March 31, 2023

At a glance

March 31, 2023

Volume 32 • NUMBER 13

1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

704-370-3333

PUBLISHER

The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte

5things you need to know this week

MAKE THAT ANNUAL CONFESSION

Just a friendly reminder that the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1457 instructs us that “each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.” Need help discerning what to confess? Go online to www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/ sacraments-and-sacramentals/penance/ examinations-of-conscience

TRY AN APP TO PRAY THROUGH HOLY WEEK

Go deeper in prayer in the days leading up to Easter with the Hallow app. This Catholic prayer app offers audio-guided meditation sessions to help us grow in our faith and spiritual lives and find peace in God. Take advantage of the free trial during Holy Week at www.apps.apple.com/ us/app/hallow-prayer-meditation/id

1405323394

GET YOUR EASTER BASKETS BLESSED

STAFF

EDITOR: Spencer K. M. Brown

704-808-4528, skmbrown@charlottediocese.org

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704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

EDITORIAL TEAM: Kimberly Bender

704-370-3394, kdbender@charlottediocese.org

Annie Ferguson

704-370-3404, arferguson@charlottediocese.org

SueAnn Howell

704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

Troy C. Hull

704-370-3288, tchull@charlottediocese.org

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher

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An Eastern and Central European tradition of blessing your Easter Food baskets is a fun tradition to start! St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte and parishes around the diocese are encouraging the faithful to bring traditional foods such as sausages, eggs and bread – as well as that Easter ham and baskets of Easter candy – for a blessing on Holy Saturday, April 8. Go online to www. stacharlotte.com, or www. charlottediocese.org to find a parish near you.

Diocesan calendar of events

ESPAÑOL

VIÑEDO DE RAQUEL: ¿Es usted o un ser querido que busca la curación de los efectos de un aborto anterior? Los retiros de fin de semana son ofrecidos por Caridades Católicas para hombres y mujeres en todas las regiones de la Diócesis de Charlotte. Para obtener información sobre los próximos retiros, incluidos retiros en las diócesis vecinas, comuníquese con Karina Hernández: 336267-1937 o karinahernandez@live.com.

VIGILIA DE ADORACIÓN: 6 p.m. los jueves, en la Catedral San Patricio, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Nos reunimos para una Vigilia de Adoración por la Paz y la Justicia en Nicaragua, que en estos últimos meses están pasando por momentos turbulentos y ataques físicos contra la Iglesia Católica, sus templos, y sus Obispos. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse a la Adoración, rezar el Santo Rosario, la hora santa de reparación, y terminando con la oración de exorcismo de San Miguel Arcángel.

PRAYER SERVICES

BLESSING OF EASTER BASKETS AT ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH: 1 p.m. Holy Saturday, April 8. This Eastern and Central European tradition is also called “The Blessing of the Easter Baskets,” (or “Swieconka” in the Polish) and will last about 30 minutes. This tradition has become popular among all Catholics. The blessings will be in both English and Polish. Traditional foods, such as sausages, eggs, bread, and butter in the shape of a lamb are brought to the church, neatly arranged in a basket. However, every person of any nationality is invited to use their imagination and include their own national foods. Children can even bring their own baskets with their own treats, including chocolate and Easter candy. St. Thomas Aquinas Church is located at 1400 Suther Road in Charlotte. Contact Deacon James Witulski with any questions at 704-960-3704.

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY: 3 p.m. Sunday, April 16, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Veneration of the Divine Mercy image, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet,

ELEVATE THOSE EASTER LEFTOVERS

We’ve all done it. We’ve cooked enough for an army, and even after a couple of helpings on Easter Sunday, there’s still plenty of food left over. Find delicious recipes to make that Easter ham and other goodies taste even better on Easter Monday at www.allrecipes.com/ recipes/1880/holidays-and-events/easter/leftovers

NEW FILM ON POPE FRANCIS HITS THEATERS

A new documentary on Pope Francis’ pontificate, “In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis,” hits theaters March 31. The film (screenshot pictured above) gives an inside look at the pope’s travels over the past 10 years. The film is also available via online streaming platforms. Go to www.magpictures.com/inviaggio for details.

veneration and blessing by a first-class relic of St. Faustina Kowalska, and benediction are included. Following the hour, Cenacles of Divine Mercy invite all to the New Life Center Banquet Room for a reception. Details: www.stmatthewcatholic. org/divine-mercy-sunday.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: After 9 a.m. Mass every third Sunday at Mother Teresa Pro-Life Memorial, St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte.

HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

LUKE MISSION (UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH) : Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 3 p.m. Sundays at St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road, Arden. For details, email ucmcanton@gmail.com.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

PROTECTING CHILDREN: Protecting God’s Children (Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios) workshops educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register for online training, go to www. virtus.org. Upcoming workshops:

MOCKSVILLE: Noon Sunday, April 23, St. Francis of Assisi Church , 862 Yadkinville Road (en Español)

Upcoming events for Bishop Peter J. Jugis:

APRIL 2 – 11 A.M.

Palm Sunday Mass

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

APRIL 4 – 10 A.M.

Chrism Mass

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

APRIL 6 – 7 P.M.

Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

APRIL 7 – 3 P.M.

Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

APRIL 8 – 8:30 P.M.

Solemn Easter Vigil Mass

St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

Our faith

This Holy Week, meditate on Christ’s last words

As we head into Holy Week, Christians are preparing to immerse themselves in Christ’s Passion. Meditating on the final moments of Christ’s life, and His words spoken before He surrendered His life to God the Father, can take one deeper in prayer and contemplation leading up to the joy of Easter.

“A Place Called Golgotha: Meditations on the Last Words of Christ,” is the latest of 10 books by Catholic author and speaker Elizabeth M. Kelly. In this engaging and personal work, she considers all four Gospel accounts as she takes readers through Christ’s last words from the cross.

Throughout the book, Kelly weaves in stories from her own faith journey, as well as poignant and sometimes tragic moments from other people’s lives that drew them ever closer to Christ. She offers words of wisdom from the saints and creates the opportunity for selfreflection and prayer at the end of each of the seven chapters.

Also inside

PAGES 14-17: Read reflections about the Last Words of Christ from two exiled Nicaraguan priests

Kelly recently visited the Diocese of Charlotte, offering conferences during the Mary’s Women of Joy Lenten Retreat at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, March 17-20. Using this book on Christ’s last words as a guide, she led 150 participants on a journey of self-discovery and contemplative prayer.

“Lent is about understanding that the Father desires to change hearts,” she told the retreat participants. “It’s a turning from self and toward Him. … Part of living means carrying the cross and bringing light into the darkness.”

Kelly shared that growing up in Minnesota with farms all around, she noticed how seed planted in the dark soil would grow, breaking free of its shell, reaching toward the sun.

“It is in this manner that we approach meditating with the last words of Christ on the cross,” she said. “We enter into the darkness, trusting that there are spiritual nutrients to be extracted, nutrients that will help us grow through moments of darkness in our lives, graces and

Daily Scripture readings

APRIL 2-8

Sunday (Palm Sunday of the passion of the Lord): Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:1427:66; Monday: Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:1-11;

Tuesday: Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-33, 3638; Wednesday: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Matthew 26:14-25; Thursday (Holy Thursday):

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15; Friday (Good Friday): Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9, John 18:1-19:42; Saturday( Easter Vigil): Genesis 1:1-2:2, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18, Romans 6:3-11, Matthew 28:1-10

Don’t treat Jesus as an idea, invite Him into your heart

Like St. Paul, Christians must not only know Jesus with their heads but invite Him into their hearts through a personal encounter with Christ, Pope Francis said.

“An encounter with the Lord is what changed a life,” the pope said during his March 29 general audience in St. Peter’s Square in which he reflected on St. Paul’s conversion and praised him as a model of what it means to have a “passion for the Gospel.”

St. Paul participated in the persecution of early Christians before converting and founding several Christian communities.

Pope Francis said that St. Paul’s experience of Christ converted the saint’s zeal for the Jewish law as a Pharisee into a zeal for the Gospel and changed him from someone determined to destroy the Church into an apostle.

“Becoming Christian is not a type of makeup that alters your face,” said the pope. “True change takes place in the heart, and that’s what happened to Paul.”

He explained that while studying the faith has its value, developing a passion for the Gospel like St. Paul had is “not a matter of understanding or study,” but of lived experience.

“You can study all the theology you want. You can study the Bible, all that, and become atheist or worldly,” he said. “Studying is important, but it doesn’t generate a new life of grace.”

wisdom that will teach our souls to stretch upward, always in the direction of the Lord, to grow toward Him rather than away from Him to find our flourishing in His light.”

More online

At www.lizk.org : Order Elizabeth M. Kelly’s book, schedule her for a conference or find out more information about her blog and columns

Pope Francis warned against becoming a “refined Catholic” who, by focusing solely on following the Church’s commands, has developed an abstract idea of Jesus in their lives.

“If Jesus has not entered your life, it has not changed. You may be a Christian only externally,” he said. “The real Christian is the one who receives Jesus internally, that changes his heart,” he said.

Pope Francis then encouraged Christians to ask themselves: “What does Jesus mean to me?”

APRIL 9-15

Sunday (The Resurrection of the Lord): Acts 10:34a, 37-43, Colossians

“Have I let Him into my life? Or do I keep Him at arm’s length so that He does not come in? Have I let myself become changed by Him? Or is Jesus just an idea, a theology?” asked the pope.

When a Christian truly makes Jesus a central part of their life, said the pope, “they feel the fire, like Paul, to preach Jesus, to talk about Jesus, to help people and do good things.”

If one only has an abstract idea of Jesus, on the other hand, “they remain a theorist of Christianity,” said the pope.

diocese

Families share pain of loss in court, propose unusual sentence for drunk driver

CHARLOTTE — Grief, remorse, imperfect justice and a chance to make amends played out in a Mecklenburg County courtroom March 23 as a judge ruled in a drunk driving crash she called “one of the most tragic cases I’ve heard.”

The crash killed two women strolling together on a sidewalk – one a young immigrant mother, the other a Catholic Charities volunteer who was teaching her English.

It also upended the promising young life of the 21-yearold driver, James William Payne, who now will spend 16 to 29 months in prison, depending on his behavior, to be followed by 36 months’ probation.

The victims’ families were offended by the sentence: a mere 16 months for recklessly causing two deaths. Even the prosecutor acknowledged the plea bargain “doesn’t begin to cover their losses,” but explained that under North Carolina sentencing guidelines it was possible Payne could have received no jail time if the case had gone to trial.

“I’ve been working as a judge for 15 years, and this is by far one of the most tragic cases I’ve heard,” Mecklenburg Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams said of the Feb. 15, 2022, crash in east Charlotte.

“Two families lost loved ones – who were wives and mothers – then you have a young man who made a horrible decision to drink and drive and now here he stands about to go to prison at age 22. There are no winners in this.”

The judge then set the sentencing guidelines aside and ordered an additional penalty: Every three months during his three years of probation, she ruled, Payne must visit a school to tell his cautionary story to students who are not much younger than he is – in hopes that he might save lives in the future.

“Thank you, Your Honor!” one of the victims’ family members called out in the courtroom.

“You were 21 when this happened because of your poor choices,” the judge told Payne. “Speaking to high school or middle schools about the dangers of drinking and driving and the consequences … will make an impact.”

The novel sentence, she said, came at the suggestion of Christopher and Melissa Fernandez, whose mother, Dina, 75, was killed in the crash. A former nurse and devout Catholic who was always helping others, their mother believed strongly in “restorative justice,” which focuses on rehabilitating offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community.

MORE SERIOUS CHARGES DROPPED

In his deal with prosecutors, on the monthly occasion called “Homicide Day” when killers are cycled through Mecklenburg County Superior Court, Payne pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter. More serious charges – two counts of felony death by vehicle, which carry more prison time – were dismissed.

Prosecutors said Payne admitted to drinking two to three shots of alcohol on the morning of Feb. 15, 2022, and continued “sipping” that day, when he got behind the wheel. A little before 3 p.m., he was speeding and weaving through traffic on East W.T. Harris Boulevard when he clipped a pickup truck and sent it careening onto the sidewalk where Dina Fernandez was walking with her student, Nabila Rasoul, 23. Rasoul had escaped Afghanistan with her family just a few months earlier and was resettled in Charlotte by Catholic Charities.

Prosecutors said Payne’s blood alcohol level was .12, over the legal limit of .08. He was driving an estimated 60 mph in a 45-mph zone.

Seated at the defense table, Payne sobbed, his shoulders heaving. He held his head in his hands and lifted his glasses to wipe away tears as the families read “victim impact statements” to the court.

Ahmad Rasoul wept as he described how he and his family had survived suicide bombings, explosions and Taliban rule in Afghanistan. He had “breathed a sigh of relief” when they arrived in the United States,

only to see his wife Nabila killed in a senseless crash a few months later. She left behind a 4-month-old baby, and two other children aged 2 and 4.

“My Nabila is gone from our lives,” Rasoul said, his voice breaking. “The heat of her distance is forever painful for me and my children … (My son) is afraid of things that might hurt him or our family. My daughter still cries for her mom a year after her death. I have no one to help me every day with my three young children, to feed, bathe, brush teeth, change diapers, clean house, and laundry, or help when they are sick. And I am very lonely!”

Dina’s husband, Peter Fernandez, told the judge about the moment he got the news of her death:“When the police officer came to my home and announced to me that my wife died due to a car accident, I screamed at him saying that it could not be Dina,” he said, crying. “I ran through the house screaming that it couldn’t be true.”

In the impact statements, the Fernandez children asked the judge to order Payne to do something good: to tell his story to young people so they might learn from his crime.

‘JARRING PUNISHMENT’

Payne addressed the court, too, with a dozen family and friends filling two rows at the back of the court. Many of them also wept. When the judge asked a series of questions to be sure Payne understood the plea deal, unlike many defendants before him that day, he repeatedly responded: “Yes, ma’am.”

“I would first like to apologize to the families,’’ Payne told the court. “I was being irresponsible and I never should have been behind the wheel that day. I never should have been speeding down W.T. Harris where I struck the truck that killed two people. … I want to stay sober, to be sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

His lawyer said Payne was born to a substance-abusing mother and adopted as an infant. Despite some lingering

23, Fernandez reads his victim impact statement during the sentencing of the man who caused the crash.

health problems, he went on to graduate from Butler High School and establish a solid work record of three years at Sam’s Club. He recently completed a 30-day substance abuse treatment program, regularly attends AA meetings, and sought counseling for his own grief.

“We understand the victims’ families, the Rasoul family and Fernandez family, are unsatisfied with the amount of (prison) time here,” Payne’s lawyer Chris Fialko said. “But I would submit that the plea deal is going to give some jarring punishment to my client. For 16 months, he is going to be in prison. Then, three years’ probation will help him help himself.”

Judge Eady-Williams acknowledged those positive factors helped mitigate Payne’s crime. She also emphasized how everyone who had written letters in support of Payne’s character “apologized for the tragedy.”

“I see a lot of death and violence in this courtroom, and I rarely see such remorse from the families of the defendant,” the judge said.

Then, Payne was handcuffed and led away.

Outside the courthouse, after the sentencing, TV crews interviewed victims’ families.

Both families had good news earlier in the week. The Rasoul family was granted asylum to stay in the U.S. And the Fernandez family signed papers establishing an endowment at Queens University to honor Dina, a graduate. The endowment will pay for emergency expenses and internships for international students.

Dina’s daughter Melissa said she took a small measure of comfort from seeing Payne’s obvious remorse in the courtroom. She was grateful the judge had taken her family’s suggestion for the young man to begin making amends for his crime – and she thought her mother would be pleased, too.

“I have a daughter his age,” she said. “It made me feel just a little better.”

Young people from individual families and 26 parishes gathered March 25 for the Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey College. They enjoyed talks geared for specific age groups and music from Catholic singer Tori Harris Gray. Highlights of the event included Mass and a Eucharistic procession and Adoration led by Abbot Placid Solari.

Seminarian Education collection provides critical funding to meet tremendous growth in vocations

CHARLOTTE — The number of men studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte has tripled in the past seven years, creating a greater need for funding to support these 49 seminarians.

The Seminarian Education Collection taken up in all parishes at Easter, April 8-9, is one of the primary ways people can support seminarians and foster vocations to help meet the growing need for priests to serve the growing Catholic population.

The past 10 years have seen remarkable growth in the diocese: a 26% increase, from 58,500 registered households a decade ago to 73,700 in 2020. By 2025, diocesan officials project the number of registered households to be 86,800.

“For the past 25 years, the Seminarian Education Campaign has given faithful Catholics the opportunity to invest in the lives and ministry of our future priests,” said Bishop Peter Jugis in his annual letter to the faithful.

In the past decade, 20 priests have retired. Fourteen priests are already serving beyond the retirement age of 70. In the next 10 years, another 31 priests are expected to reach retirement age.

“Your financial gift will help prepare each of our young men to serve as priests in our diocese for an average of 40 years,” Bishop Jugis said.

Youth flock to annual pilgrimage for worship, talks, fun

BELMONT — Waking early on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, more than 850 young people traveled to Belmont Abbey College for the Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage March 25. Due to rain, the event was held indoors at the college’s Wheeler Center. The spirits of the youth, however, were anything but dampened.

“This is a beautiful thing to do with almost young adults who are transitioning into high school or college, and it’s especially beautiful today as we celebrate Jesus’ Incarnation together,” said Anna Terrell, a high school junior who attended the pilgrimage with her youth group from Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro.

Among the prayers of the day was a consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary in honor of the day’s feast. Speakers included Meg Hunter-Kilmer, who gave the keynote address and led the breakout session with the high school girls, Jake Burns, who led the breakout session for high school boys, and singer Tori Harris Gray, who led the music and middle school breakout session.

“We get to meet people from other parishes and listen to the talks about our faith. It’s powerful,” Terrell said. “In the high school breakout session for the girls, the speaker talked to us about saints who didn’t live super holy lives at first. It made it easy to relate to them as we seek holiness.”

The Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage, held each spring, is designed to provide young people of the Diocese of Charlotte with a day of reflection, prayer, formation, vocation awareness and fellowship. It is a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress, and the annual event shares the 2023 congress theme: “I Am With You Always,” which is based on the words of the Gospel of Matthew (28:20).

At this year’s event, Abbot Placid Solari offered Mass and led the Holy Hour of Adoration and Eucharistic Procession.

He was assisted by concelebrant Father Peter Ascik and 10 seminarians from St. Joseph College Seminary. In his homily, Abbot Placid explained the dignity of the human person through the events of the Annunciation and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.

“Because Jesus became one of us, a real and true human being, a man like us, He was able to take other created things, bread and wine, to be the unique Presence,” he said. “He wishes to remain with us in the sacrament of His Body and Blood, so we are never without His Presence, without His love, without His forgiveness and without His life.”

Abbot Placid also connected the Blessed Virgin Mary’s fiat to the youth and their quest to discover their vocations, asking them what their reaction would have been if the Angel Gabriel had visited them. He also asked the congregation to say out loud the words of Mary’s response in Luke 1:38: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.”

“She obeyed, and by that, she became the Mother of God,” Abbot Placid said. “After she said that what happened? The Angel left, and for the rest of her life – even after Jesus had ascended and until she died and was Assumed into heaven – she had to figure out by the events of her everyday life how she was to live that vocation she had been given, unique among all vocations, and she did that because she was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

He reminded the youth to call on the Holy Spirit for guidance in the process of discerning their unique vocations.

“That is powerful because, in our baptism and our confirmation, we have received the very same Holy Spirit that overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring forth the created humanity of the Son of God.”

Abbot Placid explained that by assuming our human nature, Jesus was able to make us sharers in His divine nature. He said, “That’s why receive His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. It is the food of everlasting life.”

“I cannot express how thankful I am for your continuous support,” said José Palma Torres of St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro, now in his third year of theology studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. “You make it possible for us to be formed, so that one day we may minister the sacraments. I look forward to the day I am ordained because I want to help the faithful encounter Christ.”

Deacon Christopher Brock, of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, is finishing up his studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and is expected to be ordained to the priesthood June 17. “Your support has made a tremendous difference in my life. Going through the process of seminary formation has been a huge blessing for me and has helped me to grow in so many ways. Your support is helping me prepare to live out my calling, and I am immensely grateful for that,” he said.

The Seminarian Education Program, in which 21 men are currently enrolled at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly and 28 men are enrolled in major seminary at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, is primarily funded through the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, the Friend to Seminarians Program, and this collection.

Support seminarian education

There are four ways to make a gift to fund the education of the diocese’s seminarians through the Seminarian Education Collection:

n Use the envelope provided in your parish offertory packet

n Make a gift online at your parish’s website, if available

n Make a secure gift online at www.charlottediocese. org/donate (click on Seminarian Education)

n Use the envelope provided with the letter you received from Bishop Jugis and mail it back to the diocese

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Seton Guild, Columbiettes of Holy Family raise record amount for local food pantry

CLEMMONS — The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild and Columbiettes # 9499 of Holy Family Catholic Church in Clemmons have raised a record $4,300 from two bake sales.

The funds went to benefit the Clemmons Food Pantry and the Meals for Morgan Backpack program for children.

Holy Angels blasts off with 31st annual Angel Bowl

BELMONT — Holy Angels held the new, resident-focused Angel Bowl this month at “Push Place Lanes” on its Belmont campus on March 10. The 12 homes that make up the Holy Angels specialized care facility faced off in an intergalactic space-themed competition.

Staff, families and community members joined in to cheer on the residents as they bowled strike after strike on three custommade and accessible bowling lanes.

“While Angel Bowl was created to raise critically important funds to support the programming of Holy Angels, the event itself turned into one big mercy moment,” said Kerri Massey, president and CEO of Holy Angels. “The smiles on the faces of the residents really warmed the hearts of everyone who was there. Angel Bowl is a special event, and we love that every resident now has a chance to participate.”

This year, the maintenance team spent weeks handcrafting multiple bowling lanes specifically designed for the needs of the residents.

Though the residents have already bowled, Angel Bowl is not over, as there is still time for supporters to donate to a home and the residents. To donate and support, visit https://www.holyangelsnc. org/angelbowl2023. For more information, please contact Shawn Flynn at ShawnF@ HolyAngelsNC.org or call 704-825-4161.

Women’s Lenten retreat held at Holy Family Church

CLEMMONS — The Bishop Greco Columbiettes hosted an all-day women’s Lenten retreat at Holy Family Catholic Church on March 18. The retreat, titled “The Eucharist as the Sum and Summary of Our Faith: A Lenten Journey through the parts of the Holy Mass,” was led by Father Marcel Amadi. More than 75 women from across four local parishes were in attendance.

Father Marcel presented context for the Holy Eucharist: how the sacraments are outward signs of God’s inward Grace and all sacraments are connected to the Eucharist. The afternoon session focused on the specific parts of the Mass analogous to sharing a meal with friends: there is the gathering, the storytelling, the meal sharing, and finally the commissioning.

The retreat was a reminder that during the Mass, the Word is made Flesh and dwells among us.

HEAVEN’S ANGELS

Knights on Bikes: ‘In God We Trust and Ride’

CHARLOTTE — It’s not every day you see a priest and a group of bikers in black leather vests hopping off motorcycles in front of a church to spend time in prayer. But for parishioners around the diocese, this is becoming a common sight as more Knights of Columbus join the Knights on Bikes ministry.

Father David Miller, pastor of St. Dorothy’s in Lincolnton, was recently installed as the North Carolina chaplain of Knights on Bikes. He was encouraged by a fellow Knight of Columbus, Dave Tagye, the state president of Knights on Bikes, to take the motorcycle exam and purchase a bike to join the ministry and become its state chaplain.

“I’ve wanted to ride since I was 16,” Father Miller said. “My mother was vehemently opposed, so I put away the idea. When Dave asked me if I would be interested in riding, we talked about what my role might be in the ministry, and I reached out for permission from Bishop (Peter) Jugis before I bought a bike.”

He says his mother prayed a novena that Bishop Jugis would say no to his request.

When Father Miller received word that he did not have to have the bishop’s permission to ride a motorcycle, he ordered a 2022 Indian Chief Dark Horse bike, took the motorcycle exam and told his mother. “She was not happy with the bishop,” Father Miller said, smiling. “But she’s forgiven him now.”

To console his mother, he bought all of the protective gear a biker can wear – helmet, crushproof boots, gloves, knee pads and special clothing which covers his whole body when he’s riding. He also blessed a St. Benedict patch and sewed it to his Knights on Bikes leather vest in addition to a handmade cord of a decade of the Rosary one of his youths at the parish made for him.

Now officially one of “Heaven’s Angels” this side of the veil, Father Miller hops on his motorcycle whenever he can to experience the thrill of the road.

“It feels like you’re flying,” he said. “There’s no shell of a car to protect you. You feel the wind and you’re out in the weather. You’re flying down the road. It’s really an amazing feeling!”

He explained that even after a stressful day, taking a ride is very edifying. “I love to just to go ride for a while if the weather is nice, just to relax,” he said.

Tagye, the catalyst in Father Miller living out his childhood dream, is a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton. He rides an immaculate shiny royal blue Indian Challenger motorcycle. As state president of Knights on Bikes, he helps coordinate local rides and charitable outreach for the ministry.

“I also started riding later in life,” Tagye said. “My parents didn’t want me to ride either. Some time ago I finally went out and bought the biggest motorcycle I could find. I learned to ride and took the safety course.”

Tagye recalled he was speaking with another parishioner after Mass one day who suggested they start a motorcycle group to ride and do charity work. “I told my wife, and she found the Knights on Bikes’ website online. I called the prior state president, and he asked me if I would take over western North Carolina.”

He now collaborates with Father Miller and state chairmen, as well as the other state president in Raleigh.

“Our motto is ‘In God We Trust and

Ride,’ and we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary by stopping in churches to pray the Rosary on our rides,” Tagye said. “Like St. Francis, as we ride we hope to preach Jesus often and sometimes use words.”

The Knights on Bikes have the Knights of Columbus emblem and a cross on the back of their vests. “We’re dressed this way with emblems of the Order so people can see what we represent and ask questions. It’s our opportunity to evangelize,” he said.

“It’s also a chance to tell people what we believe. It’s amazing to see how many people don’t know what the Catholic Church is about. They believe rumors, but when we talk and they find out we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ, they change their perspective,” Tagye explained.

He and the North Carolina Knights on Bikes riders also participate in regional and national rides as they are able. In times past, they have ridden from the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville to the Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Belmont, stopping at local parishes along the way to pray the Rosary. Some riders have also joined Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami on his annual ride from Miami to the Florida Keys in January.

“We also ride with the Christian Motorcycle Association when they sponsor rides. That’s our chance to do charity work and get out there and witness. We evangelize with other groups as we go on those rides,” Tagye said.

Jim LaLonde of St. James Parish in Concord rides his Harley Davidson Road Glide motorcycle as often as he can with Tagye and the other Knights on Bikes.

“Most weeks I wear my Knights on Bikes vest to church,” LaLonde said. “It’s a conversation starter. There’s been a very positive reaction and people come up to me and ask questions.”

He loves doing the Rosary rides where they stop into parishes along the way.

(From left) Brother Knights on Bikes members, Father David Miller, Jim LaLonde and Dave Tagye met up at Belmont Abbey March 20. The Knights on Bikes is a fraternal organization of men, dedicated to faith in action. The group is open to any members of the Knights of Columbus who are in good standing.

“Our Knights of Columbus emblem on our vest helps ease tensions when people see motorcycle riders stopping at the parish,” he said.

Now, with Father Miller on board as chaplain, LaLonde believes that Father Miller “is helping hold us accountable and gives us more visibility and credibility.”

When it comes to Knights on Bikes, all three men say the brotherhood has made an impact.

“I pray the Rosary so much more now,” Tagye said. “To ride with brothers in Christ and to serve our vets, parishes and priests however we can is important.”

LaLonde echoed those remarks, adding, “Having a group that can help hold me accountable is good. As Isaiah 27:17 says, ‘Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ It’s important to have like-minded men with the same morals and values to help each other.”

Father Miller agrees. “It’s true for most people, but especially for men, we need groups men can be a part of,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus are themselves a group, but motorcycle riders have their own little niche. For the Knights to combine both of those loves, it creates a further niche where men can tighten their brotherhood and support one another, and that is wonderful.”

“It has made me work even harder to stay in a state of grace in case I get in an accident. So, in case anything happens, I am ready for the Lord!” Father Miller said.

Looking for a Knights on Bikes chapter near you?

For more information about Knights on Bikes, go online to www.knightsonbikes-international. org. Questions? Email Knights on Bikes North Carolina State President Dave Tagye at ncknightsonbikes@gmail.com.

Bishop Jugis to celebrate Holy Week and Easter Masses at renovated cathedral

CHARLOTTE — The holy days when the faithful commemorate the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection are the most solemn on the Church calendar. A time to pray and be in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ, this year’s Holy Week observances at St. Patrick Cathedral promise to be especially reverent as they are celebrated amid the recently completed renovations. While the work has been under way, Mass has been held in the parish’s Family Life Center. The start of Holy Week marks the first time the cathedral will be open since Advent. Be one of the first to behold the beautiful improvements to the cathedral on Palm Sunday, April 2, when the Church celebrates Jesus’ triumphant

entry into Jerusalem.

Parking will be available along Dilworth Road East, Buchanan Street, and behind St. Patrick School.

Join Bishop Peter J. Jugis for Holy Week liturgies at the cathedral:

Palm Sunday Mass: 11 a.m. Sunday, April 2

Chrism Mass: 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 4

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion: 3 p.m. Friday, April 7

Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8

Diocese of Charlotte Director of Leadership Gifts

Full Time

Candidate must be a college graduate with a degree in marketing, communications, business administration or related field with five years’ work experience in fund development. Leadership gift experience preferred. Applicants should have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to interact well with diverse groups. Responsibilities include developing strategies, events, and materials to inform, engage, cultivate, and solicit current and prospective leadership gifts.

Please submit resume to Jim Kelley, Office of Development, jkkelley@rcdoc.org or 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC. Questions call Jim Kelley at 704-608-0359.

At Camporee, Scouts celebrate St. Patrick-themed faith and fun

NEBO — Hundreds of Scouts and adults attended the 45th Catholic Camporee March 17-19, which this year celebrated the life of St. Patrick and all things Irish.

Catholic Scouts of all ages packed in a weekend full of activities, religious education, camping and fellowship at Camp Grimes, the Scout reservation in the South Mountains owned by the Boy Scouts of America’s Mecklenburg County Council.

Scouts had fun fishing, hiking, building campfires and performing skits, tossing potatoes using a slingshot, building splints and stretchers for first aid, and using their knowledge of knots and lashings to create a campfire tripod.

Cub Scouts learned about St. Patrick and then had to find examples of the Scout law – i.e., “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent” – in the life of the Irish missionary and bishop.

Boy Scouts painted prayer boxes and prayed the rosary. They also received holy cards featuring the image of St. Patrick and the “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” prayer.

The Camporee ended with Mass and the presentation of religious emblems to Scouts and leaders who exemplify the Catholic ideals of Scouting.

The closing Mass was offered by Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, who was assisted by Deacon Martin Ricart, the diocese’s Scouting chaplain. St. Joseph College Seminary students who are former Scouts served the Mass.

In his homily, Monsignor Winslow touched on the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, from the Gospel of John (9:1-41), that recounts Jesus healing the blind man.

2023 Catholic religious emblem recipients

Troop 8 – St. Mathew Parish, Charlotte

Ad Altare Dei: Thomas Abbott, Ethan Pereira, Peter Idzerda, Joel

Sudeep, Luke Lyberg and Simon Wood

Pack 8 – St. Mathew Parish, Charlotte

Light of Christ: Gavin Idhaya, Mason Makin, Liam Knoefel, Nivaan

Mallavarapu, Elijah Lee and Ethan Roan

Parvuli Dei: Mason Epping, Sean Schofield, Xavier Lee, Andrew Pacilli and Connor Santoro

In his homily, Monsignor Winslow emphasized to the Scouts the importance of seeing with the eyes of faith, particularly as they navigate the essential questions of life: What is the meaning of life? Who created this world? What am I made for? How do I find my path in life?

Just as Scouts learn basic skills such as tying knots and orienteering, Scouting’s focus on character education gives Scouts a lifelong foundation “to be able to rise to the occasion of these larger things.”

And just as Scouts use the sun and stars to navigate geographically, “so too do we look to the heavens for our own position and direction (in life),” he said, keeping our eyes of faith fixed on Jesus, the Light of the World.

“The gift of faith enables us to see this heavenly Light to determine our position and our direction, our meaning, our purpose, how we should arrange our lives and the direction toward which we should move,” Monsignor Winslow said.

Without faith, he said, “we can be like people lost in the dark, unable to see – not because the light isn’t there, but because one lacks the ‘(spiritual) eyes’ to perceive it.”

AWARDS PRESENTED TO SCOUTS, LEADERS

After Mass, religious emblems exemplifying the Catholic ideals of Scouting were awarded to Scouts who earned the achievement over the past year. More than 30 youths from nine Scout units were recognized for having received the Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altare Dei or Pope Pius XII awards. (See list of recipients below.)

Mike Nielsen, chair of the Charlotte Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting, which organizes the annual camporee, noted these religious awards are a sign of the importance of character education and spiritual development for diocesan youth involved in a Scouting program.

“Scouts and families didn’t let cold temperatures both Friday and Saturday nights deter them from attending and celebrating Catholic Scouting with each other,” Nielsen said afterwards. “We are very grateful for their attendance, and for the work of the volunteers who planned and staffed the activities, including Camporee Cubmaster David Dorsch from St. Patrick Pack 9 in Charlotte and Camporee Scoutmasters Stanley Snodgrass and Tom Gauch from St. Gabriel Troop 174 in Charlotte.”

Three Scouting leaders were awarded the Bronze Pelican for their significant commitment to teaching and modeling the Catholic faith in their Scouting units:

n Amanda Balwah, religious emblem coordinator for Pack 721 at Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo the Great parishes in Winston-Salem.

n Lee Danhauer, religious emblem coordinator for the Old Hickory Council, assistant scoutmaster for Troop 934 in Winston-Salem, and chaplain’s aide trainer and leader.

n Michael Roberts, assistant scoutmaster for Troop 8 at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.

Jody McManus of Pack 443 in Salisbury was awarded the highest national adult recognition in Catholic Scouting, the St. George Emblem. This award recognizes people who have made exemplary contributions to Catholic Scouting in their units, and recipients must have previously received the Bronze Pelican emblem.

McManus has been cubmaster of a small pack in Salisbury for more than two decades – teaching and leading countless young people in the values of Catholic Scouting. A recipient of the Bronze Pelican in 1995, she has also organized the craft activity for Cub Scouts at the annual Catholic Camporee for years.

Nielsen noted in presenting the award to McManus, “There’s no way to know how many hundreds of Cub Scouts have had Jody touch their lives.”

Pack 97 – St. Mark Parish, Huntersville

Light of Christ: Nathan Helmbrecht

Pack 104 – Our Lady of Grace Parish, Greensboro/Christ

United Methodist Church

Light of Christ: Sebastian Braden

Parvuli Dei: Julian Braden and Fabian Braden

Troop 149 – Our Lady of Grace Parish, Greensboro

Ad Altare Dei: Arthur Staudinger IV

Pack 171 – St. Therese Parish, Mooresville

Parvuli Day: Joseph Kendell

Pack 721 – Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Winston-Salem

Light Of Christ: Tallulah Barker, Nicholas Enrich, Finley Jarvis, Cooper Przybylowicz and Abraham Smith

Parvuli Dei: Winfred Albert, Austin Jenkins, Sofia Mendoza and Sebastian Moore Rincon

Unit 263 – St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Franklin Ad Altare Dei: Connor Wilson

Troop 9 – St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

Pope Pius XII: Jackson Griffin

10 Charlotte seminarians instituted as lectors

CINCINNATI — Ten Charlotte seminarians studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary were instituted as lectors during a special Mass March 24. Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr conferred the rite.

Pictured are: Clement Akerblom (St. Ann, Charlotte); Robert Bauman (St. Ann, Charlotte); Michael Camilleri (St. Elizabeth, Boone); John Cuppett (St. Leo the Great, Winston-Salem); Maximilian Frei (St. Ann, Charlotte); Bryan Illagor, (Our Lady of the Americas, Biscoe); Bradley Loftin (St. Mark, Huntersville); James Lugo (Immaculate Conception, Forest City); Noe Sifuentes (Sacred Heart, Salisbury); and Peter Townsend (St. Ann, Charlotte).

The ministry of lector is one of three important steps toward the priesthood: candidacy, acolyte and lector. The lector is instituted to proclaim the readings at Mass, except the Gospel. He may also announce the intentions during the Prayers of the Faithful and, in the absence of a psalmist, recite the Responsorial Psalm. He may also recite the entrance and communion antiphons when they are not sung.

This installation typically occurs after a man has completed his first year of Theology.

– Photo provided by Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

Catholic men’s conference held March 18

CHARLOTTE — Catholic men across the Diocese of Charlotte spent a day of spiritual nourishment and camaraderie at the 13th Annual Catholic Men’s Conference of the Carolinas Saturday, March 18, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. With dynamic speakers who challenged participants to grow in their faith – and by receiving the sacraments –attendees had the opportunity to deepen their relationship with Jesus while gaining the strength and encouragement to live their callings as Catholic men, husbands and fathers. This year’s speakers included Charles Fraune, Jonathan Fanning, Deacon John Clark, Scott Weeman and Kevin Spalding.

Another special element of the 2023 conference was the presence of the relics of Blessed Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. Brian Caulfield from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council in New Haven, Conn., shared the story and legacy of Father McGivney and the impact he’s had on what it means to be a Catholic man.

“We want this conference to be a fire that would ignite men who have grown weary, discouraged and complacent by the many trials of life and be inspired to want more from themselves so that they can live according to the dignity God created them to be,” founder Jason Murphy said prior to the event. Murphy said one of his favorite components of the conference is the joy of seeing men pour into the confessionals. “Men who might not regularly confess or confess at all seem to be moved by the opportunity and encouragement we provide for them to ‘hit the box’ and ‘get themselves cleaned up’ so that they can be battle-ready for what life sends their way,” he said.

— Catholic News Herald, photo provided

Our schools

St. Joseph ‘star’ for the day as Immaculata School unveils its renovations

HENDERSONVILLE — Students and teachers at Immaculata Catholic School cheered St. Joseph on March 20, his feast day, as they celebrated the completion of a major makeover at the school. Why?

“We may not be standing here today without the intercession of St. Joseph, husband of Mary,” Father Christian Cook, pastor, told the crowd of students, teachers, parents and leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting and blessing of the school that day.

A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT

Immaculata’s $3.6 million makeover was accomplished over nearly four years, split into two phases. The first phase, finished in 2020, added a new lobby and visitor check-in system, as well as state-of-the-art technology upgrades at the prekindergarten-eighth grade school in downtown Hendersonville.

The second phase involved more extensive renovations – remodeling 5,540 square feet of the 97-year-old school and adding 820 square feet to accommodate a growing student enrollment of more than 150 students.

Phase two included the construction of an entrance tower – dedicated to St. Joseph – and a new STEM lab with a lecture-style teaching space and a hands-on collaborative work and experimentation space. It also included improvements to the school’s façade, relocated administrative offices, and revamped teacher’s workroom.

General contractor on the project was Edifice Inc. of Charlotte, with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Charlotte serving as architect.

A CREDIT TO ST. JOSEPH

Father Cook lauded the school’s new STEM lab as an important part of Catholic education’s emphasis on science and faith –complementary subjects which strive for the Truth and its source in God.

Yet equally special, Father Cook said, is the new St. Joseph Entrance Tower – a part of the renovation project that almost didn’t happen.

“Not too long ago, we thought this project was on the ropes,” he said. Pandemic-related supply chain delays and skyrocketing construction costs threatened to scale back the project’s scope.

School and construction officials considered scrapping the 30-foot-5-inch-tall brick tower from their plans.

Yet, he said, the tower was meant to be the showpiece of the renovated school – capped by a large white cross to match a similar cross atop Immaculate Conception Catholic Church across the street.

The structure symbolizes St. Joseph, a strong and silent witness of faith, Father Cook said.

Long-time Immaculata supporters Gayden and Janell Gauthier wholeheartedly agreed, donating the additional funds needed to pay for its construction.

“Without their very generous gift, we would not have this tower,” Father Cook said.

“St. Joseph is our sentinel with this watchtower watching over our families here,” he said. “St. Joseph was entrusted with God’s

most precious Son, Jesus Christ. And we entrust to him every child, every school family, every visitor, every person who enters our school.”

St. Joseph came through in a big way for the school, noted Principal Margaret Beale.

It was on the feast of St. Joseph in 2020 that she learned the school was to receive a transformative gift from the Shea Homes Foundation. Shea Homes is an award-winning homebuilder that supports Catholic schools in communities where the company builds homes.

The $2.24 million grant from the Shea Homes Foundation, along with donations from the Gauthiers and others, as well as a successful capital campaign by the school’s home parish, Immaculate Conception, and a $475,000 grant from the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign, made the entire renovation project a reality, Beale noted.

Jim Kelley, the diocese’s development director, commended Immaculata School and its donors, especially the Shea Homes Foundation, on the successful campaign. “It is not the first such gift made by the Shea Family Foundation to benefit our Catholic schools, and we remain extraordinarily grateful to them,” Kelley said. “The diocese has truly been blessed by individuals and groups such as the Sheas that have bestowed multiple sevenfigure gifts over time for capital projects that are having meaningful, long-term impacts on the lives of people served by our schools, parishes and other diocesan entities.”

A DAY FOR ALL TO CELEBRATE

Monday’s ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony was led by Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.

The entire diocesan family celebrates with Immaculata School, Monsignor Winslow said.

“It’s not just a cause for joy and celebration here for you and your parish and your school. It’s a cause of celebration for the entire diocese – because together we are one family of faith, we are a single Church gathered around our successor to the apostles (Bishop Peter Jugis). … And together, we walk toward God, following Christ, who is the Good Shepherd.”

That mission – to form disciples of Christ who go out into the world and transform it – is now even more possible thanks to this major renovation project, Beale said.

After the successful four-year effort, Monday was an occasion to give thanks to God, honor St. Joseph for his timely intercession, and celebrate Immaculata’s “stars” – its students, teachers, staff, parents and supporters.

Just before dismissing students from the ceremony to enjoy cookies and tour the new STEM Lab, Beale thanked everyone for their commitment to Catholic education in Hendersonville.

“We work hard to plant the seeds of virtue in the hearts of our students,” she said. “You are helping us plant those seeds in our students, that we hope blossom and bloom with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to better equip them to follow God’s will. Even at a distance, our students will always shine bright,” and she paused, waiting for the students to finish the sentence, “because we are…”

“Immaculata Stars!” the students cheered.

St. Patrick School names Calametti as principal

CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick School and the Diocese of Charlotte announce the appointment of Nick Calametti, an experienced Catholic school administrator and teacher, as principal beginning July 1. Calametti succeeds Dr. Alicia Reid, who has served as interim principal since the 2021-22 school year. Calametti brings a hands-on perspective as an educator to his new role, having been a Catholic school student, teacher, and now an administrator in the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala. His most recent position was vice principal at St. Ignatius Catholic School, where he was also head of the student success services and director of after school care.

A lifelong Catholic with a deep commitment to education, Calametti feels strongly that the purpose of Catholic schools is to educate and evangelize.

Holy Trinity students prep baby bottles for Birthright

CHARLOTTE — Dozens of Holy Trinity Middle School students in the Pro-Life Club stuffed 1,500 baby bottles with colorful inserts March 22 for Birthright Charlotte, in anticipation of its fundraiser to be held between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends. The bottles will be sent out to donors to help raise funds.

Birthright Charlotte is a new pregnancy outreach center projected to open in the Queen City later this year. Part of Birthright International, the center will assist women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and women who need material support for their infants with items such as diapers, wipes and baby items provided to them for free.

“All our students are required to do two-and-ahalf hours of service each quarter, and we’re always looking for good pro-life projects where students can serve others and fight for life at the same time, so this was a natural fit,” said Trent Lucas, theology teacher and head of the Pro-Life Club.

“The Pro-Life Club is a group designed to help kids learn about all facets of being pro-life, from conception to death,” Lucas explained. “We equip them with the facts so they can charitably help anyone struggling with an issue to see God’s truth and loving plan.”

Lucas noted, “We have about 30 kids attending regularly who are on fire for saving babies and

mothers from this national scourge, and another 50 or so who can’t attend meetings due to scheduling conflicts but are active in the discussion boards and assignments on Google Classroom.”

Hank Chardos, executive director of Birthright Charlotte, attended the baby bottle service project at the school and is thankful for the students’ enthusiasm and their assistance.

He and his wife Sally started a Birthright center in Columbia, S.C., 43 years ago. They hope to open the Charlotte center this summer. To date, donors have contributed $75,000 toward the $118,000 goal to open a Charlotte outreach center. He is searching for a donor for a location in Charlotte, a place that will provide a home-like atmosphere for the women they serve.

“Assembling the baby bottles alerts the students of Birthright of Charlotte and the needs of those facing an unplanned or problem pregnancy while conveying thanks for their efforts,” he said. “What a blessing it is to have the spirit and energy of the students to help Birthright of Charlotte.”

Learn more

To find out how you can help Birthright Charlotte open its doors, go to www.birthrightcharlotte.com. Questions? Call Hank Chardos at 803-543-8144 or email hank@ birthrightofcharlotte.org.

“I am ecstatic to join the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system and the Diocese of Charlotte as the new principal of St. Patrick School,” Calametti said. “For the entirety of my life, I have been a part of the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Mobile as a student, teacher, and administrator. I come from a family of educators – many of whom also teach in Catholic schools. I feel a calling to continue to serve the needs of our Catholic schools.”

Calametti’s previous experience includes two years as the elementary assistant principal at St. Mary Catholic School in Mobile as well as stints as director of student life/discipline/ technology, director of technology, technology teacher and Spanish teacher during his time at St. Mary.

He holds a Master of Education in educational leadership and Catholic school leadership from Marymount University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile.

He was selected by a committee of parents, pastors and education leaders that was guided by a national search firm. Families, faculty, and staff provided input about what qualities they sought in a new leader.

“I am extremely grateful for the leadership of Dr. Reid over the past year. Under her care, the wonderful culture of St. Patrick’s has continued to flourish, we’ve seen great successes, and the school is well-poised to be handed to its next principal, Mr. Nick Calametti,” said Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools. “As we enter the next phase of leadership at the school, Mr. Calametti’s deep faith, firm understanding of Catholic education, and servant-leadership mindset will ensure that the school continues to advance in an intentional way. I look forward to working with and supporting Mr. Calametti.”

One of nine schools in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system, St. Patrick School has 243 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

— Catholic News Herald

Coach Brian Robinson instructs the Lady Villains during the 2023 1A state championship game in Raleigh. He had the help of assistant coaches Trish Grant, Laurie Mulqueeny and McKenzie Rochford. In elementary school, Rochford (pictured behind Robinson) was a ball girl for the team’s first two state championship games and later played for the team from 2010 to 2014, winning four state championships.

It’s good to be a ‘Villain’ Bishop McGuinness varsity girls basketball team celebrates epic season with legendary coach

KERNERSVILLE — It was a moment hoop dreams are made of. One by one, Coach Brian Robinson took his five seniors out of the NCHSAA 1A championship game to offer each girl a “flower” for dedicating four years of hard work, perseverance, laughter and tears to Lady Villains basketball. Ahead by nearly 30 points in the fourth quarter, the team’s second state championship win in as many years was in the bag.

The poignancy of the moment was not wasted on senior twins Charley and Tate Chappell.

“When the fourth quarter started, I could feel my career coming to a close and that in itself is a very emotional thing,” said Charley Chappell. “I made a point to look around and enjoy the next few possessions. When Coach R started subbing us out, I wanted to remember those moments of my teammates, but it was tough to watch them sub out, knowing I would never play with them again.”

Tate Chappell noticed something extraordinary, too.

“When I realized it was my turn to be taken out, I was at the free-throw line,” she said. “I had made the first one and looked over at the score table and saw one of my teammates ready to sub in for me. Before the referee handed me the ball to shoot my second free throw, I looked up at the clock. It read, ‘3:12.’”

Tate explained the significance: “My twin sister and best friend, Charley, has always been number 3; whereas I have always been number 12. I pointed up to the large jumbotron. Charley understood what I meant.”

Despite feeling emotional, Tate made the free throw.

“It is rare to have a final game, as intense as a state championship, where teams are given the opportunity to do something like this,” she said.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

In their first two seasons at Bishop McGuinness, the Chappell twins, Grace Harriman, Katie Deal and Isabella Ross missed their shot at a state title in two heartbreaking buzzer beaters. Stung twice, the girls and their coaches set out to work that much harder. It paid off.

They clinched the title their junior and senior years, bringing the school’s record in state championship appearances to 11-0, a state record that puts them second in the nation for number of state championship titles. All of this has been accomplished with Coach Robinson, who has led the team for 21 years.

The 2023 championship game ended with Bishop McGuinness besting Chatham Charter 73-43. Sophomore Adelaide Jernigan contributed a game-high of 21 points and earned Kay Yow MVP honors and a spot on the allstate team. Three other players scored in double figures: Ross, Kiersten Varner and Tate Chappell. Charley Chappell

Why are Bishop McGuinness teams called the ‘Villains’?

The origins of Bishop McGuinness High School and its mascot began in 1954 when Villa Marie Anna Academy for girls opened as the successor to the Villa grade school on Country Club Road in Winston-Salem.

Under the leadership of the Sisters of

St. Joseph from Philadelphia, the school had only five students the first year. In its third year, the school opened to boys and reached an enrollment of 46, half of whom were boys. Thanks to the dedication of the sisters and $30,000 from Mary Ann

earned Most Outstanding Player, with eight points, six assists and six rebounds. On March 21, Harriman and Tate Chappell both signed letters of intent to play in college. Harriman is headed to Virginia Wesleyan University and Chappell signed with Appalachian State University. Charley Chappell plans to focus on academics in college and study biochemistry to become an anesthesiologist.

MEANT TO BE

In that stirring scene at the end of the championship game, the girls surely could hear their coach’s motto: “Everything happens for a reason.”

It’s his succinct way of imparting the wisdom he’s gained over the years. The recipient of a host of coaching awards, Robinson is the founder of the Winston-Salem Stealers AAU program and is a USA Basketball coach. He is a professional speaker and author with many credentials, including a business degree from Appalachian State University.

He surpassed his 500th win with Bishop McGuinness early in the 2022-2023 season and has helped 26 players at Bishop and 180 from the Stealers earn spots on college teams.

“Whether you play two minutes, or you play the whole game, Coach R wants you to be the best player you can be,” said Jernigan who has played for Robinson since fifth grade.

VILLAIN, SEE PAGE 13

Robertson of New York, each year the enrollment grew towards a new school.

On Sept. 8, 1959, just two days after the birthday of its namesake – Raleigh Bishop Eugene McGuinness – Bishop McGuinness Memorial High School opened its doors

on Link Road with an enrollment of 96. The school mascot, the Villains, is a nod to the school’s origins at Villa Marie Anna Academy, more colloquially called the Villa. Technically, it is pronounced “Villane,” but most folks call it like they see it.

“We just soak it all in because he’s so wise in the game, and it’s really an honor to play for him.”

Robinson is legendary in the world of basketball. And that’s not hyperbole – he earned a Living Legend Award from WinstonSalem Recreation & Parks in 2010 and was named as a Top 100 Coaches to Remember in the NCHSAA in 2013. Sometimes Robinson is runner-up, but he doesn’t mind.

“You put state championship plaques in the champion case,” he said. “You don’t put Player of the Year or Coach of the Year there. As upset as some people were when I didn’t win the conference award, I told them that is perfectly fine because it allows me to provide a real, tangible example to the girls.”

A baseball player at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, Robinson says he would have never become involved in basketball if it weren’t for the encouragement of a friend who told him he was a good player.

Still, Robinson didn’t make the Reynolds team until the second year he tried out. When he did, he was hooked on the sport.

Everything happens for a reason.

He went on to have a successful basketball career and was especially impacted by varsity coach Howard West. Robinson took various coaching positions after college starting as an assistant at his alma mater in WinstonSalem. He was head coach for the varsity boys at Starmount High School in Yadkin County when something changed.

It was down to the wire in the game that would qualify the team for the state playoffs. Robinson called a time-out the team unfortunately didn’t have, which resulted in a technical foul that lost them the game.

Already considering a different career, he felt dejected by this event. The next day, he decided to catch the end of the game at his former high school. When he couldn’t get in, he headed down the road to Kernersville to watch the game at Bishop McGuinness.

“Bishop lost at the buzzer,” Robinson recalled. “After the game was over, my friend Coach Marc Pruitt said, ‘You know what? You’d be a much better girls coach than boys coach, and I think you should take my job here because I’m moving on after this year.’

I said, ‘No, I don’t want to coach girls in high school, I’m pretty much done.’”

Pruitt put Robinson’s name in anyway.

“They called me three times. I turned them down three times in a row and said, ‘No, I think I’ll do something else,’” Robinson said.

Persistence paid off. “By the fourth time, they won, and I pretty much fell in love with the place,” he continued. “The rest is history since that day 21 years ago. It’s kind of odd how all that worked out because it came really close to never happening.”

It’s a fitting motto.

LIFE AND BASKETBALL

Throughout Robinson’s tenure at Bishop McGuinness, he has coached 95 girls, 85 of whom have come from Catholic feeder schools — area middle schools in Greensboro, WinstonSalem, High Point and Burlington. Through building those programs and the nearby Stealers AAU teams, Robinson is creating a something of a basketball dynasty at the school.

Yet he knows life is so much more than basketball. Robinson’s appreciation for the whole person is an important part of what keeps him at Bishop McGuinness.

“Being around a school that makes religion a focal point – prayer before school, prayer after school – it was really important to me. When I was at Reynolds, we used to do that all the time. We used to have prayer at school,

and they got rid of it for whatever reason,” he said. “It’s refreshing to me. The culture fits me perfectly because the girls have their religious and academic foundations. It makes for a well-rounded person and athlete.”

Robinson is Moravian but has always had familiarity with the Catholic faith.

“My parents and my family are Moravian, but there has always been a lot of the Catholic religion around,” he said. “With the team, it’s open, but it’s not something the girls and I talk about all the time. However, when it needs to be talked about, it is. We bring up having faith in what you’re doing and believing in yourself, and I think it’s the perfect atmosphere for them — and for me.”

Each day the coaching staff is trying to teach the girls some type of life lesson, whether it’s how to handle teammate relationships or how to handle their successes and failures.

“All these things are going to play out in their lives someday,” Robinson said. “People think it’s a straight shot to success at the start, but there are lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, and you have to be able to handle and manage those things really well.”

Robinson keeps in mind that each player has life circumstances she’s facing. Some are small, and others are much bigger. In the fall, forward Grace Harriman dealt with a deeply saddening loss when her mother passed away from cancer. Grace and her mother Sarah had designed new team uniforms just before her passing. Being part of the Lady Villains helped her get through this difficult time. In 2022, Harriman didn’t get to play in the state championship due to a concussion, but she played and won this year.

When it comes to basketball, Robinson takes time to celebrate but doesn’t look back too much. “There’s time for that when I’m done coaching,” he said. “I don’t want to sit back and reflect on what has happened in the past. There are more kids, more games to coach and more people it will affect, so I keep on moving forward.”

IHM names new principal

HIGH POINT — Dr. Maryanne Leonard is officially stepping into the role of principal at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point after having served as interim principal for the past nine months, the Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools Office announced this week.

Leonard is an experienced Catholic educator with a deep connection to the IHM community. Before becoming interim principal, she served as IHM’s lead middle school English Language Arts teacher. Previous experience includes serving as teacher, curriculum facilitator and reading specialist for Guilford County Schools as well as stints as an adjunct professor at both Walden University and UNC-Greensboro. She holds a doctoral degree in curriculum instruction and supervision from UNCGreensboro, as well as multiple degrees from the College of New Rochelle in New York.

Leonard

— Catholic News Herald

Reflections on Christ’s Passion offered by exiled priests

Nicaraguan Father Oscar Benavidez (left) and Father Ramiro Tijerino were recently released after nearly seven months in a notorious Nicaraguan prison.

As we approach Holy Week and Christ’s Passion, death and resurrection at Easter, the Catholic News Herald asked the priests to reflect on the final expressions of Jesus –what’s known as the Seven Last Words from the Cross.

Before exile, Father Ramiro served as a pastor and as rector of John Paul II University in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, and Father Oscar served as a pastor and as advisor to the Matagalpa diocese’s Youth Ministry program. They are both critics of injustice and advocates for Nicaragua’s rural communities, the poor and the marginalized.

They are currently living in Charlotte, where Father Ramiro has family.

FIRST WORD

forgive them;

The first word of Jesus on the cross is a request to the Father: “Forgive them.” The cause of that forgiveness is His infinite love for humanity, for you, for me, and for all those who crucified Him yesterday and today. In that crucifixion on Calvary, the request for forgiveness has a justification: “because they do not know what they are doing.” What is it that they don’t know? Well, first of all, they don’t know that the one on the cross is innocent. And secondly, that the innocent who is on the cross is the Son of God.

And for us – do we know what we do? I think we do know. And it is perhaps the worst, that knowing that we do evil, we continue to do it. Today the world knows that abortion is the murder of an innocent person, and yet it continues to be carried out and even presented as a “human right.”

We know that war causes the death of many innocents, yet today there are 27 armed conflicts in the world. For all this, today more than ever, we need our Lord to continue asking the Father to forgive us. And on our side, we need to constantly acknowledge that we are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. That we do evil knowing that we offend our Lord, thus manifesting the mystery of our freedom very well expressed by St. Paul the Apostle when he tells us: “In fact, I do not do the good that I want, but the evil that I do not want”

(Romans 7:19).

Forgive us, Lord, for all our sins, those that we have committed even knowing that it was bad. Forgive also the negative consequences that those sins have left on me, on those I have offended and even on the people I say I love. Give us the grace of repentance and a constant desire to seek Your mercy. Amen.

Last Seven

SECOND WORD

This second word of Jesus is addressed to a man who probably practiced evil for many years. God found him in the most difficult moment of his life and, nevertheless, He granted him the grace that he could see Jesus with his own eyes, that he could recognize Him, as he finally did.

The Church, through this time of Lent and the Easter Triduum, wants us to also stop to meditate on how we are living life, carrying the cross or not.

I say this because there are many moments in our lives, sooner or later, in which we have to face difficult circumstances – for example, unemployment, death of a loved one, illness, injustice, imprisonment for the truth, etc.

And these problems or crosses can separate us from the One who carried the cross, died and rose again. For this reason, we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us His grace to know how to bear the cross. We must not lose the desire to go to heaven, even if that means without a doubt first going to the cross.

For example, I was in jail because of the truth. For the time I spent there, I accepted it as my moment bearing the cross, and as the space to reflect on how I have lived life with myself, with my family, with my friends and with God.

It was hard being in jail, but God was there. He was the One who assisted us with His strength, patience and humility. Without His grace it would have been impossible to endure as we did.

Brothers and sisters, I invite you to think about this promise of Jesus. Review how you see the crosses in your life: Is it a moment of grace or a disgrace?

THIRD WORD

Stripped of everything on the cross, and His life itself being a gift, our Lord gives us the last gift: His mother.

He emerges from the strongest and most natural bond that every human being has. It is the bond with His mother, that mother who accompanied Him to the cross. Most of His apostles, whom He had called “friends,” abandoned Him. Only John remained, and of course, the Virgin Mary.

When we, all of us, find ourselves in these difficult situations or go through a problem or difficulty that overwhelms us, how much we would like to be children again, to be back in the tender and safe arms of our mother.

Well, that is what those of us who found ourselves in jail, unjustly imprisoned, also experienced. We wanted to be with our mothers.

I personally remember the first visit I received in prison. It was from my mother. She entered the small space guarded by police officers, with her tender and serene look, despite the pain that she surely carried in her heart. We hugged and comforted each other.

Jesus our Lord knows that we will need His mother, who is also our mother.

This does not go against faith in Christ; rather, it is He who gave her to us. So we, like good children and like the apostle John, receive her with joy and take her into our homes and hearts.

She will be watching over us at all times in our lives. So do not hesitate to open the doors of your heart to the one who told us, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

Trusting fully in her maternal intercession, Mary is with you at the foot of your cross, she is aware that nothing is missing in your home. She leads us to Jesus.

Thank you, mother, for always being with us! Pray for us, Holy Mother of God!

“Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

“Father,

for they know not what they do.”

“Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.”

Seven Words

FOURTH WORD

FIFTH WORD “I thirst.”

Sometimes, in difficult situations and circumstances, we also say these words that our Lord cried out at that blessed moment on the cross. And like Him, we do it because the first thing we experience is that feeling of abandonment and loneliness.

For example, the person who goes to the doctor for a routine check-up and receives the news that they have terminal cancer is very likely, I think, to ask why God has abandoned them.

And if we add that this person considers themselves very good, that they help their parish, that they receive Communion every Sunday and that they are also in the parish prayer group, wouldn’t the question be a fair one?

I would answer that, very likely, yes. We are not exempt from feeling or experiencing this loneliness that is born of helplessness, of our human fragility.

Even I, as a priest, when I was in that jail cell, I asked this question – not once but many times. And do you know what the beautiful thing was that happened to us?

The Lord Himself visited us!

How? In the Real Presence of the Holy Eucharist. We all cried because we had doubted His word, “I will be with you…” (Matthew 28:20). One of us said kneeling in His Presence, “God is also a prisoner with us.”

Brothers and sisters, God is always with us in good and joyful moments, but He will also be with us in difficult moments. Who can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ? Nobody, nothing. Neither the problems, nor sufferings, nor the difficulties … nor the death.” Let us read Romans 8:35, and take heart.

Being thirsty is one of our natural needs. We cannot live without water. With this word, our Lord shows us all His humanity. He truly became flesh. He is both God and man, and as a man He totally resembled us, except in sin.

He had already told His disciples on one occasion that He was not a ghost. He is really a man, and He feels pain, tiredness, hunger, etc.

And here on the cross He feels thirsty, the thirst of a tortured person, the thirst of someone who is suffering death and living in true agony.

In St. Mark’s Gospel we are told that the soldiers gave Him wine mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23). In those times, this mixture served as an anesthetic and drug, thus helping the crucified or the tortured to alleviate and forget their pain. The most interesting thing is that the verse continues: “but He did not take it.”

Thus, while many of us want to escape from the reality of suffering, we would like to have a mixture of “wine and myrrh” that momentarily takes us away from pain.

We would like to have a magic wand that solves all our problems, or a wine and myrrh that makes our cross more bearable and light.

While we think, seek or desire that mixture of “wine and myrrh,” our Lord Jesus rejects it, does not take it, and endures His pain with courage and love.

Love and suffering go hand in hand. He who truly loves, surrenders to the extreme. Behold the thirst of the Son of God.

We too in this world experience tiredness and thirst. There are many who thirst for peace and justice, who thirst for love.

How thirsty some are in our own towns, in Nicaragua, and in the whole world. People thirst for freedom and justice, and only He, the source of living water, can satisfy us and fill all our gaps and shortcomings. He is the living water.

SIXTH WORD “It is finished.”

Jesus, dying on the cross, has thus manifested the desire and will of His Father. He Himself will say that His food is to do the will of His Father.

Why is it hard for me to do the will of the Father? Personally, the problem lies in the lack of prayer and holiness.

The saint is one who is in the same tune and frequency with the will of God, and this is the fruit of prayer. And if he has to experience adverse moments, we do not see him renege. On the contrary, he lives it with peace and is happy to suffer it in the name of Jesus.

There are many examples among the saints. To mention one, we see St. Ignatius of Antioch begging the people he shepherded not to stop his being crushed by lions.

Prison is not the place where one can manifest more tranquility and peace. For this reason, we always asked ourselves: Is it God’s will that we be here?

We were not able to get an answer immediately, as we would have liked, but as time went by, God was answering this and other questions.

When we managed to talk to the brothers in other cells, they told us what they had experienced from the moment we entered the prison. It was a joy, because if you were there, God was there too.

Hope returned that one day we would go out. The officers began to treat them better – even the food improved – but above all, many returned to the faith, and there was not a cell where they did not pray the Rosary.

God allowed us to go to jail to save us all physically and spiritually. “Everything is accomplished.” Let’s ask ourselves: Was all this for me?

SEVENTH WORD

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

The whole life of Jesus was a constant prayer. No activity was carried out, not a decision was made without first praying. And when His disciples asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), He invited His disciples to say: “Father ...”

Here, in this last word, in this moment of agony and death, but which is also a moment of encounter, pray saying: “Father.”

Surely Jesus spoke in Aramaic, in which the word would have been “Abba.” This word was typically used only inside the home, as it connoted intimacy and a special relationship. It was an expression of filial love, but a love that was felt and lived, just as a child who approaches his father experiences it.

Thus the Son of God gives Himself to His dad, to His Abba, to His father, and with this He restores that relationship between God and men, a relationship that had been broken because of sin.

Jesus gives Himself to His Father so that He can be raised from the dead. He surrenders His spirit to the Father with the confidence of the Son, with the hope that His Father will give Him the name above all names, that is, with the hope of the resurrection.

This is the confidence and hope with which we, who are also children of God, must face death and experience each event of our lives.

With the death of Christ, death is defeated as the final destiny of the human being. In this way we can, with great faith and hope, say with the apostle Paul that “neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor present nor future nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Las Siete Palabras

PRIMERA PALABRA

TERCERA PALABRA

Reflexiones Sobre las Últimas

Palabras de Cristo

Las Siete Las Palabras, son siete expresiones que Jesús dijo durante Su crucifixión, como se registra en los Evangelios. Las siguientes reflexiones fueron escritas por sacerdotes nicaragüenses, los Padres Ramiro Tijerino y Óscar Benavides.

Ellos se contaban entre los cientos de nicaragüenses que han sido arrestados y encarcelados por cargos falsos, y luego exiliados por el presidente de Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, por criticar al gobierno.

En los últimos años, Ortega ha reforzado su control del poder encarcelando a críticos y opositores políticos, cerrando medios de comunicación independientes y reprimiendo brutalmente las manifestaciones contra el gobierno.

Los Padres Ramiro y Óscar han visto la injusticia de primera mano, y pueden dar testimonio del poder de la oración y de permanecer valientes en la fe.

El Padre Ramiro ha servido como pastor y rector de la Universidad Juan Pablo II en Managua, la capital de Nicaragua. El Padre Óscar ha servido como pastor y asesor del programa de Ministerio Juvenil de la Diócesis de Matagalpa. Ambos son críticos de la injusticia y defensores de las comunidades rurales de Nicaragua, los pobres y marginados.

Actualmente viven en Charlotte, donde el padre Ramiro tiene familia.

La primera palabra de Jesús en la cruz es una petición al Padre: “perdónalos”. Y la causa de ese perdón es su amor infinito por la humanidad, por ti, por mí y por todos los que ayer y hoy le crucificamos. En aquella crucifixión del Calvario, la petición de perdón lleva una justificación: “porque no saben lo que hacen”. ¿Qué es lo que no saben? Bueno en primer lugar, no saben que ese que está en la cruz es inocente. Y en segundo lugar, que el inocente que está en la cruz es el Hijo de Dios.

Y nosotros, ¿sabemos lo que hacemos? Pienso que si lo sabemos. Y es quizás lo peor, que sabiendo que hacemos el mal, lo seguimos haciendo. Sabe el mundo hoy que el aborto es asesinar un inocente y, sin embargo, se sigue realizando y hasta presentando como un “derecho”.

Sabemos que la guerra causa la muerte de muchos inocentes y, sin embargo, hoy en día se habla de 27 conflictos armados en el mundo. Por todo ello, hoy más que nunca, necesitamos que nuestro Señor siga pidiendo al Padre que nos perdone.

Y de parte nuestra, necesitamos reconocer constantemente que somos pecadores necesitados del perdón de Dios, que hacemos el mal sabiendo que ofendemos a nuestro Señor, manifestándose así el misterio de nuestra libertad muy bien expresado por San Pablo apóstol cuando nos dice: “De hecho no hago el bien que quiero, sino el mal que no quiero” (Romanos 7:19).

Perdónanos, Señor por todos nuestros pecados, los que hemos cometido aún sabiendo que era malo. Perdónanos también por las consecuencias negativas que esos pecados han dejado en mí, en quienes he ofendido y aún en las personas que digo amar. Danos la gracia del arrepentimiento y un deseo constante de buscar tu misericordia. Amén.

Esta segunda Palabra de Jesús está dirigida a un hombre que practicó el mal probablemente por muchos años. Dios lo encontró en el momento más difícil de su vida y, sin embargo, le concedió la gracia de que pudiera verlo con sus ojos, que pudiera reconocerlo, como finalmente lo hizo.

La Iglesia, a través de este tiempo de Cuaresma y del Triduo Pascual, quiere que también nos detengamos a meditar cómo estamos viviendo la vida, ¿cargando la cruz o no?

Digo esto, porque hay muchísimos momentos de nuestra vida en los que tenemos que afrontar, tarde o temprano, circunstancias muchas de ellas difíciles. Por ejemplo, desempleo, muerte de un ser querido, enfermedades, injusticias, encarcelamiento por la verdad, etc.

Y estos problemas o cruces pueden lograr separarnos de aquel que cargó con la cruz, murió y resucito. Por eso, hay que estar pidiéndole al Divino Espíritu que nos dé su gracia para saber sobrellevar la cruz. No hay que perder el anhelo de ir al paraíso, aunque eso signifique sin duda alguna ir a la cruz.

Yo por ejemplo, estuve en la cárcel por causa de la verdad. Ese tiempo que estuve allí lo acepté como ese momento de cruz, y como el espacio para reflexionar sobre cómo he vivido la vida conmigo mismo, con la familia, con los amigos y con Dios.

Era difícil estar en la cárcel. Dios estuvo allí, fue quien nos asistió con su fuerza, la paciencia y la humildad. Sin su gracia era imposible permanecer como lo hicimos. Hermanos, les invito a que hagamos eco de esta promesa de Jesús. Revisa cómo ves la cruz, ¿como un momento de gracia o como una desgracia?

Despojado de todo en la cruz, y siendo su vida misma un don, nuestro Señor nos hace el último regalo: su madre.

Él se desprende del vínculo más fuerte y natural que todo ser humano tiene, es el vínculo a la mamá. Esa madre que le acompañó hasta la cruz. La mayoría de sus apóstoles, a quienes había llamado “amigos”, le abandonaron. Solo Juan estaba ahí y claro está, la virgen María.

Todos nosotros, cuando nos encontramos en esas situaciones difíciles, o pasamos por un problema o dificultad que nos agobia, cuánto quisiéramos ser niños para volver a estar en los brazos tiernos y seguros de la mamá.

Pues es lo que experimentábamos también los que nos encontrábamos en la cárcel, encarcelados injustamente. Queríamos estar con nuestras madres.

Personalmente recuerdo la primera visita que recibí en la cárcel, fue la de mi madre. Entró al pequeño recinto custodiada de policías, con su mirada tierna y serena, a pesar del dolor que seguramente llevaba en su corazón, nos abrazamos y reconfortamos mutuamente.

Jesús nuestro Señor, sabe que necesitaremos de su madre, que es también nuestra madre.

Esto no va contra la fe en Cristo. Al contrario, es Él quien nos la entregó, así que nosotros, como buenos hijos y al igual que el apóstol San Juan, la recibimos con alegría y la llevamos a nuestras casas.

Ella estará pendiente de nosotros en todos los momentos de nuestra vida. No dudemos pues de abrirle las puertas de nuestro corazón a aquella que nos dijo: “Hagan lo que Él les diga” (Juan 2:5).

Confiando plenamente en su maternal intercesión, ella está contigo al pie de tu cruz, ella está pendiente de que no falte nada en tu hogar. Ella nos lleva a Jesús. ¡Gracias, madre por estar siempre con nosotros! ¡Ruega por nosotros Santa Madre de Dios!

— P. Ramiro Tijerino

“Yo te aseguro que hoy estarás conmigo en el Paraíso.”

“Padre, perdónalos, porque no saben lo que hacen.”

“¡Mujer, ahí tienes a tu hijo!, ¡hijo, ahí tienes a tu madre!”

Una tradición católica para meditar en familia durante el Viernes Santo

CUARTA PALABRA

QUINTA PALABRA “Tengo sed.”

En ocasiones, ante situaciones y circunstancias difíciles, hacemos nuestra también esta frase que Jesucristo clamó en ese bendito momento de la cruz. Y como Él lo hacemos nosotros, porque lo primero que experimentamos es ese sentimiento de abandono y de soledad.

Por ejemplo, la persona que va al médico por un chequeo de rutina y recibe la noticia que tiene un cáncer en etapa terminal, creo que muy probable que se pregunte ¿por qué Dios me ha abandonado?

Y si agregamos que esa persona se considera muy buena, que diezma, que comulga todos los domingos y que además está en el grupo de oración de la parroquia, ¿no se haría la pregunta?

Yo respondería que muy probable que sí. No estamos exceptos de sentir o experimentar esta soledad que nace de la impotencia, de la fragilidad humana.

Aún yo, como sacerdote, cuando estuve en la celda de esa cárcel, no una sino muchas veces, hice esa pregunta. ¿Y saben qué fue lo hermoso que nos pasó?, ¡que el mismo Señor nos visitó!

¿De qué manera? En su presencia real en la Santa Eucaristía. Todos lloramos porque habíamos dudado de su palabra, “Yo estaré con ustedes…” (Mateo 28:20).

Uno de nosotros dijo hincado ante su presencia, “Dios está también preso con nosotros”.

Hermanos todos, Dios siempre está en esos momentos buenos y alegres; pero también lo estará en esos momentos difíciles: ¿Quién podrá separarnos del amor de Jesucristo? Nada ni nadie. Ni los problemas, ni los sufrimientos, ni las dificultades…ni la muerte”. Leamos Romanos 8:35.

Tener sed es una de nuestras necesidades naturales, no podemos vivir sin el agua. Con esta palabra nuestro señor nos manifiesta toda su humanidad, Él se hizo carne de verdad, es Dios y Hombre, y como hombre se asemejó totalmente a nosotros, menos en el pecado.

Él ya les había dicho en una ocasión a sus discípulos, que no era un fantasma. Él es realmente hombre, siente, sufre dolor, cansancio, padece hambre, etc.

Y aquí en la cruz siente sed, la sed de un torturado, la sed de alguien que está sufriendo mucho y viviendo su agonía.

En el relato de San Marcos se nos dice que los soldados le dieron vino mezclado con mirra (Marcos 15:23). En esos tiempos esa mezcla servía como anestésico y droga, ayudando así al crucificado o al torturado a aliviar y olvidar su dolor. Lo más interesante es que dice el versículo: “pero Él no lo tomó”.

Así, mientras muchos de nosotros queremos evadirnos a la realidad del sufrimiento, quisiéramos tener una mezcla de “vino y mirra” que nos aleje momentáneamente del dolor.

Quisiéramos tener una varita mágica que resuelva todos nuestros problemas, o bien un vino y mirra que nos haga más llevadera y liviana la cruz.

Mientras nosotros pensamos, buscamos o deseamos esa mezcla de “vino y mirra”; nuestro Señor Jesús la rechaza, no la toma, asume su dolor con valentía y por amor.

El amor y el sufrimiento van de la mano. Quien ama de verdad, se entrega hasta el extremo. He ahí la sed del Hijo de Dios.

Nosotros también en este mundo experimentamos cansancio y sed, son muchos los sedientos de paz y justicia, sedientos de amor.

Cuánta sed hay en nuestros pueblos, en Nicaragua y en el mundo entero. Gente sedienta de libertad y justicia; y sólo Él, la fuente de agua viva, nos puede saciar y llenar todos nuestros vacíos y carencias. Él es el agua viva.

SEXTA PALABRA

“Todo está cumplido.”

Jesús muriendo en la cruz ha manifestado así el deseo y querer de su Padre. El mismo dirá que su alimento es hacer la voluntad de mi Padre. ¿Por qué me cuesta hacer la voluntad del Padre? En lo personal, el problema radica en la falta de oración y de la santidad.

El santo es aquel que está en la misma sintonía y frecuencia con la voluntad de Dios y esto es fruto de la oración. Y si le toca vivir momentos adversos no lo vemos renegar, al contrario, los vive con paz y se alegra de padecerlos en nombre de Jesús. Son muchísimos ejemplos de miles, de millones de santos. Por mencionar a uno, San Ignacio de Antioquia, lo vemos suplicar al pueblo que pastoreaba que no impida ser triturado por los leones.

La cárcel no es el lugar donde más tranquilidad y paz uno puede manifestar. Por eso, siempre nos preguntábamos ¿es voluntad de Dios que estemos acá?

No logramos tener una respuesta inmediatamente, como hubiéramos deseado, pero con el correr del tiempo Dios fue respondiendo esas y otros preguntas. Cuando logramos hablar con los hermanos de otras celdas, ellos nos contaron lo que habían experimentado desde el mismo momento que nosotros entramos a la cárcel. Fue una alegría, porque si ustedes estaban allí Dios también.

Volvió la esperanza de que un día íbamos a salir. Los oficiales comenzaron a dar mejor trato, hasta la comida mejoró, pero sobre todo muchos volvieron a la fe y no había celda donde no se orara con el rosario.

Dios permitió que llegáramos a la cárcel para salvarnos a todos física y espiritualmente. “Todo está cumplido”. Preguntémonos ¿Todo esto por mí?

SÉPTIMA PALABRA

Toda la vida de Jesús fue una constante oración. Ninguna actividad realizaba, ni una decisión tomaba sin antes orar. Y cuando sus discípulos le pidieron: “Señor enséñanos a orar” (Lucas 11:1), Él invitó a sus discípulos a decir: “Padre…”.

Aquí, en esta última palabra, en este momento de agonía y muerte, pero que también es momento de encuentro, ora diciendo: “Padre”.

Seguramente lo hizo en el lenguaje arameo, cuya palabra seria Abba. Este vocablo era utilizado únicamente en el interior del hogar, pues connotaba una intimidad y relación especial, era una expresión de amor filial, pero un amor sentido y vivido, tal y como lo vive un niño que se acerca a su papá.

Así el Hijo de Dios se entrega a su padre, a su Abba, a su papá, y con ello restaura esa relación entre Dios y los hombres, relación que estaba rota a causa del pecado.

Jesús se entrega a su Padre para que este lo levante de entre los muertos. Entrega su espíritu al Padre con la confianza del hijo, con la esperanza que su Padre le dará el nombre sobre todo nombre, esto es, con la esperanza en la resurrección. Es esta la confianza y la esperanza con la que debemos nosotros, que somos también hijos de Dios, encarar la muerte y vivir cada acontecimiento de nuestra vida. Con la muerte de Cristo, está vencida la muerte como destino final del ser humano; de esta manera podemos, con mucha fe y esperanza, decir con el apóstol Pablo que: “…ni la muerte ni la vida, ni los ángeles ni los principados, ni lo presente ni lo futuro, ni las potestades, ni la altura ni la profundidad, ni otra criatura alguna podrá separarnos del amor de Dios manifestado en Cristo Jesús, Señor nuestro” (Romanos 8:38-39).

“Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi Espíritu.”

“¡Dios mío, Dios mío! ¿Por qué me has abandonado?”

Padre Julio Domínguez

La alegría de la evangelización

Me encanta estar revisando todas las actividades que se van realizando en el Ministerio Hispano, desde la región de la montaña hasta la región de Greensboro, la zona centro de Hickory y las actividades aquí en Charlotte. Gracias a Dios tenemos una diócesis muy activa y los grupos apostólicos y coordinadores diocesanos están haciendo un magnífico trabajo en la obra de Evangelización. Miles de personas salen beneficiadas de esta manera, pues los retiros y talleres son tan diversos y enriquecedores que sin duda alguna el Espíritu Santo sigue mandando sus dones y carismas sobre nuestra Iglesia diocesana.

Quiero agradecer de una manera muy especial a Catholic News Herald por publicar todas nuestras actividades y también agradecer a todos aquellos que han enviado estas publicaciones para dar a conocer sus retiros y actividades parroquiales. Les sigo pidiendo que sigamos informando de nuestras actividades, pues de esa manera seguiremos comunicando a muchos y animaremos a muchas almas a entregarse a Dios.

Pero sin duda alguna, de una manera muy especial, quiero agradecer a todas aquellas personas que han participado en estas actividades, pues ustedes vienen a ser esos tesoros hermosos que tenemos en nuestra diócesis y que aprovechan cada actividad para enriquecer su vida espiritual y su conocimiento de la sana doctrina.

Ya viene pronto el año en que todos los movimientos de nuestra diócesis deberán trabajar fuertemente en promover la devoción a la Santísima Eucaristía. Espero que, con esfuerzo renovado y con mucho entusiasmo, podamos hacer un gran trabajo y llevar a miles de almas a los sagrarios para rendir homenaje al Rey de reyes y Señor de señores.

Quiero que ese año que comenzaremos en junio, sea algo extraordinario en cuanto a actividades Eucarísticas, que nos propongamos todos a que todas las parroquias tengan un momento de encuentro entre los fieles y Nuestro Señor.

Sigamos viviendo nuestra Cuaresma con mucho amor y sentido para que la Pascua que ya llega sea llena de frutos para todos nosotros. Así sea.

EL PADRE JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ es vicario episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Los organizadores del encuentro esperan contar con 200 participantes de toda la región VII, que incluye el estado de Carolina del Norte. La cita ofrecerá conferencias comunes en inglés y sesiones en español, inglés y vietnamita, donde se dialogará sobre los programas y retos específicos de cada una de estas tres comunidades. El movimiento cursillista en español se encuentra muy extendido en las ciudades de Salisbury, Hendersonville, Asheville, Hamlet y Camden, en Carolina del Norte.

Cursillo de Cristiandad tendrá Encuentro Regional el 14 y 15 de abril

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

CHARLOTTE — El movimiento del Cursillo de Cristiandad de la Diócesis de Charlotte acogerá el Encuentro Regional de Primavera de ese movimiento, que se realizará del 14 al 15 de abril en la parroquia San Mateo, ubicada en la zona sur de nuestra ciudad.

Erick Núnez, miembro del directorio a cargo de la escuela diocesana del Cursillo de Cristiandad, resaltó la importancia del encuentro que reunirá a participantes de los siete estados que integran la región VII, entre ellos las dos Carolinas.

“Estamos muy honrados de haber sido seleccionados para acoger uno de los dos encuentros importantes que realizamos cada año. Ha sido el turno de Charlotte. Esperamos ser buenos anfitriones y estar a la altura de la relevancia del evento”, dijo.

Tres comunidades participarán en simultáneo en este encuentro: anglo, hispana y vietnamita. “Estaremos todos juntos escuchando las charlas, pero luego nos dividiremos para dialogar sobre nuestros programas y retos específicos”, añadió Núnez.

¿QUÉ ES EL CURSILLO?

El Cursillo de Cristiandad tuvo sus inicios en los años 40 en España, cuando un grupo de hombres se dedicaron a dar a conocer a Cristo a los jóvenes. “Cursillo”, en español, como sabemos significa un curso pequeño, breve, y se asocia con el fin de semana de tres días en el que se invita a los participantes a tener un encuentro personal con Dios.

“El carisma propio de cursillos nace como una manera de comunicarle al hombre y a la mujer de hoy día que Dios le ama, y le ama a través mío primero”, y su método está basado “en el

triple encuentro: con uno mismo, después con Dios, y finalmente con los demás”, proponiendo más adelante el seguimiento de este ‘entusiasmo’ inicial en lo que se llama ‘el cuarto día’, a través de reuniones de grupo y ‘ultreyas’, dijo Núñez.

En la Diócesis de Charlotte, particularmente en la comunidad hispana, el movimiento cursillista se expandió rápidamente desde 2011, cuando un grupo de hombres interesados participó en un encuentro de tres días organizado por la Diócesis de Raleigh, “aunque conocemos que mucho antes este movimiento ya se había instalado y desarrollado en nuestra propia Diócesis de Charlotte”, aclaró el vocero. Recordamos que la primera promoción de diáconos latinos, ordenados el 1 de julio de 1995 por el entonces Obispo William G. Curlin, contó con la presencia de los diáconos Carlos Medina y Rafael Torres, ambos formados en el movimiento del Cursillo de Cristiandad.

El movimiento en español está fuertemente establecido en las localidades de Salisbury, Hendersonville, Asheville, Hamlet y Camden, entre otras. Cuenta con la guía espiritual del Diácono Sigfrido della Valle, coordinador del ministerio hispano de la Vicaría de Smoky Mountain.

Más allá de esta actividad, Núñez invitó a todos los feligreses a descubrir el Cursillo. “Yo era un católico no convencido, pero a través del Cursillo de Cristiandad hallé la convicción de mi fe. Dejé de ser del mundo para estar en el mundo cristianamente”, finalizó.

Más online

En www.charlottecursillo.com : Encontrará mayores informes, en inglés y español, sobre el Encuentro Regional y el Cursillo de Cristiandad.

Con un generoso compartir en el que menudearon platillos típicos de la cocina mexicana, salvadoreña y hondureña, los feligreses de la parroquia San José en Kannapolis celebraron la fiesta de su santo patrón el pasado domingo 19 de marzo, al término de la Misa del Cuarto Domingo de Cuaresma.

Parroquia San José festejó a su santo patrón

CÉSAR HURTADO rchurtado@charlottediocese.org

KANNAPOLIS — La parroquia San José en Kannapolis festejó la fiesta de su santo patrón, San José, casto esposo de la Virgen María y padre adoptivo de Jesucristo, con un Triduo que concluyó el domingo 19 de marzo, al término de la Misa del Cuarto Domingo de Cuaresma.

La Misa, celebrada por el Padre redentorista Fabio de Jesús Marín Morales, párroco, fue seguida por un compartir llevado a cabo en uno de los salones parroquiales, en el que participaron con alegría todos los fieles asistentes.

El Padre Marín, al culminar su homilía, que resumió los mensajes de las lecturas de los domingos de Cuaresma e incidió sobre el no dejarse llevar por las apariencias, pidió la bendición de San José para ser servidores “con nuestra oración y en nuestro amor al padre”.

Además solicitó la protección del santo, “como en tu viaje a Egipto, y consigue que los padres de familia, los sacerdotes y los fieles en general, por tu auxilio, se vuelvan fieles, humildes e imitadores tuyos”; concluyendo

El Obispo Jugis celebrará

Misas de Semana Santa y Pascua en una renovada Catedral

CHARLOTTE — Los días santos, cuando los fieles conmemoran la pasión, muerte y resurrección del Señor, son los más solemnes en el calendario de la Iglesia. Un tiempo para orar y estar en comunión con nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo.

Las celebraciones de Semana Santa de este año en la Catedral San Patricio prometen ser especiales, ya que se celebran en medio de las renovaciones recientemente concluidas.

Mientras el trabajo ha estado en marcha, las Misas se han celebrado en el Centro de Vida Familiar de la parroquia.

El Domingo de Ramos marca la primera vez que la catedral estará abierta desde la temporada de Adviento. Sea uno de los primeros en contemplar las hermosas mejoras el 2 de abril, durante el Domingo de Ramos, cuando la Iglesia celebra la entrada triunfal de Jesús en Jerusalén. Únase al obispo Peter J. Jugis para las liturgias de Semana Santa en la Catedral de San Patricio en Charlotte:

con el tres veces repetido llamado, “San José, ruega por nosotros”.

Luego invitó a la feligresía a participar en el evento comunitario para que se comparta un momento y dialogue.

El agasajo, ofrecido por el ministerio hispano, contó con la colaboración de los miembros de la parroquia que donaron el alimento y las bebidas que se ofrecieron.

Fernando Jaimes, miembro del liderazgo del ministerio hispano de la parroquia, dijo que planearon la celebración con un mes de anticipación y resaltó la colaboración de los mismos parroquianos que “trajeron sus comidas, sus guisos, para compartir con todos”.

Entre los platillos que se ofrecieron gratuitamente, sin costo alguno, se encontraba “mole poblano, comidas típicas mexicanas, salvadoreñas, pupusas, pozole verde, pozole rojo, tamales, pasteles, pan. Es bastante, bastante comida, nadie se va a ir sin probar algo. Tenemos para todos y para todos los gustos”, dijo Jaimes.

La señora Ofelia, mexicana del estado de Michoacán y feligresa de la parroquia, dijo haber llegado acompañada de toda su familia, excepto por uno de sus hijos que se

encontraba trabajando fuera de la ciudad. “Nos trae nuestra fe. Se me hace una cosa muy bonita compartir nuestra fe con otros y celebrar con ellos la fiesta de nuestro santo, así como lo hacíamos en nuestra tierra. Y especialmente en la casa del Señor. Estamos muy contentos”, señaló.

Por su parte Marisela Ruíz, asistente y miembro del ministerio hispano, dijo que que la reunión era “algo muy importante”, sobre todo para aprender y seguir el ejemplo del santo, como en la educación de su hijo Jesús, “que nosotros tratamos de seguir para la santidad de nuestra familia. Por eso, este compartir es muy importante para mantenernos en sus pasos”.

San José es patrono de la Iglesia Universal, la buena muerte, las familias, los padres, las mujeres embarazadas, los viajeros, inmigrantes, artesanos, ingenieros, trabajadores y carpinteros.

El Papa Francisco convocó el pasado 8 de diciembre de 2020, el Año de San José para celebrar los 150 años de su declaración como patrono de la Iglesia universal, y publicó su carta apostólica Patris corde (Corazón de padre), donde llamó a imitar las virtudes de San José y profundizar en su devoción.

Misa del Domingo de Ramos: Domingo 2 de abril, 11 a.m.

Misa Crismal: Martes 4 de abril, 10 a.m.

Misa de la Cena del Señor: Jueves 6 de abril, 7 p.m.

Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor: Viernes 7 de abril, 3 p.m.

Misa de la Vigilia Pascual: Sábado 8 de abril, 8:30 p.m.

— Annie Ferguson

APRIL 27, 2023

5:30 P.M. - COCKTAIL RECEPTION

6:30 P.M. - DINNER

SONESTA CHARLOTTE EXECUTIVE PARK

Join us to support the work of Catholic Charities in the Charlotte region.

At this complimentary event, you will be invited to hear inspiring stories and make a generous gift to help raise our goal of $200,000 to Strengthen Families, Build Communities, and Reduce Poverty.

Tickets are available at ccdoc.org/voh

Beatos colombianos de San Juan de Dios

En 1934 estalló en España una cruel persecución contra los católicos por parte de los comunistas, masones y la extrema izquierda. En pocos meses fueron destruidos en España más de mil templos católicos y gravemente dañados más de dos mil. Desde 1936 hasta 1939, los comunistas españoles asesinaron a 4100 sacerdotes seculares. 2300 religiosos, 283 religiosas y miles de laicos.

Unas de las víctimas de esta persecución fueron siete jóvenes colombianos, hermanos de la Comunidad de San Juan de Dios, que estaban estudiando y trabajando en España a favor de los que padecían enfermedades mentales y las personas que se encontraban en condición de abandono. Sus nombres eran: Juan Bautista Velásquez, Esteban Maya, Melquiades Ramírez de Sonsón, Eugenio Ramírez, Rubén de Jesús López, Arturo Ayala y Gaspar Páez Perdomo de Tello. La Comunidad colombiana los había enviado a España a perfeccionar sus estudios de enfermería, y a asistir a los enfermos que vivían en un centro médico ubicado en Ciempozuelos, cerca de Madrid. Hasta dicho lugar, llegó personal del gobierno comunista español quienes

Lecturas Diarias

ABRIL 2-8

Domingo (Domingo de Ramos): Mateo 21:1-11, Isaías 50:4-7, Filipenses 2:6-11, Mateo 26:14–27, 66; Lunes: Isaías 42:1-7, Juan 12:1-11; Martes: Isaías 49:1-6, Juan 13:21-33, 36-38; Miércoles: Isaías 50:4-9, Mateo 26:1425; Jueves Santo: Éxodo 12:1-8, 1 Corintios 11:23-26, Juan 13:1-15; Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor: Ismael 52:13–53, Hebreos 4:14-16, 5:7-9, Juan 18:119, 42; Sábado (Vigilia Pascual): Génesis 1:1–2, 2, Génesis 22:1-18, Éxodo

les ordenaron abandonar el plantel y dejarlo en manos de empleados marxistas desconocedores de la medicina y de la dirección de centros médicos. Los siete jóvenes fueron hechos prisioneros y llevados a una cárcel en Madrid. Gracias a la intercesión de la cancillería colombiana en el país, los jóvenes consiguieron su libertad, y ya su comunidad religiosa había gestionado los pasajes y viáticos para su retorno a su país natal. Sin embargo, antes de abordar el tren que los transportaría a Barcelona, de donde partirían a Colombia, oficiales del gobierno comunista español los asesinaron cruelmente.

El Cónsul de Colombia en España los identificó en el Hospital Clínico de Madrid, y dio aviso a la congregación religiosa. Pese a las protestas por parte del gobierno colombiano y de la cancillería en España, el gobierno comunista no realizó ninguna investigación, dejando sin castigo alguno a los responsables del asesinato de los religiosos.

El Papa Juan Pablo II beatificó a los siete religiosos en 1992, convirtiéndolos en los primeros beatos del país latinoamericano. - Aciprensa

14:15-15:1, Isaías 54:5-14, Isaías 55:1-11, Baruc 3:9-15, 32-4, 4, Ezequiel 36:16-17a, 18-28, Romanos 6:3-11, Mateo 28:1-10

ABRIL 9-15

Domingo (La Resurrección del Señor): Hechos 10:34a, 37-43, Colosenses 3:1-4, Juan 20:1-9; Lunes: Hechos 2:14, 22-33, Mateo 28:8-15; Martes: Hechos 2:36-41, Juan 20:11-18; Miércoles: Hechos 3:1-10, Lucas 24:1335; Jueves: Hechos 3:11-26, Lucas 24:35-48; Viernes: Hechos 4:1-12, Juan 21:1-14;

Sábado: Hechos 4:13-21, Marcos 16:9-15

ABRIL 16-22

Domingo (Domingo de la Divina Misericordia): Hechos 2:42-47, 1 Pedro 1:3-9, Juan 20:19-31; Lunes: Hechos 4:23-31, Juan 3:1-8; Martes: Hechos 4:32-37, Juan 3:7-15; Miércoles: Hechos 5:17-26, Juan 3:1621; Jueves: Hechos 5:27-33, Juan 3:31-36; Viernes (San Anselmo): Hechos 5:3442, Juan 6:1-15; Sábado: Hechos 6:1-7, Juan 6:16-21

Arts & entertainment

Choosing the ‘Beautiful Way’

Encouraged by her teachers at Our Lady of Grace School, Mary Van der Linden authors first book

GREENSBORO — It was a storybook scene. Amid the stately residences, peaceful park and majestic trees of her Sunset Hills neighborhood, Mary Van der Linden, one of seven children, walked to and from her elementary school each day. Perhaps the only feature to rival the beauty of her daily journey, whether on foot or wheels (after her family moved), was the destination – the striking Gothic architecture of the neighborhood’s Catholic church, where her family worshiped and the children attended school.

“Our Lady of Grace School influenced me a lot as a writer. Multiple times I can think of in fourth, seventh and eighth grade I had teachers tell me that I have a flair for writing, and that did so much for my confidence. I’ve had that in the back of my mind – that I’m a decent writer – and all these years later my Catholic education is still having an impact.”

“Beautiful Way” is a coming-of-age story that follows two teenage girls as they learn to navigate other cultures and religions, bullying, newfound interests, and seeing others for who they are rather than what is on the surface. The story began forming when Van der Linden’s daughter Claire was dealing with typical social and best friend issues in the third grade.

Van der Linden began telling Claire a bedtime story to help her learn to develop new friendships. The story grew in detail and popularity over time, and Claire even asked her mother to share it during one of her sleepovers. The result, some 20 years later, is “Beautiful Way,” which follows eighth-grader Natalie as she welcomes her new neighbor Patrizia Bellavia (“beautiful way” in Italian) to their Greensboro school.

Patrizia is from an Italian Catholic family. The inspiration for the Bellavia family is a collection of many experiences and people Van der Linden has known through the years, along with the author’s rich imagination. Van der Linden’s parents always welcomed exchange students, and Van der Linden herself spent time as an international student living with her good friend Tita and her family after they moved to Caracas, Venezuela. Tita and Van der Linden met at Our Lady of Grace and are still close friends today.

In the book, Van der Linden adeptly covers difficult territory as Patrizia introduces the rosary to Natalie, whose family is Methodist.

“In my adult life as a Catholic, I came to understand and love the rosary, and I really wanted to explain why Catholics pray the rosary to the best of my ability to somebody who thinks it’s weird,” she said.

Natalie and Patrizia also gain an appreciation for Jewish customs when the two visit their friend Josh’s house for Chanukah and discover the richness of the faith and its connections to their own, something Van der Linden has come to understand well through her interfaith

marriage. The differences have enriched her life, she said, while she continues to grow in her Catholic faith.

“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is what defines Catholicism for me, and that is the core of our faith – that is the Communion, the heart of Jesus,” Van der Linden said. “Everything was made through Him, so every person of a different faith, different color, different status was made through Him, and I really wanted to make sure that whatever I put out there had that reflection of how Jesus sees us, not so much how we divide ourselves.”

Get a copy

To order a copy of “Beautiful Way,” go to www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon. com or email Mary Van der Linden at marvelousbooks58@gmail.com.

Administrative Coordinator

The Diocese of Charlotte, Office of Development is currently accepting applications for a 30-hour week (benefits-eligible), Administrative Coordinator to support the Director of Planned Giving/Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Office of Development staff.

It was Our Lady of Grace, an ideal setting for Van der Linden as she unknowingly began her quest to reveal another kind of beauty – one that would culminate in the publishing of her first book, “Beautiful Way,” in 2022. At the school, the students did a lot of writing. Van der Linden was encouraged by her teachers and won an essay contest in eighth grade about the school’s uniform policy.

“Writing a book has been a dream of mine since I was young,” said Van der Linden.

In the book, Natalie and Patrizia become fast friends, despite their differences, and they even carve out a path in the woods between their homes. The two learn and grow together as they face bullying, unfamiliar customs and religious practices in the Catholic and Jewish faiths, and the brokenness that is universal to the human condition as they come to a deeper understanding of a difficult loss suffered by a classmate and his family.

“If we are truly worshipping God and practicing our faith, we are being inclusive to others, we are being kind, and we are being loving toward our brothers and sisters in humanity. It was really important for me to have that be a theme in the story,” Van der Linden said.

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Our nation

showed up in a very powerful, powerful way’: Archdiocese of Hartford investigating possible Eucharistic miracle

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Archdiocese of Hartford is investigating a possible Eucharistic miracle at one of its parishes, where Communion hosts seemingly multiplied during a March 5 Sunday Mass.

Father Joseph Crowley, pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Thomaston, Conn., said in a YouTube livestream of his March 12 homily that an unnamed extraordinary minister of the Eucharist at the previous week’s liturgy had begun to run out of Communion hosts – only to find that “all of a sudden there (were) more hosts in the ciborium.” The St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish is comprised of three church locations – St. Thomas, Immaculate Conception and St. Casimir – and the alleged multiplication of Communion hosts took place at St. Thomas.

The minister continued to distribute the hosts to some “100, 150 people in the congregation,” after which “there was the same amount, if not more hosts” in the ciborium, said Father Crowley, who had celebrated the March 5 liturgy. “What happened is Our Lord multiplied Himself. … I have no doubt. I know what I gave the

person. I know what (was) returned (to the tabernacle). It was just very obvious and plain to me as to what happened.”

Father Crowley said in his March 12 homily he wanted to tell parishioners “from the horse’s mouth as to exactly what happened,” and “stick to the facts” to avoid confusion.

In a livestream video of his postCommunion remarks at the March 5 liturgy at St. Thomas, a visibly struck Father Crowley said the experience was “very powerful, very awesome, very real, very shocking.”

David Elliott, associate director of communications for the Archdiocese of Hartford, told OSV News that the archdiocesan judicial vicar, Father George S. Mukuka, “has been looking into the possibility of a Eucharistic miracle” at the parish.

Following the investigation, the judicial vicar will prepare a report for Hartford Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, “who will make a determination from there” regarding the event’s supernatural nature, said Elliott.

Several of the seemingly multiplied hosts had been distributed at daily Mass March 6 and 7, but were then kept in reserve

as the archdiocesan investigation is still underway, said Father Crowley in his March 12 homily.

He said that the incident – which he described as “one of those moments where God showed up in a very powerful, powerful way” – had stunned him.

“I haven’t been praying for anything like this,” he said. “I’ve heard of this happening. I don’t know of any person out of my 20-plus years of dealing with the Church … (and) dealing with hundreds of priests … hundreds, thousands of people, (and) many, many bishops. I know that the Lord can do anything. He does all things, for nothing is impossible for God.”

At the same time, “the real miracle is the fact that we’re able to take simple bread and wine, and through the prayers of the Church, through the hands of the priest, Christ is made present through transubstantiation,” said Father Crowley. “Our Lord then becomes the flesh and blood hidden under the mere presence of bread and wine.”

Through the apparent multiplication of hosts, “Our Lord gave us one of the best moments of reflection this Lent about Himself, about the Eucharist,” said Father Crowley.

Father Crowley acknowledged that people often go through situations where “God seems so removed, so hidden … not

part of our everyday moment because we don’t see Him.”

“It’s sometimes hard to see a God that seems to be so hidden,” he said. “Perhaps the Lord had done this before, where you just give Communion out and all of a sudden there’s plenty of hosts and you just keep going. But to … be made aware is part of the miracle.”

A local saint in the making also may have played a role, Father Crowley said, since Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served as pastor of St. Thomas Church from 1884 until his death in 1890.

“I think in a very profound way that … because of Blessed McGivney’s life here … it shows that this is a very special place. And it’s important to God,” said Father Crowley. “And I think good things are coming. I think great things are coming.”

As a parishioner pointed out to him, “we’re so easy to accept an act of evil, an act of harm,” but “it’s hard for us to accept an act of goodness or a God moment or a moment with Christ,” said Father Crowley.

“As we move forward, we really need to see our world through the lens of faith, through the eyes of faith,” he said. “And the more we get closer to our Lord, the more we’re going to see Him in our everyday lives.”

‘God

In Brief

National Eucharistic Revival aims to form disciples on mission with new Easter series

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Eucharistic Revival announced it will release what it called the “first-of-its-kind” mystagogy series of weekly catechetical reflections throughout the Easter season to “invite all Catholics deeper into the mysteries of Christ by reflecting on the truth, goodness and beauty of the Mass,” a news release on the series said. “Mystagogy” is an intentional deepening of a disciple of Jesus Christ’s understanding of the faith following the reception of the sacraments – particularly in the period between Easter and Pentecost. The series, titled “Beautiful Light: A Paschal Mystagogy,” is being offered through the Heart of the Revival Newsletter, a weekly publication of the National Eucharistic Revival, which was established in June 2022 to provide resources to reaffirm and deepen the Eucharistic faith of Catholics across the country. It begins April 13, the Thursday before Divine Mercy Sunday, and runs through May 25, the Thursday before Pentecost. Seven prominent Catholics will write articles for the series: Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis; Sister Maria Miguel Wright of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; biblical scholar and author Jeff Cavins; Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle; Canadian priest and author Father Harrison Ayre; Kately Javier, coordinator for Adult Formation and Hispanic catechesis for

the Washington Archdiocese; and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. To access “Beautiful Light: A Paschal Mystagogy,” subscribe to the Heart of the Revival Newsletter at eucharisticrevival.org/heart-of-the-revivalnewsletter.

Bishop calls Notre Dame lecture series with abortion doula ‘unworthy’ of Catholic university

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A lecture series on “reproductive justice” at the University of Notre Dame is advancing “activist propaganda” rather than “conducting a neutral inquiry or exploring the debates within this field,” Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort WayneSouth Bend, in whose diocese the university operates, stated in a sharply written March 21 column. The university’s Gender Studies Department is holding an ongoing series titled “Reproductive Justice: Scholarship for Solidarity and Social Change,” which it says “zooms out from the issue of abortion – and from intractable ‘pro-choice vs. pro-life’ debates – to the wider frame of Reproductive Justice.” However, Bishop Rhoades criticized “the past and planned events in this series” as well as the speakers, stating “the voices featured (including abortion providers and advocates) consider abortion itself to be an essential tool for pursuing justice, equality, and fighting discrimination.” The concept of academic freedom, Bishop Rhoades said, “is meant to create the space for free inquiry and intellectual exchange in service of pursuing and sharing the truth in charity.” The bishop argued a true understanding of justice requires “that we protect the weak and marginalized from violence – including the violence of abortion.”

Human composting, alkaline hydrolysis not acceptable for burial, say U.S. bishops

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two new alternatives to burial and cremation fail to comply with the Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for the bodies of the dead, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said. In a March 23 statement, the committee said it had evaluated human composting and alkaline hydrolysis, and concluded that both “fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead.” The methods, which rapidly accelerate decomposition, have gained support in recent years as “eco-friendly” forms of treating human remains. Currently, six U.S. states – California, Colorado, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington – permit human composting. However, both techniques – unlike flame-based cremation – do not yield remains that can be interred in a sacred place. Church teaching requires proper care of the human body in death as recognition of the human person’s unity of soul and body, and the hope of the resurrection when Jesus Christ returns in glory.

Utah prohibits licensing abortion clinics after May 2; abortion clinics will be banned in 2024

SALT LAKE CITY — A new law in Utah prohibits licensing of abortion clinics after May 2. In addition, the law states that no abortion clinic may operate in the state on or after Jan. 1, 2024. Under the new law, abortions may only be performed in hospitals, with some exceptions. The new law also modifies provisions that govern what constitutes a medical emergency in relation to an abortion, and modifies the conditions under which an

abortion may be performed to protect the life or health of the mother. It also repeals a previous statute that established a prohibition on abortions after 18 weeks and incorporates its contents into existing statute. Abortions may be performed only if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, if the mother is at risk of death or serious physical risk of substantial –and irreversible – impairment of a major bodily function, is under the age of 14 or if the unborn child has a fetal abnormality that is deemed to be incompatible with life. The attending physician is required to inform the mother that perinatal hospice and perinatal palliative care services are available and are an alternative to abortion. Only a licensed physician may prescribe an abortion-related drug for the purpose of causing an abortion.

Our world Bishop Álvarez proved alive as he appears in staged TV interview

MEXICO CITY — Imprisoned

Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez appeared unexpectedly on Nicaraguan television March 24, more than six weeks after refusing to be exiled from his country, opting instead to face a sentence of 26 years behind bars.

Editor’s

Note:

14-17:

Pale, gaunt and dressed in blue, Bishop Álvarez was reunited with his brother and sister for a meal at the La Modelo prison, where he has been held since hastily being convicted in a secret trial of conspiracy for “undermining national integrity” and spreading false information.

The appearance followed weeks of Catholic leaders and human rights groups demanding proof of life – with the last photos of Bishop Álvarez dating back to a Jan. 10 court date. He had previously been held under house arrest after being detained in an August 2022 raid on his diocesan headquarters.

Government-friendly media showed Bishop Álvarez breaking bread with his siblings, then switched to a coerced interview with him. Bishop Álvarez was asked to confirm he had received “dignified treatment” – something he confirmed, though other political prisoners have described their conditions as squalid.

The interviewer then told Bishop Álvarez, “We’re glad to see you doing well,” to which the smiling bishop responded, “How do I look? Healthy? And my face, how does it look?”

Bishop Álvarez’s response ignited a social media storm among Nicaraguans – many of whom have fled the Central American country as the Ortega regime turns increasingly tyrannical and suppresses all dissenting voices.

“It overjoys me to see photos of my brother, Monsignor Rolando. I give thanks to God that he’s alive!” tweeted Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Baez of Managua, who is exiled in Miami. “The dictatorship’s staging of this has been repugnant and cynical and doesn’t erase its crime. The force of the people’s prayers and international pressure has been revealed. Release him now!”

Bishop Baez said in his March 26 homily, “Those who have locked up and have wanted to silence Rolando’s voice, don’t be deceived: you are the true prisoners, prisoners of evil, of ambition, of cruelty.

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Remove the stone from the prison door and release the bishop.”

Nicaraguan lawyer Yader Morazán told OSV News that the regime likely considered international pressure in presenting the bishop, as human rights lawyers are investigating the forced disappearance.

He also noted the bishop’s attire didn’t match the clothing given to inmates in Nicaraguan prisons.

“We can see this as using the justice system for political propaganda, having now exhibited a person this way,” said Morazán, who fled Nicaragua in 2018 and was recently stripped of his citizenship.

Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, have branded Catholic bishops “terrorists” and “coup plotters,” and recently severed diplomatic

relations with the Vatican. The Vatican closed its embassy in Managua in March with the chargé d’affaires, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, leaving the country.

“We have a bishop in prison, a very serious and capable man, who wanted to give his testimony and did not accept exile,” Pope Francis told the Argentine media outlet Infobae just prior to relations being severed. “It is something from outside of what we are living, as if it were a communist dictatorship in 1917 or a Hitlerian one in 1935.”

Nicaragua released 222 political prisoners Feb. 9, sending them to the United States and stripping them of their Nicaraguan citizenship. Bishop Álvarez refused to board the plane and was subsequently convicted and sentenced.

Pope Francis calls for ‘ethical and responsible’ AI development

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis asked tech leaders to measure the value of their innovations not in processing power or profit potential, but in their capacity to promote human dignity. In a meeting at the Vatican March 27 with scientists, engineers, businesspeople and lawyers working across the tech industry, the pope reflected on the social and cultural impact of artificial intelligence. The benefits of artificial intelligence and automated learning for humanity will be realized only if developers act in an “ethical and responsible way” that respects the intrinsic dignity of each person, the pope said. But he expressed concern that such respect is missing when, for instance, artificially intelligent software is used in producing legal sentences by analyzing an individual’s criminal record and generalized data. “An individual’s past behavior should not be used to deny him or her the opportunity to change, grow and contribute to society,” he said. “We cannot allow algorithms to limit or condition respect for human dignity, nor can we allow them to exclude compassion, mercy, forgiveness and, above all, an openness to hope for personal change.”

Colombian bishops ask Vatican to consider creation of Amazonian rite

VATICAN CITY — Indigenous communities in Colombia are calling for a new liturgical rite that reflects their varied spiritualities and lifestyles, Colombia’s bishops said. About half of the country’s bishops met with Pope Francis March 24 at the end of their “ad limina” visit to the Vatican, the first for Colombia’s bishops

since 2012. Bishop Omar Mejía Giraldo of Florencia, whose diocese sits along the border of the Amazon rainforest, told journalists that the pope is encouraging Colombia’s bishops to continue researching an Amazonian rite and remain close to the region’s Indigenous communities. In this moment the Church is asking CEAMA, the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region, “to reflect deeply and thoroughly to see how we can make inroads toward an Amazonian rite,” he said. The bishop said Pope Francis told them the Vatican would not “shut down” the development of an Amazonian rite and that “there will arrive a moment when (the Church) will discern it thoroughly.”

Pope advances sainthood causes of six candidates

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has advanced the sainthood causes of five women and a priest. The pope March 23 signed decrees recognizing that each of the six candidates heroically lived the Christian virtues. Beatification will require a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession, and canonization – a declaration of sainthood – will require an additional miracle. Among the causes that were advanced were those of two laywomen: Maria Domenica Lazzeri, an Italian who lived 1815-1848; and Teresa Enríquez de Alvarado, a Spaniard who was born sometime around 1456 and died in 1529.

New rules bar male-to-female transgender athletes from female competition

ROME — The World Athletics Council, the international sports governing body, announced new rules that prohibit the participation of “male-to-female transgender athletes” from female competitions. In a statement published March 23, the association said it agreed “to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition” effective March 31. Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, said that while such decisions

involving “conflicting needs and rights between different groups” are always difficult, the sport governing body must nevertheless “continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations.”

“We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount,” Coe said. The decision drew mixed reactions, with some LGBT activist organizations criticizing the decision as exclusionary. Others, including Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, thanked World Athletics for “standing up for female athletes across the world who are worthy of fair sport.”

Church calls for international protection of holy sites after attack on church at Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — The Greek Orthodox Church March 19 denounced what it called a “heinous terrorist attack” on a church at the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. As reported by AFP, Israeli police said that earlier that same day a 27-year-old resident of southern Israel was arrested over “a violent incident” at the church in annexed East Jerusalem, without providing further details on the suspect’s identity. While the police said the apprehended suspect entered the church with an iron bar and that there were no injuries, a witness told AFP that a priest had been injured in the forehead. The attack on the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem is one of many attacks on Christian sites in Jerusalem in recent months.

Confession is ‘encounter of love’ that fights evil, pope tells priests

VATICAN CITY — In a world where “there is no shortage of hotbeds of hatred and revenge,” Pope Francis told priests and seminarians that “we confessors must multiply the ‘hotbeds

of mercy,’” by making it easy for people to access the sacrament of reconciliation. “We are in a supernatural struggle” with evil, the pope said, “even though we already know the final outcome will be Christ’s victory over the powers of evil. This victory truly takes place every time a penitent is absolved. Nothing drives away and defeats evil more than divine mercy.” Pope Francis was speaking March 23 with priests and seminarians attending a course at the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience, the sacrament of reconciliation and indulgences, and with priests who offer confession at the major basilicas of Rome. He told them, “If someone doesn’t feel like being a giver of the mercy he received from Jesus, don’t enter the confessional.”

Notre Dame Cathedral reopening date announced as reconstruction on its famous spire wraps up in eastern France

VAL DE BRIEY, France — Four years after a devastating fire, the date of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been set for Dec. 8, 2024, at 11:15 a.m., according to Philippe Villeneuve, the architect leading the reconstruction. Villeneuve made the announcement March 16 during a trip to Val de Briey in eastern France, a small agricultural town near the Luxembourg border. It was there that the base of the famous Notre Dame spire was being assembled before its installation on the four pillars at the crossing of the cathedral’s transept, at a height of nearly 100 feet. The spire was destroyed when a fire ravaged the cathedral April 15, 2019. Even if Paris’ famous medieval cathedral won’t reopen in time for the Paris Olympic Games scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024, the reopening date is a significant one for Catholics, as Dec. 8 marks the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, one of the biggest feast days of Mary, to whom French King Louis XIII consecrated himself, his dynasty and his kingdom in 1638.

Even after horrible violence, Jesus would have us pray: ‘Father, forgive them’

During the Church year, we journey through the Sermon on the Mount. We hear Jesus say, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” What Jesus calls us to look at is not the letter of the Law, but what is at the heart of the matter. Our actions arise from the movements in our heart, and so we need to change our hearts if we are to avoid acting in an evil manner.

Jesus goes from the exterior action to what lies inside of us. The commandment says, “You shall not kill. … But I say to you whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. … If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” What can lead to murder is anger that is allowed to seethe and grow until it bursts forth into hurting, even killing another.

Reconciliation is crucial. Even if the other person does not forgive us, God forgives us if we seek to be reconciled. If the wrong has been done to us, often we need to ask God to help us to forgive others. If we are unable to forgive, the hurt and anger often act as a weight that burdens us and keeps us from being free.

POPE FRANCIS VISITS WAR-TORN COUNTRIES

A few weeks ago, Pope Francis visited both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. Both countries have been plagued by war and unrest. In the eastern part of the DRC, war has gone on for some 25 years as various militias have fought to gain control of the mineral riches that are part of our cellphones and other electronic equipment. It is estimated that nearly 3 million people have been killed and millions more displaced. The Holy Father came to bring a message of peace and reconciliation, and to tell the people that they are not forgotten.

In the DRC, Pope Francis met with a number of people who had been caught up in the violence to listen to their stories and to pray with them for peace and healing.

One was a woman who as a young girl watched her parents and siblings be murdered before her eyes. The militia leader then gave her the knife that killed them and told her to give it to the DRC military as a sign of what would be done to them.

The second was a fellow who, as a boy, watched his father and an uncle be hacked to death by a machete and his mother be taken away. He has never seen his mother again.

The third was a young woman who was taken as a sex slave by a militia leader. She was raped time and again, but finally managed to escape after a year and a half. On her back were the twins that she bore as a result of the rape.

The first woman took the knife that had killed her family and laid it at the foot of the cross as she forgave the murderers.

The fellow took a machete like the one that had massacred his father and uncle, and he laid it at the foot of the cross in forgiveness of what had been done to his family.

The second woman took a mat, like the one on which she was repeatedly raped, and placed it at the foot of the cross in forgiveness of the one who had so brutally abused her.

With tears in his eyes, Pope Francis blessed each one.

AFRICAN BELIEVERS LEAD THE WAY

This is the power of the cross. This is following Jesus, who on the cross called out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Once again, our African brothers and sisters have shown us in the West that the power of the cross can bring about forgiveness and even reconciliation. They showed this in South Africa and in Rwanda.

Will we in the West learn from them? Will we help to bring about peace in their countries? Will we bring about peace in our own country? Will we believe what we pray during Holy Week: “Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.”

What do you do at Eucharistic Adoration?

When I dragged a friend to Adoration recently, she pumped me with panicky questions while on the way. “Sitting for an hour in silence? But what do you do?”

Her question was not unexpected. We live in a utilitarian society where everything in our lives, and indeed our own self-worth, is terribly bound up in what we do. It’s one of the first things we ask each other as new acquaintances – not “How do you be” but “What do you do?”– which is the question by which we measure another’s value and worth, not just materially but within the scope of humanity.

The question reveals the entrenched mindset that permits society to consider the “benefits” of euthanasia or the in utero genocide perpetrated against babies whose quality of life might be deemed not good enough – not useful enough – to permit their birth.

Sitting before Christ at Adoration is less about doing than about being. “I look at the Master and the Master looks at me,” and nothing much more than that needs to occur at Adoration, because in that silent interlude something supernatural is at work, “doing” more than we can even imagine.

Nevertheless, our need to attach some value to Adoration drove my friend’s question, and I answered it simply. “I pray. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I doze. Sometimes I do nothing at all. It’s all good.”

ALL GOD WANTS IS OUR WILLINGNESS

Adoration seems to me a great privilege coupled with an experience of real humility. I go there in poverty – unworthy of anything, but willing to be open, because I trust that all God wants of us is our willingness. Always I go with the reminder jangling in my brain: Weakness is sown, strength rises up (1 Cor 15:42b-43). This is part-and-parcel of St. Paul’s paradox: When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:10).

I am weak, often at my weakest, when I go to Adoration. But I know that my prayer there – even though I have nothing of myself, am nothing – is made strong, because it is made before the physical Presence of the Christ, and because He sees my willingness.

Often, by the time I have reached the pew for my weekly hour, I am like a desert maniac who has crossed the burning sands and finally found a clear stream at which to collapse and drink, and my first prayers are like groanings without thought as I try to gulp down the light and peace radiating before me. I have no words.

FROM GRATITUDE TO PRAISE TO INTERCESSION

After a time, I am able to collect myself, and then my prayer takes the form of thanksgiving, for I am always grateful to have an hour in His Majesty’s Presence. I ponder all I am grateful for: husband, sons, in-laws, friends, employment, health, the good news my friends have shared, the ability to raise a cup of water to my lips on my own steam. These lead to prayers of praise, because gratitude enables praise, and our praise joins the prayers of the angels. Prayers of praise are a reprieve from earth. They are a simple, direct, heavenward thrust of love.

Then, I begin to intercede for others. Call me presumptuous but in renewed calm I bring the whole world into prayer: the people on my lists;

the Holy Father; priests and religious, naming them when I can; firefighters and emergency responders; newsmakers; cities; states; continents. I bring it all forward, feeling ragged and unworthy – like a slave or the lowliest servant – escorting one person after another, one group after another, into the presence of the King, as I have been taught through the example of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity:

Lord, the one you love is sick ...

Lord, the one you love is weeping ...

Lord, the ones you love are overworked and fretful ...

Lord, the one you love is lonely ...

Lord, the one you love is under siege ...

Lord, the ones you love are oppressed ...

Lord, the ones you love are over-burdened ...

Lord, the ones you love are slaves to hate ...

Like an emcee, I bring everyone in and then mentally, spiritually recede into the background, imagining my own self nose-to-the-ground, almost prostrate, and daring not to look up, as I pray:

Help them to comprehend the truth and strength and inviolability of your love, the generosity of your mercy; show them the outpouring of your grace; gift them with your healing and let them recognize it and trust that your gifts once bestowed are never rescinded. You, Alpha and Omega, in whom we live and move and have our being, spread forth your peace like sweetest honey to refresh starving hearts and weary spirits. Let your Light touch us, like consoling balm, to soothe and warm our chilled humanity, that we might be opened to your justice and willing to be made whole.

But I am no worthy intercessor, only a faulty and broken vessel trusting in your mercy. Consider not what I deserve in your sight, but only the needs of these whom you love, these I bring before you and for whom I, the least, plead. Let my prayer rise before you like incense to carry these forward. Forgive my sins, especially my failures in love, my sins of omission, and cast them behind your back as your prophet Isaiah has promised, and with your grace may I do better. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, the sinner, in your name I pray ...

PRAYER IS NOT JUST FOR PRIESTS

The word “epiclesis” means “calling down upon.” As a Benedictine Oblate, I know that an oblation is a self-offering, and we all know that intercessions are pleas on behalf of others. Combined with other important essentials – the greatest being silence – these three words form the foundation for my prayers at Eucharistic Adoration.

Prayer is a force, and it is real. It takes a priest to pray the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, but we members of the laity have access to epiclesis, oblation and intercession. We can implore and call down. We can offer our puny selves as conduits through which unimaginable graces may flow, through no doing of our own. We can intercede through the priesthood acquired at our baptism.

‘What books should I let my kids read?’

When people discover I have a master’s degree in children’s literature, they tend to corner me with one impossible question: “What books should I let my kids read?”

These are primarily loving, caring parents with the best of intentions. They’ve been hearing, however, that most of today’s popular Young Adult (YA) novels include immoral characters, inappropriate situations or gratuitous vice, and they are looking for some Catholic literary guru to pronounce the “safe” YA titles that won’t corrupt young readers through subtle seductions.

As a parent and an author, I do sympathize, and I am quick to point out that some Catholic-specific YA literature resources do exist. The Catholic Writer’s Guild has its YA “seal of approval” list; more than a dozen curated blogs (such as Catholic Teen Books) likewise have indie titles to recommend; and, of course, Our Sunday Visitor has options for young readers, too.

Parents should be warned, however, that – without discrediting those resources – such exclusively Catholic options will never fully address their concerns, nor best serve the children who will, inevitably, become adults. Preventing them from choosing books on their own may then prove to have been a grave disservice to their growth, maturity and judgment.

Instead of asking which books we should PERMIT our children to read, parents would do well to wonder: “How can I help my kids better discern what to read, themselves?”

When I was a teenager, one of the best things my dad ever did for me was to read the same books I’d brought home and then discuss them with me. He’d listen to my thoughts and share his own, casually pointing out what he found good and bad, positive and pernicious. He was curious before he was critical and, in this way, he subtly validated my ability to choose books while also teaching me to hone my standards.

My dad would never disparage my preferences outright, only critiquing stories after he’d read them and never belittling my own thoughts. As a prolific

and more experienced reader, he helped me to interpret the subtler elements that I didn’t yet have the maturity to decipher on my own. I knew how to read, of course –but my father taught me how to see what I was reading, in fullness.

When parents are too quick to negatively judge a book based solely on form, not content, children aren’t being taught to judge rightly or well. Worse, when we dismiss our reader’s preferences outright, we too may miss out on something that shines with the beauty, goodness and truth we want them to encounter.

I know a parent who rejected Kelly Barnhill’s fantasy novel, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon,” because the back cover copy mentioned magic, and therefore it could only be a gateway to the occult (Tolkien and Lewis sob from their graves!). Another parent frowned upon Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novels, “Boxers and Saints,” believing them to be “low art” that mocked the Catholic Church – the tragic irony being that Barnhill and Lang are both faithful Catholics and awardwinning authors. They’re quite brilliant at presenting timeless Gospel truths in richly poetic ways, but – as in Jesus’ parables –the truth is folded within the storytelling: You must unwrap the prose before you can receive it.

So my advice to concerned parents is to take a breath, and then take a page out of my dad’s book: Read along with your young readers. If you haven’t the time for that, you can still encourage them to discuss what they’re reading. What’s it about? Who’s their favorite character and why? How do they think the story will end? A parent’s genuine interest will mean the world to them, and their passion and questions will be met with insight and guidance. This is how we leave the door open for future conversations where, over time, our young readers will know how to recognize wheat from chaff.

CHRISTINA EBERLE earned her Master of Arts in children’s literature in 2010. Her young adult fantasy novel, “Brio,” was published in February 2022 under the pen name Chris Cross.

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‘Let yourself be pulled out by Jesus during these bad moments that happen to us all.’

‘So my advice to concerned parents is to take a breath, and then take a page out of my dad’s book: Read along with your young readers.’

CELEBRATING The Joy of EASTER

2023 Holy Week and Octave of Easter Schedule

HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday April 2nd

No Sunday Adoration, Confessions or 12:30 pm Mass

5:30 PM Saturday Vigil (Chapel), 7:30 AM (Chapel),

9:00 AM (Chapel), 11:00 AM (Cathedral)

At the 11:00 AM Mass only: Please gather by the Marian grotto fifteen minutes prior to Mass for the procession. No entry into the Cathedral until the procession enters. Persons with disabilities please meet at the rectory entrance.

Monday of Holy Week April 3rd

No 12:10 PM Mass or 11:30 AM Confessions.

8:30 AM Confessions

9:00 AM Mass

Tuesday of Holy Week April 4th

No 12:10 PM Mass or 11:30 AM Confessions.

10:00 AM Diocesan Chrism Mass

Wednesday of Holy Week April 5th

No Adoration. No 12:10 PM Mass or 11:30 AM Confessions.

8:30 AM Confessions

9:00 AM Mass

THE SACRED TRIDUUM

Holy Thursday April 6th

No 12:10 PM Mass or 11:30 AM Confessions.

7:00 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper

8:00 PM to Midnight Altar of Repose

Good Friday April 7th

No Masses.

8:00 AM to 2:00 PM Confessions

12:00 PM Stations of the Cross

3:00 PM Celebration of the Lord’s Passion

4:00 7:00 PM Veneration of the Cross

4:00 PM Divine Mercy Novena by Celtic Cross

Holy Saturday April 8th

No 8 AM or 5:30 PM Masses. No scheduled Confessions.

3:00 PM Divine Mercy Novena by Celtic Cross

See next column for Easter Vigil Mass

OCTAVE OF EASTER

Easter Vigil Saturday, April 8th Evening

8:30 PM Easter Vigil

Initiation of Elect during the Vigil Mass. Please gather by the Marian Grotto for the blessing of the Easter fire and procession into the Cathedral.

Easter Sunday April 9th

Normal Sunday Mass times. No Adoration or Confessions.

7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM

10:00 AM Children’s Easter Egg Hunt

10:30 AM Divine Mercy Novena

Easter Week April 10th 14th

No 12:10 PM Masses or 11:30 AM Confessions. No Adoration on Wednesday.

8:30 AM Confessions

9:00 AM Mass

Divine Mercy Novena following 9 AM Mass

Saturday of Easter Week April 15th

Normal Saturday Mass times and Confessions.

Divine Mercy Novena following 8 AM Mass

Divine Mercy Sunday April 16th

Normal Sunday Mass times, Confessions, Adoration.

11:00 AM Reception of the Candidates and Confirmations during the 11 am Mass

2:00 to 3:00 PM Holy Hour and Confessions

3:00 PM Divine Mercy Chaplet