April 30, 2004

The Cathol ic News & Hera ld 1 April 30, 2004

Serving CatholiCS in WeStern north Carolina in the DioCeSe of Charlotte

Diocesan Youth ConferenceYouth ‘Fan into Flames’ faith at annual gathering

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Stewards of the LordCatholics challenged to nurture God’s gifts

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Culture WatchBosco book, Bill Murray’s sister sister

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aPril 30, 2004 volUMe 13 no. 30

See SENIORS, page 7

www.charlottediocese.org

See LABYRINTH, page 8

Parish Profile:St. Barnabas Church

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A journey toward God

Panda-monium at St. Mark ChurchSeniors enjoy annual Spring Fling

by KAREN A. EVANSStAff wRitER

HUNTERSVILLE — Se-niors of the Diocese of Char-lotte descended upon St. Mark Church for a day of enrichment and entertainment at the 18th Annual Spring Fling April 22.

Nearly 200 seniors, from as close as St. Mark and as far away as St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem, gathered for line dancing, safety and health presenta-tions, yoga, crafts and more. As at past Spring Flings, bingo reigned supreme as the activ-ity of choice for most of the

established Jan. 12, 1972 by Pope Paul vi

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

U.S. bishops receive new liturgy instruction; few changes seen

WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. bishops welcomed a new Vatican in-struction aimed at curbing liturgical abuses, and a lit-urgy expert predicted it will require few changes in most U.S. parishes.

The instruction, “Re-demptionis Sacramentum” (“The Sacrament of Redemp-tion”) was issued April 23 by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The document’s 60-plus pages are devoted almost entirely to explaining what

should be done and listing abuses to avoid in the celebra-tion of Mass and the con-duct of eucharistic devotion outside Mass. Its subtitle is “On Certain Matters to Be Observed or to Be Avoided Regarding the Most Holy Eucharist.”

Msgr. James P. Moroney, executive director of the bishops’ Secretariat for the Liturgy, said the most sig-nificant change the document will bring to most U.S. par-ishes is the removal of flag-ons or pitchers of wine from altars at Masses where Com-

by KAREN A. EVANSStAff wRitER

CHARLOTTE — In the semi-darkened room, several confirmation students lay scat-tered along the path of the prayer labyrinth. Quiet, spiri-tual music played in the back-ground, but they couldn’t hear it.

Each student was wearing a set of headphones — a familiar sight for eighth-graders — but instead of listening to Eminem or No Doubt, they were enjoy-ing Christian music by artists such as Michael W. Smith.

Photo by Karen a. evans

Frank Czelusniak, a parishioner from St. Matthew Church, gets some help from his panda, which he won in an earlier bingo game.

In a new take on an ancient style of prayer, 80 students from St. John Neumann Church journeyed along a labyrinth as part of their confirmation retreat.

The labyrinth used was a contemporary version of a cathedral labyrinth, which com-bines ancient Christian tradi-tion with contemporary music, meditations, art, media and activities at 11 stations along the path.

See LITURGY, page 12

Patrick Tylicki, an eighth-grader at Mint Hill Middle School, said he expected a maze.

Whereas in a maze a par-ticipant can run into dead ends, a labyrinth has only one twist-ing path that weaves its way to the center and back out again. There is only one entrance and exit, no dead ends, and no crossing of paths with a choice of which way to turn.

A traditional labyrinth is a circle 30-42 feet in diameter that is divided into quarters. These sections are interconnected so that when a traveler seems to be


Molly DiPaola studies a reading along the path of the prayer labyrinth at St. John Neumann Church April 24. Labyrinths can be found in many medieval cathedrals, the archetype being the pattern used at Chartres Cathedral in northern France.

Catholics explore ancient form of prayer

by JERRy fiLtEAUcAthoLic NEwS SERVicE

2 The Catholic News & Herald April 30, 2004

Current and upcoming top-ics from around the world to your own backyardInBrief Pro-lifers offer largely silent witness

at March for Women’s LivesWASHINGTON (CNS) — Vastly

outnumbered by the hundreds of thousands taking part in the April 25 March for Women’s Lives in Wash-ington, pro-life groups conducted a largely silent witness along the march route.

“Today we’re being silent,” said Georgette Forney, founder of Silent No More Awareness. “It won’t do any good to engage them. This is not the forum.”

About 90 members of the orga-nization lined one sidewalk near the start of the march route bearing signs and wearing T-shirts with a pro-life message.

Holding a sign that read, “I regret my abortion,” Forney said one March for Women’s Lives participant told her, “Have another baby.” “Like somehow I can substitute one for another,” Forney added.

Other gibes directed at the group included “Why don’t you go play out in the street,” “I didn’t regret my abor-tion,” “You should see a therapist about that,” and “Choose Satan. He’ll give you eternal life.”

At a second location along the march route, close to 100 pro-lifers lined the curb at an intersection.

There, Andrea Staargaard, 19, talked about the abortion she had at 16 at a Pennsylvania abortion clinic. State law required parental consent, and Staargaard wanted to avoid telling her family.

“A doctor even suggested that I use a fake name,” she said.

In the three years since the abor-tion, “I never stop thinking about it,” Staargaard said. One source of solace after her abortion was joining the Catholic Church.

PublisHer: Most reverend Peter J. JugisediTor: Kevin e. MurraysTAff WriTer: Karen A. evans grAPHiC desigNer: Tim faragherAdverTisiNg rePreseNTATive: Cindi feerickseCreTAry: sherill beason

1123 south Church st., Charlotte, NC 28203MAil: P.o. box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237PHoNe: (704) 370-3333 fAX: (704) 370-3382e-mail: [email protected]

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APRIL 30, 2004VoLuMe 13 • NuMbeR 30

ASHeVILLe VICARIATe

SWANNANOA — St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Place, will host a weekly film viewing and discussion group beginning May 4. The first film in the series, “Jesus,” will be shown following the 7 p.m. Mass. Beverages and snacks will be provided.SWANNANOA — St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Place, offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Friday of each month following the 12 p.m. Mass with Benediction at 5 p.m. For information call (828) 686-8833.booNe VICARIATe

SPARTA — St. Frances of Rome Church, Hendrix and Highlands Rds., sponsors the Oratory of Divine Love Prayer Group in the parish house the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. Call (336) 372-8846 for more information.CHARLoTTe VICARIATe

CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., will celebrate the 56th semi-annual Family Rosary Day May 2 at 3:30 p.m. Father Matthew Buettner, parochial vicar for St. Gabriel School, will be the featured speaker. For more information, contact the church office at (704) 554-7088.CHARLOTTE — A Mass in celebration of the National Day of Prayer will be held May 6 at 10 a.m. in the chapel of Holy Trin-ity Catholic Middle School, 3100 Park Rd., and will be followed with a light reception. The Mass will be hosted by the Mecklen-burg Area Catholic Schools Moms In Touch

groups. For information, contact Lisa Kal-lander at (704) 849-2043.HUNTERSVILLE — Has your Lenten jour-ney brought you a new desire to draw closer to God, but you’re not sure how to respond? If so, join the “Love in Action” prayer group for a Life in the Spirit seminar. This seminar will help you yield to the poet an action of the Holy Spirit in your life and will be a rewarding preparation for the celebration of Pentecost. The group will meet Wednesday evenings through May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. For more information, call Paul Fitzgerald at (704) 593-0973.CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., will host a Chris-tian Coffeehouse May 15 at 7:30 p.m. Single and married adults are invited for an evening of contemporary Christian music, food and fellowship. For more information, call Kathy Bartlett at (704) 400-2213.CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church meet the first Wednesday of each month with a luncheon and program at 1 p.m. in the parish activity center, 3635 Park Rd. All adults age 55 and older are welcome. For more information, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879.CHARLOTTE — The 50+ Club of St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Rd., meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. with a program and lunch in the parish center. The March 10 program will feature a fashion show. For more information, call Lu-cille Kroboth at (704) 537-2189.GReeNSboRo VICARIATe

GREENSBORO — All Irish-Catholic women

Diocesanplanner

Church worker going to prison for protest says Gospel her motivation

COLUMBIA, Md. (CNS) — Betsy Lamb, Baltimore archdiocesan coordi-nator of formation programs, went to prison in April, convicted for her convic-tions.

“I would do it again, if that seems like the thing to do,” she said shortly before traveling to Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut to begin her six-month sentence for trespassing in a protest last year at Fort Benning, Ga.

Lamb said she was “a little appre-hensive” about going to prison but does not regret what she did to sentence her to spend 180 days and nights in a low-se-curity, concrete prison where most of the inmates are doing time for drug crimes.

During last November’s annual pro-test aimed at closing an Army training school for Central and South American military personnel at Fort Benning, Lamb and 26 other protesters crossed a police line and were arrested as they tried to climb the Army base’s eight-foot fence topped with barbed wire.

The Army school used to be called the School of the Americas, but in 2001 it was closed briefly and then reopened as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Protesters want it closed permanently, citing some of its alumni who have been implicated in torture, murder and other human rights

violations.A 1990 congressional task force

found five of the training school’s graduates were among the nine soldiers arrested for the murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teen-age daughter in El Salvador in Novem-ber 1989. Every year since, large protest demonstrations have been held at the gates of Fort Benning on the anniver-sary of those murders.

The activist organization SOA Watch has compiled lists of dozens of former students the group says have been implicated in some of Latin America’s most notorious human rights crimes. The U.S. government says only a small number of students were involved in criminal activities and that the program’s focus has changed over the years.

But Lamb, 65, said stories she has heard convince her otherwise, and that’s why she crossed the line last November.

“The people I talked to in Latin America said, ‘Please, when you go back, try to close the SOA,’” she said, “and that really affected me.”

Because her November arrest was her fourth, she was given a prison term rather than probation or a fine.

Cns Photo by owen sweeney III, CatholIC revIew

betsy Lamb, a coordinator of formation programs for the baltimore Archdiocese, is pictured March 21 at her home in Columbia, Md., before beginning her six-month sentence at a federal prison in Connecticut.


Pope says democracy could deteriorate, disappear if not built on ethics, values

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — De-mocracy is in danger of deteriorating and disappearing if its foundations are not built on ethics and Christian values, said Pope John Paul II.

Politicians today must “cultivate those human and Christian values which make up Europe’s rich, ideal heritage,” he said.

This heritage “gave life to a civiliza-tion which over the centuries fostered the rise of an authentically democratic society,” the pope said April 26.

“Without ethical foundations, de-mocracy risks deteriorating over time and even disappearing,” he said.

The pope gave his address to some 200 people gathered to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Giorgio La Pira, a Sicilian-born professor, politician

and former mayor of Florence known for promoting peace and disarmament dur-ing the nuclear arms race.

The pope said La Pira’s life re-flected an “extraordinary” example of “a politician and a believer, able to unite contemplation and prayer with social and administrative action, with special attention paid to the poor and suffering.”

The pope urged his audience to follow in the footsteps of “this prophet of peace.” He said La Pira applied “the methodology of the Gospel” in political theory and practice, drawing inspiration from “the commandment of love and pardon.”

Giorgio La Pira died in 1977. His sainthood cause is being prepared at the diocesan level in Florence.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Faith in God can transform people into heroes of love and sacrifice, Pope John Paul II said as he beatified four religious women, a Polish prince who became a priest and a Portuguese laywoman.

“They are eloquent examples of how the Lord transforms the existence of believers when they trust in him,” the pope said during the April 25 Mass in St. Peter’s Square. They demonstrate that “love for Christ is the secret of holiness.”

The four religious beatified included Mother Laura Montoya, the first blessed to be born, live and die in Colombia.

Blessed Montoya, who lived 1874-1949, founded the Missionaries Sis-ters of Immaculate Mary and of St. Catherine of Siena, to work among the indigenous peoples of Colombia. The pope established Oct. 21 as her feast day.

The Polish prince, Father August Czartoryski, was born in 1858 in Paris. He joined the Salesians in 1887 and died in 1893, a year after being ordained to the priesthood. His feast day is Aug. 2.

The pope said he hoped that like Blessed Czartoryski today’s young people, “who look for the way to dis-cern the will of God for their lives,” will discover their vocation through prayer and with the help of “wise guides.”

Beatifying Alexandrina Maria da

Costa, the Portuguese laywoman, the pope focused on how she offered her suffering for the salvation of sinners and on her devotion to the Eucharist, “which became her only food for the last 13 years of her life.”

She suffered progressive paralysis after having jumped out of a window at age 14 “to save her purity” when three men broke into her house. By 19, she devoted her life to prayer and be-gan having mystical experiences; ev-ery Friday for four years, she mystical-ly “lived the sufferings of the Passion,” according to a Vatican biography.

In his homily, the pope said her life offered Christians an example of how they could “make more noble ev-erything that is painful and sad in life” by offering everything in love for God.

The pope declared Oct. 13 as her feast day.

He also beatified: — Mother Lupita Garcia Zavala,

also known as Mother Maria Guada-lupe, the Mexican co-founder of the Congregation of the Servants of St. Margaret Mary and the Poor. The feast day of the nun, who lived 1878-1963, is April 27.

— Italian Sister of Charity Giulia Nemesia Valle, who lived 1847-1916. Her feast day is June 26.

— Spanish Salesian Sister Eusebia Palomino Yenes, who lived 1899-1935.

THIS MONTH IN —1994

froM THe vATiCAN

are invited to participate in the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, a social, cultural and chari-table group for an ongoing series of fun and informative activities. LAOH meets the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pius X Kloster Center, 2210 N. Elm St. Please join us for refreshments and to learn more about our group. RSVP to Elaine McHale, president, at (336) 292-1118.HICKoRY VICARIATe

HICKORY — The 18th Annual Spring Fling will be held at St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, May 13, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The day will feature music, games, bingo, door prizes and more. Father Ed Sheridan will celebrate the closing Mass. Spring Fling is hosted by Catho-lic Social Services Elder Ministry. For registra-tion information, please call Sandra Breakfield at (704) 370-3220.HICKORY — A Grief Support Group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the parlor of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE. For more information, call the church office at (828) 327-2341.SALISbuRY VICARIATe

CONCORD — Discover how beautiful God’s plan for marriage really is! Natural Family Planning classes are being offered at St. James Church, 251 Union St., Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. Learn a natural method that is just as effective as the Pill and is in accord with Catholic teach-ing. Contact Susan Chaney at (704) 720-0772 for more information or email questions to [email protected] — A Support Group for Par-ents Who Have Lost a Child of any age meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Rd. We draw strength from others’ experience of loss and grief. For more information, call Joy at (704) 664-3992.MOORESVILLE — Seniors ages 55 and up

are invited to St. Therese Church, 217 Braw-ley School Rd., the second Saturday of each month following the 5:30 Mass for Senior Games Night, featuring games and a potluck dinner. Call Barbara Daigler at (704) 662-9752 for details.SMoKY MouNTAIN VICARIATe

SYLVA — St. Mary Church is in the initial stage of forming a court of the Catholic Daughters of America. Women from neigh-boring parishes, ages 18 and older, are wel-come to join. For more information, contact Angie Erst at (828) 488-6560 or Pat Picker-ing at (828) 497-4999.WAYNESVILLE — The Catholic Women’s Circle of St. John’s Catholic Community meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the church hall. For more informa-tion, call the church office at (828) 456-6707.FRANKLIN — The Women’s Guild of St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St., meets the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. The meetings feature guest speakers and special events periodically. For more information, call Claire Barnable at (828) 369-1565.WINSToN-SALeM VICARIATe

MT. AIRY — Holy Angels Church, 1208 N. Main St., offers Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday, 6:30-7:30 p.m., and every Thursday, 10-11 a.m. Adoration concludes with Benediction.

is your parish or school having an event? Please submit notices for the diocesan Planner at least 15 days prior to the event date in writ-ing to Karen A. evans at [email protected] or fax to (704) 370-3382.

iNsTAllATioN of bisHoP CurliNbishop emeritus William g. Curlin was installed as the third bishop of the diocese of Charlotte at st. gabriel Church April 13, 1994. Approximately 1,600 dignitaries from across the country, friends and well-wishers from the diocese of Charlotte and Archdiocese of Washington attended the ceremony. The procession included about 28 archbishops, bishops and abbots; 180 priests; and scores of seminarians, men and women religious, ecumenical representatives and laity.

Pope beatifies six, including Colombian nun, Polish prince

Marine Mass

Cns Photo from reuters

u.S. Marines from Gulf Company, 2/7, a part of the 1st Marine expeditionary Force, pray during an open-air Mass at a military base near the town of Fallujah, Iraq, April 25.

May 2 — 12 p.m. dedication of new church st. Joseph vietmanese Church, CharlotteMay 3 — 7 p.m. sacrament of Confirmation Holy Trinity Church, Taylorsville

May 5 — 7 p.m. sacrament of Confirmation st. John the baptist Church, Tryon May 6 — 7 p.m. sacrament of Confirmation st. Jude Church, sapphire valley

episcopalcalendar

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events:

4 The Catholic News & Herald April 30, 2004ARouND THe DIoCeSe

BELMONT — Mercy Sister Rosa-lind Picôt received an honorary degree during Belmont Abbey College’s Found-ers’ Day celebration April 21.

The program, which celebrated 128 years of Catholic heritage at Belmont Abbey, began with solemn vespers in the Abbey Basilica, where an honorary doc-torate of humane letters was presented to Sister Picôt, regional president of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina.

A native of Wilmington, Sister Picôt entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1955. She served as director of formation before joining the council. She became vice president and then president of the regional community of North Carolina in the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

She has served also as a delegate to the governing chapters of both the re-gional community and the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

During her career, Sister Picôt made an impact on young minds throughout the Charlotte region, teaching at Sacred Heart Grade School in Belmont, St. Michael School in Gastonia, Charlotte Catholic High School and Our Lady of Mercy High School in Charlotte

She also served as a leader in the community and in education as principal at the two high schools.

After completing her doctorate,

Sister Picôt served in administration at Sacred Heart College in Belmont and was vice president for academic affairs at the college when it ceased academic opera-tion in 1987.

Sister Picôt has served on vari-ous civic, social service and educational boards. Through the years, she has con-ducted numerous studies and analyses of educational programs, as well as work-shops on adult development, spiritual development, secondary school adminis-tration, leadership, organization and the functioning of boards of directors.

Sister Picôt is one of four recipients to receive an honorary doctorate from the Abbey this year.

Others include Bishop Peter J. Jugis; Jim Palermo, executive in residence at Johnson & Wales University in Char-lotte; and Dr. Richard Boyce, professor of preaching and pastoral leadership at Union PSCE at Charlotte, all of who will receive honorary degrees during the col-lege’s commencement exercises on May 8.

Sister Picôt received her degree early because a scheduling conflict prevented her from receiving it during the May commencement.

Belmont Abbey celebrates Catholic heritage with Founders’ Day

Photo by KevIn e. murray

Pat onaindia, administrative assistant for the diocesan office of Faith Formation, and Franciscan Sister of St. Joseph Ann Lyons, southern regional coordinator of faith formation, hold the new Spanish translation of the “Catechist Recognition Process.” Part of a $7,500 grant from the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph was used to translate six english modules of the “Catechist Recognition Process,” a competency-based catechist formation process; and to purchase a complete set of “ecos de Fe,” a video series in Spanish for catechist formation.

Monastery, college present Mercy Sister Picôt with honorary degree

Conveying

CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aqui-nas Church in Charlotte was broken into during the night on Sunday, April 25.

Thieves forced open a door and broke into a safe where the offertory collection from weekend Masses was kept. Sound equipment used by the choir was also tak-en in the robbery. A police report placed the value of the robbery at $18,000.

In a letter to parishioners, Capuchin

Father Ignatius Zampino, pastor, said the church has insurance to cover the loss of the cash and equipment and the parish was working with police and diocesan officials to ensure that security at the church is tightened.

Church victimized by break in

Courtesy Photo

Abbot Placid Solari, oSb, and Dean de la Motte applaud as Mercy Sister Rosalind Picôt accepts her honorary doctorate of humane letters during belmont Abbey College’s Founder’s Day celebration April 21.

The Cathol ic News & Hera ld 5 April 30, 2004ARouND THe DIoCeSe

seniors.Each year since 1986, diocesan of-

fice of Elder Ministry has hosted the Spring Fling as a day where seniors can forget the demands of life and join others in the spirit of oneness and friendship, said Sandra Breakfield, director of Elder Ministry.

Elder Ministry, a division of Catho-lic Social Services, provides guidance to parishes within the Diocese of Charlotte in order to enhance the well-being of older adults. Annual events such as the Spring Fling and Fall Day of Reflec-tion provide an opportunity for senior citizens to gather for entertainment, camaraderie, education and spiritual enrichment.

“Our goal is that the seniors enjoy being together and participating in the activities,” Breakfield said. “The spirits and faces of the people spoke volumes — everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.”

Many of the attendees took advan-tage of the opportunity to participate in several of the recreational activities, including music trivia and a sing-along on the piano led by Mary Finlayson, a parishioner at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Charlotte; and a presentation on cooking with herbs and container gardening by Marta Carlson of Paradise Gardens.

Aside from an abundance of recre-ational activities, the seniors had several opportunities to focus on their health and well-being. Participants could have their blood pressure checked by Carole Cloer, a registered nurse from Interim Healthcare.

Cloer outlined the major concerns of senior citizens: health conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiac problems, stroke, arthritis and type II diabetes; medication costs; making their savings last; and not becoming a burden on their families.

Participants could also attend a safe-ty seminar presented by Ron McKinney, chief of police in Cornelius.

There is a major difference be-tween the generations, McKinney said. Seniors don’t think in terms of being deceived. He cautioned the participants to be more aware when interacting with home-repair technicians and when

using a credit card in public, and reminded them to inform the police department when going on vacation.

More health information came from Judy Fryer and Bob Sterr of Foot Solutions, who provided facts about choosing the proper footwear to provide stability, care of arthritic and diabetic feet and tips for healthy feet.

“We try to offer opportunities for fun and fellowship, but also add a learning component to the day,” Breakfield said. “That way, there’s something for everyone.”

A planning committee, consisting of parishioners from five churches, meets each year to plan the Spring Fling, Breakfield said. They evaluate previous years’ programs and decide which activities to include for the up-coming event, always trying to provide a variety of programs.

Breakfield said she could not co-ordinate the Spring Fling without the generosity of the presenters, all of whom volunteered their time, and the Knights of Columbus from St. Mark Church, who set up the church and classrooms for the event and cleaned up afterwards.

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Ev-ans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail [email protected].

WANT To go?

The next elder Ministry spring fling will take place at st. Aloysius Church in Hickory on May 13, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for more informa-tion, call sandra breakfield at (704) 370-3220. Anyone interested in be-ing a part of the planning committee for spring fling 2005 should call

Seniors fling into

Photos by Karen a. evans

Above: Peter Ferrara of Holy Spirit Church in Denver has his blood pressure checked by Carole Cloer, RN.

Right: Seniors try some line dancing at the Spring Fling.

sAfeTy TiPs for seNiorsAs people grow older, their chances of being victims of crime decreases dra-matically. but a lifetime of experience, coupled with the physical problems associated with aging, often make older Americans fearful. Though they’re on the lookout constantly for physical attack and burglary, they’re not as alert to frauds and con games — the greatest crime threat to seniors’ well-being and trust.

Want to conquer fear and prevent crime? Take these common-sense precautions.

be Alert When out and About • go with friends or family, not alone.• Carry your purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps. Put your wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket.• don’t carry credit cards you don’t need or large amounts of cash. • use direct deposit for social security and other regular checks. • Whether you’re a passenger or driver, keep car doors locked. be particularly alert in parking lots and garages. Park near an entrance.• sit close to the driver or near the exit while riding the bus, train or subway.• if someone or something makes you uneasy, trust your instincts and leave.

Make your Home safe and secure • install good locks on doors and win-dows. use them! don’t hide keys in mail-boxes and planters or under doormats. instead, leave an extra set of keys with a trusted neighbor or friend.

SENIORS, from page 1

• Ask for photo identification from service or delivery people before letting them in. if you are the least bit worried, call the company to verify.• be sure your street address number is large, clear of obstruction, and well lighted so police and other emergency personnel can find your home quickly.• Consider a home alarm system that provides monitoring for burglary, fire and medical emergencies.

Watch out for Con Artists • don’t fall for anything that sounds too good to be true — a free vacation; sweepstakes prizes; cures for cancer and arthritis; a low-risk, high-yield investment scheme.• Never give your credit card, phone card, social security or bank account number to anyone over the phone. it’s illegal for telemarketers to ask for these numbers to verify a prize or gift.• don’t let anyone rush you into signing anything — an insurance policy, a sales agreement, a contract. read it carefully and have someone you trust check it over.• beware of individuals claiming to rep-resent companies, consumer organiza-tions or government agencies that offer to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee. • if you’re suspicious, check it out with the police, the better business bureau or local consumer protection office. Call the National Consumers league fraud information Center at (800) 876-7060.

get involved in the Community • report any crime or suspicious activi-ties to law enforcement. • form a neighborhood watch to look out for each other and help the police.• Work to change conditions that hurt your neighborhood. volunteer as a citizen patroller, tutor for children, office aide in the police or fire departments, men-tor for teens, escort for individuals with disabilities.

6 The Catholic News & Herald April 30, 2004ARouND THe DIoCeSe

DULUTH, Ga. — More than 340 parish representatives from through-out the Southeast, including the Dio-cese of Charlotte, recently attended the Regional Stewardship Conference to gain insight on ways to make stew-ardship a way of life.

The conference, held at the At-lanta Marriot Gwinnett Place March 27, was sponsored by the dioceses of Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

Five people attended from Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, including Mary and John Pollick.

Mary Pollick, chairwoman of her parish’s stewardship commission, said the conference allowed her group to exchange suggestions and contact in-formation with others.

“We pulled ideas from other places that had successful ministries,” she said.

Keynote speaker Bishop Robert Morneau, auxiliary bishop of Green Bay, Wis., talked about “Stewardship: An Expression of Our Christian Life.”

The author of several books and essays, Bishop Morneau discussed the questions that he said kept him awake at night — “What have you done with the garden entrusted to you?” and “What return can I make to the Lord for all he’s done for me?”

Stewardship, said the bishop, consists of “four unsplit infinitives, including gratefully receiving God’s gifts.”

“We are so blessed to have so many gifts,” said Bishop Morneau. “And if I am to be a eucharistic person, then I have to give thanks to God for all he has given me.”

Stewards must also responsibly nurture and tend God’s gifts, said the bishop.

“You should not stay out of your gifted area too long,” he said. “My biggest fear is getting to the gates of heaven and being told I was an eight-cylinder car but I only used two cylinders.”

The bishop said stewards must also justly and charitably share God’s gifts and return them abundantly.

In the Diocese of Green Bay, there are 380,000 Catholics in 186 parishes,

he said, but one-third of those Catho-lics give “nothing — no time, no tal-ent, no treasure.”

“The concept of stewardship has the power to change the answer to the question: ‘Who am I and what am I do-ing here?’” said Bishop Morneau.

The bishop spoke of a friend, a 44-year-old man who is quite wealthy. One day the man told the bishop that he was simply a “trustee” of his wealth, and that it all belonged to God.

“Stewardship is inclusive,” said Bishop Morneau. “It’s a way of life. It’s not just finances, though that’s a big part of it. It’s impossible to have joy without generosity.”

“All of us are stewards of our church and faith,” said Pollick. “We need to take ownership of our par-ishes. When we do, we need to be good stewards of what we’ve been given and use our time, talent and treasure.”

“We are radiators of God’s love and light. We are revealers of God’s beauty,” said Bishop Morneau. “May we do that well.”

Bishop Morneau described 12 gardens where stewardship must be nourished—the gardens of the body,

Catholics challenged to nurture God’s gifts at conference

Designing

Courtesy Photo

The eighth-grade yearbook staff at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem received the excellence Award for elementary School Yearbooks by Walsworth Publishing Company, a yearbook company, in Marceline, Mo, for the yearbook’s theme “Where’s Leo?” and artistic completion of the theme. Above: Jo Ann Mount of Walsworth Publishing presents the award to eighth-grader Ryan Krysiak, yearbook cover designer, and Terri Coppola, yearbook coordinator, during a special assembly April 8.

Courtesy Photo

Auxiliary bishop Robert Morneau of Green bay speaks about stewardship as an expression of Christian life at the Regional Stewardship Conference in Duluth, Ga., March 27.

sTeWArds of THe lord

The Cathol ic News & Hera ld 7 April 30, 2004ARouND THe DIoCeSe

Awards were distributed to rec-ognize outstanding efforts on behalf of youth ministry at the 27th Annual Dioc-esan Youth Conference April 23-25.

Youth ministers were recognized for five and 10 years of service with certifica-tions and pins. Other awards include:

The Bishop William G. Curlin Award for Outstanding Pastoral Min-istry went to the youth group of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury for their response to an accident involving two 15-passenger vans in Rowan County in fall 2003.

The Bishop Michael J. Begley Award for Outstanding Service to Church, Com-munity and Family went to Zachary Carter of St. Barnabas Church in Arden.

Carter was selected for his participa-tion in numerous parish and community groups and activities, fundraisers confer-ences and retreats, including his work as a youth representative on the parish pastoral council.

The Eagle and Cross Award for Ser-

vice and Justice, a national recognition by the Federation for Catholic Youth Minis-ters, was presented to Michelle Lail of St. Mary Church in Shelby.

Lail assists in teaching more than 20 third- and fourth-grade students in St. Mary Church’s faith formation program and has organized her school’s Opera-tion Christmas Angel program for less-fortunate children.

The For God and For Youth Award, a national recognition for adult lead-ers committed to executing holistic and healthy youth ministry, went to Father John Putnam, judicial vicar and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

“Over the past 10 years, Father Put-nam has always done what he could to promote youth ministry,” said Paul Kot-lowski, director of diocesan youth minis-try. “He has an ecclesial mind, a sense for the broader church.”

Youth ‘Fan into Flames’

Photo by Kathy sChmugge

Youth from St. John Neumann enjoy a break with oversized pixie sticks after a workshop at the Diocesan Youth Conference April 23-25.

by KAthy SchMUGGEcoRRESpoNdENt

LAKE WYLIE, S.C. — The flames of faith were stoked among Catholic youth.

With beautiful weather and Lake Wylie as the backdrop, Camp Thunder-bird was the perfect stage for hundreds of high school students to “Fan into Flames” their fervor for God at the 27th Annual Diocesan Youth Conference April 23-25.

“We are very impressed to see that these 300 youth and their leaders are such faithful and on fire Catholics,” said Peg Ruble, associate director of diocesan youth ministry and an adult mentor of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council, who helped organize the event.

The DYC is the largest annual dioc-esan gathering, bringing together high school youth from around the Diocese of Charlotte for a theme-centered weekend of keynote speakers, entertainment, daily Mass and reconciliation, and workshops led by youth and young adults.

This year’s “Fan into Flames” theme was chosen by the Diocesan Youth Ad-visory Council, which consists of youth from all 10 vicariates of the diocese. The theme evolved after the youth read II Timothy (1:6-7): “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flames the gift of God that you have through the imposi-tion of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.”

The weekend’s workshops showed youth how to fan that flame through power, love and self-control.

“Timothy for Today,” facilitated by Brendan Budlong, youth minister from the Diocese of Raleigh, covered the subheadings of the event’s theme. He compared spiritual strength to physical strength, and told the youth they had to exercise their spiritual muscles by study-ing Scripture, learning their faith and at-tending other, similar conferences.

When he asked his audience to list ways the Catholic faith is unique, they responded with answers such as the Eu-charist, Marian devotion, the papacy and priesthood and church tradition.

Budlong also explained the impor-tance of prayer and how the Catholic Church has many different ways to con-verse with God, describing the Augustin-ian, Franciscan, Ignatius and Thomist prayer styles.

The “Wow! Now It Makes Sense” workshop was facilitated by Carl Brown, a licensed counselor, parishioner of Good Shepherd Church in King and adult mentor of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council.

Brown empowered youth with in-formation they could use to explain their faith in a simple and clear way.

“Now I will know what to tell people when they ask me questions about my faith,” said Megan Peeters from St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte.

In “The Seven Deadly Sins” work-shop, Rev. Mr. Mike Langsdoft of Holy Family Church in Clemmons explained and clarified the various sins, including lust.

“Lust is a desire for something for your own pleasure, disregarding the feel-ings of another,” said Rev. Mr. Langsdorf. “God calls us into a relationship with him that is unbelievable. Put your vices aside, recognize them and seek forgiveness; then you will be free to live as God wants you to live.”

Langsdorf’s daughter, Beth, who started participating in diocesan youth conferences as a teenager, now works as an adult member on the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council. She was impressed at the program the youth put together and said that it was much more spiritual than what she remembered from her earlier experiences.

“The conference answered a lot more questions that the teens have about their religion,” said Beth Langsdorf. “It also

Hundreds of youth learn power, love, self-control

made learning the faith a fun and positive experience.”

Friday evening Mass was concel-ebrated by Father Dean Cesa, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, and Father Frank Seabo, administrator of St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa.

Saturday morning Mass was con-celebrated by Augustinian Father James Cassidy, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, and Capuchin Father Stan Kobel, parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis; Father John Putnam, judicial vicar and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury; and Father Kobel concelebrated Mass for the youth on Sunday.

In addition to daily Mass and work-

shops, the weekend included a high ropes course challenge, a concert by the contemporary Christian band Silar’s Bald and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

iNTeresTed iN HelPiNg?The diocesan youth Advisory Coun-cil is accepting applications. for more information, please contact Peg ruble, associate director of diocesan youth ministry, at (704) 370-3359 or [email protected]

DYC imparts youth ministry

8 The Catholic News & Herald April 30, 2004FoCuS oN FAITH

close to the center, an abrupt turn takes him or her on a longer meditative journey.

There has been a recent re-emer-gence of the labyrinth as a prayer tool within the Christian community.

According to Jacqueline Messick of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greens-boro, who coordinated a labyrinth walk for the parish in April 2003, the labyrinth is divided into three stages.

The walk to the center is the first stage and meant to be spent as a time of cleansing. The traveler tries to eliminate things that separate him or her from the divine; things like anger, self-pity and prejudice must be discarded along the way.

“This is accomplished through prayerful centering, which clears and prepares one to meet God,” said Messick.

The second stage is at the center, where the traveler — having been cleansed of worldly encumbrances — opens his or her heart and mind to the Holy Spirit. It may be as simple as feel-ings of peace and calmness or as eye-opening as a sudden insight, said Mes-sick. One must allow the Holy Spirit to speak to the soul.

The journey out is the third stage of the labyrinth. The traveler moves out into the world renewed in faith to do the

work of Jesus and his church.The contemporary version used by

St. John Neumann Church was designed to explore several themes: journey, let-ting go, centering and incarnation.

Each station of the labyrinth ex-plored an aspect of one of these themes, accompanied by a song, reading and activity.

For example, the third station, “Let-ting Go” encouraged participants to let go of their concerns by imagining that their worries were held in a stone, which they then dropped into a basin of water, imagining them falling into God’s lap.

The exercise was designed to help students learn to turn to God in times of difficulty and realize they are a part of God’s creation.

Other stations explored listening to God, seeing one’s “true image” and reflect-ing on one’s relationships with others.

“It is a different type of praying experience that gently reminds us that we are all pilgrims on a journey to the sacred center where God is,” said Messick.

“(Walking the labyrinth) taught me more about forgiving people and brought me closer to God,” confirmation candi-date Tylicki said.

Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay contributed to this story.

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Ev-ans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail [email protected].

Catholics explore ancient form of LABYRINTH, from page 1


Confirmation students move along the path of the labyrinth. Contemporary labyrinths combine ancient Christian tradition with modern music, meditations, art, media and activities at intervals along the path.

The Cathol ic News & Hera ld 9 April 30, 2004FoCuS oN FAITH

Labyrinths and mazesMazes and a range of labyrinth

designs are found all around the world in many cultures and civilizations. They are found carved in rock, ceram-ics, clay tablets, mosaics, manuscripts, stone patterns, turf, hedges and cathe-dral pavements. The earliest known designs are about 3000 years old.

The significance of them for the various cultures of which they were a part and the story of how they de-veloped from one place to another (or simultaneously appeared in several) is often mysterious and hard to fathom. The most ancient and widespread design looks complicated but can be drawn quite easily if you know the method.

The labyrinth has since ancient times been associated with the legend of the Minotaur, the monster half-man, half-bull that dwelt in the heart of a labyrinth on the island of Crete. Theseus was able to get to the center of the labyrinth, slay the Minotaur and find his way out again by following the thread he had trailed behind him on the way in.

But the story has caused confu-sion ever since, because clearly the Minotaur’s lair was a maze in which you could get lost, whereas a labyrinth, however confusing it looks, has only one twisting path that weaves its way to the center and back out again. There is only one entrance and exit, no dead ends, and no crossing of paths with a choice of which way to turn.

Cathedral LabyrinthsThe Romans adapted the ancient

labyrinth symbol as a decorative floor pattern, and the Christian artists and thinkers of early medieval times de-veloped the Roman pattern into a new and beautiful form, which was used as a feature in many medieval cathedrals. It was marked out on the floor in col-ored stone or tiles and usually between 10 and 40 feet in diameter.

A range of designs were explored, but the pattern used at Chartres Ca-

thedral in northern France is the ar-chetype and perfection of all medieval labyrinths. Fortunately it has been well-preserved, and in recent times pilgrims have taken to traveling to Chartres specifically to walk it.

While we cannot be exactly sure what the labyrinths were used for, they were clearly a symbol of the Chris-tian way, representing the path of the soul through life. Medieval pilgrims re-enacted this, following the path of the labyrinth in the cathedral on their knees as a means of prayer, or to sym-bolize the journey to Jerusalem, or as a ritual to mark the end of a pilgrimage.

People walked it on the eve of their baptism or confirmation, as an aid to contemplative prayer in Holy Week, and as an illustration both of the life of the Christian and of the life of Christ. But after medieval times the spiritual uses of labyrinths were for-gotten, and they fell into disuse. Many were destroyed between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Contemporary LabyrinthsIn recent years, labyrinths have

been rediscovered as a Christian spiri-tual tool, most notably through the work of Dr. Lauren Artress at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, which has had worldwide influence. The labyrinths of the current revival have mostly been based on the Chartres pattern, although often adapted to suit circumstances. Many of the new wave of “alternative worship” groups in the

United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have incorporated labyrinths into the forms of worship that they are pioneering.

The result is a contemporary ver-sion of a cathedral labyrinth, which combines ancient Christian tradition

with contemporary music, medita-tions, art, media and activities at in-tervals along the path. Several features are unique to the design:

- It is a new labyrinth pattern rather than one of the old patterns, with straight lines instead of curves, which make it much easier to mark out.

- It incorporates “stations” and activities en route.

- To walk it, the participant listens to a series of music tracks with spoken meditations on a personal CD player.

- It blends the ancient practice of labyrinth walking with contemporary popular culture — music, televisions, computers and things from everyday life. This use of what might be termed “icons of the present” suggests that the holy can be represented in the lan-guage of the here-and-now, of which popular culture is a significant part. God meets us in the stuff of everyday life, in the real world.

The result is not, in any normal sense, a church service, but an in-teractive environment resembling a contemporary art installation, self-evidently constructed and playful, with visitors coming and going as they please during opening hours. However, this installation offers more than an aesthetic experience — it will take you on a spiritual journey.

— by Kevin & Ana Draper, Steve

LAbyrinthS: An AnCient trADition

Cns Photo by robert bunCh, texas CatholIC

Parish prayer labyrinthParishioners at Prince of Peace Church in Plano, Texas, walk along a labyrinth as a contemplative form of prayer. The 36-square-foot canvas is modeled after a labyrinth on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.


A roundup of scripture, readings, films and moreCulture Watch

reviewed by MiTCH FiNLeyCaTHoLiC News serviCe

In the midst of the controversy and record-breaking attendance for the film “The Passion of the Christ,” which focuses on Jesus’ suffering and death, it’s exciting to read a book that focuses on a relationship with the risen Christ.

In “One Day He Beckoned: One Woman’s Story of the Difference Jesus Made,” author Antoinette Bosco — an award-winning Catholic writer, a vet-eran Catholic News Service columnist and my friend — tells the story of how the risen Lord has been the central influ-ence in her life.

Bosco begins by telling how Jesus brought himself to her attention when she was 15 years old and hasn’t left her

heart since. Along the way she tells true stories from her own life, stories that eschew the sweetly inspirational pious messages of some religion writers.

Instead, Bosco tells us real stories about how Jesus entered her life through a failed marriage, through the suicide of one son and murder of another, through time spent praying in her home cathe-dral or reading the lives of the saints, through the influence of her father and of The Christophers founder Maryknoll Father James Keller, and last, but far from least, through her work over the years as a journalist.

Bosco writes about her past — her history with Jesus, if you will — but her book also focuses on contempo-rary issues. For example, she declares rightly that Jesus “respected women, and bypassing male attitudes of the day, regarded them as intelligent people who were as privy to his teachings as were men. ... He beckons us with a hard offer. You follow me and I’ll give you a heart transplant so you can be me.”

“One Day He Beckoned” is more than the author’s personal story. It’s an account of a life lived as a faithful, think-ing Catholic, a story of one woman’s life with Jesus that will reinvigorate your own faith a hundred-fold.

George Weigel is the best-selling biographer of Pope John Paul II, a theo-logian and a prolific writer who rarely, if ever, disappoints. In “Letters to a Young Catholic” Weigel aims to explain for “young Catholics — and not-so-young Catholics, and indeed curious souls of any religious persuasion or none —

By Catholics for Catholicswhat it means to be a Catholic today.”

Weigel chose as his method “to take an epistolary tour of the Catholic world, or at least those parts of the Catholic world that have shaped (his) own un-derstanding of the church, its people, its teaching and its way of life.”

Join Weigel, then, as he travels from Baltimore, Md., to Milledgeville, Ga., St. Peter’s in Rome, Jerusalem, the Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in London and other noteworthy locations on the Catholic map. Taking each place as his inspiration, he explains Catholicism not as an abstraction but as a real way of life for real people who live in the real world.

Along the way, Weigel makes everything from history to Christian doctrines and traditional Catholic devo-tional practices come alive. If Weigel’s take on being Catholic is sometimes a tad too far right of center for some read-ers, his breadth and depth of knowledge demand to be taken seriously.

Weigel does a first-rate job of in-jecting new life into what it means to be Catholic, and both younger and older readers will appreciate his clarity of insight.

Noteworthy is the way he packs abundant insight into relatively few words on the role of the mother of Je-sus in Catholicism: “Mary is the first disciple of the son she bore and nursed and raised; because all Christians are grafted onto Christ in baptism, Mary is the Mother of the Church, the mystical body of Christ extended into history. Through Mary’s ‘fiat’ we glimpse one of the primary lessons of discipleship, a les-son it takes a lifetime to learn. And the lesson is that we are not in charge of our lives — God is in charge of our lives.”

“Letters to a Young Catholic” is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages. Though you may not agree with all that Weigel says, you’ll find yourself struck again and again with the wis-dom of his insights.

WorD to LiFeSUNDAY SCRIPTURE READINGS: MAY 9, 2004

Sunday Scripture Readings: May 9, 2004

May 9, Fifth Sunday of EasterCycle C. Readings:1) Acts 14:21-27 Psalm 145:8-132) Revelation 21:1-5a3) Gospel: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

by JEff hENSLEycAthoLic NEwS SERVicE

Seldom do any particular Sunday’s readings line up so beautifully to give an overview of the life of the church as they do this particular day. The psalm reminds us of God’s mercy and compassion, admonishing us to make his dominion known to all the genera-tions.

In the Gospel, Jesus admonishes us to love one another with the same love with which he has loved us so that those who see our love for each other will know we are his disciples. In Acts, Paul (after being revived by the prayer of his disciples after a stoning) goes about encouraging the church and establishing church communities, rais-ing up presbyters. And in Revelation we have the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, and the pre-sentation of a new Jerusalem in which God shall dwell among his people, wiping away every tear. It’s a pretty complete picture.

It helps us answer the question, How did we accumulate so much hi-erarchical structure and order? How did we come so far from simply loving each other? Furthermore, where is all of this leading?

Each part is necessary. We must hear God’s promise of mercy and compassion to all generations. We

must hold fast to the central message of living out our love in the flesh as Jesus did. We need structure and order to be able to carry the message for-ward to the generations, and we must know that, in the end, God himself will finish the story, bringing about the perfection of all things in love.

For 200 years, after the Western-ers were driven out of Japan, there was no visible church there. A com-plex system of catechists and prayer leaders was established by the rem-nants of the Japanese Catholic Church to keep the faith alive in the absence of priests. One leader would be in formation for five years while another was leading the community in covert prayers and instruction. Then the leader in formation would take over while forming another prayer leader under his instruction.

When Japan was reopened to Western contact in the mid-1800s after two centuries of intense persecu-tion, the faith that tells us to love with the love of Jesus had survived. Faith-fulness of God; love of one another with Jesus’ love; structure to carry it forward. God brings the ultimate things to pass. It is a pattern we can trust.

Question:How can keeping in mind that love

of other believers is one of the last things Jesus told his disciples to do help to clear away distractions from living out your faith?

Scripture to Illustrate:“I give you a new commandment:

Love one another” (John 13:34a).

sCriPTure for THe WeeK of MAy 2 - MAy 8 sunday (fourth sunday of easter), Acts 13:14, 43-52, revelation 7:9, 14-17, John 10:27-30; Monday (sts. Philip and James), 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Tuesday, Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday, Acts 12:24—13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday, Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; friday, Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; saturday, Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

sCriPTure for THe WeeK of MAy 9 - MAy 15 sunday (fifth sunday of easter), Acts 14:21-27, revelation 21:1-5, John 13:31-33, 34-35; Monday (bl. damien Joseph of Moloka’i), Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday, Acts 14:19-28, John 14:24-31; Wednesday (sts. Nereus and Achilleus, st. Pancras), Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday, Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; friday (st. Matthias), Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, John 15:9-17; saturday (st. isidore), Acts 16:1-10, John 15:18-21

WeeKLy SCriPtUre

Writers Bosco and Weigel give testimony on their faith


by KAtE oAtiScAthoLic NEwS SERVicE

TOLEDO, Ohio — There’s one more actor in the famed Murray clan that begat Oscar-nominated Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray: their sister, Dominican Sister Nancy Murray, who does a one-woman show on St. Cath-erine of Siena.

St. Catherine was a woman of her time but also a woman who transcend-ed her time, according to Sister Nancy.

“In reading her letters, I found this feisty, spirited woman who was both affectionate and straightforward,” she told the Catholic Chronicle, Toledo’s diocesan newspaper.

“She would start a letter to a pros-titute, for example, very formally, like, ‘I implore you in the name of Jesus Christ and his holy mother to act your age, take to heart what it means to be an example to young people.’ Then she’d write ‘You must not forget that you have a good heart,’ ending with a loving, warm affirmation,” Sister Nancy said.

It’s obvious she has an appre-ciation of her subject and for her sub-ject’s hardships and her humanity.

Sister Nancy said more than 400 of the saint’s letters exist.

“Some are to her mother who’s complaining that none of her children — Catherine was the 24th of 25 — visit her. And some letters are to her brother, admonishing him for not vis-iting their mother. There were difficult issues in her life, too,” she said.

Sister Nancy to date has done more than 200 performances of the one-woman show on the saint. Her schedule this spring included stops in Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey and Georgia.

This summer she will take the play to the Philippines, East Timor, South Vietnam, Peru and Italy.

“Some Italian sisters have invited me to perform, saying, ‘We want to give this saint back to the youth of this country. They don’t have a clue about her,’” Sister Nancy said.

“There is a personality here no one had told us about,” she said of St. Catherine. As they watch the play, “people have found in her this fire and spark, and it has resonated across the world,” she added.

It’s no surprise the energetic Sis-ter Nancy could play the feisty saint to such acclaim. Indeed, being the oldest daughter in a large family sharpened her sense of the absurd, she said.

In her years as a religious Sister Nancy has had many jobs, including high school drama teacher, director of vocations and campus minister.

She entered the Dominicans in Adrian, Mich., in 1966 at age 18 and received her bachelor’s degree in the-ater from Barry University in Miami. Her master’s degree in pastoral stud-ies is from Loyola University of Chi-cago, her hometown.

Combining love of theater and love of people with her spirituality is rewarding, Sister Nancy said.

“I always knew I had to do some-thing that involved people, something with a lot of variety. I was 12 years old when I told my father I wanted to meet everyone in the world,” she said. “He told me, ‘Nance, you won’t like them all.’ And I told him that wouldn’t matter.”

Traveling the world to introduce St. Catherine to others has been a journey, she said. “People can have a stereotype of a sister’s life. This helps give them a realistic picture.”

Sister Nancy added, “We must not be afraid of the influences in the world. We have to believe that God continues to call individuals to him-self and that he can work with it. He

Cns Photo by ray Casey, adrIan domInICan sIsters

Dominican Sister Nancy Murray performs a one-woman show about St. Catherine of Siena at the Adrian Dominican Sisters campus in Adrian, Mich. The nun, sister of the oscar-nominated bill Murray, plans to take the play to the Philippines, east Timor, South Vietnam, Peru and Italy.

Dominican who is sister of comedian bill Murray is performer, too

“Man on Fire” (20th Century Fox)Dark and depraved revenge tale about

an ex-soldier of fortune turned profes-sional bodyguard (Denzel Washington), who unleashes his lethal fury on a ring of Mexican kidnappers after they abduct the little girl (Dakota Fanning) he has been hired to protect. As directed by Tony Scott, the film poses interesting questions concerning sin and forgiveness, but its superficial theological pretensions quickly give way to a grisly procession of torture and death, which, though unbearable to watch at times, ends on a redemptive note. Excessive graphic violence, a rationaliza-tion of vengeance, much rough and crude language, and a suicide. The USCCB Of-fice for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

“Johnson Family Vacation” (Fox

Searchlight)Tiresome comedy in which a fam-

ily patriarch (Cedric the Entertainer) piles his wife (Vanessa Williams) and kids and travels cross-country from California to Missouri for a family reunion, on the way sidelined by several obstacles. Director Christopher Erskin’s film runs out of gas before it backs out of the driveway with contrived scenarios, jokes about as funny as a flat tire and an underused cast lost on the uneven script’s road. A few sexual references, some scatological humor and fleeting drug content. The USCCB Of-fice for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappro-priate for children under 13.

Movie Capsules


munion is given under both kinds, that is under forms of both bread and wine.

The instruction says the wine is to be poured into different chalices before it is consecrated, to avoid spilling con-secrated wine during the transfer from one vessel to another.

Msgr. Moroney said the wine could still be brought up to the altar in a larger container at the presenta-tion of the gifts, but then it should be distributed into the chalices during the preparation of the gifts, not just before Communion when it has already been consecrated.

Father Ronald Krisman, a former executive director of the Secretariat

for Liturgy, raised the objection that the U.S. practice of distributing the consecrated wine into separate chal-ices at the time of the breaking of the bread has been adopted as particular law in the United States, in a provision approved by the Holy See March 22, 2002. It is a principle of church law that where there is a conflict between approved law and an instruction, the approved law prevails, he said.

But Msgr. Moroney said the Vati-can congregation decided that change was needed after hearing concerns from around the world about occasion-al accidents that resulted in spilling the sacred species while transferring it to the chalices at Communion time.

Another instruction says any col-lection money or symbolic gifts for the poor brought up at the presentation of gifts “should be placed in an appropri-ate place which should be away from the eucharistic table.”

Bishops receive new liturgy instructions

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Classifieds

Msgr. Moroney said parishes with deacons would have to look at an in-struction that suggests deacons wear the dalmatic, an outer vestment similar to the priest’s chasuble, when he is as-sisting at Mass.

The instruction reiterates the norm in the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal that all priests at a Mass should either concelebrate or “wear their proper choir dress or a surplice over a cassock,” setting them apart from the laity in attendance. Be-fore the new general instruction, it was not uncommon for priests attending Mass in the United States to sit in the pews in street dress if they were not concelebrating, he said.

The document insists laity called upon to distribute Communion should be called “extraordinary ministers of holy Communion.” It says “Commu-nion” must be used because only the priest can properly be called a “min-ister of the Eucharist” and it rejects “special” as a substitute word for the technical term “extraordinary.” In church parlance, priests and deacons are “ordinary” ministers of Commu-nion because it is one of the rights and duties attached to ordination; by calling the others “extraordinary” the church simply means that their partici-pation in this ministry is not ordinary.

The instruction says even if ex-

traordinary ministers are regularly used, whenever an extra priest or dea-con is present he should be the first to be called upon; extraordinary minis-ters should be used only when all avail-able ordained ministers are brought up and there is still additional need.

Msgr. Moroney said one of the abuses cited in the instruction as par-ticularly serious is pouring the remain-der of the Precious Blood after Mass into the sacrarium, the special sink in a church sacristy that feeds directly into the ground instead of into the waste-water system.

The instruction says anyone who throws away the consecrated wine or bread is automatically excommuni-cated under Canon 1367 of the Code of Canon Law, and pouring the sacred species into the sacrarium violates that canon.

Elsewhere the instruction says that all consecrated wine left over after Communion is to be consumed by the priest or another minister. The chalice is then to be cleaned and dried with the purificator, a linen cloth.

USCCB Publishing, the bishops’ publishing office, said April 23 that it will publish the new instruction. It suggested visiting the bishops’ Web site, www.usccb.org, for ordering in-formation.

LITURGY, from page 1

Cns fIle Photo from CrosIers

Sacred vessels used at Mass include, clockwise from left, a chalice, ciborium and paten. According to the new Vatican document on liturgy, vessels for the Lord’s body and blood “must be made in strict conformity with the norms of tradition and of the liturgical books.” Common vessels, those lacking in quality or devoid of all artistic merit, those made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily, should not be used, according to the document.


EMMITSBURG, Md. — Daugh-ter of Charity Sister Elizabeth Berry died April 11, 2004 at Villa St. Michael, the province’s retirement residence. She was 91.

Born Mary Elizabeth as one of 13 children in Middlesboro, Ky., Sister Berry moved to Greensboro with her family. She graduated from St. Joseph’s High

School in Emmitsburg, Md., in 1930. She attended the University of North Caro-lina’s Business College in Greensboro and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she received a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1948.

She earned a master’s degree in hos-pital administration from St. Louis Uni-versity in St. Louis, Mo., in 1951.

Sister Berry worked as her father’s

Sister elizabeth berry, former Greensboro resident,

ARouND THe DIoCeSe

bookkeeper and secretary in the family business, the Berry Coal Company (later known as Berico Fuels, Inc.) for several years before entering the Daughters of Charity in 1938.

After completing her seminary in 1939, she worked as a bookkeeper and in healthcare for many years in New York, Missouri and Washington, D.C. In 1952, she was appointed administrator and local superior of Providence Hospital in Detroit, Mich., where she remained until she was sent to DePaul Medical Center in Norfolk, Va., and served in the same duty there until 1962.

Ever mindful of social justice, Sister Berry requested permission to serve in the missionary field. She left for Bolivia in February 1962 and ministered there for 23 years.

After her return to the United States in 1985, Sister Berry served briefly at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Lang-ley, S.C., before being assigned to the pastoral care department at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she remained for 11 years. In 1997, when her health began to decline, Sister Berry returned to Emmitsburg and became a resident of the Villa.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Daughters of Charity Sup-port Fund for the Elderly and Infirm Sis-ters, 333 S. Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727.

Courtesy Photo by ann KIlKelly

bishop emeritus William G. Curlin speaks with Skip Prosser (right), head basketball coach at Wake Forest university, and another gentleman at the “Partners in Hope” fundraiser for Catholic Social Services Piedmont Triad office in Winston-Salem April 15. Prosser spoke on the topic “Winning in Life both on and off the Court.” bishop Curlin co-chaired the event with St. Joseph Sister Dennis eileen Gamber, minister to the sick at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.

‘Partners in Hope’

by GiNa rHodesSpecial to The Catholic News &

HeraldIf you die without a will or other

such document, the state will decide how to disburse your estate. And if you have minor children, the state will decide who will raise and care for them.

If you want to leave certain assets to specific persons or make charitable gifts to various causes, then you must have a will. If you die without a will, the state will follow its own agenda.

Each state has its own written poli-cies for the distribution of your estate. So much will go here and so much there — places and persons for whom you may not want to provide. The state will assign someone to oversee the administration of your estate.

It will all be done “by the book.” No special gifts to your parish, the diocese, the Foundation, Catholic school, agency or other causes you would want to honor. No special gifts to people outside your family. No concern for your thoughts on the size of any bequests.

Just imagine the difficulties this may cause for your family and friends. Imag-ine the added expense for this oversight. Imagine people you never knew making decisions on your behalf.

There are many reasons people never prepare a will: fear of death, uncertainty about estate distribution, family conflicts,

difficulty doing an estate inventory, in-convenience, expense, procrastination, no lawyer and so forth. However, the plain fact is, every excuse is a bad one if it causes you to die without a will.

You don’t need all the answers to get a will started. You can start with what you know and make changes and additions later. It’s better to have some-thing workable in place that reflects your wishes than nothing at all.

To help you create a valid will, I have put together a “Will Information Kit” that includes brochures and suggestions to prepare you for a conference with your at-torney. This kit is interesting and informa-tive, and it is free for the asking.

Do you have an estate-planning at-torney who can assist you? Talk to your trusted friends and see whom they use. Another possibility is to contact a local bank for their recommendations. In any case, I urge you to get legal assistance so you can have peace of mind, knowing your will has been drafted properly.

For more information regarding wills, please contact me, Gina Rhodes, at (704) 370-3320 or [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Gina Rhodes is the director of planned giving for the Diocese of Char-lotte.

CHARLOTTE — Each Lent, parishes and schools in the Diocese of Charlotte participate in Operation Rice Bowl (ORB), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program of prayer, fasting, learn-ing and giving.

The majority of funds from the ORB collection go to the national CRS office for anti-poverty programs worldwide, with the balance remaining in the diocese. From this share, the diocesan CRS committee sponsors a mini-grants program for local initiatives on international issues or proj-ects. The project or program can be part of a larger initiative.

Grants of up to $500 will be award-ed to projects that cover a range of international, immigrant or migrant issues; reflect a social justice or empow-erment component; represent a range of approaches (e.g., education, advocacy, media, linking faith and justice); and will be incorporated into parish, school or organization life.

To be eligible for a grant, a project must satisfy the following criteria:

1. It must be carried out under the auspices of a Catholic organization, such

as a parish, parish faith formation pro-gram, school, campus ministry or vicari-ate organization.

2. It must undertake an initiative dealing with Catholic social teaching and action on issues of international jus-tice and peace, or with local immigrant or migrant issues.

3. At the end of the grant cycle, grant recipients will submit a one- to two-page typewritten evaluation describing the project, its accomplishments and how well the group or organization met its goals with the grant money.

Applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2004. Mail to: Terri Jarina, Pro-gram Director, Parish Social Ministry, Office of Justice and Peace, CSS, Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203-4003.

Any questions about the grant process should be directed to:

Terri Jarina at (704) 370-3234 or [email protected], or Joseph Purello at (704) 370-3225 or [email protected].

Straight talk about wills

ORB feeds local


PerspectivesA collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints Trust in God brings

comfort in times of loss, loneliness, pope says

by cARoL GLAtZcAthoLic NEwS SERVicE

VATICAN CITY — During times of loneliness or loss, trust in God brings comfort, said Pope John Paul II at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

On a warm and sunny spring day April 28, the pope reflected on Psalm 27, which he said illustrates the psalmist’s trust and hope in God despite his facing much tribulation.

The psalm shows that “there is an aggressive evil in the world which has Satan as its guide and inspiration,” the pope said.

Yet despite the threat of adversaries and even abandonment by his parents, the psalmist displays “the serene faith of the believer,” he said.

“Even in solitude and with the loss of one’s dearly beloved, the psalmist never is completely alone because merciful God kneels before him,” he said.

The pope said this particular psalm has special meaning for those people who have been forgotten or abandoned by

family and society.“To all the elderly, the sick, those

forgotten by all, to those who will never be caressed by another, let us remember these words by the psalmist and prophet, so that they may feel the paternal and maternal hand of the Lord silently touch with love their suffering faces, perhaps lined with tears,” the pope said.

The pope spoke in a clear voice as he read small portions of a one-and-a-half-page catechesis. Before praying the “Regina Coeli,” he offered greetings in 10 different languages to the tens of thou-sands of pilgrims gathered in the square.

After all the weeks of a solemn Lent, what a wonderful relief to embrace the joy of the paschal season. We think of Lent, and certainly Holy Week, as a time of prayer and penance, but it occurs to me that we sometimes ignore the range and depth of emotions revealed in the Gospel stories of the Passion of Jesus.

Consider the wild enthusiasm of the crowds who cheered Jesus as they wel-comed him triumphantly into Jerusalem. Consider the depths of agony he endured in the garden on the Mount of Olives. He anticipated the betrayal of Judas, his friend, and the denial of Peter, the rock of his church.

Consider not only the brutal physical pain of the passion that Jesus faced, but also the fear and despair of his disciples.

And their doubt. After all, Jesus’ fol-lowers had heard about God’s loving mercy, after all the miracles they had seen, how could their hopes end in the most ignominious death the Roman Empire could impose? Surely, the faith of the disciples was as shaken as, I think, mine would have been.

But then came Sunday morning. The faithful women went to the tomb to finish anointing Jesus — and it was empty. What happened next not only shook them but also changed our world forever.

“Suddenly two men in dazzling robes stood beside them ... (and) said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’” (Luke 24:4-5)

And the women believed it. But not everyone would accept it when they heard the news.

“Now it was Mary Magdalene ... and the other women... who told this to the apostles. But these words

seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” (Luke 24:10-11)

I can imagine these guys thinking, “Poor women. They’re just imagining things. Of course, we’d love to believe them, but it can’t be true!”

So God, as usual, came to the res-cue.

“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:19-20)

Then came the incident that has been synonymous with doubt ever since: “But Thomas ... was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. ... Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘... Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20:24-29)

Many people have doubts at different times. And that uncertainty can be fright-ening. Certainly, God wants us to believe, just as he wants us to hope and to love. But he understands us better than we do ourselves. After all, God created us with reason and free will. He expects us to use our minds as well as our hearts. Never be afraid to think about God.

There’s a quote that’s said to have been found cut into the walls of a Nazi concentration camp: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent.”

Peace be with you!

For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, “Gifts of the Spirit, Gifts from the Soul,” write: The Christophers, 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY 10017; or e-mail: [email protected].

not without a doubt The Pope Speaks

PoPe JoHN PaUL ii

Light One Candle

MSGR. JiM LiSANtE

GUESt coLUMNiSt

WriTe A leTTer To THe ediTorThe Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or less, and pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues.To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clar-ity, style and taste.send letters to letters to the editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.o. box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlot-


We’ve all heard this slogan before: Don’t postpone joy! But does it mean don’t put off your next expensive va-cation? Or don’t forget to shop for a new outfit?

Obviously, it must mean more than acquiring things or experiences.

Happiness is not something that comes from the outside world, like a martini on New Year’s Eve. Eat-ing, drinking and acquiring temporal goods can be uplifting for a time. Get-ting money and power will surely lift your spirits temporarily, but when you lose your job, or your big car, or your house, that kind of happiness evapo-rates.

There is a deeper happiness — which comes from within — called joy. It is a way of life! Joy is more the byproduct of a meaningful life than a temporary state of euphoria.

What does “Don’t postpone joy” mean to someone like Mother Teresa? She taught us so much by her own example because she listened atten-tively to Jesus who said: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else will be given to you.... I tell you this that your joy may be full.” She fol-lowed him.

Jesus taught us that joy will come by forgiving when you feel resentful, by being kind when you want to be mean, by persevering when you want to quit, by beginning again when oth-ers have ruined your plans, by giving your best when no one pays the slight-est attention to your best efforts.

Mother Teresa put it more poetically:“People are often unreasonable, il-

logical and self-centered;“Forgive them anyway.“If you are kind, people may accuse

you of selfish, ulterior motives;“Be kind anyway.“If you are successful, you will win

some false friends and some true enemies;“Be successful anyway.“If you are honest and frank, people

may cheat you;“Be honest and frank anyway.“What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;“Build anyway.“If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;“Be happy anyway.“The good you do today, people will

often forget tomorrow;“Do good anyway.“Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;“Give the world your best anyway.“You see, in the final analysis it is

between you and God;“It was never between you and them

anyway.”

Q. Seven years ago I filed bankruptcy, and my debts were discharged. Am I required to pay these debts in order to for-give the sin of being careless with God’s blessings?

I will not likely have the money to pay them off; it amounts to a great sum, and my salary now is just enough to live on. Other people in my life think I have an ob-ligation to go back and take care of these debts. (Ohio)

A. First, if you took reasonable care of your finances before your bankruptcy and did not plan to defraud your credi-tors, there is no sin to forgive. Recent years have seen a great increase in personal and commercial bankruptcies. I’m sure in most of them the individu-als responsible say to themselves, with hindsight: “If only I had done this, or that, results would have been different.”

Harsh as it may sound, however, bad financial judgments, incompetence or just “bad luck” may result in a lot of pain, but they are not sins.

After bankruptcy is declared, all pos-

sessions are disposed of according to the requirements of civil law. These disposi-tions, including any properties the insol-vent individual is allowed to retain for personal and family support, for example, are morally binding, as long as there is nothing intrinsically sinful involved.

In the United States, the common juridical opinion is that all debts are con-tracted with the implied condition that they will be canceled in case of an honest bankruptcy. In other words, a voluntary forgiveness of the person’s debts is as-sumed.

The common language in the law is that “a discharge in bankruptcy shall release a bankrupt from all his provable debts.” This language, and the practice of our courts in applying it, gives solid basis for the moral opinion that after a legiti-mate bankruptcy all debts are canceled in conscience as well as in law.

Again, malicious or “arranged” bank-ruptcy that deliberately defrauds some-one else does not excuse from restitution. Such sinful intent, however, is never to be

presumed without weighty evidence.

homemade wine for Mass?

Q. May homemade wine be used at Mass? (New York)

A. Yes. Wine for the Eucharist should be pure, natural, unadulterated grape wine, that is, with no preservatives, flavoring or other additives. As long as it is made this way, it makes no difference whether it is produced commercially or at home. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 322)

A free brochure on ecumenism, in-cluding questions on intercommunion

QuestionCornerFaTHer JoHN

dieTZeNCNs CoLUMNisT

Christian debt after

There is something special about a mother. More than any other person, she lends herself to sentimentality and poetry. That’s not surprising, be-cause she brought us into existence and cared for us in our helpless years called infancy.

When we made the first leap of faith called the first fearful step, she was there. She was also there when we uttered the first word, chopping up consonants and vowels at the same time. The list may go on endlessly. We feel that our mother is always alive in our lives, even when her body lies in the grave and her soul enjoys heaven.

Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying: “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” It is right to give thanks and praise to our mothers with the joyful celebration of Mother’s Day, which has a long and interesting history.

The Encyclopedia Britannica in-forms us that ancient Greeks as well as Asians were honoring Rhea, the mother of all gods. That tradition was christianized and became the Mother Church. The “she” pronoun used to designate the Catholic Church is not an accident.

In the United States, Mother’s Day began in 1872 with Julia Ward Howe. The least we can do is to dedicate one day a year to the most important per-son in our lives: our mother. The best we can do is to honor our mother every day of our lives.

As I think of Mother’s Day, I find myself facing a difficult question: What can be said about mothers that has not been said a thousand times or more? The answer is: probably noth-ing. However, things need to be said not because they are new, but because they are true.

I wish to make clear that mothers

are very important, but they are not all angels or saints (mine is!). Mothers are people too. We are inclined to ide-alize mothers to the point of making them unreal. The mother for me is the person who meets our needs and she herself has needs as well. Mothers get lonely and need friendship, they get tired and need rest, they get hurt and need healing, they are misunderstood and they need love.

There is a beautiful description of a mother recorded in the Second Book of Kings. The title is “The Shunam-mite’s son restored to life.” About the upcoming year, Elisha said, “You will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my Lord,” she objected. “Don’t mislead your servant, o man of God!”

But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.

“My head! My head!” he said to his father.

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. “ (II Kings 4:14-18)

Fortunately, the sad story has an

Mothers never diehappy ending: Elisha brought her son back to life, but the picture of that mother, who held her son for hours, is the perfect statue of courage and heroism. We are not talking here about muscle and brawn. We are talking about character and strength. This life is no bowl of cherries, but the ability to keep on going when everything in-side of you wants to quit.

Just like the son who did not want to get up and go to school. His mother said: “Rise and shine. Don’t be late for your first day back to school.”

The son answers: “I don’t want to go, I have a stomachache, my head hurts and I think I have a fever. Any-way, give me two reasons why I should go to school.”

The mother promptly replies: “First, you are 42 years old. Second, you are the principal of the school.”

Don’t forget: Mother knows best and she deserves our love, our atten-tion, as well as the best gift.

John Whitehall, a wealthy Texan, wanted to send his mother an unusual, expensive gift for Mother’s Day. The owner of a pet shop told him of a my-nah bird worth well over $10,000.

“What makes this bird so valu-able?” asked Whitehall.

The owner responded, “This my-nah bird is the only one in the world that can recite the Lord’s Prayer, the 23rd Psalm and 1 Corinthians 13.”

“I’ll take it,” said the Texan. “I don’t care how much it costs. Mother is worth it and will get so much com-fort hearing it recite Scripture.”

So he wrote a check and had it shipped off to his mother. The Mon-day after Mother’s Day, he called her long distance. “Did you get my pres-ent?”

“I certainly did, and thank you.”“And how did you like the bird?“Oh son, it was delicious!”My friends, there are two spe-

cial people in our lives: your mother and mine.

Guest ColumnFATHER JOHN

AURILIA,OFM Cap

Don’t postpone joy!

FATHER JOHN CATOIR

cNS coLUMNiSt

PARISH PRoFILeThe Cathol ic News & Hera ld 16 April 30, 2004

ARDEN — The history of St. Barnabas Church began in 1964, when a structure in Arden was purchased from local Baptists for use as a Catholic church. The first Mass was celebrated in No-vember of that year, and the new church was dedicated by then-Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh a month later. Thirty-six families made up that early church community.

Originally designated as a mission of St. Lawrence Church in Asheville, St. Barnabas Church was first served by Msgr. George Lynch, who later became auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Ra-leigh. The congregation of 50 families later welcomed Oblate Father Joseph Maule as the first pastor when the church attained parish status in early 1966. Ob-late Father Joseph Cutter became pastor

in 1968, and St. Barnabas Church contin-ued to flourish in both spirituality and in numbers.

The parish not only saw its first holy Communion and confirmation classes receive their respective sacraments, but it also soon formed a pastoral committee, ladies’ guild and musicians group, all of which became vital to the church com-munity.

Long-range planning took place during the 1970s to coincide with a con-tinuing influx of Catholics settling in the Arden area. Meanwhile, efforts to pay off the church mortgage were completed by 1976, thus allowing the parish to attend more closely to expansion projects. A residence for the pastor was purchased, and in 1980, land transfers brought the construction of a new church facility a

step closer to reality.The original building was sold, and

the parish celebrated Mass under a tent and in a roller skating rink during the construction of a new church.

The parish welcomed its third pas-tor, Jesuit Father Frank Bourbon, in June 1982, and four months later then-Bishop Michael J. Begley of Charlotte granted permission to proceed with building plans. A groundbreaking ceremony took place Sept. 19, 1983.

In 1984, the parish saw the comple-tion of the new St. Barnabas Church, which was dedicated by Bishop Begley on July 22. With a church featuring a native stone sanctuary wall, a locally crafted cru-cifix and educational facilities, the parish now had a spiritual home reflecting the beauty of both faith and the North Caro-lina mountains.

Father Bourbon was reassigned in September 1984 and Jesuit Father Joseph Newell became the fourth pastor of St. Barnabas Church. As the years passed, the St. Barnabas Church religious educa-tion program was enhanced. During the 1980s came the expansion of the parish’s Cursillo and Knights of Columbus council (named after Father Maule).

During this period, the church also celebrated the ordination of its first dea-con, Rev. Mr. Art Kingsley in July 1988 and the ordination and first Mass of one of the parish’s own, Father Joseph Mack in May 10, 1989. When Father Newell

was reassigned, Father John Schneider became the church’s pastor in July 1990. By that time, the parish had grown to 300 families.

For the next several years, Father Schneider continued the devoted work of his predecessors, forming and developing an enthusiastic youth ministry comprised of middle and high school students.

Ever-increasing in size and participa-tion, the parish began to explore the pos-sibility of again expanding the facility in February 1990. After a lengthy series of meetings, the project was underway. New classrooms, offices, meeting rooms and an expanded library highlighted the augmentation of the church. In July 1994, then-Bishop William G. Curlin blessed the expansion, 10 years after the dedica-tion of the new St. Barnabas Church.

Father Schneider served as pastor to some 620 households that made up the religious, educational, social and, in part, administrative strengths of St. Barnabas Church. With its enthusiastic variety of committees, ministries, groups and proj-ects, the parish offered a spirited affirma-tion of service as a faith community.

Father Roger Arnsparger was as-signed as administrator in July 1999. On Oct. 24 of that year, the church doors were symbolically “sealed” as St. Barn-abas Church began its Jubilee 2000 cel-ebration, getting a head start on a similar ceremony that took place in the Vatican on the first Sunday in Advent. The doors of St. Barnabas Church and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome both were unsealed on Christmas Eve of that year. Father Arn-sbarger, now pastor, blessed the parish’s “Jubilee Doors.”

In November 1999, parishioners made 15 quilts and sent them to victims of Hurricane Floyd in Goldsboro, N.C.

The parish continued expansion of religious education to youth and adults. Each year has seen “Parish Vision Meet-ings” to assist parishioners with effective evangelization of the parish. The church’s Respect Life Committee has increased its pro-life apostolate through prayer, direct services, education and legislative efforts.

The church hosts two Rachel’s Vine-yard Post-Abortive Healing Retreats annually and sponsors “Triumph of the Cross,” an annual Catholic conference, and a Catholic Men’s Conference. On March 10, 2003, the church began per-petual adoration of the Eucharist.

The parish now consists of 760 fami-lies. Because of projected future growth, the parish has purchased five acres of ad-jacent land and plans are being made for improved access and additional facilities for the church’s work.

St. barnabas Church celebrates decades

sT. bArNAbAs CHurCH109 Crescent Hill drive Arden, N.C. 28704(828) 684-6098

vicariate: AshevillePastor: father roger Arnspargerdeacon: rev. Mr. Art KingsleyNumber of Households: 760

Father Roger Arnsparger

fIle Photo

St. barnabas Church in Arden expanded its facility in 1994 to accommodate parish growth, 10 years after the dedication of a new church building.

April 30, 2004

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Transcript of April 30, 2004