A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C12 around the diocese

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

BIBLE STUDYOgdensburg – St. Mary’s Cathedral ishold an eight session program “A QuickJourney Through The Bible.”Date: Starting June 25Place: Bishop Brzana HallFeatures:Deacon Dave Sandburg will bepresenting the program created by JeffCavins, a renowned bible scholar, formerBaptist pastor, and Lighthouse CatholicMedia featured speaker. This is an 8week primer and overview to Studyingthe Bible Timeline. For more informa-tion, to watch a short video introduction,and to register for this course, go to http://www.saintmaryscathedral.net/bible-study

DINNER AND SHOWOgdensburg - Notre Dame Altar &Rosary is sponsoring a bus trip to theSyracuse Oncenter.Date: June 4Cost: $120 per person (includes showticket, bus fare, and dinner at Spaghetti

Warehouse restaurant.)Features: Performance of Million DollarQuartet. at 7:30 p.m.. Inspired by theelectrifying true story of the famedrecording session that brought togetherrock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, JohnnyCash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.Contact: Call Cherie @393-5050 or 393-7158 or Joyce @528-1819.

HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONSOgdensburg - St. Mary’s is holding amonthly Holy Hour for Vocations.Date: Thursday before the First FridayTime: 7 p.m. concluding with Benedic-tion at 8 p.m. Place: Deacon Winter Chapel

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPMassena – Sacred Heart/St. Lawrenceholds a Bereavement Support Group lastTuesday of each month.Time: 2 p.m.Place: Sacred Heart ConventFeatures: A gathering of those whohave had a recent loss of a loved one.Contact: 315-769-3137

NOVENA FOR MILITARYOgdensburg - Notre Dame Church isholding a Weekly novena for the safetyof U.S. military personnel at a new time.Date: Tuesday afternoonsTime:1:30 p.m.

5KWALK/RUNMassena - The 2nd Annual Glory in ourHearts 5K Walk/Run to Remember willbring together walkers and runners, for aheart healthy fundraiser to support the2014 outreach activities of the Glory inour Hearts Foundation. Date: May 3Time: 9 a.m.Place: Robert Moses State Park PicnicArea at Barnhart IslandFeatures: Stroller and child friendly 5Kevent. Visit website at http://www.glo-ryinourhearts.org/5k.html for more in-formation.

COMMUNITY FREE LUNCHOgdensburg – The Knights of ColumbusCouncil 258 is starting its community free lunch program again.

Date: Every WednesdayTime: Noon

LATIN MASSPotsdam – A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Sunday Time: 12:30 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONMassena – St. Mary’s & St. Joseph’s holdBenediction and Adoration every Fridaymorning.Time: 9 a.m. to 10Place: St. Mary’s Family Room

WOMEN OF GRACE RETREATOgdensburg – Women of Grace Retreatto be held again for a spirit filled week-end retreat.Date: June 27-29Place: Wadhams HallSpeaker: Johnnette Benkovic, of LivingHis Life AbundantlyFeatures: The weekend will be filled

with the celebration of the Eucharist,

Adoration, prayer, talks, music, and sa-cred sisterhood. The theme of the retreatis To Jesus Through Mary…“For Such ATime As This...” (Esther 4:14). Through-out this weekend, Johnnette will unfoldthe truths of authentic femininity leav-ing a lasting imprint on minds, hearts,and souls Contact: Mary Dillenback at marydil-

lenback@twcny.rr.com or call 315-771-1377.

DIRECTED RETREATOgdensburg – The annual summer di-rected retreat has been plannedDate: June 15-21Place:Wadhams Hall Retreat CenterDirectors: Rev. Roger McGuinness, Sr.Bethany Fitzgerald, SSJ; Sr. Marlene But-ler, G.N.S.H.Features: The directed retreat is offeredin an atmosphere of silence, while givingthe opportunity for daily one-on-onemeeting with a spiritual director, andMass each day.Contact: Call Wadhams Hall at (315)393-4231 or emailinquiry@wadhams.edu

ST. LAWRENCE

DIOCESAN EVENTS

PARISHES HELP NEIGHBORS IN NEED

Members from the Altar Rosary Society's of St. Ann's Church Wells and St. JamesChurch Lake Pleasant gathered together on April 3, 2014 to fill gift bags for our neigh-bors in need. The group made colorful cloth draw string bags and collected personalcare items to distribute. members are Pam Broiles, Maryellen Stofelano, Edna Rew,Marguerite McAuliffe, George Lancaster, Katie Smith, Mikayla Darling and RosemaryTracy (taking photo). The group express gratitude “to our pastor, Father Sony Pulickalwho continues to inspire us in our service to our Lord Jesus and to Director of CatholicCharities, Sister Donna Franklin for supporting us in this project.”

At St. Lawrence/St. Patrick’s Parishes in the Brasher Falls/North Lawrence area, the Gabriel Project Angels have been very busy mov-ing. They recently moved across the hall at St. Patrick’s Parish Center into 2 adjoining rooms. Due to the growth of the program andthe generous donations that this group receives, they outgrew the previous area that they occupied! At the present time, the GabrielAngels are gearing up for their Spring Clothing Exchange where they hope to help at least 30 families. Here in one of their newrooms are some of the Gabriel Angels. Back row left to right: Debbie Beckstead, Judy Austin, Nicole Villnave, Coordinator DonnaSteenberg & Kathy Kirschner who is the Room Coordinator. Seated is Nancy Hammill. Missing from photo is Lisa Evans, Adele Finazzo,Lucille Jock, Barb Berninghausen, Cathy Hance & Kristy McGill.

Around

CATHOLICNORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 69, Number 4

APRIL 30, 2014

INSIDETHIS ISSUEThe Resurrection:it changes everything l PAGE 2

Is being a pope ashortcut to becoming asaint? l PAGE 7

BISHOP’S FUND

Mystery Players inNewtown, Ct.

Womenof Grace

Appeal reaches2013 goal

READY FOR THE BIG DAY!

GUGGENHEIM It’s time to register for a week of summer camp... p. 5

Risen Jesus is source of life

FULL STORY, PAGE 3

Bishop Terry R. LaValley has an-nounced that contributions fromover 10,400 donors to the 2013Bishop’s Fund Appeal have pushedthe total cash received andpledges promised beyond the$1,275,000 goal. At this time,97.7% of the goal has actuallybeen received with $52,404.01 inpledges yet to be fulfilled. TheBishop's Fund Appeal provides fi-nancial assistance to the vitalministries of the Diocese of Og-densburg. The following areamong the ministries supported:Catholic education, social con-cerns, spiritual life, priest, deaconand lay education; and religiousformation.

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARINGBanners depicting Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII hang from the facade of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 25. Thebanners were hung the morning of April 25 in advance of the April 27 canonization of the two popes. Full coverage of the can-onization will be published in next week’s NCC.

Registration is open for

retreat weekend featuring

Johnnette Benkovic

On April 16, Wednesday ofHoly Week, the Mystery Play-ers from Immaculate HeartCentral School, Watertown,traveled to St. Rose of LimaCatholic Church to performtheir Lenten prayer/perfor-mance of the Passion ofJesus. This congregation con-

tains eight families that ex-perienced the loss of a lovedone Dec, 12, 2012 whenAdam Lanza shot and killed20 children and six adultstaff members at SandyHook Elementary School inthe village of Sandy Hook inNewtown.FULL STORY, PAGE 4

FULL STORY, PAGE 6

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Too often peo-ple are fixated on materialthings, money, power or sta-tus -- none of which can givelife and joy, Pope Francissaid. Christians need to examine

their lives with the questionthe angel asked the womenwho went to the tomb to

anoint the body of the buriedJesus: "Why do you seek theliving among the dead?" thepope said. At his weekly general audi-

ence April 23, Pope Francishad the tens of thousands ofpeople gathered in St. Peter'sSquare repeat the angel'sEaster question three times.

Sometimes, the pope said,people act as if "a dead Jesuswould be less of a botherthan a living Jesus," yet hisvictory over death is thesource of Christian hope andthe assurance that we, too,will live with him. When "weclose ourselves up in anykind of selfishness or self-

satisfaction, when we let our-selves be seduced by earthlypower and the things of thisworld, forgetting God andour neighbor; when we putour hopes in worldly vanity,money and success," he said,that is the time people mustask themselves the angel'squestion.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 11

OBITUARIESBurke – Howard “Curt” Barrett, 83; Fu-neral Services April 23, 2014 at St.George’s Church; burial in RidgewayCemetery.

Burke – Ralph C. Boileau, 93; FuneralServices April 23, 2014 at St. George’sChurch; burial in St. Francis Assisi Ceme-tery, Constable.

Carthage – Patrick A. Wilton, 84; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at the Bezanilla-McGraw Funeral Home; burial in St.James Cemetery.

Champlain – Andrew “Papa June”Juneau, 87; Funeral Services April 23,2014 at St. Mary’s Church; burial in St.Mary’s Cemetery.

Chazy – Ada E. (Pearo) Vassar, 87; Fu-neral Services April 22, 2014 at SacredHeart Church.

Ellenburg – Carl J. Nephew, 91; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at St. Edmund’sChurch.

Hogansburg – Pauline M. (White) Boots,78; Funeral Services April 21, 2014 at St.Regis Church.

Louisville – Helen A. (Vari) Santamont,91; Funeral Services April 25, 2014 at St.Lawrence Church; burial in CalvaryCemetery.

Long Lake – Florence “Micki” Smith, 96;Memorial Services May 25, 2014 at St.Henry’s Church.

Lowville – Diane S. Peters, 83; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at St. Peter’sChurch; burial in Beaches Bridge Ceme-tery.

Lowville – Sherwood J. “Sherb” Potter,84; Funeral Services April 25, 2014 at St.Peter’s Church; burial in Black RiverCemetery.

Malone – Alice (Fogg) Ballard, 95; Fu-neral Services April 21, 2014 at St.

Joseph’s Church.

Malone – Donald W. Moore, 80; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at the St. Mary-Murphy-Wilcox Funeral Home; burial inMorningside Cemetery.

Massena – Elizabeth D. (Bartholomew)Burt, 90; Funeral Services April 22, 2014at Phillips Memorial Home.

Mooers Forks – James D. Marbut, 58; Fu-neral Services April 21, 2014 at St. Ann’sChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Morrisonville – Paul W. Pardy, 51; Memo-rial Services April 26, 2014 at St. Alexan-der’s Church.

Ogdensburg – Sherry L. (Epprecht)Bouchey, 42; Funeral Services April 26,2014 at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home.

Ogdensburg –Yvonne Renee (Lalonde)Johnson, 58; Funeral Services April 23,2014 at Notre Dame Church; burial in St.Paul’s Cemetery, Bloomingdale.

Plattsburgh – Louva Ann (Trombley)Jones, 72; Funeral Services April 22, 2014at St. Peter’s Church; burial in Whispering

Maples Memorial Gardens.

Port Leyden – Bernard Scheve, 81; Fu-neral Services April 22, 2014 at St. Mar-tin’s Church.

Potsdam – Josephine “Jo” (Sells) Freer,74; Funeral Services April 28, 2014 at St.Mary’s Church.

Potsdam – Ferald R. Prentice, 75; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch.

Waddington – Richard Condlin; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Waddington – Paul N. Sharlow, 71; Fu-neral Services April 24, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Watertown – Doris M. (Campbell)Fitzgerald, 90; Funeral Services April 21,2014 at Our Lady of the Sacred HeartChurch; burial in Glenwood Cemetery.

Watertown – Donald C. Sullivan, 89; Fu-neral Services April 26, 2014 at the Cum-mings Funeral Home, Inc.; burial inIndian River Cemetery.

The Pontifical Mission Societies of theDiocese of Ogdensburg, Inc.The Society for the Propagation of the FaithSr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director

622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669(315) 393-2920; fax 1-866-314-7296mbrett@rcdony.org

If you spend enough time trying to provide hope andbasic life needs for those who live and work in the MissionWorld, you become quite familiar with the concept of Faith.Faith is the vehicle that provides us with a solid foundationof hope or expectation of fulfillment or success in what weare striving to achieve, obtain or transform. Hope and Faithare not only required to be a dutiful servant to the Missions,but they are required of us as believers in our Catholic Reli-gion. The Holy Father calls on us to establish our Creed

through stating our beliefs and Faith in the One, HolyCatholic and Apostolic Church. Our Missions priests acrossthe globe also spread this teaching as they endeavor eachday to strengthen the bonds of Catholicism throughout thedeveloping world. To believe in our loving and forgivingGod, we are required to nurture our Faith and Hope in whatwe cannot see or control. When we state our professions ofFaith, we agree to loving one God, a God that we truly be-lieve is there for us to pray to, to worship and call uponwhen in despair. We believe in the Holy Spirit that shows usthe communion of saints, the forgiveness of our sins, andthe resurrection of the body.Bringing people in touch with the reason for all our hope

and faith is Jesus Christ. He is the heart of the Church’smission. The Catholic Church in mission countries is oftenthe only source of hope, faith and help for the poor and vul-nerable. Through their work, local priests, religious and laycatechists reflect this hope-filled Good News in a world ofneed. As this Easter Season draws to an end, we ask you toreflect on why we have our faith and hope. It is because ofour Risen Lord. Just as we are called to Baptism, to bemissionaries of the Risen Lord to the developing world theyneed your prayers and your help! They already have yourHope and your Faith.

With faith, allgood things come

Local men at the St. Martin de Porras parish Palm Sunday services in Mollendo, Peru,April 2014.

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

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It’s always a good day in theDiocese of Ogdensburgwhen we can announcethat the Bishop’s Fundhas met its goal.It’s true. The 2013

Bishop’s Fund Appealhas raised – in moneyreceived and moneypledged – more than$1.275 million to sup-port all the importantministries in ourmidst.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, thediocesan Department of YouthMinistry was able to sponsor

Saturday’s Youth Rally in Wa-tertown, offeringCatholic kids thechance to hear goodspeakers, meet theirbishop and grow infaith together.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, parentsacross the diocese canmake the choice tosend their children toCatholic Schools nextSeptember.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, GoodSamaritan donations are made– in our name – to neighbors

in desperate need.And that’s just the begin-

ning. This week, our young peo-

ple are encouraged to regis-ters for a week at CampGuggenheim. Next month, our priests will

gather in Lake Placid for theannual Presbyteral Assembly. Over the next couple of

weeks, Bishop LaValley willtravel all across the diocese toconfirm our teenagers.Bishop’s Fund money is put

to work for all these endeav-ors – and so much more.Of course, the final total

does indeed include pledgesnot yet received – more than$54,000 worth - so this week’sannouncement was made witha bit of faith that they’ll all becompleted.That means that even those

who haven’t pledged mightconsider adding a new orextra gift. After all, as Bishop’s Fund

director Valerie Mathewspoints out, any funds raisedover the goal will be used tofurther supplement theBishop’s Good Samaritan Fundand that’s not a bad use foranyone’s charitable donations!

Everything changed with theResurrection of Jesus. Theapostles, frightened and dis-turbed by the crucifixion ofJesus, now discovered new lifethrough Christ’s Resurrection.The apostles found hope andconfidence – the readiness andwillingness to continue all thatJesus had begun. On the Pentecost, the Holy

Spirit will give them the powerthey will need to speak andteach boldly. Through the Res-urrection of Jesus they willfind the life, the new life to ac-complish it all.The apostles had suffered so

much as they witnessed thesufferings and crucifixion ofJesus. They were certainlyconfused and disappointed. Isuspect they experienced somedespair. Everything seemed tobe falling apart. Then camethe resurrection of Jesus andeverything changed. Theywere then filled with hope andconfidence.This is our story. Each Easter

– as we remember and cele-brate Christ’s Resurrection – weshould go through a real con-version. Like the apostles,many of us need new hope andconfidence in our Church andin the spirit and message ofJesus. Our Church needs that new

life, that new spirit, that enthu-

siasm that can demonstrate thelove and concern for all thatJesus brought to this world. Have you lost some of your

enthusiasm for your faith?Turn to the Lord in his resur-rection this Easter Time; hearhis call to your importance inmaking the Catholic Churchmore alive. May our enthusiasm reach

those who have lost faith in theCatholic Church – may they re-turn to their home.This year, we, Catholics, have

a new example to follow in theenthusiastic character of ourHoly Father, Pope Francis.There is no doubt that he isbringing a very new spirit ofhope and confidence to ourCatholic Church. Pope Francispresents the world an out-standing example of simplicityand dedication in the spirit ofOur Savior. His spirit is a callto all of us Catholics to havethe confidence in God that wecan make a difference. I prayoften that God will grant a long

life to Pope Francis.Pope Francis speaks often,

challenging us all, priests andpeople, to bring this new lifeinto our parishes. In his hom-ily, at this year’s Chrism Massat the Vatican, Pope Francisurged the priests of the worldto be more dedicated and tobring Christ’s message of loveand concern to all with enthu-siasm. He urged all priests touse their ministry to bring newlife to our Church. Pope Francis challenged us

priests to live out our ordina-tion by the way we live ourlives – personally. We must belike Pope Francis: a model tothe people of our parishes, amodel of love and concern inunion with the Church andwith our Pope. As the People of God, all of

you, lay men and lay women,baptized into the CatholicChurch are also called to dis-cover your new life in the spiritof Our Risen Lord. May you re-alize all that you can bring anddo for your parish and for theChurch Universal. So, as weagain celebrate Christ’s resur-rection, I pray that you willfind new hope and confidencein your ability to bring newspirit and new life to yourparish. The Resurrection of Jesus

should bring that new hope to

us all. May you also betouched deeply by the enthusi-asm and spirit of Our Holy Fa-ther, Pope Francis, and find theconfidence that you can makeyour parish a better place andmake our Catholic Church allthat it can be to be a powerfulinfluence on our world.It all starts with Baptism.

Baptism brings us the gift offaith and also the gift of hope.That virtue of hope makes aperson desire eternal life, thatis, the heavenly vision of God. This Hope gives the confi-

dence of receiving the gracenecessary to reach Heaven.Hope is the desire for all that isgood – for all that can bring usto God. Hope brings us all thegood things that can help us inour road to becoming a saint.Hope must become a habit

and desire for us in our effortto live a good Christian life inthe spirit of Our Savior. Hopeis the virtue that can give to usall – priests and people – theability to become an enthusias-tic group of believers that willhave a profound influence onthe future of our Church. I urge you all to join me in

prayer that our Church, youand I, will be overwhelmed bythe hope and confidence thatwill fill us with the enthusiasmto bring this new life into ourCatholic Church.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C2 Diocesan Life

REV. JOSEPH A. MORGANVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

EDITOR’S NOTE

Great day for the North Country church!

Mary LouKilian

A PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

The Resurrection: it changes everything!

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 3

Bishop Terry R. LaValleyhas annoucned that gener-ous contributions from over10,400 donors to the 2013Bishop’s Fund Appeal havepushed the total cash re-ceived and pledges promisedbeyond the $1,275,000 goal. At this time, 97.7% of the

goal has actually been re-ceived with $52,404.01 inpledges yet to be fulfilled. Bishop LaValley said, “I

join my prayers of gratitudewith those of the many indi-viduals and families of ourNorth Country who, at a timeof crisis and struggle in theirlives, have benefited fromsuch generosity. I am partic-ularly appreciative of the

strong leadership and per-sonal sacrifice of our pastorswho support this critical ap-peal each year.”

Contributions from over10,400 donors have

pushed the total cashreceived and pledgespromised beyond the

$1,275,000 goal

Currently 56 parishes havereached the parish Bishop’sFund goal and 33 parisheshave reached the parish par-ticipation goal.Valerie MatheWs, director

of the Bishop’s Fund, said.“Please continue to pray forthe success of this year’s ap-peal, remembering that anyfunds raised over our goalwill be used to further sup-plement the Bishop’s GoodSamaritan Fund. “The Bishop’s Good Samar-

itan Fund provides emer-gency assistance to familiesand individuals across theDiocese,” she said. “In thepast few months alone, sup-port of the Bishop’s Fund hasprovided emergency assis-tance to multiple familiesand individuals struggling topay rent and heating costs,medical expenses and gro-cery bills.

A local parishioner re-cently wrote, “Thank you andthe people of the NorthCountry for your exception-ally generous check to a fam-ily in my parish. Your giftwas the initial shower thatturned into a flood of dona-tions. Not only was the fam-ily able to get heating fueland pay bills but a washingmachine was donated. Thiswife and mother was doinglaundry by hand for eightpeople. “At the same time, her hus-

band is receiving chemotreatments,’ the parishionersaid. “ Thank you for remem-bering them in your prayers.”“This assistance is only

possible because of the gen-erosity of parishionersacross the Diocese who giveto the Bishop’s Fund Appeal,”Mrs. Mathews said. “If youhave made a gift to thisyear’s Appeal, thank you onbehalf of all whom we serve,” Those who have not made

a gift or wish to make an ad-ditional gift, should mail do-nations to: The Bishop’sFund Appeal, PO Box 150,Ogdensburg, NY 13669 ormake a donation online atwww.rcdony.org/develop-ment . Those Whohave made a

pledge to this year’s appeal,are encouraged to completethe pledge by June 15, 2014.

2013 Bishop’s Fund Appeal reaches goal

GOOD FRIDAY WALK

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN SORENSENScores of Christians from throughout Watertown took part in the Carrying of the Cross Walk on Good Friday.Above, left, Cheryl Gray, front, and Tirsa Welbourn carry the cross from Trinity Episcopal Church to St. Patrick's

Church. At right, Eric Zapp holds the cross during prayer at Holy Family Church, one of fourteen stops on theannual walk.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C10 around the diocese

CATHOLIC MEN’S GROUPSaranac Lake – A Catholic Men’s Groupmeets on the first Saturdays of themonth for a time of fellowship, prayer,and discussion. Time: 8 a.m. to 10Place: St. Bernard’s ChapelFeatures: Mass followed by coffee and

refreshment, discussion and prayer.Contact: Fr. Mark Reilly,518-891-4616.

QUILT CLASSEllenburg Center – The Lost Sheep QuiltShop will have a quilt class.Date: May 24Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerCost: $25 Features: Quilt uses a jelly roll and bor-

der fabric and is built block-by-block.Contact: Register at thelostsheepquilt-

shop@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253.Limit 12.

CDA PAST REGENTS MEETINGMorrisonville - The diocesan CatholicDaughters of the Americas Past RegentsChapter to hold spring meeting.Date: May 3Time: 11:30 a.m. Place: St. Alexander’s Parish HallCost: $10 for the LuncheonContact: Anna Lucia at 518-492-7246 or

lmudduck@aol.com by April 25. Annualdues can be paid at this time and aLadies Basket will be raffled.

HEALING MASSEllenburg Center – Our Lady of theAdirondacks is holding a Healing Mass.Date: May 17Time: 10:30 a.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerFeatures: Fr. Doug Decker presiding. The

Mass will be followed by an opportunityfor individual prayer by our prayer min-istry team. Donations appreciated.Contact: RSVP by May 14 to olaprayer-

house@gmail.com or ph. 518-594-3253if you plan on staying for the light lunch

IGNATIAN RETREATEllenburg Center – An Ignatian Retreat,Discernment of Spirits to be held.Date: May 31 beginning at 10 a.m. to

June 1 ending at 5 p.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerCost: Suggested donation for the week-

end is $60. Overnight guests add $50.

Features: Father Jack Downs will be theRetreat Director. This time of prayer andlearning will be based on St. Ignatius ofLoyola's Rules for Discernment and de-ception in the spiritual life. St. Ignatiusshowed how we can discern or distin-guish between one thing and another;God, angels, the evil one, worldly influ-ences, human weakness. Contact: Register for the retreat by May

25 by emailingolaprayerhouse@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253. Rooms available for overnightguests on a first come basis.

BLESSED SACRAMENT ADORATIONKeeseville - There is Adoration of theBlessed Sacrament every Sunday.Time: 1 p.m. to 4Place: Immaculate Conception Church

HEALING MINISTRYMorrisonville - The Catholic Communityof St. Alexander's and St. Joseph's announces the addition of Living WatersHealing Ministry to the Parish. Date: First Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Place: St. Alexander’s ChurchFeatures: Healing Mass, Sacrament of

the Anointing of the Sick, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and an opportu-nity to receive individual prayer.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONPlattsburgh – Eucharistic Adoration is held throughout the year every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.Place: St. John’s “Holy Family” Adoration

Chapel, downstairs

Time: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email

Sjohnsadoration@aol.com

LATIN MASSConstable - A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Friday with Fr. HowardVenette as the celebrant.Time: 5:30 p.m.Place: St. Francis of Assisi Church

SPAGHETTI SUPPERWatertown – St. Anthony’s Altar RosaryChurch will be having Spaghetti Supper.Date: May 29Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7 Place: Msgr. Sechi HallCost: Adults, $8; children $4.50; under 3,

free; sauce, $5 per quart meatballs are$.75F eatures: Take-out orders begin at 4

p.m. Please bring your own containers.

LIFERIGHT MEETINGWatertown - Liferight of Watertownmeets third Wednesday of the Month.Time: 4 p.m. Place: 312 Sherman St.Features: The office has materials on

infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasiaand chastity. Contact: Phone 315-788-8480; website:

www.liferight.org.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONWatertown - Holy Family Church is hold-ing holy hours of Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations

Schedule: Monday through Friday fol-lowing the 9 a.m. Mass at Holy FamilyChurch (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.),

CHICKEN BBQCopenhagen – St. Mary’s will be havinga TAKE Out ONLY chicken BBQ.Date: May 4Time: NoonCost: $8.00 Dinner; $5 Half Chicken

ST. PETER’S MAY FESTIVALLowville – Plans are underway for St.Peter’s May FestivalDate: May 16-18Place: Lewis County Fair GroundsFeatures: Ontario Amusement Carnival

rides. Saturday matinee with unlimitedrides from 1 p.m. to 5. The festival willfeature homemade food specialties in-cluding Shiskabob, Pizza, Clam Chowder,. Other booths will include “This-n-That”,a Giant Bake Sale, and Games for allages. Fri. is the Grand Opening at 5 p.m.,Sat. there is the ride special, Calk Walk at2 p.m. and R19 Band from 7 p.m. to 10.Sun. there is the Chicken Barbecue.please contact Bob Mullin or St. Peter’sChurch Office (376-6662) to reserve yourchicken or the whole dinner. At 3 pm,the drawings begin for cash prizes total-ing $2000.

BULLHEAD FEEDHarrisville –The Knights of Columbuswill be sponsoring a Bullhead Feed.Date: May 9Time: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30Place: Harrisville Fire HallCost: Adults, $11 for Fish, $9 for Ham;

Children 5-12, $6; under 5, FreeFeatures: Choice of Ham or Bullheads.

Take-outs available.

MAY DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy devotions forthe month of May have been set.Date: May 4Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: Vespers (evening prayer), ex-

position of the Blessed Sacrament, Di-vine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction

HOLY FAMILY MEGA REUNIONMassena – Join classmates at the firstever Holy Family High School Mega Re-union.Date: Aug. 16Time: 5 p.m.Place: The Village InnCost: $40 per person payable to HFH

Mega ReunionFeatures: Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres,

entertainment and cash bar. Additionalactivities for Aug. 15 and 16 will be listedat http://holyfamil-massena.webs.comContact: Ray Fenton at 315-250-4445.

RSVP by May 16

POTSDAM LIFECHAINPotsdam – A Lifechain is planned for theday before Mother’s Day.Date: May 10Time: 1 p.m. to 2Place: Downtown Potsdam along Mar-

ket and Main Sts. We will gather around12:45 p.m. at the parking lot across MainSt. from the Roxy Theater.Features: Life Chain will happen re-

gardless of the weather. Don’t forgetchairs, hats and water.

INTERNATIONAL ROSARYThere will be a continuous praying of theRosary throughout the world.Date: May 4Time: 2 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Cathedral ChapelFeatures: We encourage Legion of Mary

Auxiliary Members and other interestedpersons to participate with Legion ofMary members by praying twentydecades of the Rosary. The intention isfor “World Peace, Life, and Family.” OurBlessed Mother is a force for Faith. Whobetter to lead and guide us than she whois the Mother of Faith. Pray alone, withfamily, or with friends. There are noother requirements. We encourage youto take part in this wonderful opportu-nity to join in prayer with our brothersand sisters, all over the world, who willbe praying for these intentions.

ST. JAMES CARNIVALGouverneur – St. James Church to hostCarnival.Date: May 8, 9, & 10Features: Rides, games, food, fried

dough all three days. Bingo May 9 at 7p.m., doors open at 6. Craft fair May 10from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

K of C BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: May 11Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;

Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outsavailableMenu: Pancakes, French Toast, Scram-

bled Eggs, Homefries, Ham, Sausage, CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

The North County Catholicwelcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”. Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:

North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 1-866-314-7296;

e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.

Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCE

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C entertainment 9

AT THE MOVIES

CAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER

By Joseph McAleer Catholic News Service

The big guy with the red,white and blue shield re-turns to save the planet in"Captain America: The Win-ter Soldier" (Disney), a rous-ing follow-up to two films,2011's "Captain America:The First Avenger" and2012's "The Avengers." This 3-D popcorn movie is

sure to please fans of theMarvel Comics superherowith its patriotic, gung-hotone and grandiose actionsequences. But screenwrit-ers Christopher Markus andStephen McFeely, whopenned the first CaptainAmerica script, expand theirhorizons with a smart andtimely story touching on na-tional security, governmentsurveillance and the price offreedom. At times, the picture has

the feel of an old-fashionedconspiracy thriller like"Three Days of the Condor"or "All the President's Men" -- a comparison reinforced,perhaps, by the presence ofRobert Redford, who starredin both those movies, in amajor role.

For those unfamiliar withthe Marvel universe, a briefrecap: Captain America, akaSteve Rogers (Chris Evans),was a 98-pound weaklingtransformed into a he-manfighting machine by the U.S.government during WorldWar II. He leads a successfulcampaign against a terroristorganization, then goes tosleep in a cryogenic statefor 70 years. Thawed out in the current

century, Captain America isrecruited by the intelligenceagency S.H.I.E.L.D. (SupremeHeadquarters, InternationalEspionage, Law-EnforcementDivision) to defend Earthfrom an alien invasion. Hissidekicks include Iron Manand the Incredible Hulk. "Captain America: The

Winter Soldier" takes placetwo years after "TheAvengers." Rogers is livingin Washington, struggling tofit in, a man (literally) out oftime and place. He takes hisorders from two S.H.I.E.L.D.bigwigs, Nick Fury (SamuelL. Jackson) and AlexanderPierce (Redford). Fury and Pierce are at

odds over Pierce's pet proj-ect, a plan to circle theplanet with massive "heli-

carriers" -- think aircraft car-riers with wings and pro-pellers -- equipped withsuper-intelligence gadgetryto root out and destroy se-curity threats. Fury suspectsa hidden agenda, and fearsthat innocent people may bethe real targets. Before you can say "Ka-

pow!" Pierce unleashes hisfury on Fury, who narrowlyescapes death. He warnsRogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasbeen compromised, and noone can be trusted. So it's Captain America to

the rescue, as he tries to un-cover the conspiracy, withthe help of two comrades:fellow Avenger Natasha Ro-manoff, aka Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson), and anew buddy, Sam Wilson (An-thony Mackie), who earnshis moniker "Falcon" thanksto a nifty pair of mechanicalwings. But the baddies have a

super warrior of their ownwho goes by the name ofthe Winter Soldier (SebastianStan). It seems he and Cap-tain America have met be-fore, and have a lot more incommon than a penchantfor masks and costumes. Co-directors - and broth-

ers - Anthony and Joe Russo("You, Me and Dupree") han-dle the requisite (and noisy)action scenes with flair, al-though these may be too in-tense for younger viewers.But the siblings are to becommended for the manyquieter moments they in-clude, which allow the audi-ence to catch its breath andthe characters to developamid witty repartee. "How do we tell the good

guys from the bad guys?"

Falcon asks. Replies CaptainAmerica: 'If they're shootingat you, they're bad." The film contains intense

but largely bloodless vio-lence, including gunplay.The Catholic News Serviceclassification is A-II -- adultsand adolescents. The Motion Picture Associ-

ation of America rating isPG-13 -- parents stronglycautioned. Some materialmay be inappropriate forchildren under 13.

CNS PHOTO/DISNEYChris Evans stars in a scene from the movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C4 Diocesan Life

By Kristina DeanStaff writer

NEWTOWN, CONN. - Drivingthrough rolling green hillsand pretty white fences,passing an American flagflying at the top of a pole inthe town square, I thinkNewtown Conn. looks likeany other Americana town. Trees are beginning to

bud, and late afternoon sunslants, lighting the townwith golden beams.Attached to the town's

welcome sign, is a secondsmaller sign that labels thecommunity as "heart safe."Ironically, this communityhas not felt "heart safe"since December 14, 2012.Rosary in hand, as I drove

to St. Rose of Lima CatholicChurch, I took a right turnonto Churchill Road, andimmediately before thechurch's parking lot I saw asign that said, "Sandy Hook1 Mile." My heart felt like astone in my chest.On April 16, Wednesday of

Holy Week, the MysteryPlayers from ImmaculateHeart Central School, Water-town, traveled to St. Rose ofLima Catholic Church toperform their Lentenprayer/performance of thePassion of Jesus. I wasblessed to be able to attend.This congregation con-

tains eight families that ex-perienced the loss of aloved one that tragic day.The entire church and com-munity have been reelingsince that December morn-ing when Adam Lanza shotand killed 20 children andsix adult staff members atSandy Hook ElementarySchool in the village ofSandy Hook in Newtown.Prior to entering the school,the 20-year-old shot andkilled his mother, Nancy, attheir home, and as first re-sponders arrived at theschool, he committed sui-cide.Mystery Players director

Terry Burgess was able to

arrange for the IHC seniorsto perform for the commu-nity. Prior to the Newtownperformance, the playershad been to Christ Our LightChurch in Loudonville, NY;Holy Family CatholicChurch in Nazareth, Penn.;St. John the Baptist Churchin Ottsville, Penn.; and Na-tivity of Our Lord Church inMonroe Township, NJ.

A circle of prayerBefore the play, my oldest

son and I joined the stu-dents for prayer. We satamong them, a part of theirprayer circle, supportingthem with our prayers. Before every performance,

the players say specialprayers and reflect on onescene of the play. Today'sscene was the Pieta - thescene when Jesus is takendown from the cross, andlays dead, scarred andbruised in Mary's arms. A tremendously powerful

scene, it is made even moreso by the tragic events oflast year. This communityhas experienced the Pietafor quite a while.The players prayed and

reflected on what this scenemight mean to the commu-nity. After performing thePassion many times formany churches, they under-stand the power of thisscene; they feel Mary's sor-row, the pain felt by allmothers who have lost chil-dren, even though theythemselves are not mothers.

As they prayed it dawnedon me, although all femalesare spiritual mothers, withthe ability to carry Jesus intheir hearts to others, I wasthe only physical mother inthe room, with my son atmy side. And somehow, asthey spoke of their love fortheir own mothers, and ofMary's love for her Son, I ex-perienced something beauti-ful. I believe Mary, ourBlessed Mother, movedwithin my heart, filling mewith compassion and lovefor these 17- and 18-year-olds, who were missingtheir mothers and familiesafter their week-long trip. I just wanted to hug them.

They, who have given somuch time toward bringingJesus's Passion, prayers andhealing to others, are sobeautiful. And rare. And

loved by God. Sitting there, listening to

the mystery players pray forthe Newtown/Sandy Hookcommunity, I couldn't helpbut love them..

Filling the pewsAfter the prayers, we sat

in the church and waited forthe performance to begin. Iwatched as about 300 peo-ple slowly filled in the pews,and I wondered about them. The woman who sat to-

ward the front with abrightly colored bag thatsaid, "Celebrate." Who wasshe? Had she lost a child?A blond teenage girl wear-

ing a blue Newtown, CTsweatshirt sat a few pews infront of me. Did she have asister or brother killed?A mother, father and

daughter sat directly infront of me. Had theyknown any of the teacherswho died?All the people there were

affected, I am sure. All werein need of love, prayers andhealing.The lights darkened, and

as narrator Mr. Burgessbegan with "In the name ofthe Father, and the Son and

the Holy Spirit." The audi-ence joined in with "Amen."One of the players sang ahaunting rendition of "WereYou There?" Then, a beauti-ful scene with the studentplaying Jesus standing withhis arms extended, a cruci-fix lit by white light on thewall above and behind him.The players stood up as he"called" them, moving outfrom the audience, and theplay began.

Emotional responseSitting in the dark, I found

myself emotionally movedseveral times, as was mostof the audience.I heard Mr. Burgess talk

about how we all have expe-rienced Good Friday in ourlives, and how sometimesGood Friday doesn't alwayscome just on Good Friday.For this community, it cameone Friday morning in mid-dle December. As in the Pieta, with Mary

holding her Son, mourningand suffering and lovingHim, I am sure the commu-nity identified. I saw the daughter in front

of me rest her head on hermother, and the father em-brace both with his arms. Iheard the sounds of quiettears around me. A womannext to me put her face inher hands. And I cried too. Icried and prayed for all,players and congregationand community. Once again, I believe I felt

the Holy Spirit move withinme. I felt my heart expandto include all those in thechurch, and all those whoweren't. Those who werehurt by the tragic shooting.The whole community. A mother's love encom-

passes all, and I wishedthere was a way for me toput my arms around all ofthem. Physically, this is im-possible. So, I did it withprayer. I enfolded them intoMary's heart of a motherwith my prayers, and lovefor them..

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

The Mystery Players of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown are pictured on the altar of St Rose of Lima Church in Newton,Conn. They performed before a congregation that continues to mourn the loss of children and teachers at Sandy Hook ElementarySchool in December, 2012. NCC writer Kristina Dean reflects on her experience of the unique presentation.

A STORY OF FAITH

From Watertown to Newtown

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4Mr. Burgess reminded us

that Easter Sunday alwaysfollows Good Friday. Ithought of how God is al-ways with us, there for us,listening to us. And, whenwe suffer with Him, we alsojoin Him in His resurrection.During the play, many of

the players were emotionalalso; they felt the commu-nity's pain, and we couldsee their tears. Applausebroke out from the crowdduring the beautiful mo-ment when Jesus appearedin white, smiling, and resur-rected. Then the players stood in

the aisles, and extendedtheir arms, palms down,over the congregation andprayed over them.Mr. Burgess said they

would pray for their inten-tions, that night and longer.The students moved amongthe audience, saying "Peace

be with you," and many inthe congregation huggedthem.

As the performance andprayer finished, the entire au-dience stood and gave theplayers a standing ovation.

As the performance andprayer finished, the entireaudience stood and gave theplayers a standing ovation.One of the students sharedwith me that it was the firsttime it happened.Afterward, many people

stayed to talk to the stu-dents. I saw lots of hugs,and I heard laughing. Iclosed my eyes and thankedGod for His blessings andgifts.

I felt so blessed to be apart of something so beauti-ful. When two or more of usare gathered in His name,

there is love.And there was love with

us in the church that night.God bless the Mystery Play-ers of IHC for their sacrifice,their prayers and their love. May the people of New-

town continue to heal fromtheir Pieta, their Good Fri-day. May they be blessed,and may they find theirEaster Sunday, the promiseof God that joy and loveawaits them.

From WatertownA P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4

N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C8 commentarySCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

After-Easter stories open hearts, heal hurtsThe Sundays and week-

days after Easterprovide some of themost exciting sto-ries in the New Tes-tament. They tellsus how the unex-pected appearancesof Jesus changedthe doubts andfears of the apostlesinto rock-like faithin him. These stories

transformed theapostles completely,and without hesita-tion, they spent their liveseven to martyrdom, fulfill-ing the Mission Jesu s hasgiven them.This Sunday’s first reading

is a sermon of Peter on theday of Pentecostwhen the HolySpirit had comeupon him. Nolonger was Peterafraid to identifyhimself publicallyas a follower. Now,he raises his voicefearlessly before avast crowed to pro-claim the power ofthe life, death, andresurrection of JesusChrist. He skillfully con-

nects the prophecies of theOld Testament with theteaching and deeds of Jesusto convince his hearers Heis indeed the Son of God.

We are told that, becauseof Peter’s preaching, overfive thousand were baptizedthat day! As Jesus hadtransformed the apostles, sowill he change the hearts ofall who believe.

In the second readingfrom a letter of St. Peter, wehave a sample of the catech-esis of the early Church.Peter urges all who believethat they are now a part ofChrist, redeemed by the Pre-cious Blood of God, to con-duct themselves withreverence. In the Gospel, we hear a

dramatic story. It is aboutJesus in the guise of astranger, walking with twovery discouraged disciples

on the road to the little vil-lage of Emmaus. Without a clue as to what

the events of the past fewdays really mean, they nar-rate the facts to theStranger. After listening pa-tiently, He says to them,“Oh, how foolish you are !How slow of heart to believeall that the Prophets spoke.Was it not necessary that

the Christ should sufferthese things and enter intohis glory?” Then he opens their

hearts and minds to under-stand. Finally, he enters anInn to have a meal withthem. Astonished, they rec-ognize Him in the breakingof bread (the Eucharist),even as He vanishes fromtheir sight. Now full of joy,they run back to Jerusalemto tell the others.Through these stories

today, we can have our owneyes opened and our ownhurts healed. May thesedays after Easter help tostrengthen our faith andhope as it did the Apostles.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

Third Sunday of EasterREADINGS

Acts 2: 14, 22-331 Peter 1:17-21Luke 24:13-35

MAY 4

OUR READERS WRITEAbortion recovery awareness

Coerced Abortion:Pregnant, kicked out of the house, iso-

lated, alone. Nowhere to go, no one tohelp, no money, no job, nothing, despera-tion, feeling backed into a corner, fearthat those you love, and are supposed tolove you back, threaten to reject you fur-ther if you didn’t do what they wanted, ahusband who threatens to leave, aboyfriend who proclaims love, andspeaks of another child when you are“ready.”

The pressures of society, money, jobs,

school…the silent coercions that placefear in your heart, weaken your will orworse yet, do not allow you to thinkthings through. You, who felt the ulti-mate act of abandonment by those youloved, then give in to the ultimate act ofabandonment by aborting the personyou are called to love, your unborn child.Ironic. Many women don’t even realizethey were coerced. It can be unbearableto see the truth of someone you love, soyou would rather convince yourself itwas your idea.

“Most women are socially aborted

before they ever step foot into a clinic”,The Jericho Plan by David Reardon. Thisgreat ‘freedom of choice” has often leftus with no choice. Emotionally aborted,we then do the unthinkable in partici-pating in the deaths of our own children.

The good news is that this abandon-ment can often be the very catalyst thatcalls to the heart of Jesus and healing.He who suffered the ultimate abandon-ment knows well the suffering of ourhearts, and it is this suffering which al-lows us to recognize our dependence onHim.

As we bring awareness to the horrorof coerced abortion, may we equallybring awareness to Mercy Himself whoassures us we have “a right before oth-ers” to trust in His unfathomable mercy,forgiveness and love.

NANCY BELZILEWILLSBORO

We welcome letters from readers ofthe North Country Catholic.•We cannot accept letters whichsupport ideas which are contrary tothe teachings of the CatholicChurch.•Send letters to North CountryCatholic, PO Box 326, Ogdensburg,NY, 13669 or e-mail tonews@northcountrycatholic.org

Letters to the Editor

OGDENSBURG - A Women ofGrace retreat weekend, di-rected by EWTN personalityJohnnette Benkovic, will beheld June 27-29 at WadhamsHall.Mrs. Benkovic is the

founder and president of

Woman of Grace, a Catholicapostolate whose mission is“to transform the world onewoman at a time by affirm-ing women in their dignityand vocation as daughters ofGod and in their gift of au-thentic femininity.”

Exploring all aspects of the"feminine genius," Women ofGrace “promotes the dignityof woman, the gift of truewomanhood, woman's fun-damental call and mission inthe world, and presents theBlessed Virgin Mary as theexemplar of all women.” Women of Grace informs,

instructs, and inspireswomen through its manyoutreaches including Womenof Grace radio and televisionprograms, the Women ofGrace Study Program, theBenedicta Leadership Insti-tute for Women, conferencesand retreats, and a new, in-teractive website,www.womenofgrace.com.The theme for the Ogdens-

burg retreat is “To JesusThrough Mary… ‘For Such aTime as This’ (Esther 4:14)” The weekend will include

four presentations by Mrs.Benkovic, the celebration ofthe Eucharist, Adoration ofthe Blessed Sacrament,prayer, music and time forfellowshipThe registration form is

available atwww.rcdony.org/wogregFurther information is

available from Mary Dillen-b a c k ,marydillenback@twcny.rr.com, Phone: 315-771-1377.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C6 Diocesan Life

May 1 – 12 p.m., Mass at St. Mary'sCathedral

7 p.m., Confirmation at St. Augus-tine's Church in Peru

May 2 – 10:50 a.m., Mass at St.Joseph's Home in Ogdensburg

May 4 – 11 a.m., Confirmation at St.Paul's Church in Black River

May 6 – 9:30 a.m., Episcopal CouncilMeeting at the Bishop's Residence inOgdensburg7 p.m., Confirmation at St. Peter's

Church in Lowville

Bishop’s Schedule

Caring for the sacred gift of water

Holy Saturday Liturgy during theblessing of water, the priest prayed “OGod, whose Spirit in the first mo-ments of the world’s creation hoveredover the waters, so that the very sub-stance of water would even then taketo itself the power to sanctify….”, wesee the integral connection of waterwith our physical life and our spirituallife through baptism. Did you know that only 5% of

water on the earth is not salt water?The average person needs about 21gallons of water a day for our stan-dard of living? In the world’s poorestcountries, people use just 2.5 gallonsa day to wash, clean and cook? Howmany gallons do you think you use aday?Some Tips for Conserving Water:Kitchen: Cook food in as little

water as possible. Saves water and re-tains more of the nutrientsWash your produce in the sink or a

pan that is partially filled with waterinstead of running water from tapTo thaw food by placing in cold

water rather than running waterKeep pitcher of water in fridge

rather than running water for colddrinksBathrooms: Water saving devices

on showers, low-flow flush toilets* 2/3 of water used in average US

home is used in bathroom. Much of itis consumed by the toilet, which re-quires 4-6 gallons per flush. Try plac-ing a liter bottle or brick in your toiletwater tank.

Environmental Stewardship

The Diocese of Ogdensburg hasscheduled sessions for ProtectingGod's Children for Adults.Pre-registration online is required inorder to participate. Participantsmay preregister at www.virtus.orgby selecting the registration buttonand following the directions. All employees and volunteers whoparticipate in church sponsored ac-tivities with minor are required toparticipate in this training. Further information is availablefrom Atonement Sister Ellen Don-ahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.Upcoming programs:May 6 - 6:30 p.m., Kateri Hall, Akwe-sasne

Protecting God’s Children

This week marks the anniversary of the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served in the Diocese of Ogdensburg

April 30 – Rev. Michael W. Holland,1906; Rev. Louis Grenier, M.S.C., 1958May 1 – Rev. Joseph J. Halde, 1891;Rev. Edward P. Burns, 1985May 2 – Rev. Jean Marie Royer, O.M.I.,1905; Rev. Joseph M. Blais, 1948; Rev.Leon LaPorte, 1954; Rev. BurchardMurray, O.S.A., 1966May 3 – Rev. Cormac Walsh, O.F.M.,1977May 4 – Rev. J. Napoleon Pelletier,O.M.I., 1935May 6 – Rev. P. A. Lynch, O.S.A., 1927

Rest in Peace

If you have a complaint of suspectedmisconduct involving diocesanclergy, religious, employees or volun-teers, contact Victims Assistance Co-ordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult& Youth Counseling Services ofNorthern New York, PO Box 2446,Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: ayc-snn@yahoo.com; Phone: 518-569-0612; Fax: 518-425-0401 or Father James Seymour, the Epis-copal Vicar for Clergy at 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340

To Report Abuse

Registration open forWomen of Grace retreat

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C world/nation 7

AT A GLANCE

CATHOLICWORLDLetters left at John Paul's tomb show pilgrims see him as friend VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Every day, countless visitors to the tomb of Blessed JohnPaul II in St. Peter's Basilica leave letters and notes addressed to him. "Somewere obviously prepared with care the evening before and written on formalstationery with an old-fashioned fountain pen," said Elisabetta Lo Iacono at anews conference April 22 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Otherletters, she said, are improvised, scratched even with an eyebrow pencil onscraps of paper such as a coffee bar receipt. After Blessed John Paul was in-terred -- first in the grotto of the basilica and later in a side chapel -- Vaticanemployees collected the letters and notes left on his tomb every night. Lo Ia-cono, who teaches mass media at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St.Bonaventure in Rome, was given access to the letters by Cardinal Angelo Co-mastri, the archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica. "People sought a dialogue withthe pontiff," she said. "They saw the pontiff as a friend in whom they couldconfide, the father who could help them find the strength to go onto the rightroad when they felt lost."

Archbishop says visit to troops in Afghanistan 'deeply moving' WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After returning from a Holy Week pastoral visit to U.S.troops in Afghanistan, the head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Serv-ices said it was "deeply moving" to spend time "with that portion of my flockwhich is serving the cause of peace and development" in that country. "Thevisits to many military communities gave me an opportunity to fulfill my roleas pastor," Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio said in an April 24 statement. It wasthe first trip to Afghanistan by any U.S. military archbishop. His predecessor,then-Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, visited troops in Iraq in December 2003.Archbishop Broglio went to Afghanistan April 15-21 at the invitation of Gen.Joseph F. Dunford Jr. of the U.S. Marine Corps, who is commander of the Inter-national Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. According to anews release from the archdiocese, Archbishop Broglio visited with Catholicservicemen and women still deployed at all eight major U.S. military bases inAfghanistan and in all four regions of the country, which has been at war nowfor more than 12 years. He also spent time with each of the 13 Catholic mili-tary chaplains currently in the country.

Catholic education is everybody's 'task,' cardinal says PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington told Catholiceducators in Pittsburgh for the National Catholic Educational Association's an-nual convention that "education is the task of all of us." The April 22-24 con-vention and expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was expected todraw more than 6,000 participants, including teachers, administrators, cate-chists, priests and professors. Speaking on the new evangelization in theopening day's keynote, the cardinal highlighted the importance of theCatholic Church's educational ministry and the need for church leaders andeducators to working together to ensure Catholic education will help futuregenerations learn about the Gospel and encounter Jesuit Christ. "In our struc-tured, organized religious education efforts, Christ's voice is heard today andhis Gospel announced," he said. In welcoming Cardinal Wuerl, the attendeeswere welcoming a local boy home. A Pittsburgh native, he was bishop of Pitts-burgh for 18 years before being named to head the Washington Archdiocesein 2006. He became a cardinal in November 2010.

VATICAN LETTER

Holy Fathers: Is being popea shortcut to sainthood?

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "They call me Holy Fatherand that is what I must be," the future St.John XXIII wrote in his diary. A nun who worked in the papal apart-

ments with the future St. John Paul II sawhim tired one day and said, "I'm worriedabout Your Holiness." And he responded, "I,too, am worried about my holiness." Most Catholics would agree the church

needs holy and saintly popes, but as theApril 27 Mass for the canonization ofBlesseds John and John Paul approached,some questioned the need to canonizethem. The debate is not new. Shortly after

Blessed John Paul died in 2005 and PopeBenedict XVI waived the five-year-waitingperiod before his sainthood process couldopen, a respected Italian journalist wrotethat canonizing popes was a way for "theRoman hierarchy to canonize itself." But one of the most authoritative and pro-

ductive experts in the church's saint-pro-claiming process, Jesuit Father PaoloMolinari, said in 2008 that "recent popeshave not been proposed for sainthood justbecause they were popes, but because peo-ple recognized in them an excellent way ofliving as Christians." Another criticism revolves around the

quick pace of the sainthood process forpopes, especially for Blessed John Paul.Questions have been raised about how it ispossible in such a short time to thoroughlyinvestigate a candidate's life and writings,not to mention the enduring devotion of thefaithful. Msgr. Slawomir Oder, postulator or pro-

moter of Blessed John Paul's sainthoodcause, was asked by media April 22 aboutreports that the pope had ignored evidencethat Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, thelate founder of the Legionaries of Christ,had been sexually abusing minor seminari-ans and leading a double life. The postulator said the Vatican, as part of

the canonization process, insisted those re-ports be investigated. He said investigatorsdetermined "there exists no sign of the per-sonal involvement of John Paul II." In Blessed John Paul's sainthood cause, he

added, the dispensation of the five-yearwaiting period "was the only exception"made from the normal procedure called forin church law. Blessed John Paul, who beatified and can-

onized a record number of Catholics, oftenexplained that the church solemnly recog-nized certain holy men and women so the

Catholic faithful would have models to imi-tate. On a practical level, he urged the Con-gregation for Saints' Causes to devote moretime and energy to identifying, studyingand speeding up the sainthood processesfor laypeople, especially married couples,because modern Catholics needed thosemodels. The saints may be models, but they are

not angels, and the priests formally promot-ing the causes of the two popes acknowl-edged that fact. "John XXIII was aware of his defects ... and

his own limits," including his "good ap-petite" and struggle losing weight, saidFranciscan Father Giovangiuseppe Califano.He said Blessed John had a self-deprecatingsense of humor, which made him "more en-dearing." "John Paul II had defects like every man,"

Msgr. Oder said. "True holiness lies in a per-son, responding to God's grace, correctinghis defects," which in the case of BlessedJohn Paul included sometimes being mercu-rial or brusque. "He reacted," sometimes tooquickly, the monsignor said. At a Vatican briefing for the media, Msgr.

Oder said, "It's true there are currents op-posed to the canonization of popes," but heargued that all canonizations are good forthe church because they demonstrate thatindividuals really can fulfill the call to holi-ness and are "a tangible sign of the church'sspiritual fruitfulness." "It would be absurd to have a pope who

evangelizes and doesn't arrive at holinesshimself," Msgr. Oder said. In addition, St. John Paul will remain "a

point of reference for his successors, butnot only for them," he said. Karol Wojtyla,the future pope and saint, pursued holinessas a student, an actor, a quarry worker, apoet, priest and bishop -- and many peoplecan find inspiration in his life. Father Califano, postulator of the cause of

Blessed John, said it is obvious the vast ma-jority of Catholics never will be called to im-itate his holiness in being pope, but theycan imitate his "desire to belong to theLord." The Franciscan works mostly on the

causes of other Franciscans, but occasion-ally promotes other causes as well, includ-ing the recently beatified 19th-centuryQueen Maria Christina of Savoy. "Recently I've had the joy of proposing for

the veneration of the church both a queenand a pope. Obviously, they led totally dif-ferent lives, but in fulfilling the call of everybaptized Christian, the call to holiness, theyare similar," he said. Popes are not canonized because they are

popes, but because they lived exemplaryChristian lives, Father Califano said.

OGDENSBURG - A Women ofGrace retreat weekend, di-rected by EWTN personalityJohnnette Benkovic, will beheld June 27-29 at WadhamsHall.Mrs. Benkovic is the

founder and president of

Woman of Grace, a Catholicapostolate whose mission is“to transform the world onewoman at a time by affirm-ing women in their dignityand vocation as daughters ofGod and in their gift of au-thentic femininity.”

Exploring all aspects of the"feminine genius," Women ofGrace “promotes the dignityof woman, the gift of truewomanhood, woman's fun-damental call and mission inthe world, and presents theBlessed Virgin Mary as theexemplar of all women.” Women of Grace informs,

instructs, and inspireswomen through its manyoutreaches including Womenof Grace radio and televisionprograms, the Women ofGrace Study Program, theBenedicta Leadership Insti-tute for Women, conferencesand retreats, and a new, in-teractive website,www.womenofgrace.com.The theme for the Ogdens-

burg retreat is “To JesusThrough Mary… ‘For Such aTime as This’ (Esther 4:14)” The weekend will include

four presentations by Mrs.Benkovic, the celebration ofthe Eucharist, Adoration ofthe Blessed Sacrament,prayer, music and time forfellowshipThe registration form is

available atwww.rcdony.org/wogregFurther information is

available from Mary Dillen-b a c k ,marydillenback@twcny.rr.com, Phone: 315-771-1377.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C6 Diocesan Life

May 1 – 12 p.m., Mass at St. Mary'sCathedral

7 p.m., Confirmation at St. Augus-tine's Church in Peru

May 2 – 10:50 a.m., Mass at St.Joseph's Home in Ogdensburg

May 4 – 11 a.m., Confirmation at St.Paul's Church in Black River

May 6 – 9:30 a.m., Episcopal CouncilMeeting at the Bishop's Residence inOgdensburg7 p.m., Confirmation at St. Peter's

Church in Lowville

Bishop’s Schedule

Caring for the sacred gift of water

Holy Saturday Liturgy during theblessing of water, the priest prayed “OGod, whose Spirit in the first mo-ments of the world’s creation hoveredover the waters, so that the very sub-stance of water would even then taketo itself the power to sanctify….”, wesee the integral connection of waterwith our physical life and our spirituallife through baptism. Did you know that only 5% of

water on the earth is not salt water?The average person needs about 21gallons of water a day for our stan-dard of living? In the world’s poorestcountries, people use just 2.5 gallonsa day to wash, clean and cook? Howmany gallons do you think you use aday?Some Tips for Conserving Water:Kitchen: Cook food in as little

water as possible. Saves water and re-tains more of the nutrientsWash your produce in the sink or a

pan that is partially filled with waterinstead of running water from tapTo thaw food by placing in cold

water rather than running waterKeep pitcher of water in fridge

rather than running water for colddrinksBathrooms: Water saving devices

on showers, low-flow flush toilets* 2/3 of water used in average US

home is used in bathroom. Much of itis consumed by the toilet, which re-quires 4-6 gallons per flush. Try plac-ing a liter bottle or brick in your toiletwater tank.

Environmental Stewardship

The Diocese of Ogdensburg hasscheduled sessions for ProtectingGod's Children for Adults.Pre-registration online is required inorder to participate. Participantsmay preregister at www.virtus.orgby selecting the registration buttonand following the directions. All employees and volunteers whoparticipate in church sponsored ac-tivities with minor are required toparticipate in this training. Further information is availablefrom Atonement Sister Ellen Don-ahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.Upcoming programs:May 6 - 6:30 p.m., Kateri Hall, Akwe-sasne

Protecting God’s Children

This week marks the anniversary of the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served in the Diocese of Ogdensburg

April 30 – Rev. Michael W. Holland,1906; Rev. Louis Grenier, M.S.C., 1958May 1 – Rev. Joseph J. Halde, 1891;Rev. Edward P. Burns, 1985May 2 – Rev. Jean Marie Royer, O.M.I.,1905; Rev. Joseph M. Blais, 1948; Rev.Leon LaPorte, 1954; Rev. BurchardMurray, O.S.A., 1966May 3 – Rev. Cormac Walsh, O.F.M.,1977May 4 – Rev. J. Napoleon Pelletier,O.M.I., 1935May 6 – Rev. P. A. Lynch, O.S.A., 1927

Rest in Peace

If you have a complaint of suspectedmisconduct involving diocesanclergy, religious, employees or volun-teers, contact Victims Assistance Co-ordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult& Youth Counseling Services ofNorthern New York, PO Box 2446,Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: ayc-snn@yahoo.com; Phone: 518-569-0612; Fax: 518-425-0401 or Father James Seymour, the Epis-copal Vicar for Clergy at 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340

To Report Abuse

Registration open forWomen of Grace retreat

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C world/nation 7

AT A GLANCE

CATHOLICWORLDLetters left at John Paul's tomb show pilgrims see him as friend VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Every day, countless visitors to the tomb of Blessed JohnPaul II in St. Peter's Basilica leave letters and notes addressed to him. "Somewere obviously prepared with care the evening before and written on formalstationery with an old-fashioned fountain pen," said Elisabetta Lo Iacono at anews conference April 22 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Otherletters, she said, are improvised, scratched even with an eyebrow pencil onscraps of paper such as a coffee bar receipt. After Blessed John Paul was in-terred -- first in the grotto of the basilica and later in a side chapel -- Vaticanemployees collected the letters and notes left on his tomb every night. Lo Ia-cono, who teaches mass media at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St.Bonaventure in Rome, was given access to the letters by Cardinal Angelo Co-mastri, the archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica. "People sought a dialogue withthe pontiff," she said. "They saw the pontiff as a friend in whom they couldconfide, the father who could help them find the strength to go onto the rightroad when they felt lost."

Archbishop says visit to troops in Afghanistan 'deeply moving' WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After returning from a Holy Week pastoral visit to U.S.troops in Afghanistan, the head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Serv-ices said it was "deeply moving" to spend time "with that portion of my flockwhich is serving the cause of peace and development" in that country. "Thevisits to many military communities gave me an opportunity to fulfill my roleas pastor," Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio said in an April 24 statement. It wasthe first trip to Afghanistan by any U.S. military archbishop. His predecessor,then-Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, visited troops in Iraq in December 2003.Archbishop Broglio went to Afghanistan April 15-21 at the invitation of Gen.Joseph F. Dunford Jr. of the U.S. Marine Corps, who is commander of the Inter-national Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. According to anews release from the archdiocese, Archbishop Broglio visited with Catholicservicemen and women still deployed at all eight major U.S. military bases inAfghanistan and in all four regions of the country, which has been at war nowfor more than 12 years. He also spent time with each of the 13 Catholic mili-tary chaplains currently in the country.

Catholic education is everybody's 'task,' cardinal says PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington told Catholiceducators in Pittsburgh for the National Catholic Educational Association's an-nual convention that "education is the task of all of us." The April 22-24 con-vention and expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was expected todraw more than 6,000 participants, including teachers, administrators, cate-chists, priests and professors. Speaking on the new evangelization in theopening day's keynote, the cardinal highlighted the importance of theCatholic Church's educational ministry and the need for church leaders andeducators to working together to ensure Catholic education will help futuregenerations learn about the Gospel and encounter Jesuit Christ. "In our struc-tured, organized religious education efforts, Christ's voice is heard today andhis Gospel announced," he said. In welcoming Cardinal Wuerl, the attendeeswere welcoming a local boy home. A Pittsburgh native, he was bishop of Pitts-burgh for 18 years before being named to head the Washington Archdiocesein 2006. He became a cardinal in November 2010.

VATICAN LETTER

Holy Fathers: Is being popea shortcut to sainthood?

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "They call me Holy Fatherand that is what I must be," the future St.John XXIII wrote in his diary. A nun who worked in the papal apart-

ments with the future St. John Paul II sawhim tired one day and said, "I'm worriedabout Your Holiness." And he responded, "I,too, am worried about my holiness." Most Catholics would agree the church

needs holy and saintly popes, but as theApril 27 Mass for the canonization ofBlesseds John and John Paul approached,some questioned the need to canonizethem. The debate is not new. Shortly after

Blessed John Paul died in 2005 and PopeBenedict XVI waived the five-year-waitingperiod before his sainthood process couldopen, a respected Italian journalist wrotethat canonizing popes was a way for "theRoman hierarchy to canonize itself." But one of the most authoritative and pro-

ductive experts in the church's saint-pro-claiming process, Jesuit Father PaoloMolinari, said in 2008 that "recent popeshave not been proposed for sainthood justbecause they were popes, but because peo-ple recognized in them an excellent way ofliving as Christians." Another criticism revolves around the

quick pace of the sainthood process forpopes, especially for Blessed John Paul.Questions have been raised about how it ispossible in such a short time to thoroughlyinvestigate a candidate's life and writings,not to mention the enduring devotion of thefaithful. Msgr. Slawomir Oder, postulator or pro-

moter of Blessed John Paul's sainthoodcause, was asked by media April 22 aboutreports that the pope had ignored evidencethat Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, thelate founder of the Legionaries of Christ,had been sexually abusing minor seminari-ans and leading a double life. The postulator said the Vatican, as part of

the canonization process, insisted those re-ports be investigated. He said investigatorsdetermined "there exists no sign of the per-sonal involvement of John Paul II." In Blessed John Paul's sainthood cause, he

added, the dispensation of the five-yearwaiting period "was the only exception"made from the normal procedure called forin church law. Blessed John Paul, who beatified and can-

onized a record number of Catholics, oftenexplained that the church solemnly recog-nized certain holy men and women so the

Catholic faithful would have models to imi-tate. On a practical level, he urged the Con-gregation for Saints' Causes to devote moretime and energy to identifying, studyingand speeding up the sainthood processesfor laypeople, especially married couples,because modern Catholics needed thosemodels. The saints may be models, but they are

not angels, and the priests formally promot-ing the causes of the two popes acknowl-edged that fact. "John XXIII was aware of his defects ... and

his own limits," including his "good ap-petite" and struggle losing weight, saidFranciscan Father Giovangiuseppe Califano.He said Blessed John had a self-deprecatingsense of humor, which made him "more en-dearing." "John Paul II had defects like every man,"

Msgr. Oder said. "True holiness lies in a per-son, responding to God's grace, correctinghis defects," which in the case of BlessedJohn Paul included sometimes being mercu-rial or brusque. "He reacted," sometimes tooquickly, the monsignor said. At a Vatican briefing for the media, Msgr.

Oder said, "It's true there are currents op-posed to the canonization of popes," but heargued that all canonizations are good forthe church because they demonstrate thatindividuals really can fulfill the call to holi-ness and are "a tangible sign of the church'sspiritual fruitfulness." "It would be absurd to have a pope who

evangelizes and doesn't arrive at holinesshimself," Msgr. Oder said. In addition, St. John Paul will remain "a

point of reference for his successors, butnot only for them," he said. Karol Wojtyla,the future pope and saint, pursued holinessas a student, an actor, a quarry worker, apoet, priest and bishop -- and many peoplecan find inspiration in his life. Father Califano, postulator of the cause of

Blessed John, said it is obvious the vast ma-jority of Catholics never will be called to im-itate his holiness in being pope, but theycan imitate his "desire to belong to theLord." The Franciscan works mostly on the

causes of other Franciscans, but occasion-ally promotes other causes as well, includ-ing the recently beatified 19th-centuryQueen Maria Christina of Savoy. "Recently I've had the joy of proposing for

the veneration of the church both a queenand a pope. Obviously, they led totally dif-ferent lives, but in fulfilling the call of everybaptized Christian, the call to holiness, theyare similar," he said. Popes are not canonized because they are

popes, but because they lived exemplaryChristian lives, Father Califano said.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4Mr. Burgess reminded us

that Easter Sunday alwaysfollows Good Friday. Ithought of how God is al-ways with us, there for us,listening to us. And, whenwe suffer with Him, we alsojoin Him in His resurrection.During the play, many of

the players were emotionalalso; they felt the commu-nity's pain, and we couldsee their tears. Applausebroke out from the crowdduring the beautiful mo-ment when Jesus appearedin white, smiling, and resur-rected. Then the players stood in

the aisles, and extendedtheir arms, palms down,over the congregation andprayed over them.Mr. Burgess said they

would pray for their inten-tions, that night and longer.The students moved amongthe audience, saying "Peace

be with you," and many inthe congregation huggedthem.

As the performance andprayer finished, the entire au-dience stood and gave theplayers a standing ovation.

As the performance andprayer finished, the entireaudience stood and gave theplayers a standing ovation.One of the students sharedwith me that it was the firsttime it happened.Afterward, many people

stayed to talk to the stu-dents. I saw lots of hugs,and I heard laughing. Iclosed my eyes and thankedGod for His blessings andgifts.

I felt so blessed to be apart of something so beauti-ful. When two or more of usare gathered in His name,

there is love.And there was love with

us in the church that night.God bless the Mystery Play-ers of IHC for their sacrifice,their prayers and their love. May the people of New-

town continue to heal fromtheir Pieta, their Good Fri-day. May they be blessed,and may they find theirEaster Sunday, the promiseof God that joy and loveawaits them.

From WatertownA P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4

N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C8 commentarySCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

After-Easter stories open hearts, heal hurtsThe Sundays and week-

days after Easterprovide some of themost exciting sto-ries in the New Tes-tament. They tellsus how the unex-pected appearancesof Jesus changedthe doubts andfears of the apostlesinto rock-like faithin him. These stories

transformed theapostles completely,and without hesita-tion, they spent their liveseven to martyrdom, fulfill-ing the Mission Jesu s hasgiven them.This Sunday’s first reading

is a sermon of Peter on theday of Pentecostwhen the HolySpirit had comeupon him. Nolonger was Peterafraid to identifyhimself publicallyas a follower. Now,he raises his voicefearlessly before avast crowed to pro-claim the power ofthe life, death, andresurrection of JesusChrist. He skillfully con-

nects the prophecies of theOld Testament with theteaching and deeds of Jesusto convince his hearers Heis indeed the Son of God.

We are told that, becauseof Peter’s preaching, overfive thousand were baptizedthat day! As Jesus hadtransformed the apostles, sowill he change the hearts ofall who believe.

In the second readingfrom a letter of St. Peter, wehave a sample of the catech-esis of the early Church.Peter urges all who believethat they are now a part ofChrist, redeemed by the Pre-cious Blood of God, to con-duct themselves withreverence. In the Gospel, we hear a

dramatic story. It is aboutJesus in the guise of astranger, walking with twovery discouraged disciples

on the road to the little vil-lage of Emmaus. Without a clue as to what

the events of the past fewdays really mean, they nar-rate the facts to theStranger. After listening pa-tiently, He says to them,“Oh, how foolish you are !How slow of heart to believeall that the Prophets spoke.Was it not necessary that

the Christ should sufferthese things and enter intohis glory?” Then he opens their

hearts and minds to under-stand. Finally, he enters anInn to have a meal withthem. Astonished, they rec-ognize Him in the breakingof bread (the Eucharist),even as He vanishes fromtheir sight. Now full of joy,they run back to Jerusalemto tell the others.Through these stories

today, we can have our owneyes opened and our ownhurts healed. May thesedays after Easter help tostrengthen our faith andhope as it did the Apostles.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

Third Sunday of EasterREADINGS

Acts 2: 14, 22-331 Peter 1:17-21Luke 24:13-35

MAY 4

OUR READERS WRITEAbortion recovery awareness

Coerced Abortion:Pregnant, kicked out of the house, iso-

lated, alone. Nowhere to go, no one tohelp, no money, no job, nothing, despera-tion, feeling backed into a corner, fearthat those you love, and are supposed tolove you back, threaten to reject you fur-ther if you didn’t do what they wanted, ahusband who threatens to leave, aboyfriend who proclaims love, andspeaks of another child when you are“ready.”

The pressures of society, money, jobs,

school…the silent coercions that placefear in your heart, weaken your will orworse yet, do not allow you to thinkthings through. You, who felt the ulti-mate act of abandonment by those youloved, then give in to the ultimate act ofabandonment by aborting the personyou are called to love, your unborn child.Ironic. Many women don’t even realizethey were coerced. It can be unbearableto see the truth of someone you love, soyou would rather convince yourself itwas your idea.

“Most women are socially aborted

before they ever step foot into a clinic”,The Jericho Plan by David Reardon. Thisgreat ‘freedom of choice” has often leftus with no choice. Emotionally aborted,we then do the unthinkable in partici-pating in the deaths of our own children.

The good news is that this abandon-ment can often be the very catalyst thatcalls to the heart of Jesus and healing.He who suffered the ultimate abandon-ment knows well the suffering of ourhearts, and it is this suffering which al-lows us to recognize our dependence onHim.

As we bring awareness to the horrorof coerced abortion, may we equallybring awareness to Mercy Himself whoassures us we have “a right before oth-ers” to trust in His unfathomable mercy,forgiveness and love.

NANCY BELZILEWILLSBORO

We welcome letters from readers ofthe North Country Catholic.•We cannot accept letters whichsupport ideas which are contrary tothe teachings of the CatholicChurch.•Send letters to North CountryCatholic, PO Box 326, Ogdensburg,NY, 13669 or e-mail tonews@northcountrycatholic.org

Letters to the Editor

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C entertainment 9

AT THE MOVIES

CAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER

By Joseph McAleer Catholic News Service

The big guy with the red,white and blue shield re-turns to save the planet in"Captain America: The Win-ter Soldier" (Disney), a rous-ing follow-up to two films,2011's "Captain America:The First Avenger" and2012's "The Avengers." This 3-D popcorn movie is

sure to please fans of theMarvel Comics superherowith its patriotic, gung-hotone and grandiose actionsequences. But screenwrit-ers Christopher Markus andStephen McFeely, whopenned the first CaptainAmerica script, expand theirhorizons with a smart andtimely story touching on na-tional security, governmentsurveillance and the price offreedom. At times, the picture has

the feel of an old-fashionedconspiracy thriller like"Three Days of the Condor"or "All the President's Men" -- a comparison reinforced,perhaps, by the presence ofRobert Redford, who starredin both those movies, in amajor role.

For those unfamiliar withthe Marvel universe, a briefrecap: Captain America, akaSteve Rogers (Chris Evans),was a 98-pound weaklingtransformed into a he-manfighting machine by the U.S.government during WorldWar II. He leads a successfulcampaign against a terroristorganization, then goes tosleep in a cryogenic statefor 70 years. Thawed out in the current

century, Captain America isrecruited by the intelligenceagency S.H.I.E.L.D. (SupremeHeadquarters, InternationalEspionage, Law-EnforcementDivision) to defend Earthfrom an alien invasion. Hissidekicks include Iron Manand the Incredible Hulk. "Captain America: The

Winter Soldier" takes placetwo years after "TheAvengers." Rogers is livingin Washington, struggling tofit in, a man (literally) out oftime and place. He takes hisorders from two S.H.I.E.L.D.bigwigs, Nick Fury (SamuelL. Jackson) and AlexanderPierce (Redford). Fury and Pierce are at

odds over Pierce's pet proj-ect, a plan to circle theplanet with massive "heli-

carriers" -- think aircraft car-riers with wings and pro-pellers -- equipped withsuper-intelligence gadgetryto root out and destroy se-curity threats. Fury suspectsa hidden agenda, and fearsthat innocent people may bethe real targets. Before you can say "Ka-

pow!" Pierce unleashes hisfury on Fury, who narrowlyescapes death. He warnsRogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasbeen compromised, and noone can be trusted. So it's Captain America to

the rescue, as he tries to un-cover the conspiracy, withthe help of two comrades:fellow Avenger Natasha Ro-manoff, aka Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson), and anew buddy, Sam Wilson (An-thony Mackie), who earnshis moniker "Falcon" thanksto a nifty pair of mechanicalwings. But the baddies have a

super warrior of their ownwho goes by the name ofthe Winter Soldier (SebastianStan). It seems he and Cap-tain America have met be-fore, and have a lot more incommon than a penchantfor masks and costumes. Co-directors - and broth-

ers - Anthony and Joe Russo("You, Me and Dupree") han-dle the requisite (and noisy)action scenes with flair, al-though these may be too in-tense for younger viewers.But the siblings are to becommended for the manyquieter moments they in-clude, which allow the audi-ence to catch its breath andthe characters to developamid witty repartee. "How do we tell the good

guys from the bad guys?"

Falcon asks. Replies CaptainAmerica: 'If they're shootingat you, they're bad." The film contains intense

but largely bloodless vio-lence, including gunplay.The Catholic News Serviceclassification is A-II -- adultsand adolescents. The Motion Picture Associ-

ation of America rating isPG-13 -- parents stronglycautioned. Some materialmay be inappropriate forchildren under 13.

CNS PHOTO/DISNEYChris Evans stars in a scene from the movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C4 Diocesan Life

By Kristina DeanStaff writer

NEWTOWN, CONN. - Drivingthrough rolling green hillsand pretty white fences,passing an American flagflying at the top of a pole inthe town square, I thinkNewtown Conn. looks likeany other Americana town. Trees are beginning to

bud, and late afternoon sunslants, lighting the townwith golden beams.Attached to the town's

welcome sign, is a secondsmaller sign that labels thecommunity as "heart safe."Ironically, this communityhas not felt "heart safe"since December 14, 2012.Rosary in hand, as I drove

to St. Rose of Lima CatholicChurch, I took a right turnonto Churchill Road, andimmediately before thechurch's parking lot I saw asign that said, "Sandy Hook1 Mile." My heart felt like astone in my chest.On April 16, Wednesday of

Holy Week, the MysteryPlayers from ImmaculateHeart Central School, Water-town, traveled to St. Rose ofLima Catholic Church toperform their Lentenprayer/performance of thePassion of Jesus. I wasblessed to be able to attend.This congregation con-

tains eight families that ex-perienced the loss of aloved one that tragic day.The entire church and com-munity have been reelingsince that December morn-ing when Adam Lanza shotand killed 20 children andsix adult staff members atSandy Hook ElementarySchool in the village ofSandy Hook in Newtown.Prior to entering the school,the 20-year-old shot andkilled his mother, Nancy, attheir home, and as first re-sponders arrived at theschool, he committed sui-cide.Mystery Players director

Terry Burgess was able to

arrange for the IHC seniorsto perform for the commu-nity. Prior to the Newtownperformance, the playershad been to Christ Our LightChurch in Loudonville, NY;Holy Family CatholicChurch in Nazareth, Penn.;St. John the Baptist Churchin Ottsville, Penn.; and Na-tivity of Our Lord Church inMonroe Township, NJ.

A circle of prayerBefore the play, my oldest

son and I joined the stu-dents for prayer. We satamong them, a part of theirprayer circle, supportingthem with our prayers. Before every performance,

the players say specialprayers and reflect on onescene of the play. Today'sscene was the Pieta - thescene when Jesus is takendown from the cross, andlays dead, scarred andbruised in Mary's arms. A tremendously powerful

scene, it is made even moreso by the tragic events oflast year. This communityhas experienced the Pietafor quite a while.The players prayed and

reflected on what this scenemight mean to the commu-nity. After performing thePassion many times formany churches, they under-stand the power of thisscene; they feel Mary's sor-row, the pain felt by allmothers who have lost chil-dren, even though theythemselves are not mothers.

As they prayed it dawnedon me, although all femalesare spiritual mothers, withthe ability to carry Jesus intheir hearts to others, I wasthe only physical mother inthe room, with my son atmy side. And somehow, asthey spoke of their love fortheir own mothers, and ofMary's love for her Son, I ex-perienced something beauti-ful. I believe Mary, ourBlessed Mother, movedwithin my heart, filling mewith compassion and lovefor these 17- and 18-year-olds, who were missingtheir mothers and familiesafter their week-long trip. I just wanted to hug them.

They, who have given somuch time toward bringingJesus's Passion, prayers andhealing to others, are sobeautiful. And rare. And

loved by God. Sitting there, listening to

the mystery players pray forthe Newtown/Sandy Hookcommunity, I couldn't helpbut love them..

Filling the pewsAfter the prayers, we sat

in the church and waited forthe performance to begin. Iwatched as about 300 peo-ple slowly filled in the pews,and I wondered about them. The woman who sat to-

ward the front with abrightly colored bag thatsaid, "Celebrate." Who wasshe? Had she lost a child?A blond teenage girl wear-

ing a blue Newtown, CTsweatshirt sat a few pews infront of me. Did she have asister or brother killed?A mother, father and

daughter sat directly infront of me. Had theyknown any of the teacherswho died?All the people there were

affected, I am sure. All werein need of love, prayers andhealing.The lights darkened, and

as narrator Mr. Burgessbegan with "In the name ofthe Father, and the Son and

the Holy Spirit." The audi-ence joined in with "Amen."One of the players sang ahaunting rendition of "WereYou There?" Then, a beauti-ful scene with the studentplaying Jesus standing withhis arms extended, a cruci-fix lit by white light on thewall above and behind him.The players stood up as he"called" them, moving outfrom the audience, and theplay began.

Emotional responseSitting in the dark, I found

myself emotionally movedseveral times, as was mostof the audience.I heard Mr. Burgess talk

about how we all have expe-rienced Good Friday in ourlives, and how sometimesGood Friday doesn't alwayscome just on Good Friday.For this community, it cameone Friday morning in mid-dle December. As in the Pieta, with Mary

holding her Son, mourningand suffering and lovingHim, I am sure the commu-nity identified. I saw the daughter in front

of me rest her head on hermother, and the father em-brace both with his arms. Iheard the sounds of quiettears around me. A womannext to me put her face inher hands. And I cried too. Icried and prayed for all,players and congregationand community. Once again, I believe I felt

the Holy Spirit move withinme. I felt my heart expandto include all those in thechurch, and all those whoweren't. Those who werehurt by the tragic shooting.The whole community. A mother's love encom-

passes all, and I wishedthere was a way for me toput my arms around all ofthem. Physically, this is im-possible. So, I did it withprayer. I enfolded them intoMary's heart of a motherwith my prayers, and lovefor them..

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

The Mystery Players of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown are pictured on the altar of St Rose of Lima Church in Newton,Conn. They performed before a congregation that continues to mourn the loss of children and teachers at Sandy Hook ElementarySchool in December, 2012. NCC writer Kristina Dean reflects on her experience of the unique presentation.

A STORY OF FAITH

From Watertown to Newtown

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 3

Bishop Terry R. LaValleyhas annoucned that gener-ous contributions from over10,400 donors to the 2013Bishop’s Fund Appeal havepushed the total cash re-ceived and pledges promisedbeyond the $1,275,000 goal. At this time, 97.7% of the

goal has actually been re-ceived with $52,404.01 inpledges yet to be fulfilled. Bishop LaValley said, “I

join my prayers of gratitudewith those of the many indi-viduals and families of ourNorth Country who, at a timeof crisis and struggle in theirlives, have benefited fromsuch generosity. I am partic-ularly appreciative of the

strong leadership and per-sonal sacrifice of our pastorswho support this critical ap-peal each year.”

Contributions from over10,400 donors have

pushed the total cashreceived and pledgespromised beyond the

$1,275,000 goal

Currently 56 parishes havereached the parish Bishop’sFund goal and 33 parisheshave reached the parish par-ticipation goal.Valerie MatheWs, director

of the Bishop’s Fund, said.“Please continue to pray forthe success of this year’s ap-peal, remembering that anyfunds raised over our goalwill be used to further sup-plement the Bishop’s GoodSamaritan Fund. “The Bishop’s Good Samar-

itan Fund provides emer-gency assistance to familiesand individuals across theDiocese,” she said. “In thepast few months alone, sup-port of the Bishop’s Fund hasprovided emergency assis-tance to multiple familiesand individuals struggling topay rent and heating costs,medical expenses and gro-cery bills.

A local parishioner re-cently wrote, “Thank you andthe people of the NorthCountry for your exception-ally generous check to a fam-ily in my parish. Your giftwas the initial shower thatturned into a flood of dona-tions. Not only was the fam-ily able to get heating fueland pay bills but a washingmachine was donated. Thiswife and mother was doinglaundry by hand for eightpeople. “At the same time, her hus-

band is receiving chemotreatments,’ the parishionersaid. “ Thank you for remem-bering them in your prayers.”“This assistance is only

possible because of the gen-erosity of parishionersacross the Diocese who giveto the Bishop’s Fund Appeal,”Mrs. Mathews said. “If youhave made a gift to thisyear’s Appeal, thank you onbehalf of all whom we serve,” Those who have not made

a gift or wish to make an ad-ditional gift, should mail do-nations to: The Bishop’sFund Appeal, PO Box 150,Ogdensburg, NY 13669 ormake a donation online atwww.rcdony.org/develop-ment . Those Whohave made a

pledge to this year’s appeal,are encouraged to completethe pledge by June 15, 2014.

2013 Bishop’s Fund Appeal reaches goal

GOOD FRIDAY WALK

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN SORENSENScores of Christians from throughout Watertown took part in the Carrying of the Cross Walk on Good Friday.Above, left, Cheryl Gray, front, and Tirsa Welbourn carry the cross from Trinity Episcopal Church to St. Patrick's

Church. At right, Eric Zapp holds the cross during prayer at Holy Family Church, one of fourteen stops on theannual walk.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C10 around the diocese

CATHOLIC MEN’S GROUPSaranac Lake – A Catholic Men’s Groupmeets on the first Saturdays of themonth for a time of fellowship, prayer,and discussion. Time: 8 a.m. to 10Place: St. Bernard’s ChapelFeatures: Mass followed by coffee and

refreshment, discussion and prayer.Contact: Fr. Mark Reilly,518-891-4616.

QUILT CLASSEllenburg Center – The Lost Sheep QuiltShop will have a quilt class.Date: May 24Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerCost: $25 Features: Quilt uses a jelly roll and bor-

der fabric and is built block-by-block.Contact: Register at thelostsheepquilt-

shop@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253.Limit 12.

CDA PAST REGENTS MEETINGMorrisonville - The diocesan CatholicDaughters of the Americas Past RegentsChapter to hold spring meeting.Date: May 3Time: 11:30 a.m. Place: St. Alexander’s Parish HallCost: $10 for the LuncheonContact: Anna Lucia at 518-492-7246 or

lmudduck@aol.com by April 25. Annualdues can be paid at this time and aLadies Basket will be raffled.

HEALING MASSEllenburg Center – Our Lady of theAdirondacks is holding a Healing Mass.Date: May 17Time: 10:30 a.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerFeatures: Fr. Doug Decker presiding. The

Mass will be followed by an opportunityfor individual prayer by our prayer min-istry team. Donations appreciated.Contact: RSVP by May 14 to olaprayer-

house@gmail.com or ph. 518-594-3253if you plan on staying for the light lunch

IGNATIAN RETREATEllenburg Center – An Ignatian Retreat,Discernment of Spirits to be held.Date: May 31 beginning at 10 a.m. to

June 1 ending at 5 p.m.Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks

House of PrayerCost: Suggested donation for the week-

end is $60. Overnight guests add $50.

Features: Father Jack Downs will be theRetreat Director. This time of prayer andlearning will be based on St. Ignatius ofLoyola's Rules for Discernment and de-ception in the spiritual life. St. Ignatiusshowed how we can discern or distin-guish between one thing and another;God, angels, the evil one, worldly influ-ences, human weakness. Contact: Register for the retreat by May

25 by emailingolaprayerhouse@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253. Rooms available for overnightguests on a first come basis.

BLESSED SACRAMENT ADORATIONKeeseville - There is Adoration of theBlessed Sacrament every Sunday.Time: 1 p.m. to 4Place: Immaculate Conception Church

HEALING MINISTRYMorrisonville - The Catholic Communityof St. Alexander's and St. Joseph's announces the addition of Living WatersHealing Ministry to the Parish. Date: First Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Place: St. Alexander’s ChurchFeatures: Healing Mass, Sacrament of

the Anointing of the Sick, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and an opportu-nity to receive individual prayer.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONPlattsburgh – Eucharistic Adoration is held throughout the year every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.Place: St. John’s “Holy Family” Adoration

Chapel, downstairs

Time: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email

Sjohnsadoration@aol.com

LATIN MASSConstable - A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Friday with Fr. HowardVenette as the celebrant.Time: 5:30 p.m.Place: St. Francis of Assisi Church

SPAGHETTI SUPPERWatertown – St. Anthony’s Altar RosaryChurch will be having Spaghetti Supper.Date: May 29Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7 Place: Msgr. Sechi HallCost: Adults, $8; children $4.50; under 3,

free; sauce, $5 per quart meatballs are$.75F eatures: Take-out orders begin at 4

p.m. Please bring your own containers.

LIFERIGHT MEETINGWatertown - Liferight of Watertownmeets third Wednesday of the Month.Time: 4 p.m. Place: 312 Sherman St.Features: The office has materials on

infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasiaand chastity. Contact: Phone 315-788-8480; website:

www.liferight.org.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONWatertown - Holy Family Church is hold-ing holy hours of Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations

Schedule: Monday through Friday fol-lowing the 9 a.m. Mass at Holy FamilyChurch (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.),

CHICKEN BBQCopenhagen – St. Mary’s will be havinga TAKE Out ONLY chicken BBQ.Date: May 4Time: NoonCost: $8.00 Dinner; $5 Half Chicken

ST. PETER’S MAY FESTIVALLowville – Plans are underway for St.Peter’s May FestivalDate: May 16-18Place: Lewis County Fair GroundsFeatures: Ontario Amusement Carnival

rides. Saturday matinee with unlimitedrides from 1 p.m. to 5. The festival willfeature homemade food specialties in-cluding Shiskabob, Pizza, Clam Chowder,. Other booths will include “This-n-That”,a Giant Bake Sale, and Games for allages. Fri. is the Grand Opening at 5 p.m.,Sat. there is the ride special, Calk Walk at2 p.m. and R19 Band from 7 p.m. to 10.Sun. there is the Chicken Barbecue.please contact Bob Mullin or St. Peter’sChurch Office (376-6662) to reserve yourchicken or the whole dinner. At 3 pm,the drawings begin for cash prizes total-ing $2000.

BULLHEAD FEEDHarrisville –The Knights of Columbuswill be sponsoring a Bullhead Feed.Date: May 9Time: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30Place: Harrisville Fire HallCost: Adults, $11 for Fish, $9 for Ham;

Children 5-12, $6; under 5, FreeFeatures: Choice of Ham or Bullheads.

Take-outs available.

MAY DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy devotions forthe month of May have been set.Date: May 4Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: Vespers (evening prayer), ex-

position of the Blessed Sacrament, Di-vine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction

HOLY FAMILY MEGA REUNIONMassena – Join classmates at the firstever Holy Family High School Mega Re-union.Date: Aug. 16Time: 5 p.m.Place: The Village InnCost: $40 per person payable to HFH

Mega ReunionFeatures: Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres,

entertainment and cash bar. Additionalactivities for Aug. 15 and 16 will be listedat http://holyfamil-massena.webs.comContact: Ray Fenton at 315-250-4445.

RSVP by May 16

POTSDAM LIFECHAINPotsdam – A Lifechain is planned for theday before Mother’s Day.Date: May 10Time: 1 p.m. to 2Place: Downtown Potsdam along Mar-

ket and Main Sts. We will gather around12:45 p.m. at the parking lot across MainSt. from the Roxy Theater.Features: Life Chain will happen re-

gardless of the weather. Don’t forgetchairs, hats and water.

INTERNATIONAL ROSARYThere will be a continuous praying of theRosary throughout the world.Date: May 4Time: 2 p.m.Place: St. Mary’s Cathedral ChapelFeatures: We encourage Legion of Mary

Auxiliary Members and other interestedpersons to participate with Legion ofMary members by praying twentydecades of the Rosary. The intention isfor “World Peace, Life, and Family.” OurBlessed Mother is a force for Faith. Whobetter to lead and guide us than she whois the Mother of Faith. Pray alone, withfamily, or with friends. There are noother requirements. We encourage youto take part in this wonderful opportu-nity to join in prayer with our brothersand sisters, all over the world, who willbe praying for these intentions.

ST. JAMES CARNIVALGouverneur – St. James Church to hostCarnival.Date: May 8, 9, & 10Features: Rides, games, food, fried

dough all three days. Bingo May 9 at 7p.m., doors open at 6. Craft fair May 10from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

K of C BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: May 11Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;

Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outsavailableMenu: Pancakes, French Toast, Scram-

bled Eggs, Homefries, Ham, Sausage, CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

The North County Catholicwelcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”. Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:

North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 1-866-314-7296;

e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.

Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCE

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 11

OBITUARIESBurke – Howard “Curt” Barrett, 83; Fu-neral Services April 23, 2014 at St.George’s Church; burial in RidgewayCemetery.

Burke – Ralph C. Boileau, 93; FuneralServices April 23, 2014 at St. George’sChurch; burial in St. Francis Assisi Ceme-tery, Constable.

Carthage – Patrick A. Wilton, 84; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at the Bezanilla-McGraw Funeral Home; burial in St.James Cemetery.

Champlain – Andrew “Papa June”Juneau, 87; Funeral Services April 23,2014 at St. Mary’s Church; burial in St.Mary’s Cemetery.

Chazy – Ada E. (Pearo) Vassar, 87; Fu-neral Services April 22, 2014 at SacredHeart Church.

Ellenburg – Carl J. Nephew, 91; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at St. Edmund’sChurch.

Hogansburg – Pauline M. (White) Boots,78; Funeral Services April 21, 2014 at St.Regis Church.

Louisville – Helen A. (Vari) Santamont,91; Funeral Services April 25, 2014 at St.Lawrence Church; burial in CalvaryCemetery.

Long Lake – Florence “Micki” Smith, 96;Memorial Services May 25, 2014 at St.Henry’s Church.

Lowville – Diane S. Peters, 83; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at St. Peter’sChurch; burial in Beaches Bridge Ceme-tery.

Lowville – Sherwood J. “Sherb” Potter,84; Funeral Services April 25, 2014 at St.Peter’s Church; burial in Black RiverCemetery.

Malone – Alice (Fogg) Ballard, 95; Fu-neral Services April 21, 2014 at St.

Joseph’s Church.

Malone – Donald W. Moore, 80; FuneralServices April 24, 2014 at the St. Mary-Murphy-Wilcox Funeral Home; burial inMorningside Cemetery.

Massena – Elizabeth D. (Bartholomew)Burt, 90; Funeral Services April 22, 2014at Phillips Memorial Home.

Mooers Forks – James D. Marbut, 58; Fu-neral Services April 21, 2014 at St. Ann’sChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Morrisonville – Paul W. Pardy, 51; Memo-rial Services April 26, 2014 at St. Alexan-der’s Church.

Ogdensburg – Sherry L. (Epprecht)Bouchey, 42; Funeral Services April 26,2014 at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home.

Ogdensburg –Yvonne Renee (Lalonde)Johnson, 58; Funeral Services April 23,2014 at Notre Dame Church; burial in St.Paul’s Cemetery, Bloomingdale.

Plattsburgh – Louva Ann (Trombley)Jones, 72; Funeral Services April 22, 2014at St. Peter’s Church; burial in Whispering

Maples Memorial Gardens.

Port Leyden – Bernard Scheve, 81; Fu-neral Services April 22, 2014 at St. Mar-tin’s Church.

Potsdam – Josephine “Jo” (Sells) Freer,74; Funeral Services April 28, 2014 at St.Mary’s Church.

Potsdam – Ferald R. Prentice, 75; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch.

Waddington – Richard Condlin; FuneralServices April 22, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Waddington – Paul N. Sharlow, 71; Fu-neral Services April 24, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Watertown – Doris M. (Campbell)Fitzgerald, 90; Funeral Services April 21,2014 at Our Lady of the Sacred HeartChurch; burial in Glenwood Cemetery.

Watertown – Donald C. Sullivan, 89; Fu-neral Services April 26, 2014 at the Cum-mings Funeral Home, Inc.; burial inIndian River Cemetery.

The Pontifical Mission Societies of theDiocese of Ogdensburg, Inc.The Society for the Propagation of the FaithSr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director

622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669(315) 393-2920; fax 1-866-314-7296mbrett@rcdony.org

If you spend enough time trying to provide hope andbasic life needs for those who live and work in the MissionWorld, you become quite familiar with the concept of Faith.Faith is the vehicle that provides us with a solid foundationof hope or expectation of fulfillment or success in what weare striving to achieve, obtain or transform. Hope and Faithare not only required to be a dutiful servant to the Missions,but they are required of us as believers in our Catholic Reli-gion. The Holy Father calls on us to establish our Creed

through stating our beliefs and Faith in the One, HolyCatholic and Apostolic Church. Our Missions priests acrossthe globe also spread this teaching as they endeavor eachday to strengthen the bonds of Catholicism throughout thedeveloping world. To believe in our loving and forgivingGod, we are required to nurture our Faith and Hope in whatwe cannot see or control. When we state our professions ofFaith, we agree to loving one God, a God that we truly be-lieve is there for us to pray to, to worship and call uponwhen in despair. We believe in the Holy Spirit that shows usthe communion of saints, the forgiveness of our sins, andthe resurrection of the body.Bringing people in touch with the reason for all our hope

and faith is Jesus Christ. He is the heart of the Church’smission. The Catholic Church in mission countries is oftenthe only source of hope, faith and help for the poor and vul-nerable. Through their work, local priests, religious and laycatechists reflect this hope-filled Good News in a world ofneed. As this Easter Season draws to an end, we ask you toreflect on why we have our faith and hope. It is because ofour Risen Lord. Just as we are called to Baptism, to bemissionaries of the Risen Lord to the developing world theyneed your prayers and your help! They already have yourHope and your Faith.

With faith, allgood things come

Local men at the St. Martin de Porras parish Palm Sunday services in Mollendo, Peru,April 2014.

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

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It’s always a good day in theDiocese of Ogdensburgwhen we can announcethat the Bishop’s Fundhas met its goal.It’s true. The 2013

Bishop’s Fund Appealhas raised – in moneyreceived and moneypledged – more than$1.275 million to sup-port all the importantministries in ourmidst.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, thediocesan Department of YouthMinistry was able to sponsor

Saturday’s Youth Rally in Wa-tertown, offeringCatholic kids thechance to hear goodspeakers, meet theirbishop and grow infaith together.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, parentsacross the diocese canmake the choice tosend their children toCatholic Schools nextSeptember.Because of the

Bishop’s Fund, GoodSamaritan donations are made– in our name – to neighbors

in desperate need.And that’s just the begin-

ning. This week, our young peo-

ple are encouraged to regis-ters for a week at CampGuggenheim. Next month, our priests will

gather in Lake Placid for theannual Presbyteral Assembly. Over the next couple of

weeks, Bishop LaValley willtravel all across the diocese toconfirm our teenagers.Bishop’s Fund money is put

to work for all these endeav-ors – and so much more.Of course, the final total

does indeed include pledgesnot yet received – more than$54,000 worth - so this week’sannouncement was made witha bit of faith that they’ll all becompleted.That means that even those

who haven’t pledged mightconsider adding a new orextra gift. After all, as Bishop’s Fund

director Valerie Mathewspoints out, any funds raisedover the goal will be used tofurther supplement theBishop’s Good Samaritan Fundand that’s not a bad use foranyone’s charitable donations!

Everything changed with theResurrection of Jesus. Theapostles, frightened and dis-turbed by the crucifixion ofJesus, now discovered new lifethrough Christ’s Resurrection.The apostles found hope andconfidence – the readiness andwillingness to continue all thatJesus had begun. On the Pentecost, the Holy

Spirit will give them the powerthey will need to speak andteach boldly. Through the Res-urrection of Jesus they willfind the life, the new life to ac-complish it all.The apostles had suffered so

much as they witnessed thesufferings and crucifixion ofJesus. They were certainlyconfused and disappointed. Isuspect they experienced somedespair. Everything seemed tobe falling apart. Then camethe resurrection of Jesus andeverything changed. Theywere then filled with hope andconfidence.This is our story. Each Easter

– as we remember and cele-brate Christ’s Resurrection – weshould go through a real con-version. Like the apostles,many of us need new hope andconfidence in our Church andin the spirit and message ofJesus. Our Church needs that new

life, that new spirit, that enthu-

siasm that can demonstrate thelove and concern for all thatJesus brought to this world. Have you lost some of your

enthusiasm for your faith?Turn to the Lord in his resur-rection this Easter Time; hearhis call to your importance inmaking the Catholic Churchmore alive. May our enthusiasm reach

those who have lost faith in theCatholic Church – may they re-turn to their home.This year, we, Catholics, have

a new example to follow in theenthusiastic character of ourHoly Father, Pope Francis.There is no doubt that he isbringing a very new spirit ofhope and confidence to ourCatholic Church. Pope Francispresents the world an out-standing example of simplicityand dedication in the spirit ofOur Savior. His spirit is a callto all of us Catholics to havethe confidence in God that wecan make a difference. I prayoften that God will grant a long

life to Pope Francis.Pope Francis speaks often,

challenging us all, priests andpeople, to bring this new lifeinto our parishes. In his hom-ily, at this year’s Chrism Massat the Vatican, Pope Francisurged the priests of the worldto be more dedicated and tobring Christ’s message of loveand concern to all with enthu-siasm. He urged all priests touse their ministry to bring newlife to our Church. Pope Francis challenged us

priests to live out our ordina-tion by the way we live ourlives – personally. We must belike Pope Francis: a model tothe people of our parishes, amodel of love and concern inunion with the Church andwith our Pope. As the People of God, all of

you, lay men and lay women,baptized into the CatholicChurch are also called to dis-cover your new life in the spiritof Our Risen Lord. May you re-alize all that you can bring anddo for your parish and for theChurch Universal. So, as weagain celebrate Christ’s resur-rection, I pray that you willfind new hope and confidencein your ability to bring newspirit and new life to yourparish. The Resurrection of Jesus

should bring that new hope to

us all. May you also betouched deeply by the enthusi-asm and spirit of Our Holy Fa-ther, Pope Francis, and find theconfidence that you can makeyour parish a better place andmake our Catholic Church allthat it can be to be a powerfulinfluence on our world.It all starts with Baptism.

Baptism brings us the gift offaith and also the gift of hope.That virtue of hope makes aperson desire eternal life, thatis, the heavenly vision of God. This Hope gives the confi-

dence of receiving the gracenecessary to reach Heaven.Hope is the desire for all that isgood – for all that can bring usto God. Hope brings us all thegood things that can help us inour road to becoming a saint.Hope must become a habit

and desire for us in our effortto live a good Christian life inthe spirit of Our Savior. Hopeis the virtue that can give to usall – priests and people – theability to become an enthusias-tic group of believers that willhave a profound influence onthe future of our Church. I urge you all to join me in

prayer that our Church, youand I, will be overwhelmed bythe hope and confidence thatwill fill us with the enthusiasmto bring this new life into ourCatholic Church.

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C2 Diocesan Life

REV. JOSEPH A. MORGANVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

EDITOR’S NOTE

Great day for the North Country church!

Mary LouKilian

A PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

The Resurrection: it changes everything!

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C12 around the diocese

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

BIBLE STUDYOgdensburg – St. Mary’s Cathedral ishold an eight session program “A QuickJourney Through The Bible.”Date: Starting June 25Place: Bishop Brzana HallFeatures:Deacon Dave Sandburg will bepresenting the program created by JeffCavins, a renowned bible scholar, formerBaptist pastor, and Lighthouse CatholicMedia featured speaker. This is an 8week primer and overview to Studyingthe Bible Timeline. For more informa-tion, to watch a short video introduction,and to register for this course, go to http://www.saintmaryscathedral.net/bible-study

DINNER AND SHOWOgdensburg - Notre Dame Altar &Rosary is sponsoring a bus trip to theSyracuse Oncenter.Date: June 4Cost: $120 per person (includes showticket, bus fare, and dinner at Spaghetti

Warehouse restaurant.)Features: Performance of Million DollarQuartet. at 7:30 p.m.. Inspired by theelectrifying true story of the famedrecording session that brought togetherrock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, JohnnyCash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.Contact: Call Cherie @393-5050 or 393-7158 or Joyce @528-1819.

HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONSOgdensburg - St. Mary’s is holding amonthly Holy Hour for Vocations.Date: Thursday before the First FridayTime: 7 p.m. concluding with Benedic-tion at 8 p.m. Place: Deacon Winter Chapel

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPMassena – Sacred Heart/St. Lawrenceholds a Bereavement Support Group lastTuesday of each month.Time: 2 p.m.Place: Sacred Heart ConventFeatures: A gathering of those whohave had a recent loss of a loved one.Contact: 315-769-3137

NOVENA FOR MILITARYOgdensburg - Notre Dame Church isholding a Weekly novena for the safetyof U.S. military personnel at a new time.Date: Tuesday afternoonsTime:1:30 p.m.

5KWALK/RUNMassena - The 2nd Annual Glory in ourHearts 5K Walk/Run to Remember willbring together walkers and runners, for aheart healthy fundraiser to support the2014 outreach activities of the Glory inour Hearts Foundation. Date: May 3Time: 9 a.m.Place: Robert Moses State Park PicnicArea at Barnhart IslandFeatures: Stroller and child friendly 5Kevent. Visit website at http://www.glo-ryinourhearts.org/5k.html for more in-formation.

COMMUNITY FREE LUNCHOgdensburg – The Knights of ColumbusCouncil 258 is starting its community free lunch program again.

Date: Every WednesdayTime: Noon

LATIN MASSPotsdam – A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Sunday Time: 12:30 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONMassena – St. Mary’s & St. Joseph’s holdBenediction and Adoration every Fridaymorning.Time: 9 a.m. to 10Place: St. Mary’s Family Room

WOMEN OF GRACE RETREATOgdensburg – Women of Grace Retreatto be held again for a spirit filled week-end retreat.Date: June 27-29Place: Wadhams HallSpeaker: Johnnette Benkovic, of LivingHis Life AbundantlyFeatures: The weekend will be filled

with the celebration of the Eucharist,

Adoration, prayer, talks, music, and sa-cred sisterhood. The theme of the retreatis To Jesus Through Mary…“For Such ATime As This...” (Esther 4:14). Through-out this weekend, Johnnette will unfoldthe truths of authentic femininity leav-ing a lasting imprint on minds, hearts,and souls Contact: Mary Dillenback at marydil-

lenback@twcny.rr.com or call 315-771-1377.

DIRECTED RETREATOgdensburg – The annual summer di-rected retreat has been plannedDate: June 15-21Place:Wadhams Hall Retreat CenterDirectors: Rev. Roger McGuinness, Sr.Bethany Fitzgerald, SSJ; Sr. Marlene But-ler, G.N.S.H.Features: The directed retreat is offeredin an atmosphere of silence, while givingthe opportunity for daily one-on-onemeeting with a spiritual director, andMass each day.Contact: Call Wadhams Hall at (315)393-4231 or emailinquiry@wadhams.edu

ST. LAWRENCE

DIOCESAN EVENTS

PARISHES HELP NEIGHBORS IN NEED

Members from the Altar Rosary Society's of St. Ann's Church Wells and St. JamesChurch Lake Pleasant gathered together on April 3, 2014 to fill gift bags for our neigh-bors in need. The group made colorful cloth draw string bags and collected personalcare items to distribute. members are Pam Broiles, Maryellen Stofelano, Edna Rew,Marguerite McAuliffe, George Lancaster, Katie Smith, Mikayla Darling and RosemaryTracy (taking photo). The group express gratitude “to our pastor, Father Sony Pulickalwho continues to inspire us in our service to our Lord Jesus and to Director of CatholicCharities, Sister Donna Franklin for supporting us in this project.”

At St. Lawrence/St. Patrick’s Parishes in the Brasher Falls/North Lawrence area, the Gabriel Project Angels have been very busy mov-ing. They recently moved across the hall at St. Patrick’s Parish Center into 2 adjoining rooms. Due to the growth of the program andthe generous donations that this group receives, they outgrew the previous area that they occupied! At the present time, the GabrielAngels are gearing up for their Spring Clothing Exchange where they hope to help at least 30 families. Here in one of their newrooms are some of the Gabriel Angels. Back row left to right: Debbie Beckstead, Judy Austin, Nicole Villnave, Coordinator DonnaSteenberg & Kathy Kirschner who is the Room Coordinator. Seated is Nancy Hammill. Missing from photo is Lisa Evans, Adele Finazzo,Lucille Jock, Barb Berninghausen, Cathy Hance & Kristy McGill.

Around

CATHOLICNORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 69, Number 4

APRIL 30, 2014

INSIDETHIS ISSUEThe Resurrection:it changes everything l PAGE 2

Is being a pope ashortcut to becoming asaint? l PAGE 7

BISHOP’S FUND

Mystery Players inNewtown, Ct.

Womenof Grace

Appeal reaches2013 goal

READY FOR THE BIG DAY!

GUGGENHEIM It’s time to register for a week of summer camp... p. 5

Risen Jesus is source of life

FULL STORY, PAGE 3

Bishop Terry R. LaValley has an-nounced that contributions fromover 10,400 donors to the 2013Bishop’s Fund Appeal have pushedthe total cash received andpledges promised beyond the$1,275,000 goal. At this time,97.7% of the goal has actuallybeen received with $52,404.01 inpledges yet to be fulfilled. TheBishop's Fund Appeal provides fi-nancial assistance to the vitalministries of the Diocese of Og-densburg. The following areamong the ministries supported:Catholic education, social con-cerns, spiritual life, priest, deaconand lay education; and religiousformation.

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARINGBanners depicting Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII hang from the facade of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 25. Thebanners were hung the morning of April 25 in advance of the April 27 canonization of the two popes. Full coverage of the can-onization will be published in next week’s NCC.

Registration is open for

retreat weekend featuring

Johnnette Benkovic

On April 16, Wednesday ofHoly Week, the Mystery Play-ers from Immaculate HeartCentral School, Watertown,traveled to St. Rose of LimaCatholic Church to performtheir Lenten prayer/perfor-mance of the Passion ofJesus. This congregation con-

tains eight families that ex-perienced the loss of a lovedone Dec, 12, 2012 whenAdam Lanza shot and killed20 children and six adultstaff members at SandyHook Elementary School inthe village of Sandy Hook inNewtown.FULL STORY, PAGE 4

FULL STORY, PAGE 6

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Too often peo-ple are fixated on materialthings, money, power or sta-tus -- none of which can givelife and joy, Pope Francissaid. Christians need to examine

their lives with the questionthe angel asked the womenwho went to the tomb to

anoint the body of the buriedJesus: "Why do you seek theliving among the dead?" thepope said. At his weekly general audi-

ence April 23, Pope Francishad the tens of thousands ofpeople gathered in St. Peter'sSquare repeat the angel'sEaster question three times.

Sometimes, the pope said,people act as if "a dead Jesuswould be less of a botherthan a living Jesus," yet hisvictory over death is thesource of Christian hope andthe assurance that we, too,will live with him. When "weclose ourselves up in anykind of selfishness or self-

satisfaction, when we let our-selves be seduced by earthlypower and the things of thisworld, forgetting God andour neighbor; when we putour hopes in worldly vanity,money and success," he said,that is the time people mustask themselves the angel'squestion.