The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 1 September 15, 2006

Serving CatholiCS in WeStern north Carolina in the DioCeSe of Charlotte

Around the DioceseStudents remember 9-11; program aids refugees

| Page 4

Culture WatchBook on Vatican’s world role; Catholic game show

| Pages 10-11

PerspectivesC.S. Lewis meets YouTube; the church and the U.N.

| Pages 14-15

September 15, 2006 volUme 15 no. 41

www.charlottediocese.org

2006 Eucharistic CongressPart 5 of Father Buettner’s 7-part series discusses ‘Walking with the Lord’

| Page 14established Jan. 12, 1972 by pope paul vi

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Photo by Joanita M. nellenbach

Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin greets parishioners after Mass celebrating the 65th anniversary of the dedication of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City Sept. 10.

see story on Page 6

Small church big in faithSt. Joseph Church celebrates 65 years in Bryson City

See VOGUE, page 8

by JOANITA M. NELLENbACHCOrrEspONdENT

BRYSON CITY — “Sixty-five years ago, Bishop Eugene McGuinness came out here when the roads weren’t that good to dedicate two churches,” Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City, told his congregation Sept. 10.

B i s h o p M c G u i n n e s s of the Diocese of Raleigh,

which then comprised all of North Carolina, dedicated St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville Sept. 7 and St. Joseph Church Sept. 10 in 1941.

To c e l e b r a t e t h e 65th anniversary this year, parishioners and visitors filled St. Joseph Church’s wooden pews, with the overflow seated beneath a canopy just outside

Spreading a message of love, faith

See CRISIS, page 12

by KArEN A. EVANssTAff wrITEr

SALISBURY — Thirty-seven young Catholic girls. A sparse stage in a historical theater in downtown Salisbury. Dozens of dresses, skirts, wrap sweaters, sparkling purses and shoes. Short skirts paired with leggings. Spaghetti straps covered by stylish shrugs.

Fashionable outfits any girl would want to wear, and parents would be proud for their daughters to wear to church, school or the mall.

Values in Vogue, a summer-long program, culminated in a fashion show at the Meroney Theater Sept. 10.

Adapted from a fashion show first held in Spartanburg,

Values, virtue and vogueProgram Promotes m o d e s t y, v i r t u e for young catholic women

by JOHN THAVIsCATHOLIC NEws sErVICE

REGENSBURG, Germany — In a lecture at the German university where he once taught theology, Pope Benedict XVI used a historical critique

In scholarly lecture, pope reflects on crisis of faith, reason

The divine importance

Photo by Deacon GeralD Potkay

The Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima is pictured on display in home of George and Norma Bean in Greensboro Sept. 7.

A Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima recently visited a home in Greensboro as part of a cross-country tour to promote the messages of the Blessed Mother as well as positive values of tradition, family and property.

See CELEBRATE, page 5

Photo by karen a. evans

Whitney Milby (right) helps Katie Washington put the final touches on her outfit for the Values in Vogue fashion show in Salisbury Sept. 10. The Values in Vogue program taught Catholic girls ages 8 to 18 the importance of modesty in dress and behavior, while letting the girls wear stylish and comfortable clothes.

2 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006

current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyardInBrief Unity walk brings together religious

leaders, others who want peace

Playing for a higher Power

PubliSHer: Most reverend Peter J. JugisediTor: Kevin e. MurraySTaff WriTer: Karen a. evans GraPHiC deSiGNer: Tim faragheradverTiSiNG MaNaGer: Cindi feerickSeCreTary: deborah Hiles

1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203Mail: P.o. box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237PHoNe: (704) 370-3333 faX: (704) 370-3382e-Mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

The Catholic News & Herald, uSPC 007-393, is published by the roman Catholic diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and easter week and every two weeks during June, July and august for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the roman Catholic diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all other subscribers. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed

appropriate. We do not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. PoSTMaSTer: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.o. box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

SEPT. 15, 2006VOLuME 15 • NuMBEr 41

ALBEMARLE VICARIATEHAMLET — St. James Church, 1018 W. Hamlet Ave., will host a free Music Extravaganza. Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. Lourdes Montgomery will perform with the parish English and Spanish choirs and musicians and singers from Sacred Heart Church in Wadesboro. For more information, call (910) 582-8776.HAMLET — St. James Church, 1018 West Hamlet Ave, will host a free Bilingual Music Workshop Sept. 30. A workshop devoted to bilingual liturgical celebrations will be offered in Spanish, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; followed by a workshop in English, 1-3 p.m. A light lunch will be provided on Saturday at 12 p.m. Register by Sept. 27 by calling (910) 582-8776.

ASHEVILLE VICARIATEASHEVILLE — Speak the Truth in Love, a free series of classes addressing Catholic Church’s teachings on life, love and marriage meets at Basilica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. Classes will meet Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 17 and April 21. Each class will address a topic such as history and heroes, contraception, euthanasia and theology of the body. For more information, call Nina at (828) 299-7618 or Helen at (828) 683-9001 or e-mail geodrc@aol.com

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — Blood Give-In Sunday will be held at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Sept. 17, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Appointments are encouraged and will be honored. Walk-ins are welcome, but will be taken as time permits. Donors will be required

to provide identification, such as a driver license or Red Cross blood donor card. For more information, call Ed Nenninger at (704) 366-6637.CHARLOTTE — St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Church will have a Ukrainian Mass in the chapel of Charlotte Catholic High School, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. The Mass is open to anyone who would like to attend. For more information, please contact Father Deacon Mark Shuey at mshuey2@nc.rr.com or call (919) 779-7246.CHARLOTTE — St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Rd. will present a Polka Mass Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m. Father Frank Perkovich based the music for this Mass on Polish, Slavic and German folk songs. Please join us for this exciting family worship experience, complete with accordions. For more information, call the church office at (704) 523-4641.MINT HILL — St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Rd., and the N.C. Council of Churches and Interfaith Power and Light, are sponsoring with viewing of “An Inconvenient Truth” Oct. 5 6:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center of the church. “An Inconvenient Truth” is an examination of global warming and its solutions. Climate change is a problem shared by all of us of every political persuasion, and its solutions are in our hands. Learn what you can do to reduce the rate and extent of global warming. Discussion will follow the film. Childcare will be provided. If you would like to attend, please contact Amber Ockerbloom at (704) 649-8179.CHARLOTTE — The second annual Blanket Banquet for the Homeless of Uptown Charlotte will take place in front of St. Peter Catholic Church, S. Tryon St., immediately following the 4:30 p.m. Mass to close the Eucharistic Congress Oct. 7. Donations of blankets and men’s socks and undergarments are needed. For more information or to volunteer to help with the meal, please call

Diocesanplanner

For Catholic NFL players, faith is more than a pre-game prayer

PITTSBURGH (CNS) — Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu is not an NFL superstar who happens to be a man of faith. Just the opposite; in his heart, he is simply “a Christian with a passion for Jesus.”

Football, Polamalu said, “gives me confirmation of how I can carry out my faith. It’s my way to glorify God.”

And while he views his team’s 2006 Super Bowl win as “really beautiful and a blessing,” Polamalu notes that “success in football doesn’t matter. Success in anything doesn’t matter. As Mother Teresa said, God calls us not to be successful but to be faithful.

“My prayer is that I would glorify God no matter what, and not have success be the definition of it,” he said.

“Since his arrival in Pittsburgh, (Polamalu) has been a permanent fixture at Mass. Even with all of the fame and success, Troy remains committed to the Christian faith,” said Father David Bonnar, who has celebrated Mass for 10 years before home games with Steelers players and coaches.

“And if he has changed in any way, he has just become even more humble and spiritual. I have found him to have both the strong contemplative sense

of Mary and the fierce active sense of Martha,” said Father Bonnar.

For New York Giants kicker Jay Feely, it was an unmistakable moment of clarity that solidified his Catholic faith and revealed his true mission in life.

Feely’s epiphany occurred Jan. 1, 1998, in Pasadena, Calif., just hours after his college football team, the University of Michigan Wolverines, won the Rose Bowl.

The post-game celebration at the team’s hotel was just a noisy backdrop for Feely’s encounter with a 10-year-old boy who was dying of a brain tumor. The boy’s mother had brought him to meet Feely after the game.

“He knew he was very ill,” said Feely. “I told him God had a purpose for him; that God has a plan for everyone.”

Feely recalled seeing a visible, remarkable difference in the boy’s appearance and expression — evidence that Feely’s words somehow had touched a chord.

“I think about the impact I had on that little boy,” said Feely. “That was my moment of clarity. It solidified my faith. That was when I understood my life as a man, how I could use football to affect people’s lives in a positive way. God gives us different gifts.”

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Hundreds of participants in Washington’s second 9/11 Unity Walk Sept. 10 processed past places of worship as varied in style and religious tradition as the walkers themselves.

Men in yarmulkes carrying babies in backpack-style carriers, clerics wearing collars and women in veils joined leaders of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington in remembering the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Stops along the way included the Washington Hebrew Congregation, the Washington National Cathedral and the Vatican Embassy. The route also took participants past the Church of Christ Washington, Annunciation Catholic Church, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral and St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Speaking from the steps in front of the Islamic Center in Washington,

Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl called on hundreds of walkers to represent the light of their faith traditions.

“The light in God’s spirit will not be overcome in the darkness,” he said.

Other religious leaders in the walk included Rabbi Bruce Lustig, a senior rabbi from the Washington Hebrew Congregation; Imam Abdullah Khouj, director of the Islamic Center; and Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington.

“We’re blessed when we recognize we’re one human family,” Archbishop Wuerl said. “Each of us and the tradition we represent is a community of light. The solidarity that we seek is already rooted in the gift of our life that we share.”

Archbishop Wuerl noted the many bridges and overpasses that the walkers crossed to make their journey possible.

“The bridges we build — of human solidarity, of kindness — are the bridges that bring us together in a world of peace,” he said.

cns Photo by tiM shaffer, reuters

New York Giants kicker Jay Feely, a Catholic, said that a 1998 encounter with a 10-year-old boy dying of a brain tumor was an epiphany that made him realize how he could use football to affect people’s lives in a positive way. Feely is seen celebrating his game-winning field goal against the Eagles in Philadelphia during overtime NFL action in Philadelphia Dec. 11, 2005.

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 3 September 15, 2006

In Geneva, Vatican calls for moratorium on use of cluster bombs

froM THe vaTiCaN

Greg or Cindy Platko at (704) 375-0901 or e-mail gplatko@carolina.rr.com.

GREENSBORO VICARIATEHIGH POINT — Cyber crime expert Koh Herlong will speak at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, 605 Barbee St., Sept. 21, 7-9 p.m., about How to Keep Children Safe Online. The lecture is free and open to the public. Herlong will outline the greatest risks children face online, how to recognize those risks and how to protect children. She will also discuss what rules to establish in the home about online usage, etiquette for the Internet and ethical behavior while online. For more information, call Nancy Achter at (336) 887-2613.GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will open its 2006-07 fiscal year with a luncheon Sept. 27 at Cardinal Country Club. The speaker will be Lorraine Ahearn, metro columnist for the News & Record. For more information, please contact JoAnn Stevens-Church (336) 540-0786.GREENSBORO — If you have a special need for prayers, or would like to offer your time in prayer for others’ needs, please call the Prayer Chain at Our Lady of Grace Church. The Prayer Chain is a sizable group committed to praying for your needs and the needs of your family and friends on a daily basis. To request a prayer or to participate in the Prayer Chain, call the church office at (336) 274-6520, ext. 10 and leave your name, address and phone number.

HICKORY VICARIATEMORGANTON — The Cursillo Movement of the Diocese of Charlotte is hosting a diocesan-wide Grand Ultreya at Steele Creek Park Sept. 30, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Events include Mass, guitar music, group reunion, witness/spiritual talks, and hiking/nature trails for children. Please bring covered dish and a 2-liter drink. For more information, call Kathy Hack at (704) 548-1834 or e-mail hackhouse@bellsouth.net.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATEWINSTON-SALEM — The adult education committee of St. Leo the Great Church will host a presentation about the Causes of the Protestant Reformation. The speaker will be history professor Bill Partin and will be held Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Conference Room B at St. Leo the Great Church, 335 Springdale Ave. For more information, call the church office at (336) 724-0561.KERNERSVILLE — The Catechism of the Head and Heart religious education series for adults will be held this fall in the library at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, 1725 NC Hwy 66 South. The topic will be the creation stories. Classes will meet at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12, Nov. 30, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 29 and April 19. For more information, call Loretta Bedner at (336) 564-1040.WINSTON-SALEM — The Spirit of Assisi hosts a Wednesday Lunch & Speaker Series each Wednesday, 12:30-1:15 p.m., at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. Mark Redmond will speak on the “Value of Spiritual Reading” Sept. 20. The sacrament of reconciliation will be offered at 12 p.m. in the chapel. For more information and to RSVP, call Sister Kathy Ganiel at (336) 624-1971 or e-mail kganiel@triad.rr.com. Walk-ins are welcome.

is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? Please submit notices for the diocesan Planner at least 7 days prior to desired publication date (fridays) in writing to Karen a. evans at kaevans@charlottediocese.org or fax to (704) 370-3382.

Vatican Observatory head rebuts suggestions that he was fired

Rallying for reform

sept. 16 — 5 p.m.sacrament of confirmationbasilica of St. lawrence, asheville

sept. 19 — 7 p.m.sacrament of confirmationour lady of Guadalupe Church, Charlotte

sept. 22 — 8:30 a.m.mass for sacred heart school Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury sept. 23 — 5 p.m.sacrament of confirmationSt. John bapt iste de la Sal le Church, North Wilkesboro

Episcopalcalendar

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

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican called for a moratorium on the use of cluster bombs, saying past and future victims of conflicts “cannot wait for years of negotiations and discussions.”

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican representative to Geneva-based U.N. agencies, told governmental experts Sept. 1 that the maiming and death of tens of thousands of people as a result of the bombs’ submunitions necessitate immediate, concrete action.

“For that, a moratorium on the use of such arms is essential,” he said during an Aug. 20-Sept. 6 meeting in Geneva on the Convention of Conventional Weapons.

Cluster bombs eject multiple submunitions or bomblets, and their use during the recent war in Lebanon, Archbishop Tomasi said, “tragically demonstrates to us evidence of a humanitarian tragedy unfolding before

our eyes.”“The images and the testimonies

reaching us are alarming,” he said.U.N. experts so far have discovered

100,000 unexploded bomblets scattered throughout hundreds of different sites in Lebanon, many of them in residential areas.

Cluster bombs and submunitions are not banned by any international treaty, and many governments still consider them legitimate weapons.

“All arms are called legitimate before being prohibited or regulated,” said Archbishop Tomasi.

Typically, cluster bombs open in midair and scatter dozens or hundreds of submunitions over a wide area. A percentage of duds do not explode and can remain a threat for many years. They pose a particular danger to children, as they are easily attracted to the bomblets’ bright colorful casings, mistaking the volatile explosives for toys.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Jesuit Father George Coyne, who headed the Vatican Observatory for more than 28 years, said suggestions that he was forced out of the post by Pope Benedict XVI are “simply not true.”

The Vatican announced Aug. 19 that Father Coyne, 73, would be stepping down as head of the Vatican’s scientific research organization and that his replacement would be Jesuit Father Jose Funes.

Some news reports suggested Father Coyne was replaced by the pope in reaction to comments the Jesuit astronomer made over the last year supporting evolution and criticizing “intelligent design” as the explanation for how the universe was created.

At the time, Father Coyne was on vacation and, he said in a Sept. 8 note to Catholic News Service, purposely avoiding the news.

Upon his return from vacation, Father Coyne responded to queries from CNS and others with a written statement Sept. 8 explaining that he had for several years been requesting a replacement as head of the observatory.

“For some years I have, upon realizing that a scientific research institute such as ours requires a continuous input of new initiatives, suggested to Jesuit superiors that they search for a new director of this

work,” Father Coyne wrote.“In May of this year upon my

repeated request, they finally agreed to begin a search for a new director, resulting, rather rapidly to my delight, in the appointment of Jose Funes.

“This is truly a wonderful and blessed choice,” he said. “Jose is a well-established international scholar, an excellent teacher and lecturer, very devoted to the intellectual life of the church and he will have new ideas and initiatives.”

Father Funes, 43, an Argentine, has been on the staff of the observatory since 2000.

Father Coyne, who will remain president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, said he learned about the speculation surrounding the transition only when he returned from vacation.

Media reports that he was dismissed by the pope are “simply not true,” his note to CNS said.

Father Coyne went on to say he had been granted a sabbatical year, which he would spend as a parish priest at St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Raleigh, N.C.

In September 2007 he plans to return to work at the Vatican Observatory. The observatory is based at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, and at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.

cns Photo Paul harinG

A sign calls for the legalization of undocumented immigrants during a pro-immigration rally in Washington Sept. 7. The rally was one of several around the country near Labor Day aimed at building support for comprehensive immigration reform, though passage of legislation this term seemed unlikely.

Meanwhile, ongoing programs to register immigrant voters have been slow to bear fruit, according to an Associated Press review of registration figures from a handful of major cities.

Leo Anchondo, national manager of the Justice for Immigrants campaign of the u.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said voter registration is not specifically part of the church’s immigration campaign. Where immigration is concerned, the church’s efforts instead will continue to focus on educating Catholics and the general public about the whole range of concerns, he said.

corrections in the Sept. 1 issue, information regarding the establishment of the Priests’ retirement and benefits Collection was incorrect. in 1994, on the recommendation of a committee of priests and laymen, then-bishop William G. Curlin re-instituted an assessed collection. a retirement collection had been in place since the mid-1960s. in the Sept. 8 issue, archbishop fulton J. Sheen’s date of death was incorrect in a Catholic News Service article. The correct date was dec. 9, 1979.

4 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006ArOuND ThE DIOCESE

Aiding the workforceCSS agency assists refugees, businesses with employment needs

CHARLOTTE — Businesses in the Diocese of Charlotte seeking reliable, hardworking employees have been turning to a local nonprofit agency sponsored by Catholic Social Services to find workers without paying an employment fee.

Refugee Employment Services (RES) is part of Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office. For nearly 31 years, RES has provided area employers with workers filling skilled and unskilled positions.

Refugees are a diverse labor pool of people who are eager to work, according to Bill Hamelau, former executive director of the American Red Cross Midway-Kansas Chapter and member of the RES advisory council, which is comprised of local business people.

“These individuals have fled their home countries because of persecution due to race, religion, political beliefs or identification with a social group. They come to the United States in search of safety, freedom and a way to provide for themselves and their families as they start their lives over,” he said.

Refugees are screened by the U.S. government, which also conducts security clearances. After that, they receive proper documentation, conferring all the rights and privileges of residents, and they are legally authorized to work in the United States.

RES staff first meets with new arrivals to determine language capability and any job skills and work experience. Next, the staff matches those skills to a particular industry or employer.

This may involve contacting companies currently using RES’s services, checking the classified ads to see who is hiring or perhaps making cold calls to businesses they feel might be a good fit.

Once a company agrees to hire a refugee client, the RES staff assists with all related employment paperwork, coordinates transportation and, if needed, provides interpreters to sit in on orientation and training.

At intervals over a three-month period, the RES staff follows up with employers to see how the refugee workers are doing and provides assistance as needed.

“We have been very pleased with the workers and RES support,” said David Miller, operations manager for Krispy Kreme.

“RES sends people who want to work, and they are always there when you need help,” he said.

Feedback from part icipat ing businesses indicates that by employing refugees, companies can reduce turnover rate, improve efficiency, enhance quality and increase production.

“Our experience is that refugees are eager to work and have high standards for the work they do,” said Mike Reardon, senior vice president of BB&T Processing Services.

Other employers have indicated that refugee employees are punctual, reliable, quick to learn and extremely grateful for a chance to be productive and earn a living, according to Hamelau.

“They are pleased with how easily these employees fit in and how their presence enriches the cultural diversity of their workplaces,” he said.

“Our refugee workers are our best asset,” said Jerry Henson, vice president of Charlotte operations for Cabinetcraft. “It has been a tremendous experience.”

In the past eight years, RES has worked with more than 150 different participating businesses and has placed about 1,200 refugee clients.

“Because of its ability to successfully match a company’s needs with the right employees, Catholics Social Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office is one of Charlotte’s best-kept secrets for employers,” said Hamelau.

want more info?To learn more about refugee employment Services, call linda at (704) 370-3257 or Kelly at (704) 370-3285 Monday through friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit http://www.cssnc.org/refugee.html.

Remembering the fallen

courtesy Photos

Students at St. Michael School in Gastonia (above) and St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem (left) participate in prayer and memorial services Sept. 11. Services were held across the united States marking the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that claimed the lives of 2,973 people.

religious leaders of Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism and several Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church, gathered at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City Sept. 11. The chapel, a center for mourners and relief workers in the aftermath of the attacks, once again served as a key gathering place in 2006 for a memorial service to commemorate the anniversary.

“RES sends people who want to work, and they are always there when you need help.”

— David Miller, operations manager, Krispy Kreme

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 5 September 15, 2006FrOM ThE COVEr

St. Joseph Church celebrates 65 years

CELEBRATE from page 1 Barbara and Tom Reidmiller joined St. Joseph Church after they moved to Bryson City around 1976.

“I like the people and the interaction of the people and how, if something needs to be done, they work together and get it done,” Barbara Reidmiller said.

She told how the church began its thrift shop.

“I think it’s been the best ecumenical thing that could have happened,” she said.

When the church bought land adjacent to its existing property some 30 years ago, it acquired a small building that may have been a hamburger stand.

“The ladies got together and asked if they could open a thrift shop,” Barbara Reidmiller said. “They were told, ‘yes,’ if they could make it self-sufficient.”

The St. Joseph Thrift Shop has indeed become self-sufficient, operating for several hours, four days a week.

“It’s a place where people can bring their good stuff,” Barbara Reidmiller said. “If someone (in the community) gets burned out or needs something, they can have it for free. When the church needs something, we buy it; we just bought a new stove for the kitchen.”

Cass Kelly, 79, known as the thrift-store “commandante,” moved to Bryson City from West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1987. Active in the store, she’s also a lector.

“She’s the matriarch,” parishioner Doris Kearns said of Kelly. “Everybody takes care of her, and she takes care of everybody.”

The parish, Kelly said, “not only has more people” than when she first moved there, “but we have more classes for the children” and more people come to the weekly social hour after the 11:15 a.m. Sunday Mass.

At Mass on Sept. 10, Father O’Neal and Bishop Curlin blessed two of those young people — Sean Murphy and Beau Schneider — who will be confirmed on Oct. 22.

“Father Shawn makes us feel

the door into the church.Fa ther O’Neal thanked h i s

concelebrants: Bishop Emeritus William Curlin and retired Father James Cahill, “my mentor for so many years; may I never take his wisdom for granted.”

The day’s second reading, from the Letter of St. James, admonished all to “show no partiality” and to make no “distinctions among yourselves.”

Father O’Neal said in his homily that members of St. Joseph Church have always tried to offer hospitality to everyone.

Family of faithSt. Joseph Church welcomed Hazel

Colville, who joined the parish in 1952.“I guess she was the first one around

here to convert,” her son, Stephen, recalls. “She was driving to Waynesville (some 40 miles away). It was about a two-hour drive. That was the only place where there was a priest all the time.”

Hazel Colville went to Waynesville for instruction in the Catholic faith. Her husband, Reeves, taught Sunday school at Bryson City United Methodist Church.

“When something was going on at the Catholic church, we all went to the Catholic church,” Stephen Colville said. “When it snowed, we shoveled the sidewalks and steps at both churches.”

Stephen Colville lived in Waynesville for a while, but often returned to Bryson City to take his mother to Mass.

“I got to paying attention” to the homilies, he said, and became a Catholic in 2000.

important,” Kelly said. “He shows his support for everything we do.”

Serving with spiritIn addition to the thrift shop, St.

Joseph Church also reaches out to the community as part of the Swain County Ministerial Association, which has a fund to help transients and an auxiliary that works in conjunction with Swain County Human Services to assist those in need.

“You might think we’re out of the way here,” Father O’Neal said, “but being on Main Street we’ve had people stop in while we’re eating (during social hour) and ask for the leftovers or for a

tank of gas.”The church always helps out.“It might be a small church in size,

but it’s a big church in faith,” Bishop Curlin said at the end of Mass.

“I was watching during Mass; your reverence, the way you pray and sing, shows what’s in your hearts. You’re not just people, you’re God’s special people,” he said. “I congratulate you. I commend you for your wonderful, beautiful faith.”

Contact Correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or e-mail jnell@dnet.net.

Photo by Joanita M. nellenbach

During the Mass celebrating the 65th anniversary of St. Joseph Church’s dedication, Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor, and Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin give a special blessing to Beau Schneider (left) and Sean Murphy, who will be confirmed next month.

courtesy Photo

Children participate in the Sock-A-Thon obstacle course at holy Family Church in Clemmons in March. The event, organized by the parish’s fifth-grade faith formation class, was open to children and adults and collected 327 pairs of socks and 217 articles of clothing for local nursing home residents and rehabilitation patients.

Each year, faith formation students participate in hands-on activities to help them learn and grow closer to God, according to Laura Sheets, fifth-grade faith formation teacher.

The Sock-A-Thon, inspired by a class discussion on “Welcome to the World of I Believe,” was another example of the children living their faith.

“This was more than we expected for our first major event,” said Sheets. “We found it to be a huge success and the kids learned that a simple phrase, ‘I believe,’ can lead them to what God calls us to do and help those in need.”

Faith in action

6 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006ArOuND ThE DIOCESE

churched and unchurched, “closer to God and his Blessed Mother.”

The Beans responded to an invitation to open their home to the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Their guests found the experience rewarding.

“We were able to gain more ways to share the faith. I am certainly willing to share this life through both word and action, and by communicating with those who do not believe,” said Jan Meris Oliver.

“This is being done not as a show of ego but to demonstrate a better way of life,” said Oliver. “It is important to know that each person has to avail himself in order to make some kind of decision to grow in the faith.”

“I really appreciate being able to share the Pilgrim Statue of Fatima here in this house,” said Kathleen Kulla. “Now, I can share this knowledge with everyone.”

Our Lady of FatimaOn May 13, 1917, in the village of

Fatima, Portugal, three peasant children — Lucia, 10, and her two cousins, Francisco, 9, and Jacinta Marta, 7 — were watching their sheep near their home when they claimed to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The apparitions continued once a month, each on the 13th day of the month, until October 1917 and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Lucia’s cousins, who died as children.

During the July 13 apparition, the children’s vision included black demons and charred souls burning in pain and despair in the depths of hell. Then they were given the hope that many souls would be saved and peace achieved through devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The children were also assured that World War I would soon end, but, if people did not stop offending God, an even worse war would begin during the reign of Pope Pius XI (1922-1939), for God would punish the world for its sins

by dEACON GErALd pOTKAyCOrrEspONdENT

GREENSBORO — A statue of Our Lady of Fatima traveling throughout the southeastern states recently came to a home in Greensboro.

Ten men and women gathered around the statue in the home of George and Norma Bean Sept. 7 to learn more about Our Lady’s message and to pray the rosary in reparation of sins and sacrileges committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“We did this to gain whatever the Lord wants us to gain, and for whatever the Lord can accomplish for Christ through his beloved mother, Our Lady of Fatima,” said George Bean.

“This is only a small part of the process of developing ourselves so that we might more easily move towards God,” said Norma Bean.

The traveling statue is part of the “America Needs Fatima” campaign by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property.

Founded in 1973, the society was formed to “resist, in the realm of ideas, the liberal, socialist and communist trends of the times and proudly affirm the positive values of tradition, family and property,” according to its Web site.

More than 10,000 homes in every state except Alaska have hosted replicas of the Pilgrim Virgin statue, fashioned after one of three original statues based on sketches by Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos. She was one of three Portuguese children who saw visions of Mary at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Statue “custodians” crisscross the country with 11 replicas, visiting churches and homes to promote these home-enthronement programs, which include crowning of the statue, a short audiovisual about Fatima and praying of the rosary.

The site says other aspects of the America Needs Fatima campaign include pro-life rallies, anti-blasphemy protests, flier distributions and audio-video presentations to draw people, both

Spreading a message of love and faith

Photo by Deacon GeralD Potkay

Norma Bean venerates the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima in her Greensboro home Sept. 7.

Couple hosts Fatima statue in Greensboro

through war, hunger and persecutions of the church and the Holy Father.

Mary asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart and the reception of Communion of reparation on five first Saturdays. Finally, the children were given the very special

hope that Mary’s “Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Contact Correspondent Deacon Gerald Potkay by calling (336) 427-8218 or e-mail gpotkay@triad.rr.com.

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 7 September 15, 2006IN Our SChOOLS

MACS foundation helps bring quality education to students

programs within the MACS system.Programs funded by the foundation

focus on one of three areas: excellence in teaching, academic enrichment and spiritual development.

“These are programs that would not operate in their entirety without support from the foundation,” Cameron said. “Most are not supplemented by the school’s operating budgets, but are stand-alone programs.”

Programs that were instituted using foundation grant funds have had long-reaching effects. For example, the Learning Enrichment Activities Program (LEAP) was originated at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte through a Grant for Educational Excellence.

The program, which allows students to participate in enrichment activities once they have mastered a skill, is now being used by five of the six MACS elementary schools.

“Because of the foundation, we’re able to provide additional supplemental income for innovative programs, such as LEAP,” said Cameron.

by KArEN A. EVANssTAff wrITEr

CHARLOTTE — For the past 75 years, students in Mecklenburg County have benefited from a Catholic education.

As a result of the success of the 2005-06 Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Education Foundation annual giving campaign, more students will have that opportunity, and they will benefit in more ways.

After setting an ambitious goal of $500,000, Susan Cameron, director of diocesan Catholic schools development, said she was thrilled to have received $501,000 in pledges and gifts as of Sept. 13.

“Last year, 1,200 households donated $425,000 to the education foundation, well over the goal of $370,000,” said Cameron. “This year, we have about the same number of contributors; many have increased their pledges this year.”

The mission of the MACS Education Foundation is to enrich children’s education by providing funding for

TRACS foundation exceeds lofty goalby KArEN A. EVANs

sTAff wrITEr

CHARLOTTE — More than ever before, students in the Triad area — Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem — will benefit from a Catholic education following the 2005-06 Triad Catholic Schools Foundation annual giving campaign.

The campaign exceeded its goal of $417,500, said Susan Cameron, director of diocesan Catholic schools development. More than $418,000 in pledges and gifts had been received as of Sept. 13.

The goal for 2004-05 was $410,000; $430,000 was raised, including a one-time gift of nearly $20,000.

Each Triad school sets its own goal and decides how to spend the money that is raised.

The Triad Cathol ic Schools

Foundation provides funds for tuition assistance, teacher excellence and program enhancement.

More than half of the money raised provides tuition assistance. Nearly $240,000 in assistance was distributed during the 2005-06 school year.

“Over the five years since the foundation was established, nearly $700,000 has been given out as tuition assistance,” said Cameron. “With assistance, students who might not otherwise have a Catholic education can now be part of that community.”

Funds are also used to provide and upgrade technology equipment, for professional development and for teacher bonuses.

“The schools can attract and retain good teachers,” said Cameron. “Also, students will benefit from the programs that are developed as a result of these fundraising efforts.”

8 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006FEATurE STOrY

show’s volunteers.Goody’s clothing store also helped

by loaning clothing for the show. The girls went to the store and picked out clothing they liked – clothing they liked

“We started from the girls’ own closets, and put together outfits that were appropriate and that the girls liked,” said Danette Stohlsworth, mother of 10-year-old Bailey and one of the

VOGUE, from page 1

Values in Vogue program promotes modesty, virtue for young women

Photo by karen a. evans

Middle- and high-school age girls show off their special-occasion wear at the conclusion of the Values in Vogue fashion show Sept. 10.

S.C., the program was designed to combine the virtues of modesty, chastity and self-respect for girls ages 8 to 15.

“I was unhappy with some of the fashion choices my daughter (11-year-old Mary Scott) was making,” said Leigh Ann Norris, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury and one of the Values in Vogue volunteer coordinators.

Norris’ sister, Peggy Fisher, had seen the Values in Vogue fashion show in Spartanburg, and the two sisters thought it would be worthwhile to bring to Salisbury.

“We realized we needed an entire program, not just a fashion show,” said Norris.

A group of Catholic mothers put their heads together and designed a comprehensive program that met six times over the summer. Topics included how a girl can dress appropriately for her age and the occasion; dressing for success, with six businesswomen speaking to the girls about their careers; and skin care.

Although several of the girls admitted that they originally participated because their mothers wanted them to, they were all glad they took part in the program.

“It was so much fun,” said Katie Washington, an eighth-grader at Sacred Heart School in Salisbury.

Katie said she has changed the way she dresses since starting Values

in Vogue.“I used to wear short shorts, and

people would look at me weird,” she said. “Now I wear Bermuda shorts, and people smile at me. Boys treat me better, too.”

Values in Vogue organizers made learning about proper, modest dress fun. One session covered dressing for Mass.

Eleven girls were told to dress for Mass, but only two were given a set of guidelines to follow. The girls critiqued each other’s dress, but no one could find fault in the dress of the two girls who were given the guidelines.

“I don’t wear flip-flops to church anymore,” said ninth-grader Maggie Grathwohl.

The fashions in the Values in Vogue show were chosen much like any girl’s wardrobe – with input from both mother and child.

“Christ teaches us that part of being a woman and part of being virtuous is dressing modestly, which is integrally related to the virtue of chastity.”

— Stephanie Wood, fashion show emcee

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 9 September 15, 2006FEATurE STOrY

Values in Vogue program promotes modesty, virtue for young womenso well, several of the girls bought their show outfits.

But Values in Vogue is about much more than fashion, even modest fashion.

Father John Putnam, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, spoke to the girls about how to behave in church. Stephanie Wood, emcee for the fashion show, spoke about the need to dress and act modestly.

Wood is the coordinator of NextWave Faithful, a youth and young adult division of Family Life Center International. She speaks to young adults about the main focus areas of love, life, purpose and truth.

“Christ teaches us that part of being a woman and part of being virtuous is dressing modestly, which is integrally related to the virtue of chastity,” said Wood.

Girls benefit from modesty by gaining true self-respect, a true sense of self-worth, she said.

“(Young women) who dress and behave modestly are going to attract the kind of man who is going to love them as a person and be virtuous himself,” said Wood. “He is looking for virtue and true beauty, not just physical beauty.”

Wood said boys want girls to dress modestly.

“They want to value them, and it’s a battle for them (when girls dress immodestly),” said Wood.

Norris said the Salisbury Values in

Vogue program was designed to be easily adapted by any parish.

In fact, the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group has begun plans to host a similar program, Pure Fashion, beginning in September 2007.

Contact Staff Writer Karen A. Evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

want more info?for more information on values in vogue, contact Peggy fisher at (704) 633-3594 or e-mail leejrfisher9@bellsouth.net. for information about the Pure fashion program in Charlotte, e-mail Kathy Comer at kcomer@carolina.rr.com.

Photos by karen a. evans

Onstage, Values in Vogue participants cheer, accompany a Christian pop song with sign language and model clothes, while two mothers make last-minute changes to the show schedule backstage.

10 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006

a roundup of scripture, readings, films and moreCulture Watch WORD TO LIFE

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE READINGS: SEPT. 24, 2006

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE

Sept. 24, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle B Readings:1) Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 Psalm 54:3-82) James 3:16-4:33) Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Serving others is most rewarding trait

by JEAN dENTONCATHOLIC NEws sErVICE

My young friend Ryan was accepted by several highly selective universities last spring. I thought this must be quite an ego trip, considering all the hype that surrounds college admissions these days.

Plus he lives in a community that overly touts the achievements of its high schoolers.

Ryan seemed oblivious to all that. I’d known him for several years before I found out that he was a top-ranked student in the most difficult academic curriculum.

All I knew was that his conversation about spiritual matters always ran deep and that a serious, mature relationship with God was at the heart of his love of social ministry projects.

So the prestigious Catholic university with its stimulating environment for intellectual, spiritually engaged young people seemed the perfect fit for Ryan.

He turned it down. He couldn’t afford to go there.

Instead he now attends a state university — not even a high-ranking one — that offered him full tuition and housing.

At first, I was dismayed that he was unable to go to the hotshot Catholic school, although Ryan himself didn’t seem disappointed. Then I began to tell my husband about Ryan: Of course, he’ll do extremely well at the college he’s chosen.

One thing about it that excited him is that it has a medical school, and he hopes to become a pediatrician. And he should, I told my husband. He’s just the kind of person society needs as a doctor, compassionate, a servant-leader type — and he loves children!

Also he’ll be happy in a large city where he can serve the poor through campus ministry. By the time I’d finished describing the whole imagined scene I was excited that Ryan would be where he belongs.

The servant-leader and child-loving aspects of Ryan’s character are what reminded me of him when I read this week’s Gospel. Jesus’ closest disciples were on a group ego trip about their individual accomplishments.

Obviously embarrassed, they got a brief lesson on servant leadership. Then Jesus embraced an unassuming child in their midst, the one, he noted, who will bless those who accept him.

Ryan likely will hear these readings at Mass this Sunday. But he won’t recognize himself. He’ll be busy with the concerns of everyone else.

by CArOL GLATZCATHOLIC NEws sErVICE

VATICAN CITY — Nearly one week before Italian Cardinal Angelo Sodano was to retire, he published a book highlighting key addresses he made during 15 years of service as the Vatican secretary of state.

Titled “The Leaven of the Gospel: The Presence of the Holy See in the Lives of Peoples,” the 138-page hardcover volume is a sort of memoir meant to show the Vatican as an advocate promoting and protecting human dignity and trying to save souls.

The book is written in Italian and contains 12 speeches the Italian cardinal made representing the pope and the Vatican at various national and international venues, including the United Nations.

The book is dedicated to Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the popes under whom Cardinal Sodano, 78, served. The author also gives a word of welcome to his successor, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who takes over Sept. 15.

Cardinal Sodano writes in the book’s

scriPture for the week of sePt 17-23sunday (twenty-fourth sunday in ordinary time), isaiah 50:5-9, James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35; monday, 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33, luke 7:1-10; tuesday (st. Januarius), 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31, luke 7:11-17; wednesday (st. andrew kim taegon, st. Paul chong ha-sang and companions), 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, luke 7:31-35; thursday (st. matthew), ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13, Matthew 9:9-13; friday, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, luke 8:1-3; saturday (st. Pio of Pietrelcina), 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49, luke 8:4-15.

scriPture for the week of sePt 24-30sunday (twenty-fifth sunday in ordinary time), Wisdom 2:12, 17-20, James 3:16-4:3, Mark 9:30-37; monday, Proverbs 3:27-34, luke 8-16-18; tuesday (st. cosmas and st. damian), Proverbs 2:1-6, 10-13, luke 8:19-21; wednesday (st. vincent de Paul), Proverbs 30:5-9, luke 9:1-6; thursday (st. wenceslaus, st. lawrence ruiz and companions), ecclesiastes 1:2-11, luke 9:7-9; friday (sts. michael, gabriel and raphael), revelation 12:7-12, John 1:47-51; saturday (st. Jerome), ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8, luke 9:43-45.

Tasked with saving soulsRetiring secretary of state’s book illustrates Vatican’s world role

preface, “The time has come to hand over, like in the Olympic Games, the appointment” he received in 1990.

At a Sept. 7 press conference, Msgr. Gabriele Caccia, councilor for general affairs of the Vatican Secretariat of State, said there have always been questions about the Vatican’s role on the world stage.

Does the church “only have a pastoral mission or also a political function?” he asked.

While the book does not give a black and white answer, he said, it does show that all the Vatican’s diplomatic activity, through its various nunciatures and papal representatives, is still carrying out the church’s fundamental pastoral task: the saving of souls.

The Gospel message can and should be brought to all spheres of life and can make all human activity more enlightened and noble, he said.

The Vatican is often the only state on the world stage whose agenda is not based on promoting the “particular interests of a person or peoples,” Msgr. Caccia said.

Msgr. Pietro Parolin, undersecretary of state for foreign relations, said at the same press conference that the Vatican’s nuncios and papal representatives play an important role “in defending the human being” and in strengthening the local churches, especially in regions where Christians face poverty, discrimination or other hardships.

When a political or social crisis threatens or erupts in a country or region, the Vatican’s diplomatic corps springs into action, looking for peaceful solutions to the problem or coordinating needed aid in the event of a tragedy.

Msgr. Caccia said that while the church and the Vatican do “not magically solve every problem,” their visible efforts of helping people demonstrate that “there’s a community that cares and can band together” to help anyone in need.

Msgr. Parolin added that the Vatican’s presence around the world shows people that the church and the pope are always near, that Christians — no matter how small their numbers — are not alone in the world.

cns Photo by Daniele colarieti, catholic Press Photo

Cardinal Angelo Sodano’s book, “The Leaven of the Gospel: The Presence of the holy See in the Lives of Peoples,” is seen at a press conference at the Vatican Sept. 7. The book highlights key addresses Cardinal Sodano made during his 15 years of service as the Vatican secretary of state. Cardinal Sodano is set to retire in mid-September.

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 11 September 15, 2006

cns Photo by GreGory a. sheMitz, lonG islanD catholic

Father Joseph DeGrocco, host of “Divine Intervention,” jokes with contestants (from left) Father robert hayden and Danny rivera, both of St. Aidan Church in Williston Park, N.Y., and Father Jim Mannion and Kevin hunker, both of holy Family Church in hicksville, N.Y., during a taping of the game show at Telecare studios in uniondale, N.Y., in late August.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CNS) — Lightning recently struck Father Joseph DeGrocco multiple times.

Although he quivered behind his podium, the priest seemed to enjoy it. After all, it was all part of the show.

“Divine Intervention,” a game show that tests contestants’ knowledge of Catholic and pop trivia, is a new addition to the fall lineup of Telecare, the TV system for the Rockville Centre Diocese.

The Catholic game show is filmed on a celestial-themed set, where contestants wait their turn in “purgatory” and an unseen source tosses lightning bolts at Father DeGrocco whenever a contestant chooses the “divine intervention” square in search for an answer.

The game show is s imi la r to “Jeopardy” but with a twist: The contestants must recall where the answers are on the game board and they are revealed only for five seconds prior to the start of the game. Although the game is lighthearted, it offers real information about the Catholic faith.

“This is just another tool of evangelization,” said Father DeGrocco, a professor at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington.

The priest hopes viewers will learn a little about their faith and have fun and also tune into other shows on the Catholic cable network.

“I love this show,” said Ann DellaMonica, a recent audience member and a parishioner of St. Frances de Chantal in Wantagh. “I loved it so much, I want to be on the show myself.”

Other new shows on Telecare this season include “Real Food” — a cooking show with Father Jim Vlaun and guest chefs; “Building Bridges,” a show about Latin American Catholics hosted by Msgr. Robert Brennan, vicar general; and a show that will provide live coverage of diocesan events.

With the success of popular game shows on television, Father Vlaun, who heads up Telecare, hopes this show will appeal to current viewers of Telecare and bring in new ones.

During the final round of “Divine Intervention,” the two winning contestants earn prizes from local businesses by finding the angels hidden under the numbered squares and trying to avoid the devil.

“Just like in real life,” quipped Father DeGrocco.

TV show tests contestants’ knowledge of Catholic faith

12 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006FrOM ThE COVEr

Pope reflects on crisis of faith, reason

CRISIS, from page 1

cns Photo by WolfGanG ratke, Pool via reuters

Pope Benedict XVI blesses a baby during his visit to the Bavarian town of regensburg, Germany, Sept. 13.

of Islamic violence to introduce a reflection on the crisis of faith and reason in the West.

The pope began his address Sept. 12 by highlighting a 600-year-old discussion on Islamic “jihad” or holy war, quoting at length a Christian emperor who condemned Islam for spreading the faith “by the sword.”

But instead of critically assessing Islam, the pope focused his attention on what he said was the West’s centuries-old tendency to “exclude the question of God” from the realm of reason.

This tendency to devalue religious thought, he said, makes it more difficult for the West to engage in the urgently needed dialogue of cultures and religions.

“A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion to the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures,” he said.

Nature of God and soulThe pope looked happy and relaxed

as he returned to the University of Regensburg, where he taught dogmatic theology from 1969 to 1977.

About 1,500 of Germany’s leading academics greeted the pontiff with warm applause as he walked through the university’s great hall and took his place on a gilded chair in the center of the stage.

To introduce the theme of his lecture, the pope quoted from an account of a dialogue between the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an unnamed Muslim scholar, sometime near the end of the 14th century.

The pope said the account was marginal to his theme, but that he found it interesting — particularly when the emperor touched upon the subject of Islamic holy war.

The pope cited what the emperor told the Islamic scholar: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Twice, the pope emphasized that he was quoting someone else’s words.

The pope said the emperor must have known of the early Islamic teaching that “there is no compulsion in religion,” but was no doubt also aware of later instructions in the Koran about holy war.

In the account, the emperor goes on to explain why spreading the faith through violence is unreasonable, because violence is incompatible with God and with the nature of the soul.

The pope then pointed to a key question about Islam that is raised by the narrative: whether God is absolutely transcendent for Muslims, and therefore not bound up with “any of our categories, even that of rationality.”

The pope did not offer an answer to that question. Instead, he went on to explore, in great detail, why Christian theology has come to affirm that faith is indeed based on reason and that acting unreasonably contradicts God’s nature.

Dangerous state of affairsAsked by reporters about the papal

text, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the pope had no intention of giving “an interpretation of Islam as violent.”

“I think everyone understands that even inside Islam there are many different positions and there are many positions that are not violent,” Father Lombardi said.

He noted that the pope’s speech was primarily a historical analysis.

The pope’s main point, developed in an academic style, was that in the Western world the growing separation between faith and reason has resulted in a “dangerous state of affairs for humanity,” in which society tries to construct a

system of ethics without taking religion seriously and individuals try to make moral choices based solely on the subjective conscience.

He said this was partly the result of a long process of “de-Hellenization” of Christian theology, in stages marked by an overemphasis on Scripture, a reduction of the Gospel to a “humanitarian moral message” and the creation of a gulf between theology and scientific empiricism.

‘Dialogue of cultures’The pope said his broad-brush

“critique of modern reason” did not aim to turn back the clock or ignore the progress made and the new possibilities opened for humanity. But the church also sees dangers, he said, and believes they can be overcome “only if reason and faith come together in a new way.”

When the West invites others to a “dialogue of cultures,” it should do so

with the understanding that religion is an essential part of its own culture, he said.

But in fact, he said, it is widely held in the Western world that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge, and that religion is a purely subjective experience.

“The world’s most profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions,” he said.

The pope said the West needs to recover the rightful place of philosophy and theology, so that it can say — like the Byzantine emperor who debated the Muslim scholar — that “not to act reasonably ... is contrary to the nature of God.”

The Vatican underlined the academic character of the pope’s address by noting on the text handed out to journalists that a later version would be issued, complete with footnotes.

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 13 September 15, 2006ArOuND ThE DIOCESE

Growing in faith

Photo by carole McGrotty

Father Wilbur Thomas (center), pastor of the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, stands with Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas outside the basilica Aug. 27.

by CArOLE MCGrOTTyCOrrEspONdENT

ASHEVILLE — The Catholic Daughters of the Americas’ Court Asheville 412 recently installed new members and officers.

Seventeen new members were installed during the ceremony that took place at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville Aug. 27.

Flanked by Knights of Columbus, members processed toward the altar, where Father Wilbur Thomas, pastor of the basilica, installed Marjorie Maxwell as regent.

Other new officers were Pauline Lees, vice regent; Lisa Ross, secretary; Diane Wright, financial secretary; and Marge Sposata, treasurer.

The Catholic Daughters — founded in 1903 by the Knights of Columbus — is currently the largest organization of Catholic lay women in the Americas.

The Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters often support each other in a variety of their charitable efforts.

Catholic Daughters welcome members, officers to courtcourtesy Photo

Officers of the Greensboro Council of Catholic Women (GCCW) are pictured in this undated photo. Founded in September 1971, GCCW is a charitable organization open to Catholic women in Greensboro.

Goals of the group are to share and enrich the spiritual lives of its members, reach out to the larger community beyond members’ parishes and to share a variety of social and educational activities.

Activities include luncheons with speakers, Christmas tea socials, Lenten mini-retreats and memorial Masses for deceased members, family and friends of the group.

Pictured (clockwise from left): Phyllis regan, first vice president; JoAnn Stevens-Church, president; Carmen Wood, second vice president; Mary Lou Knowles, treasurer; and Barbara Nalevanko, secretary.

Council of faith and charity

attention readers! have a story to share?We a r e l o o k i n g f o r a r t i c l e s a n d p h o t o s o f e v e n t s f r o m y o u r p a r -ish, ministry, organizat ion. Please contact Staff Writer Karen a. evans by calling (704) 370-3354 or e-mail kaevans@charlottediocese.org.

want more info?for more information about the Catholic daughters of the americas, go online to www.catholicdaughters.org.

14 The Catholic News & Herald September 15, 2006

Perspectives a collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints Walking with the Lord

Part 5 of a 7-part series on the second annual Eucharistic Congress

One of the most memorable parts of our first Eucharistic Congress was the eucharistic procession. Last year, Bishop Peter J. Jugis, accompanied by thousands of the faithful, carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession through the streets of uptown Charlotte for the first time in the history of our diocese.

Many participants remarked on the unexpected display of reverence shown by construction workers, police officers and other passersby. And just a few months ago, a similarly unprecedented event took place along the streets of downtown Asheville during the diocesan Eucharistic Conference.

Clearly, eucharistic processions are among the most unforgettable and significant features of the Eucharistic Congress and, indeed, the practice of our Catholic faith. But what is the meaning of these eucharistic processions?

A book by Pope Benedict XVI released not long ago is a compilation of talks and sermons given by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and offers a few insights into this mystery of our faith.

“God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life” contains a sermon that the pontiff delivered many years ago on the feast of Corpus Christi. He described the hallmark Corpus Christi procession of the Blessed Sacrament as “standing before the Lord, walking with the Lord and kneeling before the Lord.”

Standing before the Lord. The mystery of standing before the Lord begins with the recognition that the holy Eucharist is the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, not merely a symbol or representation.

To stand before the Eucharist is indeed to stand before the Lord. But the Holy Father states this realization: “The Eucharist is not a private business, carried on in a circle of friends, in a club of like-minded people, who seek out and get together with those who already suit them; ... thus the [Mass] is the public worship of all those whom the Lord calls, irrespective of their personal make-up.

“It is particularly characteristic of him, as he demonstrated in his earthly life, to have men of diverse groupings, social backgrounds, and personal views brought together in the greater whole of his love.”

Pope Benedict concludes, “We are standing for the Lord. And the more we

stand for the Lord and before the Lord, the more we stand with one another, and our capacity to understand one another grows again, the capacity to recognize each other as people, as brothers and sisters.”

Walking with the Lord. Standing before the Lord unites us into marching formation, preparing us for the mystery of walking with the Lord.

The Holy Father continues, “The Lord who has become our bread is thus showing us the way, is in fact our way, as he leads us ... thus [the eucharistic procession] expounds the meaning of our whole life, of the whole history of the world: marching toward the promised land, a march that can keep on in the right direction only if we are walking with him who came among us as bread and Word.”

Kneeling before the Lord. Finally, kneeling before the Lord brings to completion the great mystery of Christ truly among us in the holy Eucharist.

The Holy Father concludes, “The one whom we adore is not some distant power. He has himself knelt down before us to wash our feet.

“And that gives to our adoration the quality of being unforced, adoration in joy and in hope, because we are bowing down before him who himself bowed down, because we bow down to enter into a love that does not make slaves of us but transforms us.”

Standing before the Lord, walking with the Lord and kneeling before the Lord compose the mystery that expresses the truth that “God is near us.”

Join us Oct. 6-7 at the second Eucharistic Congress, where we will once again be walking with the Lord in procession through the streets of uptown Charlotte.

Father Buettner is pastor of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton.

Guest Column

fATHEr MATTHEw bUETTNEr

GUEsT COLUMNIsT

write a letter to the editorThe Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or less, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.The Catholic News & Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. items submitted to The Catholic News & Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.Send letters to letters to the editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.o. box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

C.S. Lewis meets YouTube

It seems an odd admission, because I used to make my living in broadcasting, but whenever commercials come on the radio or the television, I change channels.

Part of the reason is that the commercials are usually annoying, but it is more than that. The commercials interrupt the flow of the program. How can you listen to Mozart or a serious discussion about Iraq one minute, only to be told in the next minute that you need a new vacuum cleaner, a bigger car or whiter teeth?

What I am doing with my endless surfing of the dial is filtering. All of us filter media as we go through the day. We pay attention to some messages, avoid others and tune out the majority.

My personal filter is set to receive more programs of history, nature and sports and fewer “reality” shows and commercials.

There is such an engulfing wave of media surrounding the world that we cannot sit passively and let it wash over us, lest we all end up like commercialized characterizations of real people. Why are the names Paris and Britney going through my mind right now?

C.S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist and author of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” seemed to understand this need for filtering. I thought of Lewis and filtering as I recently clicked through YouTube.com. YouTube is the current hot Web site. Like the Web itself, it can be a purveyor of beauty or a vast wasteland. It depends on how you set your filter.

YouTube houses millions — yes, millions — of short videos. According to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, in a little more than a year YouTube has become the 13th most popular Web site in the world. The site records 20 million visits per month. Every day a staggering 65,000 new videos are uploaded.

As you might expect with those kinds of numbers, much of what can be seen on YouTube is silly, incomprehensible to anyone not in junior high or simply a waste of time; the “great cataract of nonsense” to which Lewis refers.

The site features endless whiny diatribes from teenagers whose parents don’t seem to understand. Amateur lip sync videos are another staple, as are sporting-event highlights. Renditions of

the head-butting incident at the World Cup soccer game are still being viewed.

But there are some real gems, and thanks to search technology that allows you to filter out the unwanted, you don’t have to look very hard to find them.

I entered the phrase “Catholic faith” and found a handful of terrific, short videos. One called “Father Jock” tells the story of a college football player who became a priest. Another, “Father Jeffrey,” is a series of short talks on subjects ranging from the late Steve Irwin to the shallowness of the MTV awards.

Other videos present sacred images set to lovely music or a thought-provoking encounter among a pair of Catholic college students and an evangelical Christian.

If you enter “Catholic religion,” you get a different set of videos that are just as interesting and inspiring. The word “Catholic,” however, by itself brought up several samples from the irreverent cartoon show, “South Park.”

Avoiding the garbage on YouTube means selecting your search terms carefully. And if a video somehow gets through your filter, you can always send it to the oblivion of cyberspace by clicking the stop button. How easy is that?

Father Jeffrey recognizes, as Lewis did, that much of the media is nonsense, but in one of his videos he states that we can’t write off the media because we find some of it offensive. Amen!

Water from the ocean may be undrinkable, but that doesn’t stop us from fishing.

David Hains is director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte. Contact him at dwhains@charlottediocese.org.

A podcast of this column is available on the diocesan Web site at www.charlottediocese.org.

Filtering necessary to find important media messages

Guest Column

dAVId HAINsCOMMUNICATIONs

dIrECTOr

“The scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and microphone of his own age.”

— C.S. lewis

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 15 September 15, 2006

The church and the United Nations Keeping up with life’s changes

As the seasons change from summer to fall, it can be a good time to reflect on estate plans and other arrangements that provide for family members and other loved ones.

The foundation of most estate plans is a will, used either alone or in conjunction with a living trust, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, joint ownership arrangements, or other financial management plans.

When planning a will, it is best to work with professional advisors who are experienced in estate planning so that your goals and objectives will be met with a minimum of fees, concerns and delays.

Once your plans are in place, it is also important to review them every few years. Minor changes can usually be accomplished through simple adjustments to existing plans. Major changes, on the other hand, sometimes require a fresh look at your overall arrangements.

A variety of factors — some obvious, some not — can affect your estate plan, including:

— Births, marriages or deaths within your family;

— A change in your marital status;— Significant increases or decreases

in your financial status;— The inability or unavailability

of the named executor, personal representative or trustee to settle your estate;

— Moving to another state or acquiring property in a different state;

— Selling or giving away property;— Changes in federal and/or state

tax laws; and— A desire to include charitable gifts

as part of your estate plan.You may also wish to include your

parish, Catholic school, agency, the diocese or the diocesan foundation as a beneficiary to receive a portion of the assets remaining in your estate. You simply stipulate whether you wish for the entire balance, a specific amount, or a percentage of your estate to be designated as your gift.

Keep in mind that you can provide that a gift be made only if your other beneficiaries are unable to receive the funds. This way you can assure that your heirs’ future security is not jeopardized in any way.

Up-to-date plans ensure that your wishes will be followed and bring you, and those who rely on you, added peace of mind.

Judy Smith is director of planned giving for the Diocese of Charlotte. Call her at (704) 370-3320 or e-mail jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

Question Corner

fATHEr JOHN dIETZEN

CNs COLUMNIsTGuest Column

JUdy sMITHGUEsT COLUMNIsT

from which retreat must never be admitted.”

This has been the Catholic position since the United Nations was founded. Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II have recognized its weaknesses, but insist it is still the best hope for world peace and order.

This supportive attitude is confirmed by the presence of a permanent Vatican observer at the United Nations, and the unflagging encouragement and support the church has offered to major U.N. agencies since its founding after World War II.

No one was a more fervent champion of the United Nations than the late Pope John Paul II. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly in October 1995, for example, he declared, “My words are meant as a sign of the interest and esteem of the Apostolic See and of the Catholic Church for this institution.

“They echo the voices of all those who see in the United Nations the hope of a better future for human society.”

A major obstacle to this hope is, of course, a perverted form of national autonomy, a subject to which Pope John Paul returned several times.

“Nationalism, particularly in its most radical forms, is thus the antithesis of true patriotism,” he said. “Today we must ensure that extreme nationalism does not continue to give rise to new forms of the

Q. What is the teaching of the Catholic Church about the United Nations? The attitude we hear often today is that it is a travesty, an effort to take away our national pride and independence. It has done many good things, but some of its actions have been far from perfect. Has the church ever condemned this organization? (Pennsylvania)

A. Your feelings are perhaps understandable. Anything human is imperfect. And any effort to place nearly 200 nations representing 6 billion people around a table to wrestle with the most complex issues of international justice and peace is bound to be about as imperfect and frustrating as one could imagine.

While the faults of the United Nations, therefore, are many, the position of the Catholic Church has been clear from the beginning. The United Nations is the only world organization attempting not only to “facilitate mere coexistence among nations,” but to “organize the brotherly collaboration of the world’s peoples.”

This purpose reflects “the ideal of which mankind dreams on its pilgrimage through time.” The quotes are from Pope Paul VI, speaking at the United Nations.

“The edifice you have constructed,” he said, “must never fail. ... You mark a stage in the development of mankind

aberrations of totalitarianism.”The United Nations, he continued,

is capable of being a “moral center” developing a shared awareness of the world as a family of nations, a family of mutual trust and respect. In this, as in any “authentic family, the strong do not dominate; instead the weaker members, because of their very weakness, are all the more welcomed and served.”

The mere reading of those words is a painful reminder of how far this nation and others, and the United Nations, have yet to go on the journey toward an orderly and just world.

But the stand of our church is certain. There exists no other institution on earth to give us hope that, as Pope John Paul said, “with the help of God’s grace we can build in the next century (our current century) and the next millennium a civilization worthy of the human person, a true culture of freedom.”

Questions may be sent to Father Dietzen at the same address, or e-mail: jjdietzen@aol.com.

Neighborhoods near and farLove, kindness can create better world for all

alien world. For others, it’s a hostile atmosphere, a war zone.

It’s not easy, these days, to live as neighbors.

My grandmother tells me of the days when the grass in each backyard on her street was completely unencumbered by the maze-like wood and chain-link fences that now divide house from house.

Tight-knit neighbors used to share everything from stories to lawn tools on summer nights.

Now, she says, her neighbors don’t even know each other’s first names.

If you’re a teen growing up today, being in a close-knit neighborhood is often more the exception than the rule. It isn’t as easy to love your neighbors as you want it to be — especially not when they’re noisy, rude, unfriendly or any number of things.

In college I’d regularly hear thudding rap beats from the basement and crashing rock riffs from the guys next door when I was trying to sleep at midnight.

Growing up, the mere touch of my dog’s feet to a nearby lawn while I was walking him earned us screaming verbal abuse from the lawn’s owner.

My friend’s neighbor wakes up at 6 a.m. on Saturday to tackle noisy home improvement projects. And that’s only

“When Jesus said to ‘love your neighbor,’” said my friend, holding her hands over her ears to block out the noise of her neighbor’s chain saw next door, “he surely didn’t mean that guy.”

We’ve all felt that way at one point or another. Sometimes we are that neighbor. Sometimes we both share the blame.

Certain branches of the single tree in my backyard hang over onto our neighbor’s property. He doesn’t like how berries from the tree drop into his yard in late summer and has requested that we chop it down.

We love the tree, though, so we told him we’d look into having someone professionally trim down the offending branches. That’s when the misunderstanding happened: He cut the tree branches himself.

Last week we had yet another disagreement about the tree and afterward stalked back into our respective houses feeling terrible about the situation, no doubt uttering sentences such as my friend’s above.

For many people, living in a neighborhood — whether in cul-de-sac suburbia or close-packed city — no longer resembles a 1950s-type model of care and cooperation.

For some, “neighborhood” is an

the beginning of the “neighbor stories” I’ve heard or experienced.

It would be easy to be annoyed at these people — to put up fences of our own, to turn up the volume and stay in our own yards, blocking them out. It would be easy, but I don’t think it would be right.

The world the teens of today are inheriting is a world growing smaller every year, growing more interdependent, tied together by technology and other forces. If you can imagine the world as one big modern neighborhood, you can also imagine what might be going on between people in the “houses.”

The fences countries put up between themselves, the angry misunderstandings and fights both small and large, attitudes of entitlement that advance one’s own “improvement projects” at the cost of neighbors’ happiness show that it’s time to turn all this around.

Jesus did mean “that guy” — the one my friend felt should be excluded from being loved. The effort we make in loving him — chain saw and all — shows us how we can love our neighbors on a larger level and create a world in which we all will want to live.

Coming of AgeKArEN dIETLEIN

OsbOrNECNs COLUMNIsT

The Catho l i c News & Hera ld 16 ADVErTISEMENT

September 15, 2006