk 9:7-9
Friday: Hag 2:1-9, Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4, Lk 9:1822
Saturday (Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest): Zech 2:5-9, 14-15a, Jer 31:10, 11-12ab, 13, Lk 9:43b-45
thinking of that, don’t be afraid to ask them,” Deacon Shoener said. “One, it signals that you’re open and willing to talk about mental health and matters such as that – and it also says you’re there, ready to help them.”
Elizabeth Leon, director of family support at Red Bird Ministries, a Catholic grief support ministry that runs a program called “Remember,” recommended practicing what to say. She suggested phrases such as, “I am concerned that you are so unhappy. Are you thinking about suicide?” and “Do you feel safe to be alone right now?”
Many people having a mental health crisis “will not ask for help, so having the courage to reach out to them is critical,” said Leon.
4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ACT
Sometimes action is needed, experts said. Marian Sister Kathryn Maney, director of Red Bird Ministries’ “Remember” program, advised, “If someone expresses struggle with suicidal ideation, listen nonjudgmentally and stay with them until they find help.”
If loved ones are exhibiting warning signs, Martinez Farmer also suggested, “Remove means, like weapons or pills.”
5. USE RESOURCES
These experts wanted people to know they are not alone. Among other resources, Sister Kathryn and Martinez Farmer recommended 988 Lifeline, which helps millions of people every year.
6. ACT AS A CHURCH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. “Religious communities can be places of solace, where people turn for guidance through difficult times,” Martinez Farmer said. “Both the clergy and congregants can play a role in building a culture where everyone feels safe, seen and supported by leading with compassion, listening with care, serving one another and fostering belonging.”
SEPT. 28-OCT. 4
Sunday (Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time): Amos 6:1a, 4-7, Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10, 1 Tim 6:11-16, Lk 16:19-31
Monday (Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels): Dan 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rev 12:7-12ab, Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5, Jn 1:47-51
Tuesday (Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church): Zech 8:20-23, Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7, Lk 9:51-56
Wednesday (Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church): Neh 2:1-8, Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6, Lk 9:57-62
Thursday (Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels): Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12, Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11, Mt 18:1-5, 10
Friday: Bar 1:15-22, Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9, Lk 10:13-16
Saturday (Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi): Bar 4:5-12, 27-29, Ps 69:33-35, 3637, Lk 10:17-24
OSV NEWS | GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
A suicide prevention sign is attached to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 2008. National Suicide Prevention Month is observed in September.
Our diocese Faith and perseverance: Retired Father Collins continues to serve
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
NEWTON — Father Jim Collins never let his disability stop him from answering God’s call. After a 19-year journey to ordination, he spent three decades serving the Diocese of Charlotte – 26 of them as pastor of St. Joseph Parish. Now retired, he continues his vocation, joining dozens of other retired priests who still faithfully minister to the people of God.
“My parish is my life. I love this church. I’ve learned love and acceptance, especially within this community,” he says. “No matter what, I will try to stay in this area.”
Father Collins is the featured priest for the diocese’s 2025 Priest Retirement Collection campaign, which raises funds to support our retired priests.
Parishioners admire Father Collins’ faith, his sense of humor and his stand-out homilies, but most of all, his perseverance in the face of adversity. Born with cerebral palsy, he talks with a mild speech impediment and walks with a small limp. Despite his physical handicap, his persistent and joyful faith shines through.
Dennis Schell, a parishioner since 1978, still remembers Father Collins’ first homily: “He said, ‘I’m sure that you all have a hard time understanding me, but you’ll be surprised at how much of what you’re hearing improves in 30 days.’ And, sure enough, it did.
“His journey has been so hard. His whole life people told him he couldn’t do things because of his handicap, but he has proved them all wrong,” Schell says.
A MIRACULOUS START
Father Collins was born six weeks premature at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York, in 1947. He had severe jaundice that doctors treated with a series of blood transfusions, but they lost hope as the infant went in and out of shock.
A nurse at the hospital, Sister Philomena, and her fellow nuns prayed a novena asking for the intercession of St. Philomena, the patron saint of infants.
“I credit the intercession of St. Philomena for my life,” he says. During a later trip to Italy, he touched the catacomb where her remains were discovered and purchased a relic which remains encased in the sanctuary.
While he survived, there was a cost: cerebral palsy. The permanent disability left him 60 percent deaf, with a speech impediment and impaired motor skills.
AN EARLY CALL
Reading and writing did not come easy for the young Jim Collins. The intentions of his eyes and ears never matched the direction of his mouth and hands.
“I hated school so much because I couldn’t do the things the other kids could do. I couldn’t hear,” he recalls. “Now I
(Top) Retiring priest Father Collins celebrated Mass with fellow parishioner and friend, newly ordained Father Anthony del Cid Lucero. (Bottom) Father Collins baptized one more child before his retirement, but there will be many more to come, as he lives minutes from the parish and is still actively moving forward with his priestly ministry.
have a hearing aid, and I can read lips.”
His second year of first grade, during Mass when he received his first Holy Communion, is when he first sensed “the call.”
“I remember saying I’m going to be a priest. Every time I
talked about it, people would say I couldn’t do that because of my handicap. Maybe a (religious order) brother, but not a priest.”
Collins knew all things were possible with God, so he never gave up. He just fought harder.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE CALL
In the 1970s, Collins moved to Shelby with his parents and six siblings. They attended St. Mary Help of Christians Church, yet his hunger for God had him traveling to churches from the Triad to the mountains.
He befriended many clergy, became a leader in the Cursillo movement, and taught OCIA classes.
In 1976, he wrote his first letter to the diocese’s vocations director expressing his desire to become a priest. For three years, he did not receive a definitive answer. He knew there was one thing causing hesitation: his cerebral palsy. His friends prayed for his healing. “After a while, I stepped away from that,” Father Collins said. “I told them, I don’t need to be healed. I need your love and acceptance.’”
Then he wrote to Charlotte Bishop Michael Begley. Would the diocese support him in becoming a priest? The answer was no.
Driving by the Diocesan Pastoral Center one day, he paid the bishop a courtesy call and talked face to face. He recalls telling Bishop Begley, “Bishop, I know you said ‘no’ to the priesthood, but what do I do with the call? The call won’t go away.”
Bishop Begley told him, “Jim, maybe the diaconate program would be good for you.”
ROAD TO ORDINATION
At that time, the diocese’s permanent diaconate program was just getting established. Collins joined the inaugural class of men set to be ordained for the diocese.
In his third year of formation, he became ineligible for ordination due to his unemployed status, but he still finished the program and volunteered to help Father John Pagel at St. Lucien Parish in Spruce Pine.
Father Pagel saw Collins’ devotion to the faith and advocated for his ordination. In 1987, Collins was finally ordained a deacon during a personal ordination Mass in Spruce Pine celebrated by then-Bishop John Donoghue. St. Lucien Church was too small to accommodate the crowd of family and friends, so a nearby Baptist church was used.
STILL CALLED
Serving as a deacon only strengthened Collins’ desire to be a priest. He yearned to consecrate the Eucharist and minister to his own flock.
Father Richard McCue, who by then had replaced Father
COLLINS, SEE PAGE 5
Sept. 20-21 collection funds priests’ retirement and benefits
CHARLOTTE — The annual diocesan collection to fund the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Plan will be taken up in all parishes the weekend of Sept. 20-21. This collection provides for the future pension and retiree health benefits of the 152 priests from our diocese, other dioceses and religious order priests serving the Church in western North Carolina. An additional 25 retired priests benefit from this collection. In addition, there are 15 priests who will be eligible for retirement within the next five years.
In his annual letter announcing the collection, Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., recalled the prophet Ezekiel’s call to
find and walk with the lost, the weak and the injured (Ez 34:11-16):
“That is the sacred work of our priests – not just in their early ministry, but throughout their lives, even in retirement,” he wrote. “All our priests, including those who have retired, remain In Service to All, continuing to share Christ’s love with the faithful.”
He urged parishioners to “think of a time a priest made a difference in your life. I can think of many who have guided me with compassion, wisdom and faith. These men have given their lives in service to us. Now, they need our prayers, our gratitude – and our support.”
Contributions will help fund the Diocese of Charlotte Priests Pension Trust, the Diocese of Charlotte Retired Priests Health Plan Trust, and the retirement programs of the religious orders and other dioceses that are providing priests to serve in our parishes.
The goal for the priests’ retirement and benefits collection for 2026 is $2,080,000.
The goal is comprised of: 78% for pension contributions to diocesan priests’ retirement plans and retirement benefits expenses for retired diocesan priests’ health plans; 17% for pension contributions for religious order priests’ retirement plans; 2% for administrative fees; and 3% for fundraising costs.
The amount assessed each parish is 3% of its annual offertory income.
Many people contribute to this collection during the offertory at Mass, but people can also give online, mail in their donations or drop them off at their parish office.
— Trish Stukbauer
Donate online
Go to your parish’s website if your parish offers online giving, or give online at www. charlottediocese.org/donate (click on “Priests’ Retirement & Benefits Collection”). Gifts made through the diocesan website will be credited to your parish.
TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
For the latest news 24/7:
In Brief
2025-26 Presbyteral Council
officers, members announced
CHARLOTTE — New officers and members have been selected for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Presbyteral Council, a group that advises the bishop in governing the diocese. Officers for the 2025-26 session are:
n Chairman: Father Benjamin Roberts, V.F., pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe.
n Vice Chairman: Father Peter Ascik, pastor and rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
n Secretary: Father David McCanless, campus ministry chaplain at Wake Forest University.
n Treasurer: Father John Putnam, J.V., pastor of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville and judicial vicar for the diocese.
Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., serves as president of the Presbyteral Council.
They are pictured above (from left): Father Putnam, Father McCanless, Bishop Martin, Father Ascik and Father Roberts.
Clergy elected by their fellow priests to the Presbyteral Council to serve a three-year term from 2025 to 2028 are: Benedictine Father Elias Correa-Torres of Belmont Abbey; Father John Eckert, V.F., pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury; Father Patrick Hoare; and Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly.
Other members of the Presbyteral Council are listed on the diocese’s website, www. charlottediocese.org.
Required by Church law, the Presbyteral Council represents all priests in the diocese and is “like a senate of the bishop” (Code of Canon Law 495 §1), with about half the members elected by priests and others appointed by the bishop.
— Catholic News Herald
Apply for Rice Bowl Mini-Grants
Does your parish help run a food pantry or sponsor an emergency food services program? Perhaps your parish or school provides meals for those who are homeless, or sponsors a garden that provides fresh produce to those in need. If so, consider applying for a Catholic Charities CRS Rice Bowl Mini-Grant of up to $1,000. For every $3 of CRS Rice Bowl funds sent to CRS for overseas projects, $1 remains in U.S. dioceses and archdioceses to help fund grant projects of diocesan Catholic entities. Only one grant can be submitted per entity, and applications must be signed by a pastor, principal, executive director or primary ministry director, and the grant contact person. Information about the Fall 2025 round, including grant guidelines, eligibility and application document, are available at www. ccdoc.org/ cchd-crs.
Grant applications, sent via email, are due to jtpurello@ccdoc.org by the end of the day on Friday, Oct. 31.
— Joseph T. Purello
Celebrate World Day of Migrants and National Migration Week
“Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue.”
— Pope Leo XIV, July 26, 2025
CHARLOTTE — The 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be celebrated Oct. 4-5, coinciding with the Jubilee of Migrants. The Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the theme, “Migrants, missionaries of hope,” chosen by Pope Francis to highlight the courage of migrants and refugees who carry hope for the future despite their hardships. This is the 111th celebration.
While typically falling every year on the last Sunday of September, in 2025 the World Day of Migrants and Refugees celebration date has been moved to align with the Jubilee of Migrants.
St. Matthew hosts Camino event
CHARLOTTE — For one St. Matthew parishioner who walked the Camino last year, her journey truly began after the walk, and she is inviting others to join her in that experience.
“A little over a year ago, my sisterin-law, Jennifer Carpenter, invited me to join her on a remarkable adventure, walking the Camino de Santiago,” said Lennie Cox, a Divine Mercy team member. “The iconic Francés route begins in the charming town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France’s gateway at the foothills of the Pyrenees, and stretches nearly 500 miles west across northern Spain to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the shrine of St. James the apostle.”
As she explained: “The Camino, meaning “the way” in Spanish, is much more than a long walk with a backpack. It’s a pilgrimage, a journey to a sacred place, inspired by a deeper mission. For Jennifer and me, it became a transformative experience filled with challenges, moments of joy, and encounters that deepened our understanding of ourselves, others, and the meaning of arrival.
The lessons of gratitude, community, perseverance and mercy
COLLINS
etched into her heart are what she and others want to share during a spiritual pilgrimage morning Saturday, Oct. 4, at St. Matthew. The event is a living invitation to start, resume or deepen your Camino.
Father Patrick Cahill, St. Matthew’s pastor, will help attendees discover what it means to be “Pilgrims of Hope.”
“Father Cahill’s guidance and prayer open our time together and frame our steps, not as tourists, but as people on a sacred journey, to a sacred place, for a sacred purpose,” Cox said.
Attendees will discuss how to navigate the pilgrimage of life by drawing on lessons from speakers who have walked the Camino.
Read more about Cox’ journey at www.catholicnewsherald.com.
Details
When: Saturday, Oct. 4
Program: 9 a.m. Mass, followed by a 9:30 a.m. Camino Pilgrim Breakfast, then 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Divine Mercy Seminar sponsored by the Cenacles of Divine Mercy
Where: St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte
Pagel at St. Lucien, saw his deacon’s deep faith and asked, “Jimmy, you ever thought about being a priest?”
With a deep chuckle, Collins shook his head. “You don’t want that story, Father.”
But Father McCue did listen, and the timing was perfect.
Father Collins recalls: “They were ordaining a transitional deacon for the priesthood, and he was a blind man. When (the vocations director) saw that, he said to himself, ‘What’s my problem with Jimmy? He can see, he can hear, he can do everything I can do. Then I realized, I don’t have a problem with Jimmy.”
Nearly 20 years after first inquiring, his application to the seminary was accepted, and he was sent to Sacred Heart School of Theology in Wisconsin. He earned a master’s degree in divinity and was ordained a priest by then-Bishop William
The 2025 U.S. bishops’ celebration of National Migration Week will take place Sept. 22-28, preceding the Vatican’s celebration.
For more than 40 years, the U.S. Catholic Church has celebrated National Migration Week. Consider taking a moment to recite a Prayer for Migrants and Refugees found on the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/ prayers/prayer-migrants-and-refugees. Read the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message from Pope Leo XIV, and learn more about National Migration Week and the Jubilee of Migrants by visiting the U.S. bishops’ special webpage at www.usccb.org/nmw.
— Joseph T. Purello, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte
A successful Carolina Camino
CHARLOTTE — An intrepid group of pilgrims completed the first-ever Carolina Camino, walking over 145 miles over 10 days from Asheville to Charlotte, arriving at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Eucharistic Congress on Sept. 6. The pilgrimage took them to all three Jubilee Year pilgrimage churches: St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, and Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Belmont. The group said they were blessed with mild weather and good roads throughout the journey.
Curlin in 1995.
Through three bishops, 19 years and many challenges, Father Collins never settled for less than what God wanted.
LIFE AS A PRIEST
“Being a priest is not a right but a privilege, and the Church has to agree with that privilege,” he says. “I really appreciate the bishops over the years for giving me the opportunity to serve God.”
Father Collins officially retired on July 8, moving into an apartment a couple of miles from his former church. His 300 parishioners are overjoyed he’s remaining close by.
“His story is very inspiring, and he is a testament to me never to give up,” says Kara Antonio, St. Joseph’s office manager. She grew up with Father Collins as pastor. Like many parishioners, Antonio was confirmed and married by Father Collins, and he baptized her four children.
“I can’t imagine not having him around. When I was a child, we would go to daily Mass and then our family would eat lunch with him outside,” she reminisces. “He introduced me to my husband and let my
kids play in the office while I worked. He knew me when I was 7, and now he knows my 7-year-old. He’s been a huge part of my life.
“He has been the face of this parish. He knows the accounting side, the holy side. He can say very inspiring homilies. He is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to priests,” she says.
Father Collins’ relationships with his parishioners run deep. He has traveled with them on family vacations and pilgrimages to Italy, Mexico, Ireland and more.
His “retirement” plans include a return trip to Italy to visit the daughter of one of his 90-year-old parishioners and voyaging with Schell to visit St. Joseph Oratory of Montreal.
With brothers and sisters throughout the Carolinas, there is no lack of places where Father Collins could live, but he can’t really imagine a home far from his Newton parish. He plans to remain close to the flock he has shepherded for decades, hoping to spend more time with those he considers his Church family.
On the Catholic News Herald’s Facebook page : See more photos and video highlights from their incredible journey
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Bees yield a honey of a crop at St. Matthew
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Bees have been busy at St. Matthew Church for the past year, and they recently yielded a crop of honey that sold out rapidly once it went on sale in midAugust.
The first crop of “Heavenly Honey,” a name selected by parishioners, was the result of a year’s worth of work by a massive colony of bees originally discovered inside a wall of the parish’s New Life Center as workers were installing a new roof in 2024.
Because honeybees are pollinators vital to the environment, parish leaders wanted to protect them, so they enlisted the help of local beekeeper Jesse Holland to relocate the bees elsewhere on church property. Their rescue plan was doubly sweet since it entailed harvesting and then selling the bees’ honey to raise funds for the parish’s hunger ministries.
Holland, owner of Charlotte-based BizzyBee Honey, Hives and More, moved more than 100,000 bees to 10 hives on church property on Elm Lane. This year, those bees produced their first batch of honey.
“This whole thing has been absolutely wonderful –parishioners were so supportive and were inquiring for months about when the honey would be ready,” said Antoinette Usher, the parish’s chief operating officer. “It’s
After St. Matthew parish evicted 10,000 bees in 2024, they relocated them in 10 hives and recently sold their first batch of honey to benefit food ministries.
beautiful that we’re both able to help the bees and feed the hungry with this project.”
Holland said the past year of tending the St. Matthew bees has been mostly good, with the “usual ups and downs like anybody dealing with nature.”
One spell of bad luck hit earlier this year when three of the hives were lost after some foraging bees got into an insecticide or fungicide, then brought it back to their hives. The seven remaining hives have continued to thrive. Holland said the three that were lost will be replaced in the spring when he divides the other seven. This normal
process prevents overcrowding and keeps bees from swarming to find new homes elsewhere.
Holland checks on the hives every two weeks, opening each to do a full inspection and pulling a few frames of bees to make sure that the colonies are healthy. “We look to see that we have a queen in there laying eggs, along with healthy larvae, a healthy brood and then healthy adult bees,” he said. “Big, strong hives are the most important thing.”
He also continually monitors to make sure hives haven’t been invaded by natural pests like wax moths and hive beetles.
The honey from St. Matthew was harvested in early July and yielded about 1,000 jars, Holland said.
Parishioners will soon know what type of flowers their bees favor. Holland ran DNA sequencing on the honey to see which blossoms their bees have been pollinating and is awaiting the results.
“Everybody over there has been really excited to learn about what we’re doing,” Holland said. “I even went and did a little show-and-tell for the Vacation Bible School to talk bees with the kids. It’s just all around been a great experience.”
As fall approaches, Holland will be getting the hives ready for winter, when bees start raising “winter worker” bees. These bees generate enough heat to ensure the hive’s survival. They do so by clustering together and rapidly vibrating their wing muscles to warm the area around the queen and brood to an average temperature of 90 to 95 degrees. These winter workers live on average four to six months, much longer than the 45-day life span of a summer bee. In preparation for colder weather, Holland is feeding the bees sugar water with added protein and vitamins. That extra food will give the bees a head start in preparing next summer’s crop of “Heavenly Honey.”
FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS
The St. Joseph College Seminary Quartet
Fr. Matthew Kauth, Violin
Fr. Brian Becker, Cello Matthew Sie, Clarinet
Fr. Kolbe Murrey, Violin
Strengthening the heart of marriage
CHARLOTTE — Parish representatives who handle preparation for couples excited to receive the sacrament of matrimony in the Catholic Church gathered for a crash course Aug. 27 at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, sponsored by the diocese’s Family Life Office.
Father John Putnam, tribunal judge and Canon law expert, explained that while a wedding is cause for celebration, it is also an opportunity to evangelize and bring more souls to the kingdom, especially those who have left the Catholic Church.
For more information about getting married in the Charlotte diocese, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/ faith-life/sacraments/marriage.
FAITH FAMILY FRATERNITY
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LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD AND PROVIDED
Millions of Monicas celebrate hopeful feast day with the bishop
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
GREENSBORO — The Feast of St. Monica Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., drew more than 400 parishioners and members of Millions of Monicas to St. Paul the Apostle Church Aug. 27 for prayer and a message of hope.
“God knows the wound that is in your heart,” the bishop said during his homily. “What He knows, He controls, and what He knows, He can heal.”
Millions of Monicas is a national organization of mothers who come together in local chapters to pray for children and relatives who have left the Catholic faith.
There are five groups within the Diocese of Charlotte who meet weekly for an hour of prayer.
The group was inspired by St. Monica, who prayed and fasted for more than 17 years for the conversion of her son St. Augustine as well as her husband and her motherin-law – all of whom eventually became active Catholics. Her motherly persistence exemplifies the power of prayer.
“During the Mass, I just felt the presence of the Lord with us,” said Millions of Monica member Marianne Uehlein. “The bishop’s homily was spot on; it gave an actionable direction. It was what we needed to hear.”
At one time, many Monicas sat in pews, watching their loved one get dipped into the baptismal font and smiling during their first Holy Communion and confirmation.
Somewhere along the way, that loved one stopped believing. The heartbreak of the loss causes different reactions, but crying,
begging, nagging, sleepless nights and faultfinding hurt more than help, Bishop Martin said.
In his homily, the bishop addressed the need to let go and allow God to do the heavy lifting.
“If you walk through life with a hammer in your hand, everything starts to look like a nail,” he cautioned.
Bishop Martin drew the analogy of saying how difficult it would be for him if he knew that his mother and father were only seeing
the parts of him that pained them at the cost of his positive traits. In essence, only seeing him as a “nail.”
“We are given a saintly example tonight of one such woman, who had an optic where she saw her son for what he could be, but loved him for who he was,” the bishop explained.
Bishop Martin left them with two messages that he hoped would bring both comfort and an action plan.
First, he said, let go of the narrative of blame and regret. There are no perfect
parents except for Mary and Joseph, he said.
“To spend your hours, to spend your life, to waste a second on regret is a waste of spirit, and all it does is darken the lens through which you see your child,” he warned.
Second, remember there is one Savior, and it is not us, he cautioned.
“We don’t get to dictate who is the person who gets to bring the Good News to the people we love,” he said, referring to St. Ambrose –the man who led Augustine to Jesus.
Let go of the need to be the one who will say the right thing, do the right thing and have the perfect response, he said.
The burden is not on your shoulders, he said. “He is carrying it all already for us. Lay the burden down.”
After Mass, people gathered in prayer before an image and relic of St. Monica and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ana Sturt, a member of Millions of Monicas at St. Mark Parish, is a living testament to the power of prayer.
Sturt spends her prayer time focusing on her son and daughter’s friend group – 10 adults now in their mid-20s, whom she has watched grow up.
“They never really showed any interest in going to church or joining in prayers,” she said. “I prayed for a St. Ambrose to come into their lives.”
After she joined Millions of Monicas, the young people started asking about rosaries, prayers and the Church.
“Over the summer, I went to Mass, and there was my daughter and 10 of her friends,” she said. “They took up the whole pew, all sitting right in front of the relic of St. Monica. I wanted to cry.”
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Members of Millions of Monicas, a national organization of mothers who come together to pray for children who have left the Catholic faith, gather to celebrate St. Monica’s feast day at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro.
21st Eucharistic Congress takes Christ into the streets of Charlotte – and beyond
CHARLOTTE
—
In his homily for the closing Mass of the 21st Eucharistic Congress, Bishop Michael Martin encouraged nearly 9,000 people to go out into the world and “bring hope to the darkest places that need it the most.”
The bilingual closing Mass wrapped up an inspirational twoday celebration at the Charlotte Convention Center that was a joyful mix of music, worship and fellowship, all centered around the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Catholic faith.
The Eucharistic Congress, themed “Pilgrims of Hope” in acknowledgment of the Vatican’s Jubilee Year, opened its doors Sept. 5 with a praise-and-worship concert headlined by contemporary Catholic singer Matt Maher.
It resumed Sept. 6 with one of the largest Eucharistic processions in the nation as thousands of people sang, danced and prayed their way through the streets of Uptown Charlotte to the convention center. It was followed by a Holy Hour led by Bishop Martin and talks by nationally known speakers in an event that overall drew an estimated 14,000 people.
This year’s Eucharistic Congress saw changes that reflected the growth and diversity of the diocese. Programming was consolidated onto one main stage, exhibit space was expanded to serve 84 vendors, and the chapel and confession areas were moved to better accommodate long lines.
SOUNDS OF PRAISE
More than 4,000 people turned out Friday night for a concert by Maher to kick off the 21st annual event.
In an interview before the concert, Maher said sharing his music at the Eucharistic Congress was special to him.
“As a Catholic, what’s central to my faith is the mystery of the Eucharist,” he said. “The whole Church is built on Jesus, and at the very center, the very seed of our faith, is His Real Presence in the Eucharist.”
Before the concert, Bishop Martin welcomed the crowd.
“My hope is that we are so empowered by the Holy Spirit during the next 24 hours that we don’t just use this as a spiritual pep rally,” he said. He asked the crowd to commit “to take the message of hope that only Jesus Christ can give and take it out into every space,” he said. “Into every space, every square foot – not just
ministries, St. Joseph and Mount Saint Mary seminaries, and other organizations.
The cornucopia of regalia, umbrellas, habits, hats, vestments, incense, musical instruments, banners and faith-slogan T-shirts enlivened the Queen City skyline.
Marie Desmarattes traveled from Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she attends St. Mary. She prayed the rosary as the procession passed. This was her second visit to the Eucharistic Congress.
“What I get from the Holy Spirit here helps me make changes in my life and change my heart,” she said.
of our diocese, not just of North Carolina, but to a world that so misunderstands what true hope is.”
Maher has performed for four popes – St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and in August for Pope Leo XIV.
Maher said despite those prestigious events, some of his favorite moments have been playing music during Adoration. “Adoration shows us the true message of the Eucharist – that the gift of Christ’s peace is waiting in the Eucharist,” he said. “A lot of times in this world, people avoid the suffering they’re feeling … Silence and contemplation can help us get through that outer level and bring everything to the Lord.”
KNAUSS AND TRISH STUKBAUER
PHOTOS BY
AMY BURGER, RACHEL BURGESS, TRAVIS BURTON, LIZ CHANDLER, EDWARD CHAPLINSKY JR., OLIVIA DIGIOVANNI, LISA M. GERACI, TROY C. HULL, CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS, DAVID PUCKETT, PATRICK SCHNEIDER, BRIAN SEGOVIA AND PROVIDED
Maher’s performance ended in adoration, as concertgoers fell to
their knees.
It spoke to Ellen Gil, a member of St. Matthew Parish: “Seeing everyone kneeling during the adoration was amazing … I still have chills.”
PROCESSING THROUGH CHARLOTTE
The Congress resumed Saturday morning with one of the nation’s largest Eucharistic processions as thousands of people sang, danced and prayed their way through the streets of Uptown Charlotte.
The procession showcased the diversity of the Church, with representatives hailing from the diocese’s 93 churches, 20 schools, 36 religious communities, Belmont Abbey College and eight campus
The Eucharistic Procession culminated inside the convention center, where Bishop Martin presided over the Holy Hour. His homily conveying a message of hope was inspired by the Gospel of Luke’s reading about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. The bishop explained that instead of Jesus’ disciples working to feed the hungry crowd, they waited for God to do a “quick fix.”
Sometimes, he said, we can do the little things on our own while trusting God to take care of the larger obstacles.
“We need to see Him as the power to transform us,” the bishop said, “so that we can be part of the solution, so that we can help to feed others.”
Attendees acted on those words by going to confession and being uplifted by inspirational speakers including TV and radio personalities Chris Stefanick, Father John Riccardo, Father Tito
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A crowd of more than 10,000 filled the streets of Uptown Charlotte Saturday morning, publicly witnessing their faith as they processed from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center. Bishop Martin held the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament, sharing the responsibility with other priests along the half-mile procession route as the faithful knelt in adoration.
(Left) On Friday night, the crowd was uplifted, singing along with Catholic musician Matt Maher. (Right) Hundreds of volunteers were hard at work Friday and Saturday to ensure the thousands of attendees were taken care of during the 21st Eucharistic Congress.
STORY BY
LISA M. GERACI, CHRISTINA LEE
El 21º Congreso Eucarístico lleva a Cristo a las calles de Charlotte – y más allá
CHARLOTTE
— En su homilía de la Misa de clausura del 21º Congreso Eucarístico, el obispo Michael Martin animó a casi 9,000 personas a salir al mundo y “llevar esperanza a los lugares más oscuros que más lo necesitan”.
La Misa bilingüe de clausura cerró una inspiradora celebración de dos días en el Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte que fue una alegre mezcla de música, adoración y fraternidad, todo centrado en la Eucaristía como fuente y culmen de la fe católica. El Congreso Eucarístico, con el lema “Peregrinos de la Esperanza” en reconocimiento al Año Jubilar del Vaticano, abrió sus puertas el 5 de septiembre con un concierto de alabanza encabezado por el cantante católico contemporáneo Matt Maher.
Se reanudó el 6 de septiembre con una de las procesiones eucarísticas más grandes del país, cuando miles de personas cantaron, bailaron y rezaron por las calles del centro de Charlotte hasta llegar al centro de convenciones. Le siguió una Hora Santa dirigida por el obispo Martin y conferencistas de renombre nacional en un evento que, en conjunto, reunió a unas 14,000 personas.
SONIDOS DE ALABANZA
Más de 4,000 personas asistieron el viernes por la noche al concierto de Maher para dar inicio al fin de semana.
En una entrevista previa al concierto, Maher dijo que compartir su música en el Congreso Eucarístico era algo especial para él.
“Como católico, lo central en mi fe es el misterio de la Eucaristía”, dijo. “Toda la Iglesia está construida sobre Jesús, y en el centro mismo, en la semilla misma de nuestra fe, está Su presencia real en la Eucaristía”.
Antes del concierto, el obispo Martin dio la bienvenida a la multitud.
“Mi esperanza es que seamos tan fortalecidos por el Espíritu Santo en las próximas 24 horas que no usemos esto solamente como una especie de reunión espiritual motivadora”, dijo. Pidió a los asistentes comprometerse “a llevar el mensaje de esperanza que solo Jesucristo puede dar y llevarlo a todos los espacios. A cada espacio, cada metro cuadrado – no solo de nuestra diócesis, no solo de Carolina del Norte, sino a un mundo que tanto malinterpreta lo que es la verdadera esperanza”. Maher ha cantado para cuatro
Padre Julio Domínguez compartió un mensaje de agradecimiento por la numerosa presencia de la comunidad Hispana en el Congreso Eucarístico el sábado. Pidió que la comunidad continúe compartiendo el amor de Dios con otras comunidades. “¿Qué sería de la esperanza si no tuviéramos amor en nuestras vidas?”, dijo Domínguez.
El Obispo Miguel Martín, quien lideró su segundo Congreso Eucarístico como Obispo de Charlotte, presidió la adoración eucarística frente a miles de personas. Compartió un llamado a la acción, pidiendo que estuvieran abiertos a evangelizar mientras estaban en la presencia de Jesús. “Al encontrarnos de rodillas ante el Señor, que nuestras mentes y corazones estén abiertos a las maneras en que podemos compartir el pan de vida,” dijo Martin.
papas – San Juan Pablo II, Benedicto XVI, Francisco, y en agosto para el papa León XIV en el Jubileo de la Juventud en Roma.
Dijo que, a pesar de esos prestigiosos eventos, algunos de sus momentos favoritos han sido al tocar música durante la Adoración.
“La Adoración nos muestra el verdadero mensaje de la Eucaristía – que el don de la paz de Cristo nos espera en la Eucaristía”, explicó. “Muchas veces en este mundo, la gente evita enfrentar el sufrimiento que siente… El silencio y la contemplación pueden ayudarnos a atravesar esa capa exterior y llevarlo todo al Señor”.
El concierto de Maher terminó con la adoración, cuando los asistentes cayeron de rodillas en medio de la multitud. Eso impactó a Ellen Gil, feligresa
de la parroquia de St. Matthew: “Ver a todos de rodillas durante la Adoración fue increíble… todavía tengo escalofríos”.
PROCESIONANDO POR CHARLOTTE
El Congreso continuó el sábado por la mañana con una de las procesiones eucarísticas más grandes del país, cuando miles de personas cantaron, bailaron y rezaron por las calles del centro. La procesión mostró la diversidad de la Iglesia, con representantes de las 93 parroquias de la diócesis, 20 escuelas, 36 comunidades religiosas, Belmont Abbey College y ocho ministerios
universitarios, los seminarios de St. Joseph y Mount Saint Mary, y otras organizaciones.
La abundancia de ornamentos, paraguas, hábitos, sombreros, vestimentas litúrgicas, incienso, instrumentos musicales, estandartes, carteles y camisetas con lemas de fe llenaron de color el horizonte de la “Queen City”.
Marie Desmarattes viajó desde Rock Hill, Carolina del Sur, donde asiste a la parroquia de St. Mary. Rezó el rosario mientras pasaba la procesión. Esta fue su segunda participación en el Congreso Eucarístico.
“Lo que recibo del Espíritu Santo aquí me ayuda a hacer cambios en mi vida y a cambiar mi corazón”, dijo.
La procesión culminó dentro del centro de convenciones, donde el obispo Martin presidió la Hora Santa.
Su homilía, que transmitió un mensaje de esperanza, se inspiró en el Evangelio de Lucas sobre los panes y los peces. El obispo explicó que, en lugar de trabajar para alimentar a la multitud, los discípulos de Jesús esperaban que Dios hiciera un “arreglo rápido”. A veces, dijo, podemos hacer las cosas pequeñas por nuestra cuenta, confiando en que Dios se encargará de los obstáculos más grandes. “Necesitamos verlo a Él como el poder que nos transforma”, dijo el obispo Martin, “para que podamos ser parte de la solución, para que podamos ayudar a alimentar a los demás”.
Los asistentes pusieron en práctica esas palabras yendo a confesarse y escuchando a ponentes inspiradores como los comunicadores de radio y televisión Chris Stefanick, el padre John Riccardo y el padre Tito Serrano, y la autora Paula Umaña, antes de participar en la Misa de clausura.
LA MISA DE CLAUSURA TERMINA CON UN ENVÍO
El obispo Martin se refirió a la charla de Stefanick en su homilía de clausura: “Me impresionó mucho escuchar a Chris Stefanick hoy aquí en el escenario decir que dos tercios de la palabra ‘God’ (Dios) son ‘Go’
CONGRESO, PASA A LA PÁGINA 14
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Opening Night
‘I sing as a form of prayer because it’s a way to pour my heart out to God, and focus on the Eucharist is another way to do that. People can bring all their needs, their frustrations to Christ in the Real Presence, because the Eucharist is God’s way of showing us He’s not going anywhere. He will always be with us.’
Matt Maher Contemporary Catholic musician
Catholic contemporary artist Matt Maher, a nine-time Grammy nominee who has had songs on the Billboard Christian charts and was named songwriter of the year at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards, kicked off the 21st
Eucharistic Congress with a concert that had participants singing and dancing before falling to their knees for a powerful Eucharistic Adoration experience.
A crowd of about 4,000 Catholics of all ages turned out for Friday evening’s events, which included a welcome by Bishop Michael Martin, the Matt Maher concert followed by Eucharistic Adoration, and an expanded exhibitor space with 84 vendors. The evening was a rousing start to two days of activities designed to engage and inspire Catholics and encourage them to take their faith out into a world in need of hope.
Sights and Sounds
‘I came to this event because I love God. I’m just one of His children. We’re all His children, and it’s beautiful to see all of His children together here for this event.’
Kimbley Hutchins who made the trip from Atlanta for the Congress
(Above) Adults are not the only fans of Matt Maher. The headlining concert also had some young admirers praising and worshiping Jesus while dancing and swaying to the contemporary music. (Below) Attendees took some time to pin the location they were from on a North Carolina map. Members of parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte were represented.
(Above) Members of Fraternus, a Catholic organization for young men, were among those who stopped by the Catholic News Herald’s booth to share the latest news. (Below) The Eucharistic Congress featured 84 vendors sharing Catholic products and services. (Bottom) Bishop Michael Martin stops to greet a young man who was attending the Congress.
Bands including The Vigil Project and Ministerio Abdiel SD (pictured above) performed intermittently throughout the day Saturday between worship, inspirational speeches and educational programming.
Eucharistic Procession
‘I’m
here because of my love for Jesus Christ, and I’m feeling the love all around. It’s so good to be able to celebrate our love of Jesus and I also like the chance to be together as a diocese.’
Scarduzio
Pilgrims
Angie
member of Sacred Heart Parish in Brevard
(Above) The procession showcased the diversity of the Church, with representatives from among the diocese’s 93 churches, 20 schools and other organizations. (Below) Clergy were part of the joyful celebration of the faith, and the diocese’s newest priests took turns carrying the monstrance.
Thousands of Catholics from across the diocese and beyond participated in one of the largest Eucharistic processions in the nation. The
(From top) First Communicants were part of the procession. (Bottom) Along the route, people fell to their knees on the street in a sign of reverence as the Blessed Sacrament
on the initial Carolina Camino finished walking 145 miles in 10 dayshitting the diocese’s three official Jubilee Year pilgrimage sites along the way – just in time to line up for the Eucharistic Congress procession.
The walk was filled with joyful and prayerful moments along the way.
(From top) Participants celebrated in different ways, as some groups brought musical instruments and processed while others prayed along the sidewalks. Whether walking or watching, they shared the joy and fellowship of the moment.
(Top) Our Lady of the Americas in Biscoe was one of the parish groups that participated.
(Bottom) Families with children, young adults and senior citizens all came out to the Eucharistic Congress.
Closing Mass
CONGRESS
Serrano and author Paula Umaña before attending the closing Mass.
CLOSING MASS ENDS IN A CHARGE
Bishop Martin referred to Stefanick’s talk in his closing Mass homily. “I was so impressed to hear Chris Stefanick today, here on the stage, say two-thirds of the word ‘God’ is ‘Go.’
“Go, get out!” the bishop exclaimed. “You’ve got work to do.”
Referring to the first reading from the Book of Kings, in which the prophet Elijah was fed by an angel, Bishop Martin noted, “That refreshment is given him for the journey. He’s got more to do.”
Likewise, he said, participants should
share the spiritual nourishment they received from the Congress with the people in their lives: “My brothers and sisters, we’re called tonight to take this Eucharist and go out into the spaces of our private and public lives, where sin and evil reign most, there where the Eucharist wants to be shared.”
Jesus, the bishop said, wants us to be disciples and bring Him “to the worst places, to those cracks and crevices of your life and the life of our community. Why? To bring hope there. Bring hope to the darkest places that need it the most. That’s why we come with our need, our deep hungers and why we’re fed at this table, so we can bring that hope to a hopeless world wrapped in sin.”
The message was inspiring to Silvia Church from St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte.
“It’s always spiritually uplifting, it gives food for thought and food for the soul,” she said. “What I get here helps me go forward.”
Bishop Martin ended the Eucharistic Congress by tying into an earlier theme: overcoming the fear that often holds us back. He noted that the temptation to fear, particularly among many in the Hispanic community right now, is great.
He drew a round of applause as he appreciated their attendance and said, “Join me in thanking them for overcoming that fear and giving witness to faith which is greater than every fear.”
CONGRESO
(ve)”.
“¡Vayan, salgan!”, exclamó el obispo. “Tienen trabajo que hacer”.
Refiriéndose a la primera lectura del Libro de los Reyes, en la que el profeta Elías fue alimentado por un ángel, el obispo Martin señaló: “Ese alimento le fue dado para el camino. Tenía más que hacer”.
De igual forma, dijo, los participantes deben compartir el alimento espiritual que recibieron del Congreso con las personas en sus vidas: “Hermanos y hermanas, estamos llamados esta noche a tomar esta Eucaristía y llevarla a los espacios de nuestra vida
privada y pública, donde más reinan el pecado y el mal, allí donde la Eucaristía quiere ser compartida”.
Jesús, dijo el obispo, quiere que seamos discípulos y que lo llevemos “a los peores lugares, a esas grietas y rendijas de tu vida y de la vida de nuestra comunidad. ¿Por qué? Para llevar esperanza allí. Llevar esperanza a los lugares más oscuros que más lo necesitan. Por eso venimos con nuestra necesidad, nuestros profundos anhelos, y por eso somos alimentados en esta mesa: para que podamos llevar esa esperanza a un mundo sin esperanza, atrapado en el pecado”.
El mensaje fue inspirador para Silvia Church, de la parroquia St. Vincent de Paul en Charlotte.
“Siempre es espiritualmente edificante, da alimento para el pensamiento y alimento para el alma”, dijo. “Lo que recibo aquí me ayuda a seguir adelante”.
El obispo Martin concluyó el Congreso retomando un tema anterior – superar el miedo que a menudo nos detiene. Señaló que la tentación al miedo, particularmente entre muchos en la comunidad hispana en este momento, es grande.
Recibió un aplauso al agradecer su presencia y decir: “Acompáñenme en agradecerles por vencer ese miedo y dar testimonio de una fe que es más grande que cualquier miedo”.
VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 9
FROM PAGE 8
At the closing Mass, Bishop Michael Martin instructed his flock to take the Eucharist and share it with a world that is in desperate need of God’s love, explaining that the word “Eucharist” is not just a noun but also a verb.
(From left) Bishop Martin joined the Spanish program to encourage the Hispanic community to not only celebrate their own culture, but to transform the culture for Christ. Chris Stefanick spoke during the English
program, describing the purpose in life that Christ creates: “We only know who we are, when we know whose we are. This is the love story that doesn’t only make faith beautiful, but life beautiful.”
Belmont Abbey inspires incoming students
BELMONT — As part of orientation, 519 incoming traditional students at Belmont Abbey College participated in matriculation, the formal ceremony that marks their official welcome into the Abbey community.
Dr. Joe Wysocki, interim president of Belmont Abbey College; Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari, chancellor of the college; and Dean of Students Tom McAlister offered words of encouragement and guidance as students began their Abbey journey. This annual ceremony also symbolizes the “handoff” of new students from the admissions team to the care and formation of the faculty, monastic community and staff.
Following matriculation, the monks invited students to join them at Vespers. The monastic community then hosted a welcome reception, giving students the opportunity to meet monks and faculty over desserts and drinks. The incoming class now begins an exciting new chapter filled with opportunities for learning, growth and community.
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the Diocese of Charlotte connects, informs and inspires
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Fe y perseverancia: el padre Collins, retirado, sigue sirviendo
NEWTON — El padre Jim Collins nunca permitió que su discapacidad le impidiera responder al llamado de Dios. Después de un camino de 19 años hacia la ordenación, pasó tres décadas sirviendo a la Diócesis de Charlotte – 26 de ellas como párroco de la parroquia de San José. Ahora retirado, continúa su vocación, uniéndose a decenas de otros sacerdotes jubilados que todavía sirven fielmente al pueblo de Dios.
“My parish is my life. Amo esta iglesia. He aprendido amor y aceptación, especialmente dentro de esta comunidad,” dice. “Pase lo que pase, intentaré permanecer en esta zona.”
El padre Collins es el sacerdote destacado en la campaña de la Colecta de Retiro Sacerdotal 2025 de la diócesis, que recauda fondos para apoyar a nuestros sacerdotes jubilados.
Los feligreses admiran la fe del padre Collins, su sentido del humor y sus
homilías memorables, pero sobre todo, su perseverancia ante la adversidad. Nacido con parálisis cerebral, habla con un leve impedimento del habla y camina con una ligera cojera. A pesar de su discapacidad física, su fe persistente y alegre brilla con fuerza.
Dennis Schell, feligrés desde 1978, aún recuerda la primera homilía del padre Collins: “Dijo: ‘Estoy seguro de que a todos ustedes les cuesta entenderme, pero se sorprenderán de cuánto mejora lo que escuchan en 30 días’. Y, efectivamente, así fue.”
“Su camino ha sido muy difícil. Toda su vida la gente le dijo que no podía hacer cosas por su discapacidad, pero él les ha demostrado a todos que estaban equivocados,” comenta Schell.
UN COMIENZO MILAGROSO
El padre Collins nació seis semanas
DIVINE
Follow the arrows. Claim your shell. Come walk with us!
SATURDAY, OCT. 4
9 am - 1 pm New Life Center 125/132
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TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD El padre Collins, sacerdote jubilado, celebró la misa con su compañero feligrés y amigo, el recién ordenado padre Anthony del Cid Lucero. Después de un viaje de 19 años hacia la ordenación, pasó tres décadas sirviendo a la Diócesis de Charlotte, 26 de ellas como párroco de la Parroquia San José.
prematuro en el hospital Mercy de Freeport, Long Island, Nueva York, en 1947. Sufrió ictericia grave que los médicos trataron con varias transfusiones de sangre, pero perdieron la esperanza mientras el bebé entraba y salía de estado de choque.
Una enfermera del hospital, la hermana Filomena, y otras religiosas rezaron una novena pidiendo la intercesión de santa
Filomena, patrona de los bebés.
“Le atribuyo la intercesión de santa Filomena a mi vida,” dice.
Aunque sobrevivió, hubo un precio: parálisis cerebral. La discapacidad permanente lo dejó con un 60% de sordera, un impedimento del habla y dificultades motoras.
UN LLAMADO TEMPRANO
Leer y escribir no fue fácil para el joven Jim Collins. La intención de sus ojos y oídos nunca coincidía con la dirección de su boca y manos.
“Odiaba tanto la escuela porque no podía hacer lo que los demás niños podían. No escuchaba,” recuerda. “Ahora tengo un audífono y sé leer los labios.”
En su segundo año de primer grado, durante la Misa en la que recibió su primera Comunión, fue cuando por primera vez sintió “el llamado”.
“Recuerdo haber dicho que iba a ser sacerdote. Cada vez que hablaba de eso, la gente decía que no podía hacerlo por mi discapacidad. Quizá un hermano religioso, pero no sacerdote.”
Collins sabía que con Dios todo era posible, así que nunca se rindió. Solo luchó más.
QUÉ HACER CON EL LLAMADO
En la década de 1970, Collins se mudó a Albemarle con sus padres y seis hermanos. Asistían a la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación, pero su hambre de Dios lo llevaba a viajar a iglesias desde el Triad hasta las montañas.
Se hizo amigo de muchos sacerdotes, se convirtió en líder del movimiento de Cursillos y enseñó clases de OCIA.
Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of September:
Rev. Msgr. Thomas Burke – 2001
Rev. Msgr. Arthur Duncan – 2002
Rev. Gregory Eichenlaub, OSB – 1975
Rev. James King – 1978
Rev. John J. Murray – 1997
Rev. Edward F. O’Doherty – 1998
Rev. Bernard Rosswog, OSB - 1999
En 1976, escribió su primera carta al director de vocaciones de la diócesis expresando su deseo de ser sacerdote. Durante tres años, no recibió una respuesta definitiva. Sabía que había una razón para la duda: su parálisis cerebral. Entonces escribió al obispo Michael Begley de Charlotte. ¿Lo apoyaría la diócesis en su deseo de ser sacerdote? La respuesta seguía siendo no. Un día, al pasar por el Centro Pastoral Diocesano, decidió hacerle una visita de cortesía al obispo y hablar cara a cara. Recuerda haberle dicho al obispo Begley: “Obispo, sé que usted dijo ‘no’ al sacerdocio, pero ¿qué hago con el llamado? El llamado no desaparece.”
El obispo Begley le respondió: “Jim, quizá el programa del diaconado sería bueno para ti.”
CAMINO A LA ORDENACIÓN
En ese tiempo, el programa del diaconado permanente de la diócesis recién comenzaba. Collins se unió a la primera clase de hombres que serían ordenados para la diócesis.
Los gritos a Dios pueden ser un signo de esperanza
Clamar a Dios con gritos en momentos de extrema prueba no es señal de una crisis de fe, sino que puede reflejar un acto de entrega total y confianza duradera en Dios, dijo el Papa León XIV.
“En el viaje de la vida, hay momentos en los que guardar todo dentro puede consumirnos lentamente”, dijo el Papa a miles de personas apiñadas bajo paraguas o vestidas con ropa impermeable en la Plaza de San Pedro el 10 de septiembre durante su audiencia general semanal.
“Jesús nos enseña a no tener miedo del grito, mientras sea sincero, humilde, orientado al Padre”, dijo.
“Un grito no es nunca inútil si nace del amor. Y nunca es ignorado si se entrega a Dios”, afirmó. “Es una vía para no ceder al cinismo, para continuar creyendo que otro mundo es posible”.
En su discurso principal, el Santo Padre continuó su serie de reflexiones sobre las lecciones de esperanza que ofrecen los relatos evangélicos de los últimos días de Jesús, centrándose específicamente en el grito de Cristo crucificado a Dios y su muerte en la cruz. Antes de gritar en la cruz, el Papa León dijo que Jesús hizo una de las preguntas más desgarradoras que jamás se puedan formular: “Dios mío, Dios mío, ¿por qué me has abandonado?”.
“El Hijo, que siempre ha vivido en íntima comunión con el Padre, experimenta ahora el silencio, la ausencia, el abismo. No se trata de una crisis de fe, sino de la última etapa de un amor que se entrega hasta el fondo”, dijo el Papa. El grito de Jesús no es desesperación, sino sinceridad, verdad llevada al límite, confianza que perdura incluso en el silencio.
“Nosotros estamos acostumbrados a pensar en el grito como algo descompuesto, que hay que reprimir”, dijo el Papa. Sin embargo, “el Evangelio confiere a nuestro grito un valor inmenso, recordándonos que puede ser una invocación, una protesta, un deseo, una entrega”, incluso una “forma extrema de la oración, cuando ya no nos quedan palabras”.
Gritar puede expresar “una esperanza que no se resigna”, dijo. “Se grita cuando se cree que alguien todavía puede escuchar”.
“Jesús no gritó contra el Padre, sino hacia Él. Incluso en el silencio, estaba convencido de que el Padre estaba allí”, dijo el Papa León. “Y así nos mostró que nuestra esperanza puede gritar, incluso cuando todo parece perdido”.
“Gritar se convierte entonces en un gesto espiritual. No es solo es primer acto de nuestro nacimiento – cuando llegamos al mundo llorando –: es también un modo para permanecer vivos”, dijo. “Se grita cuando se sufre, pero también cuando se ama, se llama, se invoca. Gritar es decir que estamos, que no queremos apagarnos en silencio, que tenemos todavía algo que ofrecer”.
Nuestra Señora de Coromoto: Patrona de Venezuela
Desde mediados del siglo XVII los religiosos capuchinos empezaron la evangelización de la comarca de Guanare. En una de las tribus indígenas evangelizadas se originó el culto a Nuestra Señora de Coromoto. Según cuenta la tradición, cuando se disponían los indios Cospes a ser bautizados, el cacique se negaba rotundamente a participar. En setiembre de 1651, el cacique se encontró con un vecino de la villa del Espíritu Santo, llamado Juan Sánchez y durante la conversación el indio le contó que una Señora muy hermosa se le había aparecido en una quebrada y le había dicho que recibiera el agua del Bautismo. Juan Sánchez le exhortó a seguir las indicaciones de la aparición y prosiguió su ruta. Al mismo tiempo algunos niños, hijos de los conversos, confesaron que una Señora muy bella se les aparecía cuando iban a recoger agua. Esto hizo que los indios miraran con respeto aquel lugar y que utilizaran el agua que allí manaba para curar a sus enfermos. Sin embargo pasó un año y el cacique no daba muestras de querer convertirse a la fe cristiana. El 8 de setiembre de 1652, la Virgen se le apareció al Cacique, en la misma puerta de su choza y según se cuenta éste la amenazó con su arco pero la Virgen le cegó con sus resplandores y desapareció, dejando en sus manos una pequeña imagen suya. Luego de esto el Cacique se convirtió y se bautizó. Juan Sánchez al tener noticia del
COLLINS
En su tercer año de formación, quedó inhabilitado para la ordenación debido a que estaba desempleado, pero aun así terminó el programa y se ofreció como voluntario para ayudar al padre John Pagel en la parroquia de San Lucien en Spruce Pine.
El padre Pagel vio la devoción de Collins por la fe y abogó por su ordenación.
En 1987, Collins fue finalmente ordenado diácono durante una Misa especial en Spruce Pine celebrada por el entonces obispo John Donoghue. La iglesia de San Lucien era demasiado
Lecturas Diarias
14-20 DE SEPTIEMBRE
Domingo (Fiesta de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz): Núm 21,4b-9, Sal 77,1bc-2.3435.36-37.38, Flp 2,6-11, Jn 3,13-17
Lunes (Memoria de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores): 1 Tim 2,1-8, Sal 27,2.7.8-9, Jn 19,25-27 o Lc 2,33-35
Martes (Memoria de los santos Cornelio, papa, y Cipriano, obispo, mártires): 1 Tim 3,1-13, Sal 100,1b-2ab.2cd3ab.5.6, Lc 7,11-17
Miércoles: 1 Tim 3,14-16, Sal 110,1-2.3-4.56, Lc 7,31-35
Jueves: 1 Tim 4,12-16, Sal 110,7-8.9.10, Lc 7,36-50
Viernes: 1 Tim 6,2c-12, Sal 48,6-7.8-10.1718.19-20, Lc 8,1-3
Sábado (Memoria de san Andrés Kim Taegŏn, presbítero, y san Pablo Chŏng Hasang y compañeros, mártires): 1 Tim 6,13-16, Sal 99,1b-2.3.4.5, Lc 8,4-15
suceso, mandó recoger la imagen y desde entonces se la comenzó a venerar bajo el título de Nuestra Señora de Coromoto. El 7 de octubre de 1944 , el Papa Pío XII la declaró “Patrona de la República de Venezuela” y su coronación canónica se celebró tres siglos depués de la aparición, en 1952.
Los venezolanos celebran su fiesta tres veces al año, el 2 de febrero y el 8 y 11 de setiembre.
— ACI Prensa
pequeña para acoger a la multitud de familiares y amigos, por lo que se utilizó una iglesia bautista cercana.
AÚN LLAMADO
Servir como diácono solo fortaleció en Collins el deseo de ser sacerdote. Anhelaba consagrar la Eucaristía y pastorear a su propia comunidad.
El padre Richard McCue, quien para entonces había reemplazado al padre Pagel en San Lucien, vio la profunda devoción de su diácono y le preguntó: “Jimmy, ¿alguna vez has pensado en ser sacerdote?”
Con una risa profunda, Collins negó con la cabeza. “Padre, usted no quiere oír esa historia.”
Pero el padre McCue lo escuchó, y el momento era perfecto. La diócesis
21-27 DE SEPTIEMBRE
Domingo (XXV Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario): Am 8, 4-7, Sal 112, 1-2. 4-6. 7-8, 1 Tim 2, 1-8, Lc 16, 1-13 o Lc 16, 10-13
Lunes: Esd 1, 1-6, Sal 125, 1b-2ab. 2cd-3. 4-5. 6, Lc 8, 16-18
Martes (Memoria de san Pío de Pietrelcina, presbítero): Esd 6, 7-8. 12b. 1420, Sal 121, 1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5, Lc 8, 19-21
Miércoles: Esd 9, 5-9, Tob 13, 2. 3-4a. 4befghn. 7-8, Lc 9, 1-6
Jueves: Ag 1, 1-8, Sal 149, 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6a y 9b, Lc 9, 7-9
Viernes: Ag 2, 1-9, Sal 42, 1. 2. 3. 4, Lc 9, 18-22
Sábado (Memoria de san Vicente de Paúl, presbítero): Zac 2, 5-9. 14-15a, Jer 31, 10. 11-12ab. 13, Lc 9, 43b-45
Oración a Nuestra Señora de Coromoto
Bella Señora María, Virgen Madre del Redentor, contigo alabamos y glorificamos al Padre, en el Espíritu Santo por Jesucristo.
Te suplicamos que, así como en Coromoto guiaste los pasos de los indios hacia la gracia bautismal, cautives ahora el corazón de los venezolanos y los conduzcas a la renovación de la fe.
Virgen de Coromoto, patrona de Venezuela, bendice la acción evangelizadora de la Iglesia en nuestra patria para que sea fortaleza y defensa de la fe de tus hijos y comienzo de una renovación de las costumbres cristianas.
Amén.
estaba a punto de ordenar a un diácono transitorio que era ciego y, en comparación, el impedimento del habla de Collins ya no parecía un obstáculo insuperable.
Casi 20 años después de su primer intento, su solicitud para el seminario fue aceptada, y fue enviado a la Escuela de Teología Sacred Heart en Wisconsin. Obtuvo una maestría en teología y fue ordenado sacerdote por el entonces obispo William Curlin en 1995.
El padre Collins se jubiló oficialmente el 8 de julio, mudándose a un apartamento a un par de millas de su antigua parroquia. Sus 300 feligreses están felices de que permanezca cerca.
28 DE SEPTIEMBRE – 4 DE OCTUBRE Domingo (XXVI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario): Am 6, 1a. 4-7, Sal 145, 7. 8-9. 9-10, 1 Tim 6, 11-16, Lc 16, 19-31
Lunes (Fiesta de los santos Miguel, Gabriel y Rafael, arcángeles): Dn 7, 9-10. 13-14 o Ap 12, 7-12ab, Sal 137, 1-2ab. 2cde-3. 4-5, Jn 1, 47-51
Martes (Memoria de san Jerónimo, presbítero y doctor de la Iglesia): Zac 8, 20-23, Sal 86, 1b-3. 4-5. 6-7, Lc 9, 51-56
Miércoles (Memoria de santa Teresa del Niño Jesús, virgen y doctora de la Iglesia): Neh 2, 1-8, Sal 136, 1-2. 3. 4-5. 6, Lc 9, 57-62
Jueves (Memoria de los Santos Ángeles Custodios): Neh 8, 1-4a. 5-6. 7b-12, Sal 18, 8. 9. 10. 11, Mt 18, 1-5. 10
Viernes: Bar 1, 15-22, Sal 78, 1b-2. 3-5. 8. 9, Lc 10, 13-16
Sábado (Memoria de san Francisco de Asís): Bar 4, 5-12. 27-29, Sal 68, 33-35. 3637, Lc 10, 17-24
GUILLERMO RAMOS FLAMERICH | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 16
Papa León XIV
Our nation
In Brief
Bishop blesses hospitalized 12-year-old Annunciation victim
MINNEAPOLIS — Blessing her forehead and both hands with holy water from Lourdes, France, as she lay unconscious in a hospital bed in Minneapolis, Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Izen of St. Paul and Minneapolis prayed for 12-year-
Director of Music
St. Luke Catholic Church Mint Hill, NC 28227
St. Luke Catholic Church is seeking a full-time Director of Music. We are a Catholic parish located in Mint Hill, NC, just outside of Charlotte, NC. We currently have 1,800 registered families and ve weekend Masses.
Requirements for this position:
• Active, practicing Catholic
• Bachelors/Master’s degree in Music
• Piano/keyboard pro ciency
• Choral conducting skills
• Leadership experience in a liturgical setting
• Knowledge of Catholic liturgy
old Sophia Forchas, who was left in critical condition with head injuries when bullets tore through Annunciation’s church in Minneapolis one week earlier.
“Just ask people to pray. We’re going to win this,” Forchas’ father told Bishop Izen Sept. 2 at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis.
Seventeen other students at Annunciation’s elementary school were wounded when a person wielding three guns began shooting through stained-glass windows into the church,
Salary and bene ts commensurate with education and experience.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
Interested candidates, please send your resume and reference information to: Regina Nivens at reginanivens@stlukecatholicminthill.org
which is next door to the school. Forchas’ brother was in the church, too, but he was not injured in the Aug. 27 shooting.
Of the other injured students, only Lydia Kaiser remained in the hospital Sept. 2, and she was steadily improving, Bishop Izen said. Three adults were wounded in the shooting. The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, police said.
Separate GoFundMe pages for the girls sought financial assistance for their family’s medical bills, trauma counseling, lost income and other expenses.
Vance, second lady lay flowers at Annunciation memorial
MINNEAPOLIS — Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, visited Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis Sept. 3 and laid flowers at the temporary memorial where two children were killed and 21 other people were injured in an Aug. 27 shooting.
The Vances also met privately with school leaders and family members affected by the shooting, including the parents of the two children who died: 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
After leaving Annunciation, the Vances went to Children’s Minnesota Hospital to visit Annunciation student Lydia Kaiser, who is recovering from surgery after being shot, with her family.
The shooting took place during Annunciation Catholic School’s first all-school Mass of the academic year. The shooter fired from the church’s exterior through stained-glass windows into the church.
CHICAGO — Sister
Schmidt – the beloved Loyola University of Chicago chaplain who became a national sensation during the men’s basketball team’s 2018 Final Four run – marked her 106th birthday on Aug. 21. Best known for her boundless positivity and courtside prayers, Sister Jean can no longer attend most games, but her influence remains strong. In a birthday message to Loyola students, the Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary encouraged them to make new friends, embrace campus life, and let their dreams become reality – always with faith at the center. University president Mark Reed praised her as a source of “wisdom, hope, and joy,” noting her nearly 30 years of ministry on campus.
— OSV News
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From Final Four fame to 106: Sister Jean still cheering Loyola on
Jean Dolores
Carlo Acutis becomes first millennial saint
MEG HUNTER-KILMER OSV News
St. Carlo Acutis had a PlayStation. He made awkward videos with his friends. His favorite cartoon was “Pokémon.”
The first millennial saint, who was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, had much in common with teens today. His mother, Antonia, doesn’t know how he came to love Jesus. He’d been baptized as a baby, but the family didn’t practice the faith. Carlo, however, had a deep love for Jesus even as a preschooler, asking his bemused mother if they could stop in to see Jesus when they walked past churches in their Milan neighborhood.
Antonia wasn’t sure what to do with this piety in her young son, and she wasn’t prepared to answer his questions. But as he asked, she began to wonder. His curiosity eventually prompted her to take theology classes. Carlo’s longing for the Eucharist drove him to ask permission to receive it at a young age. At 7, Carlo received his first Communion and never missed daily Mass again. Carlo’s deep love of Mary led the family to Marian apparition sites all over Europe. But their pilgrimages became more intentional when Carlo was 11 and got an idea.
BRINGING PEOPLE TO JESUS
After receiving his first Communion, Carlo had begun to lament the many people who don’t go to Mass. Eager to do something to draw souls to Jesus, young Carlo began to research Eucharistic miracles.
He was convinced that people wouldn’t be able to stay away from the Mass if they knew about the miracles of Lanciano and Poznan and the dozens of others recognized
by the Church. So Carlo began to research, dragging his parents from one shrine to another in order to take pictures for the website he was building.
This was only 2002, but Carlo was a technology prodigy. At 8 or 9, he acquired a university-level computer science textbook and taught himself to code. From there, he moved into animation and video editing, making videos with his
friends. Carlo had the tech savvy, the information and the drive. The resulting website documenting nearly 150 miracles eventually developed into an exhibit that has traveled the world and was in Charlotte at the Eucharistic Congress this past week.
But Carlo was no computer geek closeted in a back bedroom. Carlo was a friendly, outgoing kid. He had a sensitive heart and was always looking out for those who were suffering: classmates whose parents were going through a divorce, kids who were being bullied.
Carlo was particularly close to the homeless people in his neighborhood, packing up food most days to take out to his friends on the street. Though his family was wealthy, Carlo had no patience for excess. He saved up his pocket money to buy a sleeping bag for a homeless friend. Technology, though, wasn’t a luxury. It was an important part of his apostolate, and Carlo had no qualms about using three computers to build his website.
At 15, he went to the hospital with the flu and was diagnosed instead with an acute and untreatable leukemia, Carlo wasn’t upset. He was ready to go home. “I can die happy,” he told his mother, “because I haven’t wasted even a minute on things that aren’t pleasing to God.”
Within three days, Carlo Acutis was dead.
He was a remarkable young man, but he was an ordinary man. He had no visions. He didn’t levitate when he prayed. He just lived as if heaven was real. He was completely himself, video games and computer programming and all, but entirely Christ’s.
On his website, Carlo wrote a list of instructions for becoming holy, encouraging people to go to Mass daily and confession weekly. But his very first rule for becoming holy was this: “You must want it with all your heart.”
Room At The Inn Cordially Invites You to Join Us for Dinner and hear their life-changing stories of how the love and mercy of Jesus has changed their
Embracing Life’s Challenges
Embracing Life’s Challenges
Banquet Speaker Luke Kuechly Luke spent all eight years of his career with the Carolina Panthers. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a five-time first-team All-Pro. He had immediate success during his 2012 rookie season. In that debut campaign, he led the NFL in tackles and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the year.
Banquet Speaker Luke Kuechly Luke spent all eight years of his career with the Carolina Panthers. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a five-time first-team All-Pro. He had immediate success during his 2012 rookie season. In that debut campaign, he led the NFL in tackles and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the year.
Room At The Inn, Inc. is a unique, comprehensive program helping homeless, single, pregnant women (with or without previous children) from all 100 counties of NC, not only during their pregnancies but also after the birth of their babies. By providing shelter, food, clothing, case management, day care, transportation, job training, life skills and parenting education in a structured environment, we help these families have new lives of healthy, hope-filled self sufficiency.
Licensed by NCDHHS and accredited by the Council on Accreditation, Room At The Inn is a prolife ministry of the Catholic chu rch and is listed in the Official Catholic Directory (P.J. Kenedy & Sons).
Room At The Inn, Inc. is a unique, comprehensive program helping homeless, single, pregnant women (with or without previous children) from all 100 counties of NC, not only during their pregnancies but also after the birth of their babies. By providing shelter, food, clothing, case management, day care, transportation, job training, life skills and parenting education in a structured environment, we help these families have new lives of healthy, hope-filled self sufficiency. Licensed by NCDHHS and accredited by the Council on Accreditation, Room At The Inn is a prolife ministry of the Catholic chu rch and is listed in the Official Catholic Directory (P.J. Kenedy & Sons).
Benefit Banquet
Annual Benefit Banquet
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To register: Please visit www.RoomInn.org OR use the QR Code For more information, please contact Tammy Singleton at 336 -391 -6299 / TSingleton@roominn.org or Katie Schneider at KSchneider@RoomInn.org Reservations are free, but required. A donation will be requested.
Where Hope is Born!
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Carlo Acutis was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7 and is the first millennial saint. Acutis was born May 3, 1991, and died Oct. 12, 2006, of leukemia at the age of 15.
Add your prayers to this spiritual bouquet for Pope Leo XIV
ROME — Pope Leo XIV turns 70 on Sept. 14, and OSV News is celebrating by gathering a host of prayers into a very special “spiritual birthday bouquet” for the Holy Father.
The best part? You can participate.
In partnership with Pray More Novenas, Relevant Radio, the Daughters of St. Paul, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Pontifical Mission Societies, Sing the Hours and more, OSV News is encouraging an outpouring of prayer for Pope Leo and his intentions leading up to his milestone birthday – and his first birthday as pope.
Called “Pizza and Prayer,” the spiritual bouquet will be made up of a variety of
Radio said,
to Sunday,
Thursday,
Relevant
“From
Sept. 4,
Sept. 14, we will offer our
OSV NEWS | REMO CASILLI, REUTERS
Pope Leo XIV wears a Chicago White Sox baseball cap during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 11. People around the world are encouraged to offer prayers for the pope –and eat a slice of pizza – in honor of his 70th birthday.
Time magazine honors Pope Leo XIV, calling him a ‘spiritual counterweight’ to Silicon Valley
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has been named to Time magazine’s “Time 100 AI” list for 2025, where he is recognized as one of the world’s top “thinkers” shaping how humanity is confronting artificial intelligence. Time praised the pope’s decision to take the name Leo as a nod to Pope Leo XIII, who guided the Church through the Industrial Revolution.
In May, Leo XIV warned that AI represents a “new industrial revolution” that demands the defense of human dignity, justice and labor. Speaking at a Vatican gathering on AI this summer, he hailed its potential in health care and science but cautioned against its misuse for profit, conflict or exploitation.
The Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion members give the pontiff a unique influence in global debates on technology. Bishop Paul Tighe, a top official at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, has said that AI is now “at the top of the agenda” in Rome, with dialogue between the Vatican and Silicon Valley intensifying under Pope Leo’s leadership.
Catholic
leaders visit Holy Land as war
nears two-year mark
JERUSALEM — As the Israel-Hamas war nears the two-year mark, Catholic leaders have headed to Jerusalem, the Palestinian West Bank and Israel on a pastoral visit.
The delegation is headed by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who is vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Monsignor Peter I. Vaccari, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare AssociationPontifical Mission; and members of the Knights of Columbus, including Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly and Supreme Secretary John A. Marrella.
In a Sept. 2 press release issued by CNEWAPontifical Missions, Monsignor Vaccari said the visit was meant to provide accompaniment and solidarity with those suffering from the war, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
“The Gospel compels us to witness, to stand in solidarity with all those who suffer at the hands of terror, war and famine, to answer the question put to Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke, ‘And who is my neighbor,’” said Monsignor Vaccari. “By visiting the Church of Jerusalem, from which our faith has spread throughout the world, we hope to communicate to our suffering
sisters and brothers of our unity in resolve and purpose in assisting them in their time of Golgotha, as we work together to seek justice and advance the cause of lasting peace.”
Pope receives new motorcycle, will auction it for charity
VATICAN CITY — After Pope Leo XIV addressed tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 3 for his weekly general audience, he received a special gift.
After the audience, members of the Jesus Bikers, a motorcycle club from Germany, and representatives of Missio Austria, the pontifical mission societies in Austria, presented Pope Leo XIV with a modified BMW R18 motorcycle, which he autographed and then sat on.
The bike will be auctioned by Sotheby’s, and Missio Austria will use the money to help build a school for children who work in the mica mines in Madagascar.
Jubilee event to honor modern martyrs as symbols of hope
VATICAN CITY — In a Jubilee year dedicated to hope, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders
will commemorate “new martyrs and witnesses of the faith” – people whose lives were signs of hope to the people around them and who died firm in the hope of being welcomed into God’s presence, said the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Archbishop Fabio Fabene, dicastery secretary, told reporters Sept. 8, “Pope Leo hopes the blood of these martyrs will be seeds of peace, reconciliation, fraternity and love.”
As St. John Paul II did during the Holy Year 2000, Pope Leo will preside over an ecumenical prayer service Sept. 14 for the Jubilee 2025 commemorating Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants who died for their faith between 2000 and 2025. The ceremony will recognize 1,624 Christians whose names were submitted by bishops’ conferences, religious orders and nunciatures from all over the world.
— OSV News and Catholic News Service
ViewPoints
Sister Alicia Torres
Eucharistic Adoration’s gift: I never was and never will be alone thanks to Him
Iam not totally sure how my parents felt when I told them I’d signed up for the 3 a.m. hour of prayer on Good Friday when I was 16 years old. Our parish had invited us to “watch an hour” with Jesus, and I certainly didn’t want Him to be alone for one minute. There was only one small detail I’d neglected to consider: I didn’t have a driver’s license yet!
But I remember my father quietly driving me to church that dark New England night without any sense of tension, and to this day I have no idea what he was thinking as he watched from the back pew as I silently knelt before the altar of repose.
Admittedly, I was a rather pious child and an equally zealous teen: anything I could do to be a better Catholic, I wanted to do. If that meant kneeling before the Eucharist in the wee hours of the morning during the Easter triduum, well, I was game.
Little did I realize, though, that as I kept Jesus company on that deep, dark night, He was not only planting the seeds of my vocation but helping me discover a great secret: that while what I did for Him was good, who I am in Him was even better – a truth He longed to share with me.
SPACE FOR SEEDS TO GROW
Years later, I was in the midst of a crisis. As a young Franciscan sister, I had sustained a serious head injury, the trauma of which so affected me that I could do nothing. I lay in bed all day, and my only recourse was our daily Mass and holy hour, for which I somehow mustered the strength to be present. I went from running marathons, unloading 40-pound boxes of chicken at our food pantry and writing research papers for my graduate degree to doing literally nothing. I was very sick, and it was very hard. But in that God-permitted time of suffering, pain and isolation, there was finally the space for Jesus to allow those seeds planted so long ago to begin to bear fruit. Slowly, in prayer before the Eucharist and in the solitude of my room, I realized that I was never alone – not because our faithful German Shepherd, Liberty, kept constant watch over me but because all around me and within me was the secret, silent, hidden presence of God.
So many years before, I had had a desire to watch one hour with Him; now I began to understand that all my life, Jesus had been delighting in watching every moment of every hour with me.
Praise God, I recovered from my head injury, finished grad school, professed final vows in 2015 and continue to live and serve among the very poor on Chicago’s West side with my Franciscan community. I even ran another marathon in 2018 to help raise funds for our apostolate.
THE GIFT OF PRESENCE
I have never lost the profound sense of gift that came of recognizing that Jesus is ever present to me. This confidence is renewed every day at every Mass, where Jesus’ passion, death, resurrection and ascension is represented for you and for me. This is His daily giving of Himself, completely. This gift of presence is also deepened during every moment of every holy hour I have the privilege to attend. Because I have grown to see Jesus present in the Eucharist, I am more able to see Him in my brothers and sisters – especially those most broken and lost ones. Jesus is ever present to me, and I long to be present to Him. I am sure I would be lost without Him, and yet with Him, not only am I found but I am truly home and on my way home. I can’t even imagine what it will be like to enter the Kingdom one day and realize what it means to watch, to be present, to be united with Jesus not just for an hour, a day or a lifetime, but for all of eternity.
managing editor for the Heart of the Revival newsletter.
Make the most of your time after receiving Communion
What do we do when we return to the pew after receiving holy Communion? Having welcomed the Lord of the universe into our own corner of it, in the most humble yet profound of ways, how should our prayer be directed?
For years, I’d attempt various strategies hoping to make the most of this most intimate time with Jesus. But I was always left wanting. Trying to find a balance between giving and receiving, I was more often than not unfocused and distracted, more than I’d like to admit.
But, as a member of the Pauline Family founded by Blessed James Alberione and using the prayer book he authored, I was struck by the prayers proposed for after Communion. Now, a couple years after regularly praying with them, I’m very grateful for how they’ve shaped my own reception of the sacrament.
Space and copyright don’t allow me to include the full texts here. Rather, allow me to share a bit about the basic principles in the prayers and how they can shape your conversation with the Lord after receiving Him.
ADORATION, RESOLUTION, SUPPLICATION
The “Act of Adoration” directs my mind, will
and heart in welcoming Christ’s Eucharistic gift but also in returning it and sharing it. Phrases like “make me an ardent apostle” or “let the light of your Gospel shine to the farthest bounds of the world” help better to attune me to the reality that Christ is alive in me so that I might enliven the world through Him. Praying the words “may there be eternal praise, thanksgiving and supplication for peace to all people” sharpens my attentiveness to the work that Christ puts before me in the circumstances and undertakings of my daily life. Our prayer after Communion should certainly include a longing to worship God more fully by our lives, for the life of the world.
The “Act of Resolution” directs me to allow Christ to shape my mind, will and heart more fully and completely. The phrase “make me similar to you” in the prayer emphasizes what should be the longing of our hearts, that we should not receive the Eucharist, we should not leave Mass, without this fundamental desire. We must be resolved, having been nourished by Christ’s Body and Blood, to want to live more like Him in every facet of our lives. I appreciate that this prayer reiterates some of the fundamental characteristics of Christ, like “humility and obedience,” or “poor and patient,” or “model of charity and ardent zeal.” The Eucharist truly is the gift that shapes our character into His. We pray, as St. Augustine preached, that we will ever more fully become Who we receive.
The “Act of Supplication” directs the longings, desires and petitions I bring to Christ. This prayer offers the opportunity to ask Christ to open my mind, will and heart to loving Him more and more, but also all those He loves.
At this moment of sacramental union with Christ, we beg Him to keep us united with Him more fully and to keep His grace alive and active within us and bear fruit for the coming of His kingdom and a multiplication of those who work to bring it about in the apostolate. We remember those dear to us – living and deceased. Our prayer should be shaped to make Christ’s desires our own.
ROADMAP TO PURPOSE
I believe these principles can effectively shape our post-Communion personal prayer, magnifying that time and increasing its fruitfulness. Gifts are given for a purpose. If we want to more fully find the Eucharist’s purpose in our lives, I believe the roadmap laid out by these prayers help us to do so. If nothing else, praying for that grace itself can certainly help us more abundantly receive holy Communion and shape our lives accordingly.
MICHAEL R. HEINLEIN is author of “Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I.” and a promised member of the Association of
SISTER ALICIA TORRES a member of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago, is a National Eucharistic Revival executive team member and
Pauline Cooperators.
Michael R. Heinlein
Carlo and the call to evangelize in the digital age
Ihad the privilege of visiting Assisi, Italy, in June of 2025, where I encountered the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis – and I was not prepared for the immediate and profound impact he would have on my prayer life.
As I walked into the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Carlo’s body currently rests, I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to see his iconic Nikes!”
While waiting in line to venerate his body, I was admittedly distracted by the
summer heat and the religious brother repeatedly saying, “No photo!” over and over again.
But then, I saw him.
Right there, in a city he loved deeply as a child, I encountered a young man who gave everything to God. And I began to weep.
DOING WHAT YOU LOVE FOR GOD
Carlo died young. He was put on the fast track to sainthood – not because he did something grandiose, but because he simply did what he loved, and did it authentically.
He thought it would be cool to share the truth of Eucharistic miracles online, so he did. And because he said yes to something he found fascinating as a child of God, the Church – and the world – has been transformed by his witness.
That day, I felt as though Carlo gently grabbed me by the shoulders.
I felt him pursuing a heavenly friendship with me, offering his intercession not only for my heart, but also for the work I do in digital evangelization.
JESUS IN THE ALGORITHM
I serve as a digital marketing manager for FOCUS, alongside my incredible teammates. Together, we orchestrate the social media strategy behind one mission: to process Jesus through the algorithm.
I often say that even the most devout Catholic might miss daily Mass – but nearly everyone logs on to social media every single day.
Whether due to habit or addiction, scrolling has become one of the most consistent human behaviors of our time. And because of that, we have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to place Jesus directly into those moments of distraction, curiosity and searching. What strikes me most is how social media has evolved. It’s no longer just a place to stay in touch with friends. It’s where decisions are made.
We buy what we see on TikTok. We wear outfits inspired by influencers on Instagram.
We furnish our homes with things we discover on Facebook.
We learn from strangers on YouTube.
BECOME A LIGHT, LIKE CARLO
These aren’t just fleeting interactions –they’re formational. They shape who we are becoming.
And as Catholics, we have a choice.
We can become a light – like Carlo – and offer something greater than the trend of the week. We can show people beauty. We can show people truth. We can show people Jesus.
Carlo Acutis reminds us that sainthood isn’t out of reach. It’s found in doing ordinary things with extraordinary love, and using the tools of our time to point others toward heaven.
May we follow his example – and may our yes echo his.
COURTNEY ROACH is the digital marketing manager for FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.
Quotes from St. Carlo Acutis
“God has written a unique and unrepeatable story for each of us, but He lets us write the ending.”
“Holiness is not a process of adding anything, but of subtraction. It is a removal of myself to make space for God. … Not I, but God!”
“Jesus is Love, and He has made Himself food and drink for us in the Eucharist. The more we nourish ourselves on the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, the more we will be able to love. … The Eucharist configures us in a special way to God, who is Love.”
“I am dying peacefully because I have lived my life without wasting a single minute of it in things that displease God.”
Most-read stories on the web
‘Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to cry out, as long as it is sincere, humble, addressed to the Father.’
Pope Leo XIV
From online story: “Crying out to God can be sign of hope, not crisis of faith, pope says”
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