nov. 30, 2007

The Catholic News & Herald 1 November 30, 2007

Serving CatholiCS in WeStern north Carolina in the DioCeSe of Charlotte

Guiding councilsBishop Jugis promulgates pastoral council guidelines

| Page 4

Culture WatchCatholics write WWII book; Tim Conway’s ups, downs

| Pages 10-11

Strengthening familiesCatholic Charities tours OEO in Murphy

| Page 6

november 30, 2007 volUme 17 no. 6

www.charlottediocese.org

PerspectivesGetting into the spirit of Advent; the absent voice of leadership; fighting AIDS

| Pages 14-15established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul vi

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

CNS photo by toNy GeNtile, ReuteRS

A Swiss Guard stands at attention as a cardinal arrives for a special Mass with the new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 25. Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new cardinals from 14 countries during his second consistory.

Chosen to be ‘advisers and collaborators’

photo by KeviN e. MuRRay

Rev. Melissa Hanlin of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte shares a story of faith with children during the interfaith Thanksgiving service at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte Nov. 20. Also pictured are Father Frank O’Rourke (left), pastor of St. Gabriel Church, and other spiritual leaders from Charlotte faith communities.

Ethical, scientific breakthroughs seen in new stem-cell studies

See STEM CELLS, page 7

Seeking the ‘Soul of the City’

The Lady of LourdesFrench bishop says people today can identify with St. Bernadette

See LOURDES, page 12

See FAITH, page 5

Pro-life praise

Pope names 23 cardinals from14 countries

See CARDINALS, page 8

Many faiths gather for annual ecumenical Thanksgiving service

by JOHN THAVIScATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

VATICAN CITY — In a liturgy that emphasized the church’s cultural diversity and its unity of mission, Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new cardinals from 14 countries.

The g roup inc luded U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

The pope, presiding over his second consistory, told the new cardinals he had chosen them to be the “closest advisers and collaborators” of his ministry in Rome, the church’s traditional center.

At the same time, he said, the cardinals’ geographical variety reflects Catholicism’s

by KeVIN e. MUrrAyedITOr

CHARLOTTE — A few days before families and friends gathered on Thanksgiving, strangers of varying faiths came together in celebration.

The 32nd annual interfaith Thanksgiving service was held at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte Nov. 20.

by NANcy FrAZIer O’brIeN

cATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

W A S H I N G T O N — Scientists, ethicists and church leaders hailed as a breakthrough two studies showing that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to work as effectively as embryonic stem cells, thus negating the need to destroy embryos in the name of science.

T h e e c u m e n i c a l gathering brought together clergy, spiritual leaders and members of Charlotte-area faith communities, including Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Protestants.

The event, which featured speakers, singers and dancers

by reGINA lINSKeycATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

WASHINGTON — People today can identify with the weaknesses of St. Bernadette Soubirous and the message of her Marian apparitions, said a French bishop whose diocese includes Lourdes.

Everyone has limitations and flaws, Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes said Nov. 27.

The eldest of nine children, St. Bernadette was illiterate and her family was so poor that they lived in a former prison, he said.

But St. Bernadette had a “kind of wisdom” and was

2 The Catholic News & Herald November 30, 2007

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyardInBrief Catholic officials say Middle East peace

possible, but U.S. must lead

a most Caring ‘g-dog’

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: [email protected]

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.

NOVEMBER 30, 2007Volume 17 • Number 6

BOONE VICARIATENORTH WILKESBORO — A Catholic Scripture Study group meets at St. John Baptiste de La Salle Church, 275 CC Wright School Rd. Visit www.catholicscripturestudy.com for more information. Classes meet Wednesdays, 12- 1:30 p.m. and 6:45-8:15 p.m. Please call Rob Hicks at (336) 957-7193 for more information or if you plan to attend.SPRUCE PINE — A Rosary of Intercession for Priests is recited each Friday at St. Lucien Church, 695 Summit St., before the 9 a.m. Mass. Prayers are offered for bishops, priests and deacons, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. For more information, call the church office at (828) 765-2224.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATE CHARLOTTE — SPRED (Special Religious Development) is a faith formation program at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., for those of all ages with developmental disabilities. We invite all members of your parish, those with disabilities and those without, to share our common bond as we celebrate a SPRED Advent Family Mass marking the

beginning of the Advent season, Dec. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served in the banquet room following the Mass. If you have questions, call Pat at (704) 541-8362.CHARLOTTE — The next Blood Give-In Sunday at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., will be Dec. 9, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., in the family room of the Parish Center. Donors will be required to provide identification, such as driver’s license or Red Cross blood donor card. Sign-up tables will be in the narthex Dec. 1-2. Appointments are encouraged and will be honored. Walk-ins are welcome, but will be taken as time permits. If you have questions, call Pat at (704) 541-8362.CHARLOTTE — Deepen your faith this fall with “Lunchtime Spirituality” at St. Peter Church, 12-12:45 p.m., in the Annex, 507 S. Tryon St. The topic for Dec. 13 will be Hans Urs von Balthasar’s “Unless You Become Like This Child.” For more information, call the office at (704) 332-2901.CHARLOTTE — The Vietnamese Cursillo of Charlotte School of Leaders meets the second Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd. For more information, contact Nam Le at (704) 549-1525.CHARLOTTE — The St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order gathers the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Church, 2301 Statesville Ave. Those interested in learning more about the SFO and the Franciscan way of life are invited to attend. For more information, call Tom O’Loughlin at (704) 947-7235.CHARLOTTE — The Happy Timers of St. Ann Church meet the first Wednesday of each month with a luncheon and program at 1 p.m. in the Msgr. Allen Center, 3635 Park Rd. All adults age 55 and older are welcome. For more information, call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879.CHARLOTTE — New Creation Monastery invites you to a day of silence and solitude in the presence

Diocesanplanner

Jesuit who works with gang members named one of most caring Americans

WASHINGTON (CNS) — A priest known to former gang members in East Los Angeles as “G-Dog” was among five adults and six young people honored by the Washington-based Caring Institute as the most caring people in America for 2007.

Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle, who founded Homeboy Industries in 1988 to provide “hope, not jail” for former gang members who want to turn their lives around, received one of the 2007 National Caring Awards at a Nov. 16 ceremony in Washington.

As chairman of the institute’s board of trustees, former U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole of Kansas described the 2007 winners as “wonderful role models and the very personification of caring.”

Father Boyle’s programs help an estimated 1,000 young people from nearly 600 different gangs each month. Beginning with a jobs program and a bakery, Homeboy Industries now includes a cafe as well as businesses that offer silk-screening and home maintenance services and sell merchandise with the Homeboy logo.

Other adult recipients of the 2007 Caring Awards were:

— Constantin Asavoaie, director of Prison Fellowship Romania, who spent 10 years in prison because of his Christian faith;

— Dominic Avellani, founder of the East Boston Adult Education Center, which has assisted more than 40,000 immigrants, refugees and high school dropouts;

— Rose Espinoza of La Habra, Calif., who started a tutoring program for

low-income children that now serves 200 children at four branches;

— Karin Walser, founder and executive director of Horton’s Kids, a nonprofit tutoring and mentoring program in the southeast section of Washington.

Youth winners of the Caring Awards were:

— Jourdan Urbach, a 15-year-old violin virtuoso from Roslyn Heights, N.Y., who has raised more than $1.3 million for pediatric units and medical charities.

— Mollie and Jackie Singer, 18-year-old twins from Las Vegas who started Diabetic Angels to educate children about diabetes and teach them how to watch out for their diabetic friends.

— Davin Singleton, 18, of Pasadena, Md., who created a workshop called “Dreamers: How to Become Your Dream” to empower dyslexics like himself and other children.

— Lauren Beeder of Newbury Park, Calif., a 16-year-old volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles who founded kidsCANCERvive to raise funds for research and provide online support to children with cancer and their families.

— Emily Wemhoff, 18, of Creston, Neb., founder of Project SAFE, or Save a Friend Everyday, whose fire safety efforts have saved countless lives in Nebraska.

The Caring Institute was founded in 1985 by Val Halamandaris after he met with Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She suggested he confront the poverty of the spirit in the developed world by identifying extraordinarily gifted people and holding them up as role models.

BALTIMORE (CNS) — As key leaders from Israel, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria and other nations gathered in Annapolis for a Nov. 26-28 Middle East peace conference and related meetings, local Catholic leaders said they were hopeful the meetings would trigger further discussions for making a lasting peace in the Holy Land.

Peace is attainable, they said, but it will take assertive leadership from the United States to make it a reality.

“I’m guardedly optimistic in the sense that I’m always happy when there’s some kind of negotiation going on in the Middle East,” said Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden, urban vicar for the archdiocese.

Bishop Madden previously served as director of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine office in Jerusalem. He said the lack of strong leadership from the United States in recent years has been a contributing reason the peace process has stalled. He was hopeful the U.S.-led

Annapolis conference would change that.The conference and re la ted

meetings included participants from 50 organizations and countries, including Israel, the Palestinian territories and several Arab states.

Bishop Madden said there is general consensus about what steps are needed to achieve peace. Israelis would like greater control of the terrorists who pose a threat to security, he said, while Palestinians are looking for a cessation of Israeli settlement-building, the return of land and freer travel.

Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped the Annapolis conference would help Palestinians and Israelis reach a “just and definitive solution.”

The Vatican also sent a delegation to the conference headed by Msgr. Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for the foreign affairs section of the Vatican Secretariat of State. He was accompanied by Msgr. Franco Coppola, another foreign affairs specialist.

CNS photo by ellie hidalGo/the tidiNGS

Jesuit Father Greg Boyle (center) is assisted by youths from Homeboy Industries as he breaks ground for the organization’s new headquarters in los Angeles in early march 2006. Father boyle, known to former gang members in East Lost Angeles as “G-Dog,” was among the 11 people honored as the most caring people in America for 2007.

For more events taking place in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese.org/calendarofevents-cn.


Vatican prepares new series of conferences on social development

froM THe vaTiCaN

of Almighty God. The monastery offers private spiritual retreats for lay people. Write to Father John Vianney Hoover at New Creation Monastery, 1309 Duncan Gardens Dr., Charlotte, N.C., 28206, stating why you want to go on retreat and when. For more information, call (704) 344-0934.

GASTONIA VICARIATEDENVER — The Blanketeers of Holy Spirit Church hold periodic workshops to make security blankets for seriously ill and traumatized children through Project Linus, a non-profit organization. For more information, call the church office at (704) 483-6448 or visit www.projectlinus.org.

GREENSBORO VICARIATEGREENSBORO — The Greensboro Council of Catholic Women will have a Christmas Tea at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2780 Horse Pen Creek Rd., Dec. 6, 2-4 p.m. For more information, please contact Carmen Wood (336) 545-9266.

HICKORY VICARIATEHENDERSONVILLE — The Widows Lunch Bunch, sponsored by Immaculate Conception Church, meets at a different restaurant on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are necessary. For more information and reservations, call Joan Keagle at (828) 693-4733.HICKORY — A Charismatic Mass is celebrated the first Thursday of each month in Sebastian Chapel of St. Aloysius Church, 921 Second St. NE, at 7 p.m. For further information, contact Joan Moran (828)-327-0487.

SALISBURY VICARIATESALISBURY — Our Lady Rosary Makers of Sacred Heart Church, 128 N. Fulton St., are making cord rosaries for the missions and the military. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month in the church office conference room, 10- 11 a .m . For more in fo rma t ion , ca l l Cathy Yochim at (704) 636-6857 or Joan Kaczmarezyk at (704) 797-8405.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATEFRANKLIN — The Respect for Life group meets the first Wednesday of every month after the 5:30 p.m. Mass in the Family Life Center at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 299 Maple St. All those interested in promoting the sanctity of human life are invited to attend. For more information, contact Julie Tastinger at (828) 349-9813 or [email protected] — Adult Education Classes are held the first three Wednesday evenings of each month beginning at 6:45 p.m. in the St. John the Evangelist Church Social Hall, 234 Church St. For more information, call Charles Luce at (828) 648-7369 or e-mail [email protected].

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATEWINSTON-SALEM — Franciscan Sister Kathy Ganiel will present “Primacy of Christ (Bonaventure)” Dec. 9, 3-5 p.m. as part of a series of free talks offering an exploration into some of the major contributions of Franciscan men and women of faith. The talk will take place at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. For more information and registration, e-mail [email protected] or call (336) 723-1092.KERNERSVILLE — Holy Cross Church, 616 S. Cherry St., hosts a Senior Coffee House the first and third Mondays of each month, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., in Salesian Hall in the Child Development Building. Call the church office at (336) 996-5109 ext. 12 for directions or information.

is your parish or school sponsoring a free event open to the general public? submissions deadlines for the diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date. submit in writing to Karen a. evans at [email protected] or fax to (704) 370-3382.

U.N. nuncio urges religions to be ‘loud and clear’ against violence

A moment of peace

Episcopalcalendar

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

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Forty years after Pope Paul VI’s groundbreaking encyclical on human development, “Populorum Progressio,” the Vatican is preparing to launch a new series of conferences and publications on poverty, corruption, disarmament, prisons and the ethics of taxation.

The new proposals were discussed at the Nov. 20-21 plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which examined the impact of the 1967 encyclical and the new challenges that have emerged since its publication.

In a statement, the council announced proposals for at least four major international conferences on themes related to justice and world peace. It said the topics will include “politics, democracy and values”; disarmament; Catholic social doctrine and the laity; and “ethics and taxation.”

Future documents will address the topics of poverty and globalization; penal

justice and the re-education of convicts; and the fight against corruption, it said.

During the encounter, participants underlined that the moral dimension of development was more important than ever in an increasingly globalized economy.

The plenary assembly was followed by a Rome conference of Catholic organizations that work on justice and peace issues. Addressing participants, Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the pontifical council, said globalization holds real opportunities, as long as its goals are based on the sharing of resources and the common good, he said.

Mati Mulumba, an economist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said multilateral cooperation over the last 40 years has brought progress in health care, education and areas of economic development. But he said the world has not eradicated the imbalances between rich and poor, which was one of the appeals made in Pope Paul’s encyclical.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) — Religious leaders must speak out “loud and clear” against those who try to use sacred texts such as the Quran or the Bible to justify violence or human rights violations, the Vatican’s nuncio to the United Nations said in a lecture at the University of Notre Dame.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore spoke Nov. 15 on “Catholicism and Islam: Points of Convergence and Divergence, Encounter and Cooperation.”

He said the spread of terrorism has “triggered a renewed interest in Christian-Islamic dialogue.”

“It’s not enough for any religion to say: We have nothing to do with extremists, with fundamentalists; or, extremists do not speak for our respective religions,” Archbishop Migliore said.

“ I n d e e d e x t r e m i s t s a n d fundamentalists do make reference to the same sacred texts; they even dare to portray themselves as the faithful interpreters and keepers of those sacred texts,” he said.

“Rather, we have to engage those who try to justify their unjustifiable acts

of violence and multiform violations of human rights using those same texts and proclaim it loud and clear that those texts do not lend themselves to a reading which leads to violence,” he added.

The history of relations between Christians and Muslims has been “marked by long periods of incomprehension, of rivalry and at times also very violent oppression, interspersed with intervals — although truly limited in time and space — of peaceful coexistence and of mutual cooperation at all levels,” he said.

But Archbishop Migliore cited three important “points of convergence” between Christians and Muslims: “We are all children of Abraham; both are monotheists and belong to a religion gifted with a sacred book.”

“The similarities that are found” in the Bible and the Quran “offer starting points and basis to achieve together personal holiness and the common good of society,” he said.

Archbishop Migliore suggested that the theme of “love of God and neighbor” could be the source of fruitful dialogue between the two religions.

CNS photo by MahMoud Raouf MahMoud, ReuteRS

A U.S. soldier rests near a statue of Mary outside a church in the Dora district of Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 21.

dec. 5 — 1:30 p.m.diocesan Building Commission meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

dec. 6 — 10 a.m.diocesan Foundation Board meetingCatholic Conference Center, Hickory

dec. 7 — 6 p.m.Blessing of new altarst. John the baptist Church, Tryon

dec. 9 — 9:30 a.m.installation of Father John denny as pastorst. Margaret of scotland Church, Maggie valley

attention readers!Have a story to sHare?

do you have a story to share with The Catholic News & Herald? do you know of people who are living the tenets of their faith? do you have photos of a parish- or ministry-based event?

if so, please share them with us.Contact staff Writer Karen evans at (704) 370-3354 or [email protected].

4 The Catholic News & Herald November 30, 2007AROUND THE DIOCESE

photo by GeoRGe K. Cobb

Bishop Peter J. Jugis signs the decree of promulgation for the revised guidelines for pastoral councils in the Diocese of Charlotte Nov. 26.

by KeVIN e. MUrrAyedITOr

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis has approved new guidelines for parish pastoral councils in the Diocese of Charlotte.

The bishop signed the decree of promulgation, dated Nov. 1, the date the new guidelines went into effect.

Replacing those issued in 1991, the revised guidelines reflect the changing role of pastoral councils in the 21st century.

By virtue of their baptisms and full initiation into the Catholic Church, the laity “share responsibility” with priests “for the pastoral mission of the local church,” said Bishop Jugis in the decree of promulgation.

“Members of the pastoral council collaborate with the pastor in the building up of the church and its sanctification,” wrote Bishop Jugis.

Bishop Jugis wrote that, according to the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity of the Second Vatican Council, the action of pastoral councils “within the Church communities is so necessary that without it the apostolate of pastors will frequently be unable to obtain its full effect.”

“The primary work of any pastoral council should be the building of a single community of faith,” said George Cobb, director of planning and research for the Diocese of Charlotte.

“The guidelines reflect a new tone of decision-making that returns pastoral councils to their original intent — from managing interior church matters to consulting and advising the pastor on matters relating to the parish and the larger community in which its members are called by Christ to serve,” said Cobb, who provides pastoral council training in the diocese.

The guidelines will bring uniformity to the use of pastoral councils by standardizing their roles and relationships with other parish organizations, such as providing clarification on the role of parish commissions and on the parish staff’s relationship with lay councils and commissions.

Training sessions on the guidelines were offered for priests, deacons and lay pastoral council members at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Nov. 15 and 17.

The sessions were facilitated by Msgr. James Gaston, a priest of the Diocese of Greensburg, Pa., and Sister Brenda Herman, a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity, both of whom have extensive, firsthand experience working with pastoral councils.

The revised guidelines are available in English on the diocesan Web site, www.charlottediocese.org/parish.html. A Spanish-language version will be available soon.

Sending the season overseasFaith formation classes ‘adopt’ soldiers for Christmas

Guiding the roles of pastors and pastoral councils

by lAUrA rIceSpecIAl TO

THe cATHOlIc NewS & HerAld

CHARLOTTE — Jackie Cristiano is a woman who thinks ahead, and with good reasons.

She’s senior vice president at a bank, a cycling instructor at the YMCA and a religious education teacher at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

But it’s her role as mother to four children, specifically to her son John, that’s put her planning skills to work.

Sgt. John Cristiano of Task Force Gladius of the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg is currently serving his fourth year in the U.S. Army and finishing up his first year in Afghanistan.

Knowing her son wouldn’t be returning home until March 2008 and wanting to make Christmas a bit brighter for him and his fellow soldiers, Cristiano turned to the young faith formation students at St. Gabriel Church for help.

The response from the 700 children in the 44 classes from kindergarten through eighth grade was overwhelming.

The classes “adopted” the 34 soldiers in the unit, providing each one with gifts, necessities and some much-needed holiday cheer.

Beginning in late October, the parish’s 90 catechists worked with students and their families to quickly provide items for the classes’ designated soldiers, in order to mail them to reach the soldiers by Christmas.

The response was immediate, with many parents wanting to give more. The

parish faith formation office was soon filled with donated items, including T-shirts, DVDs, CDs and books.

“When I first asked if we could involve the other classes in this, I never expected such a response. It’s all going to be so appreciated,” said Cristiano.

The catechists began incorporating into their lessons themes connected to the collection for the soldiers — such as Christian charity, the Corporal Works of Mercy, the Good Samaritan and the generosity of the Holy Spirit.

Students wrote cards and letters to their adopted soldiers; they decorated handmade ornaments and took class photographs to send in the packages.

Cristiano initially expected to be sending small care packages, but the families filled multiple shopping bags for each soldier. When the magnitude of the shipping costs became apparent, another religious education teacher and Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor, donated money to help defray the costs.

The packages arrived in Afghanistan the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 23. Sgt. Cristiano called his mother soon after to say the soldiers were happy and grateful to receive so many items. The unit took photographs of the gifts being opened, which will be shared with the students.

Meanwhile, Jackie Crist iano continues looking ahead — to sending future care packages and to welcoming her son home again.

Rice is a religious education teacher at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

Bishop Jugis promulgates revised guidelines

photo by GeoRGe K. Cobb

Msgr. James Gaston and Sister Brenda Herman lead a training session on new pastoral council guidelines at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Nov. 17.

CouRteSy photo

Pictured are sudents from a second-grade faith formation class at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, with a note for their “adopted” U.S. Army soldier, Josh, who is currently serving in Afghanistan.

The Catholic News & Herald 5 November 30, 2007FROM THE COVER

Many faiths gather for annual ecumenical service

FAITH, from page 1

from various faiths, was sponsored by Mecklenburg Ministries, a nonprofit, interfaith organization.

“This service gives Charlotte the wonderful opportunity to worship with people of different religions,” said Rabbi Murray Ezring of Temple Israel in Charlotte.

“It helps us appreciate the many things we share in common that unite us. When houses of faith connect in this positive worship experience, they are not afraid to work together for our city,” said Rabbi Ezring, one of the event’s organizers.

Rev. Greg Moss, pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, gave the keynote speech, “The Soul of the City.”

“Do we want Charlotte to be a world-class city, or a world-class community?” he asked the attendees.

To achieve “world-class community” status, Rev. Moss said residents of all faiths must strive to overcome the injustices plaguing their communities.

“We need to work to develop the will

to deal with the issues of homelessness, affordable housing and living wages,” said Rev. Moss in an interview with The Catholic News & Herald.

In separate interviews, several of the participating spiritual leaders discussed ways to follow through on Rev. Moss’ challenge of making Charlotte a “world-class community.”

“We all need to pay attention to social issues,” said Rabbi Micah Streiffer, assistant rabbi at Temple Beth El in Charlotte.

“People are created in God’s image and are deserving of those basic necessities,” he said. “We can make a difference if we pay attention to that.”

“We need to stop focusing on our differences and focus on what we have in common,” said Rabbi Ezring.

The rabbi spoke of the recent All Clergy Build, in which spiritual leaders and members from 10 faiths built a Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte.

“Now a family has something they did not have before because God’s leaders came together and made a difference,” he said.

The house was dedicated and presented to the family Nov. 18.

For Omar Rokayak, president of the Muslim Student Association at the

University of North Carolina, the All Clergy Build was his first chance to interact with many clergy and spiritual leaders of other faiths.

“We were gathered to do something good for the community, and it opened a door for exchange in a relaxed atmosphere,” said Rokayak.

He said events such as the interfaith Thanksgiving service also help to promote unity among the people.

“Education is key. When we learn

about each other, we avoid judgments based on stereotypes,” said Rokayak.

People of all faiths must be “more generous and become bridge builders,” said Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of St. Gabriel Church.

“Then we can be more responsive to the plight of people who are in need,” he said.

Contact Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail [email protected].

photo by KeviN e. MuRRay

The Interfaith Children’s Choir performs during the ecumenical Thanksgiving service at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte Nov. 20.

6 The Catholic News & Herald November 30, 2007IN THE NEwS

Office of Economic Opportunity welcomes Catholic Charities visitors

Exploring ways to strengthen families

CouRteSy photo

Annette Shumate (left) of Catholic Community Services in the Diocese of Charleston-wheeling speaks with Edwin Manchester, OEO advisory board member, and Netta McFaddin, OEO employee, during a Catholic Charities visit in November.

MURPHY — Members of several Catholic Charities agencies recently came to the Diocese of Charlotte.

The group vis i ted Cathol ic Social Service’s Office of Economic Opportunity in Murphy Nov. 6-8, part of a tour highlighting the 2007 recipients of the Catholic Charities USA Family Strengthening Awards — of which the OEO was one of four national recipients.

Established in 1999 by the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, the OEO serves the far-western North Carolina counties of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain.

As a recipient of a Family Strengthening Award, the OEO received a $25,000 grant to be used for its programs, which help strengthen families and promote financial literacy.

The visi t ing group included members of seven Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States and Catholic Charities USA headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

They traveled the four counties served by the OEO, learned about its programs, met representatives of partnering organizations and listened to an ecumenical panel of clergy speak about the OEO’s interfaith partnerships.

One of the OEO’s programs is Far West Families First, which matches struggling families with ecumenical faith teams who provide support and encouragement to help the families reach

financial goals.The visiting Catholic Charities

personnel indicated a desire to introduce faith team partnerships and ecumenical collaborations into their agencies and programs.

Jean Beil, Catholic Charities USA senior vice president for programs, complimented Claudie Burchfield, diocesan OEO program director, and OEO staff members Netta McFaddin and Mary Pat Dailey for what they are “able to accomplish by developing such a supportive network.”

The tour included a visit to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, Mass celebrated by Father Shawn O’Neal at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Cherokee and a dinner celebration at the OEO’s annual grants and awards ceremony.

Elizabeth Thurbee, executive director of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, thanked the attendees from the western North Carolina communities for their contributions to the OEO’s various collaborative projects.

She also expressed her appreciation to the Catholic Charities visitors for coming to the Diocese of Charlotte to hear about the unique work of the OEO’s programs.

Want more inFo?for more information on the oeo, visit www.cssnc.org/oeo.html.

Catholic Charities USA officials urge government to do more for poor

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Just last year, Catholic Charities agencies across the country provided services for one out of every 10 people living in poverty.

Although the agencies are proud of the work they do, they would like to see that number of people in need decrease. But that is not going to happen, according to Catholic Charities officials, until the federal government steps up its efforts to help the country’s poor.

“The federal government must do its part” because “we can’t continue to provide at this level,” said Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA during a Nov. 15 press conference in Washington where a report titled “Poverty in America: Beyond the Numbers” was released.

What the report shows about services provided to the poor is “impressive, but alarming,” said Father Snyder.

He described the current state of poverty in the United States as both “unacceptable” and a “moral crisis.”

The report, based on a 2006 survey of local agencies, provides a state-by-state look at the types of services local Catholic Charities agencies provide.

There are 173 main agencies, which include nearly 1,735 branches and affiliates. Charities funding comes from the Catholic Church, program service fees, government contracts and the support of corporations, foundations and individuals.

According to the report, the agencies are serving a growing number of people below the poverty line, including 4.1 million people last year. In 2006 Catholic Charities agencies served a total of 7.9 million clients.

In 2006, local Catholic Charities agencies saw a 12 percent increase in the need for food service programs, and between 2002 and 2006 the number of clients receiving food services — through soup kitchens, food banks and pantries or with home-delivered meals — increased by 2.7 million, or nearly 60 percent.

Janet Valente Pape, chairwoman of the Catholic Charities USA board said the report “shines a spotlight” on the work of Catholic Charities.

She also said it is getting “harder and harder to meet escalating needs.”

Other key findings of the survey show that more than 45 percent of Catholic Charities’ clients were either under 18 or over 65.

The agencies’ community service

programs including education and enrichment, social support, health-related services and neighborhood activism — reached more than 3.6 million people last year, a 7 percent increase from the previous year.

Also last year, nearly 1.1 million people received counseling, mental health services and immigration services. In the past five years, requests for temporary shelters have increased 24 percent.

Last year, Catholic Charities agencies managed more than 176 temporary shelters and were unable to serve more than 31,000 people because all available beds were full.

“Thank God for Catholic Charities,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., at the press conference.

McGovern, a co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, said the increase in poverty in this country makes the need for Catholic Charities’ services all the more acute. But he also stressed that the work of Catholic Charities “does not let the government off the hook.”

“The government is not doing enough to meet the needs of its people,” he said.

But he also said there were signs of hope and that lobbying efforts by groups such as Catholic Charities “are starting to resonate.”

“You’re shaming us to talk about issues,” he said, adding that the organization’s new report is a “great road map” showing what needs to be done.

Rev. David Beckmann, head of the Christian citizens’ anti-hunger lobby Bread for the World, likewise noted signs of hope, saying, “We’re on the cusp of a groundswell of concern for hunger.”

But concern alone, by U.S. citizens, is not enough, he said. It has to make its way to government leaders.

“The government has to do its part,” he said, and “has to be part of the solution.”

Earlier this year, Catholic Charities USA launched a campaign with the goal to cut poverty in America in half by 2020. That would mean that the 37 million Americans now living below the poverty line, who form 12.6 percent of the country’s population, would have to drop to about 6 percent within 13 years.

Catholic Charities USA and its branches and affiliates plan to attack the structural roots of poverty by advocating in Washington and in state capitals.

The Catholic News & Herald 7 November 30, 2007RESPECT LIFE

Ethical, scientific breakthroughs seen in new stem-cell studies

Separate studies from teams led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan and Junying Yu and James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison were published online Nov. 20 by the journals Cell and Science, respectively.

“The methods outlined in these papers fully conform to what we have hoped to see for some time,” said a statement from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

“Such strategies should continue to be pursued and strongly promoted, as they should help to steer the entire field of stem-cell research in a more explicitly ethical direction by circumventing the moral quagmire associated with destroying human embryos,” it added.

By adding four genes to the skin cells, the scientists were able to create stem cells that genetically match the donor and have the ability to become any of the 220 types of cells in the human body.

“The induced cells do all the things embryonic stem cells do,” Thomson, who isolated the first embryonic stem cells in 1998, said in a university news release.

“It’s going to completely change the field,” he said.

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Phila-delphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wel-comed the news, expressing gratitude “for scientists who took up the challenge of finding morally acceptable ways to pursue stem-cell research, and for gov-ernment leaders who have encouraged and funded such avenues.”

The new technology “avoids the many ethical land mines associated with embryonic stem-cell research: It does not clone or destroy human embryos, does not harm or exploit women for their eggs, and does not blur the line between human beings and other species through desperate efforts to make human embryos using animal eggs,” he added.

The White House also praised the breakthrough Nov. 20, saying that President George W. Bush’s June 2007

executive order expanding stem-cell research using “ethically responsible techniques” was “intended to accelerate precisely the kind of research being reported today.”

“The president believes medical problems can be solved without compromising either the high aims of science or the sanctity of human life,” said press secretary Dana Perino.

“We will continue to encourage scientists to expand the frontiers of stem-cell research and continue to advance the understanding of human biology in an ethically responsible way,” she said.

The findings drew similar reaction from Catholic and pro-life leaders abroad.

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said, “While it is still early days for this research, it is a very promising discovery which will help scientists to fight serious diseases without resorting to the deliberate destruction of human embryos to obtain stem cells.”

He expressed regret that the Australian Parliament had acted to permit embryonic stem-cell research when more effective and more ethical means were just around the corner.

In Great Britain, the head of the pro-life group Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the new stem-cell studies “show that one can be both pro-life and pro-science.”

“Experimenting with embryos, on the other hand, is both bad ethics and bad science,” said Anthony Ozimic. “Science advances when it respects human life, but stalls or even goes backwards when it treats human beings as mere research material.”

Ian Wilmut, the Scottish scientist who created Dolly the cloned sheep in 1996, told the London Telegraph that he had decided in light of the new findings to abandon his efforts to clone human embryos and would instead concentrate on research involving the new reprogramming techniques.

Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, Scotland, chairman of the United Kingdom and Ireland Joint Bishops’ Bioethics Committee, welcomed Wilmut’s announcement, saying: “The Catholic Church has constantly supported the work of scientists who use adult stem cells, research which has produced much more promising results and avoids the ethical dilemma involved in creating and destroying human life.”

The National Catholic Bioethics Center said Wilmut’s change of heart “flowed largely from practical considerations” but that the scientist also had acknowledged that the new approach was “easier to accept socially.”

“Persistence in seeking creative scientific breakthroughs and actively pursuing alternative approaches can help resolve serious ethical problems

and allow us to maintain the ethical integrity of science while achieving important scientific and medical ends,” the statement said.

However, Thomson and the International Society for Stem-Cell Research called on scientists to continue research involving the destruction of human embryos.

More study is needed to ensure that the newly made cells “do not differ from embryonic stem cells in a clinically significant or unexpected way, so it is hardly time to discontinue embryonic stem-cell research,” Thomson said.

“These findings do not obviate the need for research using human embryonic stem cells,” said the society in a Nov. 20 statement.

“Rather, the different avenues of human stem-cell research should be pursued side by side providing complementary information,” it said.

In light of that stand by some scientists, Mailee Smith, staff counsel for the Chicago-based Americans United for Life, said: “The need for states to pass legislation that bans all forms of human cloning remains.”

STEM CELLS, from page 1

Vatican official says stem-cell studies show science can be ethical

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Recent studies showing that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to function as stem cells demonstrate that scientific progress can be achieved without violating basic ethical norms, said Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

“If this technique is validated, it would be a historic discovery,” the bishop told Vatican Radio in late November.

The success of the approach, which the Japanese and U.S. researchers followed for scientific and not primarily for ethical reasons, demonstrates that progress does not have to violate ethical norms, he said.

And, he said, the results demonstrate that “it is not true that the church is against research, only that it is against bad research, research which damages human beings, in this case the human embryo.”

He said it is a shame that so many human embryos have been destroyed and so many millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on embryonic stem-cell research when better results have been obtained without destroying embryos.

“It is true” that researchers do not know for sure what will work and what will not when they begin a project, the bishop said, “but there were already indications that results could be obtained using adult stem cells, while from embryonic stem cells there have been no results.”

“I do not know if those who have invested money and passed laws precisely to allow this (embryonic stem-cell research) will be able to recognize their error and turn back, but at least the scientists who want to achieve results will go looking where they have been proven to be found,” Bishop Sgreccia said.

“The methods outlined in these papers fully conform to what we have hoped to see for some time.”

— National Catholic Bioethics Center

8 The Catholic News & Herald November 30, 2007NEw CARDINALS

global expansion and the fact that today the church “speaks every language of the world.”

International groups of pilgrims who packed St. Peter’s Basilica for the Nov. 24 consistory added emphasis to the pope’s words, applauding, cheering and even waving national flags when the new cardinals’ names were announced.

The pope made a special appeal for peace in Iraq and said his naming of Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad, the Chaldean patriarch, was a sign of his closeness to the country’s Christian population.

“They are experiencing in their own flesh the dramatic consequences of an enduring conflict and now live in a fragile and delicate political situation,” the pope said.

“Together we want to reaffirm the solidarity of the entire church with the Christians of that beloved land and ask prayers for the beginning of the hoped-for reconciliation for all the peoples involved,” he said.

New cardinalsDuring the consistory, each cardinal

knelt as the pope placed on his head a red three-cornered hat, called a biretta.

The pope told them the color was not only a sign of the cardinal’s dignity, but also a visible reminder of their readiness to act with courage “even to the point of shedding your blood” in order to help spread the Christian faith.

Cardinal Delly, 80, received the biggest applause when he approached the altar to receive his red hat; the pope gave him the classic round hat of a Chaldean patriarch instead of a biretta.

Pope Benedict, wearing a gold cape and seated on a gilded throne, smiled as he watched the cardinals adjust their hats and receive the congratulations of the veteran cardinals, who filled the front of the basilica.

Cardinal Foley, a 72-year-old native of Philadelphia, spent many years as a Catholic journalist before being named to head the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in 1984.

In June he was made head of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, a chivalric organization that responds to the needs of Catholics in the Holy Land.

Meeting reporters afterward, Cardinal Foley said he appreciated the great number of warm and positive articles about him in recent days.

“It’s nice to be canonized without the inconvenience of dying,” he quipped.

Cardinal DiNardo, 58, was the second-youngest of the new cardinals. He is the first cardinal from a Texas diocese, and his nomination was considered a sign of Pope Benedict’s attention to the growth of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Southwest.

“It’s an honor, a responsibility and pretty humbling for this kid from

Pittsburgh,” Cardinal DiNardo said of his elevation to the rank of cardinal.

Besides the United States and Iraq, other new cardinals came from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Northern Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Senegal and Spain.

Cardinal dutiesOf the 23 new cardinals, 18 were

under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave. Those over 80 included Franciscan Cardinal Umberto Betti, 85, who processed into the basilica in a wheelchair; when he was given his red hat by the pope, whom he has known for more than 40 years, he appeared to be overwhelmed with emotion.

The consistory left the College of Cardinals with 201 members, a new record. Of those, 120 are under age 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave.

In his sermon, the pope underlined that being a cardinal was not about power and success, but a new form of service.

“True Christian greatness, in fact, lies not in dominating but in serving,” he said.

This is the ideal that should guide the cardinals in their new role, he said.

Each of the new cardinals was assigned a church in Rome as a symbol that he was becoming a member of the clergy of Rome and was more closely bound to the bishop of Rome, the pope.

Cardinal Foley was given the Church of St. Sebastian on the Palatine Hill. Cardinal DiNardo received the Church of St. Eusebius, one of the city’s oldest churches, on the Esquiline Hill.

The consistory liturgy had been planned for St. Peter’s Square, but was moved inside the basilica when bad weather was forecast. In the end, it did not rain during the consistory. The pope walked out to the steps of the basilica afterward and extemporized a talk to those who waited outside.

Among those in the square was a large contingent from Senegal who came to cheer Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar. They wore T-shirts with the cardinal’s name and picture on the front and the phrase, “Where can we go, Lord?” written on the back in French.

Alphonse Mendy, a native of Dakar, said the nomination was especially important for the African country because it put the spotlight on the minority Catholic population in a country that is more than 90 percent Muslim.

After the consistory, the cardinals scattered to various receptions throughout the day, including a big open house held in the late afternoon in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

The following day, the pope celebrated Mass with the new cardinals and gave each one a gold ring to symbolize his special bond of communion with Rome.

The day before, the pope presided over a meeting with cardinals and cardinals-designate for discussions on the church’s ecumenical dialogues.

Contributing to this story were Cindy Wooden and Carol Glatz.

Pope names 23 cardinals from 14 countries

CARDINALS, from page 1

CNS photo by aleSSaNdRo biaNChi, ReuteRS

Above: Pope Benedict XVI concelebrates Mass with the new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 25. Below: Pope Benedict XVI gathers with the College of Cardinals in the synod hall at the Vatican Nov. 23. The meeting was attended by 120 cardinals and the 23 churchmen the pope inducted into the college the following day.

CNS photo by paul haRiNG

The Catholic News & Herald 9 November 30, 2007NEw CARDINALS

Iraqi delegation attend consistory at Vatican

Elevation of Chaldean patriarch highlights plight of Iraqi Christians

CNS photo by aleSSaNdRo biaNChi, ReuteRS

New Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad, Iraq, leaves the consistory Nov. 24 at the Vatican. The Chaldean patriarch said Pope Benedict XVI hoped that naming him a cardinal might promote dialogue and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims in Iraq.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Benedict XVI placed a red hat on Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad during a Nov. 24 consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica, he was honoring not just the patriarch of the Chaldean church, but was elevating the plight of Iraqi Christians to the world’s attention.

The pope “told me ‘I hope this gesture will be a sign of reconciliation not only among the people, but especially among Sunnis, Shiites and Christians, because Iraq is a country dear to me,’” the patriarch told reporters Nov. 23 after a meeting of cardinals and cardinals-designate with the pope.

During the Nov. 24 consistory, Pope Benedict said in his homily that elevating the Chaldean leader was a way of “concretely expressing my spiritual closeness and my affection” for Iraq’s Christian minorities.

“They are experiencing in their own flesh the dramatic consequences of an enduring conflict and now live in a fragile and delicate political situation,” the pope said.

Among the thousands of pilgrims crammed inside the basilica were hundreds of Chaldean Catholics from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, the United States and Europe. Pilgrims who did not get inside the standing-room-only ceremony in the basilica watched in St. Peter’s Square.

One large group waved two immense Iraqi flags, devoid of Arabic script, cheering loudly when the pope announced their patriarch’s name.

Chaldean Father Basel Yaldo, 37, was among those who came to Rome to see his patriarch elevated. Father Yaldo was kidnapped for three days in September 2006, just after Pope Benedict’s controversial remarks about Islam in Regensburg, Germany, inflamed part of the Muslim world.

Death threats against the priest were so serious that he was transferred from Baghdad to a parish in Michigan.

Jerry Yono, a Chaldean businessman in Southfield, Mich., said Father Yaldo had been beaten so badly by his captors that he was unable to walk properly for a long time.

Speaking to CNS through a translator, Father Yaldo said Nov. 23 that he had not been kidnapped for money, but

that his abductors instead “had some conditions.”

Yono said one of the conditions was to tell Cardinal Delly that all Christians were to leave Iraq.

Cardinal Delly said he would stay in Iraq and continue to lobby political and religious leaders to work together to create peace and improve security in the country. He said that now when he travels abroad as cardinal he “will try to convince everyone who left the country to return to Iraq and work to build Iraq together.”

Cardinal Delly said Iraq’s prime minister, president and parliament all sent delegations to the consistory. Political representatives included members of the Shiite-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council — one of Iraq’s largest and most powerful political parties — and emissaries of Iraq’s regional Kurdish government.

He said Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Kurds, Christians and other religious and ethnic representatives were in attendance to pay witness to the Iraqi government’s desire “that we are still in a united Iraq and that I will continue to serve (my country) with all my strength to the last drop of my blood.”

The 20-member government delegation was headed by the minister of human rights, Wijdan Mikhail Salim, a Chaldean Catholic who said she hoped Cardinal Delly’s elevation “will be for the good of all of Iraq.”

She told CNS her government “does not want the Christians to leave”; they want all groups to live together harmoniously and are “trying to improve security for all people.”

She said the government wanted to thank the pope for bringing the world’s attention to Iraq through Cardinal Delly’s elevation. She said the Catholic Church has always tried to remind people of Iraq’s need for help, and she praised it because “it supports all Iraqi people, not just Christians.”

Despite churches, mosques and religious leaders often being targets of bombings and kidnappings, Salim said the conflict in Iraq “is not a religious civil war.”

She said criminals, terrorists and other groups were hiding behind religious symbols “for some political aims.”


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

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE READINGS: DEC. 9, 2007

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE

Dec. 9, Second Sunday of Advent

Cycle A Readings:1) Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 172) Romans 15:4-9Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

We must be open, willing to be filled with Holy Spirit

by JeAN deNTONcATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

My 25-year-old friend Penny used to tell me about her weekend social “adventures” with her friend Sara. Sara was a bit of a “wild child,” Penny explained.

The two had very different backgrounds. Sara came from a broken home with little discipline or parental attention during her adolescent years. Penny’s family was close-knit and, while not overbearingly devout, Christian values were at its core.

Penny herself had a strong sense of personal morality and self-confidence. It was obvious that Sara admired Penny and subtly tried to emulate her.

Sara began having relational problems with her boyfriend. She told Penny that he was controlling and didn’t treat her with respect.

She told him she’d started going to church and wanted him to go too. He didn’t buy it. Still Sara continued the relationship with him — and quit going to church herself.

Penny didn’t counsel Sara to go back to church. Instead, she suggested Sara not only end the bad relationship but start showing respect for herself by continuing her college education, slowing down her drinking and giving up other negative behaviors that contributed to a poor self-image.

But Sara wasn’t willing to change or sever the attachment to her boyfriend.

Penny, meanwhile, was on a forward track and quickly tired of the shallow party scene and moved on.

Months later Penny heard from her old friend. Sara had decided she wanted to be a teacher and had begun college classes toward that goal.

She also broke up with the boyfriend, was working out regularly at the Y and had met some new and interesting friends.

“She seems so much happier — it was like talking to a different person,” Penny told me. “Now she’s ready for God.”

Sara’s experience illustrates the need for a two-step conversion such as John the Baptist offers in this week’s Gospel of Advent. The first step is repentance — turning away from one’s sinfulness.

Then will come the Holy Spirit, bringing a life imbued with Jesus Christ.

The way of Advent is preparation. First we cleanse ourselves of elements that keep God out of our lives. Once emptied, then we are available for the Lord to fill us with his Spirit.

Questions:What are the sins or bad habits and

attachments that currently crowd out Jesus from your life? What must you do to eliminate these elements so your life is open to Christ’s coming in?

by MIcHAel VIcKcATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

SAN FRANCISCO — Ken Burns’ recent documentary, “The War,” showcased the stories of average soldiers in new ways, revealing hidden stories behind the most explosive conflict of the 20th century.

One reason Burns cited for those stories remaining in the shadows for so long is the costly psychological trauma inflicted on young men in war.

In 2005, a trio of San Francisco natives and World War II veterans published their account of World War II, and raised a different reason why so many stories remained shrouded.

“We just didn’t think people would be interested in what we had to say,” said Ken Ross, co-author with childhood friends Normand Black and Carl Swendsen of the book “We Didn’t Know We Were Heroes.”

The men continue to be surprised by how many people have eagerly snapped up copies.

Ross, who compiled the book from audio recordings, said the three would often tell stories about the war to friends and family. Their loved ones’ interest in hearing more and seeing the men actually put what they had on paper prompted them to tell their story.

Black now lives just down the road from Ross in Windsor, where both attend Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

“What we’ve found is every time we speak to someone, they mention their father or their uncle or grandfather,” Black said. “They wish they’d asked them questions, but they’re gone.”

In the preface, Ross makes it clear the book is not meant to be a historically complete account or a discussion of military strategy. The stories are personal and tempered by the 60 years that separate the young men in the account from the retired veterans who wrote it.

“We don’t want to deceive you readers into thinking that we are historians or apologists for our nation and civilian or military leadership,” Ross writes. “We are just three average guys — of course, we think we’re a cut above average.”

In those stories, the three recount their journey from high school students to soldiers, starting Dec. 7, 1941.

sCriPture For tHe Week oF deC. 2-8sunday (First sunday of advent), isaiah 2:1-5, romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:37-44; monday (st. Francis Xavier), isaiah 4:2-6, Matthew 8:5-11; tuesday (st. John of damascus), isaiah 11:1-10, luke 10:21-24; Wednesday (advent Weekday), isaiah 25:6-10, Matthew 15:29-37; thursday (st. nicholas), isaiah 26:1-6, Matthew 7:21, 24-27; Friday (st. ambrose), isaiah 29:17-24, Matthew 9:27-31; saturday (immaculate Conception), Genesis 3:9-15, 20, ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, luke 1:26-38.

sCriPture For tHe Week oF deC. 9-15sunday (second sunday of advent), isaiah 11:1-10, romans 15:4-9, Matthew 3:1-12; monday (advent Weekday), isaiah 35:1-10, luke 5:17-26; tuesday (st. damascus 1), isaiah 40:1-11, Matthew 18:12-14; Wednesday (our Lady of guadalupe), Zechariah 2:14-17, Judith 13:18-19, luke 1:26-38; thursday (st. Lucy), isaiah 41:13-20, Matthew 11:11-15; Friday (st. John of the Cross), isaiah 48:17-19, Matthew 11:16-19; saturday (advent Weekday), sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Matthew 17:9-13.

When they learned Japan had attacked America’s Pacific fleet, Ross, his two friends and his fellow classmates immediately wanted to join the military.

Swendsen entered the Navy and ran supplies in the treacherous Pacific. Black also served in the Pacific in the Army. He saw combat in the Gilbert Islands, Saipan and Okinawa, and later served for in Japan after the Japanese surrender.

Ross served in the 101st Airborne Division as a demolition specialist, and saw combat in the European theater at the Battle of the Bulge.

In the book, the men recount both lighthearted moments and the darkness of war. The men dedicate the book to their wives — Black’s Jackie, Ross’ Lyn and Swendsen’s Pat.

“The war never really got to me,” Ross said. “It was nasty and horrible and horrendous, but I did it and forgot about it.”

Swendsen, who still lives in San Francisco where he is a parishioner at St. Monica Church, writes of his experience on supply ships in the Pacific. The ships carried limited armaments and traveled without escort in waters crawling with Japanese submarines.

Each veteran ends his section of the book with moving statements on “How I Feel About War.” Each embraces the importance of defending nation and family when under attack.

Each underscores, as did Burns’ series, that war “is nasty business,” in the words of Swendsen.

Three childhood friends write book on their WWII experiences

CNS photo CouRteSy of the WiNdSoR tiMeS

Catholics Kenneth Ross, Carl Swendsen and Normand Black write about “three ordinary guys, fresh out of high school, who sign up to do their part” in world war II in their book, “we Didn’t Know we were Heroes.” They are pictured in an undated photo.


New Catholic Web site offers resources to connect faith, faily life

ALEXANDRIA, Va . (CNS) — A new Catholic Web site, www.ActiveParishioner.com, is aiming to bridge the gap between the Catholic faith and everyday life by offering books for sale and other timely resources for free.

The site, which launched Nov. 5, was founded by Ana Kelly, who worked for nearly 10 years at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth.

“When I worked at the bishops’ conference, I received many requests for good Catholic resources,” Kelly said in a news release.

“I realized that there was no central location for Catholics to find the many wonderful resources that exist. ActiveParishioner.com fills that need by serving as a one-stop shop for finding excellent Catholic resources,” she said.

Books are grouped into relevant topics, such as decision-making, careers, caregiving, parenting, children’s books, illness and disability, prayer, forgiveness, grief and mourning, God, miscarriage, interfaith relations and travel.

“The Web site focuses on key questions and challenges that people experience, whether losing a job, becoming a parent, struggling with illness, yearning to somehow connect with God, or wondering how science and God can coexist,” Kelly said.

“The Web site then provides the resources to shed light on these issues from a faith perspective,” she said.

Visitors to the site also can pray online, access daily Mass readings and meditations, and read the latest Catholic news. The site also contains listings of all U.S. bishops and dioceses, current church statistics, a list of bishops’ conferences around the world and a calendar of national Catholic conferences and gatherings.

Kelly, who was born in Cuba but has lived most of her life in the U.S., holds an engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, a master of business administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a master of divinity degree from the Washington Theological Union.

Catholic comedy legend Tim Conway keeps ‘em laughing

by MArK pATTISONcATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

WASHINGTON — People know Tim Conway best from his 11 seasons on TV’s “The Carol Burnett Show,” where he delighted viewers with outlandish sketch comedy and physical humor.

Others remember him from his four-year stint on the sitcom “McHale’s Navy.”

But it wasn’t always plums, plaudits and success for the Catholic comedian.

In 1967, a year after “McHale’s Navy” went off the air, Conway lasted less than a half-season as TV’s “Rango,” playing an inept lawman.

“‘Rango’ was probably the only unsuccessful show that Aaron Spelling (producer of such hits as ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210’) ever had,” Conway said.

Then came 1969’s “Turn-On,” a rapid-fire gag comedy show in the style of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.”

“That is in the Guinness Book of Records,” Conway said. “It was the shortest show ever on television.”

While not a member of the cast, Conway, as the show’s special guest star, was a bigger name than anyone else on the show the one night it aired.

“We had a premiere party the night it was on. As it was coming on, it was being canceled — including (in) Cleveland, my hometown, I might add. It was very, very economical, because we had an opening-night party and a cancellation party the same night.”

Conway added, “I could have actually made a living doing pilots. ... I had five shows at CBS. Some were canceled, and I would start another one the next week.”

That kind of career treadmill could be hard on anyone, but Conway was able to persevere thanks to his Catholic faith.

“If I didn’t have that, I would be crying constantly,” Conway, 74, told Catholic News Service Oct. 29. “I’ve always had a good sense of humor and not looked at life too seriously.

“My life compared to the big bang is quite minute. I’ve always had faith, and somebody to communicate with, too, when things are falling apart around you,” he said. “I’ve always had a very, very strong belief. That’s something to hold onto. ... You have to have somebody or something to turn to. Faith just kinda relaxes things a little bit.”

While TV may have bypassed Conway’s brand of comedy, he’s still

available on the small screen, thanks to two new DVDs.

“Thou Shalt Laugh 2: The Deuce” features Conway as the emcee for five Christian comics, among them Victoria Jackson, a former cast member of “Saturday Night Live.”

“Together Again” stars Conway and his “Carol Burnett” cohort, Harvey Korman, re-creating some of the most popular skits featured on the Burnett show as they toured the country, doing 125 shows a year.

“All those crazy things we did on Burnett, there was no jeopardy, no fear that we were going to do anything offensive. You could be funny for funny’s sake,” Conway told CNS.

“Everybody — in the Midwest and especially in the Christian belt — they don’t watch television anymore” because of violence, language and nudity,” he said.

“I’m not a prude and I’m not out to burn DVDs or scripts. It’s not the place,” Conway said. “We’re trying to get back the kind of humor that came from ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ and Carson and Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Don Knotts, Louis Nye, Tom Poston — what’s more enjoyable than watching that kind of thing at night?”

A member of Our Lady of Grace Church in Encino, Conway said he isn’t made to feel uncomfortable by parishioners because of his celebrity status.

“They see me for what I am,” he added, quipping, “I like to go into a confessional and stay for an hour and a half, and just let people wonder.”

CNS photo

Harvey Korman and Tim Conway are pictured doing sketch comedy in an undated photo. Conway, who is Catholic, is known best for his 11 seasons on TV’s “The Carol Burnett Show,” where he delighted viewers with outlandish sketch comedy and physical humor.

Iraqi delegation attend consistory at Vatican

12 The Catholic News & Herald November 30, 2007IN THE NEwS

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LOURDES, from page 1

CNS photo by CoRiNNe SiMoN, CatholiC pReSS photo

People pray at the Massabielle grotto in Lourdes, France, where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Lourdes in 2008 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions. This is a 1999 file photo.

Officials confirm papal visit to Lourdes to mark Marian apparitions

Bishop: People can identify with St. Bernadette at Lourdes

“strong in the head,” and Mary chose her, said the bishop.

When the 14-year-old girl was with Mary, she always was confident, Bishop Perrier told Catholic News Service through a translator.

Noting that today people are expected to be successful and make money off of their own experiences, he said St. Bernadette “made a choice to remain poor, and she was always very humble.”

St. Bernadette entered religious life in 1862 and remained hidden from the world.

Bishop Perrier was in Washington to discuss the yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Lourdes. The jubilee year opens on the feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8 and will be celebrated with pilgrimages, missions, conferences and a papal visit to Lourdes.

The events will involve places throughout the world associated with the name of Lourdes and St. Bernadette, including several hundred places in the United States.

On Feb. 11, 1858, St. Bernadette, her

sister and a friend went looking for wood and bones. As she was taking off her stockings and shoes to get ready to cross a canal, she heard a gust of wind and saw a young woman dressed in white.

That was the first of 18 apparitions.The message from Mary at Lourdes

— conversion and penance — is needed every day, Bishop Perrier told CNS.

He said people can change their behavior, have a conversion of heart and internal reconciliation with the past or with family, and strengthen their relationship with God.

Noting the millions of people who have experienced conversion and cures at Lourdes, he said someone might think, “If all these people experience that before me, maybe I can experience that myself.”

For those who cannot travel to Lourdes, Bishop Perrier said people can experience the celebrations by linking to the images and live pictures on the jubilee Web site — www.lourdes2008.com.

He added that a novena, which will be available online in English, will be offered especially for those unable to visit Lourdes. Through the novena, all people around the world can experience the story of Lourdes, said the bishop.

Every year, more than 500,000 Catholics are estimated to visit the sanctuaries at Lourdes.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Officials confirmed Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France to mark the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions there, but said the exact time period of the papal visit was not yet known.

Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes, who is in charge of the preparations for the jubilee celebrations, said the papal journey was “a sure thing.”

The bishop and others spoke to journalists during a Nov. 13 Vatican press conference, unveiling details of the yearlong jubilee celebrations.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press office, said the papal trip “most probably” would have Lourdes as its sole destination and for now would not include stops in other cities.

Bishop Perrier said he is often asked if the pope will arrive at Lourdes for one of the “significant moments” for the church, such as Feb. 11, the day the apparitions began and also the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, or Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption.

Bishop Perrier said whatever date the pope decides for his visit would be a significant moment for them.

He said Cardinal Ivan Dias, president of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will lead celebrations when the jubilee kicks off in Lourdes Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The French bishop added there also “might be a televised link” with the pope as he visits a Marian monument in the center of Rome the same day.

Beginning Feb. 11, 1858, Mary appeared on 18 different occasions in a cave near Lourdes to St. Bernadette Soubirous, a poor 14-year-old girl.

Bishop Perrier said the apparitions still “nourish the church” today. He said Lourdes continues to contribute to the mission of the church and spread the Gospel in the world.

Want more inFo?further details of the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions can be found online at www.lourdes2008.com.

The Catholic News & Herald 13 November 30, 2007AROUND THE DIOCESE

CHARLOTTE — The 18th annual National Night of Prayer for Life will be held in several churches in the Diocese of Charlotte Dec. 8-9.

The event is a pro-life prayer service consisting of exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, recitation of the rosary, silent meditation and hymns.

“On this evening, we assemble to ask God’s help and forgiveness for sins against our most vulnerable brothers and sisters — the unborn,” said Maggi Nadol, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office.

Parishes typically begin the service at 9 p.m. on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, and continue until 1 a.m. on Dec. 9, when Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is patroness of the Americas and the unborn.

“The National Night of Prayer bridges these two feasts to honor Our Blessed Mother and to pray for the sanctity of all human life,” said Nadol.

The “hour of unity” is midnight-1 a.m., so all parishes in the four U.S. time zones can be linked in prayer at the same time.

However, due to unique schedules and conditions, some parishes may adjust the schedule of the service.

“For many years, this event has brought believers into the presence of our Eucharist and our Blessed Mother to pray for an end to the tragedy of abortion,” said Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.

“Such activity on the part of God’s

people is a fulfillment of our Holy Father’s call in ‘The Gospel of Life,’ as well as the call of our U.S. bishops, to have more fervent, regular prayer on behalf of life,” he said.

Want to go?The National Night of Prayer for life runs 9 p.m., dec. 8, until 1 a.m., dec. 9. However, times may vary for participating churches. Please call the church for the schedule.

Participating churches in the diocese of Charlotte area:— Ho ly sp i r i t Chu rch , denve r (704) 483-6448— our lady of Grace Church, Greensboro (336) 274-6520— sacred Heart Church, salisbury (704) 633-0591— st. James the Greater Church, Concord (704) 720-0600— s t . l u k e C h u r c h , M i n t H i l l (704) 545-1224— st. Mark Church, Huntersvi l le (704) 948-0231— st. Matthew Church, Charlotte (704) 543-7677— st. Pius X Church, Greensboro (336) 272-4681— st. Thomas aquinas Church, Charlotte (704) 549-1607

Praying for life

“The church is grateful for and blessed by your willingness to serve.”

— Bishop Gregory V. Murry

Night of prayer for life to be held in churches around diocese

Seminarian for diocese now an acolyte

COLUMBUS, Ohio — John Eckert, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte, has become an acolyte.

Eckert was one of 20 seminarians from 12 dioceses to be instituted into the liturgical ministries of lector (reader) or acolyte (altar server) during an installation Mass in St. Turibius Chapel at the Pontifical College Josephinim in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 18.

Bishop George V. Murry Youngs-town, Ohio, a member of the seminary’s board of trustees, celebrated the Mass in the company of visiting priests, families of the candidates and friends and benefactors of the Josephinum.

Once termed minor orders, the positions of lector and acolyte are conferred to first- and second-year theologians prior to their diaconate and priestly ordinations.

“In accepting the call to be instituted as lectors and acolytes, you aspire to participate in an ancient ministry as a means of furthering your preparation for ordination to the priesthood,” said Bishop Murry.

“The church is grateful for and blessed by your willingness to serve,” he said.

First-year theology students installed as lectors are commissioned to proclaim the word of God in the liturgical assembly and to catechize the faithful.

During the ceremony, the candidates knelt before Bishop Murry, who gave each one a Bible, and said, “Take this

book of Holy Scripture, and be faithful in handing on the Word of God so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people.”

The candidates for acolytes, who are second-year theologians, were entrusted with the duties of attending to the altar, assisting the deacon and priest at Mass, and distributing Communion as extraordinary ministers.

They may also expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration.

The candidates approached the bishop and knelt before him as he held a paten with bread in it and said, “Take this vessel with bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his church.”

All the candidates were charged by Bishop Murry to “proclaim God’s word clearly and authoritatively. Distribute the holy Eucharist with patience and reverence. Be witnesses to the Gospel in your lives so that in and through your ministry the blind may see, the deaf may hear, and the poor may rejoice in the Good News.”

John Eckert among 20 theologians instituted as readers or altar servers

CouRteSy photo

John Eckert (center), a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte, is pictured with Msgr. Paul Langsfeld, rector and president of the Pontifical College Josephinum, and Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio after a Nov. 18 Mass in the seminary’s chapel.


Perspectives a collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Fighting HIV/AIDS, keeping the promiseCRS reaches millions with hope and healing

On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day is observed by the international community, bringing renewed attention to the needs of the more than 33 million people who suffer from HIV/AIDS.

This year’s World AIDS Day theme is “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise.”

The sp read o f t he human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the varied diseases that often accompany later-stage HIV infection and signify the onset of acquired immune deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are complex health issues that require a variety of health, educational and social responses.

The two issues are usually grouped together as HIV/AIDS. It is important, however, to note that one might be infected with HIV and be capable of infecting others with HIV, but not yet suffer from the life-threatening illnesses associated with AIDS.

UNAIDS, the United Nations agency that coordinates the global campaign against AIDS, recently scaled back its estimate of the number of people living with HIV by approximately 6 million. While such a decrease in HIV/AIDS numbers is good news, there remains a crisis for the 33.2 million people with HIV/AIDS, their families and their communities.

Msgr. Robert Vitillo, special adviser on HIV/AIDS for Caritas Internationalis based in Vatican City, sees beyond the numbers in the scope of actions that we must take to treat not just the disease, but “all the factors in our society that continue to fuel the spread of the disease and inhibit our response, such as stigma and discrimination, violence and injustice against women, poverty, isolation, abuse” (as quoted in a Nov. 23 news release from ZENIT).

By offering medical assistance, encouraging prevention, caring for orphaned children and addressing a broad range of economic development concerns, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) — the U.S. bishops’ international aid agency — offers a faithful, compassionate and effective response to HIV/AIDS.

With more than 200 HIV/AIDS projects overseas, CRS states it will directly help more than 3.5 million people this year. As U.S. Catholics, we can be especially proud of CRS’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Up until 2005, CRS’s primary HIV/AIDS-related focus was to help individuals with AIDS and their families in their suffering and in preparing for death. While CRS continues to offer compassionate care for those dying from AIDS, today CRS also helps many HIV/AIDS patients to “live positively” with their infection.

Since 2005, CRS has been one of the numerous agencies receiving funds

from the U.S. government’s $15 billion President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. CRS has been able to combine these new resources with donations from individuals in the United States to provide thousands of HIV/AIDS-infected persons with life saving antiretroviral (ARV) medicines.

One account of a CRS ARV therapy project in Zambia, which assists 17,500 Zambians infected with HIV/AIDS, discusses the phenomenon known by locals as the “Lazarus Effect” (as reported in the book, “Solidarity will Transform the World”). Many people who were near death from AIDS have recovered to such an extent from ARV therapy that they are working once again, supporting themselves and their families.

Though the “Lazarus Effect” of ARV therapy has indeed been a miracle for many Zambians, limited resources prevent two-thirds of Zambians living with HIV/AIDS from having access to life-saving ARV therapy.

In those areas not reached by ARV treatments, traditional safety nets are threatened and children often leave school early to care for siblings and manage households.

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and especially in Southern Africa, the access to ARV treatment is limited and the battle against HIV/AIDS remains an uphill one. Researchers are now aware of unique epidemiological conditions between malaria and HIV that likely affect HIV prevalence rates in Africa.

While such knowledge is valuable, it comes with a greater understanding of just how complex this health crisis is.

Prayer, charitable works and donations are all essential to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We also can thank those leaders in the U.S. government who are working hard to address HIV/AIDS and urge all our leaders to “keep the promise” made at numerous international forums to fight this global pandemic.

Visit www.crs.org/actioncenter and sign up to receive CRS legislative alerts. Read more about the HIV/AIDS related programs of CRS at www.crs.org/hiv-aids.

Joseph Purello is director of Catholic Social Service’s Office of Justice and Peace in the Diocese of Charlotte.

December 2007

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been those men and women who, called by God, took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience upon entering religious communities. Many of us remember them as the teachers, nurses and social workers who ministered to others as the hands of Christ in our world today.

Now nearly 38,000 of these women and men — who lived frugally and accepted little compensation for their ministries — are past the age of 70. Currently there are 5,452 men and women religious in need of skilled nursing care, costing more than $272 million annually. Almost without exception, our elderly and infirm religious offer moving examples of aging with grace, dignity and faith. Most elderly religious even continue volunteer ministry long after they retire from compensated ministry.

The cost of funding retirement benefits for them is the responsibility of each religious institute, rather than the diocese. Since the first national annual appeal took place in Catholic parishes in 1988, more than $529 million has been raised for the Retirement Fund for Religious. Yet, one out of every five religious institutes has less than 20 percent of the amount needed to care for elderly members.

On the weekend of Dec. 8-9, Catholics throughout the Diocese of Charlotte will have an opportunity to “Share in the Care” of our retired religious. The Collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be taken at all Masses during that second weekend in December. I encourage you to acknowledge the treasure that our elderly religious represent and respond generously to their retirement needs.

Grateful for your prayers and generosity toward the retired religious throughout the United States, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Very Rev. Mauricio W. WestVicar General and Chancellor

Guest Column

JOSepH pUrellO

GUeST cOlUMNIST

Conversing with GodGreat column by Rico De Silva on

“Does God have a cell phone?” (Nov. 2). However, I don’t think God would need to put his phone on vibrate to “take a call” from me.

Having a math degree, I’ve had an introduction to infinite dimension spaces. I believe God is 100 percent with each one of us in the dimension of us as individuals.

In regular space, if God is with me in Charlotte, he can’t be with the pope in Rome, but with the infinite dimensions of God, it’s easy. That applies to time, as well.

At least that’s how I can deal with

the polite human idea of not wanting to “hog” God’s attention. He has all he needs for me, and infinitely more for everybody else.

I’m with Mr. De Silva on our turning off our phones for a talk with God every day. Or call him on the phone! He’ll answer.

— Nancy MosleyCharlotte

Letter to the Editor


Getting into the spirit of Advent

Western Christians can learn much from Eastern Christians, says pope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christianity is not and never has been a uniquely European phenomenon, and Christians of the West can learn much from the cultural expressions of Eastern Christians, especially those of the early church, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“Today it is a common opinion that Christianity is a European religion that exported European culture to other countries, but the reality is much more complicated and complex,” he said Nov. 28 at his weekly general audience.

“It is not only that the roots of the Christian religion are found in Jerusalem, in the Old Testament, in the Semitic world and Christianity is constantly nourished by these Old Testament roots, but the expansion of Christianity in the first centuries” went simultaneously West and East,” he said.

The pope’s main audience talk focused on the life, teaching and poetry of St. Ephraem the Syrian, a fourth-century deacon.

Here is the Vatican text of Pope Benedict’s remarks in English.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,In this week’s catechesis we turn to

St. Ephrem, the greatest of the Syriac Fathers and the most renowned poet of the patristic age.

St. Ephrem’s theology, deeply grounded in the Scriptures and profoundly orthodox in content, was expressed in poetic language marked by striking paradoxes and vivid imagery.

Through his mastery of poetic symbol i sm, Ephrem sought to communicate, especially in his hymns, the mystery of the trinitarian God, the incarnation of the eternal son born of the Virgin Mary, and the spiritual treasures contained in the Eucharist.

His poetry and hymns not only enriched the liturgy; they also proved an important means of catechesis for the Christian community in the fourth century.

Particularly significant is Ephrem’s teaching on our redemption by Christ: his poetic descriptions of the interplay of the divine and human aspects of this great mystery foreshadowed the theology and, to some extent, even the language of the great christological definitions of the councils of the next century.

In his life-long service to the church as a deacon, St. Ephrem was an example of fidelity to the liturgy, meditation on the mystery of Christ and charitable service to his brothers and sisters.

Going from profane to sacred is a few easy steps

The Human SideFATHer eUGeNe

HeMrIcKcNS cOlUMNIST

The Pope Speaks

pOpe beNedIcT XVI

ago when she came to Washington to visit me. I wondered then where I could take her after everything she’d seen on past visits.

She suggested, “Let’s go to the religious art section of the National Gallery of Art. It’s Eastertime. Where better to get into its spirit?”

How right she was!As we moved from paintings of the

Madonna and Christ to those of notable saints, I found myself wondering about their awesomeness.

Later I learned that the awe I was experiencing is one of the main objectives of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.

Ignatius would say, “If, for example, we are meditating on Christ meeting Peter along the shores of the Sea of Galilee (or, for that matter, meditating on a painting that depicts this), smell the sea breezes, listen to the water lapping against the shore, imagine how Christ looked and spoke. Enter into the scene with all your imaginative powers!”

The Vatican Museum has a Web site

Experiencing awe is a main objective of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. These exercises prompt us to literally throw ourselves into Scripture when meditating.

Advent encourages us to do this too — to enter more deeply into the life of God and to heighten our spiritual imagination.

Unfortunately, Advent is also a season when marketers attempt to heighten our secular appetites; hence the thunderous clash between the profane and sacred.

The word “profane” means to be outside the temple. Not only does the commercialized Christmas season prompt us to stay away from the temple, it employs every means possible to get us to worship in our shopping malls.

One of the biggest postmodern challenges Christians face is countering this with sacred peace.

May I suggest visiting art museums? Even though they may not be nearby, they are at our fingertips.

I got this idea from my mother years

that contains magnificent scenes from Scripture. It allows you to enlarge them and study the artist’s minute details, what he or she is trying to portray (http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html).

All art galleries have similar Web sites filled with religious art. Just type in a gallery’s name and you’ll be in the midst of sacred art and holy thoughts.

Today we can experience virtual imaging and shop in massive malls filled with remarkable items. We also live in a frenzy-stimulated existence like never before.

We can’t turn the clock back! We can, however, select the best this age offers to enhance our spiritual life.

This Advent we have a magnificent means for entering more deeply into the sacred peace of God. All it takes is one click to transport ourselves from the profane to the sacred.

The voice of leadership so absent today

And approximately 3.5 million people experience homelessness every year.

Many American corporations unscrupulously profit from goods made in foreign sweatshops. The “entertainment” industry spews violence and sex into millions of homes, heating prices are skyrocketing, pollution is contaminating the air and waterways and is contributing significantly to global warming, threatening life on earth as we know it.

In the United States, legal abortion brutally murders over 1.2 million unborn babies annually, while embryonic stem-cell research and cloning threaten to kill even more.

Instead of using its wealth to eradicate global hunger and poverty, the U.S. government will waste hundreds of billions of dollars on military spending this new fiscal year for nuclear weapons, maintaining troops in over 140 nations, massive shipments of armaments to foreign countries and for waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And on top of all this immorality, U.S. “leaders” are planning a new war — this time in Iran.

Throughout the world the United States is scorned. If Americans keep living in denial, refusing to admit that our nation is suffering from an absence of leadership, then we will continue to

The world’s lone superpower is in desperate need of leadership — of the wise and moral kind!

For far too long the ship of state has been drifting aimlessly in an ocean of despair. Having disembarked without an ethical map and compassionate compass to guide them, most Democrats and Republicans have aimlessly steered the U.S.S. America into dangerous waters.

U.S. “leaders” are sleeping while countless human beings are being tossed into a sea of suffering. The nation is the world’s richest — at least for some. Entertainers, athletes and corporate CEOs are making a bundle while many working-class people are barely able to make ends meet.

For the poor, it’s an uphill climb all the way. Over 36 million men, women and children live in poverty. Out of sight in U.S. inner cities, rural communities and Appalachian hollows, the poor suffer in silence.

Insufficient nutritious food, often little to no health care (over 45 million are uninsured), broken-down schools, underemployment (federal minimum wage is still only $5.15 per hour), high unemployment and dilapidated housing are among the daunting challenges faced by America’s poor.

Furthermore, in the U.S. over 17,000 people are murdered annually.

deserve exactly what we have.But Christians cannot settle for

that. How can followers of Jesus rest comfortably in the midst of such misery?

The Gospel and 100 years of Catholic social teaching point to an infinitely better way. Christ is calling Americans to radically change the course of our nation!

During the U.S. bishops’ November meeting in Baltimore, outgoing president Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., said, “As bishops, a deep and Christlike vision of leadership must be at the heart of our service. ... Our time needs to hear the voice of Christ.”

And what is Christ’s message for us today? The same message he gave to his first followers:

Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ... Blessed are the peacemakers. ... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ... Forgive.”

This is the message the United States and the world needs to hear — again and again — from bishops and all followers of the Prince of Peace.

This is the voice of leadership so absent today.

Making a Difference

TONy MAGlIANOcNS cOlUMNIST

Catholics have responsibility to proclaim Christ’s message

The Catholic News & Herald 16 IN THE NEwS

November 30, 2007

CNS photo by aNtoNy NjuGuNa, ReuteRS

Orphans whose parents died of AIDS gather around a waterspout in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 8. Pope Benedict XVI offered his prayers for the families of the estimated 2.1 million people who died of AIDS this year and asked all people to work to end discrimination against those who have AIDS and HIV.

by cINdy wOOdeNcATHOlIc NewS SerVIce

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI offered his prayers for the families of the estimated 2.1 million people who have died of AIDS this year, and he asked all people to work to end discrimination against those living with AIDS and HIV.

At the end of his Nov. 28 general audience, the pope spoke about the Dec. 1 commemoration of World AIDS Day.

“I am spiritually close to those who suffer because of this terrible disease and their families, especially those who have lost a relative,” he said.

“I assure all of them of my prayers,” the pope said.

“In addition, I want to exhort all people of good will to multiply their efforts to stop the spread of the HIV virus, to oppose the scorn which often strikes those who are afflicted with it and to take care of the sick, especially when they are still youngsters,” he said.

According to figures released

The face of AIDSNov. 20 by UNAIDS, the U.N. agency that coordinates the global campaign against AIDS, “global HIV prevalence — the percentage of people living with HIV — has leveled off” and the number of new infections each year has fallen.

UNAIDS estimated that in 2007 about 33.2 million people were living with HIV, 2.5 million became infected and 2.1 million died of AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected, with an estimated 22.5 million people infected, it said.

“The number of new HIV infections per year is now estimated to have peaked in the late 1990s,” UNAIDS said, reflecting “natural trends in the epidemic” as well as greater HIV prevention efforts.

The UNAIDS data estimated that 2.5 million children under the age of 15 were living with HIV/AIDS, including 420,000 children who contracted the virus in 2007.

More than 330,000 children under 15 died of AIDS during this year.

reLated Coverageread Joseph Purello’s column on page 14 about CRS’s efforts to fight AIDS.

Pope offers prayers for families of millions who died of AIDS in 2007

CNS photo by jaCKy NaeGeleN, ReuteRS

A woman affected by AIDS attends a support group organized by Medecins du Monde at the hospital in Ouidah, Benin, Nov. 28. Medecins du Monde is a medical relief agency with health care projects around the world.

NuMber of NeWly iNfeCTed viCTiMs falliNG, says uNaids

nov. 30, 2007

Documents

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