The Catholic News & Herald � April 6, 2007

Serving CatholiCS in WeStern north Carolina in the DioCeSe of Charlotte

Culture WatchBooks on early religious women; monastery on cable

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Sharing knowledgeCatechists explore trends, tactics in faith formation

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Easter SeasonPeople celebrate Easter season near and far

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april 6, 2007 volUMe 16 no. 25

www.charlottediocese.org

PerspectivesHains reveals the ‘Easter insult’; Magliano calls for the death of capital punishment

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established Jan. 12, 1972 by pope paul vi

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Photo by Karen a. evans

Bishop Peter J. Jugis incenses the altar of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte during the chrism Mass April 3. Also pictured is Deacon Mark Diener, permanent deacon at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. During the Mass, the bishop and clergy renewed their vows as priests and Bishop Jugis blessed the chrism and other holy oils. The chrism is used in baptismal anointing, confirmation, priestly and episcopal ordinations, and during the dedication of churches. The other holy oils are used in the anointing of the sick and for catechumens.

Celebrating the spiritual bonds

Photo by Kevin e. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrates the annual jubilee Mass for women religious in the chapel at St. Gabriel Church March 31.

French nun says life has changed since she was healed, thanks to JPII

See MIRACLE, page 6

A ‘eucharistic vocation’

Sainthood now?

Cns Photo by Max rossi, reuters

Pope John Paul II looks at the faithful gathered at the Colosseum during a Good Friday service in Rome April 18, 2003.A Mass marking the conclusion of the initial phase of the process for the canonization of Pope John Paul was held in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome April 2, 2007.

see story on Page 7.See JUBILEE, page 8

by KEVIN E. MURRAyEdItoR

CHARLOTTE — The call to leave all and follow Jesus is a eucharistic vocation, said Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

“And for us, the eucharistic celebration is an essential part of our vocation,” said the bishop during the jubilee Mass for women religious at St. Gabriel Church March 31.

The annual Mass and

ce leb ra t ion honors the anniversaries of women religious in the Diocese of Charlotte. Forty-five sisters attended to honor their fellow diamond, golden and silver jubilarians.

“Today we honor you jubiliarians as examples of 60, 50 and 25 years of service to the Lord,” said Bishop Jugis, “and we enter with you into

Saintly cause

by CAtHoLIC NEWS SERVICE

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France — The French nun who believes she was healed of Parkinson’s disease, thanks to Pope John Paul II, said her life had “totally changed” since that night two months after the pope’s death.

Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, 46, is working again, now in Paris at a maternity hospital run by her order, the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood.

Bishop, priests renew promises during annual chrism Mass

See CHRISM, page 9

Women religious celebrate ministry during annual jubilee Mass

by KAREN A. EVANSStAff WRItER

CHARLOTTE — Parish priests are the “fathers of our parishes,” said Bishop Peter J. Jugis during the annual chrism Mass.

“The word ‘father’ speaks of the spiritual bond which parishioners have with their pastor,” he said during his homily at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte April 3.

“Recognizing him as more than just another person in the parish, he is our father. No other person in the parish can fulfill his role,” Bishop Jugis said.

The sp i r i tua l fa ther becomes an integral part of the parishioners’ relationship to Jesus, said the bishop.

“The title that beautifully sums up who we are as priests

� The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyardInBrief Archbishop calls U.S. policy on

Haitian migrants ‘totally immoral’

Aging with grACe

PublisHer: Most reverend Peter J. JugisediTor: Kevin e. MurraysTAff WriTer: Karen A. evans GrAPHiC desiGNer: Tim faragherAdverTisiNG MANAGer: Cindi feerickseCreTAry: deborah Hiles

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April 6, 2007Volume 16 • Number 25

ALBEMARLE VICARIATEMONROE — Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission and diocesan liaison for the USCCB Justice for Immigrants Campaign, will speak on Issues Involving Resident Immigrants in our Community during Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 725 Deese St., April 21 at 5:30 p.m. and April 22 at 9 a.m. A reception will be held after Mass April 21 and breakfast will be provided following Mass April 22. For more information, call the church office at (704) 289-2773.

ASHEVILLE VICARIATEASHEVILLE — Speak the Truth in Love, a free series of classes addressing the Catholic Church’s teachings on life, love and marriage, meets at Basilica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. Classes will meet the third Saturday of each month, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The topic for April 21 will be “Theology of the Body.” For more information, call Nina at (828) 299-7618 or Helen at (828) 683-9001 or e-mail geodrc@aol.com.

CHARLOTTE VICARIATECHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with a traditional solemn Benediction and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet April 15 at 3 p.m. The sacrament of reconciliation will not be offered prior to the celebration. For more information, call the church office

at (704) 543-7677.CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Rd., will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday April 15 with a Holy Hour at 3 p.m. including Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Reconciliation will not be offered. For more information, call Gail Abraham at (704) 786-0709. CHARLOTTE — Father Matthew Kauth, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin, will speak on “Resurrection and Restoration” in the activity center of St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Rd., April 16 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, e-mail Renee O’Brien at renee@catholicscripturestudy.com.HUNTERSVILLE — Chris Stefanick will present “The Real Thing: The Truth about Chastity” April 19 at 7 p.m at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Rd. For further details, e-mail Donna Smith at dsmith18@bellsouth.net.CHARLOTTE — Recharge with St. Peter Church’s weekday lunchtime spirituality program, 12-12:45 p.m. in the St. Peter’s Annex, 507 S. Tryon St. The program for April 19 will be “Experience the Presence of God through Group Reflection.” For more information, call the church office at (704) 332-2901.

GREENSBORO VICARIATEGREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace, 2205 W. Market St., invites all parishioners and friends to participate in a Divine Mercy Holy Hour and Benediction April 15 at 3:30 p.m. For more information, call the church office at (336) 274-6520.GREENSBORO — Theology on Tap, a

Diocesanplanner

Nuns share difficulties, joys with patients at Jerusalem hospice

JERUSALEM (CNS) — When Sister Monika Dullmann first came as a volunteer to Saint-Louis Hospital as a young theologian, the most difficult task she faced was watching terminally ill patients suffer.

Sister Dullmann, now the hospital director, said 20 years of experience has taught her that she may never be able to relieve all pain, but she can help patients during their last and most difficult moments.

Sister Dullmann noted that Jesus spent his last night in the Garden of Gethsemane alone. What she can offer, she said, is her simple presence, so that those in her care will not be alone in their final hours of suffering.

“I realized that the last thing I can do for someone who is suffering is ... not to run away,” said Sister Dullmann, originally from Germany and a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition who run the hospital.

Located just outside the New Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City, not far from the sites where Jesus spent his last days, Saint-Louis Hospital provides hospice and geriatric care for Jerusalem residents regardless of their race, religion or nationality.

Today the staff of 60, which includes doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, support staff and 25 volunteers, provides care for some 50 patients.

It is frustrating to be trained to heal

and not be able to help someone, Sister Dullmann acknowledged. However, she said, there are things “which may not have as their aim to make the person healthy, but which have the aim to make the last time of his or her life as comfortable as possible.”

Her patients’ daily suffering and struggles have not given her an insight into why people must suffer, she added.

“I can give the question of ‘why’ up to God. I can live with the question, having no answer myself, because I know Jesus,” she said.

“Jesus during all his life tried to help people who suffered. We should do the same. What I know for certain is that there is a certain grace when a person comes close to death,” she said.

Sister Dullmann said sometimes there is joy when someone dies, such as when an elderly Armenian woman died at 76 after being in a coma for 19 years. She had no family left in Jerusalem.

Another terminally ill patient wanted to attend her niece’s wedding before she died. The staff kept her alive with blood transfusions, which normally is not done in hospice care. Two volunteers accompanied her to the wedding.

Afterward, the transfusions were stopped, and the patient died 10 days later.

“We were so happy that she accomplished what she had wanted,” said Sister Dullmann.

MIAMI (CNS) — Calling U.S. immigration policy toward Haitians “totally immoral,” Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami has urged “the powers that be” to grant temporary protected status to all Haitian migrants until the political and economic situation in their island nation stabilizes. He also pleaded for the immediate release from detention of 101 Haitians whose homemade sailboat washed up on Hallandale Beach March 28.

The migrants, some of them suffering from dehydration, are being held by the U.S. Border Patrol at several detention centers in south Florida. Refugee advocates and immigration attorneys fear they will be moved elsewhere, far from relatives and a network of attorneys who could help them with their asylum claims.

“The church stands ready to make sure that these people have a place to go and people to take care of them while they make their claim,” Archbishop Favalora said March 30.

The archbishop has sent a letter

to every member of south Florida’s congressional delegation, asking for “temporary protected status” for the Haitians and pleading for the release of the new arrivals. He also joined Haitians at a rally March 31 in front of an immigration processing center in Miami.

“It is in our national security interest to keep these people here working so that they can send home money to stabilize the Haitian economy,” said Randolph McGrorty of Catholic Legal Services, which has pledged to represent the Hallandale Beach group.

A 2006 study commissioned by the World Bank estimated Haitian remittances to relatives back home at about $1.17 billion a year.

By sending people back to Haiti, “you’re cutting off the remittances that keep people in Haiti,” said Steve Forrester of Haitian Women of Miami. Temporary protected status for Haitians “is a win-win situation from every angle. It protects, not endangers, our borders.”

CNS photo by Debbie hill

Sister monika Dullmann checks on Sister Anais bernard, a patient at Saint-louis Hospital, march 22 in Jerusalem. Sister Dullmann, a German Sister of St. Joseph of the Apparition, is director of the hospice that serves Jerusalem residents of all races, faiths and nationalities.

The Catholic News & Herald � April 6, 2007

Israel delays negotiating session on church’s legal, financial status

FROM THE VATICAN

speaker series for Catholics in their 20s, 30s and 40s, is a casual forum where people gather to learn and discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church. ToT will meet Wednesdays, April 18-May 9, at 6:45 p.m. at Logan’s Roadhouse, 1300 Bridford Pkwy. For more info, e-mail greensborotot@yahoo.com, visit www.triadcatholics.org or call Deb at (336) 286-3687.GREENSBORO — Faithful Stewards of God’s Creation will take place April 21, 9 a.m.-4:15 p.m., in the Parish Life Center of St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. The conference will include presentations on church teaching on environmental justice, recent scientific findings, energy-saving ideas and how to become more effective advocates. Attendance is free. Call (704) 370-3228 by April 16 to register and reserve a lunch. Visit www.cssnc.org/justicepeace for a flyer and schedule.

HICKORY VICARIATEMORGANTON — Most new widows find grieving and other problems overwhelming. Over time, widows gain wisdom about their options. Dr. Ronda Chervin will present “The Widows’ Walk: Encouragement, Comfort and Wisdom from the Widow-Saints” at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 728 West Union St., April 21, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. For more information, call Dr. Chervin at (828) 430-7634 or the church office at (828) 437-3108.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN VICARIATESYLVA — St. Mary Church, 22 Bartlett St., will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday April 15, 3-4 p.m. We will observe this special feast with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, communal prayer and song. For more

information, call (828) 586-9496.MAGGIE VALLEY— A Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for Post-Abortion Healing is a confidential opportunity for anyone struggling with the emotional or spiritual pain of abortion. The retreat is also an opportunity to release repressed feelings of anger, shame, guilt and grief. This will help you to grieve the loss of your unborn child, to receive and accept God’s forgiveness, and to forgive yourself. The next retreat is April 20-22 at the Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, 103 Living Waters Lane. For more information, call Shelley at (828) 230-4940, e-mail sglan1234@aol.com or visit www.rachelsvineyard.org.

WINSTON-SALEM VICARIATECLEMMONS — Holy Family Church, 4820 Kinnamon Rd., will celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy April 15. Eucharistic adoration will be offered 2-3:45 p.m., ending with Benediction. The Divine Mercy Chaplet will be sung at 3 p.m. and Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m. The sacrament of reconciliation will not be offered April 15. For more information, call Donna at (336) 940-2558.WINSTON-SALEM — The Spirit of Assisi hosts a Wednesday Lunch & Speaker Series each Wednesday, 12:30-1:15 p.m., at the Fatima Chapel, 211 W. Third St. Secular Franciscan Joanne Jacovec will speak on “Contemplation: From Darkness to Light” at the April 18 program.. The sacrament of reconciliation will be offered at 12 p.m. in the chapel. For more information and to RSVP, call Sister Kathy Ganiel at (336) 624-1971 or e-mail kganiel@triad.rr.com. Walk-ins are welcome.

Papal preacher: Church must take sin seriously but stress God’s mercy

Sobering images

Episcopalcalendar

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

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Israel postponed a major negotiating session with Vatican officials on questions regarding the church’s legal and financial status in the Holy Land.

T h e Va t i c a n e x p r e s s e d disappointment at yet another delay in the on-again, off-again talks, which began 15 years ago.

The meeting of the joint commission on church-state issues had been scheduled for March 29 at the Vatican and would have been the first plenary session of the commission since 2002. On March 26, Israel told the Vatican the meeting would have to be delayed because it coincided with important developments in the Middle East.

The Israeli officials cited the March 28-29 Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s trip through the region.

Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican, Oded Ben-Hur, told Catholic News Service that the postponement was for technical reasons only, and that a new meeting would be arranged as soon as possible.

In a statement made public March 28, the Vatican said it understood the reasons for Israel’s decision, but expressed its regret at the delay and said the meeting should be rescheduled quickly.

An informed Vatican source said that if Israel delays in agreeing to a new date for the meeting the Vatican would view it as a more serious setback.

One knowledgeable church source in Rome said the Israeli decision was especially discouraging, because it was part of a pattern of last-minute delays and cancellations over the years.

The plenary meeting was considered key to advancing the talks, which have stalled in working-group meetings in recent years, he said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church must take sin seriously, but it must do so like Jesus did, by emphasizing God’s mercy and trust in the sinner’s ability to change, said the preacher of the papal household.

In criticizing the Pharisees, “Jesus does not deny that sin and sinners exist,” said Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa.

The papal preacher offered a Lenten reflection March 30 to Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican officials.

But Jesus “was more severe” toward those who “condemned the sinners than toward the sinners themselves,” the preacher said.

From the evidence in the Bible, Father Cantalamessa said, “being merciful appears to be an essential aspect of being in ‘the image and likeness of God.’”

Mercy is the form God’s love takes in relation to sinners, he said.

“After we have experienced it, we must demonstrate it to our brothers and sisters, both on the level of the church community as well as on a personal level,” the Capuchin said.

Jesus does not trivialize sin, “but

finds a way not to alienate sinners, instead attracting them to himself. He does not see only what they are, but what they can become if divine mercy reaches the depths of their misery and desperation,” he said.

Jesus “does not wait for them to come to him; often he is the one who goes out looking for them,” the priest said.

“Jesus is firm and rigorous regarding principles, but he knows when a principle must give way to the superior principle, which is the mercy of God and the salvation of a person,” he said.

“How these criteria drawn from the actions of Christ can be applied concretely to the new problems today’s society poses will depend on patient research and, finally, on the discernment of the magisterium,” which is the church’s teaching authority, he said.

But every Christian must recognize that just as he or she has been forgiven by God, forgiveness must be extended to others, Father Cantalamessa said.

“One cannot live in harmony, in one’s family or any other kind of community, without the practice of forgiveness and mercy,” he said.

Photo by DaviD hains

Charlotte Catholic High School students watch sobering images of wrecked automobiles and fellow students who were “killed” during a simulated traffic accident on the school football field April 1. Charlotte-area police, fire and rescue personnel worked the mock accident scene as if it were an actual accident, giving the event a realistic feel.

Charlotte Catholic students took part in the simulation, posing as intoxicated participants or injured victims in the two-car “accident,” which resulted from a car driven by an intoxicated driver striking a vehicle carrying sober occupants.

The event was organized to remind students during prom season that drinking and driving can be a deadly mixture.

ATTENTION READERSDuE TO THE EAsTER HOlIDAy, THE CATHOlIC NEws & HERAlD wIll NOT publIsH FRIDAy, ApRIl 13. OuR NExT IssuE wIll bE FRIDAy, ApRIl 20. wE wIsH EVERyONE A VERy HAppy EAsTER!

April 11N.C. State Catholic Legislators dinnerRaleigh

April 1� — 7 p.m.Sacrament of ConfirmationHoly Family Church, Clemmons

April 14 — 10:�0 a.m.Sacrament of Confirmationst. leo the Great Church, winston-salem

April 14 — 5:�0 p.m.Sacrament of ConfirmationGood shepherd Church, King

April 15 — 9:�0 a.m.Sacrament of Confirmationst. benedict the Moor Church, winston-salem

April 16 — 7 p.m.Sacrament of ConfirmationHoly Cross Church, Kernersville

April 18 — 10:�0 a.m.Charlotte Catholic Women’s LuncheonCarmel Country Club, Charlotte

April 20 — 7 p.m.Sacrament of Confirmationst. pius x Church, Greensboro

� The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007Around the diocese

do a lot for the needy people in North Carolina,” said Tommasi.

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild of Holy Family Church offers spiritual and social opportunities for women of the parish.

According to the parish Web site, the guild’s mission is to unify the women’s talents and “journey together to be a welcoming body and foster the compassion for others” as reflected in the life of its patroness, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) was born into an upper-class family in colonial New York. She converted to Catholicism in 1805 and founded the Sisters of Charity in the United States in 1809 in Emmitsburg, Md.

She was beatified in 1963 and canonized in 1975. Her feast day is Jan. 4.

WANT MORE INFO?For more information on the guild, visit www.holyfamilyclemmons.com/seton.html.

Baking benefitsDio

cese of CharlotteD

io

cese of Charlotte

2007

TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST

EUCH

ARISTIC CONG

RESS

IHS

Visit the Web site www.GoEucharist.com

often for the latest updated information about programs and speakers, as well as opportunities

to volunteer.

Mark your calendar now for the third

Diocese of CharlotteEucharistic Congress –

SEPTEMBER 21 & 22Charlotte Convention Center

Courtesy Photo

Mike Doyle (center), financial secretary for the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Greensboro, is pictured with the winners of the AOH’s annual fundraising raffle, held in March. The raffle raises funds for local charities.

This year’s winners were (pictured from left) Elizabeth Hedcock, who accepted funds on behalf of Room at the Inn of the Triad, a Catholic maternity home; Nona Pryor and Lia Ryan of Victory Junction Gang Camp, which provides camping experiences for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses; Msgr. Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, who accepted for the regional office of diocesan faith formation and the Triad Area Catholic Schools endowment foundation; and Pat Kirwan, who accepted funds for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic organization that assists the poor and needy.

The AOH distributed checks to other local and international charities, and will soon draw for the winner of a trip to Ireland.

AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY

Institute for Pastoral Theology

NOW ACCEPTINGAPPLICATIONSFOR FALL 2007

CLASSES IN

Charleston,South

CarolinaClass Location: Columbia, SC

Application Deadline:May 15, 2007

Toll Free: 866-866-1100Email: ipt@avemaria.eduWeb: www.ipt.avemaria.edu

For an Application or More Information

CLEMMONS — The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild of Holy Family Church in Clemmons recently raised funds for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina.

The guild raised $1,000 through a bake sale held Feb. 10, and presented the funds to the food bank in Winston-Salem March 19.

“We had such a tremendous response to this need from the parish,” said Ellen Tommasi, a guild member and an organizer of the bake sale.

“We have plans to make this an annual event, thanks to the generosity of the parishioners,” she said.

Tommasi and guild member Donna Fina toured the food bank and presented the check March 19.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina is a major distributor of donated food in the region, serving 380 nonprofit partner agencies that help to feed the hungry and others in need across 18 counties.

“They have come along way and

Courtesy Photo

ellen tommasi (center) and donna Fina (second from right) of the st. elizabeth Ann seton Guild of holy Family church in clemmons present a $1,000 check to the second harvest Food Bank of northwest north carolina March 19. Also pictured (from left) are food bank staff members Gretchen o’shay, executive director nan Griswold and Linda Ward.

Guild raises funds for food bank

Raffle rousing

The Catholic News & Herald � April 6, 2007Around the diocese

Sharing knowledge

WALK WHERE JESUS WALKED ON A DIOCESAN-SPONSORED PILGRIMAGE TO

THE HOLY LANDwith Fr. James Hawker, Diocesan Vicar

of Education and Pastor, St. Luke Church

Deepen your understanding of our Catholic faith and watch the pages of the Bible come alive as you experience daily Mass at many of the historical sites of our faith.

November 6 – 15

* Price: Only $2,399 (before July 29) from Charlotte includes airfare, most meals, first class hotels and all tours. Airport taxes/fees, tips and insurance are extra.

Call Cindi Feerick at 704/370-3332 for a brochure with complete details or Pentecost Tours 800/713-9800 for registration.

Highlights include: - Tiberias, Mt. Carmel, Sea of Galilee area- Mt. Tabor, Cana, Nazareth – Jesus’ boyhood area - Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, River Jordan- Jerusalem area: Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane,

Via Dolorosa, Lord’s Tomb at Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount Zion, Upper Room, Dormition Abbey, Wailing Wall

- Dead Sea (excavations and scrolls), Masada, Holocaustmemorial

- Bethlehem’s historic sites - PLUS much more!

by JOANITA M. NELLENbACHCOrrEspONdENT

HICKORY — “Catechesis in our diocese is a beautiful mosaic,” said Father James Hawker, vicar for education for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Hawker opened the parish catechetical leader in-service program at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory March 22.

The program’s presenter, Tom Zanzig, spoke on “Adult Faith Formation: Trends, Tensions and Tactics.” The Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Faith Formation and Silver Burdette Ginn Religion, a publisher of religious training materials, sponsored the program.

Zanzig, a freelance writer, trainer, retreat director and speaker on adult faith formation and spirituality, is co-editor of “Adult Faith Formation Strategies.”

He spoke on three considerations in adult faith formation: problematic presumptions, t imely but tough transitions, and practical principles and programmatic possibilities.

“We tend to think of adults as a homogeneous group,” Zanzig said. “My experience is that the older we get the more unique we become.”

Like a mosaic, he said: From a distance, it looks to be all one piece, but up close it’s clear that the single picture is made of many individual tiles. In like manner, the church is one whole, but is composed of individuals, all of whom have different needs. That includes education; 20-year-old adults may need

something very different from 40- or 60-year-old adults.

However, he said, even education isn’t enough to keep people coming back to church or developing their faith.

A “problematic presumption” in catechesis is that “belonging is based on shared knowledge,” Zanzig said.

Rather, he said, what binds you to the community are the meaningful encounters that leave people enriched.

Parish life and faith

The basis for any catechesis is the life of the total parish, Zanzig said.

“The way the parish lives its life and celebrates together says what the curriculum really is,” he said. “A wonderful program about Eucharist won’t hold much water if the ongoing liturgy is poor.”

One of Zanzig’s “timely but tough transitions” is going “from ‘knowledge about’ to ‘relationship with,’ from academic enterprise to genuine experience.”

“The mistake we make is thinking that we can create community out of nothing,” Zanzig said. “Community is what comes out of worship, shared experience. Trying to make people part of a group can be artificial. People are better bonded by service to people outside the community.”

Part of catechesis is finding the tools that help people to live their faith more deeply and “calling them to be responsible for their own spiritual growth.”

“The whole point of the church is to

proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “Whatever we do to get ready for that service is healthy and whole.”

One problem, said Michael Leake of St. James the greater Church in Concord, is that “we think every group must be led by a ‘credentialed’ person,” with special training or a title.

Thus , another “problemat ic presumption” is that catechists “possess all wisdom and our mission is to ‘give it to parishioners,’” and that “the parish must do it all.”

Everything done in the parish should be directed toward spiritual formation and prayer. For example, said Zanzig, beginning the finance council meeting with prayer can help keep the focus on how the money is used to proclaim that Gospel.

In fact, Zanzig said, “What if every parish meeting began with one minute of silence, holding the committee or parish in prayer?”

Practical principlesAmong Zanzig’s “practical principles

and programmatic possibilities”:— Adults must experience a deeper

awareness of and connection to God and community;

— Tone and environment must suggest and help form a community of disciples, each uniquely called and

gifted, on a shared journey of faith;— Think “spiritual direction,” not

education,” with leaders as experienced guides and mentors, not “experts.”

“Spiritual direction” is not the traditional idea of one person meeting individually with a trained spiritual director, said Zanzig. Rather, it’s gathering in small groups.

Group members are those who, Zanzig said, “can walk with you in an intentional way.”

It’s like what people do after they finish Cursillo, regularly gathering with others “cursillistas” for fellowship and prayer, said Bob Demmond of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville.

Those who gather in such groups are people who deeply trust each other. Zanzig meets with two others every few weeks.

They review what’s been going on in their lives, talk about prayer and any insights they’ve had. There follows a brief period of sitting in silence.

“The point of these sessions is to be companions, to teach (by example),” Zanzig said. “They have to own it themselves, it’s not something that’s programmed for them.”

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

Photo by Joanita M. nellenbach

speaker tom Zanzig speaks with sister of Providence Betty Paul, northern region coordinator for diocesan faith formation, during a parish catechetical leader in-service session at the catholic conference center in hickory March 22.

Catechists explore trends, tactics in faith formation

6-7 pm: Cocktail Hour

7-11 pm: Dinner, Dancing, Silent Auction, and Raffle

Entertainment: International Dancers, Bagpiper, & DJ

Tickets: $25 per personTickets can be obtained by contacting the

Church Office at 704-867-6212

Come join the fun and enjoy food from around the world!11th Annual

St. Michael’s International Dinner Saturday Night -- April 28, 2007

� The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007path to sainthood

Nun says life has changed since she was healed thanks to JPII

She met reporters March 30 in Aix-en-Provence during a press conference with Archbishop Claude Feidt of Aix, the archdiocese where the cure took place.

“I was sick and now I am cured,” she told reporters. “I am cured, but it is up to the church to say whether it was a miracle or not.”

However, she said, she knows she is well and that she must continue her work “to serve life and to serve the family.”

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2001, she said that watching Pope John Paul deteriorate from the effects of Parkinson’s disease, “I saw myself in the years to come.”

Pope John Paul died April 2, 2005, and as Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre’s condition began to worsen, all the members of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood in France and in Senegal began praying to Pope John Paul to intervene with God to heal her.

By June 2, the religious has said, she was struggling to write, to walk and to function normally.

She said she went to bed that night and woke up very early the next morning feeling completely different.

“I was sure I was healed,” she said.In a March 29 statement, Archbishop

Feidt said that after hearing about the alleged healing of Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre he decided to conduct “a thorough investigation” to determine whether it might be the miracle needed for Pope John Paul’s beatification.

In general, the church must confirm two miracles through the intercession of the sainthood candidate before canonization.

The archbishop said the investigation took a year to complete.

The postulator of Pope John Paul’s sainthood cause, Msgr. Slawomir Oder, said the investigation included testimony from theologians and canon lawyers, physicians, a psychiatrist and a handwriting expert, since the legibility of a patient’s handwriting is used as an indicator of the progress of Parkinson’s disease.

Archbishop Feidt and Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre attended the April 2 ceremony in Rome, marking the end of the diocesan phase of Pope John Paul’s cause, and the memorial Mass Pope Benedict XVI celebrated to mark the second anniversary of his predecessor’s death.

While in Rome, Archbishop Feidt delivered all the documentation regarding the nun’s case to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, which will conduct its own investigation into the alleged healing.

Come to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina to praise and worship God’s creative and diverse beauty. This retreat is meant to be an experience in spirituality and personal reflection. It will provide an opportunity for participants to encounter nature while experiencing the pleasures of silence, peaceful reflection and prayer.

Our world today offers us few opportunities to “steal away” for prayer, reflection and rest. We must develop our spirituality and attune it to our times, as each of us has an individual spiritual path.

Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in beautiful Maggie Valley will be the setting. Participants will enjoy private room accommodations, five (5) meals, sessions for spiritual understanding and reflection as well as time to “steal away” and have a true experience in God’s creation. For more information on the Center go to the website - http://www.catholicretreat.org.

The Retreat begins Friday, May 18th. Please arrive at 5 pm. The retreat concludes after lunch on Sunday, May 20th. Our Spiritual Leader will be Rev. Mr. Curtiss P. Todd.

Cost: $100 per person -- Advance registration and payment required. Space is limited.

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Complete the registration form, attach your payment and return by Friday, May 4th to:

African American Affairs Ministry Diocese of Charlotte 1123 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203

“GOD’S MESSAGE FROM SCRIPTURE”

A SPIRITUAL RETREATWith Rev. Mr. Curtiss P. Todd

MAY 18-20, 2007Living Waters

Catholic Reflection CenterMaggie Valley, NC

MIRACLE, from page 1

CNS photo by Serge pagaNo, reuterS

sister Marie-simon-pierre poses before a news conference in aix-en-provence, France, March 30. the French nun believes she was healed from parkinson’s disease through the intercession of pope John paul ii, who also suffered from the disease. the healing could be the miracle needed for the late pope’s beatification.

The Catholic News & Herald � April 6, 2007path to sainthood

CNS photo by AleSSANdro biANChi, reuterS

a worker seals boxes of documents after a Mass marking the conclusion of the initial phase of the process for the canonization of pope John paul ii at the Basilica of st. John Lateran in Rome april 2.

by CINDy WOODENCathOlIC NEWs sErvICE

VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II’s intense pastoral ministry, “but even more, the Calvary of agony and the serene death of our beloved pope let all people of our age know that Jesus Christ really was his everything,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

Pope Benedict marked the second anniversary of Pope John Paul’s death by celebrating a memorial Mass the evening of April 2 in St. Peter’s Square.

The pope said his predecessor truly fit the biblical description of a “servant of God,” which is the way the church officially refers to him while “his process of beatification quickly progresses.”

Pope Benedict, who had set aside the five-year waiting period usually required before a sainthood cause begins, told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square that the initial, diocesan phase of Pope John Paul’s cause had concluded earlier in the day.

While the church has not solemnly proclaimed Pope John Paul a saint in heaven, Pope Benedict said he is certain that “our beloved John Paul II” continues to accompany the church with his prayers.

At the same time, he offered prayers that Pope John Paul, “our father, brother and friend,” would enjoy eternal rest and

Celebrating a ‘servant of God’

peace in the company of God.The pope praised his predecessor’s

ability to share with the world his faith, hope and charity, even as Parkinson’s disease gradually made it impossible for him to walk and, ultimately, to talk.

“Especially with the slow, but relentless progression of his illness, which little by little stripped him of everything, he made himself an offering to Christ, a living proclamation of his passion, in a hope filled with faith in the resurrection,” Pope Benedict said.

“Like his divine master, he lived his agony in prayer,” the pope said. “He died praying. Truly, he fell asleep in the Lord.”

Sitting near the front of the crowd was Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, the 46-year-old French nun who believes she was healed of Parkinson’s disease through Pope John Paul’s intervention.

Guy Murphy of the Chicago-based Totally Yours Pilgrimages was at the Mass with 45 pilgrims from the United States.

“We are big John Paul II fans,” he said.

Murphy said he was not concerned that the church was taking its time officially proclaiming the late pope a saint — “sometimes it takes hundreds of years” — but he has no doubt that “John Paul is one of the greatest saints ever.”

‘Extraordinary witness’Earlier in the day, during a ceremony

marked by prayers, song and formal oaths in Latin, officials of the Diocese of Rome concluded the initial phase of Pope John Paul’s sainthood cause.

The process had included interviews with more than 120 people who knew Pope John Paul and a study of his ministry, the way he handled suffering and how he faced his death, said Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome.

“In the certainty of being loved by God and in the joy of responding to that love,” the late pope “found the meaning, unity and aim of his life,” Cardinal Ruini said during the prayer service in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The documents from the investigation were placed in five chests, latched, tied with a red ribbon, then sealed with red wax. They will be delivered to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes for further study.

“The pope suffered in his flesh and he suffered in his spirit, finding himself increasingly obliged to reduce his commitments,” Cardinal Ruini said.

Pope John Paul’s occasional “signs of impatience” were not the result of pain, but of his frustration at not being able to continue the ministry to which he felt called, the cardinal added.

Cardinal Ruini described Pope John Paul as a man of continuous, intense prayer, “concrete and radical poverty” and great freedom, which allowed him to stand up to Poland’s communist government.

His love for God was lived as love for human beings, leading the pope to be an insistent voice for peace and for the defense of human life from conception to natural death, the cardinal said.

Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, a member of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, was at the prayer service, as were Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Pope John Paul’s personal secretary for almost 40 years, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

Celebrating a televised Mass early in the morning at Pope John Paul’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Dziwisz called the late pope an “extraordinary witness” of Christ.

“John Paul II was a member of the friends of Jesus, that is, the group of saints. Membership in this group was what gave meaning and direction to his life, to all he did and said,” Cardinal Dziwisz said.

“The people of God clearly recognize his sanctity,” he said.

Cardinal Dziwisz and others have pointed out that Pope Benedict could beatify or even canonize Pope John Paul immediately, without waiting for the Congregation for Saints’ Causes to conclude its work.

Examining the causePortuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva

Martins, congregation prefect, said that unless or until he hears otherwise from the pope, the congregation will continue the process according to established church law: first, studying the documentation gathered by the Diocese of Rome and assisting with the drafting of a “positio,” or position paper, outlining how Pope John Paul heroically lived the Christian virtues.

The 15 cardinals and 15 bishops who are members of the congregation will study the “positio” and forward their opinion to the pope, he told the newspaper La Repubblica.

At the same time, he said, “an ad hoc commission of experts with scientists and physicians of every religious orientation, even nonbelievers,” will be convoked to study the records and testimony collected in the case of Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre.

“It will be up to them to establish whether or not it is a healing that is scientifically inexplicable,” the cardinal said.

“Only in the light of this scientific pronouncement will a later commission of cardinals declare whether it is a miracle that can be attributed to the intercession” of Pope John Paul, he said.

A declaration of heroic virtues and recognition of a miracle usually are needed before beatification. In the usual process, canonization requires another miracle attributed to the candidate’s intervention after the beatification.

Pope Benedict: John Paul’s ministry, agony showed his love of Christ

� The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007from the cover

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world.”

— Maryknoll Sister

Theresa Mangieri

your prayerful thanksgiving to Jesus for your call.”

Celebrating 60 years were Franciscan Sister Joan Ann Gilsdorf, Maryknoll Sister Theresa Mangieri, and Mercy Sisters Bernarda Hoff and Elizabeth Robertson.

Celebrating 50 years were Mercy Sister Pauline Mary Clifford, Maryknoll Sister Peggy Lipsio and Sister of St. Joseph Judith Monahan.

Celebrating 25 years was Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Philo, who was unable to attend the Mass.

“We take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. This is a celebration of that and of having lived under those vows,” said Mercy Sister Mary Timothy Warren, vicar for women religious in the diocese.

Pulling from Pope Benedict XVI’s recent exhortation on the Eucharist, Bishop Jugis said “the church’s faith is essentially a eucharistic faith … meaning our faith in Jesus is expressed here and he is really present here in this celebration.”

“In the Eucharist, we encounter the real presence of Christ and he draws us into union with himself in Communion,” said the bishop.

As such, the eucharistic celebration expresses “our vocational call to be one with Jesus and leave behind worldly

ambitions,” said Bishop Jugis.“We come to this celebration with

faith, but here that faith is nourished and strengthened,” he said. “And we leave with that faith even stronger, reinforced.”

Likewise, said Bishop Jugis, “our vocation to the church’s mission is strengthened. We are reinforced in our vocations when we are nourished in Christ. We are stronger in our mission to the church and humanity.”

Bishop Jugis said many of the saints let the Eucharist interpret their lives. St. Ignatius of Antioch, he said, described his martyrdom in terms of the Eucharist with: “I am God’s wheat, and I shall be ground by their teeth to become Christ’s pure bread.”

“Maybe we can let the Eucharist interpret our lives, and especially our vocations,” said Bishop Jugis. “May this Eucharist today express our thanksgiving to God and interpret our lives and our vocations, our union with Jesus.”

Women religious celebrate during jubilee Mass

JUBILEE, from page 1

Photo by Kevin e. Murray

Bishop Peter J. Jugis presents a plaque to mercy Sister elizabeth robertson during the annual jubilee celebration for women religious at St. Gabriel church in charlotte march 31.

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their fellow sisters.“This is a very happy day for all of

us,” said Maryknoll Sister Peggy Lipsio. “I’m grateful for all the years I’ve had in this life — they’ve been happy years.”

Her fellow Maryknoll sister, Theresa Mangieri, agreed.

“I’ve had a very joyful life and I like to spread that joy,” said Sister Mangieri.

“I’ve gotten a lot of love from my family and my Maryknoll sisters, and I feel it’s my vocation to share that,” she said.

During her 60 years as a woman religious, Sister Mangieri has served in the Philippines and, most recently, in Zimbabwe.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people all over the world, and I’ve realized we’re all so similar and beautiful,” she said.

Helping others has been a highlight of Sister of St. Joseph Judith Monahan’s 50 years in ministry, including “reaching out to people and sharing their joys and sorrows,” she said.

Mercy Sister Bernada Hoff , a registered nurse, worked in every department during her 30 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville and 20 years at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte.

“My biggest joy is being grateful for

the gift of my vocation and being able to serve the Lord,” said Sister Hoff.

The sisters said they encourage young women to consider a religious life.

“If they feel like they have a calling, they should look into it,” said Mercy Sister Elizabeth Robertson, who served as a teacher for 40 of her 60 years of ministry.

A woman considering a vocation “should be someone who is dedicated to serving God and people,” said Sister Mangieri. “And the joy one gets from that is tremendous.”

“It’s a wonderful life,” said Sister Hoff.

WANT MORE INFO?For more informat ion on women religious in the Diocese of Charlotte, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/ womenreligious.html.

A ministry of service, joyby KEVIN E. MURRAy

EdItoR

CHARLOTTE — For the sisters celebrating anniversaries as women religious, the jubilee Mass at St. Gabriel Church March 31 was a joyful way to reflect and share their ministries with

The Catholic News & Herald 9 April 6, 2007FROM THE COVER

CHRISM, from page 1

Sacred oils blessed during chrism Mass

The Diocese of Charlotte is commemorating its 35th Anniversary with the publicationof a special volume of beautiful photographs, spiritual reflections and fascinating history.

You will enjoy more than 35 spiritual reflections from laity throughout the diocese as well as from clergy including Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, and Archbishop John F. Donoghue.

Plus, the book is filled with numeroushistorical photos and interesting facts about the growth and development of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Cost of this beautiful book is $25.99 plus tax and $4.85 shipping and handling. Allow 2 weeks for delivery.

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in Christ is ‘Father,’” said Bishop Jugis. “We are father to the parish family; father of the poor, father of the brokenhearted, father of the sorrowing, father to the blind, father to captives, father to prisoners, father bestowing on the family the oil of gladness and the glorious mantle of salvation.”

The chrism Mass is one of the Catholic Church’s most solemn Masses, celebrated in every Catholic diocese on Holy Thursday. If celebration of the Mass is not possible on Holy Thursday, it may be celebrated earlier in the week, as it is in the Diocese of Charlotte.

During the Mass, the bishop blessed the oils to be used in administering the sacraments of baptism, confi rmations and anointing of the sick throughout the diocese in the upcoming year. Also during this Mass, about 90 priests recommitted themselves to their priestly ministry.

B i s h o p J u g i s , a l o n g w i t h concelebrants Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin; Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey; Msgr. Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor; Father John Putnam, judicial vicar;

Father Paul Gary, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral; and other clergy of the diocese, gathered with about 125 priests, permanent deacons and seminarians for the diocese to celebrate the liturgy with the people of faith whom they serve.

During his homily, the bishop extended a special welcome to those priests who are celebrating anniversaries of priesthood ordination this year, including Bishop Curlin, who will celebrate his golden jubilee.

The recommitment ceremony, which followed the Liturgy of the Word, included the priests’ renewal of their dedication as ministers of Christ, striving to be more like Christ and being faithful to their sacred ministry.

Following the liturgy of the Eucharist, Bishop Jugis blessed the three oils used in sacramental and liturgical practices.

Vials of the oils are dispensed to every parish and mission church in the diocese. With the sacred oils — and having recommitted themselves to the mission they share with their bishop — the priests returned to their parishes, rededicated in spiritual union with the diocesan faithful.

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

PHOTO BY KAREN A. EVANS

Bishop Peter J. Jugis pours fragrant balsam into a vessel of olive oil during the annual chrism Mass celebrated at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte April 3. Once blended and blessed, the chrism — signifying abundant grace and spiritual strength — is used during the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and holy orders.

PHOTO BY KAREN A. EVANS

Vessels of olive oil sit inside the vestibule of St. Patrick Cathedral prior to the annual chrism Mass April 3.

DID YOU KNOW?The sacramental use of oil is rooted in the Old Testament practice of anointing kings. The Hebrew word Mashiach (“Messiah”) means “anointed one.” Its New Testament Greek equivalent is Christos (“Christ”). As Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, so are Christians anointed with the same spirit through the use of holy oils.

10 The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and moreCulture Watch WORD TO LIFE

Sunday Scripture readingS: april 15, 2007

April 15, Second Sunday of Easter; Divine Mercy SundayCycle C Readings:

1) acts 5:12-16 psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-242) revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-193) gospel: John 20:19-31

‘Touching the wounds’ a way to believe the resurrection

by JEAN DENTONcAThOlic NEws sErvicE

When I first returned to my hometown of New Orleans several months after it had been hit by Hurricane Katrina, I wanted to see the destruction. On the other hand, I didn’t want to be a devastation tourist, gawking at the loss and suffering.

My best friend Christine, like my mother, no longer lived in the part of the city that was hardest hit; the neighborhood where we’d grown up was totaled.

“You’ve got to go over there and see what it’s like,” Christine told me when I arrived in town.

“How do people feel about that?” I asked her. “Are they offended by people driving by just to look?”

“No,” she said flatly. “They want people to come — they want them to see what happened and what they’re living

with. They need people to know, so they can get help.”

Through the eyes of a Christian, this is touching the wounds.

Is it voyeuristic fascination with another’s suffering? No.

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to touch the wounds of the victim as he invites Thomas to place his fingers in Jesus’ own wounded hands and side.

Why?Because feeling the wounds is the

first, necessary step to compassion, and compassion leads to belief in resurrection.

No one gets through this life without wounds of his or her own. But it’s the nature and mercy of resurrection that allows us to put the suffering behind us.

Still, hurt and horror continue in the world. So until the Last Day, resurrection must take place again and again.

I can relate to Thomas’ humbling moment — having to touch to believe. It has never been heroic.

But, incredulously, it has seemed a privilege, walking through the final stages of cancer with my father and of AIDS with my friend; holding a dying baby in a Haitian orphanage; weeping with a teenager as she recounted an experience of abuse.

We touch the wounded and we touch Jesus himself. As his disciples, we are invited: called to continually feel the wounds of others and thereupon believe the Resurrection.

BOSTON (CNS) — Katherine Buron was a Catholic convert and popular writer who specialized in biographies of women founders of religious orders.

“The Eighth American Saint” is an updated and edited reprint of her 1959 book, “A Life of Substance,” about Mother Theodore Guerin (1798-1856), the missionary and foundress who was canonized in October 2006.

Burton’s selection of well-told vignettes and excerpts from letters and archival material show Mother Theodore as a devout religious, an exceptional and deeply loved superior, and a courageous and skilled administrator.

in spite of lifelong ill health she willingly embarked on the long journey to Vincennes, Ind., in 1840. The cross she embraced there included dangerous travel conditions, isolation, debt, harsh poverty and hostility to Catholics.

Her most serious challenge was negotiating years of conflict with the bishop of Vincennes who attempted to subvert her rule as superior and refused the sisters the lease to their property or approval of their rule.

It is testimony to St. Mother Theodore’s charity that her journal records little about these difficulties.

This is an edifying narrative of faith, hope and charity that assumes an audience familiar with the spirituality of sacrifice that led this remarkable woman to give selflessly in obedience to her vocation.

Ursuline Sister Irene Mahoney’s “Lady Blackrobes” is a compelling and thoughtful history of the Ursuline missions in Montana which began in 1884.

Drawing on letters, diaries and community annals, Sister Mahoney records the difficult conditions that prevailed in the eight mission schools established or staffed by the Ursulines, working closely with the Jesuits.

Extreme physical conditions were only one part of their hardship. They suffered under the impatient and sometimes reckless decisions of their charismatic foundress, Mother Amadeus Dunne, and endured serious power struggles within the community and tension with the

WEEKLY SCRIPTUREScripture for the week of April 8 - 14Sunday (the resurrection of the lord), Acts 10:34, 37-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9; Monday (easter Monday), Acts 2:14, 22-33, Matthew 28:8-15; tuesday (easter tuesday), Acts 2:36-41, John 20:11-18; wednesday (easter wednesday), Acts 3:1-10, Luke 24:13-35; thursday (easter thursday), Acts 3:11-26, Luke 24:35-48; friday (easter friday), Acts 4:1-12, John 21:1-14; Saturday (easter Saturday), Acts 4:13-21, Mark 16:9-15.

Scripture for the week of April 15 - 21Sunday (Second Sunday of easter;47 Divine Mercy Sunday), Acts 5:12-16, Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31; Monday, Acts 4:23-31, John 3:1-8; tuesday, Acts 4:32-37, John 3:7-15; wednesday, Acts 5:17-26, John 3:16-21; thursday, Acts 5:27-33, John 3:31-36; friday, Acts 5:34-42, John 6:1-15; Saturday (St. Anselm), Acts 6:1-7, John 6:16-21.

Scripture for the week of April 22 - 28Sunday (third Sunday of easter), Acts 5:27-32, 40-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19; Monday (St. George, St. Adalbert), Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-29; Tuesday (St. Fidelis), Acts 7:51--8:1, John 6:30-35; wednesday (St. Mark), 1 Peter 5:5-14, Mark 16:15-20; thursday, Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; friday, Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday (St. Peter Chanel, St. louis de Montfort), Acts 9:31-42, John 6:60-69.

international Ursuline union.The most interesting aspect of this

book is Sister Mahoney’s exploration of the motivation for the missions: “The goal of mission schools had, from the beginning, been clear and direct: to evangelize the native people through the education of the children.”

While the missionaries were aware of, and could be angry about, the mistreatment of the Indians by the government and the white settlers’ greed for land, they “had an unswerving belief that they possessed the one and essential truth,” Sister Mahoney writes. “To save poor ignorant souls from the fiery pit of hell was a powerful motive.”

Today’s theology of mission is radically different but the reader will still be moved by the witness of “lives of almost unendurable hardship, unswervingly faithful to the only vision available to them.”

“Voices from an Early American Convent” is a short collection that offers a glimpse into the cloistered lives and zealous ministries of Ursuline nuns who came to Louisiana in 1727.

Emily Clark, a historian who teaches at Tulane University in New Orleans, offers a brief but lucid introduction to the French colonization of North America and 18th-century religious life.

“Hired to run a hospital,” the Ursulines “dreamed of converting Indians,” but soon after arrival their “missionary fervor” was instead directed to the large slave population in the French colony.

One section reprints six obituaries, notices that “testify to their attentiveness to the diversity of gifts among their sisters. In them we meet women characterized by abject humility, dangerous enthusiasm, iron resolve and sweet submissiveness.”

Another entry is an account of a 1734 eucharistic procession that took place when the Ursulines moved into their new convent; an event, Clark explains, “that left the city’s inhabitants with a powerful set of images to serve as reminders of their enduring presence and spiritual authority.”

This fine book performs the same function for contemporary readers.

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We’re ready to help with gifts and holy reminders for your loved ones as we celebrate with you their continued growth in our faith.

Come visit our Cornelius store or one of our scheduled parish visits:St. Mark School – Wed & Thur, Apr. 18 & 19: 7:30 am – 3 pm

St. Philip, Statesville – Sat. & Sun., April 21-22 after Masses SPECIAL PARISH VISITS: If you’d like to arrange a parish visit, ask your pastor to

call me, manager Allen Bond, and we’ll make every effort to meet his schedule. May God Bless you all as we approach Easter.

1st Holy Communion Celebrations Coming Soon!

Books provide glimpses into lives of early American religious women

The Catholic News & Herald 11 April 6, 2007

Hardly worth ‘Reaping’

by SISTER CAROL HOVERMANCATHOLIC NEwS SERVICE

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, near Dubuque, is known for the lives of prayer the Trappistine Sisters lead there and for the delicious caramels they make.

Now an even wider audience will get a glimpse into their lives.

A four-part television series, “The Monastery,” filmed in Dubuque a year ago, will be shown on the TLC cable channel. It is to debut on Easter, April 8, and continue for three more Sundays.

Five women who answered a casting call were chosen to spend 40 days and nights in a women’s monastery somewhere in the United States.

That “somewhere” turned out to be Our Lady of the Mississippi. The entire 40 days were filmed. The finished product is a companion to “The Monastery” series filmed at the men’s Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, N.M., shown last fall on TLC.

After a similar series on monasteries was televised in England, letters of invitation were sent to all U.S. men’s and women’s monasteries by the Tiger/Tigress Production Co. looking for willing candidates for a series in this country.

“The productions in England were very successful,” said Mother Gail Fitzpatrick, former abbess of the Dubuque Trappistine Community. “There was a huge turnaround in interest in the church and religious life.”

Then one day, the Dubuque abbey received a phone call.

“I think we were approached because our community has many younger members, and a production like this needs that energy,” said Mother Gail.

That was the beginning of a three-month process of intensive prayer, dialogue and visiting with the producer, Sara Woodford, before the community came to a consensus and agreed to be filmed.

Mother Gai l a lso had been encouraged to participate by colleagues in other countries.

“Seeing the wonderful video from England and hearing of the positive image of religious life it portrayed gave us a sense of trust” in Tiger/Tigress, she said.

The agreement to have cameras rolling for 40 days in a contemplative religious community, while integrating five new women who had no experience of monastic life, was a huge decision.

“In prayer, we came to the decision,” Mother Gail said. “It is our belief that people who watch the program will have some sense of what our life is about and how contact with God is a way of living in hope. That was our main reason for doing it.”

Extensive preparations were made for the arrival of the women and the television crew. Each woman would have a mentor, but the Trappistine mentors were not assigned until the women arrived so personalities could be blended.

Trappistine monastery to be focus of new cable reality show

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Please reserve space by Wednesday, April 25.

Cameras follow women’s immersion into contemplative life

“Monastic life was a huge shock for the women,” said Mother Gail. “It was so different from their lifestyle and it took a tremendous amount of time and effort for them to adjust.”

Plans made before the women arrived were revised almost daily. Some found the adjustment extremely difficult and came close to leaving.

“I really give the women credit for deciding to stay,” Mother Gail said. “They said they came to be part of this experience and eventually decided to stick with it. In the end, they were happy they stayed.”

For the first week, the women did not get up at 3 a.m. with the sisters. But from 5:30 a.m. on, they lived the life of the sisters: prayer, meals, manual labor, classes and, of course, some recreation.

One of the hardest adjustments was keeping silence. Only one woman was Catholic; two were Christian and the other two were nonbelievers.

“We didn’t have a common language, and that proved to be a great challenge,” said Mother Gail. “We were trying to express our values and beliefs in Jesus Christ, in God. We tried to speak of grace, heaven, redemption, etc., in a language they could understand.”

Classes on monastic life and basic Christian teaching were helpful, at least to a degree. In addition to the five participants, the six-member TV crew — all women — was on-site.

“They worked hard — were on the cameras 12 hours a day,” said Mother Gail.

Today, the crew and participants remain in touch with the sisters.

“This is one way we could share some of our own joy in God and allow people to see it in action rather than just talking about it,” Mother Gail said. “Living totally in God is really worth the sacrifice and generates so much joy and hope in our lives.”

WANT TO WATCH?The four-part series, “The Monastery,” debuts on the TLC cable channel at 2 p.m. EDT on Easter, April 8, and continues for three more Sundays at the same time.

CNS photo by SiSter KathleeN o’Neill

Mother Gail Fitzpatrick says goodbye to Katie Alton, one of the participants in a four-part television series, “The Monastery,” in 2006.

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Idris Elba (left) and Hilary Swank star in “The Reaping,” a horror fest more silly than scary. Swank plays a nonbelieving university professor called upon to investigate strange happenings mirroring biblical plagues in the Louisiana swamplands. A first-rate locust attack and some creepy river sequences notwithstanding, the film has a disjointed plot and choppy camerawork, while the putative religious elements, including discussions about faith, are hardly inspirational. Some intense horror effects, killings, blood, images of sick and dead people, a nongraphic sexual encounter, mild innuendo and facts-of-life discussion, a few rough and crude expletives and brief profanity, and many deceased cows and frogs. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

12 The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007IN OUR SCHOOLS

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The successful candidate will:a) be a highly qualified, committed, practicing Catholic, in good standing with the Church b) exhibit strong leadership, integrity, sound judgment, excellent communication and organization skills c) possess a master’s degree in Educational Administration/Leadership with a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in Catholic schools, preferably as a school Principal d) possess or be eligible to be licensed as an administrator by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

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St. Paul the Apostle Church is a community that is committed to Intergenerational Catechesis and is seeking an experienced Director of Faith Formation. The position will be open as of July 1, 2007.Candidate must be a practicing Catholic with a master’s degree in Catholic theology and a minimum of five years pastoral experience. Send resume and references to: Susie Barnes, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd, Greensboro, NC 27410; fax (336) 294-6149; e-mail sbarnes@stpaulcc.org.

DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATIONSt. Paul the Apostle Church is a community that is committed to Intergenerational Catechesis and is seeking an experienced Director of Faith Formation. The position will be open as of July 1, 2007.Candidate must be a practicing Catholic with a master’s degree in Catholic theology and a minimum of five years pastoral experience. Send resume and references to: Susie Barnes, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd, Greensboro, NC 27410; fax (336) 294-6149; e-mail sbarnes@stpaulcc.org.

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Gerard A. Carter, CDCHC1123 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203-4003 or email gacarter@charlottediocese.org.

COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured are the Lady Villains, the varsity girls’ basketball team from Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville, who became the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Division 1-A state champions for the second year in a row.

After a near-perfect season, the team played the 1-A girls’ state championship game at N.C. State University in Raleigh March 10.

“We are very excited for what we’ve just accomplished. We realize as a group how hard it is to be a state champion, much less win the championship for two consecutive years. I’m extremely proud,” said Coach Brian Robinson.

Pictured are (from left) Ana DeFrancesco, Kat Lyons, Margaret Minton, Sarah Foroudi, Gina Simmons, Erinn Thompson, Maggie Ronan, Emily Sickelbaugh, Brittany Cox and Megan Rembielak.

“We have very good ‘feeder’ school basketball programs that teach the girls when they’re in sixth, seventh and eighth grade how to press, how to run, how to compete,” said Robinson. “When they come to Bishop, they have an idea of how to play basketball at a very competitive level.”

Lady Villains win second consecutive state championship

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COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured are the Mustangs varsity boys’ basketball team, along with coaches Kevin Phelan and Joe Brannan, from Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem, which completed an undefeated 2006-07 season and became the school’s first boys’ Shamrock Tournament champions. The team defeated five teams during the 45th St. Patrick’s Shamrock Tournament held in Charlotte Feb. 16-18. Eighty boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from middle schools in North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia competed.Our Lady of Mercy School’s girls’ basketball team and cheer team also participated in the weekend tournament, which included exhibitions, Mass and a dance for the middle school teams.

Shamrock champions

The Catholic News & Herald 13 April 6, 2007easter season

Photo by Karen a. evans

Jeannie Beall, director for the diocesan Catholic Social Services (CSS) adoption program, talks with a CSS client as Mike Maynard waits to load a basket of food and paper products into the car at the Pastoral Center in Charlotte April 2.

Maynard is a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, whose parishioners provide about 100 such baskets for Catholic Social Services (CSS) clients each year for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

CSS offers programs and outreach services to people of all faiths. CSS services include domestic and international adoptions, pregnancy support, counseling, Hispanic services, immigration services, grief services, youth services, elder ministry, family life, refugee resettlement, justice and peace education and advocacy, and economic development.

Living Stations Easter baskets

Courtesy Photo

Jesus, portrayed by student Gilbert Kolosieke of Our Lady of Grace School, is “crucified” during a living Stations of the Cross at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro March 30.

The two seventh-grade religion classes, under the direction of teacher Chris Ostrom, perform the 14 Stations, or Way, of the Cross each year for the school.

The devotional practice of recalling Christ’s passion began in the early Christian church with visits to sites in Jerusalem associated with his suffering. Stations of the Cross are common in Western churches and schools and are prayed most often during the Lenten season.

“I was moved by the solemnity and prayerfulness of our students as Jesus is condemned and begins to carry the cross up the aisle of the church,” said Principal Gary Gelo.

“At moments like this, one recognizes that our school has the opportunity to provide faith-filled memories for children that will last a lifetime. This is what makes us unique and special,” said Gelo. “Each day our children teach us by their example to be faith-filled followers of our Savior.”

14 The Catholic News & Herald April 6, 2007

Perspectives A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Celebrating EasterFacing death helps affirm goodness in life

“The pastor should visit the cemetery as often as he is able. This is wholesome for him personally, for his preaching, for his spiritual care and also for his theology.”

To enjoy the wholesomeness of Easter, may I suggest that you take this advice from the noted theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Visit a cemetery during the Easter season, even if you aren’t a theologian.

Cemeteries remind us of death and are places most of us want to avoid as long as possible. So why do this?

When I was a child, it was a family custom to drive to the cemetery around Easter and visit the graves of our relatives. The lessons this taught were fruitful for dealing with life and understanding the joy of Easter.

First, it taught us that even though deceased relatives weren’t with us, they aren’t forgotten. We learned to pray for those who had touched our lives and endowed us with their beautiful spirit.

That spirit may have been the laughter of an uncle we find ourselves imitating, the kindness of a grandmother we rely upon as an example or the wisdom of a grandfather we try to live by.

Instead of feeling that they were gone forever, they were seen as a living part of us.

As a priest, I give retreats in places that often have a cemetery nearby. On one retreat I was experiencing some depression.

The Benedictine monastery there had a cemetery. As I walked through it and viewed the names on the gravestones, I suddenly experienced a peaceful, reassuring calmness.

Later I realized that I was facing

death; doing so had a way of “airing out” my fears.

Now when I meet a person who is down, I advise him or her to take a walk through a cemetery. Many people who have done this have told me later that it was the perfect remedy; it restored their peace of mind.

Facing death helped them to see life in its entirety and to realize that problems aren’t that bad when we realize the life that we hold so sacred isn’t the most sacred life we possess.

A wonderful practice while visiting our beloved dead is to meditate on what it must be like to be on the other side now. We pray, “May they rest in peace.”

What is that peace like? Is it just resting quietly, free of all anxiety, or is it more? Is the absolute peace for which we pray found when finally we are with Christ in heaven?

The greatest joy on this earth is to be in love with a significant other. Beyond this life, what will it be like to be with the most significant other of all, God?

Easter is a time to reflect on our final resurrection with Christ. What better way to do this than to start with death, the doorway to eternal life and happiness?

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

Calling all jocks! I am looking for an athlete whose grace, power and determination are complemented by a fear of the Lord. Is there another Eric Liddell out there?

Liddell (the name rhymes with “fiddle”) is the Scottish track star who was immortalized in the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire.” As an Olympian in the 1924 games in Paris, he refused to run in the 100-meter race because it took place on a Sunday.

In one memorable scene in the film, he tells the future king of England about his decision not to compete on the Sabbath, expressing surprise that the prince, who would one day be the head of the Church of England, did not have more respect for the sanctity of the Lord’s Day.

Today, of course, Sunday is the biggest sports day of the week. Champions are crowned, races won and games decided. For most of us, watching sports is a leisure activity, acceptable for a Sunday that is set aside for worship and rest.

But a line should be drawn. There are a few days each year when celebrations of athleticism just aren’t appropriate (and this pertains to those who watch the games and the athletes who play). Those days are the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.

These three days are unique in the calendar, commemorating the most profound act in human history since God said, “Let there be light” (Gn. 1:3).

The suffering, death and resurrection of the savior of the world are the defining moments of Christianity. They don’t call this Holy Week for nothing, and the days of the Triduum should be observed with a special intensity that excludes most other activities.

Compared to what Christians commemorate this week, sport is trivial.

So what will be talked about and splashed on the screens and pages of the media this weekend? Here within the diocese, a Davis Cup tennis tournament will take place in Winston-Salem. In Charlotte, its basketball time as the Bobcats host the Indiana Pacers on Good Friday.

In Georgia, The Masters Golf Tournament tees it up on Holy Thursday and concludes on Easter.

The tournament, by the way, has the added gall of naming a trio of holes on the manicured course “Amen Corner.”

Baseball stadiums across the country will be aglow.

This sports excess also has a trickle-

down effect and thousands of families will leave town for sports tournaments involving pre-teens, exchanging the sunrise service on Sunday morning for the Rise ’n’ Shine breakfast special at IHOP.

NASCAR is an exception to business-as-usual over the Easter weekend. A spokesman for the stock car racing circuit says it has an off-limits policy when it comes to Easter. Apparently the good ol’ boys of racin’ know a thing or two about the Good Book of Life.

The media, most notably television, has a hand in all of this. It promotes events and dictates start times. I wonder why sports journalists never seem to write about the conflict that must arise when Christian athletes blow off the most important services of the year to hit, throw or catch a ball.

Will a Christian golfer skip his sport’s most prestigious event to make a point about his faith? Will a tennis player exchange a racquet for a kneeling bench? In sports parlance, the odds are against it.

The media has a tough time with Easter. The Crucifixion is bloody. The promise of redemption in the Resurrection is perhaps too complicated for the folks who bring us People magazine and “The Simple Life” with Paris Hilton.

Unlike the very joyous and commercialized celebration of Christmas, with its gizmo gift-giving, there isn’t a good marketing opportunity in Easter. Sorry, Easter Bunny. And so the media treats this like any other weekend.

But the media needs the athletes. So, I’m looking for a jock who wants to be remembered for putting faith before his driver, someone who really understands the tennis expression “it’s your serve.”

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

A podcast of this column is available at www.charlottediocese.org.

Catholics & the Media

DAVID HAINScommuNIcAtIoNS

DIrector

Importance of Religionpercent of Americansby age who say religion is very importantin their lives

ages 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+

47%

57%60%

72%

©2007 CNSSource: 2006 Gallup Poll

The Easter insultChristian athletes, sports fans put the game before the faith

The Human SideFAtHer euGeNe

HemrIcKcNS columNISt

The Catholic News & Herald 15 April 6, 2007

The death of capital punishment

Pope: Week’s liturgies a sign of Jesus’ victory over darkness, death

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The liturgies of Holy Week and Easter are a reminder that Christ has won “the supreme battle between light and darkness, between life and death,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

At his April 4 general audience, Pope Benedict explained the meaning of the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter.

They are not simply “a remembrance of a past reality,” he said. “Even today Christ vanquishes sin and death with his love. Evil, in all its forms, does not have the last word. The final triumph is that of Christ, of truth and of love.”

Pope Benedict urged Catholics to participate in the liturgies aware of their own darkness, faults and responsibilities so that they also can experience the power of Christ’s victory on Easter.

At the Easter Vigil, he said, “the veil of sadness that enveloped the church because of the death and burial of the Lord is ripped apart by the victory cry: ‘Christ is risen. He has defeated death forever.’”

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

Dear brothers and sisters, As we approach the end of Lent and

the commemoration of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the church’s liturgy invites us to contemplate the mystery of the cross, to acknowledge our sinfulness and, in faith, to unite ourselves with Jesus in his saving Passover from death to life.

Holy Thursday, with its celebration of the chrism Mass and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, evokes gratitude for Christ’s institution of the sacraments of the Eucharist and holy orders, and for his new commandment of love.

Good Friday is centered on the Gospel of the Lord’s passion and the adoration of his holy cross, the source of our salvation.

The somber silence of Holy Saturday is a prelude to the joy of the Easter Vigil, with its proclamation of Christ’s victory over sin and death, the gift of his grace in the sacrament of baptism and the renewal of our baptismal promises.

These liturgical celebrations are not mere commemorations of past events; they introduce us to the ever-present reality of God’s saving power.

Today, too, Christ’s love triumphs over evil, sin and death. Truly, as St. Paul says, “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Rom 6:8).

Good Easter to all of you!

Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?

For the Journey

EFFIE CALDAROLACns COLumnIst

The Pope Speaks

POPE BEnEDICt XVI

“Today, however, as a result of steady improvement in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare if not practically nonexistent.”

Interestingly, before Benedict XVI was elected pope, as head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he said, Pope John Paul’s “reservations about the death penalty are even stronger than those already present in the catechism and are a real development.”

The future pope added that the next edition of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” would need to be revised to reflect Pope John Paul’s more powerful teaching against capital punishment. And, indeed, the second edition echoes Pope John Paul’s firm call for society to move beyond the death penalty.

The church’s efforts to end capital punishment are rooted in the God-given dignity of every human being — even murderers.

Furthermore, our faith calls us to promote the common good of all. But the good of society is not served when our laws teach that violence is wrong sometimes — but not other times.

This inconsistency makes no sense and is a tremendous obstacle to building a world based on Christ-like love.

Nearly 2,000 years ago on the first Good Friday, in response to public pressure, the Roman Empire executed our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On that day Jesus suffered the pain of the world’s sins — including the sin of capital punishment.

The barbaric execution of Jesus should have inspired an end to any Christian support for the death penalty. And actually it did, at least for the Catholic Church’s first 300 years.

During that era, the earliest disciples of Christ committed themselves to absolute nonviolence — no abortion, no war, no capital punishment.

Unfortunately, when Christianity became legalized, many began to relax the prohibition against violence — including capital punishment. It even came to the point that during the Middle Ages some people convicted of teaching heresy were condemned to death by certain church officials.

And still to this day, countless Catholics believe in the use of the death penalty, even though Pope John Paul II clearly called for its abolition.

In his prophetic encyclical, “The Gospel of Life,” he taught that capital punishment should only be used when it is impossible to defend society in any other way. And he added this key sentence:

I remember a Catholic News Service photo of a Marianist brother demonstrating in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building. On his shirt was the message: Why do we kill people who kill people, to show that killing people is wrong?

Study after study confirms that capital punishment is not a deterrent to murder. For instance, according to Amnesty International, the murder rate in Canada has dropped by 40 percent since the death penalty was abolished in that country.

And then there is always the chance that an innocent person will be put to death. Since 1972 more than 120 people in U.S. prisons have been exonerated from death row.

More than 88 countries — including every nation in Europe — have completely abolished the death penalty. However, countries that our government has condemned, such as Iran, Syria, North Korea and Sudan, continue — like the United States — to execute human beings.

Jesus’ life did not end with his execution on Calvary. Resurrection had the final word.

In the spirit of the risen Christ, let us rise from all that dehumanizes us — including capital punishment.

Pilgrims on the road 2007

she took us walking down what she said was reputed to be “the most expensive street in Europe.” Every designer you can imagine — Gucci, Prada, Versace — had shops on the street.

That of course was not the street where we decided to go clothes shopping. Instead we walked to the area around the railroad station where more modest retail stores served the general public. Fortunately for us, the dollar was strong against the euro, and the clothes were inexpensive.

But let’s just say they were not exactly the kind of clothes you would find guys wearing in your hometown. They were very “Euro” — the jeans were tight and form-fitting and the shirts hugged the body. My daughter and I giggled as Jim modeled his new wardrobe.

But he needed clothes, so we left with a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some socks, new underwear and a couple of shirts. We teased that what he needed to round out his look was a gold chain.

When we arrived back at our hotel with our purchases — you guessed it. Jim’s luggage was in the lobby, and the Euro-look wardrobe was donated to the poor box at the dorms.

Whenever I remember this, I recall how glad I was that my luggage was with me. And I remember an Ursuline

A few years ago, my husband Jim and I traveled to Florence, Italy, where our daughter Elizabeth was spending her junior year of college.

We flew into Milan where we were to take a train to Florence. But, alas, at the airport the incident all passengers dread happened to us: missing bags.

To my immense but silent relief, it was my husband’s luggage absent and not mine. What would I do without my own stuff?

After it became obvious our luggage was lost, we went to the airline’s office where they assured us the missing bags would appear on another flight and could be delivered to our hotel, so off we went to catch the train.

We kept in contact with the airline and received continued reassurances. But a day, then two, went by, and we would return to our little hotel in the heart of Florence and struggle with Italian to ask the lady behind the desk about our bags to no avail.

Finally, my husband decided he better give in and find some new clothes. Gonzaga University, Elizabeth’s school, uses former hotels as their dorms in the old, historic part of Florence.

Her hotel was just blocks from the Duomo, Florence’s famous church, and

sister, Carolyn Marie, who once gave me a plaque with this advice: “If you want to be a pilgrim on the road of life, you have to travel light.”

Sometimes when I pack my bags or clean out the junk in my house, I ask myself how I’m doing on Carolyn’s admonition to be a pilgrim. How unencumbered is my travel through this world? What was in my Florence bag that I couldn’t live without?

And more importantly, what attitudes or absolutes am I unwilling to examine and discard for the sake of the pilgrimage?

When I was still young, my friend Carolyn died in a car accident on her way to help establish a new Catholic religious community. She was Spirit-filled, and also filled with the excitement and experimentation of the post-Vatican II 1970s.

I still miss her and the youth and enthusiasm we both shared then. Sometimes I pray to Carolyn to help me be a better pilgrim and travel just a little more lightly.

Travel light — some absolutes, attitudes must be discarded

Making a Difference

tOnY mAGLIAnOCns COLumnIst

The Catholic News & Herald 16 EastEr sEason

April 6, 2007

CNS photo by Debbie hill

Palestinian Catholics carry palm and olive branches during the Palm sunday procession at our Lady of seven sorrows Parish in aboud, West Bank, april 1.

CNS photo by beawiharta, reuterS

above: East timorese women carry wooden crosses as they walk during a Palm sunday Mass in Dili, East timor, april 1. Below: Pope Benedict XVI holds a palm frond as he celebrates Palm sunday Mass in st. Peter’s square at the Vatican april 1.

Palm Sunday celebrations held around the world

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